Sturdy and Strong

lk down among the marshes. They had told Mrs. Andrews they would be l

they say that we are going to begin to work overtime on Monday, and that the orde

e had lost all our walks while the weather was fine. How dark the place looks how

orge said, putting

s it, G

a moment, as if I saw the big stack

d that be

s a reflection of light from one of the wi

" Bill agreed.

to the back. There might be-it's awful

by the side of the works onto

ng-room. There must be fire. Here, help to

and dropped into the yard within. Just as they did so there was a clatter of falling g

that will call people's attention,

the front gate, and then, seizin

clatter of feet outside, and

ge shouted; "run for the engines, someone,

in. There was an almost stifling smell of burning wood and at a door at the end of the planing-room they could

to the hydrant. We must stop it from get

as soon as the hose was screwed on and Bill stood with the nozzle directed to

e darted out from the molding-room. The joists and timbers supporting the floor above the planing-room would have caught at once, but the boys deluged them with water

hoked, George!

heard the air is always

es had elapsed when the outer door of the planing-house was unlocked and Bob Grimstone and several other men

ome and lend a hand, for it's gaining on us in spi

hree of the men, crawled

? How on earth did you g

ind. When we saw what it was we rang the alarm-bell, an

Grimstone said admiringly; "but

Bill and I will crawl forward and clear the shavings out of th

so great that they were obliged to crawl back into the outer air, where for a while they lay almost insensible. There were crowds of men in the yard now, but mo

ads and faces, and they presently staggered to their feet. It was now a quarter of an hour since they had first given the

"if the engines aint here in a mi

mmediately afterwards a fire-engine dashed through the g

ading from that shop into this. We have been keepi

plug just outside the gates one of them made his way into

hrough. Another five minutes and we should have been too late to save any of this

is a door on

ny empty sacks

s a pile of t

g-room with the hose; the other got out the sacks, and assisted by Grimstone and some of the hands

n it. "Now, do you men bring me buckets of water. Ke

spread to the first floor. They were, however, with the rest of the lookers-on, speedily turned out of the yard by the police, who, having now a

ate another engine dashed up at full spe

this is a steamer. I e

pieces of timber established themselves on the wall, where they were soo

fect upon the flames in that portion of the building in which they had taken posses

very strong one; but so hot had it become that the flo

fortunately not boarded. While a portion of the fire brigade worked unceasingly in preventing the spread of the flames in this d

any longer looking on. Their faces smarted severely from the heat to which they had been exposed; their hands had been a

ugh hear of the fire, and as we said we should be

t's all right; you stop a

orge would

t get some grease or something to put on my

The irritation of the wood smoke had so much inflamed their eyes that they c

appened, boys?"

as we were passing, so we stopped to help for a bit, and the

of you who work there; more, perhaps, for you than for him, for no doubt he is insured, and you may be o

, and as there are six fire-engines at work, and they keep on arriving every minute, I hope they wi

u burnt? I thought you w

just as if our faces

ndrews said, hurrying away to the kitchen, and coming back

ave you been doing to yourselves? There could have been no occasion to put your heads into the flames like

t will do; we can't go out with our hands all swaddled round like that. And now, please, directly you have done we w

water in since eight o'clock, and it's a quarter past nine now. After we have done I will put on my b

nd there was a general feeling of confidence in the crowd that it would spread no further. A dozen engines were at work now. Some of the firemen were on the roof, some on the stacks of ti

d have been a bad winter for a great many down here if the fire

at and the next shops, or it must all have gone. I have heard them say that part was added on five or six years ago

ke till nearly morning. As Mrs. Andrews heard no movement in their rooms-whereas they were usually up and about almost as early on Sundays as on other days, being unable to sleep after their usual h

as no answer. "Mother, are

George. Why, i

ishment and rushed into Bill's room

nd he dashed off again to his room to dress. It was but a few

you wake u

sleep on, George. I guessed that your

d; and Bill gave a similar account of himself. "Still, mother, a short n

or once, George. What

s are almost shut up, and the skin is peeling off my nose, and my hair is all rough and scrubby;

, George; but come alon

d breakfast for us

and butter, for I thought you might not be down for some time; but I am quit

ave your regular breakfast. It would have been horrid to sit down on Sunday m

there was a knock at the door. It was

round and see. You look pretty badly burned; and so do you,

y, Mrs.

