The Young Firemen of Lakeville; Or, Herbert Dare's Pluck

rn out, everybo

dnight, awoke the inhabitants of the peacef

e! F

lanced around to detect the reddening in the sky that would indicate where the blaze was. Timid women be

son's barn is bur

ith his fist, awakening the dwellers who had not heard his call, for he was Rodney Stickler, the town constable

, striking with his fist on the doors of the residences where the mem

s, and shoes or boots, and thus scantily attir

hurried to the window. He could make out the short, stocky form of Constable Stickler rushing about. T

" asked a woman's voi

Herbert Dare. "Mr. Stick

e is a dreadful thing! Where is it, Herbert?" And Mrs. D

mson's barn, mother. I can see

ne lot of cattle in it. Oh, I ho

ert, grabbed up his clothes from a chair, and began t

ing, Herbert?" a

ing to

at

ng to th

t. Suppose some of the horses should

ll need all the help t

street once mor

Fire!

and Bert, peering from the window, saw a crowd of men and boys, many of the

go, mother," said the

help if our hou

n't suggest such

and in a few minutes he had d

bert," called his mothe

happen to you, I don

be car

all income, barely sufficient to support herself and her son. It may be added here that Mr. Dare had been a city fireman

boy, as he broke into a run down the street. He so

a lad to him. "Going to

Vincent. I see you

chums. "It's dad's. He belongs to the bucket b

h I ha

ey'll have plen

it looks as if it was

objects in the street could be plainly seen, and fa

inting to another lad, who was running along, ev

ole!" cal

fire?" came from Cole, wit

school picnic," replied Vincen

-ain't-you!"

elonging to Anderson Stimson, a farmer, and located just on the edge of the village. The

t-that-fire," spoke Cole, with labo

it was founded by Christopher Columbus," remarked Vi

Cole, who had begun the first part of the sentence very fast, but who had

u bring it alo

I-when-it's-fast

ond of mechanics, and was usually engaged in making some new kind of mach

t and came in full view of the blazing barn. The structure seemed enveloped in flames, great tongues of fire le

re buckets in a blaze like that? You can

y-force-pump,

that was already at the scene of the fire

bucket brigade. "Form a line from the horse trough to the barn. Pass the full buckets up one side

s for full buckets,"

ee," put in a t

like to know?" inquired the const

er, or there won't be any

and nearly every man had a bucket or pail. Some had brought their wives' d

t's get in line,"

a-place-where-I-can

dded John Boll, anot

the full buckets,

ape. There were three lines extending from the burning barn to the horse trough, some distan

ails in, handed them to the person standing next, and so, from hand to hand went the dripping buckets of water. At

o hot that no person could approach close enough to make th

p which the full buckets traveled. He tried to throw the water on the flames, but

not," agreed

stable. "Why don't you throw the water o

do it," was t

, and throw the water on there," was

ood'll

can't do no

was the gener

was going on, continued to pass up the full buckets, but as no one gathered up the empty ones to pass back, the waitin

ded Constable Stickler, who was running

. "We can't save that barn with buckets. We'd bet

Vincent, and several

mp," spluttered Cole Bishop, w

the line of men, that had been extended to reach around to the rear of t

, boys, come back to your places!" For a number of th

n, who had been rushing back and forth, mainly engaged in ca

to," replied

cattle out?

. "I was busy taking my valuable harness out, and saving some of

nger as long as the wi

ttle are. How man

ower part. They're in no danger yet, but I guess

t like a human being in agony, ros

cried Bert. "Come on!