CHAPTER XI
TO THE RESCUE
It was a wild ride, never to be forgotten. Tom had all the lightsturned up fully, so that he might see everything that was ahead. Fromtwenty miles per hour the speed climbed up to twenty-five, thenthirty, then thirty-five, and finally forty. Over the newly-mendedbridge they dashed at breakneck speed.
"Be on your guard, Tom," warned Sam.
"We've got to get there," was the grim response. "The girls may be indanger."
"Right you are! Let her go for all she is worth!"
They had been making many turns and going up-hill and down, but nowcame a straight stretch of several miles, and here Tom put on all theextra power the touring car could command. From forty miles an hour,they reached forty-five, and then fifty, and, at one point, thespeedometer registered fifty-four.
"My gracious, Tom, don't kill us!" yelled Bob, to make himself heardabove the roar of the motor, for Tom had the muffler cutout wide open.
The youth at the wheel did not answer. He was giving all his attentionto the running of the car, and this was needed. Along the roadway theysped like an arrow from a bow, past trees and fences, with here andthere a farmhouse or a barn. Once Tom saw a white spot in the roadahead, and threw off the power. But it was only a flying newspaper,and on he went as speedily as before.
"It's at Hope, all right!" yelled Stanley, when they slowed down at aturn of the road.
"Yes, but I don't think it is any of the main buildings," returnedanother student.
"I hope not," came from Sam.
There was one more small rise to climb, and then they came into fullview of what was ahead. Through the trees they saw that one of thelarge barns, in which the fire had evidently started, was almosttotally consumed. The slight wind that was blowing had carried thesparks to one of the wings of the main building, and this was now inflames at several points.
"Here comes the fire engine!" cried Bob, as the touring car sweptthrough the seminary grounds; and he pointed down the opposite road.Along this a small engine from a nearby town was approaching, hauledby a score of men and boys. Far down another road could be heard thetooting of another engine, probably from some other town.
"We might give some of those fellows help," suggested Songbird."What's the matter with running the car down to where they are, andhitching fast?"
"You can do it, Songbird, if you wish," returned Tom, hurriedly. "I'lljoin you just as soon as I find out if the girls are safe."
"And I'll go with Tom," put in Sam.
"Oh, they must be safe; the fire isn't in that part of the building,"broke in Stanley. "But go ahead, you fellows, we'll take care of themachine." For he well understood how anxious the Rovers must beregarding the Laning girls.
Leaping from the touring car, Sam and Tom joined the crowd in thevicinity of the fire, composed mostly of girl students and theirteachers. About a score of men and boys living in the vicinity hadcome up, and these, with the hired help from the institution, weredoing all in their power, to subdue the flames.
"Did all of the girls get out?" asked Tom, of the first teacher hemet.
"I don't know--I think so," was the answer.
The boys pushed their way along from one group of students to another,trying to catch sight of those whom they were seeking. In themeantime, Songbird and the others from Brill had taken charge of thetouring car, and run it down a side road, where they hooked fast toone of the arriving fire engines, much to the relief of those who hadbeen dragging the machine over the somewhat rough highway, and werealmost exhausted.
"Oh, Sam!" The cry came from Grace, and the next instant the girlrushed up and fairly threw herself into the arms of the youngestRover.
"Where is Nellie?" he demanded, quickly. "Is she safe?"
"Here I am!" was the call, and then Nellie came up and caught Tom bythe shoulder. "Oh, isn't this dreadful!"
"It sure is, Nellie," returned Tom, as he slipped his arm around herwaist. "But I am mighty glad that you are safe. Do you think everybodyis out?"
"We don't know, but they ought to be out, for we had plenty ofwarning. The fire started in the barn, you know."
"What caused it?"
"They think one of the men must have been smoking and dropped a lightin the hay. Anyway, the fire started there."
"The other fellows took the auto to help the fire engine," broke inSam. "Here they come now," he added, as the machine came up withhonking horn, and dragging one of the fire engines behind it.
"I wish we could do something to put out this blaze," came from Tom."Sam, we must get busy."
"Right you are!"
"Oh, do be careful, both of you!" pleaded Nellie.
"Yes, don't get burnt," added Grace.
"We'll look out, don't you fear," answered Sam, and then he and Tomturned to join those at the fire engines and the hose carts.
The seminary was provided with several water towers, and from thesesome lines of hose had already been run to the fire. Now someadditional lines of hose were laid from the fire engines, which beganto take water from two cisterns. Soon the added streams showed theireffect on the flames.
"Girls! girls! have any of you see Miss Harrow?" The cry came from oneof the teachers, as she made her way through the crowd.
"Why, isn't she out?" asked a number.
"I don't know, I can't find her anywhere," replied the instructor.
"Was she in the building?"
"I think so. She said at supper time that she had a toothache, and wasgoing to retire early." And thus speaking, the teacher hurried on.
"Is that the Miss Harrow who lost that four-hundred-dollar diamondring?" asked Tom.
"Yes," replied Nellie.
"Was her room in that addition?" questioned Sam, quickly, pointing toan end of the building which was on fire in several places.
