Ben, the Luggage Boy; Or, Among the Wharves
Chapter 26
THE PRODIGAL'S RETURN.
On Sunday evening, Ben, in company with his sister, her husband, and Charles, attended a sacred concert in Steinway Hall. As he stepped within the vestibule, he saw two street boys outside, whom he knew well. Their attire was very similar to that which he had himself worn until the day before. They looked at Ben, but never thought of identifying him with the baggage-smasher with whom they had often bunked together.
"See what it is," thought Ben, "to be well dressed and have fashionable friends."
As he sat in a reserved seat but a little distance from the platform, surrounded by well-dressed people, he was sometimes tempted to doubt whether he was the same boy who a few days before was wandering about the streets, a friendless outcast. The change was so complete and wonderful that he seemed to himself a new boy. But he enjoyed the change. It seemed a good deal pleasanter resting in the luxurious bedchamber, which he shared with Charles at his sister's house, than the chance accommodations to which he had been accustomed.
On Monday he started for Philadelphia, on his journey home.
We will precede him.
Mrs. Brandon sat in an arm-chair before the fire, knitting. She was not old, but care and sorrow had threaded her dark hair with silver, and on her brow there were traces of a sorrow patiently borne, but none the less deeply felt. She had never recovered from the loss of her son. Her daughter Mary had inherited something of her father's self-contained, undemonstrative manner; but Ben had been impulsive and affectionate, and had always been very near his mother's heart. To feel that he had passed from her sight was a great sorrow; but it was a greater still not to know where he was. He might be suffering pain or privation; he might have fallen into bad and vicious habits for aught she knew. It would have been a relief, though a sad one, to know that he was dead. But nothing whatever had been heard of him since the letter of which the reader is already aware.
Since Mary's marriage Mrs. Brandon had been very much alone. Her husband was so taciturn and reserved that he was not much company for her; so she was left very much to her own thoughts, and these dwelt often upon Ben, though six years had elapsed since he left home.
"If I could see him once more," she often said to herself, "I could die in peace."
So Mrs. Brandon was busily thinking of Ben on that Monday afternoon, as she sat knitting before the fire; little thinking that God had heard her prayer, and that the son whom she so longed to see was close at hand. He was even then coming up the gravelled walk that led to the house.
It may be imagined that Ben's heart beat with unwonted excitement, as the scenes of his early boyhood once more appeared before him. A thousand boyish memories returned to him, as he trod the familiar street. He met persons whom he knew, but they showed no recognition of him. Six years had wrought too great a change in him.
He rang the bell.
The summons was answered by the servant, the only one employed in Mrs. Brandon's modest establishment.
"Is Mrs. Brandon at home?" asked Ben.
"Yes," answered the girl. "Will you walk in?"
Ben stepped into the entry, and the girl opened the door of the room in which Mrs. Brandon was seated.
Mrs. Brandon looked up.
She saw standing at the door a well-grown lad of sixteen, with a face browned by long exposure to the sun and air. It was six years since she had seen Ben; but in spite of the changes which time may have wrought, a mother's heart is not easily deceived. A wild hope sprang up in her heart. She tried to rise from her chair, but her excite was so great that her limbs refused their office.
"Mother!" exclaimed Ben, and, hurrying forward he threw his arms around his mother's neck.
"God be thanked!" she exclaimed, with heartfelt gratitude. "I have missed you so much, Ben."
Ben's heart reproached him as he saw the traces of sorrow upon his mother's face, and felt that he had been the cause.
"Forgive me, mother!" he said.
"It is all forgotten now. I am so happy!" she answered, her eyes filled with joyful tears.
They sat down together, and Ben began to tell his story. In the midst of it his father entered. He stopped short when he saw Ben sitting beside his mother.
"It is Ben come back," said his mother, joyfully.
Mr. Brandon did not fall on his son's neck and kiss him. That was not his way. He held out his hand, and said, "Benjamin, I am very glad to see you."
In the evening they talked together over the new plans which Ben's return suggested.
"You must stay with us, Ben," said his mother. "I cannot part with you now."
"I am getting old, Benjamin," said his father. "I need help in my business. You must stay and help me, and by and by you shall have the whole charge of it."
"I am afraid I don't know enough," said Ben. "I haven't studied any since I left home. I don't know as much as I did when I was ten."
"You shall study at home for a year," said his father. "The teacher of the academy shall give you private lessons. You can learn a great deal in a year if you set about it."
