Part 16 (1/2)

”Where did you leave him?” demanded the intrepid rescuer.

”Over in the corner--the box on the floor--Bennie was naughty, and he had to be punished!” she cried at the top of her shrill voice.

Ty immediately disappeared, while his three chums below waited with astonishment written on their faces, not knowing what it all meant.

”Did you hear that, Elmer?” demanded Landy, plucking at the wet sleeve of the other. ”She said the baby was in a box! Don't that beat the Dutch, though? Whatever could she have been thinking of to do such a thing?”

”It wath the thillieth ever!” declared Ted, ”thtuffing a baby in a box jutht like he wath a rag doll!”

”Hold on and see,” said Elmer, who must have had some sort of suspicion as to the true state of affairs.

All eyes were riveted on that window. Seconds pa.s.sed as before, and the boys began to get nervous again because Ty failed to appear. Had he found the baby really smothered? Was he attempting to carry the poor little darling down the stairs through all that dreadful smoke?

”Oh, look! look!” cried Landy.

There was no need of his saying this, because everyone near by had been watching that window eagerly, and no doubt saw what was happening just as quickly as the fat boy did; but then Landy was so worked up with excitement that he could not restrain himself.

Yes, Ty was there in full sight again. This time he was leaning from the window, and seemed to be holding something in his arms.

”Hold on there, Ty,” shouted Ted, feeling a thrill of horror, as he fancied his fellow scout must be about to heave the poor little innocent darling from that second story window, in the hope of somebody catching it before it could reach the ground. ”Give uth a thanthe to get under firtht.”

”Yes, hold your horses, old fellow!” panted Landy, as he started forward with outstretched arms.

But, singular to say, Ty seemed to pay little or no attention to their demands; though Elmer was sure he could see a broad grin on the blackened face of the one who leaned out of the window to get away from the smoke.

”Here, take your baby, little girl!” he shouted hoa.r.s.ely, as he began to lower away on a strange rope, which Elmer decided he must have made by tearing a sheet into long strips, and tying these together.

Something came down, foot by foot--something that struggled, and made frantic attempts at getting free from the encircling rope.

”Wow! it's a pup!” shrieked the astonished Landy.

”Well, I do declare!” echoed Ted.

Elmer laughed aloud, as he started once more at the task of emptying several buckets that had meanwhile arrived at the end of the human chain. For wise Elmer had guessed the truth before the moment when the other two made their discovery.

The little girl darted forward and s.n.a.t.c.hed the small woolly dog up the moment it touched the ground. She began to hug ”Bennie” with all the ardor of an indulgent little mistress; and, then freeing him from the torn sheet, ran off toward the women as if to show her recovered prize to her mother.

”Now come down yourself, Ty!” shouted Elmer. ”Don't you think of going back by way of the stairs, d'ye hear?”

Ty waved his hand. Perhaps his voice was utterly gone by this time, thanks to the smoke and his exertions. They saw him swing out of the window; and Elmer understood from this that at least the scout had considerable power left in his arms and lower limbs.

Now his feet were on a little ledge that ran along the face of the house above the lower windows. Ty had noticed that a shutter was partly open and meant to make use of this in his descent. It was a clever idea, and did the boy great credit in the way of judgment. A veteran fireman, accustomed to such things, could hardly have conceived a better plan of campaign.

Once his feet were planted on top of this, Ty gave a sudden move, and they saw him slipping down until his ready hands caught the upper edge of the heavy blind. After that he dropped to the ground in a heap, to quickly stagger to his feet once more.

”Hurrah for Ty!” shouted Landy, making the high sign of fellows.h.i.+p in the direction of his chum; for he was too busily engaged just then to think of abandoning his buckets in order to rush to Ty's side so as to shake hands with the hero of the occasion.

What if it was only a miserable little woolly pup that he had managed to save from possible destruction; it would have been all the same had it been the real baby that the child had given him to understand was in peril. And Ty need never feel ashamed of his brave act. It shed new l.u.s.ter on the name of the Hickory Ridge Boy Scout troop; and Elmer was determined that when the account was written up, there should be no hint of humor in the same that might reflect in any way on Ty's act.