Mark Mason's Victory: The Trials and Triumphs of a Telegraph Boy
Page 39
CHAPTER XXXIX.
CONCLUSION.
SOLON TALBOT went home in high spirits. It was only recently that he hadbecome aware of the great value of the Golden Hope shares. It had cometo him as an agreeable surprise.
"With what I was worth before," he soliloquized, "I may now rate myselfat one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. That is very good--for abeginning. I can afford to buy the house in Forty-Seventh Street, for Ishall still have a hundred thousand dollars over, and in five years Imean to make it half a million."
He paced up and down his library in a state of joyous excitement. Nothought of giving his sister-in-law her rightful due entered his mind.
"How can she find out?" he reflected. "Old Mr. Doane never told any ofus of his mining shares. I presume he looked upon them as rather a riskyinvestment. It has proved to be a splendid speculation, but it wasrather a lucky accident than a shrewd purchase."
"'Mark!' exclaimed Talbot. What brings you here!"--Page303.
_Mark Mason's Victory_.]
It was after breakfast on the morning succeeding the sale of stock. Mr.Talbot was preparing to go over to the house which he proposed topurchase for a last examination before making up his mind, when theservant entered the library.
"There is a boy down-stairs wishes to see you, Mr. Talbot," he said.
"Perhaps a boy from Crane & Lawton," he reflected. "Show him up."
Directly afterwards Mark Mason entered the room.
"Mark!" exclaimed Talbot. "What brings you here!"
"A matter of business, Uncle Solon."
"Then you will have to wait, for I am just going out."
"The business is important," said Mark significantly.
"Well, what is it?"
"I understand you sold yesterday the shares in the Golden Hope Minebelonging to grandfather's estate."
"What!" exclaimed Solon Talbot, his face showing his surprise anddismay.
"There were four hundred shares, and they were sold to Luther Rockwell,the banker."
"Who told you this? Have you had any communication from Crane & Lawton?"
"No; though I know the sale was made through them."
Solon Talbot paused long enough to pull himself together. It would neverdo to surrender at discretion. He would brazen it out to the last.
"Your information is partly true," he said. "I did sell some shares ofmining stock, but they belonged to me. You have nothing to do withthem."
"Uncle Solon," said Mark composedly, "it is useless to try to deceiveme. The four hundred shares were bought by my grandfather, and belongedto his estate. Half of the proceeds rightfully belongs to my mother."
Spots of perspiration stood on Solon Talbot's brow. Should he allowfifty thousand dollars to slip from his grasp?
"You audacious boy!" he exclaimed. "How dare you make such anassertion?"
"Because I happen to know that the four hundred shares stood in the nameof my grandfather, Elisha Doane."
"That is a lie. May I ask where you got this information?"
"From the purchaser of the stock, Luther Rockwell."
"What do you know of Luther Rockwell?" demanded Solon Talbot,incredulous.
"He is one of my best friends. Before buying the shares of the GoldenHope Mine he asked my advice."
"Do you expect me to believe such ridiculous stuff? What could you knowabout the mine?"
"I have recently returned from California. On the way I stopped inNevada, and I have in my pocket a statement signed by the secretary ofthe company, that four hundred shares of the stock stood in the name ofmy grandfather."
It was a series of surprises. Solon Talbot walked up and down thelibrary in a state of nervous agitation.
"What do you expect me to do?" he added finally.
"This letter will inform you, Uncle Solon."
"From whom is it?"
"From my lawyer, George Gerrish."
Mr. Gerrish, as Mr. Talbot knew, was one of the leaders of the bar. Heopened it with trembling hands, and read the following:
* * * * *
"Mr. Solon Talbot:
"Dear Sir:
"My client, Mark Mason, authorizes me to demand of you an accounting ofthe sums received by you as executor of the estate of his lategrandfather, Elisha Doane, to the end that his mother, co-heiress withyour wife, may receive her proper shares of the estate. An early answerwill oblige,
"Yours respectfully,
"GEORGE GERRISH."
"Do you know Mr. Gerrish well, too?" asked Talbot.
"No, sir, but Mr. Rockwell gave me a note to him. I have had aninterview with him."
"Say to him that he will hear from me."
