“Yep, that’s what they be.  Me an’ my two sons.  By jimminity crickets! that lightnin’ certainly is sharp, though!”

Flash after flash of the glaring light came through the sheets of rain, and the thunder crashed and vibrated overhead, seeming to, shake the very earth.

“Where are your sons?” inquired Belle, wanting too do her share in the talk; but she waited until there came a lull in the storm.

“Over in th’ south medder, two miles away,” replied the man.

By this time several of the haymakers, seeing that the storm was likely to continue, and knowing that they could no more work that day, had donned heavy coats and departed, going down the road to the village.  This left the farmer and one hired man in the barn.

“It certainly is rainin’,” remarked the hired man as he looked out through the big doors.

At that instant there came a more terrific crash than any that had preceded it, and the whole place seemed a glare of intense light.  Every one was stunned for a moment, and when they recovered their numbed senses, Cora, looking toward the farmhouse, saw a sheet of flame coming from the roof.

“Fire! fire!” she cried.  “Your house is afire!  It’s been struck by lightning!”

“By gum!  So it has!” yelled the man.  “It’s blazing, and my old mother is bedridden in it!  Come on, Jake!  We’ll have t’ git her out, anyhow.  Now what good is our fire department with no hosses t’ haul th’ hose carts, an’ all my animals away off!  Sech luck!  Th’ men gone, too!”

He was rapidly shouting this as—­he ran from the barn.

“Where are the hose carts?” called Cora after him.

“In Si Appleby’s barn!  A mile away, an’ it’s a bad road.”  He pointed to the barn, for it was in sight down the hill.

“Is there a hydrant near your house?”

“Yes.  But what good be they without hose?” returned the farmer.  He was on the run, halfway to his burning house, the hired man after him.

“We’ll bring up the hose carts!” cried Cora.

“We’ll pull them with our autos!  Come on, Bess—­Belle—­quick!  We must get the hose here!  Don’t be afraid.  Put on the rubber coats and the helmets.  The rain can’t get through them.  The worst of the storm is over now.  Oh, I hope they get that poor woman out!

“Hurry! hurry!” she cried as she cranked up her car.  “Back your machine out!  Reverse it!  I’ll follow!  Let’s see what the motor girls can do in an emergency!”

CHAPTER XXII

IDA GILES

Bess really surprised herself by the quickness with which she got her machine out of the barn.  In the excitement the words of advice Paul had given her came back with force.  In a few minutes the motor girls were rushing down the muddy roads, splashing through big puddles, but they themselves were kept from the drenching downpour by the firemen’s heavy coats and helmets.  They gave one look back at the burning house.  The blaze had enveloped the entire roof.