ace had suddenly paled.

"Were my father an' mother killed?" he exclaimed.

"No, Ralph, they were not killed. They were injured, but they
recovered in good time."

"Are they alive now? where are they?" asked the boy, rising suddenly
from his chair.

"Be patient, Ralph! be patient! we will get to that in time. Be seated
and answer my question. Do you know how you were saved?"

"No, sir; I don't."

"Well, my boy," said the lawyer, impressively, pointing his finger
toward Craft, "there is the man who saved you. He was on the train. He
rushed into the wreck at the risk of his life, and drew you from the
car window. In another minute it would have been too late. He fell
back into the river holding you in his arms, but he saved you from
both fire and water. The effort and exposure of that night brought on
the illness that has resulted in the permanent loss of his health, and
left him in the condition in which you now see him."

Ralph looked earnestly at old Simon, who still sat, quiet and
speechless, chuckling to himself, and wishing, in his heart, that he
could tell a story as smoothly and impressively as Lawyer Sharpman.

"An' do I owe my life to him?" asked the boy. "Wouldn't I 'a' been
saved if he hadn't 'a' saved me?"

"It is not at all probable," replied Sharpman. "The flames had already
reached you, and your clothing was on fire when you were drawn from
the car."

It was hard for Ralph to believe in any heroic or unselfish conduct on
the part of Simon Craft; but as he felt the force of the story, and
thought of the horrors of a death by fire, he began to relent toward
the old man, and was ready to condone the harsh treatment that he had
suffered at his hands.

"I'm sure I'm much obliged to 'im," he said, "I'm much obliged to 'im,
even if he did use me very bad afterwards."

"But you must remember, Ralph, that Mr. Craft was very poor, and he
was ill and irritable, and your high temper and stubborn ways annoyed
him greatly. But he never ceased to have your best interests at heart,
and he was in constant search of your parents, in order to restore you
to them. Do you remember that he used often to be away from home?"

"Yes, sir, he used to go an' leave me with ole Sally."

"Well, he was away searching for your friends. He continued the search
for five years, and at last he found your father and mother. He
hurried back to Philadelphia to get you and bring you to your parents,
as the best means of breaking