late that night, after larry and mr. newton had gone to bed, they were awakened by a noise and excitement in the street. the rain had let up a little, and they got out of bed and went to a window.
“what’s the matter?” called mr. newton to a man down in the street.
“the dam at meadeville has burst,” was the reply. “ours will go in about ten hours!”
“that means work for to-morrow,” commented the reporter.
“hadn’t we better get out now and see what’s going on?” asked larry.
“no, it wouldn’t do any good. there’s no immediate danger, or they would have told us. so we might as well stay in bed and rest up. the chances are we’ll not get to bed at all to-morrow night.”
“not get to bed?”
“no,” replied the reporter. “when you get to be a real newspaper man, larry, you’ll find that your time is the paper’s you work for. you266 mustn’t sleep or be awake except in the interests of the sheet. but when there’s nothing doing, get all the rest you can. you’ll need it sometimes. working all night is nothing. that’s fun. it’s being up six nights out of seven that makes it hard. but we don’t have to do that. so go back to bed and sleep as well as you can.”
larry tried to but he found it hard work. he listened to the rain drops and thought of what would happen when the big dam burst. this made him so wide awake that he tried to count the number of drops that fell on a tin roof, thinking the monotony of this might send him to slumber.
finally, after admiring the calm and peaceful manner in which mr. newton dropped off to sleep, larry found his eyes growing heavy. he began to dream he was swimming in a flood of waters, and trying to climb to the top of a big dam, from which he fell back with a shock that woke him up.
he aroused himself with a suddenness that startled him, to find mr. newton shaking him vigorously.
“i didn’t mean for you to sleep so sound you couldn’t wake up,” said the reporter with a smile. “it’s time to hustle out and see what’s doing, i guess.”
“is it raining yet?” asked larry.
“like cats and dogs. we’re going to have a267 bad day. but never mind. there’ll be lots of news.”
and news there was in plenty. in anticipation of the danger the people knew would result when the waters from the broken dam at meadeville reached them, many inhabitants that had not hitherto moved from their houses did so now.
boats were at a premium, as they were needed to convey the people and their most valued possessions to high ground. there was a range of hills back of the town, and there most of those who left their homes were going.
by reason of its position about half of the town was in danger of inundation should the dam break. it was the people living in that section who were getting out. the others were in comparatively no danger. some of these latter gave shelter to those who deserted their homes, but as it was the better and wealthier section of stoneville that was in danger, the inhabitants of the poorer part could not offer much in the way of accommodations.
some got tents which, in spite of the rain, they erected on the hill tops, and there, with what few things they could take away in boats, they set up camps.
business was suspended. all the men who could joined in and helped to care for the unfortunates or transport their household goods and valuables. as soon as he had sent off a story268 mr. newton joined in this work, and larry helped him.
there were many other reporters on the scene now, and some had brought copy boys or office assistants along to help them. for once in its history stoneville found itself of much importance to the outside world, for the news of the flood was eagerly read.
when larry was coming back from the telegraph office with his second batch of copy, pedaling his wheel along the muddy street, he heard a voice call:
“hello, kid! what you doing here?”
he looked up to behold his old enemy peter manton.
“i’m working for mr. newton,” replied larry, not feeling any too friendly.
“i’m working too,” volunteered peter, seemingly forgetting that there was an old score between him and larry. “i’m on the scorcher. i’ll bet we beat you fellows all hollow. the scorcher plays up news in red type on the front page. it’s a dandy paper.”
larry did not reply, but peter called after him:
“where you stopping?”
“at the hotel,” replied larry, not caring to be impolite.
“see you later,” called peter as he kept on toward the telegraph office. “yes, i’ll see you later, and i guess you’ll wish you hadn’t seen269 me,” muttered peter, shaking his fist at larry’s back. if larry could have seen this he might have worried a little, but, as it was, he did not.
getting back to the hotel, larry found the place filled with excited men. they all seemed to be talking at once, but all larry could distinguish was “dynamite,” “blow it up,” and “save our lives.”
“what’s the matter?” he asked of mr. newton.
“they are talking of a plan to lower dynamite to the foot of the dam, and blow a big hole in it to relieve the pressure,” said the reporter.
“but wouldn’t that be as dangerous as if the dam broke of its own weakness?”
“that’s what i think, but some of the others seem to believe the hole, if they could make it, would serve as a big outlet.”
“what are they going to do about it?”
“nothing. in the first place they haven’t the dynamite, and if they had it, they couldn’t get anyone to go out on the dam and lower it, for the thing may give way any minute.”
“what makes such a crowd here?”
“a lot more people have deserted their homes, and have come here for shelter.”
“is the danger greater?”
“they say the dam will go in about an hour.”
“what are you going to do?”
“i have a plan,” said mr. newton, “and i want you to help me carry it out.”
270 “what is it?” asked larry.
“we’ll both go out to the dam,” said the reporter. “we’ll wait there until it gives way, which it must do now in the course of an hour or two. i’ll be there and i’ll write up a short account. you’ll jump on your wheel and hurry to the telegraph office with the copy. we’ll get it to the office in time for the last edition and beat all the other papers unless some of them are smart enough to play the same trick, and i don’t think they will.”
“that’s a good idea,” commented larry. “i’ll get my wheel ready.”
in a little while he and mr. newton were starting for the dam. the storm was only a drizzle now, but it was unpleasant enough. larry thought he would never get dried out again, so long had he been wet through. mr. newton said he thought they could both qualify as fishes.
at the dam they found an immense crowd of people. the angry waters were a little higher than before, but were still several inches from the top of the dam. only the wonderful strength of the masonry saved it. as it was the engineers said there was an indication of a slight crack which, if it increased, would mean that the whole thing would go to pieces.
raising his umbrella mr. newton sat down under it in a place where he could watch developments. he was well out of harm’s way in case271 the dam should break, and the people, also, kept well back. with pencil and paper ready the reporter waited for what seemed must happen almost any second.
“she’s beginning to rise faster!” a man on watch cried. “we’re beginning to get some of the water from the broken dam above!”
as he spoke there sounded a dull boom through the vast pile of masonry, that seemed to indicate it was about to give way. the crowd started as though shocked by a current of electricity.
“is it going?” asked larry.
“i’m afraid so,” said mr. newton. “get ready!”
there was a moment of suspense. the waters swirled and hissed about the solid wall, as though enraged at not being able to batter it down. then the clouds opened and a flood came out of the sky.
there was a stir in the crowd and several young men came up on the run, heading for the umbrella over mr. newton.
“hello, harvey!” they shouted. “anything doing?”
“there will be in a little while,” replied mr. newton. “where have you fellows been?”
“oh, we weren’t sent out until yesterday,” said one. “they thought this didn’t amount to anything.”
“i guess they read the leader then, eh?” asked mr. newton, with a smile.
272 “that’s right, throw it into us,” said several. “but we’re here now, and there won’t be any more beats.”
“that’s what you think,” said the leader reporter.
“who are they?” asked larry in a low tone.
“men from the other papers,” said mr. newton. “look out for them. they may be up to some trick.”
there was a sudden movement in the crowd, and from the midst of the people a man emerged. he carried a bundle in his hands, and the men seemed to want to get as far from him as possible.
“i wonder what’s going on?” said larry.
then a man went past on the run.
“what’s up?” asked one of the reporters.
“a fellow has agreed to try and dynamite the dam!” was the answer. “he’s going to try and blow a hole in the bottom to let the water out.”
“gee whiz! that’ll make a story!” said several.
