Laddie looked for a while at the
exciting scene and then he called to Freddie:
"I'm going back and get my aunt. She likes to look at fires."
"All right; I'll wait for you here," Freddie said. They had been standing
not far away from the side entrance to the hotel, and as Laddie turned to
go back after his aunt, Freddie walked down the street a little way,
nearer the fire.
"I can see Laddie and his aunt when they come," thought the small boy.
But just then a bigger crowd, anxious to watch the fire, came around the
corner, and, rushing down the narrow side street, fairly pushed Freddie
ahead of them.
"Here! Wait a minute! I don't want to go so fast!" cried the little
fellow. "I want to wait for Laddie!"
No one paid any attention to him, and he was swept along, half carried off
his feet by the rush, until at last he found himself standing alone,
almost in front of the burning store.
"Oh, I can see fine here!" thought Freddie. "I wish Laddie and his aunt
would hurry and come here. Wow! This is great!"
Freddie was so excited watching the puffing engines, seeing the big black
clouds of smoke, and the leaping, darting tongues of lire from the windows
of the burning building, also watching the firemen squirt big streams of
Water on the blaze, that he did not think of himself, and the first he
realized was when some one shouted at him:
"Stand back there, youngster!"
Freddie did not know he was the "youngster" meant, and stood where he was.
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