THIS is how Joe, the driver of the engine, He's the oracle of the Company, and an oldtold me the story of Peter Spots: "How did we get him? - well, I don't remember exactly. Let me see. It was about three years ago or more - may be more and oh, yes, Billy has it right. He was chased in here one night by a lot of boys. Now I do remember, and mighty well too. Bob was on watch that night. You see Bob's my partner, or relief, as we call it. He drives the engine when I am on my day off or out at my meals. We always have at least two drivers, sometimes more, both for the engine and tender, in case one is off, or out of the house, when we get a 'run,' as we call an alarm of fire. "Yes, Bob was on watch, and he and I and Billy were standing over there beside the 'trip' talking. Billy was telling us one of his yarns. timer from the days of the old volunteers. Born and raised up the State somewhere, he belonged to the fire brigade in his native town before he came to New York. In those days all the apparatus they had to fight a fire with was a few buckets and a sponge. The sponge was used to cool the boys off when they got too excited in having arguments as to who was to put out the fire at least that's what Billy says. Then Billy came to the city, and joined the old volunteers; and when this Department was organized in 1864, he drifted in with the rest of the old-timers, and has been a fixture ever since. But he is pretty well worn out now, he's been overcome with smoke so many times, had his arms and legs broken in several places, falling down hatchways and off ladders, and "The dose' is what we call getting chuck full of smoke in a cellar-fire, or getting soaked with water while doing ladder-work in the winter time. Standing at the peak of a ladder with a heavy stream working over your head, you get the drippings of that stream for two or three hours, and maybe the full force of it, once in a while, and you won't have a dry stitch on you; and if the thermometer is down about zero, it'll be apt to leave you with a touch of rheumatism. That's the way Billy got his. But I am getting away from my story about Peter. Yes, Billy was telling one of his old yarns, something about his company, the Pioneer Hose, washing Big Six in the days of the old department. "Big Six was one of the crack companies at the time; and washing' consisted of pumping more water into a rival company's engine than they could pump out, and the boys were as proud of having washed a rival's engine in those days as we are to-day in beating another company in their own territory and getting 'first water' over them, which we take great pride in doing. "Well, Billy was telling us this yarn we'd only heard it about forty or fifty times before; but we did n't say anything, only made believe it was all new to us; for it did n't do us any harm to listen to it, and it gave him a great deal of pleasure to tell it, and he had told it so many times I guess he half began to think it really happened; but I did n't take much stock in it myself. All of a sudden there came a kiyi-ing of a dog out in the street, and a hollering of a lot of boys, and something came flying in through the open doors and took refuge over there, in a corner of the 'hose-tower.' 'A mad dog!' says Billy; and with that a crowd of boys ran up to the doorway and began waving sticks and a-shouting and hollering like mad; and I really think if we had n't been there they would have marched right in and yanked the poor fellow out. As it was, one leaned over the chain and shied a stone at the corner where he was hiding, and I shouted, Clear out o' here, you rapscallions!' But bless you, sir, they did n't mind that not much. They were a hard lot from down the avenue a bit; and we have a good deal of trouble with them. It is only luck that we have n't run over half a dozen or more of them when we are turning out. Seeing that did n't have any effect on them, I reached for my whip on the engine, and started for the crowd; and you ought to have seen them dust! Why, when I got to the pavement there was n't a sign of them anywhere. They disappeared like the wind. I then came back, and putting the whip up in place again, I went over to see what kind of a dog it was. Billy calls out: Look out, Joe! Maybe he's mad.' But I says: Not much; only frightened a bit.' And I knelt down beside him. He was crouching in the corner, licking a place on his hind leg where one of the rascals had hit him with a stone. At first he growled a little; but I spoke kindly to him, and seeing he was n't going to get hurt, he began wagging his tail and shaking his head back and forth as if he knew me. "Billy came over, and looking at him says: Why, he 's a coach-dog, and not a bad-looking fellow either, only he has n't seen a square meal for some time. I'll bet those varmints of boys have scairt the life half out o' him. Say, Joe, he would be a good dog for the house. Why, I remember when I was down in 17 Engine—' but just then the Captain came in and I was spared another one of Billy's yarns. "Captain,' says I, 'would you like a dog?' 666 No, I guess not,' says he, slowly; 'we have killed all the dogs we ever had -run over them; and then, he would be getting in the way of the horses when we 're turning out, and —' "No,' said Billy. He's a coach-dog and used to horses; he would n't be in the way.' "Where did you get him?' says the Captain. "He ran in here a few moments ago. Some boys chased him in,' says I. "Well, he 'll run out again, the first chance he gets,' replied the Captain. "I don't think so,' says I. 