"Whee! get that flash of fire, will you?" shouted Big Bob Jeffries,
who, despite his heft, managed to keep in the van alongside Jack and
Joel and several other fast runners.

All of them had seen it. Through the darkness of the night a tongue of
flame had suddenly shot up, and then vanished again; but not before
they could notice that dense volumes of smoke hung around the spot.

"What place is it?" called out McGuffey, from the centre of the bunch;
"does anybody know?"

"I wouldn't be a bit surprised if it turned out to be that crabbed old
miser, Philip Adkins' big house!" ventured Joel; who had often come
around this way on his wheel on errands, and ought to be as well
acquainted with the locality as anyone, it would seem.

"Right for you, Joel; that's just whose house it is!" echoed another
boy, as well as he could utter the words, considering that he was
already beginning to get short of breath.

They all knew of Philip Adkins, who had long been quite a character
about Chester. He was said to be quite well-to-do, though those who
called him a millionaire were doubtless "drawing the long bow," as
people always do whenever the wealth of a miser is under
consideration.

Philip Adkins lived in a big house that was unpainted; but those who
had had the opportunity of seeing the inside always said he did not
stint himself in the way of comfort at all, and that he was only a