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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Now or Never, by Oliver Optic
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Now or Never
+       The Adventures of Bobby Bright
+
+Author: Oliver Optic
+
+Release Date: October 5, 2006 [EBook #19473]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NOW OR NEVER ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Tom Allen and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: "I'm big enough to protect my Mother, and I'll do
+it."
+
+_p. 42._]
+
+
+
+
+NOW OR NEVER
+
+OR
+
+THE ADVENTURES OF BOBBY BRIGHT
+
+
+_A STORY FOR YOUNG FOLKS_
+
+
+OLIVER OPTIC
+
+
+_NEW EDITION_
+
+
+NEW YORK
+THE MERSHON COMPANY
+PUBLISHERS
+
+
+
+
+Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1856, by
+
+WILLIAM T. ADAMS,
+
+in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of
+Massachusetts.
+
+
+Copyright, 1884,
+By WILLIAM T. ADAMS.
+
+
+
+
+NOW OR NEVER.
+
+
+
+
+To my Nephew
+
+CHARLES HENRY POPE
+
+THIS BOOK
+
+IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE
+
+
+The story contained in this volume is a record of youthful struggles,
+not only in the world without, but in the world within; and the
+success of the little hero is not merely a gathering up of wealth and
+honors, but a triumph over the temptations that beset the pilgrim on
+the plain of life. The attainment of worldly prosperity is not the
+truest victory; and the author has endeavored to make the interest of
+his story depend more on the hero's devotion to principles than on his
+success in business.
+
+Bobby Bright is a smart boy; perhaps the reader will think he is
+altogether too smart for one of his years. This is a progressive age,
+and anything which young America may do need not surprise any
+person. That little gentleman is older than his father, knows more
+than his mother, can talk politics, smoke cigars, and drive a 2:40
+horse. He orders "one stew" with as much ease as a man of forty, and
+can even pronounce correctly the villanous names of sundry French and
+German wines and liqueurs. One would suppose, to hear him talk, that
+he had been intimate with Socrates and Solon, with Napoleon and Noah
+Webster; in short, that whatever he did not know was not worth
+knowing.
+
+In the face of these manifestations of exuberant genius, it would be
+absurd to accuse the author of making his hero do too much. All he has
+done is to give this genius a right direction; and for politics,
+cigars, 2:40 horses, and "one stew," he has substituted the duties of
+a rational and accountable being, regarding them as better fitted to
+develop the young gentleman's mind, heart, and soul.
+
+Bobby Bright is something more than a smart boy. He is a good boy, and
+makes a true man. His daily life is the moral of the story, and the
+author hopes that his devotion to principle will make a stronger
+impression upon the mind of the young reader, than even the most
+exciting incidents of his eventful career.
+
+  WILLIAM T. ADAMS.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+  CHAPTER                                                    PAGE
+
+       I. In which Bobby goes a fishing, and catches
+             a Horse                                            1
+
+      II. In which Bobby blushes several Times, and
+             does a Sum in Arithmetic                          13
+
+     III. In which the Little Black House is bought,
+             but not paid for                                  26
+
+      IV. In which Bobby gets out of one Scrape, and
+             into another                                      38
+
+       V. In which Bobby gives his Note for Sixty
+             Dollars                                           52
+
+      VI. In which Bobby sets out on his Travels               66
+
+     VII. In which Bobby stands up for certain "Inalienable
+             Rights"                                           78
+
+    VIII. In which Mr. Timmins is astonished, and
+             Bobby dines in Chestnut Street                    91
+
+      IX. In which Bobby opens various Accounts, and
+             wins his first Victory                           104
+
+       X. In which Bobby is a little too smart                117
+
+      XI. In which Bobby strikes a Balance, and returns
+            to Riverdale                                      131
+
+     XII. In which Bobby astonishes sundry Persons,
+            and pays Part of his Note                         144
+
+    XIII. In which Bobby declines a Copartnership,
+            and visits B---- again                            160
+
+     XIV. In which Bobby's Air Castle is upset, and
+            Tom Spicer takes to the Woods                     177
+
+      XV. In which Bobby gets into a Scrape, and
+            Tom Spicer turns up again                         191
+
+     XVI. In which Bobby finds "it is an ill wind
+            that blows no one any good"                       205
+
+    XVII. In which Tom has a good Time, and Bobby
+            meets with a terrible Misfortune                  219
+
+   XVIII. In which Bobby takes French Leave, and
+            camps in the Woods                                235
+
+     XIX. In which Bobby has a narrow Escape, and
+            goes to Sea with Sam Ray                          248
+
+      XX. In which the Clouds blow over, and Bobby
+            is himself again                                  264
+
+     XXI. In which Bobby steps off the Stage, and
+            the Author must finish "Now or Never"             280
+
+
+
+
+NOW OR NEVER
+
+OR
+
+THE ADVENTURES OF BOBBY BRIGHT
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY GOES A FISHING, AND CATCHES A HORSE
+
+
+"By jolly! I've got a bite!" exclaimed Tom Spicer, a rough,
+hard-looking boy, who sat on a rock by the river's side, anxiously
+watching the cork float on his line.
+
+"Catch him, then," quietly responded Bobby Bright, who occupied
+another rock near the first speaker, as he pulled up a large pout,
+and, without any appearance of exultation, proceeded to unhook and
+place him in his basket.
+
+"You are a lucky dog, Bob," added Tom, as he glanced into the basket
+of his companion, which now contained six good-sized fishes. "I
+haven't caught one yet."
+
+"You don't fish deep enough."
+
+"I fish on the bottom."
+
+"That is too deep."
+
+"It don't make any difference how I fish; it is all luck."
+
+"Not all luck, Tom; there is something in doing it right."
+
+"I shall not catch a fish," continued Tom, in despair.
+
+"You'll catch something else, though, when you go home."
+
+"Will I?"
+
+"I'm afraid you will."
+
+"Who says I will?"
+
+"Didn't you tell me you were 'hooking jack'?"
+
+"Who is going to know anything about it?"
+
+"The master will know you are absent."
+
+"I shall tell him my mother sent me over to the village on an errand."
+
+"I never knew a fellow to 'hook jack,' yet, without getting found
+out."
+
+"I shall not get found out unless you blow on me; and you wouldn't be
+mean enough to do that;" and Tom glanced uneasily at his companion.
+
+"Suppose your mother should ask me if I had seen you."
+
+"You would tell her you have not, of course."
+
+"Of course?"
+
+"Why, wouldn't you? Wouldn't you do as much as that for a fellow?"
+
+"It would be a lie."
+
+"A lie! Humph!"
+
+"I wouldn't lie for any fellow," replied Bobby, stoutly, as he pulled
+in his seventh fish, and placed him in the basket.
+
+"Wouldn't you?"
+
+"No, I wouldn't."
+
+"Then let me tell you this; if you peach on me, I'll smash your head."
+
+Tom Spicer removed one hand from the fish pole and, doubling his fist,
+shook it with energy at his companion.
+
+"Smash away," replied Bobby, coolly. "I shall not go out of my way to
+tell tales; but if your mother or the master asks me the question, I
+shall not lie."
+
+"Won't you?"
+
+"No, I won't."
+
+"I'll bet you will;" and Tom dropped his fish pole, and was on the
+point of jumping over to the rock occupied by Bobby, when the float of
+the former disappeared beneath the surface of the water.
+
+"You've got a bite," coolly interposed Bobby, pointing to the line.
+
+Tom snatched the pole, and with a violent twitch, pulled up a big
+pout; but his violence jerked the hook out of the fish's mouth, and he
+disappeared beneath the surface of the river.
+
+"Just my luck!" muttered Tom.
+
+"Keep cool, then."
+
+"I will fix you yet."
+
+"All right; but you had better not let go your pole again, or you will
+lose another fish."
+
+"I'm bound to smash your head, though."
+
+"No, you won't."
+
+"Won't I?"
+
+"Two can play at that game."
+
+"Do you stump me?"
+
+"No; I don't want to fight; I won't fight if I can help it."
+
+"I'll bet you won't!" sneered Tom.
+
+"But I will defend myself."
+
+"Humph!"
+
+"I am not a liar, and the fear of a flogging shall not make me tell a
+lie."
+
+"Go to Sunday school--don't you?"
+
+"I do; and besides that, my mother always taught me never to tell a
+lie."
+
+"Come! you needn't preach to me. By and by, you will call me a liar."
+
+"No, I won't; but just now you told me you meant to lie to your
+mother, and to the master."
+
+"What if I did? That is none of your business."
+
+"It _is_ my business when you want me to lie for you, though; and
+I shall not do it."
+
+"Blow on me, and see what you will get."
+
+"I don't mean to blow on you."
+
+"Yes, you do."
+
+"I will not lie about it; that's all."
+
+"By jolly! see that horse!" exclaimed Tom, suddenly, as he pointed to
+the road leading to Riverdale Centre.
+
+"By gracious!" added Bobby, dropping his fish pole, as he saw the
+horse running at a furious rate up the road from the village.
+
+The mad animal was attached to a chaise, in which was seated a lady,
+whose frantic shrieks pierced the soul of our youthful hero.
+
+The course of the road was by the river's side for nearly half a mile,
+and crossed the stream at a wooden bridge but a few rods from the
+place where the boys were fishing.
+
+Bobby Bright's impulses were noble and generous; and without stopping
+to consider the peril to which the attempt would expose him, he boldly
+resolved to stop that horse, or let the animal dash him to pieces on
+the bridge.
+
+"Now or never!" shouted he, as he leaped from the rock, and ran with
+all his might to the bridge.
+
+The shrieks of the lady rang in his ears, and seemed to command him,
+with an authority which he could not resist, to stop the horse. There
+was no time for deliberation; and, indeed, Bobby did not want any
+deliberation. The lady was in danger; if the horse's flight was not
+checked, she would be dashed in pieces; and what then could excuse him
+for neglecting his duty? Not the fear of broken limbs, of mangled
+flesh, or even of a sudden and violent death.
+
+It is true Bobby did not think of any of these things; though, if he
+had, it would have made no difference with him. He was a boy who would
+not fight except in self-defence, but he had the courage to do a deed
+which might have made the stoutest heart tremble with terror.
+
+Grasping a broken rail as he leaped over the fence, he planted himself
+in the middle of the bridge, which was not more than half as wide as
+the road at each end of it, to await the coming of the furious
+animal. On he came, and the piercing shrieks of the affrighted lady
+nerved him to the performance of his perilous duty.
+
+The horse approached him at a mad run, and his feet struck the loose
+planks of the bridge. The brave boy then raised his big club, and
+brandished it with all his might in the air. Probably the horse did
+not mean anything very bad; was only frightened, and had no wicked
+intentions towards the lady; so that when a new danger menaced him in
+front, he stopped suddenly, and with so much violence as to throw the
+lady forward from her seat upon the dasher of the chaise. He gave a
+long snort, which was his way of expressing his fear. He was evidently
+astonished at the sudden barrier to his further progress, and
+commenced running back.
+
+"Save me!" screamed the lady.
+
+"I will, ma'am; don't be scared!" replied Bobby, confidently, as he
+dropped his club, and grasped the bridle of the horse, just as he was
+on the point of whirling round to escape by the way he had come.
+
+"Stop him! Do stop him!" cried the lady.
+
+"Whoa!" said Bobby, in gentle tones, as he patted the trembling horse
+on his neck. "Whoa, good horse! Be quiet! Whoa!"
+
+The animal, in his terror, kept running backward and forward; but
+Bobby persevered in his gentle treatment, and finally soothed him, so
+that he stood quiet enough for the lady to get out of the chaise.
+
+"What a miracle that I am alive!" exclaimed she, when she realized
+that she stood once more upon the firm earth.
+
+"Yes, ma'am, it is lucky he didn't break the chaise. Whoa! Good horse!
+Stand quiet!"
+
+"What a brave little fellow you are!" said the lady, as soon as she
+could recover her breath so as to express her admiration of Bobby's
+bold act.
+
+"O, I don't mind it," replied he, blushing like a rose in June. "Did
+he run away with you?"
+
+"No; my father left me in the chaise for a moment while he went into a
+store in the village, and a teamster who was passing by snapped his
+whip, which frightened Kate so that she started off at the top of her
+speed. I was so terrified that I screamed with all my might, which
+frightened her the more. The more I screamed, the faster she ran."
+
+"I dare say. Good horse! Whoa, Kate!"
+
+"She is a splendid creature; she never did such a thing before. My
+father will think I am killed."
+
+By this time, Kate had become quite reasonable, and seemed very much
+obliged to Bobby for preventing her from doing mischief to her
+mistress; for she looked at the lady with a glance of satisfaction,
+which her deliverer interpreted as a promise to behave better in
+future. He relaxed his grasp upon the bridle, patted her upon the
+neck, and said sundry pleasant things to encourage her in her assumed
+purpose of doing better. Kate appeared to understand Bobby's kind
+words, and declared as plainly as a horse could declare that she would
+be sober and tractable.
+
+"Now, ma'am, if you will get into the chaise again, I think Kate will
+let me drive her down to the village."
+
+"O, dear! I should not dare to do so."
+
+"Then, if you please, I will drive down alone, so as to let your
+father know that you are safe."
+
+"Do."
+
+"I am sure he must feel very bad, and I may save him a great deal of
+pain, for a man can suffer a great deal in a very short time."
+
+"You are a little philosopher, as well as a hero, and if you are not
+afraid of Kate, you may do as you wish."
+
+"She seems very gentle now;" and Bobby turned her round, and got into
+the chaise.
+
+"Be very careful," said the lady.
+
+"I will."
+
+Bobby took the reins, and Kate, true to the promise she had virtually
+made, started off at a round pace towards the village.
+
+He had not gone more than a quarter of a mile of the distance when he
+met a wagon containing three men, one of whom was the lady's
+father. The gestures which he made assured Bobby he had found the
+person whom he sought, and he stopped.
+
+"My daughter! Where is she?" gasped the gentleman, as he leaped from
+the wagon.
+
+"She is safe, sir," replied Bobby, with all the enthusiasm of his warm
+nature.
+
+"Thank God!" added the gentleman, devoutly, as he placed himself in
+the chaise by the side of Bobby.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY BLUSHES SEVERAL TIMES, AND DOES A SUM IN ARITHMETIC
+
+
+Mr. Bayard, the owner of the horse, and the father of the lady whom
+Bobby had saved from impending death, was too much agitated to say
+much, even to the bold youth who had rendered him such a signal
+service. He could scarcely believe the intelligence which the boy
+brought him; it seemed too good to be true. He had assured himself
+that Ellen--for that was the young lady's name--was killed or
+dreadfully injured.
+
+Kate was driven at the top of her speed, and in a few moments reached
+the bridge, where Ellen was awaiting his arrival.
+
+"Here I am, father, alive and unhurt!" cried Ellen, as Mr. Bayard
+stopped the horse.
+
+"Thank Heaven, my child!" replied the glad father, embracing his
+daughter. "I was sure you were killed."
+
+"No, father; thanks to this bold youth, I am uninjured."
+
+"I am under very great obligations to you, young man," continued
+Mr. Bayard, grasping Bobby's hand.
+
+"O, never mind, sir;" and Bobby blushed just as he had blushed when
+the young lady spoke to him.
+
+"We shall never forget you--shall we, father?" added Ellen.
+
+"No, my child; and I shall endeavor to repay, to some slight extent,
+our indebtedness to him. But you have not yet told me how you were
+saved."
+
+"O, I merely stopped the horse; that's all," answered Bobby, modestly.
+
+"Yes, father, but he placed himself right before Kate when she was
+almost flying over the ground. When I saw him, I was certain that he
+would lose his life, or be horribly mangled for his boldness,"
+interposed Ellen.
+
+"It was a daring deed, young man, to place yourself before an
+affrighted horse in that manner," said Mr. Bayard.
+
+"I didn't mind it, sir."
+
+"And then he flourished a big club, almost as big as he is himself, in
+the air, which made Kate pause in her mad career, when my deliverer
+here grasped her by the bit and held her."
+
+"It was well and bravely done."
+
+"That it was, father; not many men would have been bold enough to do
+what he did," added Ellen, with enthusiasm.
+
+"Very true; and I feel that I am indebted to him for your safety. What
+is your name, young man?"
+
+"Robert Bright, sir."
+
+Mr. Bayard took from his pocket several pieces of gold, which he
+offered to Bobby.
+
+"No, I thank you, sir," replied Bobby, blushing.
+
+"What! as proud as you are bold?"
+
+"I don't like to be paid for doing my duty."
+
+"Bravo! You are a noble little fellow! But you must take this money,
+not as a reward for what you have done, but as a testimonial of my
+gratitude."
+
+"I would rather not, sir."
+
+"Do take it, Robert," added Ellen.
+
+"I don't like to take it. It looks mean to take money for doing one's
+duty."
+
+"Take it, Robert, to please me;" and the young lady smiled so sweetly
+that Bobby's resolution began to give way. "Only to please me,
+Robert."
+
+"I will, to please you; but I don't feel right about it."
+
+"You must not be too proud, Robert," said Mr. Bayard, as he put the
+gold pieces into his hand.
+
+"I am not proud, sir; only I don't like to be paid for doing my duty."
+
+"Not paid, my young friend. Consider that you have placed me under an
+obligation to you for life. This money is only an expression of my own
+and my daughter's feelings. It is but a small sum, but I hope you will
+permit me to do something more for you, when you need it. You will
+regard me as your friend as long as you live."
+
+"Thank you, sir."
+
+"When you want any assistance of any kind, come to me. I live in
+Boston; here is my business card."
+
+Mr. Bayard handed him a card, on which Bobby read, "F. Bayard & Co.,
+Booksellers and Publishers, No. --, Washington Street, Boston."
+
+"You are very kind, sir."
+
+"I want you should come to Boston and see us, too," interposed
+Ellen. "I should be delighted to show you the city, to take you to the
+Athenĉum and the Museum."
+
+"Thank you."
+
+Mr. Bayard inquired of Bobby about his parents, where he lived, and
+about the circumstances of his family. He then took out his memorandum
+book, in which he wrote the boy's name and residence.
+
+"I am sorry to leave you now, Robert, but I have over twenty miles to
+ride to-day. I should be glad to visit your mother, and next time I
+come to Riverdale, I shall certainly do so."
+
+"Thank you, sir; my mother is a very poor woman, but she will be glad
+to see you."
+
+"Now, good by, Robert."
+
+"Good by," repeated Ellen.
+
+"Good by."
+
+Mr. Bayard drove off, leaving Bobby standing on the bridge with the
+gold pieces in his hand.
+
+"Here's luck!" said Bobby, shaking the coin. "Won't mother's eyes
+stick out when she sees these shiners? There are no such shiners in
+the river as these."
+
+Bobby was astonished, and the more he gazed at the gold pieces, the
+more bewildered he became. He had never held so much money in his hand
+before. There were three large coins and one smaller one. He turned
+them over and over, and finally ascertained that the large coins were
+ten dollar pieces, and the smaller one a five dollar piece. Bobby was
+not a great scholar, but he knew enough of arithmetic to calculate the
+value of his treasure. He was so excited, however, that he did not
+arrive at the conclusion half so quick as most of my young readers
+would have done.
+
+"Thirty-five dollars!" exclaimed Bobby, when the problem was
+solved. "Gracious!"
+
+"Hallo, Bob!" shouted Tom Spicer, who had got tired of fishing;
+besides, the village clock was just striking twelve, and it was time
+for him to go home.
+
+Bobby made no answer, but hastily tying the gold pieces up in the
+corner of his handkerchief, he threw the broken rail he had used in
+stopping the horse where it belonged, and started for the place where
+he had left his fishing apparatus.
+
+"Hallo, Bob!"
+
+"Well, Tom?"
+
+"Stopped him--didn't you?"
+
+"I did."
+
+"You were a fool; he might have killed you."
+
+"So he might; but I didn't stop to think of that. The lady's life was
+in danger."
+
+"What of that?"
+
+"Everything, I should say."
+
+"Did he give you anything?"
+
+"Yes;" and Bobby continued his walk down to the river's side.
+
+"I say, what did he give you, Bobby?" persisted Tom, following him.
+
+"O, he gave me a good deal of money."
+
+"How much?"
+
+"I want to get my fish line now; I will tell you all about it some
+other time," replied Bobby, who rather suspected the intentions of his
+companion.
+
+"Tell me now; how much was it?"
+
+"Never mind it now."
+
+"Humph! Do you think I mean to rob you?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Ain't you going halveses?"
+
+"Why should I?"
+
+"Wasn't I with you?"
+
+"Were you?"
+
+"Wasn't I fishing with you?"
+
+"You did not do anything about stopping the horse."
+
+"I would, if I hadn't been afraid to go up to the road."
+
+"Afraid?"
+
+"Somebody might have seen me, and they would have known that I was
+hooking jack."
+
+"Then you ought not to share the money."
+
+"Yes, I had. When a fellow is with you, he ought to have half. It is
+mean not to give him half."
+
+"If you had done anything to help stop the horse, I would have shared
+with you. But you didn't."
+
+"What of that?"
+
+Bobby was particularly sensitive in regard to the charge of
+meanness. His soul was a great deal bigger than his body, and he was
+always generous, even to his own injury, among his companions. It was
+evident to him that Tom had no claim to any part of the reward; but he
+could not endure the thought even of being accused of meanness.
+
+"I'll tell you what I will do, if you think I ought to share with
+you. I will leave it out to Squire Lee; and if he thinks you ought to
+have half, or any part of the money, I will give it to you."
+
+"No, you don't; you want to get me into a scrape for hooking jack. I
+see what you are up to."
+
+"I will state the case to him without telling him who the boys are."
+
+"No, you don't! You want to be mean about it. Come, hand over half the
+money."
+
+"I will not," replied Bobby, who, when it became a matter of
+compulsion, could stand his ground at any peril.
+
+"How much have you got?"
+
+"Thirty-five dollars."
+
+"By jolly! And you mean to keep it all yourself?"
+
+"I mean to give it to my mother."
+
+"No, you won't! If you are going to be mean about it, I'll smash your
+head!"
+
+This was a favorite expression with Tom Spicer, who was a noted bully
+among the boys of Riverdale. The young ruffian now placed himself in
+front of Bobby, and shook his clenched fist in his face.
+
+"Hand over."
+
+"No, I won't. You have no claim to any part of the money; at least, I
+think you have not. If you have a mind to leave it out to Squire Lee,
+I will do what is right about it."
+
+"Not I; hand over, or I'll smash your head!"
+
+"Smash away," replied Bobby, placing himself on the defensive.
+
+"Do you think you can lick me?" asked Tom, not a little embarrassed by
+this exhibition of resolution on the part of his companion.
+
+"I don't think anything about it; but you don't bully me in that kind
+of style."
+
+"Won't I?"
+
+"No."
+
+But Tom did not immediately put his threat in execution, and Bobby
+would not be the aggressor; so he stepped one side to pass his
+assailant. Tom took this as an evidence of the other's desire to
+escape, and struck him a heavy blow on the side of the head. The next
+instant the bully was floundering in the soft mud of a ditch; Bobby's
+reply was more than Tom had bargained for, and while he was dragging
+himself out of the ditch, our hero ran down to the river, and got his
+fish pole and basket.
+
+"You'll catch it for that!" growled Tom.
+
+"I'm all ready, whenever it suits your convenience," replied Bobby.
+
+"Just come out here and take it in fair fight," continued Tom, who
+could not help bullying, even in the midst of his misfortune.
+
+"No, I thank you; I don't want to fight with any fellow. I will not
+fight if I can help it."
+
+"What did you hit me for, then?"
+
+"In self-defence."
+
+"Just come out here, and try it fair!"
+
+"No;" and Bobby hurried home, leaving the bully astonished and
+discomfited by the winding up of the morning's sport.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+IN WHICH THE LITTLE BLACK HOUSE IS BOUGHT BUT NOT PAID FOR
+
+
+Probably my young readers have by this time come to the conclusion
+that Bobby Bright was a very clever fellow--one whose acquaintance
+they would be happy to cultivate. Perhaps by this time they have
+become so far interested in him as to desire to know who his parents
+were, what they did, and in what kind of a house he lived.
+
+I hope none of my young friends will think any less of him when I
+inform them that Bobby lived in an old black house which had never
+been painted, which had no flower garden in front of it, and which, in
+a word, was quite far from being a palace. A great many very nice city
+folks would not have considered it fit to live in, would have turned
+up their noses at it, and wondered that any human beings could be so
+degraded as to live in such a miserable house. But the widow Bright,
+Bobby's mother, thought it was a very comfortable house, and
+considered herself very fortunate in being able to get so good a
+dwelling. She had never lived in a fine house, knew nothing about
+velvet carpets, mirrors seven feet high, damask chairs and lounges, or
+any of the smart things which very rich and very proud city people
+consider absolutely necessary for their comfort. Her father had been a
+poor man, her husband had died a poor man, and her own life had been a
+struggle to keep the demons of poverty and want from invading her
+humble abode.
+
+Mr. Bright, her deceased husband, had been a day laborer in
+Riverdale. He never got more than a dollar a day, which was then
+considered very good wages in the country. He was a very honest,
+industrious man, and while he lived, his family did very
+well. Mrs. Bright was a careful, prudent woman, and helped him support
+the family. They never knew what it was to want for anything.
+
+Poor people, as well as rich, have an ambition to be something which
+they are not, or to have something which they have not. Every person,
+who has any energy of character, desires to get ahead in the
+world. Some merchants, who own big ships and big warehouses by the
+dozen, desire to be what they consider rich. But their idea of wealth
+is very grand. They wish to count it in millions of dollars, in whole
+blocks of warehouses; and they are even more discontented than the day
+laborer who has to earn his dinner before he can eat it.
+
+Bobby's father and mother had just such an ambition, only it was so
+modest that the merchant would have laughed at it. They wanted to own
+the little black house in which they resided, so that they could not
+only be sure of a home while they lived, but have the satisfaction of
+living in their own house. This was a very reasonable ideal, compared
+with that of the rich merchants I have mentioned; but it was even more
+difficult for them to reach it, for the wages were small, and they had
+many mouths to feed.
+
+Mr. Bright had saved up fifty dollars; and he thought a great deal
+more of this sum than many people do of a thousand dollars. He had had
+to work very hard and be very prudent in order to accumulate this sum,
+which made him value it all the more highly.
+
+With this sum of fifty dollars at his command, John Bright felt rich;
+and then, more than ever before, he wanted to own the little black
+house. He felt as grand as a lord; and as soon as the forty-nine
+dollars had become fifty, he waited upon Mr. Hardhand, a little crusty
+old man, who owned the little black house, and proposed to purchase
+it.
+
+The landlord was a hard man. Everybody in Riverdale said he was mean
+and stingy. Any generous-hearted man would have been willing to make
+an easy bargain with an honest, industrious, poor man, like John
+Bright, who wished to own the house in which he lived; but
+Mr. Hardhand, although he was rich, only thought how he could make
+more money. He asked the poor man four hundred dollars for the old
+house and the little lot of land on which it stood.
+
+It was a matter of great concern to John Bright. Four hundred dollars
+was a "mint of money," and he could not see how he should ever be able
+to save so much from his daily earnings. So he talked with Squire Lee
+about it, who told him that three hundred was all it was worth. John
+offered this for it, and after a month's hesitation Mr. Hardhand
+accepted the offer, agreeing to take fifty dollars down, and the rest
+in semi-annual payments of twenty-five dollars each until the whole
+was paid.
+
+I am thus particular in telling my readers about the bargain, because
+this debt which his father contracted was the means of making a man of
+Bobby, as will be seen in his subsequent history.
+
+John Bright paid the first fifty dollars; but before the next
+instalment became due, the poor man was laid in his cold and silent
+grave. A malignant disease carried him off, and the hopes of the
+Bright family seemed to be blasted.
+
+Four children were left to the widow. The youngest was only three
+years old, and Bobby, the oldest, was nine, when his father died.
+Squire Lee, who had always been a good friend of John Bright, told the
+widow that she had better go to the poorhouse, and not attempt to
+struggle along with such fearful odds against her. But the widow nobly
+refused to become a pauper, and to make paupers of her children, whom
+she loved quite as much as though she and they had been born in a
+ducal palace. She told the squire that she had two hands, and as long
+as she had her health, the town need not trouble itself about her
+support.
+
+Squire Lee was filled with surprise and admiration at the noble
+resolution of the poor woman; and when he returned to his house, he
+immediately sent her a cord of wood, ten bushels of potatoes, two bags
+of meal, and a firkin of salt pork.
+
+The widow was very grateful for these articles, and no false pride
+prevented her from accepting the gift of her rich and kind-hearted
+neighbor.
+
+Riverdale Centre was largely engaged in the manufacturing of boots and
+shoes, and this business gave employment to a large number of men and
+women.
+
+Mrs. Bright had for several years "closed" shoes--which, my readers
+who do not live in "shoe towns" may not know, means sewing or
+stitching them. To this business she applied herself with renewed
+energy. There was a large hotel in Riverdale Centre, where several
+families from Boston spent the summer. By the aid of Squire Lee, she
+obtained the washing of these families, which was more profitable than
+closing shoes.
+
+By these means she not only supported her family very comfortably, but
+was able to save a little money towards paying for the house.
+Mr. Hardhand, by the persuasions of Squire Lee, had consented to let
+the widow keep the house, and pay for it as she could.
+
+John Bright had been dead four years at the time we introduce Bobby to
+the reader. Mrs. Bright had paid another hundred dollars towards the
+house, with the interest; so there was now but one hundred due. Bobby
+had learned to "close," and helped his mother a great deal; but the
+confinement and the stooping posture did not agree with his health,
+and his mother was obliged to dispense with his assistance. But the
+devoted little fellow found a great many ways of helping her. He was
+now thirteen, and was as handy about the house as a girl. When he was
+not better occupied, he would often go to the river and catch a mess
+of fish, which was so much clear gain.
+
+The winter which had just passed had brought a great deal of sickness
+to the little black house. The children all had the measles, and two
+of them the scarlet fever, so that Mrs. Bright could not work
+much. Her affairs were not in a very prosperous condition when the
+spring opened; but the future was bright, and the widow, trusting in
+Providence, believed that all would end well.
+
+One thing troubled her. She had not been able to save anything for
+Mr. Hardhand. She could only pay her interest; but she hoped by the
+first of July to give him twenty-five dollars of the principal. But
+the first of July came, and she had only five dollars of the sum she
+had partly promised her creditor. She could not so easily recover from
+the disasters of the hard winter, and she had but just paid off the
+little debts she had contracted. She was nervous and uneasy as the day
+approached. Mr. Hardhand always abused her when she told him she could
+not pay him, and she dreaded his coming.
+
+It was the first of July on which Bobby caught those pouts, caught the
+horse, and on which Tom Spicer had "caught a Tartar."
+
+Bobby hastened home, as we said at the conclusion of the last
+chapter. He was as happy as a lord. He had fish enough in his basket
+for dinner, and for breakfast the next morning, and money enough in
+his pocket to make his mother as happy as a queen, if queens are
+always happy.
+
+The widow Bright, though she had worried and fretted night and day
+about the money which was to be paid to Mr. Hardhand on the first of
+July, had not told her son anything about it. It would only make him
+unhappy, she reasoned, and it was needless to make the dear boy
+miserable for nothing; so Bobby ran home all unconscious of the
+pleasure which was in store for him.
+
+When he reached the front door, as he stopped to scrape his feet on
+the sharp stone there, as all considerate boys who love their mothers
+do, before they go into the house, he heard the angry tones of
+Mr. Hardhand. He was scolding and abusing his mother because she could
+not pay him the twenty-five dollars.
+
+Bobby's blood boiled with indignation, and his first impulse was to
+serve him as he had served Tom Spicer, only a few moments before; but
+Bobby, as we have before intimated, was a peaceful boy, and not
+disposed to quarrel with any person; so he contented himself with
+muttering a few hard words.
+
+"The wretch! What business has he to talk to _my_ mother in that
+style?" said he to himself. "I have a great mind to kick him out of
+the house."
+
+But Bobby's better judgment came to his aid; and perhaps he realized
+that he and his mother would only get kicked out in return. He could
+battle with Mr. Hardhand, but not with the power which his wealth gave
+him; so, like a great many older persons in similar circumstances, he
+took counsel of prudence rather than impulse.
+
+"Bear ye one another's burdens," saith the Scripture; but Bobby was
+not old enough or astute enough to realize that Mr. Hardhand's burden
+was his wealth, his love of money; that it made him little better than
+a Hottentot; and he could not feel as charitably towards him as a
+Christian should towards his erring, weak brother.
+
+Setting his pole by the door, he entered the room where Hardhand was
+abusing his mother.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY GETS OUT OF ONE SCRAPE, AND INTO ANOTHER
+
+
+Bobby was so indignant at the conduct of Mr. Hardhand, that he
+entirely forgot the adventure of the morning; and he did not even
+think of the gold he had in his pocket. He loved his mother; he knew
+how hard she had worked for him and his brother and sisters; that she
+had burned the "midnight oil" at her clamps; and it made him feel very
+bad to hear her abused as Mr. Hardhand was abusing her. It was not
+her fault that she had not the money to pay him. She had been obliged
+to spend a large portion of her time over the sick beds of her
+children, so that she could not earn so much money as usual; while the
+family expenses were necessarily much greater.
+
+Bobby knew also that Mr. Hardhand was aware of all the circumstances
+of his mother's position, and the more he considered the case the more
+brutal and inhuman was his course.
+
+As our hero entered the family room with the basket of fish on his
+arm, the little crusty old man fixed the glance of his evil eye upon
+him.
+
+"There is that boy, marm, idling away his time by the river, and
+eating you out of house and home," said the wretch. "Why don't you set
+him to work, and make him earn something?"
+
+"Bobby is a very good boy," meekly responded the widow Bright.
+
+"Humph! I should think he was. A great lazy lubber like him, living on
+his mother!" and Mr. Hardhand looked contemptuously at Bobby.
+
+"I am not a lazy lubber," interposed the insulted boy with spirit.
+
+"Yes, you are. Why don't you go to work?"
+
+"I do work."
+
+"No, you don't; you waste your time paddling in the river."
+
+"I don't."
+
+"You had better teach this boy manners too, marm," said the creditor,
+who, like all men of small souls, was willing to take advantage of the
+power which the widow's indebtedness gave him. "He is saucy."
+
+"I should like to know who taught _you_ manners, Mr. Hardhand,"
+replied Bobby, whose indignation was rapidly getting the better of his
+discretion.