'He's been badly treated, and if we give him something to eat and treat him right he will stay with us, I think; and if anybody wants to come and claim him, and can prove that he is theirs, they can have him.' "By this time the Captain was interested, "WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE A FIREMAN'S DOG?"" and he 's as good-hearted a man as ever wore a leather hat, and fond of horses and dogs, so he leans over and says to Peter, who was sitting there looking so solemn: Would you like to be a fireman's dog?' "I'll eat my hat if I don't think he knew what the Captain said, for he put his two front paws forward and rubbed his nose up and down between them, as much as to say: 'Yes.' "What's his name?" says the Captain. "Billy and I shook our heads, and I says, 'We don't know.' "What's your name?' says the Captain, looking right at him. "He looked back as if he wanted to speak, and opened his mouth and moved his tongue from one side to another as if trying to say something. "That's not loud enough,' hollers the Captain, laughing. What's your name?' "This time the dog gave one short bark. "That sounds like Pete,' said Billy; 'there's only one syllable in it!'-Billy's a smart one even if he is an old-timer. giving a wink to me (Bob was sitting at the desk), put him down in the house-journal as a new member, and see that he responds on the floor at roll-call in the morning; - and Billy, here,' he put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a quarter, and tossed it to him,-go around to McNally's restaurant and get him something to eat we can't let a new member go hungry, can we, boys?' "That was just like the Captain; he would n't let any one go hungry-least of all a poor dumb animal. "Bob had opened the book and was putting him down in the journal, as serious as a judge. "Fireman of the third grade, Captain?' he sung out. "Yes,' says the Captain, fireman of the third grade.' "Peter' and then Bob stopped. Peter what?' says he. "I don't know,' says the Captain, and he looked at me. "Well,' chimes in Billy, 'he's all over black spots. I'd call him Peter Spots!'. "That's right,' says the Captain; Billy, you 're a jewel; Peter Spots it is. And now, go and get him something to eat, or he'll starve to death before we get him down in the journal.' "And down he went in the books as 'Peter Spots, new member,' and that 's how he came to join our company. "The first night he was with us we did n't have any 'calls,' and after getting a good meal from what Billy brought back he crawled over there behind one of the stalls and went to sleep the first good night's sleep, I guess, he 'd had for a long while. The next morning he was up early, as frisky as could be, playing with the man on watch and a-cutting up high jinks all around here, for you see he was a young dog and playful like. Just then a station came in the gong began to hit and we came piling down from above. The horses rushed out, and the racket kind o' scared him,- it came so sudden,—and he went sneaking off to the back of the house with his tail hanging down as if he was afraid he 'd knocked something over and caused all the hubbub. - "The station did n't touch us, though, and we did n't go that is, not on the first alarm, but it was one of our second-alarm stations, and while we were waiting, for we always keep the horses hitched up and wait on the floor for ten minutes on all stations that we are due on' on the second alarm, the Captain says: "Where's the new member?' but nobody knew, so we all shook our heads. "The house-watchman said the last he saw of him, he was skipping off toward the back of the floor when the 'joker' began to ring, and we looked all over, but could n't find him anywhere, and the Captain declared he 'd run away, just as he said he would. But finally, about twenty minutes after, when we got the 'test call,' — which is eleven taps that we get every morning at 8 o'clock, from headquarters, to see that the wires are all in working order, and which also serves as the 'roll call' of the company, and is the beginning of another day's ' watches,'— he came crawling out of the furnace of that spare engine, that we keep over there in the corner, where he had hid himself, and sneaking along the stalls he came over to us, looking very sheepish and ashamed. The Captain, winking at me, hollered at him: You 're a nice fireman, you are. If you don't respond in better order at roll-call in the morning after this, we'll have you up before the Commissioners, and have you fined five days' pay!' "But Billy spoke up and took his part, and said: 66 6 Don't be hard on him, Captain. He's a new member, and new members are always nervous. Why, that gong would give most any one the heart-disease, hearing it the first time, it comes so suddint! Why, I remember when I was down in 5 Truck, we had a new member on, an' the first time he'— but the Captain cut him short, saying, 'You'd better go to breakfast, Billy; you 're the first one off this morning,' and so another one of Billy's stories was spoiled. "The first run we made after getting him, he did n't go with us, and we were wondering when we were rolling home whether we would find him in the engine-house on our return, or whether he had turned out with us and we had lost him on the way to the fire; for we 're not over particular in taking notice of things around us when we are getting out when an alarm of fire comes in. The first idea is to get out, and that as quickly as possible; and as we had all become interested in Peter, we were anxious to see whether he had deserted us or not; but when we opened the door of the house, out he came bounding, jumping up at all of us, and barking away, as much as to say: 'Well, did you put out the fire? Sorry I was n't with you,' or something like that; for to me he is so smart that I think he is trying to talk all the time in his own way. And now well, bless you, sir, he's the first one out of the house. The instant the gong begins to ring, he takes his position right there under the front truck of the engine, and there he stands. Eyes wide open, ears up, and tail sticking right straight out, he watches me. The moment I start for the seat, he's off like a shot for the end of the pole between the horses, barking like mad; for he knows we are going out, or I would n't jump for the seat. When the doors open, out he goes like a bullet out of a gun; and if there is anyone passing or standing outside, he clears them |