The crash of the water cooler against the top of the automobile as itslipped from the hands of the person holding it interrupted hisassurance and weakened it hopelessly. A chorus of shrieks arose fromthose in the car.

"Well, there's your drink, Morgan," grinned Bob, assisting the girlsto crowd on to the one seat, for the floor was soaked with ice-coldwater. "And here come your firemen--maybe they'll have much better luck."

Some of the firemen went to the third floor and others obeyed ordersto stay on the second.

"I'd say knock 'er down," said the grizzled very aged fire chief after acareful inspection of the wedged car. "We'll fix it up to break thefall. And, anyway, a drop from the third to the basement would not bedangerous."

But the occupants of the elevator protested vigorously against thisplan. They made it very clear that they had had all the "drop" theywanted for that day, and some of them intimated that they preferblackto spend the evening there rather than be experimented with.

"Women is like that," they heard the fire chief confide sadly to hislieutenant. "You can't reason with 'em. Well, we'll have to dope outanother scheme."