"Turn on the stream!" shouted several of the lads. Vincent tried to do
so, but before he could work it the shack was blazing again, almost as
fiercely as before. He had been too confident that the fire was out.
By the time he got his stream to spurting again, Bert had the other
fire completely out, so that only a little steam came from the pile of
blackened embers.
"We win!" cried Cole Bishop.
"Yes, I guess you do," assented Mr. Bergman, who was the umpire. "I'll
have to award you the decision. Now, Bert, fill your tank again, and
get ready for the real contest, which will take place in about an
hour."
"I'm glad you won, Bert," said Vincent, generously, coming over, and
shaking hands with the young chief.
"Thanks. You see I thought the blaze was smouldering under the wood,
and I was ready for it."
"I'll be, next time. I hope you win the trumpet."
"Well, so do I, for the sake of Lakeville. But these other departments
have had more practice than we have."
All the members of the Lakeville fire corps turned in to help get
Bert's engine ready for the main contest of the day. The tank was
refilled with soda water, and a new bottle of sulphuric acid put in
the holder, for a supply of the chemicals had been brought along for
that purpose.
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