Fighting the Flames, a Tale

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1868 Excerpt: ...(Mrs. Denman shut her eyes and shuddered) "an' so make yer escape. Then you should have a ladder fixed to this trap-door so as it couldn't be took away, and ye should have some dozen fathoms o' half-inch rope always handy, 'cause if ye was cut off from the staircase by fire an' from the roof by smoke ye might have to let yourself down from a windy. It's as well too to know how to knot sheets and blankets together, so that the ties won't slip, for if you have no rope they'd be better than nothin'. You should also have a hand-pump, ma'am, and a bucket of water always handy, 'cause if you take a fire at the beginnin' it's easy put out. An' it's as well to know that you should go into a room on fire on your hands and knees, with your nose close to the ground--just as a pinter-dog goes--'cause there's more air there than overhead; an' it's better to go in wi' the hand-pump the first thing. Don't wait to dress, ma'am." "Stop, stop, Mr. Corney!" cried Mrs. Denman, holding up her hand. The little lady was stunned with the rapid utterance of the enthusiastic fireman, and with the dreadful suggestion that she, Mrs. Denman, should, in the dead of night, get upon the roof of her dwelling and scramble over the tiles, or let herself down by a rope from a window into the public street, or creep into a burning room on her hands and knees with her nose to the ground like a pointer, and all this, too, in her night-dress, so she begged of him to stop, and said--"But you forget, fireman, it is impossible for me to do any of these dreadful things." "Well, ma'am," returned Joe coolly, "it wouldn't be easy--though, for the matter o' that, it '3 wonderful what people will do for their lives; but I was tellin' ye, ma'am, what ought to be...