r had already gone down two of the cabin steps into the cloud of
thick smoke. He stopped, remembered all he had ever heard of fires,
pulled his soaked handkerchief out of his breast pocket and tied it over
his mouth. As he pulled it out he said:--

"It's all right, hardly any fire at all."

And this, though he thought it was a lie, was rather good of Peter. It
was meant to keep Bobbie from rushing after him into danger. Of course
it didn't.

The cabin glowed red. A paraffin lamp was burning calmly in an orange
mist.

"Hi," said Peter, lifting the handkerchief from his mouth for a moment.
"Hi, Baby--where are you?" He choked.

"Oh, let ME go," cried Bobbie, close behind him. Peter pushed her back
more roughly than before, and went on.

Now what would have happened if the baby hadn't cried I don't know--but
just at that moment it DID cry. Peter felt his way through the dark
smoke, found something small and soft and warm and alive, picked it up
and backed out, nearly tumbling over Bobbie who was close behind. A dog
snapped at his leg--tried to bark, choked.

"I've got the kid," said Peter, tearing off the handkerchief and
staggering on to the deck.

Bobbie caught at the place where the bark came from, and her hands met
on the fat back of a smooth-haired dog. It turned and fastened its teeth
on her hand, but very gently, as much as to say:--

"I'm bound to bark and bite if strangers come into my master's cabin,
but I know you mean well, so I won't REALLY bite."

Bobbie dropped the dog.

"All right, old man. Good dog," said she. "Here--give me the baby,
Peter; you're so wet you'll give it cold."

Peter was only too glad to hand over the strange little bundle that
squirmed and whimpered in his arms.

"Now," said Bobbie, quickly, "you run straight to the 'Rose and Crown'
and tell them. Phil and I will stay here with the precious. Hush, then,
a dear, a duck, a darling! Go NOW, Peter! Run!"

"I can't run in these things," said Peter, firmly; "they're as heavy as
lead. I'll walk."

"Then I'LL run," said Bobbie. "Get on the bank, Phil, and I'll hand you
the dear."

The baby was carefully handed. Phyllis sat down on the bank and tried to
hush the baby. Peter wrung the water from his sleeves and knickerbocker
legs as well as he could, and it was Bobbie who ran like the wind across
the bridge and up the long white quiet twilight road towards the 'Rose
and Crown.'

There is a nice old-fashioned room at the 'Rose