Page 89 - An Amateur Fireman

"It must have been that Denny Macey give him away," Bill Dean replied, "for I saw Jip this mornin' early, an'
he 'greed to keep out er sight."

"Do you s'pose he stayed on the street after that?"

"Denny knew where he slept last night, and must have told Sam, jest as some of the fellers say he threatened
to do."

"Well," Seth said after a brief reflection, "if you can't help him, what's the use of standin' here?"

"We was waitin' for you. I thought, an' so did Dan, that perhaps the driver of Ninety-four might cook up some
kind of a plan we could work through. Anyhow, it don't seem as though it would do much harm for you to talk
with him."

"Of course it won't; but if it wasn't that Jip's likely to be sent to jail for a good many years I wouldn't bother
him, 'cause it don't seem the square shake for me to keep runnin' there whenever things turn wrong."

"It would be pretty tough to let Jip be sent up for four or five years jest 'cause you didn't want to bother
Ninety-four's crew."

"I know that, Bill, an' I'm goin' to talk to Mr. Davis now. I was only sayin' I wouldn't do it if things wasn't the
way they are. I'll go ahead, an' you fellers meet me up to the room after I get through, 'cause it won't do for all
hands to loaf 'round in front of the engine-house."

To this proposition those who were ready to sacrifice their own pleasure and interests in order to aid the
penitent firebug made no demur, and Seth set out at full speed, leaving the others to follow at a more leisurely
pace.

"Hello, Amateur! It seems to me you've knocked off work kind-er late to-night?" 'Lish Davis cried as the boy
entered the engine-house.

"Mr. Fernald, the man who runs the gymnasium, told me I was to go away every night at six o'clock----"

"So Josh has taken you in hand as he promised, eh?"

"He's given me a chance up in the gymnasium, where I can't help seein' a good deal of the drillin' even when
I'm workin', an' it seems as though it was a mighty soft snap."

"Josh ain't a man who'll make it very soft for any boy. You've got to toe the mark pretty straight with him,
Amateur; but if it so be you strike him just right things will move along in great shape. Why didn't you leave
headquarters as he told you?"

"I did, sir; but Teddy Bowser was waitin' outside to tell me that Sam Barney has had Jip Collins 'rested for
settin' fire to the lumber-yard."

"So, so! He has, eh? I thought you shipped that bloomin' detective over to Philadelphia?"

"That's what we did, Mr. Davis; but he managed to get back, an' tumbled to the trick we played on him, so the
very first thing he does is to get Jip pulled."

"Well, whether it be boys or men who go wrong, sooner or later they've got to pay the penalty in some
fashion, and perhaps it's just as well this Collins chap should square matters now as at any other time."