+
+"What!" growled Mr. Hardhand, aghast at this unwonted boldness.
+
+"I heard what you said before I came in; and no decent man would go to
+the house of a poor woman to insult her."
+
+"Humph! Mighty fine," snarled the little old man, his gray eyes
+twinkling with malice.
+
+"Don't, Bobby; don't be saucy to the gentleman," interposed his
+mother.
+
+"Saucy, marm? You ought to horsewhip him for it. If you don't, I
+will."
+
+"No, you won't!" replied Bobby, shaking his head significantly. "I can
+take care of myself."
+
+"Did any one ever hear such impudence!" gasped Mr. Hardhand.
+
+"Don't, Bobby, don't," pleaded the anxious mother.
+
+"I should like to know what right you have to come here and abuse my
+mother," continued Bobby, who could not restrain his anger.
+
+"Your mother owes me money, and she doesn't pay it, you young
+scoundrel!" answered Mr. Hardhand, foaming with rage.
+
+"That is no reason why you should insult her. You can call _me_
+what you please, but you shall not insult my mother while I'm round."
+
+"Your mother is a miserable woman, and----"
+
+"Say that again, and though you are an old man, I'll hit you for
+it. I'm big enough to protect my mother, and I'll do it."
+
+Bobby doubled up his fists and edged up to Mr. Hardhand, fully
+determined to execute his threat if he repeated the offensive
+expression, or any other of a similar import. He was roused to the
+highest pitch of anger, and felt as though he had just as lief die as
+live in defence of his mother's good name.
+
+I am not sure that I could excuse Bobby's violence under any other
+circumstances. He loved his mother--as the novelists would say, he
+idolized her; and Mr. Hardhand had certainly applied some very
+offensive epithets to her--epithets which no good son could calmly
+hear applied to a mother. Besides, Bobby, though his heart was a large
+one, and was in the right place, had never been educated into those
+nice distinctions of moral right and wrong which control the judgment
+of wise and learned men. He had an idea that violence, resistance with
+blows, was allowable in certain extreme cases; and he could conceive
+of no greater provocation than an insult to his mother.
+
+"Be calm, Bobby; you are in a passion," said Mrs. Bright.
+
+"I am surprised, marm," began Mr. Hardhand, who prudently refrained
+from repeating the offensive language--and I have no doubt he was
+surprised; for he looked both astonished and alarmed. "This boy has a
+most ungovernable temper."
+
+"Don't you worry about my temper, Mr. Hardhand; I'll take care of
+myself. All I want of you is not to insult my mother. You may say what
+you like to me; but don't you call her hard names."
+
+Mr. Hardhand, like all mean, little men, was a coward; and he was
+effectually intimidated by the bold and manly conduct of the boy. He
+changed his tone and manner at once.
+
+"You have no money for me, marm?" said he, edging towards the door.
+
+"No, sir; I am sorry to say that I have been able to save only five
+dollars since I paid you last; but I hope----"
+
+"Never mind, marm, never mind; I shall not trouble myself to come here
+again, where I am liable to be kicked by this ill-bred cub. No, marm,
+I shall not come again. Let the law take its course."
+
+"O, mercy! See what you have brought upon us, Bobby," exclaimed
+Mrs. Bright, bursting into tears.
+
+"Yes, marm, let the law take its course."
+
+"O, Bobby! Stop a moment, Mr. Hardhand; do stop a moment."
+
+"Not a moment, marm. We'll see;" and Mr. Hardhand placed his hand
+upon the latch string.
+
+Bobby felt very uneasy and very unhappy at that moment. His passion
+had subsided, and he realized that he had done a great deal of
+mischief by his impetuous conduct.
+
+Then the remembrance of his morning adventure on the bridge came like
+a flash of sunshine to his mind, and he eagerly drew from his pocket
+the handkerchief in which he had deposited the precious gold,--doubly
+precious now, because it would enable him to retrieve the error into
+which he had fallen, and do something towards relieving his mother's
+embarrassment. With a trembling hand he untied the knot which secured
+the money.
+
+"Here, mother, here is thirty-five dollars;" and he placed it in her
+hand.
+
+"Why, Bobby!" exclaimed Mrs. Bright.
+
+"Pay him, mother, pay him, and I will tell you all about it by and
+by."
+
+"Thirty-five dollars! and all in gold! Where _did_ you get it,
+Bobby?"
+
+"Never mind it now, mother."
+
+Mr. Hardhand's covetous soul had already grasped the glittering gold;
+and removing his hand from the latch string, he approached the widow.
+
+"I shall be able to pay you forty dollars now," said Mrs. Bright,
+taking the five dollars she had saved from her pocket.
+
+"Yes, marm."
+
+Mr. Hardhand took the money, and seating himself at the table,
+indorsed the amount on the back of the note.
+
+"You owe me sixty more," said he, maliciously, as he returned the note
+to his pocket book. "It must be paid immediately."
+
+"You must not be hard with me now, when I have paid more than you
+demanded."
+
+"I don't wish to come here again. That boy's impudence has put me all
+out of conceit with you and your family," replied Mr. Hardhand,
+assuming the most benevolent look he could command. "There was a time
+when I was very willing to help you. I have waited a great while for
+my pay for this house; a great deal longer than I would have waited
+for anybody else."
+
+"Your interest has always been paid punctually," suggested the widow,
+modestly.
+
+"That's true; but very few people would have waited as long as I have
+for the principal. I wanted to help you----"
+
+"By gracious!" exclaimed Bobby, interrupting him.
+
+"Don't be saucy, my son, don't," said Mrs. Bright, fearing a
+repetition of the former scene.
+
+"_He_ wanted to help us!" ejaculated Bobby.
+
+It was a very absurd and hypocritical expression on the part of
+Mr. Hardhand; for he never wanted to help any one but himself; and
+during the whole period of his relations with the poor widow, he had
+oppressed, insulted, and abused her to the extent of his capacity, or
+at least as far as his interest would permit.
+
+He was a malicious and revengeful man. He did not consider the great
+provocation he had given Bobby for his violent conduct, but determined
+to be revenged, if it could be accomplished without losing any part of
+the sixty dollars still due him. He was a wicked man at heart, and
+would not scruple to turn the widow and her family out of house and
+home.
+
+Mrs. Bright knew this, and Bobby knew it too; and they felt very
+uneasy about it. The wretch still had the power to injure them, and he
+would use it without compunction.
+
+"Yes, young man, I wanted to help you, and you see what I get for
+it--contempt and insults! You will hear from me again in a day or
+two. Perhaps you will change your tune, you young reprobate!"
+
+"Perhaps I shall," replied Bobby, without much discretion.
+
+"And you too, marm; you uphold him in his treatment of me. You have
+not done your duty to him. You have been remiss, marm!" continued
+Mr. Hardhand, growing bolder again, as he felt the power he wielded.
+
+"That will do, sir; you can go!" said Bobby, springing from his chair,
+and approaching Mr. Hardhand. "Go, and do your worst!"
+
+"Humph! you stump me,--do you?"
+
+"I would rather see my mother kicked out of the house than insulted by
+such a dried-up old curmudgeon as you are. Go along!"
+
+"Now, don't, Bobby," pleaded his mother.
+
+"I am going; and if the money is not paid by twelve o'clock to-morrow,
+the law shall take its course;" and Mr. Hardhand rushed out of the
+house, slamming the door violently after him.
+
+"O, Bobby, what have you done?" exclaimed Mrs. Bright, when the
+hard-hearted creditor had departed.
+
+"I could not help it, mother; don't cry. I cannot bear to hear you
+insulted and abused; and I thought when I heard him do it a year ago,
+that I couldn't stand it again. It is too bad."
+
+"But he will turn us out of the house; and what shall we do then?"
+
+"Don't cry, mother; it will come round all right. I have friends who
+are rich and powerful, and who will help us."
+
+"You don't know what you say, Bobby. Sixty dollars is a great deal of
+money, and if we should sell all we have, it would scarcely bring
+that."
+
+"Leave it all to me, mother; I feel as though I could do something
+now. I am old enough to make money."
+
+"What can you do?"
+
+"Now or never!" replied Bobby, whose mind had wandered from the scene
+to the busy world, where fortunes are made and lost every day. "Now
+or never!" muttered he again.
+
+"But, Bobby, you have not told me where you got all that gold."
+
+"Dinner is ready, I see, and I will tell you while we eat."
+
+Bobby had been a fishing, and to be hungry is a part of the
+fisherman's luck; so he seated himself at the table, and gave his
+mother a full account of all that had occurred at the bridge.
+
+The fond mother trembled when she realized the peril her son had
+incurred for the sake of the young lady; but her maternal heart
+swelled with admiration in view of the generous deed, and she thanked
+God that she was the mother of such a son. She felt more confidence in
+him then than she had ever felt before, and she realized that he would
+be the stay and the staff of her declining years.
+
+Bobby finished his dinner, and seated himself on the front door
+step. His mind was absorbed by a new and brilliant idea; and for half
+an hour he kept up a most tremendous thinking.
+
+"Now or never!" said he, as he rose and walked down the road towards
+Riverdale Centre.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY GIVES HIS NOTE FOR SIXTY DOLLARS
+
+
+A great idea was born in Bobby's brain. His mother's weakness and the
+insecurity of her position were more apparent to him than they had
+ever been before. She was in the power of her creditor, who might turn
+her out of the little black house, sell the place at auction, and
+thus, perhaps, deprive her of the whole or a large part of his
+father's and her own hard earnings.
+
+But this was not the peculiar hardship of her situation, as her
+devoted son understood it. It was not the hard work alone which she
+was called upon to perform, not the coarseness of the fare upon which
+they lived, not the danger even of being turned out of doors, that
+distressed Bobby; it was that a wretch like Mr. Hardhand could insult
+and trample upon his mother. He had just heard him use language to her
+that made his blood boil with indignation, and he did not, on cool,
+sober, second thought, regret that he had taken such a decided stand
+against it.
+
+He cared not for himself. He could live on a crust of bread and a cup
+of water from the spring; he could sleep in a barn; he could wear
+coarse and even ragged clothes; but he could not submit to have his
+mother insulted, and by such a mean and contemptible person as
+Mr. Hardhand.
+
+Yet what could he do? He was but a boy, and the great world would look
+with contempt upon his puny form. But he felt that he was not
+altogether insignificant. He had performed an act that day, which the
+fair young lady, to whom he had rendered the service, had declared
+very few men would have undertaken. There was something in him,
+something that would come out, if he only put his best foot
+forward. It was a tower of strength within him. It told him that he
+could do wonders; that he could go out into the world and accomplish
+all that would be required to free his mother from debt, and relieve
+her from the severe drudgery of her life.
+
+A great many people think they can "do wonders." The vanity of some
+very silly people makes them think they can command armies, govern
+nations, and teach the world what the world never knew before and
+never would know but for them. But Bobby's something within him was
+not vanity. It was something more substantial. He was not thinking of
+becoming a great man, a great general, a great ruler, or a great
+statesman; not even of making a great fortune. Self was not the idol
+and the end of his calculations. He was thinking of his mother, and
+only of her; and the feeling within him was as pure, and holy, and
+beautiful as the dream of an angel. He wanted to save his mother from
+insult in the first place, and from a life of ceaseless drudgery in
+the second.
+
+A legion of angels seemed to have encamped in his soul to give him
+strength for the great purpose in his mind. His was a holy and a true
+purpose, and it was this that made him think he could "do wonders."
+
+What Bobby intended to do the reader shall know in due time. It is
+enough now that he meant to do something. The difficulty with a great
+many people is, that they never resolve to do something. They wait for
+"something to turn up;" and as "things" are often very obstinate, they
+utterly refuse to "turn up" at all. Their lives are spent in waiting
+for a golden opportunity which never comes.
+
+Now, Bobby Bright repudiated the Micawber philosophy. He would have
+nothing to do with it. He did not believe corn would grow without
+being planted, or that pouts would bite the bare hook.
+
+I am not going to tell my young readers now how Bobby came out in the
+end; but I can confidently say that, if he had waited for "something
+to turn up," he would have become a vagabond, a loafer, out of money,
+out at the elbows, and out of patience with himself and all the world.
+
+It was "now or never" with Bobby. He meant to do something; and after
+he had made up his mind how and where it was to be done, it was no use
+to stand thinking about it, like the pendulum of the "old clock which
+had stood for fifty years in a farmer's kitchen, without giving its
+owner any cause of complaint."
+
+Bobby walked down the road towards the village with a rapid step. He
+was thinking very fast, and probably that made him step quick. But as
+he approached Squire Lee's house, his pace slackened, and he seemed to
+be very uneasy. When he reached the great gate that led up to the
+house, he stopped for an instant, and thrust his hands down very deep
+into his trousers pockets. I cannot tell what the trousers pockets
+had to do with what he was thinking about; but if he was searching for
+anything in them, he did not find it; for after an instant's
+hesitation he drew out his hands, struck one of them against his
+chest, and in an audible voice exclaimed,--
+
+"Now or never."
+
+All this pantomime, I suppose, meant that Bobby had some misgivings as
+to the ultimate success of his mission at Squire Lee's, and that when
+he struck his breast and uttered his favorite expression, they were
+conquered and driven out.
+
+Marching with a bold and determined step up to the squire's back
+door,--Bobby's ideas of etiquette would not have answered for the
+meridian of fashionable society,--he gave three smart raps.
+
+Bobby's heart beat a little wildly as he awaited a response to his
+summons. It seemed that he still had some doubts as to the
+practicability of his mission; but they were not permitted to disturb
+him long, for the door was opened by the squire's pretty daughter
+Annie, a young miss of twelve.
+
+"O, Bobby, is it you? I am so glad you have come!" exclaimed the
+little lady.
+
+Bobby blushed--he didn't know why, unless it was that the young lady
+desired to see him. He stammered out a reply, and for the moment
+forgot the object of his visit.
+
+"I want you to go down to the village for me, and get some books the
+expressman was to bring up from Boston for me. Will you go?"
+
+"Certainly, Miss Annie, I shall be very glad to go for _you_,"
+replied Bobby, with an emphasis that made the little maiden blush in
+her turn.
+
+"You are real good, Bobby; but I will give you something for going."
+
+"I don't want anything," said Bobby, stoutly.
+
+"You are too generous! Ah, I heard what you did this forenoon; and pa
+says that a great many men would not have dared to do what you did. I
+always thought you were as brave as a lion; now I know it."
+
+"The books are at the express office, I suppose," said Bobby, turning
+as red as a blood beet.
+
+"Yes, Bobby; I am so anxious to get them that I can't wait till pa
+goes down this evening."
+
+"I will not be gone long."
+
+"O, you needn't run, Bobby; take your time."
+
+"I will go very quick. But, Miss Annie, is your father at home?"
+
+"Not now; he has gone over to the wood lot; but he will be back by the
+time you return."
+
+"Will you please to tell him that I want to see him about something
+very particular, when he gets back?"
+
+"I will, Bobby."
+
+"Thank you, Miss Annie;" and Bobby hastened to the village to execute
+his commission.
+
+"I wonder what he wants to see pa so very particularly for," said the
+young lady to herself, as she watched his receding form. "In my
+opinion, something has happened at the little black house, for I could
+see that he looked very sober."
+
+Either Bobby had a very great regard for the young lady, and wished to
+relieve her impatience to behold the coveted books, or he was in a
+hurry to see Squire Lee; for the squire's old roan horse could hardly
+have gone quicker.
+
+"You should not have run, Bobby," said the little maiden, when he
+placed the books in her hand; "I would not have asked you to go if I
+had thought you would run all the way. You must be very tired."
+
+"Not at all; I didn't run, only walked very quick," replied he; but
+his quick breathing indicated that his words or his walk had been very
+much exaggerated. "Has your father returned?"
+
+"He has; he is waiting for you in the sitting room. Come in, Bobby."
+
+Bobby followed her into the room, and took the chair which Annie
+offered him.
+
+"How do you do, Bobby? I am glad to see you," said the squire, taking
+him by the hand, and bestowing a benignant smile upon him--a smile
+which cheered his heart more than anything else could at that
+moment. "I have heard of you before, to-day."
+
+"Have you?"
+
+"I have, Bobby; you are a brave little fellow."
+
+"I came over to see you, sir, about something very particular,"
+replied Bobby, whose natural modesty induced him to change the topic.
+
+"Indeed; well, what can I do for you?"
+
+"A great deal, sir; perhaps you will think I am very bold, sir, but I
+can't help it."
+
+"I know you are a very bold little fellow, or you would not have done
+what you did this forenoon," laughed the squire.
+
+"I didn't mean that, sir," answered Bobby, blushing up to the eyes.
+
+"I know you didn't; but go on."
+
+"I only meant that you would think me presuming, or impudent, or
+something of that kind."
+
+"O, no, far from it. You cannot be presuming or impudent. Speak out,
+Bobby; anything under the heavens that I can do for you, I shall be
+glad to do."
+
+"Well, sir, I am going to leave Riverdale."
+
+"Leave Riverdale!"
+
+"Yes, sir; I am going to Boston, where I mean to do something to help
+mother."
+
+"Bravo! you are a good lad. What do you mean to do?"
+
+"I was thinking I should go into the book business."
+
+"Indeed!" and Squire Lee was much amused by the matter-of-fact manner
+of the young aspirant.
+
+"I was talking with a young fellow who went through the place last
+spring, selling books. He told me that some days he made three or
+four dollars, and that he averaged twelve dollars a week."
+
+"He did well; perhaps, though, only a few of them make so much."
+
+"I know I can make twelve dollars a week," replied Bobby, confidently,
+for that something within him made him feel capable of great things.
+
+"I dare say you can. You have energy and perseverance, and people take
+a liking to you."
+
+"But I wanted to see you about another matter. To speak out at once,
+I want to borrow sixty dollars of you;" and Bobby blushed, and seemed
+very much embarrassed by his own boldness.
+
+"Sixty dollars!" exclaimed the squire.
+
+"I knew you would think me impudent," replied our hero, his heart
+sinking within him.
+
+"But I don't, Bobby. You want the money to go into business with--to
+buy your stock of books?"
+
+"O, no, sir; I am going to apply to Mr. Bayard for that."
+
+"Just so; Mr. Bayard is the gentleman whose daughter you saved?"
+
+"Yes, sir. I want this money to pay off Mr. Hardhand. We owe him but
+sixty dollars now, and he has threatened to turn us out, if it is not
+paid by to-morrow noon."
+
+"The old hunks!"
+
+Bobby briefly related to the squire the events of the morning, much to
+the indignation and disgust of the honest, kind-hearted man. The
+courageous boy detailed more clearly his purpose, and doubted not he
+should be able to pay the loan in a few months.
+
+"Very well, Bobby, here is the money;" and the squire took it from his
+wallet, and gave it to him.
+
+"Thank you, sir. May Heaven bless you! I shall certainly pay you."
+
+"Don't worry about it, Bobby. Pay it when you get ready."
+
+"I will give you my note, and----"
+
+The squire laughed heartily at this, and told him that, as he was a
+minor, his note was not good for anything.
+
+"You shall see whether it is, or not," returned Bobby. "Let me give it
+to you, at least, so that we can tell how much I owe you from time to
+time."
+
+"You shall have your own way."
+
+Annie Lee, as much amused as her father at Bobby's big talk, got the
+writing materials, and the little merchant in embryo wrote and signed
+the note.
+
+"Good, Bobby! Now promise that you will come and see me every time you
+come home, and tell me how you are getting along."
+
+"I will, sir, with the greatest pleasure;" and with a light heart
+Bobby tripped away home.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY SETS OUT ON HIS TRAVELS
+
+
+Squire Lee, though only a plain farmer, was the richest man in
+Riverdale. He had taken a great fancy to Bobby, and often employed him
+to do errands, ride the horse to plough in the cornfields, and such
+chores about the place as a boy could do. He liked to talk with Bobby
+because there was a great deal of good sense in him, for one with a
+small head.
+
+If there was any one thing upon which the squire particularly prided
+himself, it was his knowledge of human nature. He declared that he
+only wanted to look a man in the face to know what he was; and as for
+Bobby Bright, he had summered him and wintered him, and he was
+satisfied that he would make something in good time.
+
+He was not much astonished when Bobby opened his ambitious scheme of
+going into business for himself. But he had full faith in his ability
+to work out a useful and profitable, if not a brilliant, life. He
+often said that Bobby was worth his weight in gold, and that he would
+trust him with anything he had. Perhaps he did not suspect that the
+time was at hand when he would be called upon to verify his words
+practically; for it was only that morning, when one of the neighbors
+told him about Bobby's stopping the horse, that he had repeated the
+expression for the twentieth time.
+
+It was not an idle remark. Sixty dollars was hardly worth mentioning
+with a man of his wealth and liberal views, though so careful a man as
+he was would not have been likely to throw away that amount. But as a
+matter of investment,--Bobby had made the note read "with
+interest,"--he would as readily have let him have it, as the next
+richest man in the place, so much confidence had he in our hero's
+integrity, and so sure was he that he would soon have the means of
+paying him.
+
+Bobby was overjoyed at the fortunate issue of his mission, and he
+walked into the room where his mother was closing shoes, with a
+dignity worthy a banker or a great merchant. Mrs. Bright was very
+sad. Perhaps she felt a little grieved that her son, whom she loved so
+much, had so thoughtlessly plunged her into a new difficulty.
+
+"Come, cheer up, mother; it is all right," said Bobby, in his usual
+elastic and gay tones; and at the same time he took the sixty dollars
+from his pocket and handed it to her. "There is the money, and you
+will be forever quit of Mr. Hardhand to-morrow."
+
+"What, Bobby! Why, where did you get all this money?" asked
+Mrs. Bright, utterly astonished.
+
+In a few words the ambitious boy told his story, and then informed his
+mother that he was going to Boston the next Monday morning, to
+commence business for himself.
+
+"Why, what can you do, Bobby?"
+
+"Do? I can do a great many things;" and he unfolded his scheme of
+becoming a little book merchant.
+
+"You are a courageous fellow! Who would have thought of such a thing?"
+
+"I should, and did."
+
+"But you are not old enough."
+
+"O, yes, I am."
+
+"You had better wait a while."
+
+"Now or never, mother! You see I have given my note, and my paper will
+be dishonored, if I am not up and doing."
+
+"Your paper!" said Mrs. Bright, with a smile.
+
+"That is what Mr. Wing, the boot manufacturer, calls it."
+
+"You needn't go away to earn this money; I can pay it myself."
+
+"This note is my affair, and I mean to pay it myself with my own
+earnings. No objections, mother."
+
+Like a sensible woman as she was, she did not make any objections. She
+was conscious of Bobby's talents; she knew that he had a strong mind
+of his own, and could take care of himself. It is true, she feared the
+influence of the great world, and especially of the great city, upon
+the tender mind of her son; but if he was never tempted, he would
+never be a conqueror over the foes that beset him.
+
+She determined to do her whole duty towards him; and she carefully
+pointed out to him the sins and the moral danger to which he would be
+exposed, and warned him always to resist temptation. She counselled
+him to think of her when he felt like going astray.
+
+Bobby declared that he would try to be a good boy. He did not speak
+contemptuously of the anticipated perils, as many boys would have
+done, because he knew that his mother would not make bug-bears out of
+things which she knew had no real existence.
+
+The next day, Mr. Hardhand came; and my young readers can judge how
+astonished and chagrined he was, when the widow Bright offered him the
+sixty dollars. The Lord was with the widow and the fatherless, and the
+wretch was cheated out of his revenge. The note was given up, and the
+mortgage cancelled.
+
+Mr. Hardhand insisted that she should pay the interest on the sixty
+dollars for one day, as it was then the second day of July; but when
+Bobby reckoned it up, and found it was less than one cent, even the
+wretched miser seemed ashamed of himself, and changed the subject of
+conversation.
+
+He did not dare to say anything saucy to the widow this time. He had
+lost his power over her, and there stood Bobby, who had come to look
+just like a young lion to him, coward and knave as he was.
+
+The business was all settled now, and Bobby spent the rest of the week
+in getting ready for his great enterprise. He visited all his friends,
+and went each day to talk with Squire Lee and Annie. The little maiden
+promised to buy a great many books of him, if he would bring his stock
+to Riverdale, for she was quite as much interested in him as her
+father was.
+
+Monday morning came, and Bobby was out of bed with the first streak of
+dawn. The excitement of the great event which was about to happen had
+not permitted him to sleep for the two hours preceding; yet when he
+got up, he could not help feeling sad. He was going to leave the
+little black house, going to leave his mother, going to leave the
+children, to depart for the great city.
+
+His mother was up before him. She was even more sad than he was, for
+she could see plainer than he the perils that environed him, and her
+maternal heart, in spite of the reasonable confidence she had in his
+integrity and good principles, trembled for his safety.
+
+As he ate his breakfast, his mother repeated the warnings and the good
+lessons she had before imparted. She particularly cautioned him to
+keep out of bad company. If he found that his companions would lie and
+swear, he might depend upon it they would steal, and he had better
+forsake them at once. This was excellent advice, and Bobby had
+occasion at a later period to call it to his sorrowing heart.
+
+"Here is three dollars, Bobby; it is all the money I have. Your fare
+to Boston will be one dollar, and you will have two left to pay the
+expenses of your first trip. It is all I have now," said Mrs. Bright.
+
+"I will not take the whole of it. You will want it yourself. One
+dollar is enough. When I find Mr. Bayard, I shall do very well."
+
+"Yes, Bobby, take the whole of it."
+
+"I will take just one dollar, and no more," replied Bobby, resolutely,
+as he handed her the other two dollars.
+
+"Do take it, Bobby."
+
+"No, mother; it will only make me lazy and indifferent."
+
+Taking a clean shirt, a pair of socks, and a handkerchief in his
+bundle, he was ready for a start.
+
+"Good by, mother," said he, kissing her and taking her hand. "I shall
+try and come home on Saturday, so as to be with you on Sunday."
+
+Then kissing the children, who had not yet got up, and to whom he had
+bidden adieu the night before, he left the house. He had seen the
+flood of tears that filled his mother's eyes, as he crossed the
+threshold; and he could not help crying a little himself. It is a sad
+thing to leave one's home, one's mother, especially, to go out into
+the great world; and we need not wonder that Bobby, who had hardly
+been out of Riverdale before, should weep. But he soon restrained the
+flowing tears.
+
+"Now or never!" said he, and he put his best foot forward.
+
+It was an epoch in his history, and though he was too young to realize
+the importance of the event, he seemed to feel that what he did now
+was to give character to his whole future life.
+
+It was a bright and beautiful morning--somehow it is always a bright
+and beautiful morning when boys leave their homes to commence the
+journey of life; it is typical of the season of youth and hope, and it
+is meet that the sky should be clear, and the sun shine brightly, when
+the little pilgrim sets out upon his tour. He will see clouds and
+storms before he has gone far--let him have a fair start.
+
+He had to walk five miles to the nearest railroad station. His road
+lay by the house of his friend, Squire Lee; and as he was approaching
+it, he met Annie. She said she had come out to take her morning walk;
+but Bobby knew very well that she did not usually walk till an hour
+later; which, with the fact that she had asked him particularly, the
+day before, what time he was going, made Bobby believe that she had
+come out to say good by, and bid him God speed on his journey. At any
+rate, he was very glad to see her. He said a great many pretty things
+to her, and talked so big about what he was going to do, that the
+little maiden could hardly help laughing in his face.
+
+Then at the house he shook hands with the squire and shook hands again
+with Annie, and resumed his journey. His heart felt lighter for having
+met them, or at least for having met one of them, if not both; for
+Annie's eyes were so full of sunshine that they seemed to gladden his
+heart, and make him feel truer and stronger.
+
+After a pleasant walk, for he scarcely heeded the distance, so full
+was he of his big thoughts, he reached the railroad station. The cars
+had not yet arrived, and would not for half an hour.
+
+"Why should I give them a dollar for carrying me to Boston, when I can
+just as well walk? If I get tired, I can sit down and rest me. If I
+save the dollar, I shall have to earn only fifty-nine more to pay my
+note. So here goes;" and he started down the track.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY STANDS UP FOR "CERTAIN INALIENABLE RIGHTS"
+
+
+Whether it was wise policy, or "penny wise and pound foolish" policy
+for Bobby to undertake such a long walk, is certainly a debatable
+question; but as my young readers would probably object to an
+argument, we will follow him to the city, and let every one settle the
+point to suit himself.
+
+His cheerful heart made the road smooth beneath his feet. He had
+always been accustomed to an active, busy life, and had probably often
+walked more than twenty miles in a day. About ten o'clock, though he
+did not feel much fatigued, he seated himself on a rock by a brook
+from which he had just taken a drink, to rest himself. He had walked
+slowly so as to husband his strength; and he felt confident that he
+should be able to accomplish the journey without injury to himself.
+
+After resting for half an hour, he resumed his walk. At twelve o'clock
+he reached a point from which he obtained his first view of the
+city. His heart bounded at the sight, and his first impulse was to
+increase his speed so that he should the sooner gratify his curiosity;
+but a second thought reminded him that he had eaten nothing since
+breakfast; so, finding a shady tree by the road side, he seated
+himself on a stone to eat the luncheon which his considerate mother
+had placed in his bundle.
+
+Thus refreshed, he felt like a new man, and continued his journey
+again till he was on the very outskirts of the city, where a sign, "No
+passing over this bridge," interrupted his farther progress. Unlike
+many others, Bobby took this sign literally, and did not venture to
+cross the bridge. Having some doubts as to the direct road to the
+city, he hailed a man in a butcher's cart, who not only pointed the
+way, but gave him an invitation to ride with him, which Bobby was glad
+to accept.
+
+They crossed the Milldam, and the little pilgrim forgot the long walk
+he had taken--forgot Riverdale, his mother, Squire Lee, and Annie, for
+the time, in the absorbing interest of the exciting scene. The Common
+beat Riverdale Common all hollow; he had never seen anything like it
+before. But when the wagon reached Washington Street, the measure of
+his surprise was filled up.
+
+"My gracious! how thick the houses are!" exclaimed he, much to the
+amusement of the kind-hearted butcher.
+
+"We have high fences here," he replied.
+
+"Where are all these folks going to?"
+
+"You will have to ask them, if you want to know."
+
+But the wonder soon abated, and Bobby began to think of his great
+mission in the city. He got tired of gazing and wondering, and even
+began to smile with contempt at the silly fops as they sauntered
+along, and the gayly dressed ladies, that flaunted like so many idle
+butterflies, on the sidewalk. It was an exciting scene; but it did not
+look real to him. It was more like Herr Grunderslung's exhibition of
+the magic lantern, than anything substantial. The men and women were
+like so many puppets. They did not seem to be doing anything, or to
+be walking for any purpose.
+
+He got out of the butcher's cart at the Old South. His first
+impression, as he joined the busy throng, was, that he was one of the
+puppets. He did not seem to have any hold upon the scene, and for
+several minutes this sensation of vacancy chained him to the spot.
+
+"All right!" exclaimed he to himself at last. "I am here. Now's my
+time to make a strike. Now or never."
+
+He pulled Mr. Bayard's card from his pocket, and fixed the number of
+his store in his mind. Now, numbers were not a Riverdale institution,
+and Bobby was a little perplexed about finding the one indicated. A
+little study into the matter, however, set him right, and he soon had
+the satisfaction of seeing the bookseller's name over his store.
+
+"F. Bayard," he read; "this is the place."
+
+"Country!" shouted a little ragged boy, who dodged across the street
+at that moment.
+
+"Just so, my beauty!" said Bobby, a little nettled at this imputation
+of verdancy.
+
+"What a greeny!" shouted the little vagabond from the other side of
+the street.
+
+"No matter, rag-tag! We'll settle that matter some other time."
+
+But Bobby felt that there was something in his appearance which
+subjected him to the remarks of others, and as he entered the shop, he
+determined to correct it as soon as possible.
+
+A spruce young gentleman was behind the counter, who cast a
+mischievous glance at him as he entered.
+
+"Mr. Bayard keep here?" asked Bobby.
+
+"Well, I reckon he does. How are all the folks up country?" replied
+the spruce clerk, with a rude grin.
+
+"How are they?" repeated Bobby, the color flying to his cheek.
+
+"Yes, ha-ow do they dew?"
+
+"They behave themselves better than they do here."
+
+"Eh, greeny?"
+
+"Eh, sappy?" repeated Bobby, mimicking the soft, silky tones of the
+young city gentleman.
+
+"What do you mean by sappy?" asked the clerk indignantly.
+
+"What do you mean by greeny?"
+
+"I'll let you know what I mean!"
+
+"When you do, I'll let you know what I mean by sappy."
+
+"Good!" exclaimed one of the salesmen, who had heard part of this
+spirited conversation. "You will learn better by and by, Timmins,
+than to impose upon boys from out of town."
+
+"You seem to be a gentleman, sir," said Bobby, approaching the
+salesman. "I wish to see Mr. Bayard."
+
+"You can't see him!" growled Timmins.
+
+"Can't I?"
+
+"Not at this minute; he is engaged just now," added the salesman, who
+seemed to have a profound respect for Bobby's discrimination. "He
+will be at liberty in a few moments."
+
+"I will wait, then," said Bobby, seating himself on a stool by the
+counter.
+
+Pretty soon the civil gentleman left the store to go to dinner, and
+Timmins, a little timid about provoking the young lion, cast an
+occasional glance of hatred at him. He had evidently found that
+"Country" was an embryo American citizen, and that he was a firm
+believer in the self-evident truths of the Declaration of
+Independence.
+
+Bobby bore no ill will towards the spruce clerk, ready as he had been
+to defend his "certain inalienable rights."
+
+"You do a big business here," suggested Bobby, in a conciliatory tone,
+and with a smile on his face which ought to have convinced the
+uncourteous clerk that he meant well.
+
+"Who told you so?" replied Timmins, gruffly.
+
+"I merely judged from appearances. You have a big store, and an
+immense quantity of books."
+
+"Appearances are deceitful," replied Timmins; and perhaps he had been
+impressed by the fact from his experience with the lad from the
+country.
+
+"That is true," added Bobby, with a good-natured smile, which, when
+interpreted, might have meant, "I took you for a civil fellow, but I
+have been very much mistaken."
+
+"You will find it out before you are many days older."
+
+"The book business is good just now, isn't it?" continued Bobby,
+without clearly comprehending the meaning of the other's last remark.
+
+"Humph! What's that to you?"
+
+"O, I intend to go into it myself."
+
+"Ha, ha, ha! Good! You do?"
+
+"I do," replied Bobby, seemingly unconcerned at the taunts of the
+clerk.
