midnight
Considering that the boys had worked hard at the Sagger blaze , Bert had no drills for a week . Then they were resumed again , and furnished plenty of exercise for the young firemen . But , about two weeks after the butcher shop fire , there came another which gave them almost more practice than they wanted . It was shortly after midnight when the alarm came in , for Constable Stickler was an efficient guardian , in spite of his age , and on one of his trips to the church tower he had seen a flicker of flame off to the west . An instant later he was ringing the bell-four short , sharp , quick strokes . The boys sleeping in the barn heard them , and so did the boys in their beds at home . They jumped up and , in quick time , the engine had been run out .