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carried asleep from the house, had been placed" there. "What is-it?" Insquired Ned solicit ously. "My sister, Ruth! She is gone!" And Nellie seemed on the point of swooning away. "She woke up just now," faltered Mrs. Merrill. "I heard her ask for her doll." "Oh, mother! Can she have gone back into the house?" cried Nellie. NedUiori caught the. half fainting form of Nellie in his arms. The con tact of that beloved form electrified him to mighty endeavor.- "Take her," he spoke'to the mother.- "I will find the child." "He caught the echo !bfthe bells of theviilage fire wagon hastening down the road He obseryedJ3oyd just aris ing to' his feet, drenched and dis comfited. Then Ned 'made, a dash for a side entrance to the house. The flames had ...not yet reached' that part of "the "Building, but the smoke was, thick, and suffocating; Ned"was uhfainillar with the upper portion of he structure, ,but he breasted his way to a landing. Then he noticed beyond an open doorway a lighted lamp, "and started in that directipn.- ; It was a sleeping room, and despite the "dense clouds of smoke pouring into the apartment Ned could "Hi's- cern outlines. A lighted, lamp, jtgpd on a stand, rsea tnruiea at an impres sive picture its rays disclosed. ' Pulling bver the'disturbed .cbrera' of a trundle bed riearl;dra larger dne,, was a little nfghtgowned gure. Ruth was crying, .her eyes half blind ed by the smarting smoke. ' ' "Why, Ruth!" spoke 'Ned; "what are you doing here?" "I'm looking for Betty, my pretty dolly," sqbbed the little one, "and I can't find her. Maybe she's burned up! And it loses me to be in all this smoke-oh, my! oh, my!" "You sit right there for an instant, Ruth;" directed Ned, lifting her to a chair. "I'll find dolly for you." 1 In a minute or two he discovered the coveted doll on the floor under the trundle bed. He restored Betty to Ruth. A glowing radiance in the hallway warned Ned that he had no time to lose if he would not be over taken by the flames, and the stairway route of escape cut off. A glint of jewelry lying on a bureau, however, had caught his eye; Ned ran to wards it. There was a pin he had seen Nellie wear, and there lay her watch and chain. He slipped these articles has tily into his pocket. Some laces, pre cious to his heart because they be longed to Nellie, followed. Upon the stand where the lamp stood, Nellie had apparently been writing a letter vhen the fire, started. She had abandoned a little keepsake memorandum book, a ring and a gold mounted penholder. Ned thrust these also into the pocket of his coat. Then he ran towards Ruth and snatched her up in his arms. A hot blast swept his face as he reached the corridor, but he shielded the child as best he could. 'Some way, although half suf focated, he managed to get down the stairs and into the open air. "Oh, we thank you! We thank you!" sobbed Nellie, as the little one was brought to her. Her hand clutched at that of the rescuer with fervor. Her warm glance thrilled Ned. He hurriedly handed to her some of the articles from his pockets all of them, he thought. Neighbors cared for the family now and the fire wagon finally saved about "half of the building. A telegram was received by Boyd next morning, calling him back to the city. Ned did not go with him. He promised to go on the evening train, but he must see Nellie at least once again. An hour later, td his surprise, ,he found in a pocket of-.his coat a ring and the memorandum book he had saved from the fire. It would serve as a good excuse for calling on Nellie to return these. The book fell open in his clasp. Ned could