The Boy with the U. S. Weather Men | Page 9

the boat down-stream all the quicker, but in a second's time, Ross
had grasped the floating crutch and had taken a turn with the loose end
of the rope around it.
He was not an instant too soon, for a sharp tug at his chest, followed by
a sudden release of the weight, told him that the loop knot had untied
itself, as he hoped it would. Holding on to the sheet line with one hand,
he rapidly passed the rope once under and through. Ross had not
learned his knots from the Mississippi sailors for nothing, and as the
boat came to the end of its tether and jerked on the line, the boy had the
satisfaction of seeing the knot tighten. With the strain off, it was easy to
take another half-hitch around the line, and the knot was secure beyond
peradventure. He climbed aboard, raised a cheery cry to Anton, and
commenced to pull the boat hand over hand along the line of sheets. It
was only a moment before the little craft was bobbing on the flood,
immediately beneath the window.
"Let's have the puppies first," cried Ross.
Anton's head disappeared from the window, and reappeared in a
moment.
"Catch!" he cried and held out the basket.
Ross balanced himself as best he could and caught the falling basket. It
was not more than a five feet drop and the basket landed squarely in his
arms. He placed it in the boat. Loud barking overhead announced that
Lassie was displeased and worried over the sudden departure of her
offspring.

"How am I going to get Lassie out?" queried Anton. "I'd never thought
of that. She'll strangle if I let her down by the collar."
"That's easy," Ross called back. "Tie a bit of string to her collar, chuck
me the end of the string, and then throw her into the water. It won't hurt
her, and I can easily haul her aboard."
"All right, then," the other answered, "get the boat out of the way."
"Chuck me down the end of the string first," warned Ross, and, as he
spoke, a ball of stout twine fell in the boat. "Out with her now," he
continued, slackening away on the line, so that the boat was no longer
directly out of the window.
There was a moment's pause and then the big dog appeared in the
opening, struggling in Anton's strong, if clumsy, grasp. She clawed at
the window-sill, not understanding what was happening, but Anton
gave her a push, and half turning as she fell, Lassie struck the water all
of a heap. The instant she was afloat, however, her natural swimming
instincts asserted themselves and she started for the shore.
"Here, Lassie!" called Ross, with a whistle, and pulled gently on the
string that was fastened to her collar. The dog felt the pull and turned
around, swimming directly for the boat. Ross stooped down and lifted
her in. The mother immediately smelt the puppies and scrambled along
the bottom of the boat to the basket. She smelt her children, nosed them
over, one by one, then, satisfied that everything was all right, muzzled
against Rex, and lay down contentedly.
This feat accomplished, Ross pulled the boat under the window again.
"Now, Anton," he called, "it's your turn."
"All right," the younger lad replied, "I'm coming."
Ross heard him drag a chair to the window, to make it easier for him to
clamber out.

Just at that instant, there came a cracking from the front of the house,
the corner-post of the porch, to which the boat had been fastened less
than five minutes before, fell with a crash and the front of the house
crumbled. There was a moment's pause, and then the whole structure
keeled over, away from the boat, and with a rending and cracking of
timbers, broke from its foundation. Over and over it heeled, and it
looked as though it would go to pieces. From the window overhead
came a scream of terror.
Realizing that Anton could never save himself, if the house were
collapsing, Ross leaped for the rope of linen that was hanging out of the
window and went up it like a monkey.
The chair on which Anton had climbed, to get out of the window, had
slid to the far end of the room and fallen on the sloping floor, the lower
edge of which was now in the water, and the crippled lad was pinned
down and unable to get out. The candle had been thrown down on the
table and fire was beginning to lick some paper that had not slipped to
the floor.
Ross dashed in, grabbed Anton by the arm, picked him up with the
"firemen's carry" and staggered up the sloping floor to