“It’s after four o’clock,” said Mr. Newton as he got off the coach and looked at his watch. “Hardly worth while to go to bed.”
They found a number of people gathered at the station.
“What’s going on?” asked Mr. Newton, of a man who was walking up and down the platform. “Everybody get up early to catch a train?”
“We haven’t been to bed,” was the answer. “The dam’s liable to give way any minute, and we’re a sort of guard watch. As soon as she breaks there’s a man up there near it, who’s going to let us know by telegraph, so we can get our folks out of the way. There’s a telegraph instrument in the depot here, and so we’re hanging around for news. Say, but it’s rainin’ cats an’ dogs, ain’t it?”
“It certainly is,” replied Mr. Newton. “Where’s the hotel?”
“Right up that street,” replied the man. “Guess you’ll have trouble getting rooms, though. Lots of people have gone there for fear their houses’ll be washed away.”
“Is it as bad as that?”
“Yes, and it’ll be worse before many hours. The dam can’t stand much longer.”
Protecting themselves as best they could from the storm, Larry and Mr. Newton made their way to the hotel. As the man had said, they found it crowded, but a small room had been reserved for them on the strength of Mr. Newton’s message.
“You’ll have to put up with what you find,” said the clerk of the hotel. “We’re crowded for room, and we’ll be more so shortly.”