To this arrangement Ben acceded. He is now studying at home, and his abilities being excellent, and his ambition excited, is making remarkable progress. Next year he will assist his father. Mr. Brandon seems to have changed greatly. He is no longer stern and hard, but gentle and forbearing, and is evidently proud of Ben, who would run a chance of being spoiled by over-indulgence, if his hard discipline as a street boy had not given him a manliness and self-reliance above his years. He is gradually laying aside the injurious habits which he acquired in his street life, and I confidently hope for him a worthy and useful manhood.
From time to time Ben visits New York, and renews his intimacy with his Cousin Charles, who returns his warm affection. Charles, in turn, spends the summer at Cedarville, where they are inseparable.
So we bid farewell to Ben, the Luggage Boy, hoping that he may be able to repay his mother in part for the sorrow which his long absence occasioned her, and that she may live long to enjoy his society. To my young readers, who have received my stories of street life with so much indulgence, I bid a brief farewell, hoping to present them ere long the sixth volume of the Ragged Dick Series, under the title of
RUFUS AND ROSE;
Or,
THE FORTUNES OF ROUGH AND READY.
* * * * *
FAMOUS ALGER BOOKS.
RAGGED DICK SERIES. By HORATIO ALGER, JR. 6 vols. 12mo. Cloth.
RAGGED DICK. ROUGH AND READY. FAME AND FORTUNE. BEN THE LUGGAGE BOY. MARK THE MATCH BOY. RUFUS AND ROSE.
TATTERED TOM SERIES. By HORATIO ALGER, JR. 4 vols. 12mo. Cloth. FIRST SERIES.
TATTERED TOM. PHIL THE FIDDLER. PAUL THE PEDDLER. SLOW AND SURE.
TATTERED TOM SERIES. 4 vols. 12mo. Cloth. SECOND SERIES.
JULIUS. SAM'S CHANCE. THE YOUNG OUTLAW. THE TELEGRAPH BOY.
CAMPAIGN SERIES. By HORATIO ALGER, JR. 3 vols.
FRANK'S CAMPAIGN. CHARLIE CODMAN'S CRUISE. PAUL PRESCOTT'S CHARGE.
LUCK AND PLUCK SERIES. By HORATIO ALGER, JR. 4 vols. 12mo. Cloth. FIRST SERIES.
LUCK AND PLUCK. STRONG AND STEADY. SINK OR SWIM. STRIVE AND SUCCEED.
LUCK AND PLUCK SERIES. 4 vols. 12mo. Cloth. SECOND SERIES.
TRY AND TRUST. RISEN FROM THE RANKS. BOUND TO RISE. HERBERT CARTER'S LEGACY.
BRAVE AND BOLD SERIES. By HORATIO ALGER, JR. 4 vols. 12mo. Cloth.
BRAVE AND BOLD. SHIFTING FOR HIMSELF. JACK'S WARD. WAIT AND HOPE.
PACIFIC SERIES. By HORATIO ALGER, JR. 4 vols. 12mo.
THE YOUNG ADVENTURER. THE YOUNG EXPLORERS. THE YOUNG MINER. BEN'S NUGGET.
ATLANTIC SERIES. By HORATIO ALGER, JR. 4 vols.
THE YOUNG CIRCUS RIDER. HECTOR'S INHERITANCE. DO AND DARE. HELPING HIMSELF.
WAY TO SUCCESS SERIES. By HORATIO ALGER, JR. 4 vols. 12mo. Cloth.
BOB BURTON. LUKE WALTON. THE STORE BOY. STRUGGLING UPWARD.
NEW WORLD SERIES. By HORATIO ALGER, JR. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth. DIGGING FOR GOLD. FACING THE WORLD. IN A NEW WORLD.
Other Volumes in Preparation.
* * * * *
COPYRIGHT BY A. K. LORING, 1870.
COPYRIGHT BY HORATIO ALGER, JR., 1898.
=The Roundabout Library=
For
=Young People=
THIS WELL-KNOWN SERIES OF BOOKS is recognized as the best library of Copyright Books for young people, sold at popular prices.
THE AUTHORS represented in the Roundabout Library are not only the best well-known writers of juvenile literature, but the titles listed comprise the best writings of these authors.
