"Well, for goodness sake!" exclaimed Janice, "doesn't he suppose we know it, with all this crowd—and noise —and everything?"
Gummy tumbled out of the covered wagon. He came down on all fours, he was in such a hurry; but he was up again in a moment.
"Hi, Janice! I can put it out, if I can get out on to that ell roof through that little window up there." he cried.
"That's the hired' girl's room," gasped Janice.
"What's he going to do? Take pails of water out there and throw them down the chimney?"
"Give the boy a chance," said daddy. "Maybe he can do something." And to Janice's amazement, her father was smiling.
Gummy ran around to the back of the wagon. He dropped the tailboard, backed around, and got a bag on his shoulders. With this he staggered toward the house.
"Oh, Gummy!" screamed Janice, "what have you got in that sack?"
"Salt," replied the boy, panting up the steps. "Half a shushal of balt. I was takin' it out to Jones's.
"Salt?" gasped Janice, in her excitement not noticing at all that Gummy had again "gummed up his speech," to quote his own expression. "Why, what good is salt? That chimney is blazing."