If Tom had taken a dislike to the newcomer, Danes could not be sure of it from the young chief engineer's manner at table. Harry Hazelton, too, was almost gracious during the meal.

"They're a pair of half-smart, half-simple b.o.o.bs," decided Danes, as he smoked a cigar alone after dinner.

"Tom, I think your great intellect has gone astray for once," remarked Hazelton, in the privacy of their room upstairs.

"I never knew that I had any great intellect," Reade laughed. "However, I was born to be suspicious once in a while. I suppose you were referring to Frank Danes."

"Yes; and he appears to be a mighty decent fellow."

"I'm sure I hope he is," yawned Tom. "I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. I'm going to bed, Harry. What do you say?"

Hazelton was agreeable. Within twenty minutes both young engineers were sound asleep.

It was after midnight when cries of "fire!" from the street aroused them.

Tom Reade threw open the door to be greeted by a cloud of stifling smoke.

"Hustle, Harry!" he gasped, making a rush to get into his clothing. "We can get out, I think, but we haven't any time to spare. This old trap is ablaze. It won't last many minutes!"

Trained in the alarms and the hurries of camp life, the young engineers all but sprang into their clothes.

"Come on, Harry!" urged Tom, throwing open the door. "We can make it."

They started, when, from the floor above, a woman's frantic appeals for help reached them. Children's cries were added to hers.

"Get to the street, Harry!" shouted Tom. "I'm going upstairs. There'd be no satisfaction for me in reaching the street if I abandoned that woman and her babies to their fate. One of us can do the job as well as two!"

CHAPTER XVI. DANES SHIVERS ON A HOT NIGHT

Almost immediately after the cries of "fire" the bell at the fire station pealed out.

Paloma's volunteer fire department turned out quickly, running to the scene with a hand engine, two hose reels and a ladder truck.

By this time, however, the whole of Paloma appeared to be lighted up with the brisk blaze. Tongues of flame shot skyward from the burning hotel, while small blazing embers dropped freely into the street.

"Is everyone out? Everyone safe? Anyone missing?" panted Carter, the young proprietor of the Cactus House.

The disturbed guests ranged themselves about Carter, who looked them over swiftly.

"Where are Mrs. Gerry and her two babies?" demanded the hotel man, his cheeks blanching.

None answered, for no one had seen the woman and her children.

"They must be in the house," cried Carter.

At that instant a woman's face appeared, briefly, at a window on the third floor. Her piercing cry rang out, then her face vanished, a cloud of smoke driving her from the open window.

"Hustle the ladders along!" begged the hotel man hoa.r.s.ely. "We must rescue that woman and her children. Her husband will be here in morning.

What can we say to him if we allow his wife and children to perish in the flames?"

In a few moments a long ladder had been hauled off the track and brave men rushed it to the wall, two men starting to ascend the moment it was in place.

In another moment they came sliding down, balked. Flames had enveloped the upper end of the ladder. It had to be hauled down, buckets of water being dashed over the blazing sides.

"You can't get a ladder up on any part of that wall to the third floor,"

called the chief of the fire department hoa.r.s.ely, as he broke through a thick veil of smoke. "You'll have to try the rear."

"Where are Reade and Hazelton?" called a voice.

"Reade!"

"Hazelton!"

There was no answer. A hundred men turned, looking blankly at their nearest fellows.

"They've gone down in the flames!" called another voice.

"Reade and Hazelton have lost their lives!"

"That'll make their enemies happy!" groaned one man, and other voices took it up.

"Carter," shouted one big man, running to the proprietor, "if this blaze is the work of a fire-bug, then look for Reade and Hazelton's enemies.

They have the most to gain by the death of those young fellows!"

A hoa.r.s.e yell went up from the crowd. All of a sudden it seemed plain to every man present that the hatred for Tom and Harry in certain quarters fully accounted for the fire.

"Get a rope! Lynch somebody!" shouted one voice after another.

"First of all, let's find a way to get that woman and her babies out!"

Carter appealed, frantically.

Scores of voices took up this cry, and numbers of men hastened around to the rear of the little hotel in the wake of the laddermen.

"We must find Reade and Hazelton, too," shouted others.

"Then we'll lynch someone for this night's business!"

The cry was taken up hoa.r.s.ely.

Two ladders were quickly hoisted at the rear. Almost before they had begun to hoist, the laddermen and spectators felt that it was a useless attempt.

Nor did the doors and pa.s.sages seem to offer any better avenue of escape.

Chug, chug, chug! sounded a touring car close at hand. An automobile stopped, Dr. Furniss jumping out.