hey knew there would be no need of his back
as a means for elevating one of them to the sill of the upper window. In
fact, Rob had made a sudden discovery that must have been the main
reason for his speedy actions.

"The tree is close to the house, Merritt!" he was saying as he sprang
forward.

"Better still, Rob, one limb grows right alongside the window!" the
other scout added, keeping in touch with the patrol leader.

They were quickly on the spot, Rob starting up the trunk of the tree at
once.

"Don't follow me," he told his chum, as he climbed upward. "If I find
the child I may want to drop it down to you. Get busy underneath,
Merritt!"

"All right, Rob; I understand!" came the answer.

Tubby had also heard what was said. He came puffing forward, as though
he did not mean to be left out entirely of the rescue.

"Let me help you, Merritt," he was saying, between his pants from his
recent exertions.

"Sure I will, if there's any chance, Tubby."

"Can Rob reach that window from the limb?" the fat scout asked
anxiously, as he tried to look straight upward, a task that was always a
trying one with Tubby because of the odd shape of his chubby neck.

"He's about there now, you notice. There's something of a little ledge
underneath and he's going to make it all right."

"There! He's clinging outside and starting to throw a leg over," Tubby
exclaimed in evident rapture. "And if there is a child inside that room,
our chum will find it. If it was me now, I'd be so blind with the smoke
I'd have to just grope my way around, and p'raps get lost in the
shuffle."

"But what's that you've got in your hand, Tubby?" pursued Merritt,
becoming aware for the first time that the other was holding on to some
white object.

"This? Why, what but that fine sheet you used to lower me with," he was
told.

"I remember that Rob dropped it down after you landed," said Merritt,
"but I never thought you'd want to take it along with you, Tubby."

"Oh! shucks! don't you see, I picked it up when I started over after
you," the stout boy tried to explain.

"But why should you do that?" persisted Merritt, who was looking eagerly
aloft just then, and possibly not fully paying heed to what he was
saying.

"Why, you know how firemen stand and hold a blanket for people to jump
into?" explained Tubby; "I thought that if it came to the worst, Rob
might drop the baby into this sheet, which both of us could hold
stretched out!"

"Well,