"Yes, she has the corner window, right over there," responded Grace,pointing to a spot close to where the building was in flames.
The words had scarcely left the lips of the girl, when, to the horrorof those standing below, a third story window was suddenly thrown up,and the head of a woman appeared.
"Help! Help! Save me!" The cry came wildly from the woman, who wasplainly terror-stricken.
"It's Miss Harrow!" cried a score of voices.
"Look! Look! The fire is on both sides of her!"
"Don't jump! Don't jump!" yelled Tom, at the top of his lungs, and hesaw the teacher prepare to cast herself to the ground.
"Can't you come down by the stairs?" called out Sam, as loudly as hecould.
"I'm afraid to open the door! The hall is full of smoke and fire!"screamed the teacher. "Save me! Save me!"
"Haven't they got a ladder handy?" asked Tom.
"Sure, we've got a ladder--half a dozen of 'em," responded one of themen who worked around the place.
"Where is it? Show it to us, quick!" put in Sam.
"All right, this way," returned the man, and started off with Sam athis heels.
"Don't jump! don't jump! We'll help you!" cried a dozen voices to theteacher.
"We are going to get a ladder!" yelled Tom. "Stay where you are!"
And then he followed the others. The ladders were kept in a wagonshed, and it took but a few moments to bring them out. They were fourin number, and of various sizes.
"I'm afraid none of 'em is long enough to reach that winder," said theman who had led the way.
"You are right," replied Tom. "But what's the matter with lashing acouple of them together? Here's a rope." And he pointed to a washlinethat hung on a nearby hook.
In frantic haste a dozen persons carried the ladders to the burningbuilding. Tom followed with the rope, which he unwound on the way.Then the washline was cut, and with it two of the longest ladders werelashed together as quickly as possible. Then the combination ladderwas raised against the building and set close to the window, to thesill of which Miss Harrow clung.
"I'll go up if you want me to," cried Tom, as he saw the men whobelonged around the pl
ace hold back. "You steady the ladder so itdoesn't slip."
"Want me to help, Tom?" asked Sam.
"No, you see that they steady the ladder." And thus speaking, Tombegan to mount the rungs.
A cheer went up, but to this the youth paid no attention. In a fewseconds he was at the third story window. He had to pass throughconsiderable smoke, but as yet the flames had not reached thatvicinity.
"Come, give me your hand, and step out on the ladder," cried Tom tothe teacher.
"I--I can't!" gasped Miss Harrow. And now the youth saw that she wasalmost paralyzed from fright. She clung desperately to the windowsill, evidently unable to move. Clinging to the ladder with his lefthand, Tom placed his right foot on the window sill, and then hereached down and caught the teacher under the arm.
"Come, you don't want to stay here," he ordered, almost sternly, andpulled the teacher to her feet.
"Oh, oh, we'll fall! I can't do it!" were her gasped-out words.
"You've got to do it--unless you want to be burned up. Now then, ifyou don't want to climb down the ladder, let me carry you."
"I--I--oh--I can't move!" And with these words, the teacher sankdown across the window sill.
A sudden change in the wind drove a cloud of smoke into Tom's face,and for the moment he and the teacher were hidden from the view ofthose below.
"Oh, look! Tom will be burned up!" screamed Nellie.
"No, he won't," returned Sam, reassuringly. "He knows what he isdoing." Nevertheless, Sam was as anxious as anyone over his brother'ssafety.
When the smoke shifted, it was seen that Tom had hauled the teacherfrom the window sill and had her over his shoulder. She hung downlimply, showing that she had lost consciousness. Rung by rung, theyouth came down the ladder slowly with his burden.
"He's got her! He's got her!" was the glad cry, and a few secondslater Tom reached the ground, where he was immediately surrounded bythe others.
"Oh, Tom, how did you do it?" cried Nellie, hysterically.
"Oh, it was not much to do--anybody could have done it," replied theyouth. "Say, what am I to do with her?" he added, indicating theburden on his shoulder.
"This way, please," said the teacher who had taken charge of matters,and she led the way out on the campus and to a bench on which some ofthe girls had piled their fancy pillows. Here Miss Harrow was made ascomfortable as possible.
By this time a third fire engine had arrived, and more streams weredirected on the flames. The ladder was used by some of those at thenozzle of one of the hose lines, and by this means the fire in thewing of the main building was quickly extinguished. Nothing could bedone towards saving what was left of the barn, so the firemen directedall their efforts towards keeping the conflagration from spreading.
"Well, it's about out," said Sam, a little later. "Some mess, though,believe me!"
"Oh, I am so thankful it was not worse!" murmured Grace. "Suppose ithad burned down the main building!"
"Tom, you're a hero!" cried Spud, coming up.
"Nothing of the sort," retorted Tom. "Anybody could have done what Idid, and you know it."
"All the same, you're the one who did it," answered Spud, admiringly.
"He certainly did," said one of the men in the crowd. "That teacherought to be mighty thankful for what he did for her."
"I don't want her thanks," added Tom, in a low voice. "All I want herto do, is to treat Nellie fairly."