"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 half - awake , instead of going towards the stairs ! went in the opposite direction . The smoke grew thicker and I could see flames all around . The floor became hot under my bare feet . I found an open door and ran into a room to get to the window . But before 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 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 surprise . 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 cheered 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 !
