een left ajar, permitting him to obtain a
glimpse of that goal he so ardently longed to reach, and he patrolled
the ruins of the building as if upon his shoulders rested all the
responsibility of making certain the fire had been wholly extinguished.

Not until fully an hour after midnight was the welcome word given for
Ninety-four to pull out, and Seth awakened his partner lest he should be
in the way of the tired men.

"Get a move on you!" he shouted in Dan's ear as he shook him roughly.
"There's nothin' more to be done here, an' we don't want to act like as
if we was hangin' 'round, when the machine goes into her quarters."

"Why don't you kind er loaf here till they have hitched up, an' perhaps
we'll get another chance to stay in the engine-house?" Dan asked
sleepily.

"Because I'd be ashamed to do anythin' like that. Get up so's we can be
off before they pull out."

Jerry Walters had overheard this brief conversation, although neither of
the boys was aware of the fact, and he asked as the two were making
their way out through and over the debris into the darkness:

"Where are you kids going?"

"I reckon it's time we was home," Seth replied, giving his partner a
warning shake lest he should say that which would seem to indicate that
they were sadly in need of a bed.

"What do you call home now the carpenter-shop has gone up in smoke?"

"We haven't hired any house yet; but we've got our eye on one up in
Fifth Avenoo, an' if the price ain't more'n we've got in our pockets, I
reckon we'll take it."

"Where are you counting on sleeping to-night?"

"Most anywhere; it don't go hard with Dan an' me to find a place," Seth
replied with an assumption of carelessness, and again shaking his
partner to remind him that there must be no approach to begging.

"Look here, Amateur, I don't reckon you know where you're going to
sleep!"

"We'll turn in somewhere; that part of it will be all right. So long!"

"Hold on here, you kid!" and Jerry Walters spoke in a tone which sounded
unusually stern. "Have you been with Ninety-four's crew at this 'ere
fire, or not?"

"I reckon we have," Seth replied, with a laugh.

"Then we'll take care you have a roof over your heads for the balance of
this night. Wait till 'Lish Davis shows up, and see what he has to say
about letting the kid who pulled him out of a big hole go off to bunk in
the streets. Come back, I say, till the driver gets here."

"We ain't begging for a bed, Mr.