SMALL FIRE DEPARTMENT RESCUES BIRDS

"We'll have our hose ready."

"The salamanders," said daddy, "are little creatures very much like lizards in looks, except their skin is not scaly as a lizard's. They have four legs and a tail, and are very nice, kind and gentle.

"Well, these salamanders agreed that they would have a fire department, and the next thing was to arrange for the hose and ladder. Finally it was decided that their salamander cousins should be chosen to run the hose and ladder.

"'We shall call ourselves the fire and water fire department,' said one of the fire salamanders. 'It will be our business to rush in and rescue the animals who are in danger of being burned to death, and it will be your business to help them down to the brook, where we'll have our hose ready to sprinkle them with good, cool water.'

"But days and days went by, and still no fire broke out.

"'I know what's the trouble,' said another one of the fire salamanders. 'We have no fire bell; there may have been fires that we knew nothing of; you never can tell.'

"'Don't be gloomy,' said still another fire salamander. 'We'll have a fire bell. I know where a kind old cow left her bell from last year. We'll put it by the stump just at the edge of the brook and all the animals can be told to move it when there is a fire. Then we will all come out and stop the fire.'

"And soon notices were put up all over the woods and around the brook which read:

"'To the Animals: Attention! In case of fire, ring the cow bell by the brook. The Fire and Water Fire Department of the Salamanders will PUT IT OUT.'

"These notices were read by all the animals, and the very next day the salamanders heard the cow bell.

"'Where's the fire?' they all shouted.

"'Over there,' said Grandfather Frog, who was watching the fire department start off.

"They wiggled and crawled as quickly as they could to the spot where the fire was. It was the vireo family's nest. You know the vireos are those beautiful, shy birds that live in the woods and have such lovely voices. The fire salamanders rushed right into the fire and pulled out of the nest the vireo children just in time before their little feathers got burnt. And, of course, the Mother and Daddy Vireo were able to fly out.

"When they all reached the brook at last, the Mother and Daddy Vireo sang the most wonderful song as a reward to the brave salamander fire department."

Transcriber's Note:

Illustrations have been moved from the middle of a paragraph to the closest paragraph break.

"grown-ups" and "grownups" have been retained in both versions in this project.

Opening quotation marks (") at the beginning of several chapters have been added without comment.

"Well, I mean you to come" has been changed to "'Well, I mean you to come" page 56.

"funny quack-quack talk." has been changed into "funny quack-quack talk.'" page 59.

Printer's inconsistencies in spelling, punctuation, and hyphenation have been retained.