midnight
Fire ! Fire ! '' Men jumped from bed , pulled on shirts , trousers , and shoes or boots , and thus scantily attired , rushed forth to do battle with the flames . In a small cottage , near the end of the village street , a lad , hearing the midnight alarm , got up and hurried to the window . He could make out the short , stocky form of Constable Stickler rushing about . Then , off to the left , he could see a dull glow in the sky . There was , also , the smell of wood burning .