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Winning the Firen:an’s ill-edal
. BY Ronnnr Lnxuox
'.4uumr of “Tom. Hunter. the Boy Fmyuan.”
"Prince o( the. antes," -- tmcnuyar
Eighteen, ' “Frank. the Fireman," dc. .
6 ' ‘ CHAPTER XVI.
; nnsconn nnoucn snoss.
Ben Brown's heart sank as the ilames
from below mounted higher!
‘It seemed as if all were lost.
ignorant an frenzied women
tscreamed in their dilferent native jargons,
‘ ytthe children screeched, and the crackling
of the flying embers and sparks as they
shot past the high window made a territl
, deafening sound beyond description. '
“Stand back, or I'll strike you!” cried
B .
an. > >
' But so frantic were the unfortunates that
they did not understand him until he sud-
denly snatched up a broom which had fall-
en on the door near him, during the ex-
lnlternent. ' V . '
5 “I'll break the handle of! the straw part.”
'lbougl:lt the young nre laddie, “and that’ll
give me some sort of a weapon."‘
, The women and children understood him
now. as he held them at bay by waving his
club, thus formed. Honest Ben would nev-
er have struck a woman or little one for
the world, but he realized that these poor
‘creatures were liable to leap forth from
‘ that high window to their deaths unless
‘ ‘ forcibly held back. , '
“Ben! Ben!" came a voice behind him,
- r as our hero stood guarding the front win-
dows. ’ -'
-. The nreman whirled about. and there,
sticking up from the clouds of smoke be-
low, was a welcome sight!
‘,The reader need scarcely be told that at
last the hrs lighters from beneath had run
one of the long ladders up, and now on the
top of this welcome a.i<1 stood Ben's friend.
1 .
c '. -
..' “We're on the job!” shouted Jack. hold-
,-‘ing tightly to the swaying, bobbing ladder.
‘ ‘,‘Be careful! " c e Ben. as it neared the
[.WlI1d0WvSlll. “The hump is apt to throw
you off..backwards."
D
The women saw that relief was at hand.
: and they cried now with icy. lntead of
frl "
“gstand back there and you‘ll all be sav-
Brown. “Tell them that in
,, .
e he spoke to. understanding his
English, did translate the words into the
dialect so familiar to them. They SW05
hack obediently now, and Ben turned to aid
his comrade.
. Jack was holding tightly to the top of
the big red ladder. But as Ilen had fore-
seen, there was a terriiic humll when the
ladder, guided mm below the Ila" 01
smoke, where the nremen could not see the
top, was swung against the wall.
I “Steady!” shouted Ben
‘ He leaned far out of the window Just in
the nick of time.
- Crash! '
The ladder hit the wall, and Jack was
, death ad not been for Eenfystrong,
5 -slnewy grip on the collar of his blue ser-
1 vice shirt. ,
2 “I’ve 305 Y0“. Jack." grunted Ben. as he
‘clung there in the window. pulling vali-
antly on the other lad.
Jack had slipped from the to)? 01 019 135‘
der by this time, and if had not been for
a fortunate grip that Ben made at the start,
the fellows weight would have dragged
; them both over, perhftlfs '
n u er.
?s':vlI3;no:?3?neq1adaer," he Samv 1“ 3
strained voice, as he was leaning half out
h l dd .
wglrlrilat grtzicleerhad at last landed firmly’
‘against the wall. guided by ‘he ‘"9" be‘
‘low, on the truck, and Jack reached out.
' catching himself safely. ,,
- “I owe you my life for that, 13611 13f0“’”-
said Jack. . vi ’
' “ ll owe you our lives for coming
up” retorted Ben. “If that ladder‘hadn't
-redched here in a minute that bunch would
have thrown me Out 01' 018 Wmdowv and
men jumped out after me. It isn't the kind
. J th t l llk to play.”
f %yta8cgk, getting; good grip of the ladder.
skillfully climbed up and into the window
with a. sigh nhrellef. .
.Now we must get ihese“poor women
, down fron'1,here." said Ben. It will be no
‘ h.
5 “W In I should reckon not." Said Jack-
'5
to the oillcers below: .,
“Send up more men. chief! More men!
‘I ’Ilis call would have passed unneeded on
11,
“We be by
almost in discouragement. Then
A thought himself of n pl
an.
Going to the window. he bellowed down
H‘ A P P,',Y
the street below, for the distance was too
great. and t e noise of the names was
overpowering. vcr. it chanced that
two men. at different distances from each
other, were rapidly scrambling up the lad-
ers. .
