rspiration, lips moving ceaselessly,
one sock hanging in tatters, already swinging about for the next pail.

Murphy looked on in anxious admiration.

"Holy smoke! Here I been wor-rking five years to get a hustle on that
Englishman, and him arguing coal oil was made for wiping engines and
lighting lamps and smelling up a grocery store. . . . That's what I
call a medal job. Anyway," he added, as a greater gush than usual
burst out and seemed to lick about the frantic fireman, "there ain't
much o' him to catch fire, if he don't tumble down them steps in time.
. . . Poof! That must have been half the barrel. For the love of
Mike!" he bawled, wiping the soot from his eyes, "Here, you crazy bat,
go aisy. The cab'll be catching fire."

"Garn!" yelled Huggins, reaching for a fresh supply. "Look arfter yer
own blinkin' cab, yu blighter!"

"Blighter, is it?" Murphy was dancing excitedly about--until he got in
the fireman's way, to receive such a furious push that he went
sprawling on his back. He lifted himself to his feet as if something
new had entered his experience, and stood agitatedly chewing his beard.

"When this foight's over," he announced solemnly, "there's going to be
another that'll make the one at the threstle look like a Sunday School
picnic; and Oireland's going to put England over her knee and spank the
place yeer shirt don't cover dacent. . . . Stop it, ye loon! Make a
pair o' pants o' the rest o' the ile and look respectable. Ye don't
seem to remember Mollie's sex. I'm ashamed o' ye. . . . Climb aboard,
ye fools--and ithers. She'll do five miles on what she has, and in
three miles she'll be cutting' out twenty. . . . For the sake o' me
dead and buried mother, somebody sit on that barrel or we'll be one
short in the foight! I got to work in this cab! He's gone daffy!
He'll miss the fireplace some time and set the bush on fire!"

Huggins' blind haste was deaf to everything but the clang of the
starting lever and the grind of the big wheels. Grabbing the rail, he
swung aboard, a half-filled pail clutched tight. And Murphy had only
time to knock it from his hand to save the seven of them from one last
gush of flame. Huggins swore deeply, swept a black arm across his
dripping eyes, and leaned out to estimate their speed.

Engine and tender chugged out from the siding. And Murphy leaned
through the window and broke all traffic rules.

"Jump on, ye loon!" he yelled to the brakesman stand