Page 101 - An Amateur Fireman

It was a matter which he could not settle satisfactorily in his own mind, for whatever course he might have
pursued seemed to be wrong.

"I'll see what Mr. Davis thinks about it," he said to himself, and then added to Dan, "It was mighty good of
you, old man, to give Sam one clip for me; but I can't make out whether I ought'er stood still or put up my
hands."

"Don't bother your head about it," Master Roberts replied carelessly. "That chump detective won't fool 'round
us any more, an' we're well rid of him. Of course he'll do a pile of blowin' an' tellin' how he'll get square with
us; but his talk ain't anythin' more'n wind."

This assurance did not content Seth. Now his only desire was to go home; but Dan had no idea of curtailing
his enjoyment because of the encounter, therefore the amateur felt in duty bound to do as he wished.

That night Jip's friends were informed of what 'Lish Davis had said, and while the majority regretted the
necessity which kept Master Collins a prisoner, all agreed that perhaps it might not be well for him to escape
the consequences of his act too easily.

When Seth returned from headquarters on the following evening, with the report that Mr. Fernald had
continued his instruction in gymnastics, he learned that Dan had, thanks to the lawyer employed by
Ninety-four's men, been allowed to hold a long and private conversation with the prisoner.

Jip was still very penitent, and declared he deserved all the punishment which the law might inflict upon him;
but at the same time it could readily be seen, according to Master Roberts's statement, that he was wonderfully
relieved by the hope 'Lish Davis held out.

"From what the lawyer told me," Dan said when detailing to his partner all that had occurred during the
interview, "it'll be quite a spell before Jip comes up for trial an' so long as he stays in jail I can't see but he's
gettin' the best of it. Three square meals every day, an' at night a bed better'n he's had since he could
remember."

"But he's locked in, an' that's what makes it hard to stand up under," Seth suggested, whereupon Dan cried
with no little warmth:

"I'd be willin' to let 'em lock me up nights for the sake of havin' it as easy as it is for Jip. Nothin' to do, an'
livin' off the fat of the land."

"I reckon after one day you'd be willin' to take less, an' have a chance to go where you pleased," Seth replied
so emphatically that Master Roberts did not consider it wise to continue the argument.

During the three days which followed the amateur fireman worked so hard to win the approval of his teacher
that Mr. Fernald finally told him he was trying to do too much, and cut down his tasks nearly one half, an act
which won for him the unqualified approval of Ninety-four's crew.

It was on the morning of the fifth day after Jip Collins's arrest, and just as Josh Fernald was bringing Seth's
lesson to a conclusion, that one of the employes entered the gymnasium with a letter, and cried in a loud
voice:

"Does anybody here know a fellow by the name of Seth Bartlett?"

"That's me," the amateur replied after a moment's thought: "but I don't reckon I've got a letter, 'cause there's
nobody who'd write to me."