Therefore, not wishing to lose any time, he jumped for the nearest stairway, as soon as he felt that no help could be had from the elevator, and climbed as fast as he could toward the second story.
This stairway was filled with smoke, and he felt the heat increase as he ascended, but he still had no trouble, except from the smoke.

But when he reached the second floor his heart almost failed.

The stairway on which Jack Ready had fallen, and the only stairway Bart could see, was wrapped in flames, which writhed and twined like serpents.

The heat, too, was intense.
Bending close to the floor, to escape the smoke and heat as much as possible, Bart groped about, looking everywhere for Merriwell, thinking he might have fallen there.

He saw him nowhere, and called loudly.