to other buildings by the strong east wind.

Among those who remained was John Rexford. He was pale and haggard, and
shivered, while the cold wind seemed to penetrate his very bones, yet he
clung to the spot as if he would pluck the mystery--the cause of the
fire--from the burning mass before him. Finally he approached Mr.
Coombs, the sheriff, and said:

"Who was the first to discover this fire?"

"I was," replied the sheriff proudly, with a feeling that he must be
looked upon as something of a hero.

"Did you see it from your house?"

"No; I saw it just as I turned the corner, coming toward the stable."

"Coming which way?" asked the merchant, trying to learn something that
might give him a clew to work upon.

"Coming from the Falls, of course, where I had been attending court."

"What time was that?"

"Nigh on to eleven o'clock."

"And you saw no one here?"

"No."

"Nor any one on the street?"

"Not a soul stirring, except Jim, the stable boy."

"Where was he?"

"Sound asleep."

"He couldn't have been stirring very much then," said the merchant, with
a show of disgust.

"Well, I mean he was the only one about, and I had to wake him up."

"And you raised the alarm?"

"I should think I did."

"Then you didn't come directly here?"

"Yes, I did, but I yelled fire pretty lively all the same, and started
the stable boy up the street to wake everybody up."

"Where was the fire burning then?"

"On the back end of the store. A blaze was just starting up through the
roof."

"It was on the back end, you say?"

"Yes; and just as I got here the back windows burst out, and the way the
flames rolled up was a caution."

"Was there no fire in the front store then?"

"No, there didn't seem to be when I first got here, but after I went
round to the rear end to see how it was there, and came back, the flames
had come through, and everything was ablaze. I tell you what, I never
saw anything burn like it."

"It must have started in the back store, then," said Mr. Rexford
thoughtfully.

"No doubt of it," returned officer Coombs.

"This is important evidence," said the merchant, after a pause.

The sheriff brightened up at this, and his eyes snapped with delight.
Here was a case for official service.

"To be sure it is, sir," he replied.

"There is some mystery about this."

"'Pears to me so."

"We had no stove in the back store."

"I know it--that's so, Mr. Rexford. It looks bad."

"And I