the other side were piled the powder kegs--and
the space between, the width of the alleyway, was no more than a bare
five or six feet.

There was no time to wait for help, the powder grains crunched under
his feet, and ran little zigzag, fizzy lines of fire like a miniature
inferno as the sparks caught them; at any moment it might reach the
kegs, and then--Regan flung himself along the alleyway to the rear tier
of cases, they were small ones here, though piled twice the height of
his head--if he could wrench them away, he could get at the burning
case below! Regan bent, strained at the cases--they were light and
moved--he heaved again to topple them over--and then, as a rasping,
ripping sound reached him from above, he let go his hold to jump
back--too late. A heavy casting, that had been placed on top of the
cases, evidently for economy of space, came hurtling downward, struck
Regan on the head, glanced to his shoulder and arm, slid with a thump
to the ground--and Regan dropped like a log.

A minute, perhaps two, it had all taken--no more. Noodles, crouched
down against a case just inside the door, had seen the master mechanic
rush by him; and Noodles, too, had seen the flame and smelt the smoke.
Noodles' first impulse was to make his escape, his next to see if he
could not turn this unexpected intervention of fate to his own account
anent the master mechanic. Noodles heard Regan moving about, and he
stole silently in that direction; then Noodles heard the heavy thump of
iron, the softer thud of Regan's fall, and something inside him seemed
to stop suddenly, and his face went very white.

"Mr. Regan! Mr. Regan!" he stammered out.

There was no answer--no sound--save an ominous crackle of burning wood.

Noodles stole further forward--and then, as he reached the spot where
Regan lay, he stood stock-still for a second, petrified with fear--but
the next instant, screaming at the top of his voice for help, he threw
himself upon Regan, pounding frantically with the flat of his hands at
the master mechanic's shoulder, where the other's coat was beginning to
blaze. Somehow, Noodles got this out, and then, still screaming for
help, began to drag Regan away from the side of the blazing case.

But Regan was a heavy man--almost too much for Noodles. Noodles,
choking with the smoke, his eyes fascinated with horror as they fixed,
now on the powder kegs--whose unloading, in company with a dozen other
awe-struck boys, he