Part 15 (2/2)

It was, of course, Ted, with his lisp, who said this. He had come up while the others were talking, and seemed to understand the situation; perhaps he had even witnessed the strange dash of Ty Collins into the burning farmhouse.

Elmer shook his head in the negative, as he replied:

”You see, the smoke is so heavy that even if one of us did go in, the chances are he'd never be able to find Ty. We'll have to let him alone.

Ty has a long head on him, and generally knows what he's doing. Let's work away here as fast as they fetch us the full buckets, and hope our chum will get out again. Here, hand me that pail, Ted; and get busy, Landy. No time to be staring around.”

Landy seemed to be half stunned because of the queer actions of the scout who had entered the house. He was standing there looking up at the row of windows, out of which the smoke curled and eddied, as though he expected an answer to the puzzling question there.

But the energy of the patrol leader influenced him; and taking the bucket that had reached the end of the line of men and women, he hastened to dash its contents in the spot Elmer indicated.

The boys were all showing more or less signs of exhaustion by this time, owing to the terrific heat, caused by the stickiness of the weather, and the influence of the fire. But not one of them gave any indication of showing the white feather. They seemed to feel that the honor of the scouts was involved in this fight for the farmer's home; and with set teeth they continued to ply the water.

”We're gaining a little all the time, fellows!” exclaimed Elmer, meaning to bolster up the courage of both Ted and Landy; though often he would cast an anxious eye up at those mute windows, as though beginning to fear that the missing chum would never again appear.

”Yeth,” said Ted, dolefully, ”but every time we leave a plathe to go to a new one, the fire tharth out again freth ath a daithy. If only a lot more men would come to help uth out, we might get it under.”

”We will do it, boys, just make up your minds to that,” gasped Elmer, as he once more gripped a big stable bucket and started back to the window through which he expected to hurl the contents. ”We've got the grit to stick to the job to the bitter end, and grit wins the day every time.

Hurry up there with that other pail; and tell them to find some more, if they can. Anything will do that can hold water. We've just _got_ to put this thing out! That's the way, Landy; you did a good job that time!”

Those words of praise did more to inspire new faith and confidence in the heart of the almost exhausted fat boy than anything else could have done. He seemed to pluck up fresh courage, braced himself to his task, and even grinned at Elmer, although it was a sickly attempt at a smile.

Landy was, indeed, a sight just then. He was wet to the skin with perspiration and spilled water from the creek. Besides, his usually jolly face was streaked with a series of queer marks, where the black smoke had found lodgment, and been ground in every time he drew his sleeve across his smarting eyes.

But then the others were little better off, though possibly they did not feel the terrible heat quite so much as the stout youth. Regardless of the damage to their clothes they labored faithfully on, determined that the Hickory Ridge troop was bound to receive new honor because of what they did at the Brady fire.

Seconds had merged into minutes, and Elmer's anxiety grew to an alarming extent. What if poor Ty had, indeed, fallen in the midst of that smoke and was lying there now in the house helpless?

It was a terrible thought, and made him s.h.i.+ver, even though at the time he was also burning with the heat. Suffocation was just as bad as the fire itself; and Elmer began to argue with himself that perhaps it was his sacred duty to rush into the house in the endeavor to find Ty.

He looked at Landy and Ted with almost pity in his eyes, and yet at that moment the young patrol leader was proud of his chums. Never had there been a test of endurance where the stake meant so much. If they could save the Brady home surely that were far better than any prize which might have fallen to their prowess because of a great hike, or a swimming distance match!

Suddenly he heard Landy give a shrill yell.

”There he is, Elmer! Hurrah for Ty!”

The fat boy was pointing a trembling finger upward; and following its general direction Elmer saw a head thrust forth from a certain window in the second story.

Ty did not seem disposed to pay the slightest attention to his chums, though the three of them stood there waving their hands and shouting. He was beckoning wildly to the little girl who had been standing near by all the while, with her eager eyes riveted on the window above, just as though she expected a miracle to be wrought in her favor.

When Ty's head poked into view as through a curtain, for eddies of smoke were all around the scout, the child began to dance up and down, and clap her hands. At that moment Ty Collins came nearer to being a real hero in the eyes of a girl than ever before in all his life.

”Come closer!” he shouted, and as she did so, he continued: ”Where did you say Bennie was, up here? Is this the room?”

”Yes, yes,” she replied, nodding her head at the same time, as if in fear lest he might not hear her childish voice in the midst of so much noise, with women calling, and newcomers asking questions as they reached the scene.

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