The bee., 1916-02-18
A Member Of Fire
Engine Company
No. 8
By ESTHER VANDEVEER

/ ~
Mr.. Singlcton's city residence. and 4
so happened that the place was an oh
ject Of curiosity TO- his little daughter
Bess. The moment she heard the sharI
ring Of the gong announcing fire sh,
would run to the engine house to Sc,
the horses hurried to their places be
side the tongue of the machines, prance
impatiently till they were hooked, ther
dash out Of the house, followed by the
ragtag and bobtail of the town-and
Bess.
She was six years old when this ad.
miration for fire apparatus, horses and
men first developed itself, and very
soon she was noticed by the flremen
sitting at the doors OF the engine house
In armchairs waiting for an alarm.
One day one Of them offered to show
her the premises. She accepted the in.
vitation and inspected everything with
eyes as big as saucers. When she de-
parted she was told to make herself
at home there.
And she did. She went in and out at
her own sweet WIN, climbed up on the
hook and ladder truck, the hose carts
and occasionally would ask TO be put
on the back Of one Of the horses. One
day when she was ten years old a roll
Of parchment was left at her home on
which was written, This is to certify
that Elizabeth Singleton has been duly
elected a member OF fre engine com.
pany No. g." The words were sur.
rounded by pictures Of engines dashing
to fires. burning buildings and fremsn
carrying women and children down
ladders from the upper story. u,..
This was the proudest day OF Bess
life. .
{ She was on the ladder truck one day
when an alarm came, No one noticed
her till the men jumped on to the
footboard putting on their Jackets;
then one Of them saw her hanging for
dear life to the rung Of a ladder. II
was too late to put her down. At any
rate, no one made a move to do so, and
she was carried to the fire. There was
little to do In Quenching the. flames,
and since the ladders were not needed
she was permitted to remain perched
high, an object Of interest to a gaping
crowd. On the return she was put
down at her home and lectured by her
mother.
But from playing in an engine house
she had got taste for going to a fire,
and from that time forward all efforts
to keep her away from the former
failed. One day when the department
paraphernalia was about to respond
to an alarm one Of the men beside the
truck turned and nearly fell over her.
She put up her arms. and before be
realised what be WAS doing h hd
SwUng hsr UP on t. de AddAA
BeAa grew up the pet q the,aro COM
pany md WaS conHi0orOd . part Of Il
. part e WflDh the men were YGv
pRaA When Sha jRas siStssa SR tha
1angsr Eambors were N bVo with
IA ~ thO ader onas eonaidueG her
SamStAnG 70 adaCA ThaT Fa1s5u fund
asaoGg thAA - pnO0urS . muChlal past
Of her hat was RUt ~ n As e1SiS
hOnaA ..
~ ana AGrs. SiaSiatOu an not qults
know what b think Oe an thAs- Whnthae
- - pred Of u oS aahAnea Sf 4
eSssis's associates SnViSd hor. haW1nG
her bust set up n tha anSfI0 AOusa
and the friendship. Of the nrsmoa, but
they had no desire to cling to the
round Of q ladder On the way TO a fr0
However, her parents could not Sepa-
rate her from the nrS company and
gave up their efforts to de so. But
about this time she came OF an age to
see that going to fres was not becOm-
ing to young woman and OF her own
accord ceased all visits to the engine
house except on state occasions.
When Bess was sixteen her father
was elected sheriff of the county. One
day a murder was committed that ex-
cited the indignation Of the populace
to such an extent that, assuming a man
who had been arrested for the mur-
der was guilty, they proposed to lynch
him. Marching to the jail, they de-
manded the accused. There was no
adequate defense, and the sheriff took
the man out through back door into
an alley and thence to his own home.
Unfortunately the two were seen by
one of the mob, and before long they
appeared and demanded the prisoner.
When Bess saw the crowd before
her fathers door and the trouble he
was in an idea occurred to her Slip
ping away, she ran to the engine house
and, with flushed cheeks and out of
breath, told the firemen Of the situa.
tion.
"What can we do, boysP asked the
chief.
"Play on themw said Bess.
Good" cried dozen voices, and in
a Jiffy horses were placed before the |
engine, 1t was hauled to the sherlff's |
house, and suddenly the mob, who
were bowling for the prisoner, found
before a stream that
knocked them down as fast as it was
turned from those who had fallen TO |
those still on their feet. Within Eve |
minutes the street was cleared.
The proudest men In the town were
The firemen, who had found an oppor-
-unity to do a service for their idol |
And as for the Singletons, no objec-
H.. ~.