At midnight that night a terrific explosion shook the little town of Eagle's Wing. Roger had not finished pulling on his clothes when the fire bells began to ring. He caught his father rushing out of the front door. Ernie and his father joined them and they followed other hurrying groups toward the factory.
It was all ablaze, as well as several of the workmen's houses, which with the main factory building had been demolished by the explosion. Everybody asked questions at once and a hundred pairs of hands tried to help unreel the hose and bring it to bear on the main blaze.
"Turn on the water!" shouted a fireman.
"No! No!" roared a voice, and a man in his undershirt rushed up and tried to tear the hose away from those that directed it. It was Oscar.
"No! Let her burn! Let her burn! We'll show that infernal hound of a Moore if he can take our chances away from us!"
"Oh, then 'twas you!" cried Moore, and he leaped for Oscar.
A dozen men sprang to pull them apart, but Roger was there first. He hung onto his father in desperate silence, while others pulled Oscar away. Mr. Wolf and Ernest followed the Moores as Roger led the way to a seat on a heap of débris.
"There, old friend, there!" said Wolf. "Don't take it so hard! I know! I know! If it was my store it would break the heart of me. But we cannot break. We cannot."
Roger kept his hand on his father's shoulder. Moore rested his head on his hand and said nothing.
"It's all right, Daddy! You walloped him a good one," said Roger.