"You must explain the game to me. You see, I never thought much about firemen before, although I am deeply interested in them now," pretty Geraldine said, naively, to her delighted companion.
He thanked her with a kindling glance of pleasure, and answered:
"It will give me pleasure to explain it all to you, Miss Harding. It is very simple indeed, depending on the skill and dexterity of the men. In the first place, the rules of the game require fifteen men. They must run two hundred yards to the hydrant, with a hose cart, and from that point lay one hundred yards of hose, make a coupling, and screw on the pipe. But these technical terms are Greek to you, of course, so I will try to make it clear to you as they proceed."
He did so, and Geraldine, who was beginning to love all firemen, for the sake of the splendid one by her side, watched the contest with breathless interest.
But now arose a difficulty.
The Newburgh company had only fourteen good runners, and they must have a fifteenth one.
But the rules of the race required that no company should make use of the services of a member of another company.
It was finally decided that as the race was not for a prize, but simply for practice and amusement, the rule might be waived for one in favor of a visiting fireman.
Then a murmur arose among the firemen that suddenly swelled to a clamorous shout:
"Hawthorne! Hawthorne!"