Mark bowed and withdrew. Within a week Solon Talbot had agreed to makeover to his sister-in-law, Mrs. Mason, a sum of over fifty thousanddollars, representing her share of her father's estate. He reconsideredhis purpose of buying the house in West Forty-Seventh Street, anddecided to remain in the flat which he then occupied.
Mrs. Mason and Mark took a handsome flat up town, and henceforth wereable to live as well as their pretentious relatives. Mark was advised byMr. Rockwell as to the investment of his mother's money, and it hasalready increased considerably. He is himself taking a mercantile courseat a commercial college, and will eventually enter the establishment ofMr. Gilbert, with whom he is as great a favorite as ever.
It never rains but it pours. One morning Mrs. Mack, the aged miser, wasfound dead in bed. She left a letter directing Mark to call on herlawyer. To his surprise he found that he was left sole heir to the oldlady's property, amounting to about five thousand dollars.
"What shall I do with it, mother?" he asked. "I have no rightful claimto it. She only left it to me that her nephew might not get it."
"Keep it till he gets out of prison, and then help him judiciously if hedeserves it. Meanwhile invest it and give the income to charity."
Mark was glad that he was able to follow this advice. Jack Minton isstill in jail, and it is to be feared that his prison life will notreform him, but Mark means to give him a chance when he is released.
Through Mark's influence, his old friend, Tom Trotter, has been takeninto a mercantile establishment where his natural sharpness is likely tohelp him to speedy promotion. Mark has agreed to pay his mother's rentfor the next three years, and has given Tom a present of two hundreddollars besides. He is not one of those who in prosperity forget theirhumble friends.
And now after some years of privation and narrow means Mrs. Mason andMark seem in a fair way to see life on its sunny side. I hope myreaders will agree that they merit their good fortune.
On the other hand, Mr. Talbot has lost a part of his money byinjudicious speculation, and his once despised sister-in-law is now thericher of the two. Edgar has got rid of his snobbishness and throughMark's friendship is likely to grow up an estimable member of society.
THE END.
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The story of two English lads who go to Holland as pages in the serviceof one of "the fighting Veres." After many adventures by sea and land,one of the lads finds himself on board a Spanish ship at the time of thedefeat of the Armada, and escapes only to fall into the hands of theCorsairs. He is successful in getting back to Spain under the protectionof a wealthy merchant, and regains his native country after the captureof Cadiz.
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A story of Venice at a period when her strength and splendor were put tothe severest tests. The hero displays a fine sense and manliness whichcarry him safely through an atmosphere of intrigue, crime, andbloodshed. He contributes largely to the victories of the Venetians atPorto d'Auzo and Chioggia, and finally wins the hand of the daughter ofone of the chief men of Venice.
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The hero, a young English lad, after rather a stormy boyhood, emigratesto Australia, and gets employment as an officer in the mounted police. Afew years of active work on the frontier, where he has many a brush withboth natives and bushrangers, gain him promotion to a captaincy, and heeventually settles down to the peaceful life of a squatter.
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A story of the days when England and Spain struggled for the supremacyof the sea. The heroes sail as lads with Drake in the Pacificexpedition, and in his great voyage of circumnavigation. The historicalportion of the story is absolutely to be relied upon, but this willperhaps be less attractive than the great variety of exciting adventuresthrough which the young heroes pass in the course of their voyages.
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The author has woven, in a tale of thrilling interest, all the detailsof the Ashanti campaign, of which he was himself a witness. His hero,after many exciting adventures in the interior, is detained a prisonerby the king just before the outbreak of the war, but escapes, andaccompanies the English expedition on their march to Coomassie.
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No portion of English history is more crowded with great events thanthat of the reign of Edward III. Cressy and Poitiers; the destruction ofthe Spanish fleet; the plague of the Black Death; the Jacquerie rising;these are treated by the author in "St. George for England." The hero ofthe story, although of good family, begins life as a London apprentice,but after countless adventures and perils becomes by valor and goodconduct the squire, and at last the trusted friend of the Black Prince.