They clarnbcred up with the agility of
sailors, and their feet seemed like u
machines as they covered the long distances
The first fellow heard this call. - -
“They want more men. Sy." he shouted
to the man below him.
This fellow passed on the same call.
“They want more men above-it must be
I big hunch up there!” . . .,
These calls, carried thus by a sort of‘re-
lay race, reached the chief as he stood
watching the names at their deadly work.
“Ah. I know, Ben Brown is up there,
and they are trying to get some of these
poor people. The top floors haven't caught
'et. ll send a bunch of the men up
there!" ..
He turned toward the captain of Ben's
company. .
-“Run about twenty men up there, cap-’
tain, as fast as you can. I know thls,tene-
lnent crowd about this time of
mainly women and children.
ful thing for them to he marooned up there
so h !" ‘ .
“Yes. chief,” replied the captain.‘ "!’ll
get them on the run."
He rushed toward the men clustered
around the street. and took on the ones
who could be spared from the pipe lines
“Up. up you go!” cried the chief, or.
rather. the deputy chief, to be exact, for
such was his real title. h
The men clambered up, one after the
other, with surprising agility. Through the
scorching smoke and heat they clamber-
ed. in a slanting line toward the window
3 . .
2?
or
-4
ove. .
Ben had been peering down from the‘
window, and at last he saw the welcome
sight of the red, curved helmets coming up
the ladder toward him.
‘1Gosh, Jack," said he. “They've got a,
bunch of the lads on the job!" ’
.“ ey sure have!” exclaimed Jack. as
one after another the men scaled the win-
dow ledge and piled
“Ben Brown," said one of the last arri-
vals. as-the crowd of tlremen stood in the
stuffy space, with the women and children,
“the chief says for you to lead the way
down the ladder-with one of the women
in your arms. and then we'll all slide down
behind you, each taking one."
“All righ " said Ben, “but it's a danger-
ous task. and we must make them stay per-
fectly still when we're going . ‘
He turned toward the young girl who un-
derstood English.
“Tell them that we will save them. but
that they must hold tight on the ladders
and not move or get scared. Olberwisc
they’ll get killed." said Ilen. 0
The girl jabbered away, and the women
odded. '
There was a young mother with her baby
Ln her arms. and Ben beckoned toward
“Come on. and I'll take you and the lit-
tle one down," sald,our hero. “Say, you
lads had best double up when you can. and
take two of the kids at a time. . -
This seemed an unusual and almost im-
possible feat. but the reader will see how it
done if he thinks the matter over, In
the tlrst place, this sort of rescue is prac-
ticed by the liremen at their practice until
they become letter perfect.
The ladder was inclined against the
house at a wide angle.’ which helped great-
ly to decrease the speed of his descent.
I-‘lrst Ben clambered out on the end of
the ladder. sitting facing it. and holding on
with his legs, . one on each side of the
affair. ,
“Now, come on,” he said. and Jack help-
ed the young mother up to the Window-sill.
Then Ilen, holding with vise-like grip on
the sides of the ladder. held out one strong
arm, while he clung to the ladder with the
crook of the other arm.
“Steady! " cautioned ‘Jack.-
The woman then‘ clambereddown. and
sat crosswise, or rather sidewayson Ben’.-I
lap. while he braced himself with his
nd ‘
3 5.
She held her baby lightly clasped in one
hand, while with the other arm she clu
to Ben's neck. in a way which kept her
steady without cumherlng his own ,arms
more than necessary.
' Then Ilen started sliding down the lad-
der, holding with his hands and bent knees.
in such a fashion as to prevent too great
‘.1 speed downward.
“Come on. lads,” he shouted up, after he
had gone down about twenty-live feet in
this way.
Another fireman followed his example.
starting slowly and cautiously down the
slide, with 8 Woman-
“Now you, Bill," said Jack. and Ike next
brave fellow did the some thing. And so
it was wlth,all the firemen. uni” 31 1351
all the women and youngsters were safe.
Jack, having seen that all were sale.
now clambered onto the ladder,hlnl.<elf, and
just as he did go he hear a pattrr of in-
creasing loudness behind him.
Looking back in the window he beheld
that the action of the flames was causing
:1
N
lbe walls to crack and ‘sag apart in some
places. '
“Just in the nick of time." said Jack.
‘sud I guess I'll slide while the traveling‘:
00 ..
