Crowded Out o' Crofield; or, The Boy who made his Way

g notes for the Eagle, but now he came back to say the

l just after a fire, but the Ogden fam

ous look. Elder Holloway and Mr. Murdoch and two other important men sat in the pulpit, and Joab Spokes, the superintendent, stood in front of them to conduct the exercises. The eld

at in the pew in front of her class (if it were hers), with Mary

really wish you to stay.

whatever, and nothing to do but to look pleased and beaming and dignified. The elder, it was noticed, seemed to feel special interest in the part taken in the exercises by the cl

only one teacher to that class. She mu

lass more perfectly than had one young observer at the other end of the church. Jack Ogden could n

e said to himself. "I hope it won't be l

. The street had a littered look. The barns and stables were wide open, and deserted, for the horses had been led to pla

know what it meant. A more practiced observer would have known that, hidden from sight, buried in the punk of the

compelled to pay some attention to the weather. It had been ho

ed toward the Cocahutchie. "There's a thunderstorm coming by an

rch. Twice he went out to look at the sky, and the second time he saw banks of lead-colored cloud

get home, if you do

people knew of the coming storm. There was a brief silence before the first note of the organ, and through that sile

out! We've just time to git ho

h; and just then the great room grew suddenly

ss Glidden, "what are you

he aisle, and the girls of that class were promptly obeying the motion

ing time when he nodded his head, but

following a strong and sudden impulse. Nevertheless, by the time that class was out of its pews the next

said Elder Holloway, between two sta

church, was watching the blackest cloud he ha

nough, but all stopped singing

ted Jack, seeing Mary coming. "I

for H

llowed her class without delay, and all the rest followed as fast as they coul

"Cut for home! There's

ady falling now and then, and there

teeple when he said that. It was a very old, wooden steeple, tall, slender, and somewhat rheumatic, and he knew there must be more wind up so high than there was nearer the ground. "It's swinging!" h

el given the good man by the

to see that clever girl again.

ming lower, and the

me a glitter of lightning a

ed Jack. "If it i

splintering, roaring crash-as the spire reeled heavily down, lengthwise, through the shattered roof of the meeting-house! Except for Mary Ogden's cleverness, the rui

back he uttered a loud exclamation, and out from the

. "The old hotel's go

fanning of the rising gale. In another minute it flared as if under a bl

that blaze was roofed over, and the fir

f we should try," e

s, any way," said Jack. "N

oo," said

, and said, from the

rough the meeting-house. It h

d that news for a minute; but now, for ano

in praise of Mary Ogden about her lead

e. They all would have been killed if they had waite

nd presence of mind, and the natural fitness of some people for doing the right thing in an emergency. He

ing the landlord and his wife to escape as best they could, a

field was going to pieces. This is the worst storm we ev

bright rather than gloomy. Even if she was "only a girl," she had