the nozzle ends, during a fire, and, to get around this, as it was
considered a post of honor, Bert decided the boys could take turns.
There was something fascinating about directing a stream of water upon
a blaze, and it is no wonder that every boy but Cole wanted the place.
That is, excepting Bert, and he had all he could take care of with his
duties as captain.

It was decided to keep the engine permanently in Cole's barn, as that
was near the centre of the village.

"We ought to have some sort of an alarm bell," suggested John Boll.
"We can't always depend on Constable Stickler."

"That's so," admitted Bert. "I wonder if we couldn't get permission to
have the church bell rung?"

This seemed a good idea, and Bert and Cole interviewed the minister on
the subject. He readily agreed to let the bell on the edifice be rung
whenever there was a fire, and it was arranged that a long rope would
hang from the belfry to the ground outside, where it could be reached
by the constable and pulled to give an alarm. Mr. Stickler was
delighted with his new office and increased duties.

"I'll have a regular signal system," he explained to the boys, after
studying over the matter at some length. He had lost all his antipathy
to the engine, and now favored the new fire department more than he
did the bucket brigade. "I'll ring the bell once when there's a fire
in the northern part of the town," he said; "twice when it's in the
east, three times when it's in the south, and four strokes when the
blaze is on the west side."