Faith could not
help noticing that he was really a very manly fellow. She began to think
that she had been mistaken regarding his insulting actions.
"There is no fire, I tell you!" called Mr. Gibson again. "It was only a
puff of smoke on the second floor! Will people never learn to keep their
heads at such times, I wonder!"
The most of the clerks were still behind the counters, and as the
manager made this remark one of the oldest men in the store raised his
head and answered him.
"Our customers probably know our facilities for fighting a fire," he
said sneeringly. "The place is a regular death-trap. No wonder they ran
from it!"
"Keep your news to yourself, Block, if you please!" said Mr. Gibson
quickly.
Some one called him at that instant or his reprimand would probably have
been sharper.
Faith had heard both remarks, and so had the old lady, who was still
standing beside Miss Jennings behind the ribbon counter.
"Is that true? Is the store such a fire-trap?" asked the old lady
quickly. "Dear, dear, what a place to cage a lot of human beings!"
"The fire department has ordered the boss to put in more apparatus a
dozen times that I know of," answered Miss Jennings, promptly, "but the
building is insured and so is the stock.
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