Ile went down the ladder himself how.
and as he did so felt the truck being pull-
led away. little by little, from the walls of
the house The mechanism of the big auto-
matic ladder held it tight and firm as no-
sible under the circumstances.
It did give Jack a shaky feeling. though.
when he heard a bad crash up higher and
a blinding pull! of dirt and brick dust shot
out to ‘add ‘to the other unpleasantness.
“ t it's over now, and ii slide faster,"
he muttered. So he closed his eyes tight.
held his mouth shut. and slid down for all
he was worth. .
As he reached the bottom of the ladder.
with a bump. he felt Ben Brown pounding
him on the shoulder.
“Quick. Jack, let’: duck and get into the
dark part of that building across the street.
oms on, Jack.”
“Why, Ben, what's the matter.’ Let me
get my breath!" gasped Jack, for he was
lagged out with his efforts.
“Get it later," exclaimed his friend.
“Don't you see what's aiming our way?"
Jack was indeed surprised. for Ben seem-
to rub the dust
out of his eyes, but could. not do it as Den
dragged him away.
“No. what is it. Ben?"
Ben's tone was of disgust rather than
. .
5-.‘
3
“Oh. it's just some of those fool report-
ers,” he said. “They've got a bunch of
cameras, and are trying to get yours and
my picture to make fools of us in the pa-
pers by calling us heroes."
Jack got indignant, too, at this. arid he
stumbled along after Ben, until they get-in
the shelter of a dark hallwayncross the
street. out of the range of the news hunt-
(‘l'E.
“Golly, you‘re right. old boy!” said Jack.
“I think you are about as near a hero as
there is on the force. But I don't think It
does anyone any good by running a bunch
of silly rot in the papers about firemen."
“Of course it doesn't," said Ben. “We
got those people down from there because
the city pays our salary for Just that sort of
thing. hero business is all right for
stories and wars, but we're so busy living
up to our Jobs and the blue uniforms that
we've no time to do the Jack Dalton act.‘
“Correct!” said Jack. and they dodged
back into the work after eluding the pic-
ture men. he re gutted itself finally,
but just- as the signal ‘all out" was sent in
the deputy chief walked over to Ben.
His wrinkled, weather-beaten face. usu-
ally so stern and even acrld. now beamed
na he patted Ben rather affectionately on
the shoulder.
“I understand that we'd have had a lot of
lives lost. Den Brown. if it hadn't been for
you. Well. e newspapers would have
liked it better if there had, for that would
have made a better story. But this is the
I-ort of story (hat I like-n big tire con-
quered with not a single soul hurl!"
And Ben went back to the engine-house
with honest pride in his heart for having
done his duty. Yet not a bit of vanity
or conceit was there to spoil it.
‘ CIIAPTER XVII. .
nsx rllrs A social. c.u.r..
Next morning Ilen received a little white
envelope. containing a note which made his
heart nutter at the signature. The youdi
read it again and again, and was foolish
enough to tuck the little mlsslve into his
blouse 1ust,to have it handy.
But Ben's excitement was natural. for
since the rescue of a certain beautiful
maiden at a lire-on the avenue he had
thought many times about her.
She had promised to write. And yet Ben
knew that her brother would try to in-
Ierfere. ’
The letter read as follows:
“Dear Mr. Brown.-Yesterday I asked my
brother Bert to mail a letter to you. After
I had given it to him I saw him stare at
lhe address. and could tell by his looks
that he was far from pleased.- So I am sure
that the other letter will never reach you.
and I am w ting this little extra edition
to make certain that you receive my mes-
sage. wish you would call on me the
first evening that you can leave your duties.
whatever the engagement that I may
have. if you will let me know at least a day
in advance I will most gladly change my
other plans. so that I may.see my noble
rescuer. Cordlally yours,
' - “Kathleen Ilecd.
“P.S.-Like all girls. I forget the im.
portant part of the letter until I sign my
name. 'l'he- address now is - West
street. where father and mother have taken
another house, since we were burned out
on the avenue." ‘
Needloss to say, Ben sent a letter at once
telling her that he would gladly come the
next night. which was his relief day.
n Ben Ilrown wrote in good letler. loo.
for the lad had studied hard at his school-
ing. and nude the most nf many opportu-
ll s. ' '
J.
Ben was of the sort destined to rise above
the rank of urenlen. but that's another
part of the story.
