Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-02-22
THE FIRE PUMP.

At last water was running in Tartan,
and the dream of the inhabitants Of that
town was realized.
1t had taken ten years to raise tho funds,
three years to find the spring, Tour years
to discuss the details of the scheme, two
years to choose the contractor and six
months to lay the pipes
The gigantic undertaking had been com
pletcd in 20 years. For such work 90
years was not too much.
Well, as has been said, water was at
last running in Tarlan and the inhabit-
ants-men, women and children-turned
the faucets continually to admire the
abundance and freshness of the water,
Fire can come now as soon as it wants
to-" said some of the citizens. I'VE are
quite ready for it"
Fire was what tho Tarlancse most
dreaded, and it gave them the greatest joy
to think that now they were safe from
this awful foe. Some of them were ready
to start fire just for the sake of seeing
the pump work.
They needn't have been so anxious, for
fire broke out of its own accord at mid
night. 1t gained ground SO quickly that
the people in the house where it appeared
had barely time to escape
Suddenly the alarm bells started the
midnight air. AS they rubbed their eyes
the Tarlaneso said, Now the fire is here
at last" as if they thought they had
caught their enemy in trap
Some turned out hastily to watch the
triumph of the pump; others got up lazily,
saying: Its no business of ours now
The pump will settle that all right.
Nobody thought of it's being necessary
to find the pump and the 1lremen.
The first arrivals satisfied themselves by
taking upa good position from which they
could watch the defeat of the fire, whose
progress they regarded indiiferontly, with
their hands in their pockets, They talked
loudly and boastingly, as people will who
have nothing to do, but they didn't stir
finger as they said:
The fircmcn aren't here yet" The
pump must be brought here" The
mayors house isn't far away. If they
don't hurry up, the fire will be getting
hold of that" They say tho mayor has
the keys" well, let him bring them. "
"But perhaps he's away at his country
seat" IF he's in Paris, we shall have
to wait till lie gets here" He couldn't
know that fire would break out tonight.
him. 1t ought to be where it can be got
at. The flames are mounting" Whats
that matter? Do you think they are going
to turn out the pump for a little fire which
would hardly boil porridge? When it
broke out, "a couple of bucketfuls would
have qucnchcd it. What good would
pumps be now?"
The gendarmes, who were stamping
= frips tr,
ganize chains of men.
"Certanly not" responded the Tarla-
nese wrathfully. do you think we shall
make arrests for you nextS Every man to
his trade"
One house was burned down and two
more were in flames when the famous
pump finally appeared on the scene.
"Ah, sighed the Tarlanese, now tho
fire will have something to drink"
The pump was got into position, and
the men began to work it, when, to their
disgust, they found that there was no wa
ter to be had. The water had beer shut
off by order of the authorities.
The poor firemen did what they could
and what the spectators had already done
the whole time-nothing-an the CON
fagration gained ground. Seven houses
were burned down from ceiling to cellar
and, worst Of all, woman was burned to
death. The fire had broken out in the next
house, and the woman was going to escape
when her husband ridiculed her, saying
that the pump would soon settle the fire
For his part he snapped his fingers at it.
But when the fire broke through the
partition the man said: "Confound It'll
Something must be wrong with tho
pump!" And he escaped by the window,
calling on his wife to follow him. She
was so terrified that she could not follow
his example. The smoke suffocated her,
and she fell victim to the flames.
The famous pump got into action by the
time there was nothing more to burn, but
it put out the hot cinders so quickly that
the Tarlanese were enchanted with it,
Just watch, they said, how it sends
the water outl l shouldn't like to go I'M
der there, even If had an umbrella"
And the good folks were quite satisfied.
The fire would not have consumed more
than few chairs and table had the Tar
lanese not counted on the pump.-From
the French For Romance.