for fully a fortnight after his strange experience in the upper part of the city, bruce heard nothing from harry van kuren, the boy whom he had picked up by the roadside and conveyed home. he had hoped, at first, that their chance acquaintance might develop into a permanent friendship, for since his arrival in the city he had associated entirely with the men in the fire company and, boy like, he was beginning to pine for the companionship of lads of his own age. two or three times he had thought of writing a note to harry to ask him how his foot was getting along, but he had hesitated, for fear he should be looked upon as endeavoring to intrude upon a boy whose condition in life was, he could not help feeling, very much better than his own. so bruce, who was an independent, self-respecting lad, determined to let the other make the first advance, if he desired to continue the acquaintance.
one morning, however, about a fortnight after the first meeting of the two boys, bruce was surprised and delighted to see harry march 61into the quarters and come straight up to where he was sitting.
“i suppose you thought i was never coming down here to see you,” said the visitor as he shook bruce heartily by the hand, “but the fact is when my father got home that night and found that i had been out without his leave, he put me on bounds for two weeks and said if he caught me going out without permission he would lock me up in the house. i was going to write to you, but writing is an awful bother, so i thought i’d wait until i got off the limit and then come down here and make you a call.”
bruce was heartily glad to see his visitor, and frankly told him so, mentioning also the fact that he had almost given up hope of hearing from him again.
“oh i never forget my friends,” said harry “and here’s a letter from my father inviting you come up and spend the afternoon with us to-day.”
with these words he produced from the inside pocket of his jacket a polite and formal letter addressed to bruce decker, esq., and signed “horace van kuren,” in which the writer hoped that mr. decker would honor him with his company at dinner that evening, in 62order that he might thank him for the kindness shown to his son some time before.
bruce felt staggered at the idea of dining in that great, beautiful house, and at first did not know what reply to make; then he bethought him of charley weyman and accordingly went up stairs and submitted the letter to him. the latter read it carefully and then said: “you had better go by all means, it’s a good chance for you to get acquainted with those people and they can’t do you any harm.”
“but” said the boy in a diffident, hesitating way, “i’m almost afraid to go up there because i haven’t got any clothes nice enough. this is the best suit i’ve got, and that boy harry is togged out in beautiful things, and i feel ashamed to go along with him, because of the contrast between us.”
“nonsense! he wasn’t ashamed to ride in the chief’s wagon the other day, was he?”
“why no,” replied the boy, “i never thought of it then, and i don’t think he did either. anyway he didn’t say anything about it, and now he’s come down to see me, and his father has asked me up to visit them.”
“you’d better go with him,” said the fireman, “and my opinion is that they’ll take you just as you are. anyway, you can tell by the 63way they treat you, particularly by the way this boy treats you, whether they are the right sort of people or not.”
bruce accordingly went to chief trask, showed him the letter, and asked his permission to go with the boy, and having received it—and it was granted all the more willingly because he was always obedient and industrious himself, and seldom asked any favors,—he carefully washed his hands and face, brushed his clothes and shoes and made ready to start.
meantime harry had been examining everything in the building with much interest, and he now called to the other boy to explain to him how the alarms came in, and how the men got off to the fire when they heard the gong. all this was now an old story to the young fire boy who had so familiarized himself with every detail that he was able to give his new friend a complete and graphic description of the workings of the system.
harry wanted to stay until an alarm was sent in so that he might see the company start, but when he found that it might be necessary to wait two days for a fire to occur in their district he gave the plan up, and they started off together. bruce was relieved to see that in spite of his fine clothes, and generally stylish 64appearance young van kuren treated him with as much courtesy as it is possible for one boy to show to another and, so far from making any remarks about their difference in dress, did not seem to notice what sort of a coat his companion wore. as a matter of fact, harry did notice the coat with its rather shabby sleeves and a good many other little things, for he was a quick-witted observant boy, but he was too well-bred to make any remarks on the subject. indeed it would be hard to find anywhere a boy of better breeding than this spoiled, willful, impulsive child of luxury, who was always getting into trouble of one sort or another, was always doing thoughtless and foolish things, and yet was liked by every one who knew him. when he noticed bruce’s coat, it suggested to him, not the idea of making fun of it, but the wish that he could get him another without hurting his feelings.
both boys were in high spirits as they trudged along, the one because he had at last found a companion of his own age, the other because he saw a chance to mingle on familiar terms with the men of the fire department, and perhaps to even ride to a fire on the truck with the rest of the company. the new york boy of to-day knows no higher ambition than to 65join the fire department and ride to fires on the swift rolling engine, and harry van kuren was a new york boy through and through.
“watch me scare that dutchman!” he cried as they drew near a basement beer saloon, at the door of which a corpulent german was peacefully dozing. a pile of kegs stood on the top of a short flight of steps, and with a warning cry of “look out dutchy!” harry toppled the heap over and then seizing his comrade by the hand ran for dear life. the saloon keeper pursued them for a few yards and then gave up the chase, while harry much elated by his exploit looked around for some other victim for his practical humor.
bruce, accustomed as he was to the rigid discipline maintained by chief trask, was horrified at his companion’s idea of sport, and was glad enough when they reached the elevated station without any further adventures.
a little girl not more than thirteen years old, was standing by the front gate of mr. van kuren’s house when the two boys entered; she had blue eyes, a profusion of light hair, which she wore in a single braid down her back, and was altogether extremely pretty and attractive.
66“you’ll catch it when you get into the house,” she remarked to harry, with a knowing wag of her head.
“what for?” he demanded.
“for going off without letting mr. reed know.”
“oh, bother!” said the boy, “i forgot all about him. he’s my tutor, you see,” he added, turning to bruce, “and this is my sister laura.”
bruce took off his cap and bowed politely to the young girl, and she held out her hand and said, without any apparent reserve or shyness, “i saw you the other day when you brought harry home; why didn’t you drive up in your wagon to-day? it must be fun to be a fireman; i wish you’d tell me all about it. harry, you’d better go in the house and see mr. reed right off; he’s hopping mad, and if he don’t get over it before papa comes back, you’ll be locked up for another fortnight. harry is always getting locked up,” she continued, turning to the visitor, who was listening with considerable surprise to this frank conversation between the brother and sister.
harry disappeared into the house, saying that he would be out as soon as he had “squared himself with the professor,” and 67laura took bruce off to show him the stable where her pony was, and the barns and sheds in which were kept cows, pigs, dogs, and even a pair of goats.
