“Then I’ll go back and get some copy,” said Larry.
He went down to the boat which was waiting for him, and in a little while found himself back at the hotel. By this time nearly all the guests were up and the women, especially, were much frightened when they saw that the place was in the middle of a miniature lake, and that there was water in the corridor.
“Don’t be alarmed,” the clerk was saying. “The water is not rising, and, though it will probably stay here for some time, there is no danger. We’ll make you as comfortable as we can, but you can’t expect many comforts.”
“Have the fires gone out?” asked one man. “My room is cold.”
“The water has put the fire out in the furnace down in the cellar,” was the reply, “but we’ve sent for oil stoves, and we’ll be able to give you a little heat.”
The clerk’s assurances did much to quiet the excited throng, and then breakfast was announced, though it was not a very liberal meal. However, there was plenty of good hot coffee and bread and butter.
“Where have you been?” asked Mr. Newton of Larry.
“Looking for a telegraph office,” replied the boy in a low tone, for there were other newspaper men near by.
“Did you find one?”
“I did,” and then Larry whispered that the man would take messages soon. “Get some stuff ready,” he went on, “and I’ll take it to him before the other fellows locate him.”