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There is something fascinating to the average youth in the very idea ofburied treasure. A vision arises before his eyes of swarthy Portugueseand Spanish rascals, with black beards and gleamingeyes--sinister-looking fellows who once on a time haunted the SpanishMain, sneaking out from some hidden creek in their long, low schooner,of picaroonish rake and sheer, to attack an unsuspecting trading craft.There were many famous sea rovers in their day, but none more celebratedthan Capt. Kidd. Perhaps the most fascinating tale of all is Mr. Fitts'true story of an adventurous American boy, who receives from his dyingfather an ancient bit of vellum, which the latter obtained in a curiousway. The document bears obscure directions purporting to locate acertain island in the Bahama group, and a considerable treasure buriedthere by two of Kidd's crew. The hero of this book, Paul Jones Garry, isan ambitious, persevering lad, of salt-water New England ancestry, andhis efforts to reach the island and secure the money form one of themost absorbing tales for our youth that has come from the press.
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A frank, manly lad and his cousin are rivals in the heirship of aconsiderable property. The former falls into a trap laid by the latter,and while under a false accusation of theft foolishly leaves England forAmerica. He works his passage before the mast, joins a small band ofhunters, crosses a tract of country infested with Indians to theCalifornian gold diggings, and is successful both as digger and trader.
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An interesting story of the last war in Afghanistan. The hero, afterbeing wrecked and going through many stirring adventures among theMalays, finds his way to Calcutta and enlists in a regiment proceedingto join the army at the Afghan passes. He accompanies the force underGeneral Roberts to the Peiwar Kotal, is wounded, taken prisoner, carriedto Cabul, whence he is transferred to Candahar, and takes part in thefinal defeat of the army of Ayoub Khan.
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=Captured by Apes=: The Wonderful Adventures of a Young Animal Trainer. ByHarry Prentice. 12mo, cloth, $1.00.
The scene of this tale is laid on an island in the Malay Archipelago.Philip Garland, a young animal collector and trainer, of New York, setssail for Eastern seas in quest of a new stock of living c
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=The Bravest of the Brave=; or, With Peterborough in Spain. By G.A. Henty.With full-page Illustrations by H.M. Paget. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
There are few great leaders whose lives and actions have so completelyfallen into oblivion as those of the Earl of Peterborough. This islargely due to the fact that they were over-shadowed by the glory andsuccesses of Marlborough. His career as general extended over littlemore than a year, and yet, in that time, he showed a genius for warfarewhich has never been surpassed.
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=The Cat of Bubastes:= A Story of Ancient Egypt. By G. A. Henty. With fullpage Illustrations. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
A story which will give young readers an unsurpassed insight into thecustoms of the Egyptian people. Amuba, a prince of the Rebu nation, iscarried with his charioteer Jethro into slavery. They become inmates ofthe house of Ameres, the Egyptian high-priest, and are happy in hisservice until the priest's son accidentally kills the sacred cat ofBubastes. In an outburst of popular fury Ameres is killed, and it restswith Jethro and Amuba to secure the escape of the high-priest's son anddaughter.
"The story, from the critical moment of the killing of the sacred cat tothe perilous exodus into Asia with which it closes, is very skillfullyconstructed and full of exciting adventures. It is admirablyillustrated."--_Saturday Review._
=With Washington at Monmouth:= A Story of Three Philadelphia Boys. ByJames Otis. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
Three Philadelphia boys, Seth Graydon "whose mother conducted aboarding-house which was patronized by the British officers;" EnochBall, "son of that Mrs. Ball whose dancing school was situated onLetitia Street," and little Jacob, son of "Chris, the Baker," serve asthe principal characters. The story is laid during the winter when LordHowe held possession of the city, and the lads aid the cause byassisting the American spies who make regular and frequent visits fromValley Forge. One reads here of home-life in the captive city when breadwas scarce among the people of the lower classes, and a recklessprodigality shown by the British officers, who passed the winter infeasting and merry-making while the members of the patriot army but afew miles away were suffering from both cold and hunger. The storyabounds with pictures of Colonial life skillfully drawn, and theglimpses of Washington's soldiers which are given show that the work hasnot been hastily done, or without considerable study.
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=Tom Temple's Career.= By Horatio Alger. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
Tom Temple, a bright, self-reliant lad, by the death of his fatherbecomes a boarder at the home of Nathan Middleton, a penurious insuranceagent. Though well paid for keeping the boy, Nathan and his wifeendeavor to bring Master Tom in line with their parsimonious habits. Thelad ingeniously evades their efforts and revolutionizes the household.As Tom is heir to $40,000, he is regarded as a person of some importanceuntil by an unfortunate combination of circumstances his fortune shrinksto a few hundreds. He leaves Plympton village to seek work in New York,whence he undertakes an important mission to California, around whichcenter the most exciting incidents of his young career. Some of hisadventures in the far west are so startling that the reader willscarcely close the book until the last page shall have been reached. Thetale is written in Mr. Alger's most fascinating style, and is bound toplease the very large class of boys who regard this popular author as aprime favorite.