+
+"I suppose you want to get a place here," sneered Timmins, alarmed at
+the prospect. "But let me tell you, you can't do it. Bayard has all
+the help he wants; and if that is what you come for, you can move on
+as fast as you please."
+
+"I guess I will see him," added Bobby, quietly.
+
+"No use."
+
+"No harm in seeing him."
+
+As he spoke he took up a book that lay on the counter, and began to
+turn over the leaves.
+
+"Put that book down!" said the amiable Mr. Timmins.
+
+"I won't hurt it," replied Bobby, who had just fixed his eye upon some
+very pretty engravings in the volume.
+
+"Put it down!" repeated Mr. Timmins, in a loud, imperative tone.
+
+"Certainly I will, if you say so," said Bobby, who, though not much
+intimidated by the harsh tones of the clerk, did not know the rules of
+the store, and deemed it prudent not to meddle.
+
+"I _do_ say so!" added Mr. Timmins, magnificently; "and what's
+more, you'd better mind me, too."
+
+Bobby had minded, and probably the stately little clerk would not have
+been so bold if he had not. Some people like to threaten after the
+danger is over.
+
+Then our visitor from the country espied some little blank books lying
+on the counter. He had already made up his mind to have one, in which
+to keep his accounts; and he thought, while he was waiting, that he
+would purchase one. He meant to do things methodically; so when he
+picked up one of the blank books, it was with the intention of buying
+it.
+
+"Put that book down!" said Mr. Timmins, encouraged in his aggressive
+intentions by the previous docility of our hero.
+
+"I want to buy one."
+
+"No, you don't; put it down."
+
+"What is the price of these?" asked Bobby, resolutely.
+
+"None of your business!"
+
+"Is that the way you treat your customers?" asked Bobby, with a
+little sternness in his looks and tones. "I say I want to buy one."
+
+"Put it down."
+
+"But I will not; I say I want to buy it."
+
+"No, you don't!"
+
+"What is the price of it?"
+
+"Twenty-five cents," growled Timmins, which was just four times the
+retail price.
+
+"Twenty-five cents! That's high."
+
+"Put it down, then."
+
+"Is that your lowest price?" asked Bobby, who was as cool as a
+cucumber.
+
+"Yes, it is; and if you don't put it down, I'll kick you out of the
+store."
+
+"Will you? Then I won't put it down."
+
+Mr. Timmins took this as a "stump;" his ire was up, and he walked
+round from behind the counter to execute his threat.
+
+I must say I think Bobby was a little forward, and I would have my
+young readers a little more pliant with small men like Timmins. There
+are always men enough in the world who are ready and willing to
+quarrel on any provocation; and it is always best not to provoke them,
+even if they are overbearing and insolent, as Mr. Timmins certainly
+was.
+
+"Hold on a minute before you do it," said Bobby, with the same
+provoking coolness. "I want to buy this book, and I am willing to pay
+a fair price for it. But I happen to know that you can buy them up in
+Riverdale, where I came from, for six cents."
+
+"No matter," exclaimed the indignant clerk, seizing Bobby by the coat
+collar for the purpose of ejecting him; "you shall find your way into
+the street."
+
+Now Bobby, as I have before intimated, was an embryo American citizen,
+and the act of Mr. Timmins seemed like an invasion of his inalienable
+rights. No time was given him to make a formal declaration of rights
+in the premises; so the instinct of self-preservation was allowed to
+have free course.
+
+Mr. Timmins pulled and tugged at his coat collar, and Bobby hung back
+like a mule; and for an instant there was quite a spirited scene.
+
+"Hallo! Timmins, what does this mean?" said a voice, at which the
+valiant little clerk instantly let go his hold.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+IN WHICH MR. TIMMINS IS ASTONISHED, AND BOBBY DINES IN CHESTNUT STREET
+
+
+It was Mr. Bayard. He had finished his business with the gentleman by
+his side, and hearing the noise of the scuffle, had come to learn the
+occasion of it.
+
+"This impudent young puppy wouldn't let the books alone!" began
+Mr. Timmins. "I threatened to turn him out if he didn't; and I meant
+to make good my threat. I think he meant to steal something."
+
+Bobby was astonished and shocked at this bold imputation; but he
+wished to have his case judged on its own merits; so he turned his
+face away, that Mr. Bayard might not recognize him.
+
+"I wanted to buy one of these blank books," added Bobby, picking up
+the one he had dropped on the floor in the struggle.
+
+"All stuff!" ejaculated Timmins. "He is an impudent, obstinate puppy!
+In my opinion he meant to steal that book."
+
+"I asked him the price, and told him I wanted to buy it," added Bobby,
+still averting his face.
+
+"Well, I told him; and he said it was too high."
+
+"He asked me twenty-five cents for it."
+
+"Is this true, Timmins?" asked Mr. Bayard, sternly.
+
+"No, _sir_! I told him fourpence," replied Timmins, boldly.
+
+"By gracious! What a whopper!" exclaimed Bobby, startled out of his
+propriety by this monstrous lie. "He said twenty-five cents; and I
+told him I could buy one up in Riverdale, where I came from, for six
+cents. Can you deny that?"
+
+"It's a lie!" protested Timmins.
+
+"Riverdale," said Mr. Bayard. "Are you from Riverdale, boy?"
+
+"Yes, sir, I am; and if you will look on your memorandum book you will
+find my name there."
+
+"Bless me! I am sure I have seen that face before," exclaimed
+Mr. Bayard, as he grasped the hand of Bobby, much to the astonishment
+and consternation of Mr. Timmins. "You are----"
+
+"Robert Bright, sir."
+
+"My brave little fellow! I am heartily glad to see you;" and the
+bookseller shook the hand he held with hearty good will. "I was
+thinking of you only a little while ago."
+
+"This fellow calls me a liar," said Bobby, pointing to the astonished
+Mr. Timmins, who did not know what to make of the cordial reception
+which "Country" was receiving from his employer.
+
+"Well, Robert, we know that _he_ is a liar; this is not the first
+time he has been caught in a lie. Timmins, your time is out."
+
+The spruce clerk hung his head with shame and mortification.
+
+"I hope, sir, you will----" he began, but pride or fear stopped him
+short.
+
+"Don't be hard with him, sir, if you please," said Bobby. "I suppose I
+aggravated him."
+
+Mr. Bayard looked at the gentleman who stood by his side, and a smile
+of approbation lighted up his face.
+
+"Generous as he is noble! Butler, this is the boy that saved Ellen."
+
+"Indeed! He is a little giant!" replied Mr. Butler, grasping Bobby's
+hand.
+
+Even Timmins glanced with something like admiration in his looks at
+the youth whom he had so lately despised. Perhaps, too, he thought of
+that Scripture wisdom about entertaining angels unawares. He was very
+much abashed, and nothing but his silly pride prevented him from
+acknowledging his error and begging Bobby's forgiveness.
+
+"I can't have a liar about me," said Mr. Bayard.
+
+"There may be some mistake," suggested Mr. Butler.
+
+"I think not. Robert Bright couldn't lie. So brave and noble a boy is
+incapable of a falsehood. Besides, I got a letter from my friend
+Squire Lee by this morning's mail, in which he informed me of my young
+friend's coming."
+
+Mr. Bayard took from his pocket a bundle of letters, and selected the
+squire's from among them. Opening it, he read a passage which had a
+direct bearing upon the case before him.
+
+"'I do not know what Bobby's faults are,'"--the letter said,--"'but
+this I do know: that Bobby would rather be whipped than tell a lie.
+He is noted through the place for his love of truth.'--That is pretty
+strong testimony; and you see, Bobby,--that's what the squire calls
+you,--your reputation has preceded you."
+
+Bobby blushed, as he always did when he was praised, and Mr. Timmins
+was more abashed than ever.
+
+"Did you hear that, Timmins? Who is the liar now?" said Mr. Bayard,
+turning to the culprit.
+
+"Forgive me, sir, this time. If you turn me off now, I cannot get
+another place, and my mother depends upon my wages."
+
+"You ought to have thought of this before."
+
+"He aggravated me, sir, so that I wanted to pay him off."
+
+"As to that, he commenced upon me the moment I came into the
+store. But don't turn him off, if you please, sir," said Bobby, who
+even now wished no harm to his discomfited assailant. "He will do
+better hereafter: won't you, Timmins?"
+
+Thus appealed to, Timmins, though he did not relish so direct an
+inquiry, and from such a source, was compelled to reply in the
+affirmative; and Mr. Bayard graciously remitted the sentence he had
+passed against the offending clerk.
+
+"Now, Robert, you will come over to my house and dine with me. Ellen
+will be delighted to see you."
+
+"Thank you, sir," replied Bobby, bashfully, "I have been to
+dinner"--referring to the luncheon he had eaten at Brighton.
+
+"But you must go to the house with me."
+
+"I should be very glad to do so, sir, but I came on business. I will
+stay here with Mr. Timmins till you come back."
+
+The truth is, he had heard something about the fine houses of the
+city, and how stylish the people were, and he had some misgivings
+about venturing into such a strange and untried scene as the parlor of
+a Boston merchant.
+
+"Indeed, you must come with me. Ellen would never forgive you or me,
+if you did not come."
+
+"I would rather rest here till you return," replied Bobby, still
+willing to escape the fine house and the fine folks. "I walked from
+Riverdale, sir, and I am rather tired."
+
+"Walked!" exclaimed Mr. Bayard. "Had you no money?"
+
+"Yes, sir, enough to pay my passage; but Dr. Franklin says that 'a
+penny saved is a penny earned,' and I thought I would try it. I shall
+get rested by the time you return."
+
+"But you must go with me. Timmins, go and get a carriage."
+
+Timmins obeyed, and before Mr. Bayard had finished asking Bobby how
+all the people in Riverdale were, the carriage was at the door.
+
+There was no backing out now, and our hero was obliged to get into the
+vehicle, though it seemed altogether too fine for a poor boy like
+him. Mr. Bayard and Mr. Butler (whom the former had invited to dine
+with him) seated themselves beside him, and the driver was directed to
+set them down at No. --, Chestnut Street, where they soon arrived.
+
+Though my readers would, no doubt, be very much amused to learn how
+carefully Bobby trod the velvet carpets, how he stared with wonder at
+the drapery curtains, at the tall mirrors, the elegant chandeliers,
+and the fantastically shaped chairs and tables that adorned Mr.
+Bayard's parlor, the length of our story does not permit us to pause
+over these trivial matters.
+
+When Ellen Bayard was informed that her little deliverer was in the
+house, she rushed into the parlor like a hoiden school girl, grasped
+both his hands, kissed both his rosy cheeks, and behaved just as
+though she had never been to a boarding school in her life.
+
+She had thought a great deal about Bobby since that eventful day, and
+the more she thought of him, the more she liked him. Her admiration of
+him was not of that silly, sentimental character which moonstruck
+young ladies cherish towards those immaculate young men who have saved
+them from drowning in a horse pond, pulled them back just as they were
+tumbling over a precipice two thousand five hundred feet high, or
+rescued them from a house seven stories high, bearing them down a
+ladder seventy-five odd feet long. The fact was, Bobby was a boy of
+thirteen and there was no chance for much sentiment; so the young
+lady's regard was real, earnest, and lifelike.
+
+Ellen said a great many very handsome things; but I am sure she never
+thought of such a thing as that he would run away with her, in case
+her papa was unnecessarily obstinate. She was very glad to see him,
+and I have no doubt she wished Bobby might be her brother, it would be
+so glorious to have such a noble little fellow always with her.
+
+Bobby managed the dinner much better than he had anticipated; for
+Mr. Bayard insisted that he should sit down with them, whether he ate
+anything or not. But the Rubicon passed, our hero found that he had a
+pretty smart appetite, and did full justice to the viands set before
+him. It is true the silver forks, the napkins, the finger bowls, and
+other articles of luxury and show, to which he had been entirely
+unaccustomed, bothered him not a little; but he kept perfectly cool,
+and carefully observed how Mr. Butler, who sat next to him, handled
+the "spoon fork," what he did with the napkin and the finger bowl, so
+that, I will venture to say, not one in ten would have suspected he
+had not spent his life in the parlor of a millionaire.
+
+Dinner over, the party returned to the parlor, where Bobby unfolded
+his plan for the future. To make his story intelligible, he was
+obliged to tell them all about Mr. Hardhand.
+
+"The old wretch!" exclaimed Mr. Bayard. "But, Robert, you must let me
+advance the sixty dollars, to pay Squire Lee."
+
+"No, sir; you have done enough in that way. I have given my note for
+the money."
+
+"Whew!" said Mr. Butler.
+
+"And I shall soon earn enough to pay it."
+
+"No doubt of it. You are a lad of courage and energy, and you will
+succeed in everything you undertake."
+
+"I shall want you to trust me for a stock of books, on the strength of
+old acquaintance," continued Bobby, who had now grown quite bold, and
+felt as much at home in the midst of the costly furniture, as he did
+in the "living room" of the old black house.
+
+"You shall have all the books you want."
+
+"I will pay for them as soon as I return. The truth is, Mr. Bayard, I
+mean to be independent. I didn't want to take that thirty-five
+dollars, though I don't know what Mr. Hardhand would have done to us,
+if I hadn't."
+
+"Ellen said I ought to have given you a hundred, and I think so
+myself."
+
+"I am glad you didn't. Too much money makes us fat and lazy."
+
+Mr. Bayard laughed at the easy self-possession of the lad--at his big
+talk; though, big as it was, it meant something. When he proposed to
+go to the store, he told Bobby he had better stay at the house and
+rest himself.
+
+"No, sir; I want to start out to-morrow, and I must get ready to-day."
+
+"You had better put it off till the next day; you will feel more like
+it then."
+
+"Now or never," replied Bobby. "That is my motto, sir. If we have
+anything to do, now is always the best time to do it. Dr. Franklin
+says, 'Never put off till to-morrow what you can do to-day.'"
+
+"Right, Robert! you shall have your own way. I wish my clerks would
+adopt some of Dr. Franklin's wise saws. I should be a great deal
+better off in the course of a year if they would."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY OPENS VARIOUS ACCOUNTS, AND WINS HIS FIRST VICTORY
+
+
+"Now, Bobby, I understand your plan," said Mr. Bayard, when they
+reached the store; "but the details must be settled. Where do you
+intend to go?"
+
+"I hardly know, sir. I suppose I can sell books almost anywhere."
+
+"Very true; but in some places much better than in others."
+
+Mr. Bayard mentioned a large town about eighteen miles from the city,
+in which he thought a good trade might be carried on, and Bobby at
+once decided to adopt the suggestion.
+
+"You can make this place your headquarters for the week; if books do
+not sell well right in the village, why, you can go out a little way,
+for the country in the vicinity is peopled by intelligent farmers, who
+are well off, and who can afford to buy books."
+
+"I was thinking of that; but what shall I take with me, sir?"
+
+"There is a new book just published, called 'The Wayfarer,' which is
+going to have a tremendous run. It has been advertised in advance all
+over the country, so that you will find a ready sale for it. You will
+get it there before any one else, and have the market all to
+yourself."
+
+"'The Wayfarer'? I have heard of it myself."
+
+"You shall take fifty copies with you, and if you find that you shall
+want more, write, and I will send them."
+
+"But I cannot carry fifty copies."
+
+"You must take the cars to B----, and have a trunk or box to carry
+your books in. I have a stout trunk down cellar which you shall have."
+
+"I will pay for it, sir."
+
+"Never mind that, Bobby; and you will want a small valise or carpet
+bag to carry your books from house to house. I will lend you one."
+
+"You are very kind, sir; I did not mean to ask any favors of you
+except to trust me for the books until my return."
+
+"All right, Bobby."
+
+Mr. Bayard called the porter and ordered him to bring up the trunk, in
+which he directed Mr. Timmins to pack fifty "Wayfarers."
+
+"Now, how much will these books cost me apiece?" asked Bobby.
+
+"The retail price is one dollar; the wholesale price is one third off;
+and you shall have them at what they cost me."
+
+"Sixty-seven cents," added Bobby. "That will give me a profit of
+thirty-three cents on each book."
+
+"Just so."
+
+"Perhaps Mr. Timmins will sell me one of those blank books now; for I
+like to have things down in black and white."
+
+"I will furnish you with something much better than that;" and
+Mr. Bayard left the counting room.
+
+In a moment he returned with a handsome pocket memorandum book, which
+he presented to the little merchant.
+
+"But I don't like to take it unless you will let me pay for it," said
+Bobby, hesitating.
+
+"Never mind it, my young friend. Now you can sit down at my desk and
+open your accounts. I like to see boys methodical, and there is
+nothing like keeping accounts to make one accurate. Keep your books
+posted up, and you will know where you are at any time."
+
+"I intend to keep an account of all I spend and all I receive, if it
+is no more than a cent."
+
+"Right, my little man. Have you ever studied book-keeping?"
+
+"No, sir, I suppose I haven't; but there was a page of accounts in the
+back part of the arithmetic I studied, and I got a pretty good idea of
+the thing from that. All the money received goes on one side, and all
+the money paid out goes on the other."
+
+"Exactly so; in this book you had better open a book account first. If
+you wish, I will show you how."
+
+"Thank you, sir; I should be very glad to have you;" and Bobby opened
+the memorandum book, and seated himself at the desk.
+
+"Write 'Book Account,' at the top of the pages, one word on each. Very
+well. Now write 'To fifty copies of "Wayfarer," at sixty-seven cents,
+$33.50,' on the left-hand page, or debit side of the account."
+
+"I am not much of a writer," said Bobby, apologetically.
+
+"You will improve. Now, each day you will credit the amount of sales
+on the right hand page, or credit side of the account; so, when you
+have sold out, the balance due your debit side will be the profit on
+the lot. Do you understand it?"
+
+Bobby thought a moment before he could see through it; but his brain
+was active, and he soon managed the idea.
+
+"Now you want a personal account;" and Mr. Bayard explained to him how
+to make this out.
+
+He then instructed him to enter on the debit side all he spent for
+travel, board, freight, and other charges. The next was the "profit
+and loss" account, which was to show him the net profit of the
+business.
+
+Our hero, who had a decided taste for accounts, was very much pleased
+with this employment; and when the accounts were all opened, he
+regarded them with a great deal of satisfaction. He longed to commence
+his operations, if it were only for the pleasure of making the entries
+in this book.
+
+"One thing I forgot," said he, as he seized the pen, and under the
+cash account entered, "To Cash from mother, $1.00." "Now I am all
+right, I believe."
+
+"I think you are. Now, the cars leave at seven in the morning. Can you
+be ready for a start as early as that?" asked Mr. Bayard.
+
+"O, yes, sir, I hope so. I get up at half past four at home."
+
+"Very well; my small valise is at the house; but I believe everything
+else is ready. Now, I have some business to attend to; and if you will
+amuse yourself for an hour or two, we will go home then."
+
+"I shall want a lodging place when I am in the city; perhaps some of
+your folks can direct me to one where they won't charge too much."
+
+"As to that, Bobby, you must go to my house whenever you are in the
+city."
+
+"Law, sir! you live so grand, I couldn't think of going to your
+house. I am only a poor boy from the country, and I don't know how to
+behave myself among such nice folks."
+
+"You will do very well, Bobby. Ellen would never forgive me if I let
+you go anywhere else. So that is settled; you will go to my house.
+Now, you may sit here, or walk out and see the sights."
+
+"If you please, sir, if Mr. Timmins will let me look at some of the
+books, I shouldn't wish for anything better. I should like to look at
+'The Wayfarer,' so that I shall know how to recommend it."
+
+"Mr. Timmins _will_ let you," replied Mr. Bayard, as he touched
+the spring of a bell on his desk.
+
+The dapper clerk came running into the counting room to attend the
+summons of his employer.
+
+"Mr. Timmins," continued Mr. Bayard, with a mischievous smile, "bring
+Mr. Bright a copy of 'The Wayfarer.'"
+
+Mr. Timmins was astonished to hear "Country" called "Mister,"
+astonished to hear his employer call him "Mister," and Bobby was
+astonished to hear himself called "Mister." Nevertheless, our hero
+enjoyed the joke.
+
+The clerk brought the book; and Bobby proceeded to give it a thorough,
+critical examination. He read the preface, the table of contents, and
+several chapters of the work, before Mr. Bayard was ready to go home.
+
+"How do you like it, Bobby?" asked the bookseller.
+
+"First rate."
+
+"You may take that copy in your hand; you will want to finish it."
+
+"Thank you, sir; I will be careful of it."
+
+"You may keep it. Let that be the beginning of your own private
+library."
+
+His own private library! Bobby had not got far enough to dream of such
+a thing yet; but he thanked Mr. Bayard, and put the book under his
+arm.
+
+After tea, Ellen proposed to her father that they should all go to the
+Museum. Mr. Bayard acceded, and our hero was duly amazed at the
+drolleries perpetrated there. He had a good time; but it was so late
+when he went to bed, that he was a little fearful lest he should
+over-sleep himself in the morning.
+
+He did not, however, and was down in the parlor before any of the rest
+of the family were stirring. An early breakfast was prepared for him,
+at which Mr. Bayard, who intended to see him off, joined
+him. Depositing his little bundle and the copy of "The Wayfarer" in
+the valise provided for him, they walked to the store. The porter
+wheeled the trunk down to the railroad station, though Bobby insisted
+upon doing it himself.
+
+The bookseller saw him and his baggage safely aboard of the cars, gave
+him a ticket, and then bade him an affectionate adieu. In a little
+while Bobby was flying over the rail, and at about eight o'clock
+reached B----.
+
+The station master kindly permitted him to deposit his trunk in the
+baggage room, and to leave it there for the remainder of the week.
+
+Taking a dozen of the books from the trunk, and placing them in his
+valise, he sallied out upon his mission. It must be confessed that his
+heart was filled with a tumult of emotions. The battle of life was
+before him. He was on the field, sword in hand, ready to plunge into
+the contest. It was victory or defeat.
+
+  "March on, brave youth! the field of strife
+    With peril fraught before thee lies;
+  March on! the battle plain of life
+    Shall yield thee yet a glorious prize."
+
+It was of no use to shrink then, even if he had felt disposed to do
+so. He was prepared to be rebuffed, to be insulted, to be turned away
+from the doors at which he should seek admission; but he was
+determined to conquer.
+
+He had reached a house at which he proposed to offer "The Wayfarer"
+for sale. His heart went pit pat, pit pat, and he paused before the
+door.
+
+"Now or never!" exclaimed he, as he swung open the garden gate, and
+made his way up to the door.
+
+He felt some misgivings. It was so new and strange to him that he
+could hardly muster sufficient resolution to proceed farther. But his
+irresolution was of only a moment's duration.
+
+"Now or never!" and he gave a vigorous knock at the door.
+
+It was opened by an elderly lady, whose physiognomy did not promise
+much.
+
+"Good morning, ma'am. Can I sell you a copy of 'The Wayfarer' to-day?
+a new book, just published."
+
+"No; I don't want none of your books. There's more pedlers round the
+country now than you could shake a stick at in a month," replied the
+old lady, petulantly.
+
+"It is a very interesting book, ma'am; has an excellent moral." Bobby
+had read the preface, as I before remarked. "It will suit you, ma'am;
+for you look just like a lady who wants to read something with a
+moral."
+
+Bravo, Bobby! The lady concluded that her face had a moral expression,
+and she was pleased with the idea.
+
+"Let me see it;" and she asked Bobby to walk in and be seated, while
+she went for her spectacles.
+
+As she was looking over the book, our hero went into a more elaborate
+recommendation of its merits. He was sure it would interest the young
+and the old; it taught a good lesson; it had elegant engravings; the
+type was large, which would suit her eyes; it was well printed and
+bound; and finally, it was cheap at one dollar.
+
+"I'll take it," said the old lady.
+
+"Thank you, ma'am."
+
+Bobby's first victory was achieved.
+
+"Have you got a dollar?" asked the lady, as she handed him a
+two-dollar bill.
+
+"Yes, ma'am;" and he gave her his only dollar and put the two in its
+place, prouder than a king who has conquered an empire. "Thank you
+ma'am."
+
+Bidding the lady a polite good morning, he left the house, encouraged
+by his success to go forward in his mission with undiminished hope.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY IS A LITTLE TOO SMART
+
+
+The clouds were rolled back, and Bobby no longer had a doubt as to the
+success of his undertaking. It requires but a little sunshine to
+gladden the heart, and the influence of his first success scattered
+all the misgivings he had cherished.
+
+Two New England shillings is undoubtedly a very small sum of money;
+but Bobby had made two shillings, and he would not have considered
+himself more fortunate if some unknown relative had left him a
+fortune. It gave him confidence in his powers, and as he walked away
+from the house, he reviewed the circumstances of his first sale.
+
+The old lady had told him at first she did not wish to buy a book,
+and, moreover, had spoken rather contemptuously of the craft to which
+he had now the honor to belong. He gave himself the credit of having
+conquered the old lady's prejudices. He had sold her a book in spite
+of her evident intention not to purchase. In short, he had, as we
+have before said, won a glorious victory, and he congratulated himself
+accordingly.
+
+But it was of no use to waste time in useless self-glorification, and
+Bobby turned from the past to the future. There were forty-nine more
+books to be sold; so that the future was forty-nine times as big as
+the past.
+
+He saw a shoemaker's shop ahead of him, and he was debating with
+himself whether he should enter and offer his books for sale. It would
+do no harm, though he had but slight expectations of doing anything.
+
+There were three men at work in the shop--one of them a middle-aged
+man, the other two young men. They looked like persons of
+intelligence, and as soon as Bobby saw them his hopes grew stronger.
+
+"Can I sell you any books to-day?" asked the little merchant, as he
+crossed the threshold.
+
+"Well, I don't know; that depends upon how smart you are," replied the
+eldest of the men. "It takes a pretty smart fellow to sell anything
+in this shop."
+
+"Then I hope to sell each of you a book," added Bobby, laughing at the
+badinage of the shoemaker.
+
+Opening his valise he took out three copies of his book, and politely
+handed one to each of the men.
+
+"It isn't every book pedler that comes along who offers you such a
+work as that. 'The Wayfarer' is decidedly _the_ book of the
+season."
+
+"You don't say so!" said the oldest shoemaker, with a laugh. "Every
+pedler that comes along uses those words, precisely."
+
+"Do they? They steal my thunder then."
+
+"You are an old one."
+
+"Only thirteen. I was born where they don't fasten the door with a
+boiled carrot."
+
+"What do they fasten them with?"
+
+"They don't fasten them at all."
+
+"There are no book pedlers round there, then;" and all the shoemakers
+laughed heartily at this smart sally.
+
+"No; they are all shoemakers in our town."
+
+"You can take my hat, boy."
+
+"You will want it to put your head in; but I will take one dollar for
+that book instead."
+
+The man laughed, took out his wallet, and handed Bobby the dollar,
+probably quite as much because he had a high appreciation of his
+smartness, as from any desire to possess the book.
+
+"Won't you take one?" asked Bobby, appealing to another of the men,
+who was apparently not more than twenty-four years of age.
+
+"No; I can't read," replied he roguishly.
+
+"Let your wife read it to you, then."
+
+"My wife?"
+
+"Certainly; she knows how to read, I will warrant."
+
+"How do you know I have got a wife?"
+
+"O, well, a fellow as good looking and good natured as you are could
+not have resisted till this time."
+
+"Has you, Tom," added the oldest shoemaker.
+
+"I cave in;" and he handed over the dollar, and laid the book upon his
+bench.
+
+Bobby looked at the third man with some interest. He had said nothing,
+and scarcely heeded the fun which was passing between the little
+merchant and his companions. He was apparently absorbed in his
+examination of the book. He was a different kind of person from the
+others, and Bobby's instinctive knowledge of human nature assured him
+that he was not to be gained by flattery or by smart sayings; so he
+placed himself in front of him, and patiently waited in silence for
+him to complete his examination.
+
+"You will find that he is a hard one," put in one of the others.
+
+Bobby made no reply, and the two men who had bought books resumed
+their work. For five minutes our hero stood waiting for the man to
+finish his investigation into the merits of "The Wayfarer." Something
+told him not to say anything to this person; and he had some doubts
+about his purchasing.
+
+"I will take one," said the last shoemaker, as he handed Bobby the
+dollar.
+
+"I am much obliged to you, gentlemen," said Bobby, as he closed his
+valise. "When I come this way again I shall certainly call."
+
+"Do; you have done what no other pedler ever did in this shop."
+
+"I shall take no credit to myself. The fact is, you are men of
+intelligence, and you want good books."
+
+Bobby picked up his valise and left the shop, satisfied with those who
+occupied it, and satisfied with himself.
+
+"Eight shillings!" exclaimed he, when he got into the road. "Pretty
+good hour's work, I should say."
+
+Bobby trudged along till he came to a very large, elegant house,
+evidently dwelt in by one of the nabobs of B----. Inspired by past
+successes, he walked boldly up to the front door, and rang the bell.
+
+"Is Mr. Whiting in?" asked Bobby, who had read the name on the door
+plate.
+
+"Colonel Whiting _is_ in," replied the servant, who had opened
+the door.
+
+"I should like to see him for a moment, if he isn't busy."
+
+"Walk in;" and for some reason or other the servant chuckled a great
+deal as she admitted him.
+
+She conducted him to a large, elegantly furnished parlor, where Bobby
+proceeded to take out his books for the inspection of the nabob, whom
+the servant promised to send to the parlor.
+
+In a moment Colonel Whiting entered. He was a large, fat man, about
+fifty years old. He looked at the little book merchant with a frown
+that would have annihilated a boy less spunky than our hero. Bobby was
+not a little inflated by the successes of the morning, and if Julius
+Cĉsar or Napoleon Bonaparte had stood before him then, he would not
+have flinched a hair--much less in the presence of no greater magnate
+than the nabob of B----.
+
+"Good morning, Colonel Whiting. I hope you are well this beautiful
+morning." Bobby began.
+
+I must confess I think this was a little too familiar for a boy of
+thirteen to a gentleman of fifty, whom he had never seen before in his
+life; but it must be remembered that Bobby had done a great deal the
+week before, that on the preceding night he had slept in Chestnut
+Street, and that he had just sold four copies of "The Wayfarer." He
+was inclined to be smart, and some folks hate smart boys.
+
+The nabob frowned; his cheek reddened with anger; but he did not
+condescend to make any reply to the smart speech.
+
+"I have taken the liberty to call upon you this morning, to see if you
+did not wish to purchase a copy of 'The Wayfarer'--a new book just
+issued from the press, which people say is to be the book of the
+season."
+
+My young readers need not suppose this was an impromptu speech, for
+Bobby had studied upon it all the time he was coming from Boston in
+the cars. It would be quite natural for a boy who had enjoyed no
+greater educational advantages than our hero to consider how he should
+address people into whose presence his calling would bring him; and he
+had prepared several little addresses of this sort, for the several
+different kinds of people whom he expected to encounter. The one he
+had just "got off" was designed for the "upper crust."
+
+When he had delivered the speech, he approached the indignant,
+frowning nabob, and, with a low bow, offered him a copy of "The
+Wayfarer."
+
+"Boy," said Colonel Whiting, raising his arm with majestic dignity,
+and pointing to the door,--"boy, do you see that door?"
+
+Bobby looked at the door, and, somewhat astonished, replied that he
+did see it, that it was a very handsome door, and he would inquire
+whether it was black walnut, or only painted in imitation thereof.
+
+"Do you see that door?" thundered the nabob, swelling with rage at the
+cool impudence of the boy.
+
+"Certainly I do, sir; my eyesight is excellent."
+
+"Then use it!"
+
+"Thank you, sir; I have no use for it. Probably it will be of more
+service to you than to me."
+
+"Will you clear out, or shall I kick you out?" gasped the enraged
+magnate of B----.
+
+"I will save you that trouble, sir; I will go, sir. I see we have both
+made a mistake."
+
+"Mistake? What do you mean by that, you young puppy? You are a little
+impudent, thieving scoundrel!"
+
+"That is your mistake, sir. I took you for a gentleman, sir; and that
+was my mistake."
+
+"Ha, ha, ha!" laughed a sweet, musical voice, and at that moment a
+beautiful young lady rushed up to the angry colonel, and threw her
+arms around his neck.
+
+"The jade!" muttered he.
+
+"I have caught you in a passion again, uncle;" and the lady kissed the
+old gentleman's anger-reddened cheek, which seemed to restore him at
+once to himself.
+
+"It was enough to make a minister swear," said he, in apology.
+
+"No, it wasn't, uncle; the boy was a little pert, it is true; but you
+ought to have laughed at him, instead of getting angry. I heard the
+whole of it."
+
+"Pert?" said Bobby to himself. "What the deuce does she mean by that?"
+
+"Very well, you little minx; I will pay the penalty."
+
+"Come here, Master Pert," said the lady to Bobby.
+
+Bobby bowed, approached the lady, and began to feel very much
+embarrassed.
+
+"My uncle," she continued, "is one of the best-hearted men in the
+world--ain't you, uncle?"
+
+"Go on, you jade!"
+
+"I love him, as I would my own father; but he will sometimes get into
+a passion. Now, you provoked him."
+
+"Indeed, ma'am, I hadn't the least idea of saying anything uncivil,"
+pleaded Bobby. "I studied to be as polite as possible."
+
+"I dare say. You were too important, too pompous, for a boy to an old
+gentleman like uncle, who is really one of the best men in the
+world. Now, if you hadn't _studied_ to be polite, you would have
+done very well."
+
+"Indeed, ma'am, I am a poor boy, trying to make a little money to help
+my mother. I am sure I meant no harm."
+
+"I know you didn't. So you are selling books to help your mother?"
+
+"Yes, ma'am."
+
+She inquired still further into the little merchant's history, and
+seemed to be very much interested in him.
+
+In a frolic, a few days before, Bobby learned from her, Colonel
+Whiting had agreed to pay any penalty she might name, the next time he
+got into a passion.
+
+"Now, young man, what book have you to sell?" asked the lady.
+
+"'The Wayfarer.'"
+
+"How many have you in your valise?"
+
+"Eight."
+
+"Very well; now, uncle, I decree, as the penalty of your indiscretion,
+that you purchase the whole stock."
+
+"I submit."
+
+"'The Wayfarer' promises to be an excellent book; and I can name at
+least half a dozen persons who will thank you for a copy, uncle."
