"Those must be sparrers that are making that noise in the chimney. Jes' touch a match to the wood in the boys' fireplace."
I heard papa strike a light and then the wood began to crackle. Then, by jinks! it began to get hot and smoky and I screamed:
"Help! Murder! Put out that fire lest you want to burn me up!"
Then I heard papa stamping on the wood and mamma calling out:
"Where's Billy? Where is my chile?"
Next Tommy woke up and began to cry and everything was terrible, specially the pains all over me. Then papa called out very stern:
"William, if you are in that chimney come down at once!" and I answered, cryin', that I would if I could, but I was stuck and couldn't.
Then I heard papa gettin' dressed, and pretty soon he and John from the stable went up on the roof and let down ropes what I put around me and they hauled me up.
It was jes' daylight and I was all black and sooty and scratched and my arm was broken.