=Maori and Settler:= A Story of the New Zealand War. By G. A. Henty. Withfull-page Illustrations by Alfred Pearse. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
The Renshaws emigrate to New Zealand during the period of the war withthe natives. Wilfrid, a strong, self-reliant, courageous lad, is themainstay of the household. He has for his friend Mr. Atherton, abotanist and naturalist of herculean strength and unfailing nerve andhumor. In the adventures among the Maoris, there are many breathlessmoments in which the odds seem hopelessly against the party, but theysucceed in establishing themselves happily in one of the pleasant NewZealand valleys.
"Brimful of adventure, of humorous and interesting conversation, andvivid pictures of colonial life."--_Schoolmaster._
=Julian Mortimer:= A Brave Boy's Struggle for Home and Fortune. By HarryCastlemon. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
Here is a story that will warm every boy's heart. There is mysteryenough to keep any lad's imagination wound up to the highest pitch. Thescene of the story lies west of the Mississippi River, in the days whenemigrants made their perilous way across the great plains to the land ofgold. One of the startling features of the book is the attack upon thewagon train by a large party of Indians. Our hero is a lad of uncommonnerve and pluck, a brave young American in every sense of the word. Heenlists and holds the reader's sympathy from the outset. Surrounded byan unknown and constant peril, and assisted by the unswerving fidelityof a stalwart trapper, a real rough diamond, our hero achieves the mosthappy results. Harry Castlemon has written many entertaining stories forboys, and it would seem almost superfluous to say anything in hispraise, for the youth of America regard him as a favorite author.
="Carrots:"= Just a Little Boy. By Mrs. Molesworth. With Illustrations byWalter Crane. 12mo, cloth, price 75 cents.
"One of the cleverest and most pleasing stories it has been our goodfortune to meet with for some time. Carrots and his sister aredelightful little beings, whom to read about is at once to become veryfond of."--_Examiner._
"A genuine children's book; we've seen 'em seize it, and read itgreedily. Children are first-rate critics, and thoroughly appreciateWalter
Crane's illustrations."--_Punch._
=Mopsa the Fairy.= By Jean Ingelow. With Eight page Illustrations. 12mo,cloth, price 75 cents.
"Mrs. Ingelow is, to our mind, the most charming of all living writersfor children, and 'Mopsa' alone ought to give her a kind of pre-emptiveright to the love and gratitude of our young folks. It requires geniusto conceive a purely imaginary work which must of necessity deal withthe supernatural, without running into a mere riot of fantasticabsurdity; but genius Miss Ingelow has and the story of 'Jack' is ascareless and joyous, but as delicate, as a picture ofchildhood."--_Eclectic._
=A Jaunt Through Java:= The Story of a Journey to the Sacred Mountain. ByEdward S. Ellis. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00
The central interest of this story is found in the thrilling adventuresof two cousins, Hermon and Eustace Hadley, on their trip across theisland of Java, from Samarang to the Sacred Mountain. In a land wherethe Royal Bengal tiger runs at large; where the rhinoceros and otherfierce beasts are to be met with at unexpected moments; it is butnatural that the heroes of this book should have a lively experience.Hermon not only distinguishes himself by killing a full grown tiger atshort range, but meets with the most startling adventure of the journey.There is much in this narrative to instruct as well as entertain thereader, and so deftly has Mr. Ellis used his material that there is nota dull page in the book. The two heroes are brave, manly young fellows,bubbling over with boyish independence. They cope with the manydifficulties that arise during the trip in a fearless way that is boundto win the admiration of every lad who is so fortunate as to read theiradventures.