+
+Colonel Whiting paid Bobby eight dollars, who left the contents of his
+valise on the centre table, and then departed, astounded at his good
+fortune, and fully resolved never to be too smart again.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY STRIKES A BALANCE, AND RETURNS TO RIVERDALE
+
+
+Our hero had learned a lesson which experience alone could teach
+him. The consciousness of that "something within him" inclined him to
+be a little too familiar with his elders; but then it gave him
+confidence in himself, and imparted courage to go forward in the
+accomplishment of his mission. His interview with Colonel Whiting and
+the gentle but plain rebuke of his niece had set him right, and he
+realized that, while he was doing a man's work, he was still a boy. He
+had now a clearer perception of what is due to the position and
+dignity of those upon whom fortune has smiled.
+
+Bobby wanted to be a man, and it is not strange that he should
+sometimes fancy he was a man. He had an idea, too, that "all men are
+born free and equal;" and he could not exactly see why a nabob was
+entitled to any more respect and consideration than a poor man. It was
+a lesson he was compelled to learn, though some folks live out their
+lifetimes without ever finding out that.
+
+"'Tis wealth, good sir, makes honorable men." Some people think a
+rich man is no better than a poor man, except so far as he behaves
+himself better. It is strange how stupid some people are!
+
+Bobby had no notion of cringing to any man, and he felt as independent
+as the Declaration of Independence itself. But then the beautiful lady
+had told him that he was pert and forward; and when he thought it
+over, he was willing to believe she was right. Colonel Whiting was an
+old man, compared with himself; and he had some faith, at least in
+theory, in the Spartan virtue of respect for the aged. Probably the
+nabob of B---- would have objected to being treated with respect on
+account of his age; and Bobby would have been equally unwilling to
+acknowledge that he treated him with peculiar respect on account of
+his wealth or position.
+
+Perhaps the little merchant had an instinctive perception of
+expediency--that he should sell more books by being less familiar; at
+any rate he determined never again to use the flowery speeches he had
+arranged for the upper crust.
+
+He had sold a dozen books; and possibly this fact made him more
+willing to compromise the matter than he would otherwise have been.
+This was, after all, the great matter for congratulation, and with a
+light heart he hurried back to the railroad station to procure another
+supply.
+
+We cannot follow him into every house where his calling led him. He
+was not always as fortunate as in the instances we have mentioned.
+Sometimes all his arguments were unavailing, and after he had spent
+half an hour of valuable time in setting forth the merits of "The
+Wayfarer," he was compelled to retire without having effected a
+sale. Sometimes, too, he was rudely repulsed; hard epithets were
+applied to him; old men and old women, worried out by the continued
+calls of pedlers, sneered at him, or shut the door in his face; but
+Bobby was not disheartened. He persevered, and did not allow these
+little trials to discompose or discourage him.
+
+By one o'clock on the first day of his service he had sold eighteen
+books, which far exceeded even his most sanguine expectations. By this
+time he began to feel the want of his dinner; but there was no tavern
+or eating house at hand, and he could not think of leaving the harvest
+to return to the railroad station; so he bought a sheet of gingerbread
+and a piece of cheese at a store, and seating himself near a brook by
+the side of the road, he bolted his simple meal, as boys are very apt
+to do when they are excited.
+
+When he had finished, he took out his account book, and entered,
+"Dinner, 10 cents." Resuming his business, he disposed of the
+remaining six books in his valise by the middle of the afternoon, and
+was obliged to return for another supply.
+
+About six o'clock he entered the house of a mechanic, just as the
+family were sitting down to tea. He recommended his book with so much
+energy, that the wife of the mechanic took a fancy to him, and not
+only purchased one, but invited him to tea. Bobby accepted the
+invitation, and in the course of the meal the good lady drew from him
+the details of his history, which he very modestly related, for though
+he sometimes fancied himself a man, he was not the boy to boast of his
+exploits. His host was so much pleased with him, that he begged him to
+spend the night with them. Bobby had been thinking how and where he
+should spend the night, and the matter had given him no little
+concern. He did not wish to go to the hotel, for it looked like a very
+smart house, and he reasoned that he should have to pay pretty roundly
+for accommodations there. These high prices would eat up his profits,
+and he seriously deliberated whether it would not be better for him to
+sleep under a tree than pay fifty cents for a lodging.
+
+If I had been there I should have told him that a man loses nothing in
+the long run by taking good care of himself. He must eat well and
+sleep well, in order to do well and be well. But I suppose Bobby
+would have told me that it was of no use to pay a quarter extra for
+sleeping on a gilded bedstead, since the room would be so dark he
+could not see the gilt even if he wished to do so. I could not have
+said anything to such a powerful argument, so I am very glad the
+mechanic's wife set the matter at rest by offering him a bed in her
+house.
+
+He spent a very pleasant evening with the family, who made him feel
+entirely at home, they were so kind and so plain spoken. Before he
+went to bed, he entered under the book account, "By twenty-six
+'Wayfarers,' sold this day, $26.00."
+
+He had done a big day's work, much bigger than he could hope to do
+again. He had sold more than one half of his whole stock, and at this
+rate he should be out of books the next day. At first he thought he
+would send for another lot; but he could not judge yet what his
+average daily sales would be, and finally concluded not to do so. What
+he had might last till Friday or Saturday. He intended to go home on
+the latter day, and he could bring them with him on his return without
+expense. This was considerable of an argument for a boy to manage;
+but Bobby was satisfied with it, and went to sleep, wondering what his
+mother, Squire Lee, and Annie were thinking of about that time.
+
+After breakfast the next morning he resumed his travels. He was as
+enthusiastic as ever, and pressed "The Wayfarer" with so much
+earnestness that he sold a book in nearly every house he
+visited. People seemed to be more interested in the little merchant
+than in his stock, and taking advantage of this kind feeling towards
+him, he appealed to them with so much eloquence that few could resist
+it.
+
+The result of the day's sales was fifteen copies, which Bobby entered
+in the book account with the most intense satisfaction. He had outdone
+the boy who had passed through Riverdale, but he had little hope that
+the harvest would always be so abundant.
+
+He often thought of this boy, from whom he had obtained the idea he
+was now carrying out. That boy had stopped over night at the little
+black house, and slept with him. He had asked for lodging, and offered
+to pay for it, as well as for his supper and breakfast. Why couldn't
+he do the same? He liked the suggestion, and from that time, wherever
+he happened to be, he asked for lodging, or the meal he required; and
+he always proposed to pay for what he had, but very few would take
+anything.
+
+On Friday noon he had sold out. Returning to the railroad station, he
+found that the train would not leave for the city for an hour; so he
+improved the time in examining and balancing his accounts. The book
+sales amounted to just fifty dollars, and, after his ticket to Boston
+was paid for, his expenses would amount to one dollar and fifty cents,
+leaving a balance in his favor of fifteen dollars. He was overjoyed
+with the result, and pictured the astonishment with which his mother,
+Squire Lee, and Annie would listen to the history of his excursion.
+
+After four o'clock that afternoon he entered the store of Mr. Bayard,
+bag and baggage. On his arrival in the city, he was considerably
+exercised in mind to know how he should get the trunk to his
+destination. He was too economical to pay a cartman a quarter; but
+what would have seemed mean in a man was praiseworthy in a boy
+laboring for a noble end.
+
+Probably a great many of my young readers in Bobby's position,
+thinking that sixteen dollars, which our hero had in his pocket, was a
+mint of money, would have been in favor of being a little
+magnificent,--of taking a carriage and going up-town in state. Bobby
+had not the least desire to "swell;" so he settled the matter by
+bargaining with a little ragged fellow to help him carry the trunk to
+Mr. Bayard's store for fourpence.
+
+"How do you do, Mr. Timmins?" said Bobby to the spruce clerk, as he
+deposited the trunk upon the floor, and handed the ragged boy the
+fourpence.
+
+"Ah, Bobby!" exclaimed Mr. Timmins. "Have you sold out?"
+
+"All clean. Is Mr. Bayard in?"
+
+"In the office. But how do you like it?"
+
+"First rate."
+
+"Well, every one to his taste; but I don't see how any one who has any
+regard for his dignity can stick himself into everybody's house. I
+couldn't do it, I know."
+
+"I don't stand for the dignity."
+
+"Ah, well, there is a difference in folks."
+
+"That's a fact," replied Bobby, as he hurried to the office of
+Mr. Bayard, leaving Mr. Timmins to sun himself in his own dignity.
+
+The bookseller was surprised to see him so soon, but he gave him a
+cordial reception.
+
+"I didn't expect you yet," said he. "Why do you come back? Have you
+got sick of the business?"
+
+"Sick of it! No, sir."
+
+"What have you come back for, then?"
+
+"Sold out, sir."
+
+"Sold out! You have done well!"
+
+"Better than I expected."
+
+"I had no idea of seeing you till to-morrow night; and I thought you
+would have books enough to begin the next week with. You have done
+bravely."
+
+"If I had had twenty more, I could have sold them before to-morrow
+night. Now, sir, if you please, I will pay you for those
+books--thirty-three dollars and fifty cents."
+
+"You had better keep that, Bobby. I will trust you as long as you
+wish."
+
+"If you please, sir, I had rather pay it;" and the little merchant, as
+proud as a lord, handed over the amount.
+
+"I like your way of doing business, Bobby. Nothing helps a man's
+credit so much as paying promptly. Now tell me some of your
+adventures--or we will reserve them till this evening, for I am sure
+Ellen will be delighted to hear them."
+
+"I think I shall go to Riverdale this afternoon. The cars leave at
+half past five."
+
+"Very well; you have an hour to spare."
+
+Bobby related to his kind friend the incidents of his excursion,
+including his interview with Colonel Whiting and his niece, which
+amused the bookseller very much. He volunteered some good advice,
+which Bobby received in the right spirit, and with a determination to
+profit by it.
+
+At half past five he took the cars for home, and before dark was
+folded in his mother's arms. The little black house seemed doubly
+dear to him now that he had been away from it a few days. His mother
+and all the children were so glad to see him that it seemed almost
+worth his while to go away for the pleasure of meeting them on his
+return.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY ASTONISHES SUNDRY PERSONS AND PAYS PART OF HIS NOTE
+
+
+"Now tell me, Bobby, how you have made out," said Mrs. Bright, as the
+little merchant seated himself at the supper table. "You cannot have
+done much, for you have only been gone five days."
+
+"I have done pretty well, mother," replied Bobby, mysteriously;
+"pretty well, considering that I am only a boy."
+
+"I didn't expect to see you till to-morrow night."
+
+"I sold out, and had to come home."
+
+"That may be, and still you may not have done much."
+
+"I don't pretend that I have done much."
+
+"How provoking you are! Why don't you tell me, Bobby, what you have
+done?"
+
+"Wait a minute, mother, till I have done my supper, and then I will
+show you the footings in my ledger."
+
+"Your ledger!"
+
+"Yes, my ledger. I keep a ledger now."
+
+"You are a great man, Mr. Robert Bright," laughed his mother. "I
+suppose the people took their hats off when they saw you coming."
+
+"Not exactly, mother."
+
+"Perhaps the governor came out to meet you when he heard you were on
+the road."
+
+"Perhaps he did; I didn't see him, however. This apple pie tastes
+natural, mother. It is a great luxury to get home after one has been
+travelling."
+
+"Very likely."
+
+"No place like home, after all is done and said. Who was the fellow
+that wrote that song, mother?"
+
+"I forget; the paper said he spent a great many years in foreign
+parts. My sake! Bobby, one would think by your talk that you had been
+away from home for a year."
+
+"It seems like a year," said he, as he transferred another quarter of
+the famous apple pie to his plate. "I miss home very much. I don't
+more than half like being among strangers so much."
+
+"It is your own choice; no one wants you to go away from home."
+
+"I must pay my debts, anyhow. Don't I owe Squire Lee sixty dollars?"
+
+"But I can pay that."
+
+"It is my affair, you see."
+
+"If it is your affair, then I owe you sixty dollars."
+
+"No, you don't; I calculate to pay my board now. I am old enough and
+big enough to do something."
+
+"You have done something ever since you were old enough to work."
+
+"Not much; I don't wonder that miserable old hunker of a Hardhand
+twitted me about it. By the way, have you heard anything from him?"
+
+"Not a thing."
+
+"He has got enough of us, I reckon."
+
+"You mustn't insult him, Bobby, if you happen to see him."
+
+"Never fear me."
+
+"You know the Bible says we must love our enemies, and pray for them
+that despitefully use us and persecute us."
+
+"I should pray that the Old Nick might get him."
+
+"No, Bobby; I hope you haven't forgot all your Sunday school lessons."
+
+"I was wrong, mother," replied Bobby, a little moved. "I did not mean
+so. I shall try to think as well of him as I can; but I can't help
+thinking, if all the world was like him, what a desperate hard time we
+should have of it."
+
+"We must thank the Lord that he has given us so many good and true
+men."
+
+"Such as Squire Lee, for instance," added Bobby, as he rose from the
+table and put his chair back against the wall. "The squire is fit to
+be a king; and though I believe in the Constitution and the
+Declaration of Independence, I wouldn't mind seeing a crown upon his
+head."
+
+"He will receive his crown in due time," replied Mrs. Bright, piously.
+
+"The squire?"
+
+"The crown of rejoicing, I mean."
+
+"Just so; the squire is a nice man; and I know another just like him."
+
+"Who?"
+
+"Mr. Bayard; they are as near alike as two peas."
+
+"I am dying to know about your journey."
+
+"Wait a minute, mother, till we clear away the supper things;" and
+Bobby took hold, as he had been accustomed, to help remove and wash
+the dishes.
+
+"You needn't help now, Bobby."
+
+"Yes, I will, mother."
+
+Somehow our hero's visit to the city did not seem to produce the usual
+effect upon him; for a great many boys, after they had been abroad,
+would have scorned to wash dishes and wipe them. A week in town has
+made many a boy so smart that you couldn't touch him with a ten foot
+pole. It starches them up so stiff that sometimes they don't know
+their own mothers, and deem it a piece of condescension to speak a
+word to the patriarch in a blue frock who had the honor of supporting
+them in childhood.
+
+Bobby was none of this sort. We lament that he had a habit of talking
+big, that is, of talking about business affairs in a style a little
+beyond his years. But he was modest to a fault, paradoxical as it may
+seem. He was always blushing when anybody spoke a pretty thing about
+him. Probably the circumstances of his position elevated him above the
+sphere of the mere boy; he had spent but little time in play, and his
+attention had been directed at all times to the wants of his
+mother. He had thought a great deal about business, especially since
+the visit of the boy who sold books to the little black house.
+
+Some boys are born merchants, and from their earliest youth have a
+genius for trade. They think of little else. They "play shop" before
+they wear jackets, and drive a barter trade in jackknives, whistles,
+tops, and fishing lines long before they get into their teens. They
+are shrewd even then, and obtain a taste for commerce before they are
+old enough to know the meaning of the word.
+
+We saw a boy in school, not long since, give the value of eighteen
+cents for a little stunted quince; boys have a taste for raw quinces,
+strange as it may seem. Undoubtedly he had no talent for trade, and
+would make a very indifferent tin pedler. Our hero was shrewd. He
+always got the best end of the bargain; though, I am happy to say, his
+integrity was too unyielding to let him cheat his fellows.
+
+We have made this digression so that my young readers may know why
+Bobby was so much given to big talk. The desire to do something worthy
+of a good son turned his attention to matters above his sphere; and
+thinking of great things, he had come to talk great things. It was not
+a bad fault, after all. Boys need not necessarily be frivolous. Play
+is a good thing, an excellent thing, in its place, and is as much a
+part of the boy's education as his grammar and arithmetic. It not only
+develops his muscles, but enlarges his mental capacity; it not only
+fills with excitement the idle hours of the long day, but it sharpens
+the judgment, and helps to fit the boy for the active duties of life.
+
+It need not be supposed, because Bobby had to turn his attention to
+serious things, that he was not fond of fun; that he could not or did
+not play. At a game of round ball, he was a lucky fellow who secured
+him upon his side; for the same energy which made him a useful son
+rendered him a desirable hand in a difficult game.
+
+When the supper things were all removed, the dishes washed and put
+away, Bobby drew out his pocket memorandum book. It was a beautiful
+article, and Mrs. Bright was duly astonished at its gilded leaves and
+the elegant workmanship. Very likely her first impulse was to reprove
+her son for such a piece of reckless extravagance; but this matter was
+set right by Bobby's informing her how it came into his possession.
+
+"Here is my ledger, mother," he said, handing her the book.
+
+Mrs. Bright put on her spectacles, and after bestowing a careful
+scrutiny upon the memorandum book, turned to the accounts.
+
+"Fifty books!" she exclaimed, as she read the first entry.
+
+"Yes, mother; and I sold them all."
+
+"Fifty dollars!"
+
+"But I had to pay for the books out of that."
+
+"To be sure you had; but I suppose you made as much as ten cents
+apiece on them, and that would be--let me see; ten times fifty----"
+
+"But I made more than that, I hope."
+
+"How much?"
+
+The proud young merchant referred her to the profit and loss account,
+which exhibited a balance of fifteen dollars.
+
+"Gracious! Three dollars a day!"
+
+"Just so, mother. Now I will pay you the dollar I borrowed of you when
+I went away."
+
+"You didn't borrow it of me."
+
+"But I shall pay it."
+
+Mrs. Bright was astonished at this unexpected and gratifying
+result. If she had discovered a gold mine in the cellar of the little
+black house, it could not have afforded her so much satisfaction; for
+this money was the reward of her son's talent and energy. Her own
+earnings scarcely ever amounted to more than three or four dollars a
+week, and Bobby, a boy of thirteen, had come home with fifteen for
+five days' work. She could scarcely believe the evidence of her own
+senses, and she ceased to wonder that he talked big.
+
+It was nearly ten o'clock when the widow and her son went to bed, so
+deeply were they interested in discussing our hero's affairs. He had
+intended to call upon Squire Lee that night, but the time passed away
+so rapidly that he was obliged to defer it till the next day.
+
+After breakfast the following morning, he hastened to pay the intended
+visit. There was a tumult of strange emotions in his bosom as he
+knocked at the squire's door. He was proud of the success he had
+achieved, and even then his cheek burned under the anticipated
+commendations which his generous friend would bestow upon
+him. Besides, Annie would be glad to see him, for she had expressed
+such a desire when they parted on the Monday preceding. I don't think
+that Bobby cherished any silly ideas, but the sympathy of the little
+maiden fell not coldly or unwelcomely upon his warm heart. In coming
+from the house he had placed his copy of "The Wayfarer" under his arm,
+for Annie was fond of reading; and on the way over, he had pictured to
+himself the pleasure she would derive from reading _his_ book.
+
+Of course he received a warm welcome from the squire and his
+daughter. Each of them had bestowed more than a thought upon the
+little wanderer as he went from house to house, and more than once
+they had conversed together about him.
+
+"Well, Bobby, how is trade in the book line?" asked the squire, after
+the young pilgrim had been cordially greeted.
+
+"Pretty fair," replied Bobby, with as much indifference as he could
+command, though it was hard even to seem indifferent then and there.
+
+"Where have you been travelling?"
+
+"In B----."
+
+"Fine place. Books sell well there?"
+
+"Very well; in fact, I sold out all my stock by noon yesterday."
+
+"How many books did you carry?"
+
+"Fifty."
+
+"You did well."
+
+"I should think you did!" added Annie, with an enthusiasm which quite
+upset all Bobby's assumed indifference. "Fifty books!"
+
+"Yes, Miss Annie; and I have brought you a copy of the book I have
+been selling; I thought you would like to read it. It is a splendid
+work, and will be _the_ book of the season."
+
+"I shall be delighted to read it," replied Annie, taking the proffered
+volume. "It looks real good," she continued, as she turned over the
+leaves.
+
+"It is first rate; I have read it through."
+
+"It was very kind of you to think of me when you have so much business
+on your mind," added she, with a roguish smile.
+
+"I shall never have so much business on my mind that I cannot think of
+my friends," replied Bobby, so gallantly and so smartly that it
+astonished himself.
+
+"I was just thinking what I should read next; I am _so_ glad you
+have come."
+
+"Never mind her, Bobby; all she wanted was the book," interposed
+Squire Lee, laughing.
+
+"Now, pa!"
+
+"Then I shall bring her one very often."
+
+"You are too bad, pa," said Annie, who, like most young ladies just
+entering their teens, resented any imputation upon the immaculateness
+of human love, or human friendship.
+
+"I have got a little money for you, Squire Lee," continued Bobby,
+thinking it time the subject was changed.
+
+He took out his gilded memorandum book, whose elegant appearance
+rather startled the squire, and from its "treasury department"
+extracted the little roll of bills, representing an aggregate of ten
+dollars, which he had carefully reserved for his creditor.
+
+"Never mind that, Bobby," replied the squire. "You will want all your
+capital to do business with."
+
+"I must pay my debts before I think of anything else."
+
+"A very good plan, Bobby, but this is an exception to the general
+rule."
+
+"No, sir, I think not. If you please, I insist upon paying you ten
+dollars on my note."
+
+"O, well, if you insist, I suppose I can't help myself."
+
+"I would rather pay it, I shall feel so much better."
+
+"You want to indorse it on the note, I suppose."
+
+That was just what Bobby wanted. Indorsed on the note was the idea,
+and our hero had often passed that expression through his mind. There
+was something gratifying in the act to a man of business integrity
+like himself; it was discharging a sacred obligation,--he had already
+come to deem it a sacred duty to pay one's debts,--and as the squire
+wrote the indorsement across the back of the note, he felt more like a
+hero than ever before.
+
+"'Pay as you go' is an excellent idea; John Randolph called it the
+philosopher's stone," added Squire Lee, as he returned the note to his
+pocket book.
+
+"That is what I mean to do just as soon as I can."
+
+"You will do, Bobby."
+
+The young merchant spent nearly the whole forenoon at the squire's,
+and declined an invitation to dinner only on the plea that his mother
+would wait for him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY DECLINES A COPARTNERSHIP AND VISITS B---- AGAIN
+
+
+After dinner Bobby performed his Saturday afternoon chores as
+usual. He split wood enough to last for a week, so that his mother
+might not miss him too much, and then, feeling a desire to visit his
+favorite resorts in the vicinity, he concluded to go a fishing. The
+day was favorable, the sky being overcast and the wind very
+light. After digging a little box of worms in the garden back of the
+house, he shouldered his fish pole; and certainly no one would have
+suspected that he was a distinguished travelling merchant. He was fond
+of fishing, and it is a remarkable coincidence that Daniel Webster,
+and many other famous men, have manifested a decided passion for this
+exciting sport. No doubt a fondness for angling is a peculiarity of
+genius; and if being an expert fisherman makes a great man, then our
+hero was a great man.
+
+He had scarcely seated himself on his favorite rock, and dropped his
+line into the water, before he saw Tom Spicer approaching the
+spot. The bully had never been a welcome companion. There was no
+sympathy between them. They could never agree, for their views,
+opinions, and tastes were always conflicting.
+
+Bobby had not seen Tom since he left him to crawl out of the ditch on
+the preceding week, and he had good reason to believe that he should
+not be regarded with much favor. Tom was malicious and revengeful,
+and our hero was satisfied that the blow which had prostrated him in
+the ditch would not be forgotten till it had been atoned for. He was
+prepared, therefore, for any disagreeable scene which might occur.
+
+There was another circumstance also which rendered the bully's
+presence decidedly unpleasant at this time,--an event that had
+occurred during his absence, the particulars of which he had received
+from his mother.
+
+Tom's father, who was a poor man, and addicted to intemperance, had
+lost ten dollars. He had brought it home, and, as he affirmed, placed
+it in one of the bureau drawers. The next day it could not be
+found. Spicer, for some reason, was satisfied that Tom had taken it;
+but the boy stoutly and persistently denied it. No money was found
+upon him, however, and it did not appear that he had spent any at the
+stores in Riverdale Centre.
+
+The affair created some excitement in the vicinity, for Spicer made no
+secret of his suspicions, and publicly accused Tom of the theft. He
+did not get much sympathy from any except his pot companions; for
+there was no evidence but his bare and unsupported statement to
+substantiate the grave accusation. Tom had been in the room when the
+money was placed in the drawer, and, as his father asserted, had
+watched him closely, while he deposited the bills under the
+clothing. No one else could have taken it. These were the proofs. But
+people generally believed that Spicer had carried no money home,
+especially as it was known that he was intoxicated on the night in
+question; and that the alleged theft was only a ruse to satisfy
+certain importunate creditors.
+
+Everybody knew that Tom was bad enough to steal, even from his father;
+from which my readers can understand that it is an excellent thing to
+have a good reputation. Bobby knew that he would lie and use profane
+language; that he spent his Sundays by the river, or in roaming
+through the woods; and that he played truant from school as often as
+the fear of the rod would permit; and the boy that would do all these
+things certainly would steal if he got a good chance. Our hero's
+judgment, therefore, of the case was not favorable to the bully, and
+he would have thanked him to stay away from the river while he was
+there.
+
+"Hallo, Bob! How are you?" shouted Tom, when he had come within
+hailing distance.
+
+"Very well," replied Bobby, rather coolly.
+
+"Been to Boston, they say."
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Well, how did you like it?" continued Tom, as he seated himself on
+the rock near our hero.
+
+"First rate."
+
+"Been to work there?"
+
+"No."
+
+"What have you been doing?"
+
+"Travelling about."
+
+"What doing?"
+
+"Selling books."
+
+"Was you, though? Did you sell any?"
+
+"Yes, a few."
+
+"How many?"
+
+"O, about fifty."
+
+"You didn't, though--did you? How much did you make?"
+
+"About fifteen dollars."
+
+"By jolly! You are a smart one, Bobby. There are not many fellows
+that would have done that."
+
+"Easy enough," replied Bobby, who was not a little surprised at this
+warm commendation from one whom he regarded as his enemy.
+
+"You had to buy the books first--didn't you?" asked Tom, who began to
+manifest a deep interest in the trade.
+
+"Of course; no one will give you the books."
+
+"What do you pay for them?"
+
+"I buy them so as to make a profit on them," answered Bobby, who, like
+a discreet merchant, was not disposed to be too communicative.
+
+"That business would suit me first rate."
+
+"It is pretty hard work."
+
+"I don't care for that. Don't you believe I could do something in this
+line?"
+
+"I don't know; perhaps you could."
+
+"Why not, as well as you?"
+
+This was a hard question; and, as Bobby did not wish to be uncivil, he
+talked about a big pout he hauled in at that moment, instead of
+answering it. He was politic, and deprecated the anger of the bully;
+so, though Tom plied him pretty hard, he did not receive much
+satisfaction.
+
+"You see, Tom," said he, when he found that his companion insisted
+upon knowing the cost of the books, "this is a publisher's secret; and
+I dare say they would not wish every one to know the cost of books. We
+sell them for a dollar apiece."
+
+"Humph! You needn't be so close about it. I'll bet I can find out."
+
+"I have no doubt you can; only, you see, I don't want to tell what I
+am not sure they would be willing I should tell."
+
+Tom took a slate pencil from his pocket, and commenced ciphering on
+the smooth rock upon which he sat.
+
+"You say you sold fifty books?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Well; if you made fifteen dollars out of fifty, that is thirty cents
+apiece."
+
+Bobby was a little mortified when he perceived that he had unwittingly
+exposed the momentous secret. He had not given Tom credit for so much
+sagacity as he had displayed in his inquiries; and as he had fairly
+reached his conclusion, he was willing he should have the benefit of
+it.
+
+"You sold them at a dollar apiece. Thirty from a hundred leaves
+seventy. They cost you seventy cents each--didn't they?"
+
+"Sixty-seven," replied Bobby, yielding the point.
+
+"Enough said, Bob; I am going into that business, anyhow."
+
+"I am willing."
+
+"Of course you are; suppose we go together," suggested Tom, who had
+not used all this conciliation without having a purpose in view.
+
+"We could do nothing together."
+
+"I should like to get out with you just once, only to see how it is
+done."
+
+"You can find out for yourself, as I did."
+
+"Don't be mean, Bob."
+
+"Mean? I am not mean."
+
+"I don't say you are. We have always been good friends, you know."
+
+Bobby did not know it; so he looked at the other with a smile which
+expressed all he meant to say.
+
+"You hit me a smart dig the other day, I know; but I don't mind
+that. I was in the wrong then, and I am willing to own it," continued
+Tom, with an appearance of humility.
+
+This was an immense concession for Tom to make, and Bobby was duly
+affected by it. Probably it was the first time the bully had ever
+owned he was in the wrong.
+
+"The fact is, Bob, I always liked you; and you know I licked Ben Dowse
+for you."
+
+"That was two for yourself and one for me; besides, I didn't want Ben
+thrashed."
+
+"But he deserved it. Didn't he tell the master you were whispering in
+school?"
+
+"I was whispering; so he told the truth."
+
+"It was mean to blow on a fellow, though."
+
+"The master asked him if I whispered to him; of course he ought not to
+lie about it. But he told of you at the same time."
+
+"I know it; but I wouldn't have licked him on my own account."
+
+"_Perhaps_ you wouldn't."
+
+"I know I wouldn't. But, I say, Bobby, where do you buy your books?"
+
+"At Mr. Bayard's, in Washington Street."
+
+"He will sell them to me at the same price--won't he?"
+
+"I don't know."
+
+"When are you going again?"
+
+"Monday."
+
+"Won't you let me go with you, Bob?"
+
+"Let you? Of course you can go where you please; it is none of my
+business."
+
+Bobby did not like the idea of having such a copartner as Tom Spicer,
+and he did not like to tell him so. If he did, he would have to give
+his reasons for declining the proposition, and that would make Tom
+mad, and perhaps provoke him to quarrel.
+
+The fish bit well, and in an hour's time Bobby had a mess. As he took
+his basket and walked home, the young ruffian followed him. He could
+not get rid of him till he reached the gate in front of the little
+black house; and even there Tom begged him to stop a few moments. Our
+hero was in a hurry, and in the easiest manner possible got rid of
+this aspirant for mercantile honors.
+
+We have no doubt a journal of Bobby's daily life would be very
+interesting to our young readers; but the fact that some of his most
+stirring adventures are yet to be related admonishes us to hasten
+forward more rapidly.
+
+On Monday morning Bobby bade adieu to his mother again, and started
+for Boston. He fully expected to encounter Tom on the way, who, he was
+afraid, would persist in accompanying him on his tour. As before, he
+stopped at Squire Lee's to bid him and Annie good by.
+
+The little maiden had read "The Wayfarer" more than half through, and
+was very enthusiastic in her expression of the pleasure she derived
+from it. She promised to send it over to his house when she had
+finished it, and hoped he would bring his stock to Riverdale, so that
+she might again replenish her library. Bobby thought of something just
+then, and the thought brought forth a harvest on the following
+Saturday, when he returned.
+
+When he had shaken hands with the squire and was about to depart, he
+received a piece of news which gave him food for an hour's serious
+reflection.
+
+"Did you hear about Tom Spicer?" asked Squire Lee.
+
+"No, sir; what about him?"
+
+"Broken his arm."
+
+"Broken his arm! Gracious! How did it happen?" exclaimed Bobby, the
+more astonished because he had been thinking of Tom since he had left
+home.
+
+"He was out in the woods yesterday, where boys should not be on
+Sundays, and, in climbing a tree after a bird's nest, he fell to the
+ground."
+
+"I am sorry for him," replied Bobby, musing.
+
+"So am I; but if he had been at home, or at church, where he should
+have been, it would not have happened. If I had any boys, I would lock
+them up in their chambers if I could not keep them at home Sundays."
+
+"Poor Tom!" mused Bobby, recalling the conversation he had had with
+him on Saturday, and then wishing that he had been a little more
+pliant with him.
+
+"It is too bad; but I must say I am more sorry for his poor mother
+than I am for him," added the squire. "However, I hope it will do him
+good, and be a lesson he will remember as long as he lives."
+
+Bobby bade the squire and Annie adieu again, resumed his journey
+towards the railroad station. His thoughts were busy with Tom Spicer's
+case. The reason why he had not joined him, as he expected and feared
+he would, was now apparent. He pitied him, for he realized that he
+must endure a great deal of pain before he could again go out; but he
+finally dismissed the matter with the squire's sage reflection, that
+he hoped the calamity would be a good lesson to him.
+
+The young merchant did not walk to Boston this time, for he had come
+to the conclusion that, in the six hours it would take him to travel
+to the city on foot, the profit on the books he could sell would be
+more than enough to pay his fare, to say nothing of the fatigue and
+the expense of shoe leather.
+
+Before noon he was at B---- again, as busy as ever in driving his
+business. The experience of the former week was of great value to him.
+He visited people belonging to all spheres in society, and, though he
+was occasionally repulsed or treated with incivility, he was not
+conscious in a single instance of offending any person's sense of
+propriety.
+
+He was not as fortunate as during the previous week, and it was
+Saturday noon before he had sold out the sixty books he carried with
+him. The net profit for this week was fourteen dollars, with which he
+was abundantly pleased.
+
+Mr. Bayard again commended him in the warmest terms for his zeal and
+promptness. Mr. Timmins was even more civil than the last time, and
+when Bobby asked the price of Moore's Poems, he actually offered to
+sell it to him for thirty-three per cent less than the retail
+price. The little merchant was on the point of purchasing it, when
+Mr. Bayard inquired what he wanted.
+
+"I am going to buy this book," replied Bobby.
+
+"Moore's Poems?"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+Mr. Bayard took from a glass case an elegantly bound copy of the same
+work--morocco, full gilt--and handed it to our hero.
+
+"I shall make you a present of this. Are you an admirer of Moore?"
+
+"No, sir; not exactly--that is, I don't know much about it; but Annie
+Lee does, and I want to get the book for her."
+
+Bobby's cheeks reddened as he turned the leaves of the beautiful
+volume, putting his head down to the page to hide his confusion.
+
+"Annie Lee?" said Mr. Bayard with a quizzing smile. "I see how it
+is. Rather young, Bobby."
+
+"Her father has been very good to me and to my mother; and so has
+Annie, for that matter. Squire Lee would be a great deal more pleased
+if I should make Annie a present than if I made him one. I feel
+grateful to him, and I want to let it out somehow."
+
+"That's right, Bobby; always remember your friends. Timmins, wrap up
+this book."
+
+Bobby protested with all his might; but the bookseller insisted that
+he should give Annie this beautiful edition, and he was obliged to
+yield the point.
