“I wonder if it could have been that young girl who was saved by that young friend of yours,” exclaimed one of Mr. Dewsnap’s companions, none other than the honorable Mr. Rupert Doubter who has already been introduced to our readers, and was now an enthusiastic admirer of and believer in the New York Fire Department.
“Very likely, indeed,” cried Mr. Dewsnap excitedly. “She seemed to be a young girl of about fifteen, and she was lowered from a window in the fifth floor by a young friend of mine and very proud we all are of him, too. The child had been left in the care of her governess, who slept in an adjoining room and was found lying on the floor unconscious from the effect of the smoke. She had probably started to go into the next room and awaken her young charge and had fallen down, overcome by the dense clouds of smoke. Both she and the young girl were taken to that hotel on the next block and are probably there now, but really, if you could have seen the way that boy—” but Mr. Van Kuren was already on his way to the hotel and out of hearing.
Ten minutes later he was standing in one of the rooms in the hotel with his child clasped tightly in his arms and she was saying to him: “Oh, papa, if it had not been for him I would have been burnt up. I had just given myself up for lost when he came up the ladder, put a rope around my waist and let me down. I cannot bear to think of the way we have treated him and especially the way I treated him when I met him in the street the other day.” And Laura hid her head in her father’s breast and sobbed aloud.
“Treated whom? My darling,” demanded Mr. Van Kuren. “Who was it that saved you?”
“Why, Bruce Decker, papa. Who else could it be?”
Chapter XXXXI.
Down at Chief Trask’s quarters Bruce was quietly resting after the excitement and fatigue of the night before, when to his surprise he saw Mr. Van Kuren cross the threshold, and he was even more surprised when that gentleman seized him by the hand and with an emotion that showed itself in his voice as well as his face, thanked him for his heroism in saving Laura from the flames. The young boys cheeks burned as he listened to the older man’s expressions of praise and gratitude. He had been so accustomed to hearing of and sometimes seeing deeds of gallantry that it had not occurred to him that he had done anything remarkable. That it had been his good fortune to render a great service to Laura Van Kuren was enough for him, and he wanted no other reward than her gratitude.
“And now, Bruce,” said Mr. Van Kuren, “there is a matter of some importance which I wish to discuss with you. Will you please tell me what you know about your father’s family, and what sort of a looking man your father was.”
Bruce replied as best he could, and then Mr. Van Kuren went on: “Do you remember if your father had a little grey patch on the back of his head?”
“Yes, sir, and so have I,” replied the boy readily, as he took off his hat and turned partly around.