Page 17 - An Amateur Fireman

owing to the fact that he hurried from one part of the yard to the other without making an effort to ascertain if
any one was secreted in the many convenient hiding-places near at hand.

After ten minutes or more had been spent by the two boys, Seth performing his work faithfully and Dan
shirking, the partners retired, and it was as if they had but just stretched themselves at full length on the bed of
shavings when both were asleep.

If Dan had been acting the part of sentinel just inside the shed door an hour after the two retired, he would
have seen in the gloom three dark forms emerge from behind a pile of boards which he had failed to look over
carefully, and advance cautiously toward the shed door, halting when they were twenty feet or more away.

Had he been there he would have recognized one of these as Jip Collins, and most probably suspected that the
other two were the boys from Brooklyn spoken of by the amateur detective.

He would also have heard the conversation which followed; but he did not because he was asleep, and the lad
who was willing to commit a crime in order to compass his revenge found no impediment in the way.

"They're snorin' by this time, that's certain," Jip said to his comrades, "an' even if they wasn't we might talk
here for an hour without their hearin', 'cause Seth's room is in the farther end of the shed, and there's a whole
pile of lumber between him an' the door. He don't believe in going out much after he's got inside the yard, for
fear the carpenter will see him, so we can make up our minds that there's nothin' to stop us."

"Where do you count on starting the fire?"

"Right close by the shed door, of course. I know where to get a lot of shavings."

"But it won't do to set it so near, because the fellers might be burned to death, an' that would be a pretty piece
of business, Jip Collins."

"Gettin' scared, eh?"

"You don't want to talk to me 'bout gettin' scared, a feller who'd let another only half his size back him down
same's you did last night."

[Illustration: JIP COLLINS AND THE BOYS FROM BROOKLYN. Page 34.]

"If you ain't scared, what are you makin' a row 'bout now? We 'greed to put a fire here so's to singe Seth an'
Dan a little."

"Yes, I agreed to that much; but I don't count on killing 'em."

"Neither do I."

"But how can you help it if you build the fire right close to the door, when there's no other way for 'em to get
out?"

"Don't you s'pose they've got sense enough to wake up before the thing gets too far along?"

"I've heard of folks bein' smothered to death while they was asleep, an' I ain't in this game if that's the way
you're goin' to work it."

"Then back out if you're scared, an' I'll do it."