“We are going to get a ladder!” yelled Tom.  “Stay where you are!”

And then he followed the others.  The ladders were kept in a wagon shed, and it took but a few moments to bring them out.  They were four in number, and of various sizes.

“I’m afraid none of ’em is long enough to reach that winder,” said the man who had led the way.

“You are right,” replied Tom.  “But what’s the matter with lashing a couple of them together?  Here’s a rope.”  And he pointed to a washline that hung on a nearby hook.

In frantic haste a dozen persons carried the ladders to the burning building.  Tom followed with the rope, which he unwound on the way.  Then the washline was cut, and with it two of the longest ladders were lashed together as quickly as possible.  Then the combination ladder was raised against the building and set close to the window, to the sill of which Miss Harrow clung.

“I’ll go up if you want me to,” cried Tom, as he saw the men who belonged around the place hold back.  “You steady the ladder so it doesn’t slip.”

“Want me to help, Tom?” asked Sam.

“No, you see that they steady the ladder.”  And thus speaking, Tom began to mount the rungs.

A cheer went up, but to this the youth paid no attention.  In a few seconds he was at the third story window.  He had to pass through considerable smoke, but as yet the flames had not reached that vicinity.

“Come, give me your hand, and step out on the ladder,” cried Tom to the teacher.

“I—­ I can’t!” gasped Miss Harrow.  And now the youth saw that she was almost paralyzed from fright.  She clung desperately to the window sill, evidently unable to move.  Clinging to the ladder with his left hand, Tom placed his right foot on the window sill, and then he reached down and caught the teacher under the arm.

“Come, you don’t want to stay here,” he ordered, almost sternly, and pulled the teacher to her feet.

“Oh, oh, we’ll fall!  I can’t do it!” were her gasped-out words.

“You’ve got to do it—­ unless you want to be burned up.  Now then, if you don’t want to climb down the ladder, let me carry you.”

“I—­ I—­ oh—­ I can’t move!” And with these words, the teacher sank down across the window sill.

A sudden change in the wind drove a cloud of smoke into Tom’s face, and for the moment he and the teacher were hidden from the view of those below.

“Oh, look!  Tom will be burned up!” screamed Nellie.

“No, he won’t,” returned Sam, reassuringly.  “He knows what he is doing.”  Nevertheless, Sam was as anxious as anyone over his brother’s safety.

When the smoke shifted, it was seen that Tom had hauled the teacher from the window sill and had her over his shoulder.  She hung down limply, showing that she had lost consciousness.  Rung by rung, the youth came down the ladder slowly with his burden.

“He’s got her!  He’s got her!” was the glad cry, and a few seconds later Tom reached the ground, where he was immediately surrounded by the others.