Sparky (Dog Diaries Special Edition) by Kate Klimo

Author:Kate Klimo
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2016-07-26T04:00:00+00:00

“Form a big circle, lads! Surround the fire! Contain it and don’t let it spread!”

The crews moved their equipment to form a giant ring around the fire. Soon, hoses were spraying it from all sides.

Williams ordered nearby structures to be soaked to keep the fire from spreading. The hook-and-ladder boys took up axes and chopped down fences, shacks, sidewalks, outhouses—anything that might fuel the fire. In the nearby train yards, gangs of volunteers put their shoulders to the railroad cars and shoved them down the tracks, away from the flames.

I watched as the boys dragged the Chicago ever closer to the fire. It was the only way they could reach the flames, given how little hose they had left. Suddenly, the roof of the lumber warehouse collapsed in an explosion of sparks. The boys scrambled to pull the Chicago clear.

As the fire lit up the night sky, Fire Fiends came swarming in. They crowded the rooftops across the river. They shimmied up the masts of the ships on the river. They crammed the nearby sidewalks. The roof of one building collapsed beneath the weight of them. Police and volunteers blocked off the Adams Street Bridge to prevent more Fiends from crossing the river just as the bridge burst into flame. The steamer Titsworth came charging over the burning bridge, steamer and crew running right through the fire, whiskers and manes aflame.

In the early hours of the morning, the lads finally got the fire under control. Four blocks of warehouses and buildings had been destroyed. The fire was still smoldering when the men, horses, and dogs of the Maxwell Street station packed up and went home. I noticed that Mum was limping badly.

Oh, daughter, I burned my paw pads, she said.

She could barely make it up the stairs when we went to get some grub.

After we ate, I left her resting by the stove and came back downstairs. The horses were tucked in their stalls except for Butch and Cinders. Butch was in the crossties and Sully was tending him. Cinders was standing with her nose pressed into Sully’s shoulder. I smelled the sharp scent of burnt horseflesh. It seemed that poor Butch had gotten badly hurt, after all.

Cinders was ready to take action if Sully did anything to cause Butch more pain. Now one of the herd, she was protecting a fellow in a weak moment. Bless her gallant heart!

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