Strive and Succeed; or, The Progress of Walter Conrad

A LONG train was running at moderate speed over a Wisconsin railroad. Among the passengers was a stout, gentlemanly-looking boy, who looked much more than sixteen, although he h...

MR. WALL, or General Wall, as he was commonly designated in Portville, as a kind of tribute to his wealth, for he had no other right to the title, took a seat opposite Walter. O...

AT length the stage reached its destination. With a flourish the driver drew up in front of the Portville House, a hotel of moderate size, yet large enough to accommodate all th...

“The older ones? No; the most troublesome age is from thirteen to fifteen. Those who are older generally come to school for improvement, and are inclined to obey the rules of th...

IT was five minutes of nine when Allen Barclay, accompanied by Walter, approached the schoolhouse. It was a plain wooden building of two stories, painted white. Beside it was a...

“That is my feeling now. The sooner I can be free, the better it will be for my health. The climate is getting worse for me with the approach of winter.”

“Not if the trustees confine themselves to what they know themselves,” answered Barclay, laughing. “Squire Griffiths will probably ask a question or two in geography and spellin...

SQUIRE GRIFFITHS was a small man, with stiff gray hair, which he usually brushed in such a manner that it stood up straight in front, forming a palisade, so to speak. It might h...

“Squire Griffiths is not quite so wise as Solomon,” answered Allen Barclay, laughing, “though he looks so with his glasses on. Well, I am glad you came out all right. When shall...

MR. BARCLAY spent a part of Saturday in packing his trunk, preparatory to leaving Portville on Monday. Walter, having no schoolbooks of his own at hand, purchased those of his p...

MISS MELINDA ATHANASIA JONES devoted herself during the day to the composition of a poem to be read to the guests whom she expected in the evening. She wanted to produce a good...

WHILE Walter is anticipating commencing his duties as teacher on Monday morning, we leave him awhile to chronicle the adventures of Joshua Drummond, his distant relative. Reader...

JOSHUA entered the shoe store pointed out by his guide without the least suspicion that he had been imposed upon by that enterprising young gentleman. Like most of the shoe stor...

JOSHUA walked as far up as Central Park. Then he judged that it would be useless to go any farther. What if he should be unable to find Sam at all? It was an alarming suggestion...

THE boarding house to which Sam conducted his friend was not externally prepossessing. It was a shabby brick house, between Seventh and Eighth avenues. It was occupied by clerks...

JOSHUA and his friend, Sam Crawford, having selected Niblo’s Theatre as the one which on the whole seemed most attractive, left their boarding house at a quarter past seven o’cl...

He felt in the pocket of his “other pants,” but of course did not find what was not there. To let the reader into a secret, he had, before leaving for the theatre, carefully loc...

“I COULD never have got such a bargain if I had stayed in the country,” thought Joshua. “I don’t believe I should have had a watch until I was thirty years old. The old man is a...

IT was with no pleasant feelings that Jacob Drummond landed in New York. His paternal affection for Joshua had never been very great, and, now that his son had robbed him, his a...

“Five hundred and fifty dollars!” repeated Joshua, elated, for he knew nothing about the money market, and supposed the bond would only bring its par value. But the next words o...

AND now to return to Walter Conrad, whom we left looking forward to commencing school as Mr. Barclay’s successor, on Monday morning. It was certainly a difficult and responsible...

TO say that Walter felt quite cool and unconcerned as he entered the schoolroom and advanced to his place behind the teacher’s desk, would not be entirely true. It was a novel s...

WHEN he had taken the names of all the scholars Walter said: “We shall not be able to enter upon our studies regularly till to-morrow. We will occupy the rest of the forenoon by...

THE remainder of the day passed without incident. Peter was no less determined to make trouble, but had not decided in what manner to do it. He was content to bide his time. He...

PETER hardly knew what to think of the new teacher. He would have liked to believe Walter afraid of him, but he was reluctantly forced to admit that there was no satisfactory ev...

ABOUT an hour before the close of the afternoon school Phineas Morton went up to the teacher’s desk and said: “I have a bad headache, Mr. Howard. If you will excuse me, I would...

THE result of his conflict with the new teacher mortified Peter not a little. Had it been a close contest he would not have minded it so much, but the advantage was all on Walte...

AFTER his victory over Peter, Walter had no further trouble. Peter had always been at the bottom of all opposition to the different teachers who from time to time had been emplo...

“Things have gone very smoothly. I believe the relations between the scholars and myself have been very friendly. Peter Groot was at first inclined to make trouble, but he is no...

WHEN we took leave of Joshua Drummond, several chapters back, he was about to start for Chicago. New York was too near Stapleton to make it a safe place of residence. Joshua kne...

“Mrs. Foster says you will be willing to take a roommate. I am sure we should get on well together. At first, I was a little doubtful, but now that I have seen you I shall be gl...

THE next morning Joshua went round with his roommate to his new place of business. The shop was a small one, with a moderate stock of fancy goods. There was one little circumsta...

AT the end of the week Joshua received the six dollars promised him. He received it with great satisfaction. It was a tangible evidence that he was a clerk on salary.

JOSHUA realized with anguish the desperate situation to which he was reduced. The money he had taken from his father, and which at the time he considered a small fortune, had al...

THE day came for Walter’s examination. It was pleasant, and the Portville people were out in full force. Conspicuous among them were General Wall and Squire Griffiths, the latte...

WE do not propose to accompany Walter to the mines; it is sufficient to say that on arriving there he found a complete confirmation of the story to which he had been a listener....