OVER 100 TITLES are now in this Library and all new titles will be selected with the same care as in the past, for stories that are not only entertaining but equally _instructive_ and _elevating_. This respect for wholesome juvenile literature is what has made and kept the _Roundabout Library better than any other library of books for Boys and Girls._
OUR AIM is to maintain the supremacy of these books over all others _from every viewpoint_, and to make the superior features so apparent that those who have once read one, will always return to the Roundabout Library for more.
=_Bound In Extra Cloth, with gold title and appropriate cover designs stamped in colors, attractive and durable, printed on the best paper from large clear type. Illustrated, 12mo._=
PRICE PER VOLUME, $.75
Catalogue mailed on application to the Publishers.
THE JOHN C. WINSTON CO., Publishers PHILADELPHIA
ROUNDABOUT LIBRARY
FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
Selected from the works of Alger, Castlemon, Ellis, Stephens, Henty, Mrs. Lillie and other writers.
Price, per volume, $0.75
=Across Texas.= =Adventures in Canada; or, Life in the Woods.= By John C. Geikie.
=Alison's Adventures.= By Lucy C. Lillie.
=American Family Robinson, The; or, The Adventures of a Family Lost in the Great Desert of the West.= By W. D. Belisle.
=Bear Hunters of the Rocky Mountains, The.= By Anne Bowman.
=Ben's Nugget; or, A Boy's Search for a Fortune.= By Horatio Alger, Jr.
=Bob Burton; or, the Young Ranchman of the Missouri.= By Horatio Alger, Jr.
=Bonnie Prince Charlie; A Tale of Fontenoy and Culloden.= By G. A. Henty.
=Brave Billy.= By Edward S. Ellis.
=Brave Tom; or, The Battle that Won.= By Edward S. Ellis.
=By England's Aid; or, The Freeing of the Netherlands (1585-1604).= By G. A. Henty.
=By Pike and Dyke; A Tale of the Rise of the Dutch Republic.= By G. A. Henty.
=By Right of Conquest; or, With Cortez in Mexico.= By G. A. Henty.
=By Love's Sweet Rule.= By Gabrielle Emelie Jackson.
=Cabin in the Clearing, The.= A Tale of the Frontier. By Edward S. Ellis.
=Camping Out, As Recorded by "Kit."= By C. A. Stephens.
=Camp in the Foothills, The.= By Harry Castlemon.
ROUNDABOUT LIBRARY (Continued)
Price, per volume,$0.75
=Cornet of Horse, The.= A Tale of Marlborough's Wars. By G. A. Henty.
=Cruise of the Firefly.= By Edward S. Ellis.
=Dear Days, A Story of Washington School Life.= By Ada Mickle.
=Diccon the Bold.= A Story of the Days of Columbus. By John Russell Coryell.
=Do and Dare; or, A Brave Boy's Fight for Fortune.= By Horatio Alger, Jr.
=Dog Crusoe, The.= A Tale of the Western Prairies. By R. M. Ballantyne.
=Dog of Cotopaxi, The.= By Hezekiah Butterworth.
=Doris and Theodora.= By Margaret Vandegrift.
=Dr. Gilbert's Daughters.= By Margaret H. Matthews.
=Dragon and the Raven, The; or, The Days of King Alfred.= By G. A. Henty.
=Elam Storm, the Wolfer; or, The Lost Nugget.= By Harry Castlemon.
=Elinor Belden; or, The Step Brothers.= By Lucy C. Lillie.
=Esther's Fortune.= By Lucy C. Lillie.
=Floating Treasure.= By Harry Castlemon.
=Four Little Indians.= By Ella Mary Coates.
=Family Dilemma.= By Lucy C. Lillie.
=Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands, The.= By R. M. Ballantyne.
=For Honor's Sake.= By Lucy C. Lillie.
=Four Boys; or, The Story of the Forest Fire.= By Edward S. Ellis.
=Fox Hunting, As Recorded by "Raed."= By C. A. Stephens.
=Freaks on the Fells.= By R. M. Ballantyne.
=Gascoyne, the Sandalwood Trader.= By R. M. Ballantyne.
=Girl's Ordeal, A.= By Lucy C. Lillie.
=Gorilla Hunters, The.= By R. M. Ballantyne.
=Great Cattle Trail, The.= By Edward S. Ellis.
=Hunt on Snow Shoes, A.= By Edward S. Ellis.
=Hartwell Farm, The.= By Elizabeth B. Comins.
