and on the day he left the lodgings
threatened with many a needless word to "make it hot" for the would-be
fireman.

Then Master Bartlett had taken Dan Roberts as a tenant, and the two had
been living as peacefully and comfortably as could be expected, save at
such times as they heard of new and more startling threats from Jip, up
to this moment when the lodger took it upon himself to criticise his
landlord's admiration of a fireman's calling.

Seth Bartlett was not a general favorite among the merchants in the
boot-blacking and newspaper business, owing to the general belief that
he "put on airs" because of his acquaintance with 'Lish Davis, driver
of Ninety-four engine, which was stationed near Mr. Baxter's shed.

When trade was dull, instead of joining his brother merchants in
pitching pennies or such other games as they might chance to indulge in,
Seth spent his time about the engine-house, on the alert for an
opportunity to be of benefit to some of the men, hoping thereby to so
far earn their favor that he might be looked upon as a welcome visitor.

During no less than two months had he thus apparently loitered around,
bent on one object, and pursuing that steadily, without having been so
fortunate as to attract particular attention. Then on a certain day,
Elisha Davis, the driver, called upon the small workman for a shine.

Seth's freckled face was radiant with delight as he entered the
engine-house for the first time, and his big brown eyes wandered from
the glittering machine, above the pole of which hung the shining
harness, to the apparently complicated apparatus of brass and walnut
over the house-watchman's desk.

'Lish, as his comrades spoke of him, was not in the mood to wait until
the boy's curiosity had been satisfied, for at any instant an alarm
might summon him to duty, and he impatiently called upon Seth to set
about his work, or "clear out."

Never before had the bootblack spent so much time over a single pair of
boots; he polished them with his brushes until they shone like mirrors,
then hardened the gloss with a piece of flannel, and when it seemed as
if his work had been done to perfection, blackened the brilliant surface
again with the hope of improving what had apparently been a great
success.

"You're not any too quick about the job; but there ain't a lad around
here that could have done it better," 'Lish said approvingly, and would
have given the boy a nickel, but that the latter drew