"It looks almost as good as new!" exclaimed Cole. "And them pumps is fine. They're almost as good as my force pump."
"Oh, let up on that force pump, can't you!" asked Tom Donnell. "You'd think it was the only pump in town!"
"It's the only one of that kind," declared Cole, a little hurt that his "patent" should thus be spoken of.
"All ready, now, boys?" asked Bert.
"All ready," was the general response.
They started off. Above the rumble of the wheels of the engine rose their voices in song, and, as they entered the main street of the village, people began to come out to see what the unusual excitement was about, for the purchase of the engine was not generally known, few persons believing the boys were serious in organizing a department. "It's a circus!" exclaimed a little girl.
"Naw, it's one of them Indian medicine shows," declared Moses Sagger, who stood on the steps of his butcher shop.
"Why, it's a fire engine!" exclaimed several men. "However in the world did the boys get it? They must have borrowed it to have some fun with!"
"More likely took it without permission," said Mr. Sagger. "Somebody ought to tell Constable Stickler."
Down the street marched the proud boys, singing at the tops of their voices, the lamps showing off the engine to good advantage.