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.”
383bruce 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.
mr. van kuren then gazed intently not only at the slight patch of grey, but also at the boy’s honest, intelligent face and continued: “if you had a picture of your father—”
“why there’s one here, sir,” exclaimed bruce, as he led the way to a large photograph of a group of firemen, in which his father was one.
“there is no sort of a doubt about it,” said mr. van kuren as his eye fell upon the portrait of frank decker, “and i am very glad to congratulate you, my boy, on your good fortune.”
“i wish you would tell me what all this means,” exclaimed bruce excitedly, “for to-morrow i’m going to start for england, and if i have any good fortune i would like to enjoy it at once.”
“i can tell you in a very few words my boy,” replied mr. van kuren. “your father’s name was dexter, not decker. and he was 384the son of an old gentleman who lives not far from me in the upper part of the city and whom you have met i believe. through the cunning and deceit of one of the most treacherous scoundrels whom i have ever known your father became estranged from your grandfather, and i suppose took the name of decker because he did not wish to have his old friends know what he was doing. he and i were boys together and although it is more than twenty years since i last saw him, i can readily recognize him in that picture. it was through the merest accident that your grandfather came to suspect your identity and the fact that you can dimly remember the house and grounds uptown, convinces me that you must have been taken there in your early childhood. very likely your father went up there from time to time in order to re-visit unobserved the scenes of his boyhood. well, you must come at once for your grandfather is waiting to see you.”
to say that bruce was surprised at what he heard is but a mild way of expressing the sensations that filled his breast as he listened to the words of his father’s old friend. it would be nearer the truth to say that he was stunned by the recital. he said nothing however, but put 385on his coat in a dazed manner and was about to accompany mr. van kuren uptown without even stopping to obtain permission of his superior, when he stopped suddenly and said, “but i am going away to-morrow to england to get a fortune that was left to my father and which through his death has come to me. perhaps you can tell me what relatives i have over there.”
“relatives in england!” cried mr. van kuren, “i know your family, root and branch, my boy, and you have absolutely no connections in england, that is to say not on your father’s side. who told you about this fortune and advised you to go and get it?”
“i was told about it by a man whose real name i think is dexter, and who keeps a sort of a loan office in eldridge street.”
“i think i understand it all now,” said mr. van kuren significantly, “that man was the same one who made the trouble between your father and all his friends, and i have no doubt he will be very glad to get you out of the way in order that he may inherit all of your grandfather’s property. did he kindly offer to pay your fare to england?”
“yes, sir,” replied the boy, “and he told me it might be necessary for me to stay there a 386month or two, during which time he would pay all my expenses.”
“yes, it would serve his purpose very well to get you out of the way for two or three months and then levy blackmail on your grandfather. but thank heaven there is time to put a stop to that.”
“hey, boss,” said a piping voice, and bruce turned round to find skinny the swiper standing beside him with his face and clothes as grimy as if he had been working all night at a fire. he was panting with the exertion of a swift run, and as soon as he could regain his breath he said, “i was up ter dat hotel fire last night, an’ dat scar-faced charley got burnt up. dey jest dragged him outter de ashes an’ i seen his body.”
“what, dead!” exclaimed bruce, and then turning to mr. van kuren he said, “that man who wanted me to go to england was burnt up in the big fire last night. i never knew that he lived in that hotel.”
“he probably went there when his uncle turned him out of doors,” explained mr. van kuren, and then added, “well, he is dead now and it is best to let his faults be buried with him. we will go up now and see your grandfather.”
387the meeting between the fine old gentleman and his newly found grandson was an affecting one. mr. dexter’s eyes brightened and his cheeks flushed when he heard of bruce’s bravery at the fire, and it was with no small pride that he introduced the boy to his friends and the members of his household as his grandson, the son of his dearly beloved son, frank.
“and now, my boy,” said the old gentleman, after they had had a long and affectionate talk together, “if you will go into the drawing-room you will find someone there, i think, who wishes to see you.”
bruce did as he was desired, and as he entered the room a young girl rose from her seat by the window and came towards him holding out both hands. “can you ever forgive me, bruce, for the way i treated you that day?”
those who have followed the fortunes of the young fire lad as described in this book do not need to be told that there was no room in his magnanimous heart for any feeling of resentment toward the young girl who stood before him now. nor is it necessary to say that the whole of the van kuren family received bruce with every manifestation of gratitude and with assurances that henceforth he was to consider himself as one of their own flesh and blood. 388but in his new sphere, as the grandson and heir of the aristocratic and kindly old gentleman whose name he was now to bear, bruce did not forget the friends who had been kind to him during his days of service at the hook and ladder quarters. and one of the first things that he did after he had been installed in the big house near the harlem river was to send substantial tokens of his regard to chief trask, charley weyman, tom brophy and mr. dewsnap.
nor was skinny the swiper forgotten. and when the little newsboy started for the wolcott homestead dressed in a neat new suit of clothes and wearing, for perhaps the first time in his life, a new and fashionable hat, very few of those who had associated with him in new york would have recognized him.
“well,” remarked chief trask to tom brophy as the two sat together at the quarters, “the boy deserves all his good luck, but you mark my words, you’ll see him back in the department again before he’s a year older. he’s just like his father, a fireman born and bred.”
