"I don't see any other way of working it than the way we have been doing," replied Cole, "All the boys run when they hear the bell."
"Yes, I know, but the trouble is some of them have to run too far."
"How else can we do it?" asked Vincent.
"I've been thinking of a plan," replied the young captain.
"What is it?"
"Well, we might divide the company into three divisions. One division, say of about ten boys, could sleep in Cole's barn for two nights, or maybe three. Then, if an alarm came in they would be right there to rush the engine out. The other boys would stay in their homes, and, as soon as they heard the bell, they'd run to the fire. In that way they'd get to the blaze about the same time the engine would, and there'd be no delay."
"That is a good scheme," declared Cole. "We've got some old cot beds we could put here in the barn to sleep on."
"Oh, the hay's good enough in the summer time," replied Bert. "Of course, we couldn't stay here in the winter, unless we fixed up a place with a stove. Besides, in winter we have to go to school, and we haven't so much time to attend to fires."
"That's so, our department is liable to go all to pieces when school opens," admitted Cole. "That's too bad! And I was just thinking of a plan to attach my force pump to the engine, so as to give us three lines of hose."
"Say, haven't you got anything else to talk about except that force pump?" asked Vincent. "You must have it on the brain."