noon
The confusion along the river road as the wagon approached the ranch showed Marion the seriousness of the situation . Settlers driven from their homes in the upper valley formed almost a procession of misery-stricken people , making their way on horseback , on foot , and in wagons toward Medicine Bend . With them they were bringing all they had saved from the flood -- the little bunch of cows , the wagonload of hogs , the household effects , the ponies -- as if war or pestilence had struck the valley . At noon Marion arrived . The ranch-house was deserted , and the men were all at the river . Puss stuck her head out of the kitchen window , and Dicksie ran out and threw herself into Marion 's arms . Late news from the front had been the worst : the cutting above Mud Lake had weakened the last barrier that held off the river , and every available man was fighting the current at that point .