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. 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.”