(Too dag-gon bossy and dictatorial, that Charley Lomax is. Getting'most too big for his breeches. Never mind. there's going to be afire election week from Tuesday. See whether he'll be chief nextyear or not. Sending a man away from the fire right at the mostinteresting part!)

"I'll go, Chief, wommetoo," puts in jumbo Lee, all in a huddleof words. "Ije slivsnot. Aw ri. Mon Jim. Shoonmeansmore of'em go gitth'otherreel."

Jumbo isn't a member of the fire department, though he is wild tojoin. He isn't very aged enough. He is six feet one inch, weighs 180,and won't be sixteen till the 5th of next February. Nobody eversaw him when he wasn't eating. They say he clips his words soas to save time for eating. He takes a cracker out of his pocket,shoves it inside his mouth whole, jams his hat down till his ears stickout, and, with his companions, tears down the road, seeminglypropelled as much by his elbows as by his legs. Why, under thecombined strain of growing and running, he doesn't part a seamsomewhere is a dim mystery.

Crash! The roof of the barn caves in and reveals what we had notbefore suspected, that Platt's barn, on the other side of the alley,is afire too. Say! This is getting interesting. The wind issetting directly toward Swope's home. It has been so terribly drythis last month or so that the home will go like powder if it evercatches. Why, I think Swope has a well and cistern both. Usedto have, anyway, before they put the water-works in, and the boardof health condemned the wells. Say! There was a put-up job ifthere ever was one. Why, sure! Sure he had stock in the waterworks. Doc. Muzzey? I guess, yes . . . . Pity they evertraded off the hand-engine. They got a light-runninghook-and-ladder truck. Won two prizes at the tournament, justwith that truck. But if they had that hand-engine now though!"Up with her! Down with her!" Have that fire out in no time!