Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1907-02-02
The Hero Of the Brigade
By FRANCISCO. n
~ "a

BY FRANCISCO.
1zlEI EEEEEaSS RNsg
Mike was the pet of the fire bril-
gade men. He was only ten, quite a
little boy in fact, but he liked to be
considered man, His father had
belonged to the fire brigade, and he
died from wounds inflicted while en-
deaVoring to save the inmates of a
burning house. His mother had died
from the shock, and had left behind
her little baby boy, Mike, when he
was only few days old
Another fireman's wife had taken
the tiny fellow to nurse with her
own children, and he had been called
Michael, after his father. AS he
grew up he loved to go to drill with
the brigade men, and to watch them
cleaning the brass of the big fire en-
gines and escapes. He would run,
fetch and carry for the reward of
hearing some story about people res
cued from burning houses, and so on.
If any boy were liable to be spoilt,
that boy would have been Mike, but
it seemed impossible to spoil. He
was always obedient to his foster
parents and teachers, and unselfish
toward the children when he played
with them.
Mikes ambition was to go on the
fire engines with the men when they
were called to action. He had often
pleaded to be allowed to go, but in
vain.
One night as he lay dreaming,
strange light seemed to fill the room
through the window from outside.
Then the cries and shouts of men and
women from the street below filled
his ears. Something was on fire!
For a moment his brain grew dizzy,
and he felt afraid, for he knew that
the fire must be near. Then he
jumped up and looked out of the
window.
The fire station was built with two
great wings from the main building,
and between them was a large court
yard. In this courtyard Mike could
see throng of people looking up to-
ward the house, their faces lit by
some light which came from above
whence he could not tell. With trem-
bling hands he pushed up the win
dow and looked up. The flames came
from the roof of the very building he
was in. The fire was quite close to
him!
When the people saw Mike at the
window they gave a great shout.
The little fellow looked down on
the great seething mass of faces and
then above and around at the huge
flames leaping and jumping higher
and higher. They seemed to be clos
ing in all around him. He wondered
how it was he had been left there
alone, when a child's cry Of fear
made him turn around to see little
Willie, child of three, come through
his bedroom door. AS the door was
opened a volume of dense smoke
poured in, and beyond Mike could
see the angry red flames that curled
up and up. For moment the smoke
blinded him, then he rushed forward
the little sobbing boy in his arms.
Use so heightened" Willie whim-
pered.
Hush! hush!" said Mike sooth-
ingly to the little fellow, who was
motherless like himself and a great
favorite. Mike will take care of
you"
This he said with great courage,
but feeling as il he were telling a
story, for he was perplexed and be-
wildered and saw no way of escape.
lie took Willie to the window and
called and shouted to the people be-
low. They called and shouted in re-
turn, and in the din and roar of
voices Mike could scarcely hear what
they said. 1t seemed as If they were
bidding him have courage, that the
fire escapes were all in use on the
other wing of the building, and that
help was coming.
He tried to be brave for Willie's
sake, who was quite happy now he
was no longer alone. He clapped his
hands with glee as he saw the flames
leaping up and laughed in childish
mirth as he watched the people be-
low.
What are they all doing, Mike?"
he asked:
And Mike, who saw the smoke
slowly creeping in under the bed
room door and heard the Kissing
and cracking of the burning wood,
laughed, too, watching all the time
for the promised help to COME.
Then he saw the firemen take a
large blanket and hold it under the
window where he stood, and which
was three stories high. He knew
what that meant well enough; he
had not lived in a fire station all
his life for nothing. 1t meant that
he was to leap from the window in
to the blanket, which would be low
cred as he reached it.
For himself he was not afraid,
but for Willie. He was such a little
chap, and could never be persuaded
to jump He could not throw him
into the blanket, for he was but
small himself, and he knew instinc-
lively that his strength would not
be equal to the task of aiming
straight
With a cry. almost OF agony, and
a tightening of his arms around
Willie's baby form, he hurled himself
into the space below.
Cheer after cheer arose from the
anxious spectators, but Mike needed
them not, for he was quite stunned
by the fall. When he came to it
was to find himself and Willie in a
warm room and a cosy fire, while
his foster mother was bending over
him and trying to get him to drink
some cordial
Brave boy!" she whispered; and