7 
DUTCH CORNERS» DAYS 
spilling its white-hot contents down 
upon the struggling people in the 
pit made by the falling of the floor. 
With one strong,. fearless hand he 
grabbed the overhanging top of the big 
stove, with the other he seized the pillar 
Si Echelberger had tried to climb, and 
Des 
fying those around her. Fortunately 
the floor had not far to fall, so those 
who were in the “storm center” were 
not seriously hurt. There were many 
scratches and bruises, but no one was 
killed, no bones broken, it was learned 
soon. 

They began to yell, too 
he did it just in time. Slim yelled, 
there was a rush of his burly young 
farmer chums and out went the stove, 
leaving not a few nursing burned 
hands. Luckily the other stove stood 
firm on two of its legs, though the 
others reached out above the sunken 
floor like the legs of a suspended turtle. 
Slim wrapped a handkerchief around 
his burned hand, then made a bee-line 
for the spot where Grace had been sit- 
ting. Down among the jumbled mass 
of men and women and benches, he 
found her the coolest-headed one there. 
She was trying to revive her mother 
from a faint and at the same time paci- 
Grace accepted Slim’s proffered as- 
sistance as a matter of course, and 
promptly ordered him to do this and 
that as though he were no better than 
her father’s hired man. Few words 
passed between them, she never even 
answered him when he said excitedly 
he was glad she wasn’t hurt. But each 
was glad for the presence of the other. 
“Why wouldn’t you come with me 
to-night?” queried Slim, as he and 
Grace, unmindful of the lively scenes 
about them, assisted Mrs. Burger out 
of the church to the sled, which, 
despite his injured knee, the Deacon’ 
had waiting at the gate. 