=Hector's Inheritance; or, The Boys of Smith Institute.= By Horatio Alger, Jr.
ROUNDABOUT LIBRARY (Continued)
Price, per volume,$0.75
=Helen Glenn; or, My Mother's Enemy.= By Lucy C. Lillie.
=Helping Himself; or, Grant Thornton's Ambition.= By Horatio Alger, Jr.
=Honest Ned.= By Edward S. Ellis.
=Haunted Mine, The.= By Harry Castlemon.
=In Freedom's Cause.= A Story of Wallace and Bruce. By G. A. Henty.
=In the Reign of Terror; The Adventures of a Westminster Boy.= By G. A. Henty.
=Jack Midwood; or, Bread Cast Upon the Waters.= By Edward S. Ellis.
=Joe Wayring at Home; or, The Adventures of a Fly Rod.= By Harry Castlemon.
=Kangaroo Hunters, The; or, Adventures in the Bush.= By Anne Bowman.
=King's Rubies, The.= By Adelaide Fulaer Bell.
=Lady Green Satin.= By Baroness Deschesnez.
=Left on Labrador; or, The Cruise of the Yacht "Curlew."= By C. A. Stephens.
=Lena Wingo, the Mohawk.= By Edward S. Ellis.
=Lenny, the Orphan.= By Margaret Hosmer.
=Lion of the North, The. A Tale of the Times of Gustavus Adolphus.= By G. A. Henty.
=Luke Walton; or, The Chicago Newsboy.= By Horatio Alger, Jr.
=Lynx Hunting.= By C. A. Stephens.
=Limber Lew, the Circus King.= By Edward S. Ellis.
=Marion Berkley.= By Elizabeth B. Comins.
=Missing Pocket-Book, The.= By Harry Castlemon.
=Mysterious Andes, The.= By Hezekiah Butterworth.
=Northern Lights.= Stories from Swedish and Finnish Authors.
=Off to the Geysers; or, The Young Yachters in Iceland.= By C. A. Stephens.
=On the Amazon; or, The Cruise of the "Rambler."= By C. A. Stephens.
=On the Trail of the Moose.= By Edward S. Ellis.
=Orange and Green; A Tale of the Boyne and Limerick.= By G. A. Henty.
ROUNDABOUT LIBRARY (Continued)
Price, per volume,$0.75
=Oscar In Africa.= By Harry Castlemon.
=Our Boys in Panama.= By Hezekiah Butterworth.
=Our Fellows; or, Skirmishes with the Swamp Dragoons.= By Harry Castlemon.
=Path in the Ravine, The.= By Edward S. Ellis.
=Plucky Dick; or, Sowing and Reaping.= By Edward S. Ellis.
=Queen's Body Guard, The.= By Margaret Vandegrift.
=Question of Honor.= By Lynde Palmer.
=Righting the Wrong.= By Edward S. Ellis.
=River Fugitives, The.= By Edward S. Ellis.
=Romain Kalbris.= His Adventures by Sea and Shore. Translated from the French of Hector Malot.
=Rose Raymond's Wards.= By Margaret Vandegrift.
=Ruth Endicott's Way.= By Lucy C. Lillie.
=Shifting Winds; A Story of the Sea.= By R. M. Ballantyne.
=Snagged and Sunk; or, The Adventures of a Canvas Canoe.= By Harry Castlemon.
=Squire's Daughter, The.= By Lucy C. Lillie.
=Steel Horse, The; or, The Rambles of a Bicycle.= By Harry Castlemon.
=Store Boy, The; or, The Fortunes of Ben Barclay.= By Horatio Alger, Jr.
=Storm Mountain.= By Edward S. Ellis.
=Struggling Upward; or, Luke Larkin's Luck.= By Horatio Alger, Jr.
=Tam; or, Holding the Fort.= By Edward S. Ellis.
=Through Forest and Fire.= By Edward S. Ellis.
=True to the Old Flag; A Tale of the American War of Independence.= By G. A. Henty.
=Two Bequests, The; or, Heavenward Led.= By Jane R. Sommers.
=Two Ways of Becoming a Hunter.= By Harry Castlemon.
=Under Drake's Flag. A Tale of the Spanish Main.= By G. A. Henty.
=Under the Holly.= By Margaret Hosmer.
=Under the Red Flag; or, The Adventures of Two American Boys in the Days of the Commune.= By Edward King.
