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and Johnnie Jones and Little Brother were fast asleep in their beds.
Jack had been asleep too, down-stairs in the front hall, but now he was
wide awake. He stood up, put back his ears, and sniffed the air. Then he
ran quickly up the stairs to Johnnie Jones's room, stood outside his
door, and whined, That did not waken anyone, so he barked.

Johnnie Jones woke up and heard him. So did mother, who was in the next
room. "Please lie still, Mother," said Johnnie Jones. "I'll see what is
the matter." He was trying to help Mother all he could while Father was
away.

He opened the door, and cried out: "Oh, Mother, the hall is full of
smoke!"

Mother came to the door. She saw that smoke was pouring out from the
hall below. "I am afraid the house is on fire," she said. "You must be
very brave and help me. Put on your wrapper and slippers and run up to
Maggie's room, and tell her and Kathie to come down here."

Johnnie Jones was a bit frightened, but without another word he ran up
those long, dark steps, and aroused the two girls. It was brave of the
little boy.

Meanwhile Mother had given the fire alarm through the telephone, slipped
on her wrapper, and bundled the baby in a blanket. When the others had
come down to her room, she closed the door into the hall.

"It would be dangerous to go downstairs," she said; "we must just wait
here at the window until the firemen bring us a ladder."

"Oh, Mother!" Johnnie Jones said, "do you think they'll come soon?"

"Listen!" Mother answered.

Then Johnnie Jones heard a sound that made him clap his hands with joy.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! Galloping down the street came the splendid big
fire-horses drawing the hook-and-ladder. CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! Down the
street came the fire-engine, the hose carriage, and the salvage corps
wagon.

Quick as a flash the firemen saw Mother and the children at the window!
Quicker than you can think, they had two long ladders placed against the
two window sills. Then two strong firemen climbed up. One of them helped
Mother and the baby to reach the ground, the other looked after Johnnie
Jones.

Maggie and Kathie did not wait to be helped, they stepped down the
ladder faster than one would have thought possible, and reached the
ground first of all.

Jack did not know how to use a ladder, so he was thrown out of the
window by one fireman, and caught in a blanket by two others. He wasn't
hurt in the least, though Johnnie Jones had been worried for fe