The record-union., 1897-08-12
A DOG THAT GOES TO FIRES.
He Broke Through a Bakers Win
dow to Run After His Engine.

"St. Nicholas has been publishing a
series of articles about the Fire De-
partment of New York, written by
Charles T. Hill, the artist In the Au-
gust number Mr.. Hill tells about +" Pc
ter Spots-Ffreman," a dog that be-
| long TO one Of the engine companies.
The dog once fell into disgrace by
playfully swapping at the heads Of the
! horses when they were running to q
fire and causing them to balk So he
was given to a baker who lived far
from the engine house Mr.. Hill gives
the following account, in the language
of one of the firemen, of the manner
| in which Peter Spots came back to
the company:
I'VE had almost forgotten about Pc
ter, and got used to not having him
around, when one day a third alarm
came in that took us out; and in getting
to the station / had to drive through
| the street the bakers place was OIL.
I never thought of it myself, but, on
my word, Peter hadn't forgotten us;
and when We made our appearance
he showed up pretty quick. The baker
told me all about it afterward, and this
was the way it happened: Peter was
| lying asleep beside the stove in the
center of the bakeshop, when all of
| a sudden he pricked up one ear, and
| then jumped on his feet and gave q
/ park The baker was making out some
bills behind the, counter, and thought
nothing of it, until the next moment
Peter gave one jump, and was in the
show window among the pies and cakes
ho1 fn
him to get out; but Peter began to
claw at the window and bark and howl.
You see he could hear our whistle and
| bell, and had recognized US. Then
| the baker made up his mind that the
| dog had gone mad, and got frightened
and got up on a chair and began TO
holler himself; and what with the ba-
ker and Peter, there was d high old
| time in the bake shop for a while.
| Every time Peter gave a kick he knock
ed a pie or a plate full Of cakes out of
| the window until he had it clear of
| everything. Then we hove in sight;
and through the side of the show win
| dow he saw us and recognized me in
! the seat, and that settled it-no bake
shop would hold him then. He jumped
back into the store, braced himself
plumb in front of the pane of glass in
the door, and when we were just about
| opposite he gave one last howl, and
crash! out he came through the glass
and all.
Il heard the racket, and turned my
head just in time to see him come fly
| ing out. / understood it all in a mo-
ment, and expected to see him roll over
dead in the gutter; but not much! He
came through so quick he scarcely got
a scratch: and away he went, down
the street ahead of us, barking at every
one, and clearing the way just as he
| used to do, and running around in a
circle and jumping high in the air and
| cutting up gymnastics-and happy?--
well, just guess he was happy! Even
| the Captain heard him in all the rack
| ct behind the engine, and let up on the
| whistle long enough to holler ahead
| to me to look out and not run over him;
| but there was small fear of that, for
he beat us by half block all the way
TO the fire.
when we got there we stretched in
and stood fast as we call 1t, which
means we stretched in the hose, and
| SOl I6dQy 10 go 10 HOIh MIiSn 81 VI
dered; but they didn't need us, for the
fire was pretty we'll out then, and the
third alarm had only been sent out as
a sort of precaution; in few moments
| the chief ordered us back to quarters.
when we We're picking up or put
| ting the hose back into the wagon, Pc
| ter was around among us like old times,
and every one of the gang had kind
word for him. He was cut a bit about
the back with glass. So the Captain
says: Throw him in the wagon, boys,
and We'll take him back to- the house,
and mend him up. I'll put him on pro-
| baton; and If Re acts right he can
stay with us as long as he wants to-
and then he adds: But yoH fellows
will have to chip in and pay for that
pane of glass And we all laughed; for
we We're willing to pay for a whole
show window to get Peter back again"