“You can’t go back, Jim! Stay here!” he ordered.
“There are a woman and two children in there; let me go!” cried Jim, pulling away from the chief.
“Shorty and Charlie can take care of them. You stay here!” commanded the chief. His practiced eye told him that no man, however brave, could go in through that blazing doorway and come out again alive.
The chief anxiously scanned the upper windows for signs of the two men who were inside, heroically fighting their way with the woman and children to the upper floors for safety.
Suddenly a whole third-story window was wrenched out with a crash of broken glass.
“There they are! There they are!” shouted the crowd.
Charlie was leaning out of the window, and beside him a woman was waving her arms wildly and shrieking, “Help! Help! Help!”
“Make a rescue!” ordered the chief.
“Rescue!” repeated the firemen.
Already the laddermen had their long three-story ladder standing erect in the air; and almost before its top swung against the window-sill a ladderman was nimbly running up, hand over hand, and a second man was following him.