when one is young and life still seems new and fresh and full of bright, ever-changing hues, a few months seem a long period, and one that often brings with it many changes.
and so the year that the van kuren children spent abroad was not without its effect upon them. during that time they had travelled through england, france, italy and germany, and, under the guidance of their father and their tutor, had learned much of the countries through which they passed, and of the history and customs of the different people. with minds naturally bright and retentive, both harry and laura had derived much more profit from their journeyings in foreign lands than most people do, and although they had seen so much and enjoyed so many things, they were both heartily glad to return to their own country.
it was on a bright, sunny morning in the early winter that the steamer in which mr. van kuren had taken passage for himself and 303family, sailed up the superb harbor of new york, while the two children stood on the deck, almost screaming with delight as they recognized such familiar landmarks as the brooklyn bridge, trinity steeple, the produce exchange, and even caught a distant glimpse of the palisades. a tall column of smoke rising from the heart of the great city caught their eye.
“what makes that smoke?” said harry, to his tutor who was standing beside him.
“i don’t know,” replied mr. reed, doubtfully, “but i think it must be a fire. yes, the smoke is growing denser every moment and now we can see bits of flame in it too.”
“i wonder if bruce decker is there, helping to put it out,” exclaimed harry, impulsively. “i tell you it must be grand to be running to the fires all the time. i wonder how bruce is getting along, anyway. don’t you think it’s funny we haven’t heard a word from him?”
laura did not reply at first but seemed to be interested only in looking intently at the familiar features of the scene about her, but when harry repeated his question she remarked carelessly, “oh i suppose he’s too much occupied with his own affairs to bother about us. anyway, harry, it is not necessary 304for us to see him any more. he is very well in his way, but not nearly so refined and elegant in his manners as those children we used to play with in paris. just compare him with little victor dufait for example. why victor was the politest boy i ever saw in my life, and it would be a good thing for bruce, and you too, to copy his manners.”
“well i’d rather copy bruce than that little frog-eating frenchman, any day!” cried harry. “you think he’s all right just because he bows and scrapes and grins every time he sees you coming. but if you were to play with him and the rest of those fellows, as i did, you’d soon find out that they’re not half as nice as they seem. besides, i’ll bet that bruce could lick any two of them with one hand tied behind his back.”
“well, there are better things than being able to lick other boys, even with both hands tied behind your back,” rejoined laura, “and i think that victor is one of the nicest boys i ever met.”
“well, you can have him for all i care, but i’d like to see bruce again, and as soon as we get ashore i’m going down to hunt him up.”
“you will do nothing of the sort, harry,” interjected mr. reed, in a tone of quiet determination. 305“you may remember, perhaps, that your father has forbidden you to have anything to do with that young decker, and i am quite sure that you at least, laura, have not forgotten the circumstances which led to his making that rule. so i particularly caution you not to set your hearts upon renewing an acquaintance which your father does not consider a desirable one, and my advice is not to mention the matter in his presence.”
the tutor’s words ended all discussion of the young fireman, and very soon afterwards the children went down stairs to make their final preparations for landing. laura had been partly in earnest in what she said about bruce. she had made the acquaintance of several boys of foreign parentage during their stay in paris, and had been greatly impressed with their polished manners and glib tongues. victor dufait, whom her brother despised, was a lad well calculated to awaken the admiration of any girl unused to superficial elegance of manners. always handsomely dressed and neat in his appearance, he was to all outward appearances as gentlemanly and modest a lad, as one could hope to meet, but the boys who played with him knew that his politeness was, as they expressed it, “all put 306on,” and that among lads of his own age, or younger, he could be selfish, ill-natured, and vindictive. many a time had harry, while playing with him and other boys of his sort, thought regretfully of the manly, good-natured, and companionable bruce decker, who, although of much more humble origin than the little foreigner, possessed a much truer breeding—that which comes from a good heart and kindly intentions.
from the steamer mr. van kuren and his family went directly to a large and fashionable hotel on broadway, intending to remain there until their own house could be repaired and put in thorough order. the children continued their studies under the direction of their tutor and an english governess, who had accompanied them home from london, and every afternoon went out to walk in the streets. sometimes harry and mr. reed enjoyed long strolls along the river front, where the boy never wearied of looking at the great ships and little fishing sloops, as they lay at the docks, and sometimes the two went down into the poorer portions of the town, where mr. reed pointed out to him the habitations of different races of people, and explained to him their curious modes of living.
307sometimes laura accompanied them, when they walked along the principal avenues or through central park, but as a general thing she went out with her governess, and sometimes invited some young girl of her own age to accompany her. she was walking in this way one afternoon, talking to a richly dressed young girl, and accompanied by the prim-looking governess, when her young companion drew her attention to the fact that some one was trying to attract her attention. laura looked up hastily and beheld bruce decker standing with his hat in his hand and a rosy flush on his cheeks almost in front of her. the governess was looking in wonder at the presuming young man, and the young girl beside her was beginning to laugh, for to tell the truth, bruce presented an appearance that was not at all like that of little victor dufait.
“how do you do, i did not know you were back from europe,” began the boy. but to his amazement laura, who had always treated him in a most friendly manner, simply stared him in the face, bowed to him very coldly, and then walked on with her eyes turned in another direction, and a look in her face that was anything but pleasant or cordial. and as she passed on she realized that the boy 308was standing stock still on the pavement behind her, amazed beyond expression at the way in which he had been treated. she knew, moreover, that what with her annoyance at her companion’s sneers, and her fear lest the english governess should tell her father of the chance meeting, she had treated bruce with a degree of harshness, which she never intended, and she would have given almost anything—at least it seemed so to her at that moment—to have been able to live the past few minutes over again.
it is no easy task to describe bruce decker’s feelings, as he stood in the middle of the pavement on fifth avenue, and watched the retreating form of the young girl, whose friendship he had once prized so highly. his cheeks grew redder and redder, as he thought of the glance she had given him, and the insolence of her manner. then he glanced down on his clothes, and his hands reddened and hardened with toil, and said to himself, “well, i suppose i’m not stylish enough to suit her now that she’s been across the water, and mixed up with all sorts of foreign people.” it seemed very hard to the boy, however, that he should be despised just because he did not wear fashionable clothes, and he 309said to himself with some bitterness of spirit, “i suppose i could rig myself up in fine style for less than a hundred dollars, and be as good a dude as any of them.”
it was with this feeling in his heart that he walked slowly away, and then—for his brain did not stop working merely because of some trifling rebuff—it occurred to him that if there was only a hundred dollars difference between him and a dude, the obstacle was not an impossible one to surmount, and that a few years of hard work would convert him into a very superior quality of dude, and would thus enable him to regain the friendship and esteem which he was positive miss van kuren once entertained for him. with this cheerful view of the case he lifted his head bravely, and walked on toward the truck quarters with swift and resolute steps. he said nothing to his friend charles weyman in regard to his chance meeting. in fact, he did all he could to forget it himself, but he had been too deeply wounded to put all recollection of the young girl’s coldness to him aside, and the memory of that chance meeting rankled in his breast for many weeks.