not for a moment thinking Jack could do anything with
the charred instrument, had joined the crowd of men and women watching
the burning building from across the street.

"Father! Here, please!" called Jack.

In some wonder Mr. Orr responded, and with him the hardware merchant.

"Have you a rubber band in your pocket?" asked Jack. "I want it for the
armature spring."

"Why you are really not doing anything with it, Jack!" exclaimed his
father.

"Yes, sir. I think I can make it go," responded Jack with a little touch
of elation. "And with only one magnet. But have you the rubber?"

"Here," said Mr. Wells, snapping a rubber band from his pocketbook. "This
do?"

"Just the thing. Thanks." And while the two men looked on, Jack secured
one end of the elastic to the little hook on the armature, and knotted
the other about the tension thumb-screw.

That done, Jack caught up a hammer and smashed the useless coil to
pieces, from the wreck, secured several intact ends of the fine wire, and
with them quickly restored the burnt connections between the magnet and
the binding-posts. And with a cry, half of jubilation and half of nervous
excitement, he caught up the now roughly-restored instrument and ran
toward an iron gas street-lamp. In the roadway a short distance from the
lamp-post lay the burned-off end of the telegraph wire. Placing the
instrument on the sidewalk, Jack ran for the wire, and dragged it also to
the post.

Then, as the crowd, following his father and the hardware merchant,
gathered about him, they saw him secure a piece of wire about the iron
lamp-post, then to the instrument; and, dropping to a sitting position,
place the instrument on his knees, catch up the telegraph line, and hold
it to the other side of the relay.

Jack's low cry of disappointment was echoed by his father. "No use. I was
afraid of it, my boy," said Mr. Orr resignedly.

There was a disturbance on the outskirts of the crowd, and the mayor
appeared pushing his way through. "Didn't you get that message off,
Jack?" he cried excitedly.

"The fire was too quick for us," said Mr. Orr. "Jack risked his life
getting out one of the instruments. But it has proved useless."

"Oh say! Now I know what's the matter!" With the cry Jack sprang to his
feet, broke through the circle about him, and sped back toward the store.
The flames were now bursting from the front, but with head down he ran to
the iron door covering the street entrance to the