+
+That evening he was at the little black house again, and his mother
+examined his ledger with a great deal of pride and satisfaction. That
+evening, too, another ten dollars was indorsed on the note, and Annie
+received that elegant copy of Moore's Poems.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY'S AIR CASTLE IS UPSET AND TOM SPICER TAKES TO THE WOODS
+
+
+During the next four weeks Bobby visited various places in the
+vicinity of Boston; and at the end of that time he had paid the whole
+of the debt he owed Squire Lee. He had the note in his memorandum
+book, and the fact that he had achieved his first great purpose
+afforded him much satisfaction. Now he owed no man anything, and he
+felt as though he could hold up his head among the best people in the
+world.
+
+The little black house was paid for, and Bobby was proud that his own
+exertions had released his mother from her obligation to her hard
+creditor. Mr. Hardhand could no longer insult and abuse her.
+
+The apparent results which Bobby had accomplished, however, were as
+nothing compared with the real results. He had developed those
+energies of character which were to make him, not only a great
+business man, but a useful member of society. Besides, there was a
+moral grandeur in his humble achievements which was more worthy of
+consideration than the mere worldly success he had obtained. Motives
+determine the character of deeds. That a boy of thirteen should
+display so much enterprise and energy was a great thing; but that it
+should be displayed from pure, unselfish devotion to his mother was a
+vastly greater thing. Many great achievements are morally
+insignificant, while many of which the world never hears mark the true
+hero.
+
+Our hero was not satisfied with what he had done, and far from
+relinquishing his interesting and profitable employment, his ambition
+suggested new and wider fields of success. As one ideal, brilliant and
+glorious in its time, was reached, another more brilliant and more
+glorious presented itself, and demanded to be achieved. The little
+black house began to appear rusty and inconvenient; a coat of white
+paint would marvellously improve its appearance; a set of nice
+Paris-green blinds would make a palace of it; and a neat fence around
+it would positively transform the place into a paradise. Yet Bobby was
+audacious enough to think of these things, and even to promise himself
+that they should be obtained.
+
+In conversation with Mr. Bayard a few days before, that gentleman had
+suggested a new field of labor; and it had been arranged that Bobby
+should visit the State of Maine the following week. On the banks of
+the Kennebec were many wealthy and important towns, where the
+intelligence of the people created a demand for books. This time the
+little merchant was to take two hundred books, and be absent until
+they were all sold.
+
+On Monday morning he started bright and early for the railroad
+station. As usual, he called upon Squire Lee, and informed Annie that
+he should probably be absent three or four weeks. She hoped no
+accident would happen to him, and that his journey would be crowned
+with success. Without being sentimental, she was a little sad, for
+Bobby was a great friend of hers. That elegant copy of Moore's Poems
+had been gratefully received, and she was so fond of the bard's
+beautiful and touching melodies that she could never read any of them
+without thinking of the brave little fellow who had given her the
+volume; which no one will consider very remarkable, even in a little
+miss of twelve.
+
+After he had bidden her and her father adieu, he resumed his
+journey. Of course he was thinking with all his might; but no one need
+suppose he was wondering how wide the Kennebec River was, or how many
+books he should sell in the towns upon its banks. Nothing of the kind;
+though it is enough even for the inquisitive to know that he was
+thinking of something, and that his thoughts were very interesting,
+not to say romantic.
+
+"Hallo, Bob!" shouted some one from the road side.
+
+Bobby was provoked; for it is sometimes very uncomfortable to have a
+pleasant train of thought interrupted. The imagination is buoyant,
+ethereal, and elevates poor mortals up to the stars sometimes. It was
+so with Bobby. He was building up some kind of an air castle, and had
+got up in the clouds amidst the fog and moonshine, and that
+aggravating voice brought him down, _slap_, upon terra firma.
+
+He looked up and saw Tom Spicer seated upon the fence. In his hand he
+held a bundle, and had evidently been waiting some time for Bobby's
+coming.
+
+He had recovered from the illness caused by his broken arm, and people
+said it had been a good lesson for him, as the squire hoped it would
+be. Bobby had called upon him two or three times during his
+confinement to the house; and Tom, either truly repentant for his past
+errors, or lacking the opportunity at that time to manifest his evil
+propensities, had stoutly protested that he had "turned over a new
+leaf," and meant to keep out of the woods on Sunday, stop lying and
+swearing, and become a good boy.
+
+Bobby commended his good resolutions, and told him he would never want
+friends while he was true to himself. The right side, he declared, was
+always the best side. He quoted several instances of men, whose lives
+he had read in his Sunday school books, to show how happy a good man
+may be in prison, or when all the world seemed to forsake him.
+
+Tom assured him that he meant to reform and be a good boy; and Bobby
+told him that when any one meant to turn over a new leaf, it was "now
+or never." If he put it off, he would only grow worse, and the longer
+the good work was delayed, the more difficult it would be to do it.
+Tom agreed to all this, and was sure he had reformed.
+
+For these reasons Bobby had come to regard Tom with a feeling of deep
+interest. He considered him as, in some measure, his disciple, and he
+felt a personal responsibility in encouraging him to persevere in his
+good work. Nevertheless Bobby was not exactly pleased to have his fine
+air castle upset, and to be tipped out of the clouds upon the cold,
+uncompromising earth again; so the first greeting he gave Tom was not
+as cordial as it might have been.
+
+"Hallo, Tom!" he replied, rather coolly.
+
+"Been waiting for you this half hour."
+
+"Have you?"
+
+"Yes; ain't you rather late?"
+
+"No; I have plenty of time, though none to spare," answered Bobby; and
+this was a hint that he must not detain him too long.
+
+"Come along then."
+
+"Where are you going, Tom?" asked Bobby, a little surprised at these
+words.
+
+"To Boston."
+
+"Are you?"
+
+"I am; that's a fact. You know I spoke to you about going into the
+book business."
+
+"Not lately."
+
+"But I have been thinking about it all the time."
+
+"What do your father and mother say?"
+
+"O, they are all right."
+
+"Have you asked them?"
+
+"Certainly I have; they are willing I should go with _you_."
+
+"Why didn't you speak of it then?"
+
+"I thought I wouldn't say anything till the time came. You know you
+fought shy when I spoke about it before."
+
+And Bobby, notwithstanding the interest he felt in his companion, was
+a little disposed to "fight shy" now. Tom had reformed, or had
+pretended to do so; but he was still a raw recruit, and our hero was
+somewhat fearful that he would run at the first fire.
+
+To the good and true man life is a constant battle. Temptation assails
+him at almost every point; perils and snares beset him at every step
+of his mortal pilgrimage, so that every day he is called upon to gird
+on his armor and fight the good fight.
+
+Bobby was no poet; but he had a good idea of this every-day strife
+with the foes of error and sin that crossed his path. It was a
+practical conception, but it was truly expressed under the similitude
+of a battle. There was to be resistance, and he could comprehend that,
+for his bump of combativeness took cognizance of the suggestion. He
+was to fight; and that was an idea that stood him in better stead than
+a whole library of ethical subtilties.
+
+Judging Tom by his own standard, he was afraid he would run--that he
+wouldn't "stand fire." He had not been drilled. Heretofore, when
+temptation beset him, he had yielded without even a struggle, and fled
+from the field without firing a gun. To go out into the great world
+was a trying event for the raw recruit. He lacked, too, that prestige
+of success which is worth more than numbers on the field of battle.
+
+Tom had chosen for himself, and he could not send him back. He had
+taken up the line of march, let it lead him where it might.
+
+  "March on! in legions death and sin
+    Impatient wait thy conquering hand;
+  The foe without, the foe within--
+    Thy youthful arm must both withstand."
+
+Bobby had great hopes of him. He felt that he could not well get rid
+of him, and he saw that it was policy for him to make the best of it.
+
+"Well, Tom, where are you going?" asked Bobby, after he had made up
+his mind not to object to the companionship of the other.
+
+"I don't know. You have been a good friend to me lately, and I had an
+idea that you would give me a lift in this business."
+
+"I should be very willing to do so; but what can I do for you?"
+
+"Just show me how the business is done; that's all I want."
+
+"Your father and mother were willing you should come--were they not?"
+
+Bobby had some doubts about this point, and with good reason too. He
+had called at Tom's house the day before, and they had gone to church
+together; but neither he nor his parents had said a word about his
+going to Boston.
+
+"When did they agree to it?"
+
+"Last night," replied Tom, after a moment's hesitation.
+
+"All right then; but I cannot promise you that Mr. Bayard will let you
+have the books."
+
+"I can fix that, I reckon," replied Tom, confidently.
+
+"I will speak a good word for you, at any rate."
+
+"That's right, Bob."
+
+"I am going down into the State of Maine this time, and shall be gone
+three or four weeks."
+
+"So much the better; I always wanted to go down that way."
+
+Tom asked a great many questions about the business and the method of
+travelling, which Bobby's superior intelligence and more extensive
+experience enabled him to answer to the entire satisfaction of the
+other.
+
+When they were within half a mile of the railroad station, they heard
+a carriage driven at a rapid rate approaching them from the direction
+of Riverdale.
+
+Tom seemed to be uneasy, and cast frequent glances behind him. In a
+moment the vehicle was within a short distance of them, and he stopped
+short in the road to scrutinize the persons in it.
+
+"By jolly!" exclaimed Tom; "my father!"
+
+"What of it?" asked Bobby, surprised by the strange behavior of his
+companion.
+
+Tom did not wait to reply, but springing over the fence fled like a
+deer towards some woods a short distance from the road.
+
+Was it possible? Tom had run away from home. His father had not
+consented to his going to Boston, and Bobby was mortified to find that
+his hopeful disciple had been lying to him ever since they left
+Riverdale. But he was glad the cheat had been exposed.
+
+"That was Tom with you--wasn't it?" asked Mr. Spicer, as he stopped
+the foaming horse.
+
+"Yes, sir; but he told me you had consented that he should go with
+me," replied Bobby, a little disturbed by the angry glance of Mr.
+Spicer's fiery eyes.
+
+"He lied! the young villain! He will catch it for this."
+
+"I would not have let him come with me only for that. I asked him
+twice over if you were willing, and he said you were."
+
+"You ought to have known better than to believe him," interposed the
+man who was with Mr. Spicer.
+
+Bobby had some reason for believing him. The fact that Tom had
+reformed ought to have entitled him to some consideration, and our
+hero gave him the full benefit of the declaration. To have explained
+this would have taken more time than he could spare; besides, it was
+"a great moral question," whose importance Mr. Spicer and his
+companion would not be likely to apprehend; so he made a short story
+of it, and resumed his walk, thankful that he had got rid of Tom.
+
+Mr. Spicer and his friend, after fastening the horse to the fence,
+went to the woods in search of Tom.
+
+Bobby reached the station just in time to take the cars, and in a
+moment was on his way to the city.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY GETS INTO A SCRAPE, AND TOM SPICER TURNS UP AGAIN
+
+
+Bobby had a poorer opinion of human nature than ever before. It seemed
+almost incredible to him that words so fairly spoken as those of Tom
+Spicer could be false. He had just risen from a sick bed, where he had
+had an opportunity for long and serious reflection. Tom had promised
+fairly, and Bobby had every reason to suppose he intended to be a good
+boy. But his promises had been lies. He had never intended to reform,
+at least not since he had got off his bed of pain. He was mortified
+and disheartened at the failure of this attempt to restore him to
+himself.
+
+Like a great many older and wiser persons than himself, he was prone
+to judge the whole human family by a single individual. He did not
+come to believe that every man was a rascal, but, in more general
+terms, that there is a great deal more rascality in this world than
+one would be willing to believe.
+
+With this sage reflection, he dismissed Tom from his mind, which very
+naturally turned again to the air castle which had been so ruthlessly
+upset. Then his opinion of "the rest of mankind" was reversed; and he
+reflected that if the world were only peopled by angels like Annie
+Lee, what a pleasant place it would be to live in. She could not tell
+a lie, she could not use bad language, she could not steal, or do
+anything else that was bad; and the prospect was decidedly
+pleasant. It was very agreeable to turn from Tom to Annie, and in a
+moment his air castle was built again, and throned on clouds of gold
+and purple. I do not know what impossible things he imagined, or how
+far up in the clouds he would have gone, if the arrival of the train
+at the city had not interrupted his thoughts, and pitched him down
+upon the earth again.
+
+Bobby was not one of that impracticable class of persons who do
+nothing but dream; for he felt that he had a mission to perform which
+dreaming could not accomplish. However pleasant it may be to think of
+the great and brilliant things which one _will_ do, to one of
+Bobby's practical character it was even more pleasant to perform
+them. We all dream great things, imagine great things; but he who
+stops there does not amount to much, and the world can well spare him,
+for he is nothing but a drone in the hive. Bobby's fine imaginings
+were pretty sure to bring out a "now or never," which was the pledge
+of action, and the work was as good as done when he had said it.
+
+Therefore, when the train arrived, Bobby did not stop to dream any
+longer. He forgot his beautiful air castle, and even let Annie Lee
+slip from his mind for the time being. Those towns upon the Kennebec,
+the two hundred books he was to sell, loomed up before him, for it was
+with them he had to do.
+
+Grasping the little valise he carried with him, he was hastening out
+of the station house when a hand was placed upon his shoulder.
+
+"Got off slick--didn't I?" said Tom Spicer, placing himself by Bobby's
+side.
+
+"You here, Tom!" exclaimed our hero, gazing with astonishment at his
+late companion.
+
+It was not an agreeable encounter, and from the bottom of his heart
+Bobby wished him anywhere but where he was. He foresaw that he could
+not easily get rid of him.
+
+"I am here," replied Tom. "I ran through the woods to the depot, and
+got aboard the cars just as they were starting. The old man couldn't
+come it over me quite so slick as that."
+
+"But you ran away from home."
+
+"Well, what of it?"
+
+"A good deal, I should say."
+
+"If you had been in my place, you would have done the same."
+
+"I don't know about that; obedience to parents is one of our first
+duties."
+
+"I know that; and if I had had any sort of fair play, I wouldn't have
+run away."
+
+"What do you mean by that?" asked Bobby, somewhat surprised, though he
+had a faint idea of the meaning of the other.
+
+"I will tell you all about it by and by. I give you my word of honor
+that I will make everything satisfactory to you."
+
+"But you lied to me on the road this morning."
+
+Tom winced; under ordinary circumstances he would have resented such a
+remark by "clearing away" for a fight. But he had a purpose to
+accomplish, and he knew the character of him with whom he had to deal.
+
+"I'm sorry I did, now," answered Tom, with every manifestation of
+penitence for his fault. "I didn't want to lie to you; and it went
+against my conscience to do so. But I was afraid, if I told you my
+father refused, up and down, to let me go, that you wouldn't be
+willing I should come with you."
+
+"I shall not be any more willing now I know all about it," added
+Bobby, in an uncompromising tone.
+
+"Wait till you have heard my story, and then you won't blame me."
+
+"Of course you can go where you please; it is none of my business; but
+let me tell you, Tom, in the beginning, that I won't go with a fellow
+who has run away from his father and mother."
+
+"Pooh! What's the use of talking in that way?"
+
+Tom was evidently disconcerted by this decided stand of his
+companion. He knew that his bump of firmness was well developed, and
+whatever he said he meant.
+
+"You had better return home, Tom. Boys that run away from home don't
+often amount to much. Take my advice, and go home," added Bobby.
+
+"To such a home as mine!" said Tom, gloomily. "If I had such a home
+as yours, I would not have left it."
+
+Bobby got a further idea from this remark of the true state of the
+case, and the consideration moved him. Tom's father was a notoriously
+intemperate man, and the boy had nothing to hope for from his precept
+or his example. He was the child of a drunkard, and as much to be
+pitied as blamed for his vices. His home was not pleasant. He who
+presided over it, and who should have made a paradise of it, was its
+evil genius, a demon of wickedness, who blasted its flowers as fast as
+they bloomed.
+
+Tom had seemed truly penitent both during his illness and since his
+recovery. His one great desire now was to get away from home, for home
+to him was a place of torment. Bobby suspected all this, and in his
+great heart he pitied his companion. He did not know what to do.
+
+"I am sorry for you, Tom," said he, after he had considered the matter
+in this new light; "but I don't see what I can do for you. I doubt
+whether it would be right for me to help you run away from your
+parents."
+
+"I don't want you to help me run away. I have done that already."
+
+"But if I let you go with me, it will be just the same thing. Besides,
+since you told me those lies this morning, I haven't much confidence
+in you."
+
+"I couldn't help that."
+
+"Yes, you could. Couldn't help lying?"
+
+"What could I do? You would have gone right back and told my father."
+
+"Well, we will go up to Mr. Bayard's store, and then we will see what
+can be done."
+
+"I couldn't stay at home, sure," continued Tom, as they walked along
+together. "My father even talked of binding me out to a trade."
+
+"Did he?"
+
+Bobby stopped short in the street; for it was evident that, as this
+would remove him from his unhappy home, and thus effect all he
+professed to desire, he had some other purpose in view.
+
+"What are you stopping for, Bob?"
+
+"I think you had better go back, Tom."
+
+"Not I; I won't do that, whatever happens."
+
+"If your father will put you to a trade, what more do you want?"
+
+"I won't go to a trade, anyhow."
+
+Bobby said no more, but determined to consult with Mr. Bayard about
+the matter; and Tom was soon too busily engaged in observing the
+strange sights and sounds of the city to think of anything else.
+
+When they reached the store, Bobby went into Mr. Bayard's private
+office and told him all about the affair. The bookseller decided that
+Tom had run away more to avoid being bound to a trade than because his
+home was unpleasant; and this decision seemed to Bobby all the more
+just because he knew that Tom's mother, though a drunkard's wife, was
+a very good woman. Mr. Bayard further decided that Bobby ought not to
+permit the runaway to be the companion of his journey. He also
+considered it his duty to write to Mr. Spicer, informing him of his
+son's arrival in the city, and clearing Bobby from any agency in his
+escape.
+
+While Mr. Bayard was writing the letter, Bobby went out to give Tom
+the result of the consultation. The runaway received it with a great
+show of emotion, and begged and pleaded to have the decision
+reversed. But Bobby, though he would gladly have done anything for him
+which was consistent with his duty, was firm as a rock, and positively
+refused to have anything to do with him until he obtained his father's
+consent; or, if there was any such trouble as he asserted, his
+mother's consent.
+
+Tom left the store, apparently "more in sorrow than in anger." His
+bullying nature seemed to be cast out, and Bobby could not but feel
+sorry for him. Duty was imperative, as it always is, and it must be
+done "now or never."
+
+During the day the little merchant attended to the packing of his
+stock, and to such other preparations as were required for his
+journey. He must take the steamer that evening for Bath, and when the
+time for his departure arrived, he was attended to the wharf by Mr.
+Bayard and Ellen, with whom he had passed the afternoon. The
+bookseller assisted him in procuring his ticket and berth, and gave
+him such instructions as his inexperience demanded.
+
+The last bell rang, the fasts were cast off, and the great wheels of
+the steamer began to turn. Our hero, who had never been on the water
+in a steamboat, or indeed anything bigger than a punt on the river at
+home, was much interested and excited by his novel position. He
+seated himself on the promenade deck, and watched with wonder the
+boiling, surging waters astern of the steamer.
+
+How powerful is man, the author of that mighty machine that bore him
+so swiftly over the deep blue waters! Bobby was a little philosopher,
+as we have before had occasion to remark, and he was decidedly of the
+opinion that the steamboat was a great institution. When he had in
+some measure conquered his amazement, and the first ideas of sublimity
+which the steamer and the sea were calculated to excite in a poetical
+imagination, he walked forward to take a closer survey of the
+machinery. After all, there was something rather comical in the
+affair. The steam hissed and sputtered, and the great walking beam
+kept flying up and down; and the sum total of Bobby's philosophy was,
+that it was funny these things should make the boat go so like a race
+horse over the water.
+
+Then he took a look into the pilot house, and it seemed more funny
+that turning that big wheel should steer the boat. But the wind blew
+rather fresh at the forward part of the boat, and as Bobby's
+philosophy was not proof against it, he returned to the promenade
+deck, which was sheltered from the severity of the blast. He had got
+reconciled to the whole thing, and ceased to bother his head about the
+big wheel, the sputtering steam, and the walking beam; so he seated
+himself, and began to wonder what all the people in Riverdale were
+about.
+
+"All them as hasn't paid their fare, please walk up to the cap'n's
+office and s-e-t-t-l-e!" shouted a colored boy, presenting himself
+just then, and furiously ringing a large hand bell.
+
+"I have just settled," said Bobby, alluding to his comfortable seat.
+
+But the allusion was so indefinite to the colored boy that he thought
+himself insulted. He did not appear to be a very amiable boy, for his
+fist was doubled up, and with sundry big oaths, he threatened to
+annihilate the little merchant for his insolence.
+
+"I didn't say anything that need offend you," replied Bobby. "I meant
+nothing."
+
+"You lie! You did!"
+
+He was on the point of administering a blow with his fist, when a
+third party appeared on the ground, and without waiting to hear the
+merits of the case, struck the negro a blow which had nearly floored
+him.
+
+Some of the passengers now interfered, and the colored boy was
+prevented from executing vengeance on the assailant.
+
+"Strike that fellow and you strike me!" said he who had struck the
+blow.
+
+"Tom Spicer!" exclaimed Bobby, astonished and chagrined at the
+presence of the runaway.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY FINDS "IT IS AN ILL WIND THAT BLOWS NO ONE ANY GOOD"
+
+
+A gentleman, who was sitting near Bobby when he made the remark which
+the colored boy had misunderstood, interfered to free him from blame,
+and probably all unpleasant feelings might have been saved, if Tom's
+zeal had been properly directed. As it was, the waiter retired with
+his bell, vowing vengeance upon his assailant.
+
+"How came you here, Tom?" asked Bobby, when the excitement had
+subsided.
+
+"You don't get rid of me so easily," replied Tom, laughing.
+
+Bobby called to mind the old adage that "a bad penny is sure to
+return;" and, if it had not been a very uncivil remark, he would have
+said it.
+
+"I didn't expect to see you again at present," he observed, hardly
+knowing what to say or do.
+
+"I suppose not; but as I didn't mean you should expect me, I kept out
+of sight. Only for that darkey you wouldn't have found me out so
+soon. I like you, Bob, in spite of all you have done to get rid of me,
+and I wasn't a going to let the darkey thrash you."
+
+"You only made matters worse."
+
+"That is all the thanks I get for hitting him for you."
+
+"I am sorry you hit him; at the same time I suppose you meant to do me
+a service, and I thank you, not for the blow you struck the black boy,
+but for your good intentions."
+
+"That sounds better. I meant well, Bob."
+
+"I dare say you did. But how came you here?"
+
+"Why, you see, I was bound to go with you anyhow or at least to keep
+within hail of you. You told me, you know, that you were going in the
+steamboat; and after I left the shop, what should I see but a big
+picture of a steamboat on a wall. It said. 'Bath, Gardiner, and
+Hallowell,' on the bill; and I knew that was where you meant to go. So
+this afternoon I hunts round and finds the steamboat. I thought I
+never should have found it; but here I am."
+
+"What are you going to do?"
+
+"Going into the book business," replied Tom, with a smile.
+
+"Where are your books?"
+
+"Down stairs, in the cellar of the steamboat, or whatever you call
+it."
+
+"Where did you get them?"
+
+"Bought 'em, of course."
+
+"Did you? Where?"
+
+"Well, I don't remember the name of the street now. I could go right
+there if I was in the city, though."
+
+"Would they trust you?"
+
+Tom hesitated. The lies he had told that morning had done him no
+good--had rather injured his cause; and, though he had no principle
+that forbade lying, he questioned its policy in the present instance.
+
+"I paid part down, and they trusted me part."
+
+"How many books you got?"
+
+"Twenty dollars' worth. I paid eight dollars down."
+
+"You did? Where did you get the eight dollars?"
+
+Bobby remembered the money Tom's father had lost several weeks before,
+and immediately connected that circumstance with his present ability
+to pay so large a sum.
+
+Tom hesitated again, but he was never at a loss for an answer.
+
+"My mother gave it to me."
+
+"Your mother?"
+
+"Yes, _sir_!" replied Tom, boldly, and in that peculiarly bluff
+manner which is almost always good evidence that the boy is lying.
+
+"But you ran away from home."
+
+"That's so; but my mother knew I was coming."
+
+"Did she?"
+
+"To be sure she did."
+
+"You didn't say so before."
+
+"I can't tell all I know in a minute."
+
+"If I thought your mother consented to your coming, I wouldn't say
+another word."
+
+"Well, she did; you may bet your life on that."
+
+"And your mother gave you ten dollars?"
+
+"Who said she gave me _ten_ dollars?" asked Tom, a little
+sharply.
+
+That was just the sum his father had lost, and Bobby had unwittingly
+hinted his suspicion.
+
+"You must have had as much as that if you paid eight on your
+books. Your fare to Boston and your steamboat fare must be two dollars
+more."
+
+"I know that; but look here, Bob;" and Tom took from his pocket five
+half dollars and exhibited them to his companion. "She gave me
+thirteen dollars."
+
+Notwithstanding this argument, Bobby felt almost sure that the lost
+ten dollars was a part of his capital.
+
+"I will tell you my story now, Bob, if you like. You condemned me
+without a hearing, as Jim Guthrie said when they sent him to the House
+of Correction for getting drunk."
+
+"Go ahead."
+
+The substance of Tom's story was, that his father drank so hard, and
+was such a tyrant in the house, that he could endure it no longer.
+His father and mother did not agree, as any one might have
+suspected. His mother, encouraged by the success of Bobby, thought
+that Tom might do something of the kind, and she had provided him the
+money to buy his stock of books.
+
+Bobby had not much confidence in this story. He had been deceived
+once; besides, it was not consistent with his previous narrative, and
+he had not before hinted that he had obtained his mother's
+consent. But Tom was eloquent, and protested that he had reformed, and
+meant to do well. He declared, by all that was good and great, Bobby
+should never have reason to be ashamed of him.
+
+Our little merchant was troubled. He could not now get rid of Tom
+without actually quarrelling with him, or running away from him. He
+did not wish to do the former, and it was not an easy matter to do the
+latter. Besides, there was hope that the runaway would do well; and if
+he did, when he carried the profits of his trade home, his father
+would forgive him. One thing was certain; if he returned to Riverdale
+he would be what he had been before.
+
+For these reasons Bobby finally, but very reluctantly, consented that
+Tom should remain with him, resolving, however, that, if he did not
+behave himself, he would leave him at once.
+
+Before morning he had another reason. When the steamer got out into
+the open bay, Bobby was seasick. He retired to his berth with a
+dreadful headache; as he described it afterwards, it seemed just as
+though that great walking beam was smashing up and down right in the
+midst of his brains. He had never felt so ill before in his life, and
+was very sure, in his inexperience, that something worse than mere
+seasickness ailed him.
+
+He told Tom, who was not in the least affected, how he felt; whereupon
+the runaway blustered round, got the steward and the captain into the
+cabin, and was very sure that Bobby would die before morning, if we
+may judge by the fuss he made.
+
+The captain was angry at being called from the pilot house for
+nothing, and threatened to throw Tom overboard if he didn't stop his
+noise. The steward, however, was a kind-hearted man, and assured
+Bobby that passengers were often a great deal sicker than he was; but
+he promised to do something for his relief, and Tom went with him to
+his state room for the desired remedy.
+
+The potion was nothing more nor less than a table spoonful of brandy,
+which Bobby, who had conscientious scruples about drinking ardent
+spirits, at first refused to take. Then Tom argued the point, and the
+sick boy yielded. The dose made him sicker yet, and nature came to his
+relief, and in a little while he felt better.
+
+Tom behaved like a good nurse; he staid by his friend till he went to
+sleep, and then "turned in" upon a settee beneath his berth. The boat
+pitched and tumbled about so in the heavy sea that Bobby did not sleep
+long, and when he woke he found Tom ready to assist him. But our hero
+felt better, and entreated Tom to go to sleep again. He made the best
+of his unpleasant situation. Sleep was not to be wooed, and he tried
+to pass away the dreary hours in thinking of Riverdale and the dear
+ones there. His mother was asleep, and Annie was asleep; that was
+about all the excitement he could get up even on the home question. He
+could not build castles in the air, for seasickness and castle
+building do not agree. The gold and purple clouds would be black in
+spite of him, and the aerial structure he essayed to build would pitch
+and tumble about, for all the world, just like a steamboat in a heavy
+sea. As often as he got fairly into it, he was violently rolled out,
+and in a twinkling found himself in his narrow berth, awfully seasick.
+
+He went to sleep again at last, and the long night passed away. When
+he woke in the morning, he felt tolerably well, and was thankful that
+he had got out of that scrape. But before he could dress himself, he
+heard a terrible racket on deck. The steam whistle was shrieking, the
+bell was banging, and he heard the hoarse bellowing of the captain. It
+was certain that something had happened, or was about to happen.
+
+Then the boat stopped, rolling heavily in the sea. Tom was not there;
+he had gone on deck. Bobby was beginning to consider what a dreadful
+thing a wreck was, when Tom appeared.
+
+"What's the matter?" asked Bobby, with some appearance of alarm.
+
+"Fog," replied Tom. "It is so thick you can cut it with a hatchet."
+
+"Is that all?"
+
+"That's enough."
+
+"Where are we?"
+
+"That is just what the pilot would like to know. They can't see ahead
+a bit, and don't know where we are."
+
+Bobby went on deck. The ocean rolled beneath them, but there was
+nothing but fog to be seen above and around them. The lead was heaved
+every few moments, and the steamer crept slowly along till it was
+found the water shoaled rapidly, when the captain ordered the men to
+let go the anchor.
+
+There they were; the fog was as obstinate as a mule, and would not
+"lift." Hour after hour they waited, for the captain was a prudent
+man, and would not risk the life of those on board to save a few
+hours' time. After breakfast, the passengers began to display their
+uneasiness, and some of them called the captain very hard names,
+because he would not go on. Almost everybody grumbled, and made
+themselves miserable.
+
+"Nothing to do and nothing to read," growled a nicely-dressed
+gentleman, as he yawned and stretched himself to manifest his
+sensation of _ennui_.
+
+"Nothing to read, eh?" thought Bobby. "We will soon supply that want."
+
+Calling Tom, they went down to the main deck where the baggage had
+been placed.
+
+"Now's our time," said he, as he proceeded to unlock one of the trunks
+that contained his books. "Now or never."
+
+"I am with you," replied Tom, catching the idea.
+
+The books of the latter were in a box, and he was obliged to get a
+hammer to open it; but with Bobby's assistance he soon got at them.
+
+"Buy 'The Wayfarer,'" said Bobby, when he returned to the saloon, and
+placed a volume in the hands of the yawning gentleman. "Best book of
+the season; only one dollar."
+
+"That I will, and glad of the chance," replied the gentleman. "I would
+give five dollars for anything, if it were only the 'Comic Almanac.'"
+
+Others were of the same mind. There was no present prospect that the
+fog would lift, and before dinner time our merchant had sold fifty
+copies of "The Wayfarer." Tom, whose books were of an inferior
+description, and who was inexperienced as a salesman, disposed of
+twenty, which was more than half of his stock. The fog was a godsend
+to both of them, and they reaped a rich harvest from the occasion, for
+almost all the passengers seemed willing to spend their money freely
+for the means of occupying the heavy hours and driving away that
+dreadful _ennui_ which reigns supreme in a fog-bound steamer.
+
+About the middle of the afternoon, the fog blew over, and the boat
+proceeded on her voyage, and before sunset our young merchants were
+safely landed at Bath.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+IN WHICH TOM HAS A GOOD TIME, AND BOBBY MEETS WITH A TERRIBLE
+MISFORTUNE
+
+
+Bath afforded our young merchants an excellent market for their wares,
+and they remained there the rest of the week. They then proceeded to
+Brunswick, where their success was equally flattering.
+
+Thus far Tom had done very well, though Bobby had frequent occasion to
+remind him of the pledges he had given to conduct himself in a proper
+manner. He would swear now and then, from the force of habit; but
+invariably, when Bobby checked him, he promised to do better.
+
+At Brunswick Tom sold the last of his books, and was in possession of
+about thirty dollars, twelve of which he owed the publisher who had
+furnished his stock. This money seemed to burn in his pocket. He had
+the means of having a good time, and it went hard with him to plod
+along as Bobby did, careful to save every penny he could.
+
+"Come, Bob, let's get a horse and chaise and have a ride--what do you
+say?" proposed Tom, on the day he finished selling his books.
+
+"I can't spare the time or the money," replied Bobby, decidedly.
+
+"What is the use of having money if we can't spend it? It is a first
+rate day, and we should have a good time."
+
+"I can't afford it. I have a great many books to sell."
+
+"About a hundred; you can sell them fast enough."
+
+"I don't spend my money foolishly."
+
+"It wouldn't be foolishly. I have sold out, and I am bound to have a
+little fun now."
+
+"You never will succeed if you do business in that way."
+
+"Why not?"
+
+"You will spend your money as fast as you get it."
+
+"Pooh! we can get a horse and chaise for the afternoon for two
+dollars. That is not much."
+
+"Considerable, I should say. But if you begin, there is no knowing
+where to leave off. I make it a rule not to spend a single cent
+foolishly, and if I don't begin, I shall never do it."
+
+"I don't mean to spend all I get; only a little now and then,"
+persisted Tom.
+
+"Don't spend the first dollar for nonsense, and then you won't spend
+the second. Besides, when I have any money to spare, I mean to buy
+books with it for my library."
+
+"Humbug! Your library!"
+
+"Yes, my library; I mean to have a library one of these days."
+
+"I don't want any library, and I mean to spend some of my money in
+having a good time; and if you won't go with me, I shall go
+alone--that's all."
+
+"You can do as you please, of course; but I advise you to keep your
+money. You will want it to buy another stock of books."
+
+"I shall have enough for that. What do you say? will you go with me or
+not?"
+
+"No, I will not."
+
+"Enough said; then I shall go alone, or get some fellow to go with
+me."
+
+"Consider well before you go," pleaded Bobby, who had sense enough to
+see that Tom's proposed "good time" would put back, if not entirely
+prevent, the reform he was working out.
+
+He then proceeded to reason with him in a very earnest and feeling
+manner, telling him he would not only spend all his money, but
+completely unfit himself for business. What he proposed to do was
+nothing more nor less than extravagance, and it would lead him to
+dissipation and ruin.
+
+"To-day I am going to send one hundred dollars to Mr. Bayard,"
+continued Bobby; "for I am afraid to have so much money with me. I
+advise you to send your money to your employer."
+
+"Humph! Catch me doing that! I am bound to have a good time, anyhow."
+
+"At least, send the money you owe him."
+
+"I'll bet I won't."
+
+"Well, do as you please; I have said all I have to say."
