almost as rapidly as it had risen the flood went down. the storm ceased and the waters, finding many places to run to, soon disposed of themselves. the day after larry won the race that was to mean so much to him the part of the town around the hotel was almost free from the flood.
“the worst is over,” said mr. newton. “we’ll be going back home soon.”
“we can’t go any too soon to suit me,” said larry. “i want to see my mother and lucy and the others.”
“i don’t blame you,” spoke the reporter. “i’ll be glad to get back to new york myself.”
they remained in stoneville two days longer, and each day mr. newton sent a graphic story of the flood. the townspeople were returning to the homes they had deserted. much damage had been done, but help came pouring in from every side.
trains began to run, and the mails, that had been interrupted, resumed their service. larry307 and mr. newton received several copies of the leader, containing the story which larry had so successfully raced to get to the telegraph office. copies of other new york papers, of the same date were also received, but none of them had more than a few lines about the flood and burst dam, while the leader’s story covered a whole page under big headlines.
on the evening of the second day, after the big beat, mr. newton received a telegram from mr. emberg. it read:
“congratulations to you and larry. come home. associated press will cover remainder of the story.”
“get ready!” exclaimed mr. newton to larry. “we’re going home to-morrow!”
several of the other special correspondents had already left stoneville. some accompanied mr. newton and larry the next morning.
“well, you put it all over us,” said one of them to the leader reporter.
“with larry’s help i did,” replied mr. newton. “if i hadn’t had him along, i never could have done it.”
“larry’s all right,” was the immediate and hearty response.
larry thought he had never been on a train that moved so slowly. it seemed to crawl along.308 a flying machine would have been too slow for him, so eager was he to get home.
but at last he arrived in new york. it seemed good to get away from the sight of dirty brown water, sorrowful people, and the constant rain that had been his portion for a week.
“i’ll see you at the office in the morning,” said mr. newton. “good-night.”
“good-night,” called larry as he ran after a car.
he reached home. into the house he burst with:
“here i am, mother! how are you? how’s lucy? how are mary and jimmy?”
“oh, larry, larry!” exclaimed his mother, throwing her arms around him.
mary and jimmy crowded around their brother, clamoring for kisses, while jimmy wanted to hear all about the flood.
“how’s lucy?” asked larry again, as soon as he could quiet the youngster.
“doing finely,” replied the nurse, coming into the room. “we have a surprise for you.”
“what is it?” asked larry.
“come and show him, lucy,” said the nurse.
then, from her room, came the girl. not as she had used to walk, hobbling along like a cripple, but straight and upright. with firm, though slow step, she approached her brother.
“lucy! lucy!” cried larry.
309 “oh, larry!” the girl exclaimed. “aren’t you glad? i’m well again! i can walk like other girls! soon i’ll be able to run!”
“really?” asked larry, hardly able to believe the good news, and trying hard to keep back the tears.
“yes,” the nurse said. “she did much better than we expected. dr. carrolton took the plaster cast off three days ago, but we didn’t send you any word, for fear of a disappointment. lucy is entirely cured.”
there was a happy household in the dexter apartment that night. several neighbors, who had heard the good news, called, and there was general rejoicing that the sick girl was well.
“now tell us all about yourself,” said mrs. dexter to larry. “your letters were only notes.”
“i didn’t have time to write much,” the boy said.
then he told them the main things that had occurred since he had been away.
“we read all about it in the paper,” said lucy. “i was proud of you, larry.”
larry reached the office early the next morning. he found mr. newton at his desk.
“want to go off on some more assignments?” asked the reporter.
“i shouldn’t mind,” replied larry with a smile.
one by one the other reporters came in. they310 laughed and joked with mr. newton. some of them talked with larry.
“gee! but you had a swell time,” said bud, gazing at larry with envious eyes.
mr. emberg was a little late that morning, and none of the reporters went out until he came in. when he did arrive he nodded a greeting to all in general.
“glad to see you, newton,” the city editor said. “get back all right?”
“yes, sir.”
“you and larry did good work. where’s larry?”
“here,” replied the copy boy.
“oh!” said mr. emberg, with a queer little smile playing over his features. then, taking larry by the hand, the city editor said:
“gentlemen of the staff of the leader, let me introduce you to our latest member, mr. larry dexter.”
for a moment there was a silence. larry looked all around on a circle of smiling faces.
“what does it mean?” he asked of the city editor.
“it means that from now on you’re a regular reporter on this paper,” replied mr. emberg. “we’re proud of you, larry, and this is the only way we can show it. you’ve earned your advance if anyone ever did. the work you did at the flood, particularly in scoring the big beat, and311 the other things you’ve done, prove that you are a real newspaper man, which is a rare sort of an individual. let me congratulate you.”
he shook hands with larry, who was blushing like a girl.
and that was how larry dexter rose from a copy boy to be a regular reporter. of his further adventures, and he had many, you may read in the next volume of this series which will be called “larry dexter, reporter; or, strange adventures in a great city.” there will be told of how he went on in his chosen field, and how he made a name and fame for himself and his paper, and also of how he again brought to light the old deed for land in the bronx and found it of great value.
“let’s all shake hands with larry,” called one of the reporters, and they filed up and gave their best wishes to the former copy boy.
and here we will leave larry for the present, wishing him well.