=Wrecked on Spider Island;= or, How Ned Rogers Found the Treasure. ByJames Otis. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
A "down-east" plucky lad who ships as cabin boy, not from love ofadventure, but because it is the only course remaining by which he cangain a livelihood. While in his bunk, seasick, Ned Rogers hears thecaptain and mate discussing their plans for the willful wreck of thebrig in order to gain the insurance. Once it is known he is inpossession of the secret the captain maroons him on Spider Island,explaining to the crew that the boy is afflicted with leprosy. Whilethus involuntarily playing the part of a Crusoe, Ned discovers a wrecksubmerged in the sand, and overhauling the timbers for the purpose ofgathering material with which to build a hut finds a considerable amountof treasure. Raising the wreck; a voyage to Havana under sail; shippingthere a crew and running for Savannah; the attempt of the crew to seizethe little craft after learning of the treasure on board, and, as amatter of course, the successful ending of the journey, all serve tomake as entertaining a story of sea-life as the most captious boy coulddesire.
Geoff and Jim: A Story of School Life. By Ismay Thorn. Illustrated by A.G. Walker. 12mo, cloth, price 75 cents.
"This is a prettily told story of the life spent by two motherlessbairns at a small preparatory school. Both Geoff and Jim are verylovable characters, only Jim is the more so; and the scrapes he getsinto and the trials he endures will, no doubt, interest a large circleof young readers."--_Church Times._
"This is a capital children's story, the characters well portrayed, andthe book tastefully bound and well illustrated."--_Schoolmaster._
"The story can be heartily recommended as a present forboys."--_Standard._
=The Castaways;= or, On the Florida Reefs. By James Otis. 12mo, cloth,price $1.00.
This tale smacks of the salt sea. It is just the kind of story that themajority of boys yearn for. From the moment that the Sea Queen dispenseswith the services of the tug in lower New York bay till the breezeleaves her becalmed off the coast of Florida, one can almost hear thewhistle of the wind through her rigging, the creak of her strainingcordage as she heels to the leeward, and feel her rise to thesnow-capped waves which her sharp bow cuts into twin streaks of foam.Off Marquesas Keys she floats in a dead calm. Ben Clark, the hero of thestory, and Jake, the cook, spy a turtle asleep upon the glassy surfaceof the water. They determine to capture him, and take a boat for thatpurpose, and just as they succeed in catching him a thick fog cuts themoff from the vessel, and then their troubles begin. They take refuge onboard a drifting hulk, a storm arises and they are cast ashore upon alow sandy key. Their adventures from this point cannot fail to charm thereader. As a writer for young people Mr. Otis is a prime favorite. Hisstyle is captivating, and never for a moment does he allow the interestto flag. In "The Castaways" he is at his best.
=Tom Thatcher's Fortune.= By Horatio Alger, Jr. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
Like all of Mr. Alger's heroes, Tom Thatcher is a brave, ambitious,unselfish boy. He supports his mother and sister on meager wages earnedas a shoe-pegger in John Simpson's factory. The story begins with Tom'sdischarge from the factory, because Mr. Simpson felt annoyed with thelad for interrogating him too closely about his missing father. A fewdays afterward Tom learns that which induces him to start overland forCalifornia with the view of probing the family mystery. He meets withmany adventures. Ultimately he returns to his native village, bringingconsternation to the soul of John Simpson, who only escapes theconsequences of his villainy by making full restitution to the man whosefriendship he had betrayed. The story is told in that entertaining waywhich has made Mr. Alger's name a household word in so many homes.
=Birdie:= A Tale of Child Life. By H. L. Childe-Pemberton. Illustrated byH. W. Rainey. 12mo, cloth, price 75 cents.
"The story is quaint and simple, but there is a freshness about it thatmakes one hear again the ringing laugh and the cheery shout of childrenat play which charmed his earlier years."--_New York Express._
=Popular Fairy Tales.= By the Brothers Grimm. Profusely Illustrated. 12mo,cloth, price $1.00.
"From first to last, almost without exception, these stories aredelightful."--Athenaeum.
=With Lafayette at Yorktown=: A Story of How Two Boys Joined theContinental Army. By JAMES OTIS. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
The two boys are from Portsmouth, N. H., and are introduced in August,1781, when on the point of leaving home to enlist in Col. Scammell'sregiment, then stationed near New York City. Their method of travelingis on horseback, and the author has given an interesting account of whatwas expected from boys in the Colonial days. The lads, after no slightamount of adventure, are sent as messengers--not soldiers--into thesouth to find the troops under Lafayette. Once with that youthfulgeneral they are given employment as spies, and enter the British camp,bringing away valuable information. The pictures of camp-life arecarefully drawn, and the portrayal of Lafayette's character isthoroughly well done. The story is wholesome in tone, as are all of Mr.Otis' works. There is no lack of exciting incident which the youthfulreader craves, but it is healthful excitement brimming with facts whichevery boy should be familiar with, and while the reader is following theadventures of Ben Jaffreys and Ned Allen he is acquiring a fund ofhistorical lore which will remain in his memory long after that which hehas memorized from text-books has been forgotten.
