"Oh, Neale!" gasped Ruth. "And they mean so much to him."
"Pshaw!" observed one of the other boys. "They're not really worth anything, are they?"
"Whether they are or not, they are valuable to Seneca," Ruth repeated.
"Well, goodness!" was the ejaculation of a third boy. "I wouldn't risk going into that shack if they were worth a million. See! the whole end of it is ablaze!"
CHAPTER XX
NEALE'S ENDLESS CHAIN
Skaters from both up and down the river augmented the crowd of spectators gathered along the shore to watch the fire. The fire-bells were clanging uptown, but as yet the first machine had not appeared. The firemen would have to attack the blaze from the street end of the dock, anyway.
"Father's got goods stored in the shed," said Clarence Bimberg, "and they'll try to save them. I guess Seneca's old shack will have to go."
"And all those books you told us about, Neale," Agnes cried.
"Wish I could get 'em out for him!" declared the generous boy.