ROUNDABOUT LIBRARY (Continued)
Price, per volume,$0.75
=Ways and Means.= By Margaret Vandegrift.
=Where Honor Leads.= By Lynde Palmer.
=Wilderness Fugitives, The.= By Edward S. Ellis.
=Wild Man of the West, The.= By R. M. Ballantyne.
=With Clive in India; or, The Beginning of an Empire.= By G. A. Henty.
=With Wolfe in Canada; or, The Winning of a Continent.= By G. A. Henty.
=Wyoming.= By Edward S. Ellis.
=Young Adventurer, The; Tom's Trip Across the Plains.= By Horatio Alger, Jr.
=Young Circus Rider, The.= By Horatio Alger, Jr.
=Young Conductor, The; or, Winning His Way.= By Edward S. Ellis.
=Young Explorer, The; or, Among the Sierras.= By Horatio Alger, Jr.
=Young Miner, The; or, Tom Nelson in California.= By Horatio Alger, Jr.
=Young Ranchers, The; or, Fighting the Sioux.= By Edward S. Ellis.
=Young Wrecker, The.= By Richard Meade Bache.
THE JOHN C. WINSTON CO.'S POPULAR JUVENILES.
HARRY CASTLEMON.
HOW I CAME TO WRITE MY FIRST BOOK.
When I was sixteen years old I belonged to a composition class. It was our custom to go on the recitation seat every day with clean slates, and we were allowed ten minutes to write seventy words on any subject the teacher thought suited to our capacity. One day he gave out "What a Man Would See if He Went to Greenland." My heart was in the matter, and before the ten minutes were up I had one side of my slate filled. The teacher listened to the reading of our compositions, and when they were all over he simply said: "Some of you will make your living by writing one of these days." That gave me something to ponder upon. I did not say so out loud, but I knew that my composition was as good as the best of them. By the way, there was another thing that came in my way just then. I was reading at that time one of Mayne Reid's works which I had drawn from the library, and I pondered upon it as much as I did upon what the teacher said to me. In introducing Swartboy to his readers he made use of this expression: "No visible change was observable in Swartboy's countenance." Now, it occurred to me that if a man of his education could make such a blunder as that and still write a book, I ought to be able to do it, too. I went home that very day and began a story, "The Old Guide's Narrative," which was sent to the _New York Weekly_, and came back, respectfully declined. It was written on both sides of the sheets but I didn't know that this was against the rules. Nothing abashed, I began another, and receiving some instruction, from a friend of mine who was a clerk in a book store, I wrote it on only one side of the paper. But mind you, he didn't know what I was doing. Nobody knew it; but one day, after a hard Saturday's work--the other boys had been out skating on the brick-pond--I shyly broached the subject to my mother. I felt the need of some sympathy. She listened in amazement, and then said: "Why, do you think you could write a book like that?" That settled the matter, and from that day no one knew what I was up to until I sent the first four volumes of Gunboat Series to my father. Was it work? Well, yes; it was hard work, but each week I had the satisfaction of seeing the manuscript grow until the "Young Naturalist" was all complete.
--_Harry Castlemon in the Writer._
* * * * *
GUNBOAT SERIES.
6 vols. BY HARRY CASTLEMON. $6.00
Frank the Young Naturalist. Frank on a Gunboat. Frank in the Woods. Frank before Vicksburg. Frank on the Lower Mississippi. Frank on the Prairie.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES.
3 vols. BY HARRY CASTLEMON. $3.00
Frank Among the Rancheros. Frank at Don Carlos' Rancho. Frank in the Mountains.
SPORTSMAN'S CLUB SERIES.
3 vols. BY HARRY CASTLEMON. $3.75
The Sportsman's Club in the Saddle. The Sportsman's Club Afloat. The Sportsman's Club. Among the Trappers.
FRANK NELSON SERIES.
3 vols. BY HARRY CASTLEMON. $3.75
Snowed up. Frank in the Forecastle. The Boy Traders.
=COMPLETE CATALOG OF BEST BOOKS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS MAILED ON APPLICATION TO THE PUBLISHERS=
=THE JOHN C. WINSTON CO., PHILADELPHIA=
THE JOHN C. WINSTON CO.'S POPULAR JUVENILES
ROUGHING IT SERIES.
3 vols. BY HARRY CASTLEMON. $3.00
George in Camp. George at the Fort. George at the Wheel.
