Part 16 (1/2)

”He's crazy--don't mind him!” shouted the self-appointed chief. ”We'll soon have it out now.”

”I'll see if I can stop them,” said C. C., for the water had about quenched the blaze, and it was useless to try to go on with the play.

”They'll listen to me,” the comedian declared.

He rushed forward, but at that moment the hose got from the control of the two men holding it. The nozzle swung around, and the stream came full force over Christopher Cutler Piper, drenching him in an instant.

”I say there--hold on--shut that water off! I--I'm being drowned!” he spluttered. And then, as the men again got the nozzle under control, the comedian, dripping water at every point, walked away, saying:

”There, I told you something would happen!”

”I should say it has!” declared Mr. Ringold, for once agreeing with the gloomy actor.

A few more strokes of the pump handles, a few more gallons of water, and the fire, which had quickly attacked all parts of the cottage at once, died out.

”There!” cried Abe Haskill, the old fisherman-chief. ”We saved your building for ye, Mr. Ringold. Ain't no use in buyin' a shack an' then havin' it burn down--no matter if it ain't wuth much. We saved her for you, though at one time it looked pretty dubious. This is the first fire we've had in some time, an' I reckon we got a bit rusty.

”I might add,” he went on, ”that it's customary, in cases where a volunteer department saves a buildin' from destruction--it's customary, I say, for the owner to donate a leetle suthin' to the department. In this case, seein' as how Jim Belton sold his shack to you--why, you're the owner. And, as I say, we saved her for you!” he concluded, proudly.

”Yes, I see you did,” remarked Mr. Ringold, dubiously. ”Now I've got to buy another, and burn that down, for this play is spoiled.”

”What! Did you _want_ her to burn?” asked Mr. Haskill, in accents of horror. ”Did you want the devourin' element to consume that buildin'?”

”I did,” replied the theatrical man.

”Well--I vum!” declared the volunteer chief. ”Boys, we made a mistake.”

”The next time I'll tell the inhabitants here what my plans are,” went on Mr. Ringold, grimly. ”I told you I wanted it to burn.”

”I know you did,” admitted the chief; ”but I thought you was so excited you didn't know what you was sayin'.”

”So did I,” admitted several of the volunteer fire-fighters. ”It's too bad!”

”Well, you meant all right, anyhow,” went on Mr. Ringold, with cheerful philosophy; ”and I'll make the department a donation. But next time, please don't interfere. I'll set another shack on fire as soon as I can arrange to buy one,” he said to his company. ”Meanwhile we'll go on with another drama. Save whatever you can of the films,” he added to Blake and Joe. ”Up to the time the firemen broke in they'll be all right. Next time I'll be more explicit.”

”I knew something would happen,” declared C. C., gloomily, as he tried to wring some of the water from his clothes. ”I didn't burn, but I nearly drowned.”

There was nothing to do but return to their boarding place and arrange for another drama, rehearsals for which would take place in a day or so.

”Meanwhile,” said Mr. Ringold to Joe and Blake, ”you may have a little time off. I tell you what you might do. We could use a fis.h.i.+ng scene, I believe. Suppose you go out in one of the small boats here and get a series of views when they lift their nets.”

”The very thing!” cried Blake. ”We'll do it; eh, Joe?”

”Sure thing!”

”You might, in fact,” went on Mr. Ringold, ”show the whole process of fis.h.i.+ng, from the launching of the boats until they come back filled with the day's catch.”

This the boys arranged to do, and that noon, when the power boats were launched, they were on hand to make moving pictures.

The craft, as I have explained, were ”eased down” the sloping beach, by means of rollers and planks, until the stern was just at the edge of the surf. The motor was then started, the boat being still held fast by a rope. This rope was fastened in a peculiar knot, so that one man, standing near it, could loosen it with one pull when the word was given to ”cut loose.”