all, strong, and angular. Shoving this way and that, he fought
his way to the curb. Here he encountered a rope stretched lengthwise
of the street. The crowd was now confined to the sidewalk. Hiram
crawled under the rope. A policeman shouted at him and started toward
him. Hiram ran, tripped over a slippery hose, caught himself, and
plunged on through the knots of struggling, dripping firemen.

The automobile had stopped. The occupants were clambering to the wet
pavement. One man was hurriedly setting up a peculiar-shaped camera
directly opposite the entrance of the burning building. Another, a
heavy-set man, was bobbing about, shouting orders to men and women, who
listened, then ran toward the door.

Everybody was crazy, it seemed, but this had nothing to do with Hiram
in carrying out his mission. He ran up to this heavy-set man and cried:

"Are you Mr. Kenoke?"

"Sure! Get out the way! What d'ye want? Now, Miss Worthington, run
for the ladder. Hurry up, girlie! Come on, Blair! Quick! Quick!
What d'ye want--you?"

Hiram gulped and searched his brains. "Miss Lucy Dalles says to tell
you to have Mr. Blair carry Miss Worthington out of the door. She's
fainted, she said, and then he faints and falls. They lay there, and
another fella--I forget that name--takes a letter from Mr. Blair's
pocket and runs away. Mr. What's-his-name and Miss Worthington still
lie there. Mr.--er--let's see--there's no makeup. And it's a peach,
and you won't regret it."

"Humph! All right; I get you. I'll take a chance. Lucy Dalles, you
say? Thanks. Get that, Collins? 'Bout ten feet, I guess. After
this. Now, out of the way, please. All ready, there! Let her go!
Now, up with that ladder, deary! Get in there! Get in the picture
Worthington!"

Hiram stepped back. The man with the camera began turning a crank on
one side, and a low whirring noise blended softly with the roar of the
rushing water. Hiram saw dripping men and women dancing about like
maniacs before the smoking door.

He did not wait for more. He had done his duty, and he hurried back
for his reward.

"Did you do it? Did you see him?"

Lucy Dalles, with parted lips, was straining toward him as he cleaved
his way back to her.

Hiram nodded.

"Oh, what did he say?"

"He said: 'All right. I'll risk it.' He said a lot more, but I guess
it wasn't to me."

"Well, you're all right," she said, with a beaming smile. "D'ye hear,
Minnie?