ROD AND GUN SERIES.
3 vols. BY HARRY CASTLEMON. $3.00
Don Gordon's Shooting Box. The Young Wild Fowlers. Rod and Gun Club.
GO-AHEAD SERIES.
3 vols. BY HARRY CASTLEMON. $3.00
Tom Newcombe. Go-Ahead. No Moss.
WAR SERIES.
6 vols. BY HARRY CASTLEMON. $6.00
True to His Colors. Rodney the Partisan. Rodney the Overseer. Marcy the Blockade-Runner. Marcy the Refugee. Sailor Jack the Trader.
HOUSEBOAT SERIES.
3 vols. BY HARRY CASTLEMON. $3.00
The Houseboat Boys. The Mystery of Lost River Canon. The Young Game Warden.
AFLOAT AND ASHORE SERIES.
3 vols. BY HARRY CASTLEMON. $3.00
Rebellion in Dixie. A Sailor in Spite of Himself. The Ten-Ton Cutter.
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=THE JOHN C. WINSTON CO., PHILADELPHIA=
=HORATIO ALGER, JR.=
* * * * *
The enormous sales of the books of Horatio Alger, Jr., show the greatness of his popularity among the boys, and prove that he is one of their most favored writers. I am told that more than half a million copies altogether have been sold, and that all the large circulating libraries in the country have several complete sets, of which only two or three volumes are ever on the shelves at one time. If this is true, what thousands and thousands of boys have read and are reading Mr. Alger's books! His peculiar style of stories, often imitated but never equaled, have taken a hold upon the young people, and, despite their similarity, are eagerly read as soon as they appear.
Mr. Alger became famous with the publication of that undying book, "Ragged Dick, or Street Life in New York." It was his first book for young people, and its success was so great that he immediately devoted himself to that kind of writing. It was a new and fertile field for a writer then, and Mr. Alger's treatment of it at once caught the fancy of the boys. "Ragged Dick" first appeared in 1868, and ever since then it has been selling steadily, until now it is estimated that about 200,000 copies of the series have been sold.
--"Pleasant Hours for Boys and Girls."
* * * * *
A writer for boys should have an abundant sympathy with them. He should be able to enter into their plans, hopes, and aspirations. He should learn to look upon life as they do. Boys object to be written down to. A boy's heart opens to the man or writer who understands him.
--From "Writing Stories for Boys," by Horatio Alger, Jr.
RAGGED DICK SERIES.
6 vols. =By Horatio Alger, Jr.= $6.00
Ragged Dick. Fame and Fortune. Mark the Match Boy. Rough and Ready. Ben the Luggage Boy. Rufus and Rose.
TATTERED TOM SERIES--First Series.
4 vols. =By Horatio Alger, Jr.= $4.00
Tattered Tom. Paul the Peddler. Phil the Fiddler. Slow and Sure.
TATTERED TOM SERIES--Second Series.
4 vols. $4.00
Julius. The Young Outlaw. Sam's Chance. The Telegraph Boy.
CAMPAIGN SERIES.
3 vols. =By Horatio Alger, Jr.= $3.00
Frank's Campaign. Charlie Codman's Cruise. Paul Prescott's Charge.
LUCK AND PLUCK SERIES--First Series.
4 vols. =By Horatio Alger, Jr.= $4.00
Luck and Pluck. Sink or Swim. Strong and Steady. Strive and Succeed.
LUCK AND PLUCK SERIES--Second Series.
4 vols. $4.00
Try and Trust. Bound to Rise. Risen from the Ranks. Herbert Carter's Legacy.
BRAVE AND BOLD SERIES.
4 vols. =By Horatio Alger, Jr.= $4.00
Brave and Bold. Jack's Ward. Shifting for Himself. Wait and Hope.
=COMPLETE CATALOG OF BEST BOOKS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS MAILED ON APPLICATION TO THE PUBLISHERS=
=THE JOHN C. WINSTON CO., PHILADELPHIA=
VICTORY SERIES.
3 Vols. =By Horatio Alger, Jr.= $3.00
Only an Irish Boy. Victor Vane, or the Young Secretary. Adrift in the City.
FRANK AND FEARLESS SERIES.
3 vols. =By Horatio Alger, Jr.= $3.00
Frank Hunter's Peril. The Young Salesman. Frank and Fearless.
GOOD FORTUNE LIBRARY.
