Маленькие мужчины / Little men. Уровень 4

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“I’d rather say �thunder turtles,’” said Tommy, who had composed this interesting exclamation and was very proud of it.

“And I’ll say �The Devil;’ that sounds well,” added Nat.

Dan scoffed at their “nonsense,” and swore stoutly as he tried to teach them the new game. But Tommy was very sleepy, and Nat’s head began to ache with the beer and the smoke. The room was nearly dark, for the lantern burned badly. They could not laugh loud, for Silas slept next door in the shed-chamber, and altogether the party was dull.

In the middle of the game Dan stopped suddenly, and called out, “Who’s that?”, and at the same moment drew the slide over the light. A voice in the darkness said tremulously, “I can’t find Tommy”.

“It’s Demi! Go to bed, Tom, and be silent!” cried Dan, beginning to tear off his clothes, while Nat did the same.

Tommy flew to his room and dived into bed, where he lay, laughing till something burned his hand, when he discovered that he was still clutching the stump of the festive cigar, which he was

smoking.

Tommy was snoring in ten minutes. The cigar did not go out, but smouldered away, and a hungry little flame went along the bedcover. It caught the sheets, and then the bed itself. The beer made Tommy sleep heavily, and the smoke stupefied Demi, so they slept on till the fire began to scorch them.

Franz was studying that time, and as he left the school-room he smelt the smoke, dashed up-stairs and saw it coming in a cloud from the left wing of the house.

He ran into the room, dragged the boys from the blazing bed, and splashed the water to the flames. It did not quench

the fire, and the children wakened and began to roar. Mrs. Bhaer instantly appeared, and a minute after Silas burst out of his room shouting, “Fire!” in a tone that raised the whole house. For a minute every one was panic-stricken.

Then Mrs. Bhaer sent Franz and Silas downstairs for some tubs of wet clothes which she flung on the bed, over the carpet, and up against the curtains.

Most of the boys stood dumbly looking on, but Dan and Emil worked bravely, running to and fro with water from the bath-room, and helping to pull down the curtains.

The peril was soon over. Mrs. Bhaer and Franz went to see how the poor boys got on. Demi had escaped with one burn and a grand scare. Tommy had not only most of his hair scorched off his head, but a great burn on his arm, that made him half crazy with the pain.