"Is there anything you want saved
particularly?"
For Patty had taken a pillow-case from its pillow, and in it had placed the
bundle containing her mother's picture, and Bob's camera.
"Yes," said Miss Todd; "that book of poems,--it was Jim's first gift to
me,--oh, and my hat."
"All right," said Patty, and she put the book in her pillow-case bag, but
the hat, being large and feathery she put on her head.
Then Patty went to Gertrude Carleton's room. She found that fragile bit of
humanity sleeping peacefully, and she hated to startle her.
But the excitement was growing greater. People were running about in all
directions, and the flames, though still confined to the staircase, were
liable to spread further at any moment. So Patty decided to break the news
gently to the frail Gertrude, and she touched her softly on the shoulder.
"Gertrude, dear," she said, "if the house _should_ get on fire, what would
you want to save most?"
"My shoes," said Gertrude, promptly, awake and alert in an instant. "Here
they are."
She reached over the side of the bed, and grasped her dainty little
patent-leather boots, which she gave to Patty.
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