The Mayor brought it
back from Montreal yesterday; and together, boys, together, we'll make
Manitou and Lebanon the fulcrum of the West, the swivel by which to swing
prosperity round our centre."
The platform swayed with the wild enthusiasm of the crowd storming it to
shake hands with him, when suddenly a bell rang out across the river,
wildly, clamorously. A bell only rang like that for a fire. Those on the
platform could see a horseman galloping across the bridge.
A moment later someone shouted, "It's the Catholic church at Manitou on
fire!"
CHAPTER XXIV
AT LONG LAST
Originally the Catholic church at Manitou had stood quite by itself, well
back from the river, but as the town grew its dignified isolation was
invaded and houses kept creeping nearer and nearer to it. So that when it
caught fire there was general danger, because the town possessed only a
hand fire-engine. Since the first settlement of the place there had been
but few fires, and these had had pretty much their own way. When one
broke out the plan was to form a long line of men, who passed buckets of
water between the nearest pump, well, or river, and the burning building.
It had been useful in incipient fires, but it was child's play in a
serious outburst.
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