It is almost a cyclone." Breathless and excited, they all hurried into the house, and banged the great front door in the face of the storm.

The children tumbled into the drawing-room, the smaller ones huddling in a frightened heap in the middle of the floor, until the fury of the storm was over.

There was nothing to do but wait with bated breath after each vivid flash of lightning for the terrific crash that always followed, and listen to the wind outside as it fought with the sturdy tree-tops.

Now and then a limb snapped in the fierce struggle, and fell to the ground with a loud crackling noise.
"I hope there will be enough of a roof left over our heads to shelter us," said Mrs.Sherman, as bricks from the chimney tops began rolling down the roof and falling to the ground below with heavy thuds.
"We expected to start home about this time," Miss Allison was saying.
"We ordered the wagonettes to come back for us at ten o'clock, but it looks now as if we are storm-bound for the night.

Did you ever hear such a downpour ?" "It's the clatter of the rain on the tin roof of the porch," answered Mrs.Sherman, speaking at the top of her voice in order to be heard above the deafening din of the rain and wind.
For nearly half an hour they sat waiting for the storm to pass.