t not be far wrong. It gave him a fresh wrench about
the region of his heart to believe this. It would mean another source of
trouble for poor Fred, and might in the end eliminate him from the game
on Saturday.

All Chester was aroused by this time. When that brazen bell kept
clanging away in such a loud fashion people knew that something out of
the usual run was taking place. They flocked forth, all hurrying in the
same general direction, until the streets were fairly blocked with the
crowds.

Now came the engine, driven by an expert member of the fire company, the
pair of horses galloping wildly under the whip, and the spur of such
general excitement. Loud cheers greeted the advent of the volunteer
department. The men looked very brave and heroic with their red
firehats, and rubber coats. They would undoubtedly do good work once
they got on the ground; but that wind was playing havoc with things, and
perhaps after all it might not be possible to save the imperiled
building.

All doubts were removed, for on rounding a bend the three boys
discovered that it was actually the modest Badger house that was afire.
Flames could be seen pouring out of the windows, and a great smoke
arose, telling that the whole interior must be heating up, and liable to
break into a vast blaze at any minute.

"Whee! it looks bad for Fred's folks, now!" cried Toby, his first
thought being of the suffering of those involved.

"It's going to make a dandy fire, all right!" Steve was heard to say to
himself; and it was not because he was a heartless boy that this was his
first thought, for Steve could be as tender as the next one; only he did
dearly love a fire, and on that account was apt to forget how a blaze
almost always meant loss for somebody, possibly deadly peril as well.

There was quite a mob of people already on the spot. Some who lived much
closer than the three chums had been able to reach the scene of the fire
in considerably less time.

Jack was trying to remember what things looked like in the near vicinity
of the Badger home. He had been there only once or twice in all, but
that habit of observation clung to him, and he was thus able to
recollect how he had noticed that some sort of a woodshed stood close to
the back of the house. If this held considerable fuel for the kitchen
stove, and a fire managed to start in some way, it was just situated
right to sweep through the house, being on the windward end.

"Where's Fred an