Juan and Carmen knew it was wrong to have come. Their mother would start to shake every time she heard a fire alarm. Her father and brother had been firefighters and had been killed trying to rescue people from burning buildings. But she never asked her husband to look for another job. She was proud of him and knew he thought it was the best job in the world.
But Juan and Carmen did not go back home. They were worried about their father. It seemed that no one could get out of that building!
Suddenly everybody saw Ricardo Lopez on the roof. He picked up the man and started back through the smoke. A few minutes later a firefighter ran out from behind the building. “They’re down,” he shouted, “but Ric is hurt! He fell down the stairs!”
Carmen and Juan ran to their father, but he didn’t answer them when they talked to him. Captain Donovan told them that their father was badly hurt, but would be taken care of in the hospital. “He’s a brave man and saved the life of the man on the roof,” said the captain. “I’m sure this is a fire started by a criminal, by an arsonist. It started too quickly and we found two empty gas cans.” Then the captain told them to go home.
As the children started to leave, they met Mr. Ozmer, their friend with the electronics store. He offered to drive them home to pick up their mother and then take them to the hospital. On the way, he talked about the arsonist. “It’s not safe to live in a place with a guy like that,” he said.
When the children got home, their mother noticed immediately that something was wrong. The kids told her Ric was hurt and she started crying. “I knew this would happen sooner or later,” she said.
At the hospital, they found Ricardo awake. The doctor said he wouldn’t be home for a few days. The man who was on the roof was also okay. There was a detective there, called Paul Russo. He was a friend of the family’s. He showed the kids a cap. “Why, that belongs to Hammer Garson!” Juan exclaimed.
Answer these questions with your colleagues or teacher:
What happened when their mother heard an alarm?
Why did she feel like this?
Why didn’t she ask her husband to get another job?
Why didn’t the children go back home?
What happened to Ric?
What did the captain say about him?
Why did he think the fire was started by an arsonist?
What happened when they met Mr. Ozmer?
What did he think about the arsonist?
What did Mrs. Lopez do and what did she say when she heard the news?
What did the doctor say?
Who showed them a cap?
Whose cap was it?
These are some of the words that have been used in the text. Use them to complete the sentences before you hang:
There was a very big explosion and the sky was filled with red light. The gas tanks blew up and two fire fighters were knocked to the ground. The light was so bright that some people put their hands over their faces. Smoke came up in a cloud.
Captain Donovan realized they couldn’t fight the fire alone. He called Firehouse 49, and soon more fire trucks and police cars came around the corner. An ambulance took the two injured fire fighters to the hospital. After a short time the fire fighters managed to drive the fire back.
When the alarm went off, Hammer Garson gave the Lopez kids a long look, and then turned and went away. The children ran to the fire. They got there just in time to see the gas station blow up. Suddenly they saw a man. He was laughing and saying, “Good, good!”
As the flames got lower, the man turned to go. Without saying a word to each other, the children followed. They did not get too near, but they could still hear the man laughing.
When he got home, the children watched him through the open window. He was talking to a woman. He walked around, smiling and talking. The woman also laughed. The children looked at the number of the house and went back to the fire.
Answer these questions:
Why was the sky filled with a red light?
What happened to the two gas tanks?
What happened to two fire fighters?
Why did people put their hands in front of their faces?
Why did Captain Donovan call Firehouse 49?
What did the fire fighters manage to do?
Why do you think Hammer Garson gave the kids a long look?
Why did they decide to follow the man at the fire?
How could they still see the man after he entered the house?
Hammer Garson just got out of prison. The children recognized his cap because there were small blue devils all around it. He wore it day and night. Russo found it in the back yard of the old building. Juan told Russo that Hammer always said he wanted to get even with the people in the neighborhood because he went to prison for something he didn’t do. He was only 21 but had a long police record.
Mr. Ozmer took the Lopez family home. He was a very nice man. Mrs. Lopez went to bed and the children started talking. Carmen wanted to look for the arsonist, but Juan told her to leave it to the detectives. Finally she convinced him to help by just keeping their eyes open and asking questions around the neighborhood.
The next day, they met Paul Russo. He had talked to Hammer Garson, who said he had lost the cap a week ago, and claimed he hadn’t been anywhere near the fire. “We can’t arrest him without proof,” said the detective.
The children decided to follow Hammer Garson around after dark. Mr. Ozmer had said that people who set fires keep on doing it until they’re caught. They agreed not to say anything to their mother.
After dinner, the whole family went to visit Mr. Lopez in the hospital. He was going to be there for at least six days. After they got home, the children asked to go to the movies, and their mother agreed.
“I don’t like lying to her,” said Juan. “Neither do I,” said Carmen, “but you want to stop Hammer Garson, don’t you?”
Answer these questions:
Quem era Hammer Garson
Como sabiam que o boné era dele?
O que ele sempre dizia?
Quantos anos ele tinha?
Como que a família Lopez chegou em casa?
O que as crianças fizeram?
O que decidiram fazer?
O que Paul Russo falou no dia seguinte?
Por que a polícia não o prendeu?
O que as crianças decidiram fazer?
Quantos dias Ricardo ia ficar no hospital?
O que as crianças pediram sua mãe para fazer, após a janta?
Juan and Carmen knew it was wrong to have come. Their mother would start to shake every time she heard a fire alarm. Her father and brother had been fire fighters and had been killed trying to rescue people from burning buildings. But she never asked her husband to look for another job. She was proud of him and knew he thought it was the best job in the world.
But Juan and Carmen did not go back home. They were worried about their father. It seemed that no one could get out of that building!
Suddenly everybody saw Ricardo Lopez on the roof. He picked up the man and started back through the smoke. A few minutes later a fire fighter ran out from behind the building. “They’re down,” he shouted, “but Ric is hurt! He fell down the stairs!”
Carmen and Juan ran to their father, but he didn’t answer them when they talked to him. Captain Donovan told them that their father was badly hurt, but would be taken care of in the hospital. “He’s a brave man and saved the life of the man on the roof,” said the captain. “I’m sure this is a fire started by a criminal, by an arsonist. It started too quickly and we found two empty gas cans.” Then the captain told them to go home.
As the children started to leave, they met Mr. Ozmer, their friend with the electronics store. He offered to drive them home to pick up their mother and then take them to the hospital. On the way, he talked about the arsonist. “It’s not safe to live in a place with a guy like that,” he said.
When the children got home, their mother noticed immediately that something was wrong. The kids told her Ric was hurt and she started crying. “I knew this would happen sooner or later,” she said.
At the hospital, they found Ricardo awake. The doctor said he wouldn’t be home for a few days. The man who was on the roof was also okay. There was a detective there, called Paul Russo. He was a friend of the family’s. He showed the kids a cap. “Why, that belongs to Hammer Garson!” Juan exclaimed.
Answer these questions:
What happened when their mother heard an alarm?
Why did she feel like this?
Why didn’t she ask her husband to get another job?
Why didn’t the children go back home?
What happened to Ric?
What did the captain say about him?
Why did he think the fire was started by an arsonist?
What happened when they met Mr. Ozimer?
What did he think about the arsonist?
What did Mrs. Lopez do and what did she say when she heard the news?
