Its cool
depths offered a refreshing refuge, such as can hardly be understood by
one who is not suffering similarly.
But it was rather curious that the boy and girl had endured more from
the suffocating vapor than from the fire itself. Looking down at their
garments, they were surprised to find them scorched in several places,
and Nellie gave just the faintest scream when a pungent odor directed
her gaze to a large hole burning in her dress.
Nick glanced around, and, understanding what the matter was, called
rather sharply:
"Pinch it out!"
She was already doing so, and she asked:
"Why don't you pinch out that fire on your coat?"
Just then her brother jumped into the air and shouted, "Oh--ouch!" for
the burning sleeve had gone through the shirt and reached the bare skin.
He whipped off his coat in a twinkling, dipped it hastily into the
water, doing the same with his right elbow, the element which
extinguished the smoking garment being very grateful to the scorched
limb.
"Nellie," said he, "just cast your eye over me, and let me know whether
there are any more fires going."
He made up his mind that if she reported other conflagrations breaking
out, he would subdue them in a lump by taking a header in the pond,
whose shore they reached at that moment. But Nellie said he was in no
danger so far as she could see, of immediate combustion and when she
came to examine her own garments they were also free from the same
peril.
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