The Young Firemen of Lakeville | Page 3

of the fire. The heat could be felt some distance away.
"Come on, everybody with buckets!" cried Constable Stickler, who
sometimes assumed charge of the bucket brigade. "Form a line from the
horse trough to the barn. Pass the full buckets up one side and the
empty ones down the other. Let the boys pass the empty buckets an' the
men the full ones."
"Let's form two lines for full buckets," proposed another man.
"We'll need three," put in a third individual.
"Who's runnin' this here fire, I'd like to know?" inquired the constable
indignantly. "Git to work now."
"Yes, I guess they'd better, or there won't be any barn to save," spoke

Bert.
The flames were crackling furiously. The crowd was constantly
increasing, and nearly every man had a bucket or pail. Some had
brought their wives' dishpans, as they could not find their pails in the
darkness and confusion.
"Come on, Bert, let's get in line," suggested Vincent.
"Yes--let--me--git--to--a--place--where--I--can--rest," begged Cole.
"Here, I'll help," added John Boll, another of Bert's chums.
"I'd rather pass the full buckets," said Tom Donnell.
"Now then, everybody begin to pass," cried the constable, who had his
men in some kind of shape. There were three lines extending from the
burning barn to the horse trough, some distance away. The trough was
fed by a pipe, running from a spring, and there was plenty of water.
"Dip an' pass," cried the constable, and the word went along the lines.
Men standing near the trough dipped their pails in, handed them to the
person standing next, and so, from hand to hand went the dripping
buckets of water. At last the pail reached the end of the line, and the
man nearest the blaze proceeded to throw on the quenching fluid.
But here a new difficulty presented itself. The blaze was so hot that no
person could approach close enough to make the water effective. The
whole front of the barn was in flames.
"This ain't going to be no good!" exclaimed one of the men on the end
of a line up which the full buckets traveled. He tried to throw the water
on the flames, but, approaching as close as he dared, he could not come
within ten feet of the fire.
"I should say not," agreed his companion.
"Hey! What's the matter?" called the constable. "Why don't you throw
the water on the flames, instead of on the ground?"

"Let's see you do it," was the angry answer.
"We'll have to go around to the back, and throw the water on there,"
was the advice of a tall, lanky farmer.
"What good'll that do?"
"Wa'al, we can't do no good here."
"That's so," was the general agreement.
The lines began to shift, to get out of the heat of the blaze. Meanwhile,
those at the trough, not understanding what was going on, continued to
pass up the full buckets, but as no one gathered up the empty ones to
pass back, the waiting line of boys had nothing to do. Several began to
leave, to get in a position where they could view the blaze better.
"Here, where are you boys going?" demanded Constable Stickler, who
was running back and forth, not knowing what to do.
"There isn't anything for us to do," replied Bert. "We can't save that
barn with buckets. We'd better help get some of the machinery and
cattle out."
"That's right," added Vincent, and several men agreed with this.
"You--ought to have my force pump," spluttered Cole Bishop, who had
now recovered his breath.
"Pass up the buckets! Pass the buckets!" was the cry that now came
from the line of men, that had been extended to reach around to the rear
of the barn, where, for the time being, there was no fire. "Pass the
buckets!"
"Yes, pass the buckets!" shouted the constable. "Here, boys, come back
to your places!" For a number of the boys had left, and there were long
gaps in the line.
"Can't something be done to save the barn?" cried Mr. Stimson, who

had been rushing back and forth, mainly engaged in carrying out some
valuable harness from the blazing structure.
"We're tryin' to," replied the constable.
"Are all the cattle out?" asked Bert.
"Cattle? Land, no; I forgot all about them!" exclaimed the farmer. "I
was busy taking my valuable harness out, and saving some of my deeds
and mortgages in the house. I'm afraid that'll go next!"
"The house is in no danger as long as the wind keeps this way," said
Bert, "but the cattle are. How many are in the barn?"
"Five horses and six cows. The cows are in the lower part. They're in
no danger yet, but I guess the horses are done for. I forgot all about