Lesson 5

    Is He a Hero?

             Text A

    "Fire! Fire! " What terrible words to hear when one wakes up in a strange house in the middle of the night! It was a large, old, wooden house-the sort that burns beautifully---and my room was on the top floor. I jumped out of bed, opened the door and stepped out into the passage. It was full of thick smoke.

    I began to run, but as I was still only balf-awake, instead of going towards the stairs I went in thc opposite direction. The smoke grew thicker and I could see flames all around. The floor became hot under my bare feet. I found an opcn door and ran into a room to get to the window.

 But bcfore I could reach it, one of my feet caught in something soft and I fell down. The thing I had fallen over felt like a bundle of clothes , and I picked it up to protect my face from the smoke and heat. Just then the floor . gave way under me and I crashed to the floor below with pieces of burning wood all around me.

 
    I saw a flaming doorway in front . put the bundle over my face and ran. My feet burned me terribly, but I got through. As I reached the cold air outside, my bundle of clothes gave a thin cry. I nearly dropped it in my surprisel? Then I saw a crowd gathered in the street. A woman in a night-dress and a borrowed man's coat screamed" as she saw me and came running madly.

    "My baby ! My baby! " she cried. The crowd chcered wildly as she took the smoke-blackened bundle out of my arms. I had some difficulty in recognizing her. She was the Mayor's wife, and I had saved her baby. I was a hero!

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