and the back yard joined the vacant lot. Just as Sunny Boy waved his
hand to signal Oliver that he was ready, Maria came out on the porch of
the school.

"Fire!" she shouted. "Fire! The school is on fire!"

If Miss May or Miss Davis had been in the building, it never would have
happened. Miss May would have telephoned the fire department quietly
at the first sign of smoke and Miss Davis would have picked up the
brass fire extinguisher that stood in the hall and at least have tried
to put the fire out. But Miss May and Miss Davis had gone down town,
believing that the children were safe and happy, playing in the snow,
and Maria was alone in the house. When she saw smoke creeping out
around the door of Miss Davis' schoolroom, Maria lost her head entirely.

"Fire!" she screamed, rushing out on the porch and beckoning to the
children. "The school's on fire!"

But when they came rushing toward her, pellmell, she seemed to remember
what she ought to do.

[Illustration: They came rushing toward her, pellmell.]

"You can't come in," she told them, as they gathered at the bottom of
the porch steps. "You can't come in, because you'll get burned! The
school is on fire."

She opened the door behind her and, sure enough, out poured smoke.

"My coat!" wailed Jessie Smiley. "My lovely new coat. Santa Claus