worked on the farm, would be along shortly, Thad and Allan seized upon a couple of bucke

, and his wife kept up a constant pounding of the pump, fi

more hopeful, though with the flames making such ra

ater on the mystery was explained, and he understood the reason. When kerosene

ht for their unexpected but nevertheless welcome guests, and on this account alone Thad and his chums felt that they must do all in their power to save t

ed a footbath, although on one or two occasions he had to stumble as usual, and came very nea

ter was being poured upon the fir

l now, and the next thing you know she'll cave under. More water this way! Everybody's doing it! Hi! Bumpus, don't upset that ocean over me; it's the fire tha

l efforts. When the good woman fell back, completely exhausted with her efforts, the two girls nobly responded to the cal

who took part in that midnight battle with the devouri

ich it had started, so that the damage would not

m may even have felt a little disappointment because the battle with the devouring element promised to be of such short duratio

ere quickly putting out the last of the fire. Until every spark had been properly extinguished there must lie no stoppage to t

gone into the kitchen and started a blaze in the stove there, for the

nt for our crowd, and that's a fact!" declared Step Hen, as he took a drink of

another like a procession. But I'm glad we happened to be here at the right time, so we could help sa

re?" remarked Davy, who lowered his voice as he spoke, as though

the same, anyhow," Giraffe told him; "but what do you

r, Giraffe, that could have been scooped up by the rising wind

e to examine the fireplace, and we found that Giraffe, like a true scout, had thrown water on the last

ch down one side of his face, or he would not have looked so well satisfied, because Smithy still cared

that out from the

the house had last been seen, but he was not

ocated the voice as coming from the living room, where the

s wife had already told Thad they were fully insured, the result would be more of an in

ookcase. It had somehow managed to escape the flames t

l inches deep with water; "but I'm glad it wasn't very much. If this had happened three weeks ago I'd have stood to lose sever

ese significant words of the farmer an explanation o

have been robbed, sir?" he asked;

ll get-out, and must 'a' told the scamps somebody was coming. Just as I got to the door I saw two men by the desk here, that they had forced open; and I guess they'd copped my little roll of bills abo

remembered you boys in the barn, and Hiram, and I started to yellin' at the top of my voice, but pitchin' water all the while. That's how the fire started, you

eckon they could have do

ut chances are the dog's off to the woods huntin' rabbits. He often runs away like that and stays all night lo

ind out that it was started by thieves, and that they actually robbed the house first, it gets more and more exciting. Now

they had knocked the lamp over, and the flames shot up?" rem

rascals. And I don't reckon there's a single chance in ten I'll ever recover that fifty dollars, barring twenty cents, that I got for the last two loads of hay

Bailey?" asked Dav

n old Civil War musket in my hands. I had ought to've let fly, and knocked one o

have been justified under the circumstances was and must remain an open question. If his life had been threatened of course the farmer would have done right to defend himself to the

philosophically all around. Some men would have been bewailing their

em again if you happened to set eyes on them, sir

, to be sure? Say, you boys ought to know that you've got nigh as much interest in findin' them tramps as I feel. You wonder why I say that, do you? I'll e

heir faces, and then Giraffe was heard to give vent to what he intended should be a joyous chuckle. The sound was contagious, for immediately broad smiles

d not been useless, when they thus learned so suddenly that the m