=Lost in the Canon=: Sam Willett's Adventures on the Great Colorado. ByALFRED R. CALHOUN. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
This story hinges on a fortune left to Sam Willett, the hero, and thefact that it will pass to a disreputable relative if the lad dies beforehe shall have reached his majority. The Vigilance Committee of Hurley'sGulch arrest Sam's father and an associate for the crime of murder.Their lives depend on the production of the receipt given for moneypaid. This is in Sam's possession at the camp on the other side of thecanyon. A messenger is dispatched to get it. He reaches the lad in themidst of a fearful storm which floods the canyon. His father's perilurges Sam to action. A raft is built on which the boy and his friendsessay to cross the torrent. They fail to do so, and a desperate tripdown the stream ensues. How the party finally escape from the horrors oftheir situation and Sam reaches Hurley's Gulch in the very nick of time,is described in a graphic style that stamps Mr. Calhoun as a master ofhis art.
=Jack=: A Topsy Turvy Story. By C. M. CRAWLEY-BOEVEY. With upward ofThirty Illustrations by H. J. A. Miles. 12mo, cloth, price 75 cen
ts.
"The illustrations deserve particular mention, as they add largely tothe interest of this amusing volume for children. Jack falls asleep withhis mind full of the subject of the fishpond, and is very much surprisedpresently to find himself an inhabitant of Waterworld, where he goesthough wonderful and edifying adventures. A handsome and pleasantbook."--_Literary World_.
=Search for the Silver City=: A Tale of Adventure in Yucatan. By JAMESOTIS. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
Two American lads, Teddy Wright and Neal Emery, embark on the steamyacht Day Dream for a short summer cruise to the tropics. Homeward boundthe yacht is destroyed by fire. All hands take to the boats, but duringthe night the boat is cast upon the coast of Yucatan. They come across ayoung American named Cummings, who entertains them with the story of thewonderful Silver City, of the Chan Santa Cruz Indians. Cummings proposeswith the aid of a faithful Indian ally to brave the perils of the swampand carry off a number of the golden images from the temples. Pursuedwith relentless vigor for days their situation is desperate. At lasttheir escape is effected in an astonishing manner. Mr. Otis has builthis story on an historical foundation. It is so full of excitingincidents that the reader is quite carried away with the novelty andrealism of the narrative.
=Frank Fowler, the Cash Boy.= By HORATIO ALGER, JR. 12mo, cloth, price$1.00.
Thrown upon his own resources Frank Fowler, a poor boy, bravelydetermines to make a living for himself and his foster-sister Grace.Going to New York he obtains a situation as cash boy in a dry goodsstore. He renders a service to a wealthy old gentleman named Wharton,who takes a fancy to the lad. Frank, after losing his place as cash boy,is enticed by an enemy to a lonesome part of New Jersey and held aprisoner. This move recoils upon the plotter, for it leads to a cluethat enables the lad to establish his real identity. Mr. Alger's storiesare not only unusually interesting, but they convey a useful lesson ofpluck and manly independence.
=Budd Boyd's Triumph=; or, the Boy Firm of Fox Island. By WILLIAM P.CHIPMAN. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
The scene of this story is laid on the upper part of Narragansett Bay,and the leading incidents have a strong salt-water flavor. Owing to theconviction of his father for forgery and theft, Budd Boyd is compelledto leave his home and strike out for himself. Chance brings Budd incontact with Judd Floyd. The two boys, being ambitious and clearsighted, form a partnership to catch and sell fish. The scheme issuccessfully launched, but the unexpected appearance on the scene ofThomas Bagsley, the man whom Budd believes guilty of the crimesattributed to his father, leads to several disagreeable complicationsthat nearly caused the lad's ruin. His pluck and good sense, however,carry him through his troubles. In following the career of the boy firmof Boyd & Floyd, the youthful reader will find a useful lesson--thatindustry and perseverance are bound to lead to ultimate success.