It was not at all unnatural that Bruce Decker should cherish in his heart a strong desire to go to a fire as one of the members of the truck company. This longing grew stronger in his heart every day, and when the opportunity did come it found him, fortunately enough, ready to make the most of it.

It happened one warm day in August, that three or four of the men were absent on their summer’s vacation and one or two others because of illness, and while the company was thus crippled, Charley Weyman fell and hurt his right arm so badly that the chief advised him to go around to the nearest doctor’s and have it dressed. As the injured fireman left the quarters, his superior turned to Bruce and said, “My boy, you see how short-handed we are to-day; now do you think that if an alarm should come in you could take Weyman’s place on the driver’s seat?”

The boy’s eyes brightened and there was an eager look in his face as he made answer, “I’m sure I could and I only wish that an alarm would come in.”

88“All right,” said the chief “just keep yourself in readiness for we can never know when there is an alarm coming.”

Then he went up stairs, and Bruce stepped out into the street, and looked up and down it as far as his eye could reach as if he expected to see the smoke and flame bursting out from some building within his range of vision. But the sun poured down on his bare head, and he was soon glad to retreat to the shade of the quarters, where he stood idly looking at the brass gongs, and wondering how soon they would begin to ring out their tale of smoke, flame and disaster.

And then the thought occurred to him that he had no right to stand there wishing for a fire which might bring ruin and death to his fellow creatures, and could benefit no one but himself; and it was not at all certain that it would benefit even him. So he satisfied his conscience by changing the form although not the tenor of his thoughts. “I wish,” he said to himself “that if it were necessary for the world’s good to have a fire to-day that it might be right here within this district. There’s no harm in wishing that I’m sure. Of course I wouldn’t like to have any people killed at the fire or to have any poor man lose 89all his furniture and clothes, but there are fires every day, and this is the first time I’ve ever had a chance—”

“Clang! clang!” rang out the brass gong at his side, and never, since the first time that he heard an alarm ring, had the sound of the bell stirred him with such excitement as it did now.

His opportunity had come at last, and without a moment’s delay he clambered up over the wheel of the truck and dropped into the driver’s seat.

He knew that some of the men were racing in from the back room, that others were sliding down the brass poles, and that two of them were already at the horses’ heads, while another was adjusting the harness on the chief’s wagon.

And all this time Bruce was saying to himself, “Now, I’m going to keep cool, no matter what happens, and I’ll not spoil the greatest chance of my life by getting nervous.”

It was with this thought in his mind that he seized the reins and waited quietly until the men had snapped the collars about the horses’ necks and fastened the reins to their bits. Meantime the brass gong had been ringing the number of the station, and the boy, with his wits entirely about him, was keeping count of the strokes.

90“One, two, three—one, two—one, two, three, four, that’s 324,” he said to himself as he tightened the reins, while the men gave the eager horses their heads and sprang up on the truck.

Bruce knew where station No. 324 was, for he had long since familiarized himself thoroughly with the district in which the company was located, so as he passed over the threshold he gave the horses their heads, and turning sharply to the right was soon on his way to the densely populated east side region in which the fire was raging.

Chief Trask, seated in his little wagon, passed him before he had reached the first corner, his horse going at full gallop, and the gong in the dashboard ringing out its sharp warnings. As the chief went by he turned his head and saw his young protege sitting bolt upright in Weyman’s seat, looking carefully ahead of him, and keeping his horses well in hand although they were going at almost their best speed. The boy seemed perfectly cool, and it was apparent to the superior officer that he knew what his duty was and proposed to perform it. Then the chief took the lead, and as they passed the first street, the engine and tender, with Captain Murphy in command, came thundering along, turned the corner, and fell in behind them. Now they turned into a crowded thoroughfare where the people, warned by the sharp clanging of the gong in the chief’s wagon, hastily made way for the flying battalion. Down this thoroughfare for three blocks—and never in his life had Bruce known such a reckless ride—then another sharp turn carried them into full view of the ............