The Young Firemen of Lakeville | Page 7

reappearance of the two young heroes.
"Jump! Jump through the big doors!" yelled Bert, helping Vincent to
wrap the blanket about his body, and fairly shoving him toward the
only available avenue of escape. "Jump! It will be too late in another
minute!"
Above the crackle of the flames could be heard men yelling:
"Come on, boys! Come on! The roof's going!"
With a look at his chum, Vincent pulled the blanket more closely about
him, leaving only a small opening near his face through which he could
look. Then he ran to the big doors.
Bert stuffed his blanket into the pail, in the bottom of which was a little

water. Then he began to work the pump to get more.
He gave one glance, saw his chum leap through the big opening, with
the curtain of fire, and then, murmuring a hope that he was safe, he
began to work the pump-handle. To his horror no water came. The fire
had eaten down into the cow stable, and melted the pipe that ran from
the pump to the cistern. No water was available to wet his blanket, on
which he depended to save himself from the flames.
"Bert! Bert! Come on! Jump!" he heard some one call.
He caught up his blanket It was merely damp.
"It's got to do!" he murmured. "I'll be scorched, I'm afraid, but there's
no help for it! Here goes!"
Wrapping the covering about him, he dashed across the barn floor. It
was ablaze in several places under his feet. The cataract of fire was
now fiercer than ever over the opening of the big doors. Holding the
blanket to protect his head, he took a running start, and jumped.
Straight through the big opening he went, and he heard a confused
cheer and shout as he appeared. He felt the hot breath of the fire all
about him. He smelled the scorching wool, the burning straw and hay.
His nose and mouth seemed full of cinders. He felt himself falling
down, down, down. He tried to keep himself upright, that he might land
on his feet, but, in spite of himself, he felt that he was turning on his
back. He twisted and squirmed, as does a diver who wants to cleave the
water cleanly. Oh, how Bert wished he was diving into the old
swimming hole, instead of into a fiery mass of straw and hay!
He landed on the ground in a crouching position. He seemed to be
smothering in a mass of black cinders that rose up in a feathery cloud
all about him. He could hardly breathe.
Then he felt some one grab him--several hands began carrying him
forward. An instant later his blanket was unwrapped from his head, and
he found himself in the midst of a crowd of men and boys.

"Look out! The blanket's afire!" some one called, and Constable
Stickler kicked the burning mass of wool to one side.
Suddenly there was a great crash, and the roof of the barn toppled in. A
great shower of sparks arose, and there was a dense cloud of smoke.
Then the flames seemed to die down, for there was little left for them to
feed on.
"You got out just in time," said Vincent, coming up to Bert, and
grasping him by the hand. "Did you get burned any?"
"Just a bit; on one hand. I had to leave it out to hold the edges of the
blanket together. How about you?"
"Not a scorch, but I'm wet through from the blanket. It saved me,
though."
"The pump wouldn't work," explained Bert. "But come on, let's get out
of this. I'm standing in mud up to my knees. Why, the pile of burning
straw and hay that was down here seems to be out."
"Yes. I yelled to the bucket brigade that they'd better use the water on
this, instead of throwing it against the sides of the barn, where it wasn't
doing any good. So they did, and they kept a good deal of the fire down,
so's you'd have a good place to land in."
"I owe that to you, Vincent."
"And I owe my wet blanket to you, so we're even. But let's get on dry
ground."
The cow-yard, with the natural wetness that always existed there, to
which had been added many gallons of fluid from the bucket brigade,
was now a miniature swamp.
The boys, followed by an admiring throng, made their way to the front
of the barn. All work at attempting to save it had now ceased. Nothing
more could be done, and, as all the cattle and horses had been saved, as

well as some of the wagons and machinery, it might be said that all that
was possible had been