The Young Book Agent; or, Frank Hardy's Road to Success

Frank saw him to the corner of the street, and directed him to the Brooklyn Bridge, and so they parted. Then the young book agent hurried back to Philip Vincent’s store.

WITHOUT delay Frank sat down and wrote a long letter to Philip Vincent, telling that gentleman of all that had occurred, and thanking him for the beautiful books he had forwarde...

HALF an hour later found Frank on his way home by way of the stage which ran between Bardon, Claster, and half a dozen other points. He had his books in one hand and a fine, fat...

TWO weeks later found Frank up in New York State, in the vicinity of Middletown. Business had been fair with him, but in three towns he had visited he had run across other book...

FRANK remained with Mr. Philip Vincent the best part of half an hour, and then excused himself, for he realized that the book publisher’s time was valuable. After the interview...

LESS than half an hour later the cab was on its way to the Planters’ House, a well-known hotel in Charleston. It contained Frank and Mark, and two officers of the law who were d...

THE remainder of the day proved uneventful. Frank collected for all of the books sold, and took two orders. He also left his card with a druggist who was very much interested in...

THE remainder of the afternoon proved uneventful. Frank visited nine farmhouses, and succeeded in selling one more cattle and poultry book. He returned to the hotel at Fairport...

FRANK found that Bobby Frost had a very nice home indeed, and he wondered greatly why the boy had ever dreamed of leaving it to go to the city on a wild-goose chase.

This suggestion was carried out, and just as the last taper was used up a stick that looked as if it might burn was located. Then Frank lit the rest of the newspaper and coaxed...

WHEN Frank arrived home he found that his father had been given all the particulars of the conflagration by the other members of the family and by several neighbors who had drop...

FRANK found Mrs. Carsdale a very nice lady with whom to deal. She was well educated and rich, and she took him to her library to show him the many volumes she possessed.

THE farmer lads had cloths tied over the lower parts of their faces, and had their hats pulled far down over their foreheads, so as to conceal their features as much as possible...

ON the afternoon of the following day Frank was riding toward the hotel when he heard a loud call from a side road, and looking in that direction he saw Samuel Windham waving a...

FRANK could readily see that Grant Deems was more angry than ever, and ready to do something rash. Realizing that the fellow might attack him without further words, he leaped be...

AS ill luck would have it the firm Grant Deems represented published a health book, a cattle and poultry book and a set of famous novels, similar, in many respects, to those iss...

“Oh, I think she’ll be all right by next week. But it’s a big expense to me. And in that heavy wind the other night my chimney blew down, and that has got to be fixed, which mea...

WHEN Frank left the farmhouse he felt in high spirits once more. Stopping there for dinner had helped him to take orders for two books, on which his profit would be a dollar and...

The accident had happened on Saturday, and during Sunday Mr. Hardy was decidedly feverish, so that the doctor had to come and attend him twice. The night to follow was an anxiou...

“I am taking orders for three works—a new and beautifully illustrated set of Cooper’s works, an Illustrated History of the United States, and a new cook-book. Here are some samp...

WHEN Frank returned home and told of what had occurred in Philadelphia, there was consternation in the Hardy family. Mr. Hardy shook his head over and over again, and Mrs. Hardy...

THE following week was a busy one for the young book agent. He spent one day in collecting all the old books he had bought, and sent them to his home, where they were stored in...

THE people of Claster had arranged for a Fourth of July celebration, and early in the morning folks began to pour in from the surrounding farms until the place took on the livel...

WHEN Frank went home to dinner he expected to tell both his father and his mother about the visit from the dapper young man; but he found both of them so much worried that he di...

“It’s more than likely he hasn’t a dollar with which to pay,” put in Frank. He turned to Flecker: “I guess you’ll get free board for awhile, from now on.”

“It certainly looks that way. We have had an expert on his books for two days, and it is a fact beyond question that he has swindled our benevolent order out of at least thirty-...

“One more week of school and then hurrah for a long vacation in the country!” he murmured to himself as he mounted the piazza steps. “Oh, but won’t we have a dandy time swimming...

Frank sat down to his breakfast in a corner of the dining car. He had scarcely begun eating when Gabe Flecker came in, accompanied by a man who looked to be a Southern planter....

“Let me see the letter, Frank,” said his mother, and he cut it open for her. “I’ll read it aloud,” she added, and walked to the window, to get the benefit of the light.

CLASTER was a thriving town of four thousand inhabitants, with several churches and schools, a bank, two weekly newspapers, and six blocks of stores. There was a neat railroad s...

“Unless you can furnish security for your appearance against this Flecker. You must remember, you are all strangers to me, and he may be as innocent as you are—in which case I s...

“Hullo! I’ve made a discovery!” ejaculated Frank, who was reading the printed matter at the head of the letter sheet. “Mr. Vincent is in the subscription book business besides r...