“I’d like to know what’s come over that boy lately,” said Tom Brophy, one morning, as he pointed to Bruce, who was standing idly by the wall with his broom in his hand gazing vacantly into space instead of attending to his work.
“I don’t know,” rejoined Weyman, “but my opinion is that he’s in love. When he first came here, he was as active and steady a lad as one would expect to see, but within a fortnight or so he has changed tremendously. You see he got acquainted with a young chap up town, and he’s been up there two or three times to visit him. This other boy’s father is well fixed, and the first time Bruce went up there he came back crazy over the big house and the servants and horses and all the rest of it. He’ll make a big mistake if he tries to fly too high.”
“Well, all I’ve got to say is this,” observed Brophy, “that if he don’t mind his eye he’ll have the chief jumping on him some day with both feet, and when the chief jumps on a man he’s liable to know it.”
117Both Weyman and Brophy were right in regard to the young boy. He had altered materially since his acquaintance with Harry and Laura Van Kuren. It had made him dissatisfied to see children of his own age living in the style that he had never dreamt of before, and he could not help asking himself why it was that he, Bruce Decker, should be obliged to look after horses, and run errands for the chief of a fire battalion while Harry, who was neither better nor cleverer than he was, had a pony of his own to ride, wore good clothes every day, and in short, lived upon the very fat of the land; and this problem, which he put to himself very often now, always led him to speculate as to his own origin, and to wonder whether Laura could be right in her belief that he was being unjustly kept out of innumerable good things that rightfully belonged to him.
Charley Weyman, who was a close observer and took a deep interest in the son of his old friend, was right in his surmise that Bruce was in love, although the boy himself would have been very much surprised if he had been told of it. Never in all his life had he met any girl as pretty, as well-bred and as charming as Laura Van Kuren. She seemed to him to have no fault, except perhaps her habit of quarreling 118with her brother, but that was an occurrence of such frequency that Bruce had become accustomed to it and was no longer surprised when the two children fell out. He had noticed, too, that they never “stayed mad” with one another, to use an expressive phrase in vogue among children, and although he had once seen Laura so far forget the ethics of society as to hurl a half a brick at her brother’s head, he noticed that within five minutes afterward they were playing together as happily as if nothing had happened. And then what boy could resist a girl who took as deep an interest in him as Laura did in the young fireman?
Why, she even took a much deeper interest in solving what she called, quoting from one of her favorite romances “the mystery that shrouded his birth” than he did himself, and if it had not been for her active co-operation and sympathy he was sure that the incident of the old doorway of the Dexter mansion would have passed from his mind without his making any effort to learn its significance.
Moreover, the novelty of life in the great city was beginning to wear off, and he could not deny that his work at quarters was becoming a trifle irksome to him. It was always the same thing, rubbing down the horses, cleaning out 119their stalls, waiting in the building while the men were away and now and then doing an errand for Chief Trask or Charley Weyman. He had not even been allowed to go to a fire since the important day when he drove the truck down to the tenement house region and beheld for the first time the tall man with the black beard and the scarred face.
He was thinking of all these things and some others besides as he stood leaning against the wall with his broom in his hand, and as he resumed his work with a discontented sigh, he determined to take the first opportunity to go up town and ask Mr. Dexter about the man with whom he had seen him driving. He had to wait nearly a week before he could get an afternoon off, and a very long week it seemed to him, too. Finally, one bright afternoon saw him speeding northward on the elevated railroad, his face bright at the prospect of seeing Laura and his heart beating with excitement as he thought of the interview which he had planned.
He had determined to go at first to the Van Kuren’s, because Laura had charged him so solemnly not to do anything in the matter without first consulting her, that he felt that it would be absolute treachery on his part to ask the all-important 120question unless he had first obtained her permission.
Descending the steps of the elevated station, he started at a brisk walk in the direction of his friend’s house, and what was his surprise and delight on turning the first corner to find himself face to face with both children who, accompanied by Mr. Reed, the tutor, were just starting for a long walk. They hailed him with boisterous delight and Bruce, having first bowed with much deference to Mr. Reed, of whom he stood in considerable awe, shook hands with both Laura and Harry and told them that he was just on his way to call on them.
“We are just going out for a walk Master Decker,” said Mr. Reed, “and we would be very ............