+
+"You are a fool, Bob!" exclaimed Tom, who had evidently used Bobby as
+much as he wished, and no longer cared to speak soft words to him.
+
+"Perhaps I am; but I know better than to spend my money upon fast
+horses. If you will go, I can't help it. I am sorry you are going
+astray."
+
+"What do you mean by that, you young monkey?" said Tom, angrily.
+
+This was Tom Spicer, the bully. It sounded like him; and with a
+feeling of sorrow Bobby resigned the hopes he had cherished of making
+a good boy of him.
+
+"We had better part now," added our hero, sadly.
+
+"I'm willing."
+
+"I shall leave Brunswick this afternoon for the towns up the river. I
+hope no harm will befall you. Good by, Tom."
+
+"Go it! I have heard your preaching about long enough, and I am more
+glad to get rid of you than you are to get rid of me."
+
+Bobby walked away towards the house where he had left the trunk
+containing his books, while Tom made his way towards a livery
+stable. The boys had been in the place for several days, and had made
+some acquaintances; so Tom had no difficulty in procuring a companion
+for his proposed ride.
+
+Our hero wrote a letter that afternoon to Mr. Bayard, in which he
+narrated all the particulars of his journey, his relations with Tom
+Spicer, and the success that had attended his labors. At the bank he
+procured a hundred dollar note for his small bills, and enclosed it in
+the letter.
+
+He felt sad about Tom. The runaway had done so well, had been so
+industrious, and shown such a tractable spirit, that he had been very
+much encouraged about him. But if he meant to be wild again,--for it
+was plain that the ride was only "the beginning of sorrows,"--it was
+well that they should part.
+
+By the afternoon stage our hero proceeded to Gardiner, passing through
+several smaller towns, which did not promise a very abundant harvest.
+His usual success attended him; for wherever he went, people seemed to
+be pleased with him, as Squire Lee had declared they would be. His
+pleasant, honest face was a capital recommendation, and his eloquence
+seldom failed to achieve the result which eloquence has ever achieved
+from Demosthenes down to the present day.
+
+Our limits do not permit us to follow him in all his peregrinations
+from town to town, and from house to house; so we pass over the next
+fortnight, at the end of which time we find him at Augusta. He had
+sold all his books but twenty, and had that day remitted eighty
+dollars more to Mr. Bayard. It was Wednesday, and he hoped to sell out
+so as to be able to take the next steamer for Boston, which was
+advertised to sail on the following day.
+
+He had heard nothing from Tom since their parting, and had given up
+all expectation of meeting him again; but that bad penny maxim proved
+true once more, for, as he was walking through one of the streets of
+Augusta, he had the misfortune to meet him--and this time it was
+indeed a misfortune.
+
+"Hallo, Bobby!" shouted the runaway, as familiarly as though nothing
+had happened to disturb the harmony of their relations.
+
+"Ah, Tom, I didn't expect to see you again," replied Bobby, not very
+much rejoiced to meet his late companion.
+
+"I suppose not; but here I am, as good as new. Have you sold out?"
+
+"No, not quite."
+
+"How many have you left?"
+
+"About twenty; but I thought, Tom, you would have returned to Boston
+before this time."
+
+"No;" and Tom did not seem to be in very good spirits.
+
+"Where are you going now?"
+
+"I don't know. I ought to have taken your advice, Bobby."
+
+This was a concession, and our hero began to feel some sympathy for
+his companion--as who does not when the erring confess their faults?
+
+"I am sorry you did not."
+
+"I got in with some pretty hard fellows down there to Brunswick,"
+continued Tom, rather sheepishly.
+
+"And spent all your money," added Bobby, who could readily understand
+the reason why Tom had put on his humility again.
+
+"Not all."
+
+"How much have you left?"
+
+"Not much," replied he, evasively. "I don't know what I shall do. I am
+in a strange place, and have no friends."
+
+Bobby's sympathies were aroused, and without reflection, he promised
+to be a friend in his extremity.
+
+"I will stick by you this time, Bob, come what will. I will do just as
+you say, now."
+
+Our merchant was a little flattered by this unreserved display of
+confidence. He did not give weight enough to the fact that it was
+adversity alone which made Tom so humble. He was in trouble, and gave
+him all the guarantee he could ask for his future good behavior. He
+could not desert him now he was in difficulty.
+
+"You shall help me sell my books, and then we will return to Boston
+together. Have you money enough left to pay your employer?"
+
+Tom hesitated; something evidently hung heavily upon his mind.
+
+"I don't know how it will be after I have paid my expenses to Boston,"
+he replied, averting his face.
+
+Bobby was perplexed by this evasive answer; but as Tom seemed so
+reluctant to go into details, he reserved his inquiries for a more
+convenient season.
+
+"Now, Tom, you take the houses on that side of the street, and I will
+take those upon this side. You shall have the profits on all you
+sell."
+
+"You are a first rate fellow, Bob; and I only wish I had done as you
+wanted me to do."
+
+"Can't be helped now, and we will do the next best thing," replied
+Bobby, as he left his companion to enter a house.
+
+Tom did very well, and by the middle of the afternoon they had sold
+all the books but four. "The Wayfarer" had been liberally advertised
+in that vicinity, and the work was in great demand. Bobby's heart
+grew lighter as the volumes disappeared from his valise, and already
+he had begun to picture the scene which would ensue upon his return to
+the little black house. How glad his mother would be to see him, and,
+he dared believe, how happy Annie would be as she listened to the
+account of his journey in the State of Maine! Wouldn't she be
+astonished when he told her about the steamboat, about the fog, and
+about the wild region at the mouth of the beautiful Kennebec!
+
+Poor Bobby! the brightest dream often ends in sadness; and a greater
+trial than any he had been called upon to endure was yet in store for
+him.
+
+As he walked along, thinking of Riverdale and its loved ones, Tom came
+out of a grocery store where he had just sold a book.
+
+"Here, Bob, is a ten dollar bill. I believe I have sold ten books for
+you," said Tom, after they had walked some distance. "You had better
+keep the money now; and while I think of it, you had better take what
+I have left of my former sales;" and Tom handed him another ten dollar
+bill.
+
+Bobby noticed that Tom seemed very much confused and embarrassed; but
+he did not observe that the two bills he had handed him were on the
+same bank.
+
+"Then you had ten dollars left after your frolic," he remarked, as he
+took the last bill.
+
+"About that;" and Tom glanced uneasily behind him.
+
+"What is the matter with you, Tom?" asked Bobby, who did not know what
+to make of his companion's embarrassment.
+
+"Nothing, Bob; let us walk a little faster. We had better turn up
+this street," continued Tom, as, with a quick pace, he took the
+direction indicated.
+
+Bobby began to fear that Tom had been doing something wrong; and the
+suspicion was confirmed by seeing two men running with all their might
+towards them. Tom perceived them at the same moment.
+
+"Run!" he shouted, and suiting the action to the word, he took to his
+heels, and fled up the street into which he had proposed to turn.
+
+Bobby did not run, but stopped short where he was till the men came up
+to him.
+
+"Grab him," said one of them, "and I will catch the other."
+
+The man collared Bobby, and in spite of all the resistance he could
+make, dragged him down the street to the grocery store in which Tom
+had sold his last book.
+
+"What do you mean by this?" asked Bobby, his blood boiling with
+indignation at the harsh treatment to which he had been subjected.
+
+"We have got you, my hearty," replied the man, releasing his hold.
+
+No sooner was the grasp of the man removed, than Bobby, who determined
+on this as on former occasions to stand upon his inalienable rights,
+bolted for the door, and ran away with all his speed. But his captor
+was too fleet for him, and he was immediately retaken. To make him
+sure this time, his arms were tied behind him, and he was secured to
+the counter of the shop.
+
+In a few moments the other man returned, dragging Tom in triumph after
+him. By this time quite a crowd had collected, which nearly filled the
+store.
+
+Bobby was confounded at the sudden change that had come over his
+fortunes; but seeing that resistance would be vain, he resolved to
+submit with the best grace he could.
+
+"I should like to know what all this means?" he inquired,
+indignantly.
+
+The crowd laughed in derision.
+
+"This is the chap that stole the wallet, I will be bound," said one,
+pointing to Tom, who stood in surly silence awaiting his fate.
+
+"He is the one who came into the store," replied the shopkeeper.
+
+"_I_ haven't stole any wallet," protested Bobby, who now
+understood the whole affair.
+
+The names of the two boys were taken, and warrants procured for their
+detention. They were searched, and upon Tom was found the lost wallet,
+and upon Bobby two ten dollar bills, which the loser was willing to
+swear had been in the wallet. The evidence therefore was conclusive,
+and they were both sent to jail.
+
+Poor Bobby! the inmate of a prison!
+
+The law took its course, and in due time both of them were sentenced
+to two years' imprisonment in the State Reform School. Bobby was
+innocent, but he could not make his innocence appear. He had been the
+companion of Tom, the real thief, and part of the money had been found
+upon his person. Tom was too mean to exonerate him, and even had the
+hardihood to exult over his misfortune.
+
+At the end of three days they reached the town in which the Reform
+School is located, and were duly committed for their long term.
+
+Poor Bobby!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY TAKES FRENCH LEAVE, AND CAMPS IN THE WOODS
+
+
+The intelligence of Bobby's misfortune reached Mr. Bayard, in Boston,
+by means of the newspapers. To the country press an item is a matter
+of considerable importance, and the alleged offence against the peace
+and dignity of the State of Maine was duly heralded to the inquiring
+public as a "daring robbery." The reporter who furnished the facts in
+the case for publication was not entirely devoid of that essential
+qualification of the country item writer, a lively imagination, and
+was obliged to dress up the particulars a little, in order to produce
+the necessary amount of wonder and indignation. It was stated that one
+of the two young men had been prowling about the place for several
+days, ostensibly for the purpose of selling books, but really with the
+intention of stealing whatever he could lay his hands upon. It was
+suggested that the boys were in league with an organized band of
+robbers, whose nefarious purposes would be defeated by the timely
+arrest of these young villains. The paper hinted that further
+depredations would probably be discovered, and warned people to beware
+of ruffians strolling about the country in the guise of pedlers.
+
+The writer of this thrilling paragraph must have had reason to believe
+that he had discharged his whole duty to the public, and that our hero
+was duly branded as a desperate fellow. No doubt he believed Bobby was
+an awful monster; for at the conclusion of his remarks he introduced
+some severe strictures on the lenity of the magistrate, because he had
+made the sentence two years, instead of five, which the writer thought
+the atrocious crime deserved. But, then, the justice differed from him
+in politics, which may account for the severity of the article.
+
+Mr. Bayard read this precious paragraph with mingled grief and
+indignation. He understood the case at a glance. Tom Spicer had joined
+him, and the little merchant had been involved in his crime. He was
+sure that Bobby had had no part in stealing the money. One so noble
+and true as he had been could not steal, he reasoned. It was contrary
+to experience, contrary to common sense.
+
+He was very much disturbed. This intelligence would be a severe blow
+to the poor boy's mother, and he had not the courage to destroy all
+her bright hopes by writing her the terrible truth. He was confident
+that Bobby was innocent, and that his being in the company of Tom
+Spicer had brought the imputation upon him; so he could not let the
+matter take its course. He was determined to do something to procure
+his liberty and restore his reputation.
+
+Squire Lee was in the city that day, and had left his store only half
+an hour before he discovered the paragraph. He immediately sent to his
+hotel for him, and together they devised means to effect Bobby's
+liberation. The squire was even more confident than Mr. Bayard that
+our hero was innocent of the crime charged upon him. They agreed to
+proceed immediately to the State of Maine, and use their influence in
+obtaining his pardon. The bookseller was a man of influence in the
+community, and was as well known in Maine as in Massachusetts; but to
+make their application the surer, he procured letters of introduction
+from some of the most distinguished men in Boston to the governor and
+other official persons in Maine.
+
+We will leave them now to do the work they had so generously
+undertaken, and return to the Reform School, where Bobby and Tom were
+confined. The latter took the matter very coolly. He seemed to feel
+that he deserved his sentence, but he took a malicious delight in
+seeing Bobby the companion of his captivity. He even had the hardihood
+to remind him of the blow he had struck him more than two months
+before, telling him that he had vowed vengeance then, and now the time
+had come. He was satisfied.
+
+"You know I didn't steal the money, or have anything to do with it,"
+said Bobby.
+
+"Some of it was found upon you, though," sneered Tom, maliciously.
+
+"You know how it came there, if no one else does."
+
+"Of course I do; but I like your company too well to get rid of you so
+easy."
+
+"The Lord is with the innocent," replied Bobby; "and something tells
+me that I shall not stay in this place a great while."
+
+"Going to run away?" asked Tom, with interest, and suddenly dropping
+his malicious look.
+
+"I know I am innocent of any crime; and I know that the Lord will not
+let me stay here a great while."
+
+"What do you mean to do, Bob?"
+
+Bobby made no reply; he felt that he had had more confidence in Tom
+than he deserved, and he determined to keep his own counsel in
+future. He had a purpose in view. His innocence gave him courage; and
+perhaps he did not feel that sense of necessity for submission to the
+laws of the land which age and experience give. He prayed earnestly
+for deliverance from the place in which he was confined. He felt that
+he did not deserve to be there; and though it was a very comfortable
+place, and the boys fared as well as he wished to fare, still it
+seemed to him like a prison. He was unjustly detained; and he not only
+prayed to be delivered, but he resolved to work out his own
+deliverance at the first opportunity.
+
+Knowing that whatever he had would be taken from him, he resolved by
+some means to keep possession of the twenty dollars he had about
+him. He had always kept his money in a secret place in his jacket to
+guard against accident, and the officers who had searched him had not
+discovered it. But now his clothes would be changed. He thought of
+these things before his arrival; so, when he reached the entrance, and
+got out of the wagon, to open the gate, by order of the officer, he
+slipped his twenty dollars into a hole in the wall.
+
+It so happened that there was not a suit of clothes in the store room
+of the institution which would fit him; and he was permitted to wear
+his own dress till another should be made. After his name and
+description had been entered, and the superintendent had read him a
+lecture upon his future duties, he was permitted to join the other
+boys, who were at work on the farm. He was sent with half a dozen
+others to pick up stones in a neighboring field. No officer was with
+them, and Bobby was struck with the apparent freedom of the
+institution, and he so expressed himself to his companions.
+
+"Not so much freedom as you think for," said one, in reply.
+
+"I should think the fellows would clear out."
+
+"Not so easy a matter. There is a standing reward of five dollars to
+any one who brings back a runaway."
+
+"They must catch him first."
+
+"No fellow ever got away yet. They always caught him before he got ten
+miles from the place."
+
+This was an important suggestion to Bobby, who already had a definite
+purpose in his mind. Like a skilful general, he had surveyed the
+ground on his arrival, and was at once prepared to execute his design.
+
+In his conversation with the boys, he obtained the history of several
+who had attempted to escape, and found that even those who got a fair
+start were taken on some public road. He perceived that they were not
+good generals, and he determined to profit by their mistake.
+
+A short distance from the institution was what appeared to be a very
+extensive wood. Beyond this, many miles distant, he could see the
+ocean glittering like a sheet of ice under the setting sun.
+
+He carefully observed the hills, and obtained the bearings of various
+prominent objects in the vicinity which would aid him in his flight.
+The boys gave him all the information in their power about the
+localities of the country. They seemed to feel that he was possessed
+of a superior spirit, and that he would not long remain among them;
+but, whatever they thought, they kept their own counsel.
+
+Bobby behaved well, and was so intelligent and prompt that he obtained
+the confidence of the superintendent, who began to employ him about
+the house, and in his own family. He was sent of errands in the
+neighborhood, and conducted himself so much to the satisfaction of his
+guardians that he was not required to work in the field after the
+second day of his residence on the farm.
+
+One afternoon he was told that his clothes were ready, and that he
+might put them on the next morning. This was a disagreeable
+announcement; for Bobby saw that, with the uniform of the institution
+upon his back, his chance of escape would be very slight. But about
+sunset, he was sent by the superintendent's lady to deliver a note at
+a house in the vicinity.
+
+"Now or never!" said Bobby to himself, after he had left the
+house. "Now's my time."
+
+As he passed the gate, he secured his money, and placed it in the
+secret receptacle of his jacket. After he had delivered the letter,
+he took the road and hastened off in the direction of the wood. His
+heart beat wildly at the prospect of once more meeting his mother,
+after nearly four weeks' absence. Annie Lee would welcome him; she
+would not believe that he was a thief.
+
+He had been four days an inmate of the Reform School, and nothing but
+the hope of soon attaining his liberty had kept his spirits from
+drooping. He had not for a moment despaired of getting away.
+
+He reached the entrance to the wood, and taking a cart path, began to
+penetrate its hidden depths. The night darkened upon him; he heard the
+owl screech his dismal note, and the whip-poor-will chant his cheery
+song. A certain sense of security now pervaded his mind, for the
+darkness concealed him from the world, and he had placed six good
+miles between him and the prison, as he considered it.
+
+He walked on, however, till he came to what seemed to be the end of
+the wood, and he hoped to reach the blue ocean he had seen in the
+distance before morning. Leaving the forest, he emerged into the open
+country. There was here and there a house before him; but the aspect
+of the country seemed strangely familiar to him. He could not
+understand it. He had never been in this part of the country before;
+yet there was a great house with two barns by the side of it, which he
+was positive he had seen before.
+
+He walked across the field a little farther, when, to his astonishment
+and dismay, he beheld the lofty turrets of the State Reform School. He
+had been walking in a circle, and had come out of the forest near the
+place where he had entered it.
+
+Bobby, as the reader has found out by this time, was a philosopher as
+well as a hero; and instead of despairing or wasting his precious time
+in vain regrets at his mistake, he laughed a little to himself at the
+blunder, and turned back into the woods again.
+
+"Now or never!" muttered he. "It will never do to give it up so."
+
+For an hour he walked on, with his eyes fixed on a great bright star
+in the sky. Then he found that the cart path crooked round, and he
+discovered where he had made his blunder. Leaving the road, he made
+his way in a straight line, still guided by the star, till he came to
+a large sheet of water.
+
+The sheet of water was an effectual barrier to his farther progress;
+indeed, he was so tired he did not feel able to walk any more. He
+deemed himself safe from immediate pursuit in this secluded place. He
+needed rest, and he foresaw that the next few days would be burdened
+with fatigue and hardship which he must be prepared to meet.
+
+Bobby was not nice about trifles, and his habits were such that he had
+no fear of taking cold. His comfortable bed in the little black house
+was preferable to the cold ground, even with the primeval forest for a
+chamber; but circumstances alter cases, and he did not waste any vain
+regrets about the necessity of his position. After finding a secluded
+spot in the wood, he raked the dry leaves together for a bed, and
+offering his simple but fervent prayer to the Great Guardian above, he
+lay down to rest. The owl screamed his dismal note, and the
+whip-poor-will still repeated his monotonous song; but they were good
+company in the solitude of the dark forest.
+
+He could not go to sleep for a time, so strange and exciting were the
+circumstances of his position. He thought of a thousand things, but
+he could not _think_ himself to sleep, as he was wont to do. At
+last nature, worn out by fatigue and anxiety, conquered the
+circumstances, and he slept.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY HAS A NARROW ESCAPE, AND GOES TO SEA WITH SAM RAY
+
+
+Nature was kind to the little pilgrim in his extremity, and kept his
+senses sealed in grateful slumber till the birds had sung their matin
+song, and the sun had risen high in the heavens.
+
+Bobby woke with a start, and sprang to his feet. For a moment he did
+not realize where he was, or remember the exciting incidents of the
+previous evening. He felt refreshed by his deep slumber, and came out
+of it as vigorous as though he had slept in his bed at home. Rubbing
+his eyes, he stared about him at the tall pines whose foliage canopied
+his bed, and his identity was soon restored to him. He was Bobby
+Bright--but Bobby Bright in trouble. He was not the little merchant,
+but the little fugitive fleeing from the prison to which he had been
+doomed.
+
+It did not take him long to make his toilet, which was the only
+advantage of his primitive style of lodging. His first object was to
+examine his position, and ascertain in what direction he should
+continue his flight. He could not go ahead, as he had intended, for
+the sheet of water was an impassable barrier. Leaving the dense
+forest, he came to a marsh, beyond which was the wide creek he had
+seen in the night. It was salt water, and he reasoned that it could
+not extend a great way inland. His only course was to follow it till
+he found means of crossing it.
+
+Following the direction of the creek he kept near the margin of the
+wood till he came to a public road. He had some doubts about trusting
+himself out of the forest, even for a single moment; so he seated
+himself upon a rock to argue the point. If any one should happen to
+come along, he was almost sure of furnishing a clew to his future
+movements, if not of being immediately captured.
+
+This was a very strong argument, but there was a stronger one upon the
+other side. He had eaten nothing since dinner on the preceding day,
+and he began to feel faint for the want of food. On the other side of
+the creek he saw a pasture which looked as though it might afford him
+a few berries; and he was on the point of taking to the road, when he
+heard the rumbling of a wagon in the distance.
+
+His heart beat with apprehension. Perhaps it was some officer of the
+institution in search of him. At any rate it was some one who had come
+from the vicinity of the Reform School, and who had probably heard of
+his escape. As it came nearer, he heard the jingling of bells; it was
+the baker. How he longed for a loaf of his bread, or some of the
+precious gingerbread he carried in his cart! Hunger tempted him to run
+the risk of exposure. He had money; he could buy cakes and bread; and
+perhaps the baker had a kind heart, and would befriend him in his
+distress. The wagon was close at hand.
+
+"Now or never," thought he; but this time it was not _now_. The
+risk was too great. If he failed now, two years of captivity were
+before him; and as for the hunger, he could grin and bear it for a
+while.
+
+"Now or never;" but this time it was escape now or never; and he
+permitted the baker to pass without hailing him.
+
+He waited half an hour, and then determined to take the road till he
+had crossed the creek. The danger was great, but the pangs of hunger
+urged him on. He was sure there were berries in the pasture, and with
+a timid step, carefully watching before and behind to insure himself
+against surprise, he crossed the bridge. But then a new difficulty
+presented itself. There was a house within ten rods of the bridge,
+which he must pass, and to do so would expose him to the most imminent
+peril. He was on the point of retreating, when a man came out of the
+house, and approached him. What should he do? It was a trying
+moment. If he ran, the act would expose him to suspicion. If he went
+forward, the man might have already received a description of him, and
+arrest him.
+
+He chose the latter course. The instinct of his being was to do
+everything in a straightforward manner, and this probably prompted his
+decision.
+
+"Good morning, sir," said he boldly to the man.
+
+"Good morning. Where are you travelling?"
+
+This was a hard question. He did not know where he was travelling;
+besides, even in his present difficult position, he could not readily
+resort to a lie.
+
+"Down here a piece," he replied.
+
+"Travelled far to-day?"
+
+"Not far. Good morning, sir;" and Bobby resumed his walk.
+
+"I say, boy, suppose you tell me where you are going;" and the man
+came close to him, and deliberately surveyed him from head to foot.
+
+"I can hardly tell you," replied Bobby, summoning courage for the
+occasion.
+
+"Well, I suppose not," added the man, with a meaning smile.
+
+Bobby felt his strength desert him as he realized that he was
+suspected of being a runaway from the Reform School. That smile on the
+man's face was the knell of hope; and for a moment he felt a flood of
+misery roll over his soul. But the natural elasticity of his spirits
+soon came to his relief, and he resolved not to give up the ship, even
+if he had to fight for it.
+
+"I am in a hurry, so I shall have to leave you."
+
+"Not just yet, young man. Perhaps, as you don't know where you are
+going, you may remember what your name is," continued the man, good
+naturedly.
+
+There was a temptation to give a false name; but as it was so strongly
+beaten into our hero that the truth is better than a falsehood, he
+held his peace.
+
+"Excuse me, sir, but I can't stop to talk now."
+
+"In a hurry? Well, I dare say you are. I suppose there is no doubt but
+you are Master Robert Bright."
+
+"Not the least, sir; I haven't denied it yet, and I am not ashamed of
+my name," replied Bobby, with a good deal of spirit.
+
+"That's honest; I like that."
+
+"'Honesty is the best policy,'" added Bobby.
+
+"That's cool for a rogue, anyhow. You ought to thought of that afore."
+
+"I did."
+
+"And stole the money?"
+
+"I didn't. I never stole a penny in my life."
+
+"Come, I like that."
+
+"It is the truth."
+
+"But they won't believe it over to the Reform School," laughed the
+man.
+
+"They will one of these days, perhaps."
+
+"You are a smart youngster; but I don't know as I can make five
+dollars any easier than by taking you back where you come from."
+
+"Yes, you can," replied Bobby, promptly.
+
+"Can I?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"How?"
+
+"By letting me go."
+
+"Eh; you talk flush. I suppose you mean to give me your note, payable
+when the Kennebec dries up."
+
+"Cash on the nail," replied Bobby. "You look like a man with a heart
+in your bosom,"--Bobby stole this passage from "The Wayfarer."
+
+"I reckon I have. The time hasn't come yet when Sam Ray could see a
+fellow-creature in distress and not help him out. But to help a thief
+off----"
+
+"We will argue that matter," interposed Bobby. "I can prove to you
+beyond a doubt that I am innocent of the crime charged upon me."
+
+"You don't look like a bad boy, I must say."
+
+"But, Mr. Ray, I'm hungry; I haven't eaten a mouthful since yesterday
+noon."
+
+"Thunder! You don't say so!" exclaimed Sam Ray. "I never could bear to
+see a man hungry, much more a boy; so come along to my house and get
+something to eat, and we will talk about the other matter afterwards."
+
+Sam Ray took Bobby to the little old house in which he dwelt; and in a
+short time his wife, who expressed her sympathy for the little
+fugitive in the warmest terms, had placed an abundant repast upon the
+table. Our hero did ample justice to it, and when he had finished he
+felt like a new creature.
+
+"Now, Mr. Ray, let me tell you my story," said Bobby.
+
+"I don't know as it's any use. Now you have eat my bread and butter, I
+don't feel like being mean to you. If anybody else wants to carry you
+back, they may; I won't."
+
+"But you shall hear me;" and Bobby proceeded to deliver his "plain,
+unvarnished tale."
+
+When he had progressed but a little way in the narrative, the noise of
+an approaching vehicle was heard. Sam looked out of the window, as
+almost everybody does in the country when a carriage passes.
+
+"By thunder! It's the Reform School wagon!" exclaimed he. "This way,
+boy!" and the good-hearted man thrust him into his chamber, bidding
+him get under the bed.
+
+The carriage stopped at the house; but Sam evaded a direct reply, and
+the superintendent--for it was he--proceeded on his search.
+
+"Heaven bless you, Mr. Ray!" exclaimed Bobby, when he came out of the
+chamber, as the tears of gratitude coursed down his cheeks.
+
+"O, you will find Sam Ray all right," said he, warmly pressing Bobby's
+proffered hand. "I ain't quite a heathen, though some folks around
+here think so."
+
+"You are an angel!"
+
+"Not exactly," laughed Sam.
+
+Our hero finished his story, and confirmed it by exhibiting his
+account book and some other papers which he had retained. Sam Ray was
+satisfied, and vowed that if ever he saw Tom Spicer he would certainly
+"lick" him for his sake.
+
+"Now, sonny, I like you; I will be sworn you are a good fellow; and I
+mean to help you off. So just come along with me. I make my living by
+browsing round, hunting and fishing a little, and doing an odd job now
+and then. You see, I have got a good boat down the creek, and I shall
+just put you aboard and take you anywhere you have a mind to go."
+
+"May Heaven reward you!" cried Bobby, almost overcome by this sudden
+and unexpected kindness.
+
+"O, I don't want no reward; only when you get to be a great man--and I
+am dead sure you will be a great man--just think now and then of Sam
+Ray, and it's all right."
+
+"I shall remember you with gratitude as long as I live."
+
+Sam Ray took his gun on his shoulder, and Bobby the box of provisions
+which Mrs. Ray had put up, and they left the house. At the bridge they
+got into a little skiff, and Sam took the oars. After they had passed
+a bend in the creek which concealed them from the road, Bobby felt
+secure from further molestation.
+
+Sam pulled about two miles down the creek, where it widened into a
+broad bay, near the head of which was anchored a small schooner.
+
+"Now, my hearty, nothing short of Uncle Sam's whole navy can get you
+away from me," said Sam, as he pulled alongside the schooner.
+
+"You have been very kind to me."
+
+"All right, sonny. Now tumble aboard."
+
+Bobby jumped upon the deck of the little craft and Sam followed him,
+after making fast the skiff to the schooner's moorings.
+
+In a few minutes the little vessel was standing down the bay with "a
+fresh wind and a flowing sheet." Bobby, who had never been in a sail
+boat before, was delighted, and in no measured terms expressed his
+admiration of the working of the trim little craft.
+
+"Now, sonny, where shall we go?" asked Sam, as they emerged from the
+bay into the broad ocean.
+
+"I don't know," replied Bobby. "I want to get back to Boston."
+
+"Perhaps I can put you aboard of some coaster bound there."
+
+"That will do nicely."
+
+"I will head towards Boston, and if I don't overhaul anything, I will
+take you there myself."
+
+"Is this boat big enough to go so far?"
+
+"She'll stand anything short of a West India hurricane. You ain't
+afeard, are you?"
+
+"O, no; I like it."
+
+The big waves now tossed the little vessel up and down like a feather,
+and the huge seas broke upon the bow, deluging her deck with floods of
+water. Bobby had unlimited confidence in Sam Ray, and felt as much at
+home as though he had been "cradled upon the briny deep." There was an
+excitement in the scene which accorded with his nature, and the perils
+which he had so painfully pictured on the preceding night were all
+born into the most lively joys.
+
+They ate their dinners from the provision box; Sam lighted his pipe,
+and many a tale he told of adventure by sea and land. Bobby felt
+happy, and almost dreaded the idea of parting with his rough but
+good-hearted friend. They were now far out at sea, and the night was
+coming on.
+
+"Now, sonny, you had better turn in and take a snooze; you didn't rest
+much last night."
+
+"I am not sleepy; but there is one thing I will do;" and Bobby drew
+from his secret receptacle his roll of bills.
+
+"Put them up, sonny," said Sam.
+
+"I want to make you a present of ten dollars."
+
+"You can't do it."
+
+"Nay, but to please me."
+
+"No, sir!"
+
+"Well, then, let me send it to your good wife."
+
+"You can't do that, nuther," replied Sam, gazing earnestly at a
+lumber-laden schooner ahead of him.
+
+"You must; your good heart made you lose five dollars, and I insist
+upon making it up to you."
+
+"You can't do it."
+
+"I shall feel bad if you don't take it. You see I have twenty dollars
+here, and I would like to give you the whole of it."
+
+"Not a cent, sonny. I ain't a heathen. That schooner ahead is bound
+for Boston, I reckon."
+
+"I shall be sorry to part with you, Mr. Ray."
+
+"Just my sentiment. I hain't seen a youngster afore for many a day
+that I took a fancy to, and I hate to let you go."
+
+"We shall meet again."
+
+"I hope so."
+
+"Please to take this money."
+
+"No;" and Sam shook his head so resolutely that Bobby gave up the
+point.
+
+As Sam had conjectured, the lumber schooner was bound to Boston. Her
+captain readily agreed to take our hero on board, and he sadly bade
+adieu to his kind friend.
+
+"Good by, Mr. Ray," said Bobby, as the schooner filled away. "Take
+this to remember me by."
+
+It was his jackknife; but Sam did not discover the ten dollar bill,
+which was shut beneath the blade, till it was too late to return it.
+
+Bobby did not cease to wave his hat to Sam till his little craft
+disappeared in the darkness.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+IN WHICH THE CLOUDS BLOW OVER, AND BOBBY IS HIMSELF AGAIN
+
+
+Fortunately for Bobby, the wind began to blow very heavily soon after
+he went on board of the lumber schooner, so that the captain was too
+much engaged in working his vessel to ask many questions. He was short
+handed, and though our hero was not much of a sailor he made himself
+useful to the best of his ability. Though the wind was heavy, it was
+not fair; and it was not till the third morning after his parting with
+Sam Ray that the schooner arrived off Boston Light. The captain then
+informed him that, as the tide did not favor him, he might not get up
+to the city for twenty-four hours; and, if he was in a hurry, he would
+put him on board a pilot boat which he saw standing up the channel.
+
+"Thank you, captain; you are very kind, but it would give you a great
+deal of trouble," said Bobby.
+
+"None at all. We must wait here till the tide turns; so we have
+nothing better to do."
+
+"I should be very glad to get up this morning."
+
+"You shall, then;" and the captain ordered two men to get out the
+jolly boat.
+
+"I will pay my passage now, if you please."
+
+"That is paid."
+
+"Paid?"
+
+"I should say you had worked your passage. You have done very well,
+and I shall not charge you anything."
+
+"I expected to pay my passage, captain; but if you think I have done
+enough to pay it, why I have nothing to say, only that I am very much
+obliged to you."
+
+"You ought to be a sailor, young man; you were cut out for one."
+
+"I like the sea, though I never saw it till a few weeks since. But I
+suppose my mother would not let me go to sea."
+
+"I suppose not; mothers are always afraid of salt water."
+
+By this time the jolly boat was alongside; and bidding the captain
+adieu, he jumped into it, and the men pulled him to the pilot boat,
+which had come up into the wind at the captain's hail. Bobby was
+kindly received on board, and in a couple of hours landed at the wharf
+in Boston.
+
+With a beating heart he made his way up into Washington Street. He
+felt strangely; his cheeks seemed to tingle, for he was aware that the
+imputation of dishonesty was fastened upon him. He could not doubt but
+that the story of his alleged crime had reached the city, and perhaps
+gone to his friends in Riverdale. How his poor mother must have wept
+to think her son was a thief! No; she never could have thought that.
+_She_ knew he would not steal, if no one else did. And Annie
+Lee--would she ever smile upon him again? Would she welcome him to her
+father's house so gladly as she had done in the past? He could bring
+nothing to establish his innocence but his previous character. Would
+not Mr. Bayard frown upon him? Would not even Ellen be tempted to
+forget the service he had rendered her?
+
+Bobby had thought of all these things before--on his cold, damp bed in
+the forest, in the watches of the tempestuous night on board the
+schooner. But now, when he was almost in the presence of those he
+loved and respected, they had more force, and they nearly overwhelmed
+him.
+
+"I am innocent," he repeated to himself, "and why need I fear? My good
+Father in heaven will not let me be wronged."
