It has made such headway, that the only thing to do is to see that it burns out, without setting fire to any of the houses.

Fortunately the wind is towards the river." John shook his head; he was too breathless to speak for a moment; then he said, "Something must be done." "There is no use, Mr.Ward," Gifford explained.

But John scarcely heard him; his people's comfort, their morality almost,--for poverty meant deeper sin to most of them,--was burning up in those great square piles of planks.
"Men," he shouted, "men, the engine! To the river! Run! run!" "Nothing can be done," Gifford said, as the crowd broke, following the preacher, who was far ahead of all; but he too started, as though to join them, and then checked himself, and went back into the deserted street, walking up and down, a self-constituted patrol.
Almost every man had gone to the river.

Tom Davis, however, with Molly beside him, stood lolling against a tree, sobered, indeed, by the shock of the fire, but scarcely steady enough on his legs to run.

Another, who was a cripple, swaying to and fro on his crutches with excitement, broke into a storm of oaths because his companion did not do the work for which he was himself too helpless.