Part 14 (1/2)
”The housekeeper said so,” put in Bert
”Yes, yes! The valuable paintings belonging to Mr Stockton!”
exclai this way!”
”I don't care if it is!” fairly shouted Muchmore ”Let the pictures burn As for you, old wo any more, hat doesn't concern you, I'll find a way to stop you! Now clear out!”
The wo to herself, and hastened down the stairs
”You boys are too fresh!+” went on Muchmore ”Why don't you mind your own business?”
”Our business is to put out fires!” declared Herbert ”And that's e're doing here”
”Then keep out of places where you have no right to enter! There is no fire here!”
”But it s,” added Vincent
”Get out!” exclaio into that room You'd better payattended to all right,” replied Herbert ”We've got two streaoods, I'm sure we don't mind Come, Vincent, we'll leave”
The two boys, puzzled by Muchmore's queer actions, went back to where their co water on the fla prevented its spread beyond a small area Quite a hole was burned in the floor, and the flah the side of the house, and burned out ts A little more water served to put out the last sparks
”Guess we're done,” said Charlie ”You can signal 'ehed, for he ell pleased with his role of fireed blasts on his whistle, and the boys at the brakes were glad enough to cease, for their ar water from the cistern likeelcomed the respite
”Take up the hose,” ordered Herbert, with ascity depart the two lines with theine
”Guess we've done our share,” declared Mr Sagger, as he called to his ade ”The fire's out!”
”Well, I can't say that we did it all,” Confessed Mr Appelby ”The boys did the most of it”
”We could have done it without them,” asserted the butcher ”They were only in the way We couldn't use the cistern”
”I guess it's just as well they got there first,” went on the mayor of Lakeville ”This looked like a bad blaze, and if it had got beyond control the whole house would have gone It's as dry as tinder, and a regular death-trap”
”Did you hear what started it, Mr Appelby?” asked Cole, as he triine
”Overheated flue, according to the housekeeper I was talking to her, but a young fellow ca and ordered her to stop I wonder who he was?”
”That's Muche since Mr Stockton has been away He didn't want us to do anything toward saving so in a certain hall He's a queer chap”