+
+Yet he could not overcome his anxiety; and when he reached the store
+of Mr. Bayard, he passed by, dreading to face the friend who had been
+so kind to him. He could not bear even to be suspected of a crime by
+him.
+
+"Now or never," said he, as he turned round.
+
+"I will know my fate at once, and then make the best of it."
+
+Mustering all his courage, he entered the store. Mr. Timmins was not
+there; so he was spared the infliction of any ill-natured remark from
+him.
+
+"Hallo, Bobby!" exclaimed the gentlemanly salesman, whose acquaintance
+he had made on his first visit.
+
+"Good morning, Mr. Bigelow," replied Bobby with as much boldness as he
+could command.
+
+"I didn't know as I should ever see you again. You have been gone a
+long while."
+
+"Longer than usual," answered Bobby, with a blush; for he considered
+the remark of the salesman as an allusion to his imprisonment. "Is
+Mr. Bayard in?"
+
+"He is--in his office."
+
+Bobby's feet would hardly obey the mandate of his will, and with a
+faltering step he entered the private room of the bookseller. Mr.
+Bayard was absorbed in the perusal of the morning paper, and did not
+observe his entrance. With his heart up in his throat, and almost
+choking him, he stood for several minutes upon the threshold. He
+almost feared to speak, dreading the severe frown with which he
+expected to be received. Suspense, however, was more painful than
+condemnation, and he brought his resolution up to the point.
+
+"Mr. Bayard," said he, in faltering tones.
+
+"Bobby!" exclaimed the bookseller, dropping his paper upon the floor,
+and jumping upon his feet as though an electric current had passed
+through his frame.
+
+Grasping our hero's hand, he shook it with so much energy that, under
+any other circumstances, Bobby would have thought it hurt him. He did
+not think so now.
+
+"My poor Bobby! I am delighted to see you!" continued Mr. Bayard.
+
+Bobby burst into tears, and sobbed like a child, as he was. The
+unexpected kindness of this reception completely overwhelmed him.
+
+"Don't cry, Bobby; I know all about it;" and the tender-hearted
+bookseller wiped away his tears. "It was a stroke of misfortune; but
+it is all right now."
+
+But Bobby could not help crying, and the more Mr. Bayard attempted to
+console him, the more he wept.
+
+"I am innocent, Mr. Bayard," he sobbed.
+
+"I know you are, Bobby; and all the world knows you are."
+
+"I am ruined now; I shall never dare to hold my head up again."
+
+"Nonsense, Bobby; you will hold your head the higher. You have behaved
+like a hero."
+
+"I ran away from the State Reform School, sir. I was innocent, and I
+would rather have died than stayed there."
+
+"I know all about it, my young friend. Now dry your tears, and we
+will talk it all over."
+
+Bobby blew and sputtered a little more; but finally he composed
+himself, and took a chair by Mr. Bayard's side. The bookseller then
+drew from his pocket a ponderous document, with a big official seal
+upon it, and exhibited it to our hero.
+
+"Do you see this, Bobby? It is your free and unconditional pardon."
+
+"Sir! Why----"
+
+"It will all end well, you may depend."
+
+Bobby was amazed. His pardon? But it would not restore his former good
+name. He felt that he was branded as a felon. It was not mercy, but
+justice, that he wanted.
+
+"Truth is mighty, and will prevail," continued Mr. Bayard; "and this
+document restores your reputation."
+
+"I can hardly believe that."
+
+"Can't you? Hear my story then. When I read in one of the Maine papers
+the account of your misfortune, I felt that you had been grossly
+wronged. You were coupled with that Tom Spicer, who is the most
+consummate little villain I ever saw, and I understood your
+situation. Ah, Bobby, your only mistake was in having anything to do
+with that fellow."
+
+"I left him at Brunswick because he began to behave badly; but he
+joined me again at Augusta. He had spent nearly all his money, and did
+not know what to do. I pitied him, and meant to do something to help
+him out of the scrape."
+
+"Generous as ever! I have heard all about this before."
+
+"Indeed; who told you?"
+
+"Tom Spicer himself."
+
+"Tom?" asked Bobby, completely mystified.
+
+"Yes, Tom; you see, when I heard about your trouble, Squire Lee and
+myself----"
+
+"Squire Lee? Does he know about it?"
+
+"He does; and you may depend upon it, he thinks more highly of you
+than ever before. He and I immediately went down to Augusta to
+inquire into the matter. We called upon the governor of the state, who
+said that he had seen you, and bought a book of you."
+
+"Of me!" exclaimed Bobby, startled to think he had sold a book to a
+governor.
+
+"Yes; you called at his house; probably you did not know that he was
+the chief magistrate of the state. At any rate, he was very much
+pleased with you, and sorry to hear of your misfortune. Well, we
+followed your route to Brunswick, where we ascertained how Tom had
+conducted. In a week he established a very bad reputation there; but
+nothing could be found to implicate you. The squire testified to your
+uniform good behavior, and especially to your devotion to your mother.
+In short, we procured your pardon, and hastened with it to the State
+Reform School.
+
+"On our arrival, we learned, to our surprise and regret, that you had
+escaped from the institution on the preceding evening. Every effort
+was made to retake you, but without success. Ah, Bobby, you managed
+that well."
+
+"They didn't look in the right place," replied Bobby, with a smile,
+for he began to feel happy again.
+
+"By the permission of the superintendent, Squire Lee and myself
+examined Tom Spicer. He is a great rascal. Perhaps he thought we
+would get him out; so he made a clean breast of it, and confessed that
+you had no hand in the robbery, and that you knew nothing about it.
+He gave you the two bills on purpose to implicate you in the crime. We
+wrote down his statement, and had it sworn to before a justice of the
+peace. You shall read it by and by."
+
+"May Heaven reward you for your kindness to a poor boy!" exclaimed
+Bobby, the tears flowing down his cheeks again. "I did not deserve so
+much from you, Mr. Bayard."
+
+"Yes, you did, and a thousand times more. I was very sorry you had
+left the institution, and I waited in the vicinity till they said
+there was no probability that you would be captured. The most
+extraordinary efforts were used to find you; but there was not a
+person to be found who had seen or heard of you. I was very much
+alarmed about you, and offered a hundred dollars for any information
+concerning you."
+
+"I am sorry you had so much trouble. I wish I had known you were
+there."
+
+"How did you get off?"
+
+Bobby briefly related the story of his escape, and Mr. Bayard
+pronounced his skill worthy of his genius.
+
+"Sam Ray is a good fellow; we will remember him," added the
+bookseller, when he had finished.
+
+"I shall remember him; and only that I shall be afraid to go into the
+State of Maine after what has happened, I should pay him a visit one
+of these days."
+
+"There you are wrong. Those who know your story would sooner think of
+giving you a public reception, than of saying or doing anything to
+injure your feelings. Those who have suffered unjustly are always
+lionized."
+
+"But no one will know my story, only that I was sent to prison for
+stealing."
+
+"There you are mistaken again. We put articles in all the principal
+papers, stating the facts in the case, and establishing your innocence
+beyond a peradventure. Go to Augusta now, Bobby, and you will be a
+lion."
+
+"I am sure I had no idea of getting out of the scrape so easily as
+this."
+
+"Innocence shall triumph, my young friend."
+
+"What does mother say?" asked Bobby, his countenance growing sad.
+
+"I do not know. We returned from Maine only yesterday; but Squire Lee
+will satisfy her. All that can worry her, as it has worried me, will
+be her fears for your safety when she hears of your escape."
+
+"I will soon set her mind at ease upon that point. I will take the
+noon train home."
+
+"A word about business before you go. I discharged Timmins about a
+week ago, and I have kept his place for you."
+
+"By gracious!" exclaimed Bobby, thrown completely out of his propriety
+by this announcement.
+
+"I think you will do better, in the long run, than you would to travel
+about the country. I was talking with Ellen about it, and she says it
+shall be so. Timmins's salary was five hundred dollars a year, and you
+shall have the same."
+
+"Five hundred dollars a year!" ejaculated Bobby, amazed at the
+vastness of the sum.
+
+"Very well for a boy of thirteen, Bobby."
+
+"I was fourteen last Sunday, sir."
+
+"I would not give any other boy so much; but you are worth it, and you
+shall have it."
+
+Probably Mr. Bayard's gratitude had something to do with this
+munificent offer; but he knew that our hero possessed abilities and
+energy far beyond his years. He further informed Bobby that he should
+have a room at his house, and that Ellen was delighted with the
+arrangement he proposed.
+
+The gloomy, threatening clouds were all rolled back, and floods of
+sunshine streamed in upon the soul of the little merchant; but in the
+midst of his rejoicing he remembered that his own integrity had
+carried him safely through the night of sorrow and doubt. He had been
+true to himself, and now, in the hour of his great triumph, he
+realized that, if he had been faithless to the light within him, his
+laurel would have been a crown of thorns.
+
+He was happy--very happy. What made him so? Not his dawning
+prosperity; not the favor of Mr. Bayard; not the handsome salary he
+was to receive; for all these things would have been but dross if he
+had sacrificed his integrity, his love of truth and uprightness. He
+had been true to himself, and unseen angels had held him up. He had
+been faithful, and the consciousness of his fidelity to principle made
+a heaven within his heart.
+
+It was arranged that he should enter upon the duties of his new
+situation on the following week. After settling with Mr. Bayard, he
+found he had nearly seventy dollars in his possession; so that in a
+pecuniary point of view, if in no other, his eastern excursion was
+perfectly satisfactory.
+
+By the noon train he departed for Riverdale, and in two hours more he
+was folded to his mother's heart. Mrs. Bright wept for joy now, as she
+had before wept in misery when she heard of her son's misfortune. It
+took him all the afternoon to tell his exciting story to her, and she
+was almost beside herself when Bobby told her about his new situation.
+
+After tea he hastened over to Squire Lee's; and my young readers can
+imagine what a warm reception he had from father and daughter. For the
+third time that day he narrated his adventures in the east; and Annie
+declared they were better than any novel she had ever read. Perhaps it
+was because Bobby was the hero. It was nearly ten o'clock before he
+finished his story; and when he left, the squire made him promise to
+come over the next day.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY STEPS OFF THE STAGE, AND THE AUTHOR MUST FINISH "NOW OR
+NEVER"
+
+
+The few days which Bobby remained at home before entering upon the
+duties of his new situation were agreeably filled up in calling upon
+his many friends, and in visiting those pleasant spots in the woods
+and by the river, which years of association had rendered dear to
+him. His plans for the future, too, occupied some of his time, though,
+inasmuch as his path of duty was already marked out, these plans were
+but little more than a series of fond imaginings; in short, little
+more than day dreams. I have before hinted that Bobby was addicted to
+castle building, and I should pity the man or boy who was not--who had
+no bright dream of future achievements, of future usefulness. "As a
+man thinketh, so is he," the Psalmist tells us, and it was the pen of
+inspiration which wrote it. What a man pictures as his ideal of that
+which is desirable in this world and the world to come, he will
+endeavor to attain. Even if it be no higher aim than the possession of
+wealth or fame, it is good and worthy as far as it goes. It fires his
+brain, it nerves his arm. It stimulates him to action, and action is
+the soul of progress. We must all work; and this world were cold and
+dull if it had no bright dreams to be realized. What Napoleon
+dreamed, he labored to accomplish, and the monarchs of Europe trembled
+before him. What Howard wished to be, he labored to be; his ideal was
+beautiful and true, and he raised a throne which will endure through
+eternity.
+
+Bobby dreamed great things. That bright picture of the little black
+house transformed into a white cottage, with green blinds, and
+surrounded by a pretty fence, was the nearest object; and before
+Mrs. Bright was aware that he was in earnest, the carpenters and the
+painters were upon the spot.
+
+"Now or never," replied Bobby to his mother's remonstrance. "This is
+your home, and it shall be the pleasantest spot upon earth, if I can
+make it so."
+
+Then he had to dream about his business in Boston and I am not sure
+but that he fancied himself a rich merchant, like Mr. Bayard, living
+in an elegant house in Chestnut Street, and having clerks and porters
+to do as he bade them. A great many young men dream such things, and
+though they seem a little silly when spoken out loud, they are what
+wood and water are to the steam engine--they are the mainspring of
+action. Some are stupid enough to dream about these things, and spend
+their time in idleness and dissipation, waiting for "the good time
+coming." It will never come to them. They are more likely to die in
+the almshouse or the state prison, than to ride in their carriages;
+for constant exertion is the price of success.
+
+Bobby enjoyed himself to the utmost of his capacity during these few
+days of respite from labor. He spent a liberal share of his time at
+Squire Lee's, where he was almost as much at home as in his mother's
+house. Annie read Moore's Poems to him, till he began to have quite a
+taste for poetry himself.
+
+In connection with Tom Spicer's continued absence, which had to be
+explained, Bobby's trials in the eastern country leaked out, and the
+consequence was, that he became a lion in Riverdale. The minister
+invited him to tea, as well as other prominent persons, for the sake
+of hearing his story; but Bobby declined the polite invitations from
+sheer bashfulness. He had not brass enough to make himself a hero;
+besides, the remembrance of his journey was anything but pleasant to
+him.
+
+On Monday morning he took the early train for Boston, and assumed the
+duties of his situation in Mr. Bayard's store. But as I have carried
+my hero through the eventful period of his life, I cannot dwell upon
+his subsequent career. He applied himself with all the energy of his
+nature to the discharge of his duties. Early in the morning and late
+in the evening he was at his post. Mr. Bigelow was his friend from the
+first, and gave him all the instruction he required. His intelligence
+and quick perception soon enabled him to master the details of the
+business, and by the time he was fifteen, he was competent to perform
+any service required of him.
+
+By the advice of Mr. Bayard, he attended an evening school for six
+months in the year, to acquire a knowledge of book keeping, and to
+compensate for the opportunities of which he had been necessarily
+deprived in his earlier youth. He took Dr. Franklin for his model, and
+used all his spare time in reading good books, and in obtaining such
+information and such mental culture as would fit him to be, not only a
+good merchant, but a good and true man.
+
+Every Saturday night he went home to Riverdale to spend the Sabbath
+with his mother. The little black house no longer existed, for it had
+become the little paradise of which he had dreamed, only that the
+house seemed whiter, the blinds greener, and the fence more attractive
+than his fancy had pictured them. His mother, after a couple of years,
+at Bobby's earnest pleadings, ceased to close shoes and take in
+washing; but she had enough and to spare, for her son's salary was now
+six hundred dollars. His kind employer boarded him for nothing (much
+against Bobby's will, I must say), so that every month he carried to
+his mother thirty dollars, which more than paid her expenses.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Eight years have passed by since Bobby--we beg his pardon, he is now
+Mr. Robert Bright--entered the store of Mr. Bayard. He has passed from
+the boy to the man. Over the street door a new sign has taken the
+place of the old one, and the passer-by reads,--
+
+  BAYARD & BRIGHT,
+  BOOKSELLERS AND PUBLISHERS.
+
+The senior partner resorts to his counting room every morning from the
+force of habit; but he takes no active part in the business.
+Mr. Bright has frequent occasion to ask his advice, though everything
+is directly managed by him; and the junior is accounted one of the
+ablest, but at the same time one of the most honest, business men in
+the city. His integrity has never been sacrificed, even to the
+emergencies of trade. The man is what the boy was; and we can best sum
+up the results of his life by saying that he has been true to himself,
+true to his friends, and true to his God.
+
+Mrs. Bright is still living at the little white cottage, happy in
+herself and happy in her children. Bobby--we mean Mr. Bright--has
+hardly missed going to Riverdale on a Saturday night since he left
+home, eight years before. He has the same partiality for those famous
+apple pies, and his mother would as soon think of being without bread
+as being without apple pies when he comes home.
+
+Of course Squire Lee and Annie were always glad to see him when he
+came to Riverdale; and for two years it had been common talk in
+Riverdale that our hero did not go home on Sunday evening when the
+clock struck nine. But as this is a forbidden topic, we will ask the
+reader to go with us to Mr. Bayard's house in Chestnut Street.
+
+What! Annie Lee here?
+
+No; but as you are here, allow me to introduce Mrs. Robert Bright.
+
+They were married a few months before, and Mr. Bayard insisted that
+the happy couple should make their home at his house.
+
+But where is Ellen Bayard?
+
+O, she is Mrs. Bigelow now, and her husband is at the head of a large
+book establishment in New York.
+
+Bobby's dream had been realized, and he was the happiest man in the
+world--at least he thought so, which is just the same thing. He had
+been successful in business; his wife--the friend and companion of his
+youth, the brightest filament of the bright vision his fancy had
+woven--had been won, and the future glowed with brilliant promises.
+
+He had been successful; but neither nor all of the things we have
+mentioned constituted his highest and truest success--not his business
+prosperity, not the bright promise of wealth in store for him, not his
+good name among men, not even the beautiful and loving wife who had
+cast her lot with his to the end of time. These were successes, great
+and worthy, but not the highest success.
+
+He had made himself a man,--this was his real success,--a true, a
+Christian man. He had lived a noble life. He had reared the lofty
+structure of his manhood upon a solid foundation--principle. It is
+the rock which the winds of temptation and the rains of selfishness
+cannot move.
+
+Robert Bright is happy because he is good. Tom Spicer, now in the
+state prison, is unhappy,--not _because_ he is in the state
+prison, but because the evil passions of his nature are at war with
+the peace of his soul. He has fed the good that was within him upon
+straw and husks, and starved it out. He is a body only; the soul is
+dead in trespasses and sin. He loves no one, and no one loves him.
+
+During the past summer, Mr. Bright and his lady took a journey "down
+east." Annie insisted upon visiting the State Reform School; and her
+husband drove through the forest by which he had made his escape on
+that eventful night. Afterwards they called upon Sam Ray, who had been
+"dead sure that Bobby would one day be a great man." He was about the
+same person, and was astonished and delighted when our hero introduced
+himself.
+
+They spent a couple of hours in talking over the past, and at his
+departure, Mr. Bright made him a handsome present in such a delicate
+manner that he could not help accepting it.
+
+Squire Lee is still as hale and hearty as ever, and is never so happy
+as when Annie and her husband come to Riverdale to spend the
+Sabbath. He is fully of the opinion that Mr. Bright is the greatest
+man on the western continent, and he would not be in the least
+surprised if he should be elected President of the United States one
+of these days.
+
+The little merchant is a great merchant now. But more than this, he
+is a good man. He has formed his character, and he will probably die
+as he has lived.
+
+Reader, if you have any good work to do, do it now; for with you it
+may be "NOW OR NEVER."
+
+
+
+
+
+
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+
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+makes reading no wide-awake boy will want to miss.
+
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+
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+here we have it told in a new form--not as those in command witnessed
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+
+
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+
+Here we have fact and romance cleverly interwoven. Several boys start
+on a tour of the Hawaiian Islands. They have heard that there is a
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+
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+the reason that they are thoroughly up-to-date and true to life. As a
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+
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+said about it, for all of our readers know that the captain is one of
+America's best story-tellers, so far as stories for young people
+go."--_Young People of America_.
+
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+into whose hands it may fall."--_Charleston (S. C.) News_.
+
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+sporting stories to tales of the war. This field is one in which he
+should feel thoroughly at home. We are certain that the boys will look
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+reading. It is issued in attractive 16mo shape, paper covers, printed
+from clear, readable type, on good paper. Many of the volumes are
+illustrated. They are published at the low price of _TEN CENTS_
+each, or 12 books for one dollar. Postage paid. Special prices quoted
+to schools for larger quantities.
+
+  1. Abbé Constantin. Ludovic Halévy.
+  2. Ĉsop's Fables.
+  3. Black Beauty. Anna Sewell.
+  4. Bracebridge Hall. Irving.
+  5. Childe Harold's Pilgrimage. Byron.
+  6. Coming Race. Bulwer.
+  7. Cranford. Mrs. Gaskell.
+  8. Crown of Wild Olive. Ruskin.
+  9. Discourses of Epictetus.
+  10. Dreams. Olive Schreiner.
+  11. Dream Life. Ik Marvel.
+  12. Drummond's Addresses.
+  13. Emerson's Earlier Essays.
+  14. Ethics of the Dust. Ruskin.
+  15. Frankenstein. Mrs. Shelley.
+  16. Uncle Tom's Cabin. Mrs. Stowe.
+  17. Lady of the Lake. Scott.
+  18. Lalla Rookh. Thomas Moore.
+  19. Lamb's Essays of Elia.
+  20. Lamb's Last Essays of Elia.
+  21. Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare, I.
+  22. Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare, II.
+  23. Lays of Ancient Rome. Macaulay.
+  24. Lays of Scottish Cavaliers.
+  25. Light of Asia. Sir E. Arnold.
+  26. Longfellow's Poems.
+  27. Lowell's Poems.
+  28. Mornings in Florence. Ruskin.
+  29. One of the Profession. M. White, Jr.
+  30. Paul and Virginia. B. St. Pierre.
+  31. Pleasures of Life. Sir J. Lubbock.
+  32. Poe's Poems.
+  33. Princess. Tennyson.
+  34. Queen of the Air. Ruskin.
+  35. Rab and His Friends. Dr. J. Brown.
+  36. Rasselas. Johnson.
+  37. Reveries of a Bachelor. Ik Marvel.
+  38. Representative Men. Emerson.
+  39. Sartor Resartus. Carlyle.
+  40. Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne.
+  41. Sesame and Lilies. Ruskin.
+  42. Ships that Pass in the Night. Beatrice Harraden.
+  43. St. Mark's Rest. Ruskin.
+  44. Thoughts from Marcus Aurelius Antoninus.
+  45. Tillyloss Scandal. J. M. Barrie.
+  46. Twice-Told Tales, I. Hawthorne.
+  47. Twice-Told Tales, II. Hawthorne.
+  48. In Memoriam. Tennyson.
+  49. Vicar of Wakefield. Goldsmith.
+  50. Whittier's Poems.
+  51. Autocrat of Breakfast Table. Holmes.
+  52. Heroes and Hero Worship. Carlyle.
+  53. Mosses from an Old Manse, I. Hawthorne.
+  54. Mosses from an Old Manse, II. Hawthorne.
+  55. Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.
+  56. Song of Hiawatha. Longfellow.
+  57. Evangeline, and Poems. Longfellow.
+  58. Sketch Book. Irving.
+  59. Stickit Minister. S. R. Crockett.
+  60. House of the Seven Gables. Hawthorne.
+  61. Poetical Works of Robt. Browning.
+  62. Paradise Lost. Milton.
+  63. Hamlet. Shakespeare.
+  64. Julius Cĉsar. Shakespeare.
+  65. Book of Golden Deeds. Yonge.
+  66. Child's History of England. Dickens.
+  67. Confessions of an Opium Eater. De Quincey.
+  68. Ten Nights in a Barroom. Arthur.
+  69. Treasure Island. Stevenson.
+  70. Tanglewood Tales. Hawthorne.
+
+All of the above titles can also be supplied in our famous STANDARD
+SERIES, handsomely bound in cloth, assorted colors, with an artistic
+design, at _FIFTEEN CENTS_ per volume, postage paid. Special
+prices quoted to schools for larger quantities.
+
+THE MERSHON COMPANY
+
+156 Fifth Ave., New York    Rahway, N. J.
+
+
+
+
+
+[Transcriber's note: The spelling of "engigineer" in the advertising
+pages has been retained.]
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Now or Never, by Oliver Optic
+
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+
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+<html lang="en">
+<head>
+<meta name="generator" content=
+"HTML Tidy for Windows (vers 14 February 2006), see www.w3.org">
+<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content=
+"text/html; charset=us-ascii">
+<meta content="pg2html (binary v0.18)" name="generator">
+<title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Now or Never, by Oliver
+Optic.</title>
+
+<style type="text/css">
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+        margin-top:    .75em;
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+    .poem .stanza { margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em; }
+    .poem p     { margin: 0; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em; }
+    .poem p.i2  { margin-left: 1.5em; }
+    .poem p.i4  { margin-left: 2.5em; }
+    .poem p.i6  { margin-left: 3.5em; }
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+    .poem p.i14  { margin-left: 7.5em; }
+    .poem p.i16  { margin-left: 8.5em; }
+    .quote { margin-left: 6%; margin-right: 6%; text-indent: 0em; font-size: 90%; }
+    .figure { margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; text-indent: 0em; text-align: center; font-size: 90%; font-variant: small-caps; }
+    .toc  { margin-left: 15%; font-variant:small-caps; margin-bottom: 0em;}
+    .smcap   { font-variant:small-caps; }
+    .lowercase   { text-transform:lowercase; }
+    center { padding: 0.8em;}
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+</head>
+<body>
+
+
+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Now or Never, by Oliver Optic
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Now or Never
+       The Adventures of Bobby Bright
+
+Author: Oliver Optic
+
+Release Date: October 5, 2006 [EBook #19473]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NOW OR NEVER ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Tom Allen and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+<div style="height: 6em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<div class="figure"><img src="images/cover.jpg" width="536" height=
+"628" alt="Book Cover"></div>
+<div style="height: 6em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<a name="image-0001" id="image-0001"><!--IMG--></a>
+<div class="figure"><img src="images/frontis.jpg" width="536"
+height="804" alt=
+"'I'm big enough to protect my Mother, and I'll do it.'"><br>
+'I'm big enough to protect my Mother, and I'll do it.'</div>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<h1><i>NOW OR NEVER</i></h1>
+<a name="h2H_4_0001" id="h2H_4_0001"><!-- H2 anchor --></a>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<h2>NOW OR NEVER</h2>
+<h3>OR</h3>
+<h2>THE ADVENTURES OF BOBBY BRIGHT</h2>
+<center><i>A STORY FOR YOUNG FOLKS</i></center>
+<h2>OLIVER OPTIC</h2>
+<center><i>NEW EDITION</i></center>
+<center>NEW YORK THE MERSHON COMPANY PUBLISHERS</center>
+<a name="h2H_4_0002" id="h2H_4_0002"><!-- H2 anchor --></a>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<center>Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1856,
+by</center>
+<center>WILLIAM T. ADAMS,</center>
+<center>in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District
+of Massachusetts.</center>
+<center><span class="smcap">Copyright, 1884,</span></center>
+<center><span class="smcap"><b>By WILLIAM T. ADAMS.</b></span></center>
+<a name="h2H_4_0003" id="h2H_4_0003"><!-- H2 anchor --></a>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<h2>NOW OR NEVER.</h2>
+<a name="h2H_4_0004" id="h2H_4_0004"><!-- H2 anchor --></a>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<center>To my Nephew</center>
+<center><b>CHARLES HENRY POPE</b></center>
+<center>THIS BOOK</center>
+<center>IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED</center>
+<a name="h2H_PREF" id="h2H_PREF"><!-- H2 anchor --></a>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<h2>PREFACE</h2>
+<p>The story contained in this volume is a record of youthful
+struggles, not only in the world without, but in the world within;
+and the success of the little hero is not merely a gathering up of
+wealth and honors, but a triumph over the temptations that beset
+the pilgrim on the plain of life. The attainment of worldly
+prosperity is not the truest victory; and the author has endeavored
+to make the interest of his story depend more on the hero's
+devotion to principles than on his success in business.</p>
+<p>Bobby Bright is a smart boy; perhaps the reader will think he is
+altogether too smart for one of his years. This is a progressive
+age, and anything which young America may do need not surprise any
+person. That little gentleman is older than his father, knows more
+than his mother, can talk politics, smoke cigars, and drive a 2:40
+horse. He orders "one stew" with as much ease as a man of forty,
+and can even pronounce correctly the villanous names of sundry
+French and German wines and liqueurs. One would suppose, to hear
+him talk, that he had been intimate with Socrates and Solon, with
+Napoleon and Noah Webster; in short, that whatever he did not know
+was not worth knowing.</p>
+<p>In the face of these manifestations of exuberant genius, it
+would be absurd to accuse the author of making his hero do too
+much. All he has done is to give this genius a right direction; and
+for politics, cigars, 2:40 horses, and "one stew," he has
+substituted the duties of a rational and accountable being,
+regarding them as better fitted to develop the young gentleman's
+mind, heart, and soul.</p>
+<p>Bobby Bright is something more than a smart boy. He is a good
+boy, and makes a true man. His daily life is the moral of the
+story, and the author hopes that his devotion to principle will
+make a stronger impression upon the mind of the young reader, than
+even the most exciting incidents of his eventful career.</p>
+<center>WILLIAM T. ADAMS.</center>
+<a name="h2H_TOC" id="h2H_TOC"><!-- H2 anchor --></a>
+<h2>CONTENTS</h2>
+<p class="toc"><a href="#h2HCH0001">I. In which Bobby goes a
+fishing, and catches a Horse</a></p>
+<p class="toc"><a href="#h2HCH0002">II. In which Bobby blushes
+several Times, and does a Sum in Arithmetic</a></p>
+<p class="toc"><a href="#h2HCH0003">III. In which the Little Black
+House is bought, but not paid for</a></p>
+<p class="toc"><a href="#h2HCH0004">IV. In which Bobby gets out of
+one Scrape, and into another</a></p>
+<p class="toc"><a href="#h2HCH0005">V. In which Bobby gives his
+Note for Sixty Dollars</a></p>
+<p class="toc"><a href="#h2HCH0006">VI. In which Bobby sets out on
+his Travels</a></p>
+<p class="toc"><a href="#h2HCH0007">VII. In which Bobby stands up
+for certain "Inalienable Rights"</a></p>
+<p class="toc"><a href="#h2HCH0008">VIII. In which Mr. Timmins is
+astonished, and Bobby dines in Chestnut Street</a></p>
+<p class="toc"><a href="#h2HCH0009">IX. In which Bobby opens
+various Accounts, and wins his first Victory</a></p>
+<p class="toc"><a href="#h2HCH0010">X. In which Bobby is a little
+too smart</a></p>
+<p class="toc"><a href="#h2HCH0011">XI. In which Bobby strikes a
+Balance, and returns to Riverdale</a></p>
+<p class="toc"><a href="#h2HCH0012">XII. In which Bobby astonishes
+sundry Persons, and pays Part of his Note</a></p>
+<p class="toc"><a href="#h2HCH0013">XIII. In which Bobby declines a
+Copartnership, and visits B---- again</a></p>
+<p class="toc"><a href="#h2HCH0014">XIV. In which Bobby's Air
+Castle is upset, and Tom Spicer takes to the Woods</a></p>
+<p class="toc"><a href="#h2HCH0015">XV. In which Bobby gets into a
+Scrape, and Tom Spicer turns up again</a></p>
+<p class="toc"><a href="#h2HCH0016">XVI. In which Bobby finds "it
+is an ill wind that blows no one any good"</a></p>
+<p class="toc"><a href="#h2HCH0017">XVII. In which Tom has a good
+Time, and Bobby meets with a terrible Misfortune</a></p>
+<p class="toc"><a href="#h2HCH0018">XVIII. In which Bobby takes
+French Leave, and camps in the Woods</a></p>
+<p class="toc"><a href="#h2HCH0019">XIX. In which Bobby has a
+narrow Escape, and goes to Sea with Sam Ray</a></p>
+<p class="toc"><a href="#h2HCH0020">XX. In which the Clouds blow
+over, and Bobby is himself again</a></p>
+<p class="toc"><a href="#h2HCH0021">XXI. In which Bobby steps off
+the Stage, and the Author must finish "Now or Never"</a></p>
+<a name="h2H_4_0006" id="h2H_4_0006"><!-- H2 anchor --></a>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<h2>NOW OR NEVER</h2>
+<h3>OR</h3>
+<h2>THE ADVENTURES OF BOBBY BRIGHT</h2>
+<a name="h2HCH0001" id="h2HCH0001"><!-- H2 anchor --></a>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<h2>CHAPTER I</h2>
+<h3>IN WHICH BOBBY GOES A FISHING, AND CATCHES A HORSE</h3>
+<p>"By jolly! I've got a bite!" exclaimed Tom Spicer, a rough,
+hard-looking boy, who sat on a rock by the river's side, anxiously
+watching the cork float on his line.</p>
+<p>"Catch him, then," quietly responded Bobby Bright, who occupied
+another rock near the first speaker, as he pulled up a large pout,
+and, without any appearance of exultation, proceeded to unhook and
+place him in his basket.</p>
+<p>"You are a lucky dog, Bob," added Tom, as he glanced into the
+basket of his companion, which now contained six good-sized fishes.
