Eradicate, with his line of hose, had disappeared into the shop
through the front door, and the others pressed in after him,
heedless of the dense smoke.

"Is it blazing much, Rad?" cried Tom.

"Can't see no blaze at all, Mass a Tom," replied the colored
man. "Dere's a heap of suffin in de middle ob de flo', an' dat's
what's raisin' all de rumpus."

They all saw it a moment later, a smoldering heap of rags and
paper on the concrete floor of the shop. Eradicate turned his
hose on it, there was a hissing sound, a cloud of steam arose,
and the fire was practically out, though much smoke remained.

"Jove! that was a lucky escape!" exclaimed Tom, as he looked
around when the vapor had partly cleared away. "No damage done at
all, as far as I can see. I wonder what the game was? Did you see
anything of a tramp around here?" he asked of his father.

"No, Tom. I have been busy in the house. So has Mrs. Baggert.
Suddenly she called my attention to the smoke coming from the
door, and we ran out."

"I seen it, too," added Eradicate. "I was doin' some
whitewashin', an' I run up as soon as I could."

"We saw the tramp all right, but he got away," said Tom, and he
told how he had taken pictures of him. "I don't believe it would