oon to Laburnum Villas. Mrs. Andrews would, indeed, have wished them to come in more frequently, for she felt much indebted

orched; but you did not manage to get yourself burned as these silly b

ads can have told you what they did, for if th

ws looked

the fire-I think those were George's wor

ck or stone of Penrose's standing now; the shops and the wood piles would all have gone, an

imstone? How was it they d

ng-shop and turned on the hose there, and fought the fire from spreading through the door till we got in seven or eight minutes later. It was all we could do to stop it then; but if they hadn't done what they did the planing-shop would have been alight from end to end, and the floors above it too, before the fir

es were filled with happy tears at the praises

we saw a light as we came along and when we went round behind and got on the wall we saw the place was on fire, so we r

aited for the engines if we hadn't heard the boys sing out that they were there; and even though we knelt down and crawled in, as they shouted to us to do, we were pretty nearly stifled. When we took the hose they crawled forward and got the shavings cleared away; that was how they burned their hands, I expect; and I hear the

usual, Bob?" George asked, i

f the shops that are burned out must come down, of course. The surveyor says that if the wall at the end of the planing-room looks pretty strong they will build up another wall against it as soon as it gets cold enough and the rubbish is cleared away for men to work; that will make a strong job of it, and there won't be any loss of time. Of course if the old one has to come down there can't be much work done in the shops till it's finish

rimstone. I don't know much about it

"pretty nigh raw. If I might give an opinion, I should say as the doct

but I don't see any use in a doctor. I don

apt to be serious matters, for the muscles of the fingers may get stiffened. I have known two or three cases like that. You had better go at once to

boys," Mrs. Andrews said; "ther

be off anyway, for the missis

to pay,

e. I dare say you will have to hav

irm always pays the doctor in case of accidents, and you may

hat you need not come to him again. If Mr. Penrose hears about it and chooses to pay I should not think o

he door. "I know the doctor; he attended me two years ago whe

, Bob, I wis

he surgery, where the

ws, the mother of this lad, wished me to say that she would pay the charges when you have done with them; but as if it hadn't been for

ctor said, examining the boys' hand

d, "but I shouldn't like to try, for if I m

d oil and cotton-w

es

put about twenty drops of that into the oil before she mixes it with the linseed. Every four or five hours change the poultices. I think you will find that will relieve the pain a go

t to get to work,

use your hands in another fortnight. I will

ted to, and that we hope to come back as soon as our hands are all right; because, you see, the men and boys at the shops which

re is no fear of your being out o

?" was Mrs. Andrews' first que

d we are to have poultices made with linseed mixed with oil, and twenty drops of laudanum from this bo

s. Andrews said brightly. "Did

e were to keep as

George, I think you

us to sit here, and then we shall be all together. And if you talk to us, and perhaps read to us, we shan't feel it half

eed, George, of course. I ha

mother, and the sh

ed even on Sunday. People are ill on Sunday as well as any other day, you know. I shan

ext morning, as Mrs. Andrews was sitting at her work, with the boys both on the hearthrug in front of the fire, there was a knock at the door. I

that be

see," Mrs. Andr

ing there, whom, by the description the boys had given of him, she g

Andrews?" the

ews," the lady

rrange about some matters with the foreman. He did not know the facts of the case on Saturday night, but had learned them yesterday, and there can be no doubt whatever, from what he says, that had it not been for the presence of mind and bravery of these tw

and Mrs. Andrews showed t

s' manner, although the foreman, in telling him of the

and they got Grimstone to take a house for them, and it turned out that ever since they had been at work here they had been putting by half their wages to furnish a place for her, so they must have lived on about five shillings a week each and got clothes for t

rior sort of woman; but he perceived at once by her address that Grimstone's estimate had been a correct one, and that she was indeed a lady.

e would have been entirely burned. It was fully insured, but it would have been a serious matter for me, as I should have lost four or five months' work, and it would have

that we happened to be passing, and were able to give the alarm and do something to stop the flames till the othe

e home, and it was only when one of the men came in next day t

turning round to her, "I feel rather in a false position. I came round to see the lads, who, when I last saw them, were not in very flourishing circumstances, and I was going to make them a present for the service they had done

boys-for although one is in no way related to me I feel towards him as if he were

ge and Bill exclai

the articles on the table,-"we are very comfortable; but I am sure the boys will be very glad to accept the things w

lly, you may as well leave the basket as it is.

the child could well have carried. It had come on the top of the carriage to the ra

known your young frie

ng her head. "He looks dreadfully burned,

right when the skin is peeled off. Thank you very much, Miss Penrose, for all the nice t

nded. "Now, Mrs. Andrews, we will say good-by. You will no

d to see you," Mrs. Andrews replied; "but I hope in a

ng the boys on the shoulder, "but I hope next time I se