A long time ago, when horse-drawn buggies delivered ice to keep food cold, and laundry dried on ropes in the sun, fires were fought with buckets, axes, and hand-pulled carts with water hoses. In one little town on a moonless night, a cry rang out: "Fire!" Out of bed the townspeople leapt. As they lined up in bucket brigades, they lent their voices to the rising cry. "Get the hose cart!" "Grab the buckets!" Volunteer firefighters ran through the night toward the wooden shack where the firefighting equipment was kept. They threw open the doors, but it was dark inside and hard to see. "Light a lantern!" one man yelled. "Hold it high!" called another as they reached inside the pitch-black shack, wheeled out the hose cart, and raced to put out the fire. Excerpted from The Firehouse Light by Janet Nolan All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
