The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-01-12

gogy." Nevertheless she went home a little late that noon and, the streets be- ing clear of pupils, she stopped at the engine house and had word with the captain, who went back to his desk smiling and saying something about "a smart woman"
 The drill call was to be sounded at o'clock; at 2:S5 three firemen strolled up the street with coil of hose and began working over the hydrant. They were very quiet about it and nobody noticed them. At o'clock the fire signal struck in every room of the Dale School. The older children, having heard it before, almost laughed, but came to order promptly. except in tive rooms with new teachers, who mistook the call for the principals private signal and made nice little speeches to their classes about the beauty of honorable conduct during the absence of their teacher before they discover ed their blunder. These two classes were late at stations. As for the three primary classes the call apparently de- priyed every pupil of common sense. Tim and his 10 excepted. They were scattered about in the three rooms, and while the other children stared and stared, and paid no attention to or ders, they sat stiff and steady in their chairs and waited the final signal. When it came the other children either walked along very slowly or rushed wildly, and there was confusion in the dressing rooms, but Tim and the 10 returIfed to their desks still poker like in stiffness, and each one sternly conscious that now was his chance to show himself a hero. The filing into the corridor was a wild spectacle, and the files resembled saw-teeth when formed, but the ten and their captain kept their toes to- the lines and winked at one another across the corridor. The other children, still puzzled, might have behaved well enough, had not one of the new teachers on the second floor, remarked in French to the other, Tt is the fire drill"
 Now it is not safe to speak any lan- guage, from Hebrew to Magyar, in an American public school, unless one wishes what one says, to be under stood. Marie Bien, from Quebec, standing statue-lilSe in the line, turned pale, as her teacher spoke, and shriek- ing Fire, fire" fled down the stairs out of the open doors, and down the steps, behind her fled the primary classes, all but Tim, the 10 and Il other boys, each one of whom stood in the group of an amateur flremen, or lay on the floor with the fireman Sitting on him. This was Tim's remedy for a panic. Every feller holda fool" was his way of putting it, and every "fel- ler'' had caught his fool" The sub- masters class, old stagers in fire drill, | had watched the stampede with dis gust, but now they laughed so cheer fully at Tim and his captives that the disturbance caused upstairs by Marie s behavior came to an end, and the re- maining classes filed down very we'll and marched two blocks according to orders before pausings gently cheered by the firemen as they passed the hy- drant. Then came the submaster's class and last of all, Tim and the 10, each, marching his fool" and encour- aging him by bidding him listen to the other fools" Small need of listening! The poor, terrified little things were huddled together at the street corner where they would have been in the path of the engine in case of a real fire, and were screaming and crying with a bird-like shrillness terrifying to hear, and bringing everybody from theneigh- boring houses. The sight of the order l Iy files made no impression on them. They could think of nothing but fire, poor babies! Tim looked longingly at them. C.
 Say" he called to one of the fire men, Gimme leave?" %%
 What for,'' asked the fireman.
 Let me start 'em,''@ The fireman looked about him, each teacher was with her class, and the new principal full of pedagogy, but looking helpless, was coming down the steps.
 "Let her go," said the fireman.
 You come behind them and sprinkle any that don't start" ordered Tim, and signaled Man the engine" to the 10 who immediately fell in behind him, in fancy clinging to various parts of the engine, while Tim gave an amazing imitation of a bugle. Round whirled every frightened little facey and as the company, mixing the part of horses and men, came towards them praning and plunging, they forgot to scream and watched fascinated. Ding, ding ding, ding" went the boys who were supposed to be bells. "To-to tooth! went the bugle, Tim by name. "one two, three; one, two, three," drummed the stout little boots on the payment.
 The driver guiding, his imaginary team down one side of the stret, made a beautiful turn, and came up the other side: It paused in front of the |schoolhouse and went through what the company conceived to be the move ments of firemen at fire, and still the lprimary pupils watched and were quiet. The girls were wiping theil eyes and feeling for their hair ribbons
 the boys shuff1ing uneasily. Tim hat expected them to follow him, and ht was rather disappointed, but the teach
 CTS, who up to that time had been able to control only those whom they could touch now found it possible tt make themselves heard and something like flies began to form. Tim nro.