“Where are you going. Ben?" Asked Jack,
next evening. as he saw his comrade don-
ning , civilian garb. and making unusual
preparations to ion l. ,
“Oh, Just uptown to see a friend of mine."
said Ben. nouchalantly, as he struggled
with. a balky blue Lie.
But the telltale little creep of
his lann a
color over
his sec
not a word of teasing. lie simply smiled.
And such a broad, understanding smile it
was. too.
‘Well, good-by. pal-I wish you luck.”
said he. as Ben went down the stairs to-
ward the street. '
our hero took the elevated. and in a few
minutes was before the house of the beau-
tiful Kathleen. ’ ‘
“I don't believe that I'll go in. anyway,”
said Ben. falling a victim to stage fright.
He started back toward the elevated sta-
on aga n.
Then he pulled himself together with a
e
“No. I‘ll be a man, and assert myself. ‘
There's nothing to be ashamed of because I
wear a coat of blue-that's certain." .
So the lad went up the steps and ran:
a .
Just as he entered the hall he saw a
surly. angry face approaching him in the
hallway. It was the brother who had been
so insulting before.
This ellow shoved aside the white-
aproned maid who had opened the door for
Ben.‘ lie was fairly bubbling with angry
passion. as he stared at the unabashed Ben
Brown.
“What. you rascal. you dare intrude on
my sister?" he cried. shaking a fist In Ben's
f
BCE.
Den stood his ground resolutely. But as
was perfectly natural. he was none too
pleased with such a reception.
‘'1 am not intruding,” he said. “I came
here because your sister invited me here."
The brother became angrier.
“It's a lie-I nevcr mailed the letter! ' he
cried, betraying his own trickery. Ben's
face went white at the insult. but be con-
trolled hls anger as bcst he could.
“You get out of here before I order the
police to put you out-do you hear me?“
cried the fellow. Ben saw a. rib 2 dress
at the top of the stairs. but he feared that
he should come to blows with the chap be-
fore the sister could intervene.
“Ybu low-down. ill-bred. dirty-faced fire-
man!" cried the fellow. striding up to lieu
with Hashing eyes,
‘I " sluttercd Ben Brown. hardly
knowing what to say, for his impulse wax
to thrash the fellow. Yet his natural po-
liteness forbade such a thing in such a
place. '
But just then there was a new element
interposed into this little comedy of man-
ners. or rather of ill-manners. For a port-
ly figure. in immaculate evening dress.
stepped forth from behind the poltlercs of
the drawing-room at ihe right. .
‘Just a minute, Bert,‘ said this person.
"I've been listening to .lhls exhiblllon of
my son's splendid breeding‘ and polished
manners. I've had about enough of 1t."
The fellow staggered back at a loss for
words.
“Why, father--"
“Don't why me!" cried the'older man.
“I've had cnou h of this. Kathloen’asked
me if she could invite this young gentleman
here. and I was honored to have him. As
for you. I want to tell you a few things
that I've been thinking over lately.‘
The young fellow's face turned‘:-balky. '
4:
girl. half-way down the
stairs. stood on the landing listening.
“Let me tell you. my one fellow. that
your daddy started in life as a dreman. I
fired on a dirty old freight engine. and
didn't. do anything more heroic than try to
choke the dirty old firebox" to death with
hum coal. This young man is A nreman in
a different cause.“
The old gentleman
ward Ben approving 7
“lie risks his life twenty times a year-
or oitener. while you. with your clean face
and your pasty spirit. are loadng around on
the money I earned for you. and revlling .
an honest man. and I brare one!“
Ben's face was indeed a. study by this
time, for he was the innocent and unwill-
ing cause of all this family dissension. lie
would willingly have given a month‘s pay
to be out of it all. '
-The old fellow continued: '
“l‘v enough of this. I've' heard
how you insulted this young man who res-
cued your sister while you were on a drunk-
on debauch, and it's got to stop. 'l'6-mor-
row you go out ‘and look for :1 io .
“llut, father-'why should I wont?" cried
the young fellow. “You have plenty of
money. and why shouldn't I be a gentle-
man. You don't work now!‘ -
The old fellovfs eyes gllnted like the
flash of sunlight on in Toledo blade.
“So! I'll tell you. I earned my mou
honestly, too.’ I didn't get It out of the
widow and the orphan, but by my own In-
dustry. and the prodts I made for railroad
companies. You will bare to earn yours
and make good. or you'll never get a cent
lbaused and looked to-
Y.
I
in
