just
where the instruments are. And see, I'll wear these gauntlets," he added,
pulling a pair over his hands.

Somewhat reluctantly Mr. Orr took the blankets and threw them over Jack's
head, and on the run Jack plunged into the wall of smoke.

With one gloved hand outstretched he found the telegraph-room door, and
the knob. He pressed against it, and with a crash and then a roar the
door collapsed before him. But without a moment's hesitation he darted on
within, groped his way to the table, found the relay, and with a
desperate wrench tore it from its place. The next moment he dashed
blindly into his father's arms at the outer door, and threw the smoking
blankets and sizzling, burning relay to the sidewalk.

"Water on it quick," gasped Jack, pointing to the instrument. Catching it
up in a corner of one of the blankets Mr. Orr ran with it to a
horse-trough in front, and plunged it into the water.

As he returned Jack was drawing on a second pair of gauntlets.

"Jack, you're not going back!" said his father sharply.

"I want the key, Dad."

"Look there." Glancing within Jack saw that the whole rear of the store
was now enveloped in flames.

"And it would be of no use in any case. Look at this," said Mr. Orr,
holding up the smoking relay.

The instrument did indeed look a hopeless wreck as Jack took it. The base
was cracked and charred, the rubber jacket about the magnet-coils was
frizzled and warped, the fine wire connections beneath were gone, and the
armature spring was missing.

But Jack was not one to give up while a single hope remained. "I could
improvise a key," he said, and with decision hastily sought the hardware
merchant.

"Mr. Wells, did you save any screw-drivers?" he asked.

"In a box down there. Help yourself."

Running thither Jack found the tool, and immediately began taking the
relay apart.

An exclamation of disappointment greeted the discovery that the fine
copper wire within one of the coil-jackets had been melted into a solid
mass. On ripping open the sizzled jacket of the other, however, Jack
found the silk covering the wire to be only scorched, and determined to
do the best he could with the one magnet.

Removing the relay entirely from the burned base, he secured a thin piece
of board from one of the boxes near him, from the miscellaneous tools in
another box found a gimlet, and made the necessary perforations. And soon
he had the brass coil-frame mounted.

Meantime Mr. Orr,