roared full cry through the long brick building,
consuming everything in his path. Section after section of roof sagged,
then fell with a crash and a roar into the flames, sending aloft a shower
of crackling sparks.

"Thank heavens, this was a holiday. There's no one in the building,"
Bruce heard Chief Blaney cry as he hurried past in company with the
foreman of a visiting company.

But the rubber-coated fire fighter had hardly uttered the words when a
shout went up from the crowd at the east end of the building, where the
firm's office was located. Men with blanched faces and trembling hands
were pointing towards the big iron barred window that marked the counting
room.

"O-o-h! It's old Uriah Watkins!" shrieked Blaney.

Bruce looked and turned sick at the sight. There, his wrinkled old face
pressing against the bars, was the aged bookkeeper of the woolen mills.
One hand was extended between the iron grating in frantic appeal. The
other clutched the precious ledgers that the old man had rashly rushed
into the building to rescue. His ashen face was set with a horrible
expression, and his eyes stood out with terror. Bruce saw his lips move,
but could not hear his feeble voice above the roar of the flames.

For a moment the scout stood panic stricken. Then suddenly his lips
pressed together and his face took on a determined look. In a flash he
turned to Bud and gave a few brief orders. Then, elbowing their way
through the jam and press about them, the youngsters disappeared and left
Bruce there alone.

In the meantime a score of vamps had been summoned by Chief Blaney to
rescue the aged bookkeeper. They attacked the heavy bars on the window
with sledges and axes, but with no success. They tried to pry away the
bricks with crowbars, but this, too, failed, and it was quite apparent to
all that if Uriah Watkins was to be saved it could be accomplished only
by the slow and laborious task of sawing through the bars. Could this be
done? Had they the time to accomplish the task? Already a nearby
section of the roof had caved in! How long would it be before the flames
reached the office and burned the old man alive?

At this point the figure of a boy in Scout uniform broke through the fire
lines and rushed up to the side of Chief Blaney. Standing at attention,
Bruce saluted in regulation Boy Scout fashion and asked briefly:

"Chief, can the Boy Scout Engineers take a hand in this? I'll have the
bars cu