182 THE END OF THE DROUGHT 
spruces, for immediately after the work was done 
it began to subside and the sky to clear. A tiny 
bit of blue appeared overhead, and gradually spread 
until it occupied a considerable space in the sky. 
Instead of falling as one solid sheet, the rain now 
came gently. We could almost count the drops. 
The wind also calmed down and blew lightly, as 
if, having had its mad fun, it was ready to assist 
things in getting dry again. 
But the striking of one of our spruces had so de- 
pressed Little Joseph and me that we found it hard 
to rejoice in the clearing of the storm,. 
“Perhaps the damage will not prove so serious 
after all,” Mrs. Keith said. “Timothy is a splen- 
did hand at doctoring trees. Once that old locust 
tree near the gate was struck; but he managed to 
keep it alive, although since then it has never been 
as beautiful as before.” 
Almost before she had finished speaking, we 
noticed Joseph running across the front lawn to the 
six spruces. He had slipped out without our see- 
ing him go. We called him, but he did not hear. 
When he came back, he said that the trunk of the 
tree had been burst open, just as if something inside 
of it had exploded. He was sure it could not live. 
Mrs. Keith urged again that we must not despair 
until after we had heard what Timothy had tO' say 
on the subject. 
Joseph then changed his clothes, for even his 
short run out-of-doors had soaked him completely. 
