ruins of his shop. "I'll lose over a thousand dollars."

"Haven't you any insurance?" asked Mr. Appelby.

"Yes, it's fully covered by insurance; but think of the trade I'll
lose until I can build a new shop!"

"Oh, I guess you can put up some kind of a shack that will do for a
while. We don't need much meat in the summer time."

"I tell you what it is!" exclaimed Mr. Sagger, "we've got to have a
regular department, mayor; that's what we have! We can't have business
places burn up this way. Why, it will ruin the town!"

"Well, if the taxpayers wanted a hired department they can have it,"
declared Mr. Appelby. "But it will cost money."

"Well, it ought to come out of the town treasury," went on the
butcher. "Taxes is high enough now. Maybe we could get an engine
cheap, somewhere."

"What's the matter with paying the boys for theirs ?" asked the mayor.

"No, we want men to run the department," objected the butcher.

"Those boys are as good as men," asserted Mr. Appelby, as he watched
the lads, under Bert's direction, take up their hose and get the
engine in shape for returning to quarters. "I guess old Sagger is
afraid his taxes will go up. But we do need a regular department," he
added to himself.