The escape
had been too narrow.
"Guess the Almighty sent you just in time, Tom, my boy," said
Toby Vanderwiller. "He must have suthin' more for the old man to
do yet, before he cashes in. And little Sissy, too. Har! Henry
Sherwood's son and Henry Sherwood's niece. Reckon I owe him a
good turn," he muttered.
Nan heard this, though Tom did not, and her heart leaped. She
hoped that Toby would feel sufficient gratitude to help Uncle
Henry win his case against Gedney Raffer. But, of course, this
was not the time to speak of it.
When the old lumberman heard about the fire in the sawdust he was
quite as excited as the young folk had been. It was fast growing
dark now, but it was impossible from the narrow road to see even
the glow of the fire against the clouded sky.
"I believe it's goin' to open up and rain ag'in," Toby said.
"But if you want to go on and plow me a fire-strip, Tommy, I'll
be a thousand times obleeged to you."
"That's what I came this way for," said the young fellow briefly.
"Hop on and we'll go to the island as quickly as possible."
They found Mrs. Vanderwiller and the crippled boy anxiously
watching the flames in the tree top from the porch of the little
house on the island.
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