atter to effectually help those who will not try to help
themselves.

As Eddie entered the wood, he thought he smelt smoke, and presently a
sudden turn in the road brought into view the dwelling of the Smiths all
wrapped in flames.

Putting spurs to his horse, at the sight, Eddie flew along the road
shouting at the top of his lungs, "Fire! fire! fire!" Jim, his attendant,
following his example.

But there was no one within hearing, save the Smiths themselves.

The head of the family, half stupefied with rum, stood leaning against the
fence, his hands in the pockets of his ragged coat, a pipe in his mouth,
gazing in a dazed sort of way upon the work of destruction; while the wife
and children ran hither and thither, screaming and wringing their hands
with never a thought of an attempt to extinguish the flames or save any of
their few poor possessions.

"Sam Smith," shouted Eddie, reining in his horse close to the individual
addressed, "why don't you drop that old pipe, take your hands out of your
pockets, and go to work to put out the fire!"

"Eh!" cried Sam, turning slowly round so as to face his interlocutor,
"why--I--I--I couldn't do nothin'; it's bound to go--that house is; don't
you see how the wind's a blowin'? Well, 'tain't much 'count nohow, and I
wouldn't care, on'y she says she's left the baby in there; so she does."

"The baby?" and almost before the words had left his lips, Eddie had
cleared the rough rail fence at a bound, and was rushing toward the
burning house.

How the flames crackled and roared, seeming like demons greedily devouring
all that came in their way.

"That horse blanket, Jim! bring it here quick, quick!" he shouted back to
his servant. Then to the half-crazed woman, "Where is your baby? where did
you leave it?"

"In there, in there on the bed, oh, oh, it's burnin' all up! I forgot it,
an' I couldn't get back."

Eddie made one step backward, and ran his eye rapidly over the burning
pile, calmly taking in the situation, considering whether the chances of
success were sufficient to warrant the awful risk.

It was the work of an instant to do that, snatch the blanket from Jim,
wrap it around his person, and plunge in among the flames, smoke, and
falling firebrands, regardless of the boy's frightened protest, "Oh, Mr.
Eddie don't; you'll be killed! you'll burn all up!"

He had looked into the cabin but a day or two before, and remembered in
which corner stood the rude bed of the f