3 vols. =By Horatio Alger, Jr.= $3.00
Walter Sherwood's Probation. The Young Bank Messenger. A Boy's Fortune.
HOW TO RISE LIBRARY.
3 vols. =By Horatio Alger, Jr.= $3.00
Jed, the Poorhouse Boy. Lester's Luck. Rupert's Ambition.
=COMPLETE CATALOG OF BEST BOOKS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS MAILED ON APPLICATION TO THE PUBLISHERS=
=THE JOHN C. WINSTON CO., PHILADELPHIA=
THE JOHN C. WINSTON CO.'S POPULAR JUVENILES
=J. T. TROWBRIDGE.=
Neither as a writer does he stand apart from the great currents of life and select some exceptional phase or odd combination of circumstances. He stands on the common level and appeals to the universal heart, and all that he suggests or achieves is on the plane and in the line of march of the great body of humanity.
The Jack Hazard series of stories, published in the late _Our Young Folks_, and continued in the first volume of _St. Nicholas_, under the title of "Fast Friends," is no doubt destined to hold a high place in this class of literature. The delight of the boys in them (and of their seniors, too) is well founded. They go to the right spot every time. Trowbridge knows the heart of a boy like a book, and the heart of a man, too, and he has laid them both open in these books in a most successful manner. Apart from the qualities that render the series so attractive to all young readers, they have great value on account of their portraitures of American country life and character. The drawing is wonderfully accurate, and as spirited as it is true. The constable, Sellick, is an original character, and as minor figures where will we find anything better than Miss Wansey, and Mr. P. Pipkin, Esq. The picture of Mr. Dink's school, too, is capital, and where else in fiction is there a better nick-name than that the boys gave to poor little Stephen Treadwell, "Step Hen," as he himself pronounced his name in an unfortunate moment when he saw it in print for the first time in his lesson in school.
On the whole, these books are very satisfactory, and afford the critical reader the rare pleasure of the works that are just adequate, that easily fulfill themselves and accomplish all they set out to do.--_Scribner's Monthly._
THE JOHN C. WINSTON CO.'S POPULAR JUVENILES
=JACK HAZARD SERIES.=
6 vols. BY J. T. TROWBRIDGE $7.25
Jack Hazard and His Fortunes. Doing His Best. The Young Surveyor. A Chance for Himself. Fast Friends. Lawrence's Adventures.
* * * * *
=CHARLES ASBURY STEPHENS.=
"This author wrote his "Camping Out Series" at the very height of his mental and physical powers.
"We do not wonder at the popularity of these books; there is a freshness and variety about them, and an enthusiasm in the description of sport and adventure, which even the older folk can hardly fail to share."--_Worcester Spy._
"The author of the Camping Out Series is entitled to rank as decidedly at the head of what may be called boys' literature."--_Buffalo Courier._
=CAMPING OUT SERIES.=
By C. A. STEPHENS.
=All books in this series are 12mo. with eight full page illustrations. Cloth, extra, 75 cents.=
CAMPING OUT. As Recorded by "Kit."
"This book is bright, breezy, wholesome, instructive, and stands above the ordinary boys' books of the day by a whole head and shoulders."--_The Christian Register_, Boston.
LEFT ON LABRADOR; OR, THE CRUISE OF THE SCHOONER YACHT "CURLEW." As Recorded by "Wash."
"The perils of the voyagers, the narrow escapes, their strange expedients, and the fun and jollity when danger had passed, will make boys even unconscious of hunger."--_New Bedford Mercury._
OFF TO THE GEYSERS; OR THE YOUNG YACHTERS IN ICELAND. As Recorded by "Wade."
"It is difficult to believe that Wade and Read and Kit and Wash were not live boys, sailing up Hudson Straits, and reigning temporarily over an Esquimaux tribe."--_The Independent_, New York.
LYNX HUNTING: From Notes by the Author of "Camping Out."
"Of first quality as a boys' book, and fit to take its place beside the best."--_Richmond Enquirer._
FOX HUNTING. As Recorded by "Raed."
"The most spirited and entertaining book that has as yet appeared. It overflows with incident, and is characterized by dash and brilliancy throughout."--_Boston Gazette._
ON THE AMAZON; OR, THE CRUISE OF THE "RAMBLER." As Recorded by "Wash."
"Gives vivid pictures of Brazilian adventure and scenery."--_Buffalo Courier._