he kept the stuff in a stack outside.

"Come on! Come on!" Constable Stickler could be heard yelling. "The
barn'll catch pretty soon."

"We're coming!" replied Bert.

"For th' love of tripe! What's that?" cried the constable, as he
caught sight of the engine.

"The Lakeville Fire Department!" responded several boys.

"Humph!" exclaimed the constable. "Don't you boys go to interferin'
with the bucket brigade. I won't have it. The bucket brigade is the
regular department for this town."

"The only thing the matter with it is that it can't put out any
fires," was the retort from John Boll. "Let's show 'em how we do it,
boys."

On the way from Jamesville, Bert and Cole, who had been instructed by
the chief of that department how to operate the engine, imparted this
information to their chums. So, though the lads had never before
worked a hand engine, they felt that they could make a good showing.

"We'll have to hustle, boys," called Bert to his little force. "That
bucket brigade will have it in for us, and they can handle a haystack
fire pretty good. Let's show 'em how we do it."

By this time they had turned down the side street to where the burning