roved too much for her, and she had collapsed on the floor.

But Dick, naturally stronger, and with robust lungs, was still fighting
bravely, though he was conscious that he was growing feebler and that
air was harder to get.

Then there came to his ears two sounds of the sweetest description. The
first noise was that of running feet. The second was Dave Darrin's voice
shouting:

"Fellows, there's some fearful work going on here. And here's the fire!
Move like lightning! Bring water from the kitchen--in anything."

There was a sound of many running feet. Then Dick called, huskily:

"Dave, are you there?"

"Dick, where are you?"

"In this closet--locked in!"

"But there doesn't seem to be any key," quivered Darrin.

"No; Dexter took that away with him."

"Did he set this----"

"Yes; but listen! Mrs. Dexter is locked up in the closet opposite."

Dave crossed the room in a flash. Finding the key in the lock of the
other closet door, Dave Darrin turned it and found Mrs. Dexter lying on
the floor.

"Fellows!" bawled Dave hoarsely. "Never mind the water. Come here--on
the jump!"

Half a dozen boys ran back into the room, just in time to see Dave
struggling to drag Mrs. Dexter out to the front porch.

"One of you help me," directed Darrin. "The others batter down that
closet door over there. Dick Prescott is locked up there, and there is
no key."

"Here's a hatchet," cried another boy, running in from the kitchen.
"Clear the way and let me at the door."

The boy was Greg Holmes. He brought the hatchet down with telling force
at each blow, smashing all the paneling around the lock. In a very few
moments Greg had the door open, and he and Dave helped catch Dick as the
latter fell forward, dizzy and all but unconscious.

"Rush him out on to the front porch!" ordered Dave. "Then we'll come
back and fight the fire!"

"Has--has anyone turned in an alarm?" inquired Dick, as he reached the
porch and took in a life-saving breath of the pure, cool air.

"No," admitted Dave. "We forgot that. But I'll run and do it now."

"What's the matter? Fire?" called a man from the next yard.

"Yes," Dave yelled back. "Run and turn in an alarm, won't you?"

"I surely will," came the answer.

This left Dave free to remain and do what he could.

"I'm all right now," declared Dick, getting up out of the chair into
which he had been dropped, though he was not yet any too strong. "Dave,
you and the other fellows fight the f