"

And as if to verify his words the far-off clang of the village fire bell
sounded.

Instantly the tournament grounds were in a turmoil. Every one raised a
cry of fire! In a twinkle the grandstand was empty, but before the crowd
could reach Webster avenue the companies had begun to leave the
enclosure. With a rattle and a clang one engine after another swung into
the broad avenue. Then with the old hand equipment of the Woodbridge
vamps in the van the whole aggregation hurled itself down the street
toward the village.

CHAPTER III

BOY SCOUTS TO THE RESCUE

Bruce Clifford and the other members of Quarry Troop No. 1, waited only
to determine the location of the column of smoke that now extended clear
across the sky, then, selecting the short cut across the field by which
they had come, they hurried pellmell toward the scene of trouble.

"It's down in the factories!" panted Romper as he ran.

"Yes, I think it's Mayor Worthington's woolen mills," shouted Bud.

"By Jove, I guess you're right," yelled Bruce as they turned into Willow
Street and saw smoke pouring from the windows of the big brick building
at the far end of the street.

It was the worst fire that Woodbridge had experienced in years. By the
time the firemen reached the scene the whole west end of the building was
enveloped in flames and a section of the slate roof had already caved in.
From every window long tongues of red flames darted out like hideous
serpents' tongues. Great sparks shot skyward as sections of the west
wall crumbled and fell into the red hot caldron that had once been the
building's interior, and the heat was so intense that windows in the
factory building across the street cracked and crumbled.

It was a fortunate thing for Woodbridge that there was a score of
visiting fire companies in town, or else the whole south section of the
village would have been wiped out. Chief Blaney, almost beside himself
with anxiety, implored the visiting chiefs for their assistance. And
assist him they did. Every company got its equipment into action and
lines of hose were strung in some cases nearly half a mile. There were
at least a dozen hand engines and two steamers on the banks of Otter
Creek supplying lines to the fire, not to mention the hundreds of feet of
hose that were coupled to the village hydrant system in every direction.

But all that the willing vamps could do seemed to no avail. The fire
demon was rampant. He