An Amateur Fireman

Fourteen-year-old Seth Bartlett earns his living shining boots, but his attention keeps returning to the fire engine stationed near his makeshift home. He shares a shed behind a carpenter's shop with Dan Roberts, a newspaper seller who doubts Seth's ambition to join the Fire Department. Seth regards following fires and visiting the engine house as preparation for the work he hopes to do, and his acquaintance with engine driver 'Lish Davis becomes a source of pride.

James Otis builds this children's novel around street trades, friendship and the practical demands of growing up with little money. A quarrel with former lodger Jip Collins brings threats, while a later scene finds Seth celebrating a new uniform with his friends and carefully considering the cost of supper. The boys' lively conversations give the story its humor and show how ambition, loyalty and a wish for respect shape their daily choices. Readers interested in stories of working children and firefighting will find both in Seth's experiences.