As the great blackness bore down on her to crush her to the floor, it was rent by a stream of water. Firemen were bringing their hose to play on this part of the building and a saving stream of water came in through the open door and sprayed Mimi’s face.
There! There! A door—— Right by it all the time and couldn’t find it. “I—can—get—out!”
Wet pajamas clinging to her exhausted little body, the knuckles of her right hand bleeding, smoked and smeared almost past recognition, Mimi staggered from the crumbling building.
Somewhat revived by the hose bath—she had followed the hose stream to get out—the rush of outside air, fresh and free from smoke, cleared Mimi’s mind.
The girls on the roof! How could she have forgotten them! She had turned to re-enter the toppling building when she was grabbed from behind.
“Take it easy, kiddie.”
The fireman’s voice was kind and soothing but Mimi pulled and jerked. Feeling her resist and believing she was out of her head from fright, he lifted her in his arms. Mimi kicked her legs and screamed. All eyes centered on the struggle. Mrs. Cole rushed over and hugged Mimi, fireman and all! She was crying.
“I’m going back, I tell you!” Mimi screamed, shoving Mrs. Cole away. “Mrs. Cole! Betsy! Madge! Jill!—the girls on the roof!”
With difficulty she sputtered out the story of the roof garden party.
“They’re safe, every one of them—they jumped——” Mrs. Cole wasn’t a bit ashamed of the tears that were streaming down her pasty white face. “You—you Mickey—M—Mimi—You are the only one we could not find!”