+"I haven't caught one yet."</p>
+<p>"You don't fish deep enough."</p>
+<p>"I fish on the bottom."</p>
+<p>"That is too deep."</p>
+<p>"It don't make any difference how I fish; it is all luck."</p>
+<p>"Not all luck, Tom; there is something in doing it right."</p>
+<p>"I shall not catch a fish," continued Tom, in despair.</p>
+<p>"You'll catch something else, though, when you go home."</p>
+<p>"Will I?"</p>
+<p>"I'm afraid you will."</p>
+<p>"Who says I will?"</p>
+<p>"Didn't you tell me you were 'hooking jack'?"</p>
+<p>"Who is going to know anything about it?"</p>
+<p>"The master will know you are absent."</p>
+<p>"I shall tell him my mother sent me over to the village on an
+errand."</p>
+<p>"I never knew a fellow to 'hook jack,' yet, without getting
+found out."</p>
+<p>"I shall not get found out unless you blow on me; and you
+wouldn't be mean enough to do that;" and Tom glanced uneasily at
+his companion.</p>
+<p>"Suppose your mother should ask me if I had seen you."</p>
+<p>"You would tell her you have not, of course."</p>
+<p>"Of course?"</p>
+<p>"Why, wouldn't you? Wouldn't you do as much as that for a
+fellow?"</p>
+<p>"It would be a lie."</p>
+<p>"A lie! Humph!"</p>
+<p>"I wouldn't lie for any fellow," replied Bobby, stoutly, as he
+pulled in his seventh fish, and placed him in the basket.</p>
+<p>"Wouldn't you?"</p>
+<p>"No, I wouldn't."</p>
+<p>"Then let me tell you this; if you peach on me, I'll smash your
+head."</p>
+<p>Tom Spicer removed one hand from the fish pole and, doubling his
+fist, shook it with energy at his companion.</p>
+<p>"Smash away," replied Bobby, coolly. "I shall not go out of my
+way to tell tales; but if your mother or the master asks me the
+question, I shall not lie."</p>
+<p>"Won't you?"</p>
+<p>"No, I won't."</p>
+<p>"I'll bet you will;" and Tom dropped his fish pole, and was on
+the point of jumping over to the rock occupied by Bobby, when the
+float of the former disappeared beneath the surface of the
+water.</p>
+<p>"You've got a bite," coolly interposed Bobby, pointing to the
+line.</p>
+<p>Tom snatched the pole, and with a violent twitch, pulled up a
+big pout; but his violence jerked the hook out of the fish's mouth,
+and he disappeared beneath the surface of the river.</p>
+<p>"Just my luck!" muttered Tom.</p>
+<p>"Keep cool, then."</p>
+<p>"I will fix you yet."</p>
+<p>"All right; but you had better not let go your pole again, or
+you will lose another fish."</p>
+<p>"I'm bound to smash your head, though."</p>
+<p>"No, you won't."</p>
+<p>"Won't I?"</p>
+<p>"Two can play at that game."</p>
+<p>"Do you stump me?"</p>
+<p>"No; I don't want to fight; I won't fight if I can help it."</p>
+<p>"I'll bet you won't!" sneered Tom.</p>
+<p>"But I will defend myself."</p>
+<p>"Humph!"</p>
+<p>"I am not a liar, and the fear of a flogging shall not make me
+tell a lie."</p>
+<p>"Go to Sunday school&mdash;don't you?"</p>
+<p>"I do; and besides that, my mother always taught me never to
+tell a lie."</p>
+<p>"Come! you needn't preach to me. By and by, you will call me a
+liar."</p>
+<p>"No, I won't; but just now you told me you meant to lie to your
+mother, and to the master."</p>
+<p>"What if I did? That is none of your business."</p>
+<p>"It <i>is</i> my business when you want me to lie for you,
+though; and I shall not do it."</p>
+<p>"Blow on me, and see what you will get."</p>
+<p>"I don't mean to blow on you."</p>
+<p>"Yes, you do."</p>
+<p>"I will not lie about it; that's all."</p>
+<p>"By jolly! see that horse!" exclaimed Tom, suddenly, as he
+pointed to the road leading to Riverdale Centre.</p>
+<p>"By gracious!" added Bobby, dropping his fish pole, as he saw
+the horse running at a furious rate up the road from the
+village.</p>
+<p>The mad animal was attached to a chaise, in which was seated a
+lady, whose frantic shrieks pierced the soul of our youthful
+hero.</p>
+<p>The course of the road was by the river's side for nearly half a
+mile, and crossed the stream at a wooden bridge but a few rods from
+the place where the boys were fishing.</p>
+<p>Bobby Bright's impulses were noble and generous; and without
+stopping to consider the peril to which the attempt would expose
+him, he boldly resolved to stop that horse, or let the animal dash
+him to pieces on the bridge.</p>
+<p>"Now or never!" shouted he, as he leaped from the rock, and ran
+with all his might to the bridge.</p>
+<p>The shrieks of the lady rang in his ears, and seemed to command
+him, with an authority which he could not resist, to stop the
+horse. There was no time for deliberation; and, indeed, Bobby did
+not want any deliberation. The lady was in danger; if the horse's
+flight was not checked, she would be dashed in pieces; and what
+then could excuse him for neglecting his duty? Not the fear of
+broken limbs, of mangled flesh, or even of a sudden and violent
+death.</p>
+<p>It is true Bobby did not think of any of these things; though,
+if he had, it would have made no difference with him. He was a boy
+who would not fight except in self-defence, but he had the courage
+to do a deed which might have made the stoutest heart tremble with
+terror.</p>
+<p>Grasping a broken rail as he leaped over the fence, he planted
+himself in the middle of the bridge, which was not more than half
+as wide as the road at each end of it, to await the coming of the
+furious animal. On he came, and the piercing shrieks of the
+affrighted lady nerved him to the performance of his perilous
+duty.</p>
+<p>The horse approached him at a mad run, and his feet struck the
+loose planks of the bridge. The brave boy then raised his big club,
+and brandished it with all his might in the air. Probably the horse
+did not mean anything very bad; was only frightened, and had no
+wicked intentions towards the lady; so that when a new danger
+menaced him in front, he stopped suddenly, and with so much
+violence as to throw the lady forward from her seat upon the dasher
+of the chaise. He gave a long snort, which was his way of
+expressing his fear. He was evidently astonished at the sudden
+barrier to his further progress, and commenced running back.</p>
+<p>"Save me!" screamed the lady.</p>
+<p>"I will, ma'am; don't be scared!" replied Bobby, confidently, as
+he dropped his club, and grasped the bridle of the horse, just as
+he was on the point of whirling round to escape by the way he had
+come.</p>
+<p>"Stop him! Do stop him!" cried the lady.</p>
+<p>"Whoa!" said Bobby, in gentle tones, as he patted the trembling
+horse on his neck. "Whoa, good horse! Be quiet! Whoa!"</p>
+<p>The animal, in his terror, kept running backward and forward;
+but Bobby persevered in his gentle treatment, and finally soothed
+him, so that he stood quiet enough for the lady to get out of the
+chaise.</p>
+<p>"What a miracle that I am alive!" exclaimed she, when she
+realized that she stood once more upon the firm earth.</p>
+<p>"Yes, ma'am, it is lucky he didn't break the chaise. Whoa! Good
+horse! Stand quiet!"</p>
+<p>"What a brave little fellow you are!" said the lady, as soon as
+she could recover her breath so as to express her admiration of
+Bobby's bold act.</p>
+<p>"O, I don't mind it," replied he, blushing like a rose in June.
+"Did he run away with you?"</p>
+<p>"No; my father left me in the chaise for a moment while he went
+into a store in the village, and a teamster who was passing by
+snapped his whip, which frightened Kate so that she started off at
+the top of her speed. I was so terrified that I screamed with all
+my might, which frightened her the more. The more I screamed, the
+faster she ran."</p>
+<p>"I dare say. Good horse! Whoa, Kate!"</p>
+<p>"She is a splendid creature; she never did such a thing before.
+My father will think I am killed."</p>
+<p>By this time, Kate had become quite reasonable, and seemed very
+much obliged to Bobby for preventing her from doing mischief to her
+mistress; for she looked at the lady with a glance of satisfaction,
+which her deliverer interpreted as a promise to behave better in
+future. He relaxed his grasp upon the bridle, patted her upon the
+neck, and said sundry pleasant things to encourage her in her
+assumed purpose of doing better. Kate appeared to understand
+Bobby's kind words, and declared as plainly as a horse could
+declare that she would be sober and tractable.</p>
+<p>"Now, ma'am, if you will get into the chaise again, I think Kate
+will let me drive her down to the village."</p>
+<p>"O, dear! I should not dare to do so."</p>
+<p>"Then, if you please, I will drive down alone, so as to let your
+father know that you are safe."</p>
+<p>"Do."</p>
+<p>"I am sure he must feel very bad, and I may save him a great
+deal of pain, for a man can suffer a great deal in a very short
+time."</p>
+<p>"You are a little philosopher, as well as a hero, and if you are
+not afraid of Kate, you may do as you wish."</p>
+<p>"She seems very gentle now;" and Bobby turned her round, and got
+into the chaise.</p>
+<p>"Be very careful," said the lady.</p>
+<p>"I will."</p>
+<p>Bobby took the reins, and Kate, true to the promise she had
+virtually made, started off at a round pace towards the
+village.</p>
+<p>He had not gone more than a quarter of a mile of the distance
+when he met a wagon containing three men, one of whom was the
+lady's father. The gestures which he made assured Bobby he had
+found the person whom he sought, and he stopped.</p>
+<p>"My daughter! Where is she?" gasped the gentleman, as he leaped
+from the wagon.</p>
+<p>"She is safe, sir," replied Bobby, with all the enthusiasm of
+his warm nature.</p>
+<p>"Thank God!" added the gentleman, devoutly, as he placed himself
+in the chaise by the side of Bobby.</p>
+<a name="h2HCH0002" id="h2HCH0002"><!-- H2 anchor --></a>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<h2>CHAPTER II</h2>
+<h3>IN WHICH BOBBY BLUSHES SEVERAL TIMES, AND DOES A SUM IN
+ARITHMETIC</h3>
+<p>Mr. Bayard, the owner of the horse, and the father of the lady
+whom Bobby had saved from impending death, was too much agitated to
+say much, even to the bold youth who had rendered him such a signal
+service. He could scarcely believe the intelligence which the boy
+brought him; it seemed too good to be true. He had assured himself
+that Ellen&mdash;for that was the young lady's name&mdash;was
+killed or dreadfully injured.</p>
+<p>Kate was driven at the top of her speed, and in a few moments
+reached the bridge, where Ellen was awaiting his arrival.</p>
+<p>"Here I am, father, alive and unhurt!" cried Ellen, as Mr.
+Bayard stopped the horse.</p>
+<p>"Thank Heaven, my child!" replied the glad father, embracing his
+daughter. "I was sure you were killed."</p>
+<p>"No, father; thanks to this bold youth, I am uninjured."</p>
+<p>"I am under very great obligations to you, young man," continued
+Mr. Bayard, grasping Bobby's hand.</p>
+<p>"O, never mind, sir;" and Bobby blushed just as he had blushed
+when the young lady spoke to him.</p>
+<p>"We shall never forget you&mdash;shall we, father?" added
+Ellen.</p>
+<p>"No, my child; and I shall endeavor to repay, to some slight
+extent, our indebtedness to him. But you have not yet told me how
+you were saved."</p>
+<p>"O, I merely stopped the horse; that's all," answered Bobby,
+modestly.</p>
+<p>"Yes, father, but he placed himself right before Kate when she
+was almost flying over the ground. When I saw him, I was certain
+that he would lose his life, or be horribly mangled for his
+boldness," interposed Ellen.</p>
+<p>"It was a daring deed, young man, to place yourself before an
+affrighted horse in that manner," said Mr. Bayard.</p>
+<p>"I didn't mind it, sir."</p>
+<p>"And then he flourished a big club, almost as big as he is
+himself, in the air, which made Kate pause in her mad career, when
+my deliverer here grasped her by the bit and held her."</p>
+<p>"It was well and bravely done."</p>
+<p>"That it was, father; not many men would have been bold enough
+to do what he did," added Ellen, with enthusiasm.</p>
+<p>"Very true; and I feel that I am indebted to him for your
+safety. What is your name, young man?"</p>
+<p>"Robert Bright, sir."</p>
+<p>Mr. Bayard took from his pocket several pieces of gold, which he
+offered to Bobby.</p>
+<p>"No, I thank you, sir," replied Bobby, blushing.</p>
+<p>"What! as proud as you are bold?"</p>
+<p>"I don't like to be paid for doing my duty."</p>
+<p>"Bravo! You are a noble little fellow! But you must take this
+money, not as a reward for what you have done, but as a testimonial
+of my gratitude."</p>
+<p>"I would rather not, sir."</p>
+<p>"Do take it, Robert," added Ellen.</p>
+<p>"I don't like to take it. It looks mean to take money for doing
+one's duty."</p>
+<p>"Take it, Robert, to please me;" and the young lady smiled so
+sweetly that Bobby's resolution began to give way. "Only to please
+me, Robert."</p>
+<p>"I will, to please you; but I don't feel right about it."</p>
+<p>"You must not be too proud, Robert," said Mr. Bayard, as he put
+the gold pieces into his hand.</p>
+<p>"I am not proud, sir; only I don't like to be paid for doing my
+duty."</p>
+<p>"Not paid, my young friend. Consider that you have placed me
+under an obligation to you for life. This money is only an
+expression of my own and my daughter's feelings. It is but a small
+sum, but I hope you will permit me to do something more for you,
+when you need it. You will regard me as your friend as long as you
+live."</p>
+<p>"Thank you, sir."</p>
+<p>"When you want any assistance of any kind, come to me. I live in
+Boston; here is my business card."</p>
+<p>Mr. Bayard handed him a card, on which Bobby read, "F. Bayard
+&amp; Co., Booksellers and Publishers, No. &mdash;, Washington
+Street, Boston."</p>
+<p>"You are very kind, sir."</p>
+<p>"I want you should come to Boston and see us, too," interposed
+Ellen. "I should be delighted to show you the city, to take you to
+the Athen&aelig;um and the Museum."</p>
+<p>"Thank you."</p>
+<p>Mr. Bayard inquired of Bobby about his parents, where he lived,
+and about the circumstances of his family. He then took out his
+memorandum book, in which he wrote the boy's name and
+residence.</p>
+<p>"I am sorry to leave you now, Robert, but I have over twenty
+miles to ride to-day. I should be glad to visit your mother, and
+next time I come to Riverdale, I shall certainly do so."</p>
+<p>"Thank you, sir; my mother is a very poor woman, but she will be
+glad to see you."</p>
+<p>"Now, good by, Robert."</p>
+<p>"Good by," repeated Ellen.</p>
+<p>"Good by."</p>
+<p>Mr. Bayard drove off, leaving Bobby standing on the bridge with
+the gold pieces in his hand.</p>
+<p>"Here's luck!" said Bobby, shaking the coin. "Won't mother's
+eyes stick out when she sees these shiners? There are no such
+shiners in the river as these."</p>
+<p>Bobby was astonished, and the more he gazed at the gold pieces,
+the more bewildered he became. He had never held so much money in
+his hand before. There were three large coins and one smaller one.
+He turned them over and over, and finally ascertained that the
+large coins were ten dollar pieces, and the smaller one a five
+dollar piece. Bobby was not a great scholar, but he knew enough of
+arithmetic to calculate the value of his treasure. He was so
+excited, however, that he did not arrive at the conclusion half so
+quick as most of my young readers would have done.</p>
+<p>"Thirty-five dollars!" exclaimed Bobby, when the problem was
+solved. "Gracious!"</p>
+<p>"Hallo, Bob!" shouted Tom Spicer, who had got tired of fishing;
+besides, the village clock was just striking twelve, and it was
+time for him to go home.</p>
+<p>Bobby made no answer, but hastily tying the gold pieces up in
+the corner of his handkerchief, he threw the broken rail he had
+used in stopping the horse where it belonged, and started for the
+place where he had left his fishing apparatus.</p>
+<p>"Hallo, Bob!"</p>
+<p>"Well, Tom?"</p>
+<p>"Stopped him&mdash;didn't you?"</p>
+<p>"I did."</p>
+<p>"You were a fool; he might have killed you."</p>
+<p>"So he might; but I didn't stop to think of that. The lady's
+life was in danger."</p>
+<p>"What of that?"</p>
+<p>"Everything, I should say."</p>
+<p>"Did he give you anything?"</p>
+<p>"Yes;" and Bobby continued his walk down to the river's
+side.</p>
+<p>"I say, what did he give you, Bobby?" persisted Tom, following
+him.</p>
+<p>"O, he gave me a good deal of money."</p>
+<p>"How much?"</p>
+<p>"I want to get my fish line now; I will tell you all about it
+some other time," replied Bobby, who rather suspected the
+intentions of his companion.</p>
+<p>"Tell me now; how much was it?"</p>
+<p>"Never mind it now."</p>
+<p>"Humph! Do you think I mean to rob you?"</p>
+<p>"No."</p>
+<p>"Ain't you going halveses?"</p>
+<p>"Why should I?"</p>
+<p>"Wasn't I with you?"</p>
+<p>"Were you?"</p>
+<p>"Wasn't I fishing with you?"</p>
+<p>"You did not do anything about stopping the horse."</p>
+<p>"I would, if I hadn't been afraid to go up to the road."</p>
+<p>"Afraid?"</p>
+<p>"Somebody might have seen me, and they would have known that I
+was hooking jack."</p>
+<p>"Then you ought not to share the money."</p>
+<p>"Yes, I had. When a fellow is with you, he ought to have half.
+It is mean not to give him half."</p>
+<p>"If you had done anything to help stop the horse, I would have
+shared with you. But you didn't."</p>
+<p>"What of that?"</p>
+<p>Bobby was particularly sensitive in regard to the charge of
+meanness. His soul was a great deal bigger than his body, and he
+was always generous, even to his own injury, among his companions.
+It was evident to him that Tom had no claim to any part of the
+reward; but he could not endure the thought even of being accused
+of meanness.</p>
+<p>"I'll tell you what I will do, if you think I ought to share
+with you. I will leave it out to Squire Lee; and if he thinks you
+ought to have half, or any part of the money, I will give it to
+you."</p>
+<p>"No, you don't; you want to get me into a scrape for hooking
+jack. I see what you are up to."</p>
+<p>"I will state the case to him without telling him who the boys
+are."</p>
+<p>"No, you don't! You want to be mean about it. Come, hand over
+half the money."</p>
+<p>"I will not," replied Bobby, who, when it became a matter of
+compulsion, could stand his ground at any peril.</p>
+<p>"How much have you got?"</p>
+<p>"Thirty-five dollars."</p>
+<p>"By jolly! And you mean to keep it all yourself?"</p>
+<p>"I mean to give it to my mother."</p>
+<p>"No, you won't! If you are going to be mean about it, I'll smash
+your head!"</p>
+<p>This was a favorite expression with Tom Spicer, who was a noted
+bully among the boys of Riverdale. The young ruffian now placed
+himself in front of Bobby, and shook his clenched fist in his
+face.</p>
+<p>"Hand over."</p>
+<p>"No, I won't. You have no claim to any part of the money; at
+least, I think you have not. If you have a mind to leave it out to
+Squire Lee, I will do what is right about it."</p>
+<p>"Not I; hand over, or I'll smash your head!"</p>
+<p>"Smash away," replied Bobby, placing himself on the
+defensive.</p>
+<p>"Do you think you can lick me?" asked Tom, not a little
+embarrassed by this exhibition of resolution on the part of his
+companion.</p>
+<p>"I don't think anything about it; but you don't bully me in that
+kind of style."</p>
+<p>"Won't I?"</p>
+<p>"No."</p>
+<p>But Tom did not immediately put his threat in execution, and
+Bobby would not be the aggressor; so he stepped one side to pass
+his assailant. Tom took this as an evidence of the other's desire
+to escape, and struck him a heavy blow on the side of the head. The
+next instant the bully was floundering in the soft mud of a ditch;
+Bobby's reply was more than Tom had bargained for, and while he was
+dragging himself out of the ditch, our hero ran down to the river,
+and got his fish pole and basket.</p>
+<p>"You'll catch it for that!" growled Tom.</p>
+<p>"I'm all ready, whenever it suits your convenience," replied
+Bobby.</p>
+<p>"Just come out here and take it in fair fight," continued Tom,
+who could not help bullying, even in the midst of his
+misfortune.</p>
+<p>"No, I thank you; I don't want to fight with any fellow. I will
+not fight if I can help it."</p>
+<p>"What did you hit me for, then?"</p>
+<p>"In self-defence."</p>
+<p>"Just come out here, and try it fair!"</p>
+<p>"No;" and Bobby hurried home, leaving the bully astonished and
+discomfited by the winding up of the morning's sport.</p>
+<a name="h2HCH0003" id="h2HCH0003"><!-- H2 anchor --></a>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<h2>CHAPTER III</h2>
+<h3>IN WHICH THE LITTLE BLACK HOUSE IS BOUGHT BUT NOT PAID FOR</h3>
+<p>Probably my young readers have by this time come to the
+conclusion that Bobby Bright was a very clever fellow&mdash;one
+whose acquaintance they would be happy to cultivate. Perhaps by
+this time they have become so far interested in him as to desire to
+know who his parents were, what they did, and in what kind of a
+house he lived.</p>
+<p>I hope none of my young friends will think any less of him when
+I inform them that Bobby lived in an old black house which had
+never been painted, which had no flower garden in front of it, and
+which, in a word, was quite far from being a palace. A great many
+very nice city folks would not have considered it fit to live in,
+would have turned up their noses at it, and wondered that any human
+beings could be so degraded as to live in such a miserable house.
+But the widow Bright, Bobby's mother, thought it was a very
+comfortable house, and considered herself very fortunate in being
+able to get so good a dwelling. She had never lived in a fine
+house, knew nothing about velvet carpets, mirrors seven feet high,
+damask chairs and lounges, or any of the smart things which very
+rich and very proud city people consider absolutely necessary for
+their comfort. Her father had been a poor man, her husband had died
+a poor man, and her own life had been a struggle to keep the demons
+of poverty and want from invading her humble abode.</p>
+<p>Mr. Bright, her deceased husband, had been a day laborer in
+Riverdale. He never got more than a dollar a day, which was then
+considered very good wages in the country. He was a very honest,
+industrious man, and while he lived, his family did very well. Mrs.
+Bright was a careful, prudent woman, and helped him support the
+family. They never knew what it was to want for anything.</p>
+<p>Poor people, as well as rich, have an ambition to be something
+which they are not, or to have something which they have not. Every
+person, who has any energy of character, desires to get ahead in
+the world. Some merchants, who own big ships and big warehouses by
+the dozen, desire to be what they consider rich. But their idea of
+wealth is very grand. They wish to count it in millions of dollars,
+in whole blocks of warehouses; and they are even more discontented
+than the day laborer who has to earn his dinner before he can eat
+it.</p>
+<p>Bobby's father and mother had just such an ambition, only it was
+so modest that the merchant would have laughed at it. They wanted
+to own the little black house in which they resided, so that they
+could not only be sure of a home while they lived, but have the
+satisfaction of living in their own house. This was a very
+reasonable ideal, compared with that of the rich merchants I have
+mentioned; but it was even more difficult for them to reach it, for
+the wages were small, and they had many mouths to feed.</p>
+<p>Mr. Bright had saved up fifty dollars; and he thought a great
+deal more of this sum than many people do of a thousand dollars. He
+had had to work very hard and be very prudent in order to
+accumulate this sum, which made him value it all the more
+highly.</p>
+<p>With this sum of fifty dollars at his command, John Bright felt
+rich; and then, more than ever before, he wanted to own the little
+black house. He felt as grand as a lord; and as soon as the
+forty-nine dollars had become fifty, he waited upon Mr. Hardhand, a
+little crusty old man, who owned the little black house, and
+proposed to purchase it.</p>
+<p>The landlord was a hard man. Everybody in Riverdale said he was
+mean and stingy. Any generous-hearted man would have been willing
+to make an easy bargain with an honest, industrious, poor man, like
+John Bright, who wished to own the house in which he lived; but Mr.
+Hardhand, although he was rich, only thought how he could make more
+money. He asked the poor man four hundred dollars for the old house
+and the little lot of land on which it stood.</p>
+<p>It was a matter of great concern to John Bright. Four hundred
+dollars was a "mint of money," and he could not see how he should
+ever be able to save so much from his daily earnings. So he talked
+with Squire Lee about it, who told him that three hundred was all
+it was worth. John offered this for it, and after a month's
+hesitation Mr. Hardhand accepted the offer, agreeing to take fifty
+dollars down, and the rest in semi-annual payments of twenty-five
+dollars each until the whole was paid.</p>
+<p>I am thus particular in telling my readers about the bargain,
+because this debt which his father contracted was the means of
+making a man of Bobby, as will be seen in his subsequent
+history.</p>
+<p>John Bright paid the first fifty dollars; but before the next
+instalment became due, the poor man was laid in his cold and silent
+grave. A malignant disease carried him off, and the hopes of the
+Bright family seemed to be blasted.</p>
+<p>Four children were left to the widow. The youngest was only
+three years old, and Bobby, the oldest, was nine, when his father
+died. Squire Lee, who had always been a good friend of John Bright,
+told the widow that she had better go to the poorhouse, and not
+attempt to struggle along with such fearful odds against her. But
+the widow nobly refused to become a pauper, and to make paupers of
+her children, whom she loved quite as much as though she and they
+had been born in a ducal palace. She told the squire that she had
+two hands, and as long as she had her health, the town need not
+trouble itself about her support.</p>
+<p>Squire Lee was filled with surprise and admiration at the noble
+resolution of the poor woman; and when he returned to his house, he
+immediately sent her a cord of wood, ten bushels of potatoes, two
+bags of meal, and a firkin of salt pork.</p>
+<p>The widow was very grateful for these articles, and no false
+pride prevented her from accepting the gift of her rich and
+kind-hearted neighbor.</p>
+<p>Riverdale Centre was largely engaged in the manufacturing of
+boots and shoes, and this business gave employment to a large
+number of men and women.</p>
+<p>Mrs. Bright had for several years "closed" shoes&mdash;which, my
+readers who do not live in "shoe towns" may not know, means sewing
+or stitching them. To this business she applied herself with
+renewed energy. There was a large hotel in Riverdale Centre, where
+several families from Boston spent the summer. By the aid of Squire
+Lee, she obtained the washing of these families, which was more
+profitable than closing shoes.</p>
+<p>By these means she not only supported her family very
+comfortably, but was able to save a little money towards paying for
+the house. Mr. Hardhand, by the persuasions of Squire Lee, had
+consented to let the widow keep the house, and pay for it as she
+could.</p>
+<p>John Bright had been dead four years at the time we introduce
+Bobby to the reader. Mrs. Bright had paid another hundred dollars
+towards the house, with the interest; so there was now but one
+hundred due. Bobby had learned to "close," and helped his mother a
+great deal; but the confinement and the stooping posture did not
+agree with his health, and his mother was obliged to dispense with
+his assistance. But the devoted little fellow found a great many
+ways of helping her. He was now thirteen, and was as handy about
+the house as a girl. When he was not better occupied, he would
+often go to the river and catch a mess of fish, which was so much
+clear gain.</p>
+<p>The winter which had just passed had brought a great deal of
+sickness to the little black house. The children all had the
+measles, and two of them the scarlet fever, so that Mrs. Bright
+could not work much. Her affairs were not in a very prosperous
+condition when the spring opened; but the future was bright, and
+the widow, trusting in Providence, believed that all would end
+well.</p>
+<p>One thing troubled her. She had not been able to save anything
+for Mr. Hardhand. She could only pay her interest; but she hoped by
+the first of July to give him twenty-five dollars of the principal.
+But the first of July came, and she had only five dollars of the
+sum she had partly promised her creditor. She could not so easily
+recover from the disasters of the hard winter, and she had but just
+paid off the little debts she had contracted. She was nervous and
+uneasy as the day approached. Mr. Hardhand always abused her when
+she told him she could not pay him, and she dreaded his coming.</p>
+<p>It was the first of July on which Bobby caught those pouts,
+caught the horse, and on which Tom Spicer had "caught a
+Tartar."</p>
+<p>Bobby hastened home, as we said at the conclusion of the last
+chapter. He was as happy as a lord. He had fish enough in his
+basket for dinner, and for breakfast the next morning, and money
+enough in his pocket to make his mother as happy as a queen, if
+queens are always happy.</p>
+<p>The widow Bright, though she had worried and fretted night and
+day about the money which was to be paid to Mr. Hardhand on the
+first of July, had not told her son anything about it. It would
+only make him unhappy, she reasoned, and it was needless to make
+the dear boy miserable for nothing; so Bobby ran home all
+unconscious of the pleasure which was in store for him.</p>
+<p>When he reached the front door, as he stopped to scrape his feet
+on the sharp stone there, as all considerate boys who love their
+mothers do, before they go into the house, he heard the angry tones
+of Mr. Hardhand. He was scolding and abusing his mother because she
+could not pay him the twenty-five dollars.</p>
+<p>Bobby's blood boiled with indignation, and his first impulse was
+to serve him as he had served Tom Spicer, only a few moments
+before; but Bobby, as we have before intimated, was a peaceful boy,
+and not disposed to quarrel with any person; so he contented
+himself with muttering a few hard words.</p>
+<p>"The wretch! What business has he to talk to <i>my</i> mother in
+that style?" said he to himself. "I have a great mind to kick him
+out of the house."</p>
+<p>But Bobby's better judgment came to his aid; and perhaps he
+realized that he and his mother would only get kicked out in
+return. He could battle with Mr. Hardhand, but not with the power
+which his wealth gave him; so, like a great many older persons in
+similar circumstances, he took counsel of prudence rather than
+impulse.</p>
+<p>"Bear ye one another's burdens," saith the Scripture; but Bobby
+was not old enough or astute enough to realize that Mr. Hardhand's
+burden was his wealth, his love of money; that it made him little
+better than a Hottentot; and he could not feel as charitably
+towards him as a Christian should towards his erring, weak
+brother.</p>
+<p>Setting his pole by the door, he entered the room where Hardhand
+was abusing his mother.</p>
+<a name="h2HCH0004" id="h2HCH0004"><!-- H2 anchor --></a>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<h2>CHAPTER IV</h2>
+<h3>IN WHICH BOBBY GETS OUT OF ONE SCRAPE, AND INTO ANOTHER</h3>
+<p>Bobby was so indignant at the conduct of Mr. Hardhand, that he
+entirely forgot the adventure of the morning; and he did not even
+think of the gold he had in his pocket. He loved his mother; he
+knew how hard she had worked for him and his brother and sisters;
+that she had burned the "midnight oil" at her clamps; and it made
+him feel very bad to hear her abused as Mr. Hardhand was abusing
+her. It was not her fault that she had not the money to pay him.
+She had been obliged to spend a large portion of her time over the
+sick beds of her children, so that she could not earn so much money
+as usual; while the family expenses were necessarily much
+greater.</p>
+<p>Bobby knew also that Mr. Hardhand was aware of all the
+circumstances of his mother's position, and the more he considered
+the case the more brutal and inhuman was his course.</p>
+<p>As our hero entered the family room with the basket of fish on
+his arm, the little crusty old man fixed the glance of his evil eye
+upon him.</p>
+<p>"There is that boy, marm, idling away his time by the river, and
+eating you out of house and home," said the wretch. "Why don't you
+set him to work, and make him earn something?"</p>
+<p>"Bobby is a very good boy," meekly responded the widow
+Bright.</p>
+<p>"Humph! I should think he was. A great lazy lubber like him,
+living on his mother!" and Mr. Hardhand looked contemptuously at
+Bobby.</p>
+<p>"I am not a lazy lubber," interposed the insulted boy with
+spirit.</p>
+<p>"Yes, you are. Why don't you go to work?"</p>
+<p>"I do work."</p>
+<p>"No, you don't; you waste your time paddling in the river."</p>
+<p>"I don't."</p>
+<p>"You had better teach this boy manners too, marm," said the
+creditor, who, like all men of small souls, was willing to take
+advantage of the power which the widow's indebtedness gave him. "He
+is saucy."</p>
+<p>"I should like to know who taught <i>you</i> manners, Mr.
+Hardhand," replied Bobby, whose indignation was rapidly getting the
+better of his discretion.</p>
+<p>"What!" growled Mr. Hardhand, aghast at this unwonted
+boldness.</p>
+<p>"I heard what you said before I came in; and no decent man would
+go to the house of a poor woman to insult her."</p>
+<p>"Humph! Mighty fine," snarled the little old man, his gray eyes
+twinkling with malice.</p>
+<p>"Don't, Bobby; don't be saucy to the gentleman," interposed his
+mother.</p>
+<p>"Saucy, marm? You ought to horsewhip him for it. If you don't, I
+will."</p>
+<p>"No, you won't!" replied Bobby, shaking his head significantly.
+"I can take care of myself."</p>
+<p>"Did any one ever hear such impudence!" gasped Mr. Hardhand.</p>
+<p>"Don't, Bobby, don't," pleaded the anxious mother.</p>
+<p>"I should like to know what right you have to come here and
+abuse my mother," continued Bobby, who could not restrain his
+anger.</p>
+<p>"Your mother owes me money, and she doesn't pay it, you young
+scoundrel!" answered Mr. Hardhand, foaming with rage.</p>
+<p>"That is no reason why you should insult her. You can call
+<i>me</i> what you please, but you shall not insult my mother while
+I'm round."</p>
+<p>"Your mother is a miserable woman, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+<p>"Say that again, and though you are an old man, I'll hit you for
+it. I'm big enough to protect my mother, and I'll do it."</p>
+<p>Bobby doubled up his fists and edged up to Mr. Hardhand, fully
+determined to execute his threat if he repeated the offensive
+expression, or any other of a similar import. He was roused to the
+highest pitch of anger, and felt as though he had just as lief die
+as live in defence of his mother's good name.</p>
+<p>I am not sure that I could excuse Bobby's violence under any
+other circumstances. He loved his mother&mdash;as the novelists
+would say, he idolized her; and Mr. Hardhand had certainly applied
+some very offensive epithets to her&mdash;epithets which no good
+son could calmly hear applied to a mother. Besides, Bobby, though
+his heart was a large one, and was in the right place, had never
+been educated into those nice distinctions of moral right and wrong
+which control the judgment of wise and learned men. He had an idea
+that violence, resistance with blows, was allowable in certain
+extreme cases; and he could conceive of no greater provocation than
+an insult to his mother.</p>
+<p>"Be calm, Bobby; you are in a passion," said Mrs. Bright.</p>
+<p>"I am surprised, marm," began Mr. Hardhand, who prudently
+refrained from repeating the offensive language&mdash;and I have no
+doubt he was surprised; for he looked both astonished and alarmed.
+"This boy has a most ungovernable temper."</p>
+<p>"Don't you worry about my temper, Mr. Hardhand; I'll take care
+of myself. All I want of you is not to insult my mother. You may
+say what you like to me; but don't you call her hard names."</p>
+<p>Mr. Hardhand, like all mean, little men, was a coward; and he
+was effectually intimidated by the bold and manly conduct of the
+boy. He changed his tone and manner at once.</p>
+<p>"You have no money for me, marm?" said he, edging towards the
+door.</p>
+<p>"No, sir; I am sorry to say that I have been able to save only
+five dollars since I paid you last; but I hope&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+<p>"Never mind, marm, never mind; I shall not trouble myself to
+come here again, where I am liable to be kicked by this ill-bred
+cub. No, marm, I shall not come again. Let the law take its
+course."</p>
+<p>"O, mercy! See what you have brought upon us, Bobby," exclaimed
+Mrs. Bright, bursting into tears.</p>
+<p>"Yes, marm, let the law take its course."</p>
+<p>"O, Bobby! Stop a moment, Mr. Hardhand; do stop a moment."</p>
+<p>"Not a moment, marm. We'll see;" and Mr. Hardhand placed his
+hand upon the latch string.</p>
+<p>Bobby felt very uneasy and very unhappy at that moment. His
+passion had subsided, and he realized that he had done a great deal
+of mischief by his impetuous conduct.</p>
+<p>Then the remembrance of his morning adventure on the bridge came
+like a flash of sunshine to his mind, and he eagerly drew from his
+pocket the handkerchief in which he had deposited the precious
+gold,&mdash;doubly precious now, because it would enable him to
+retrieve the error into which he had fallen, and do something
+towards relieving his mother's embarrassment. With a trembling hand
+he untied the knot which secured the money.</p>
+<p>"Here, mother, here is thirty-five dollars;" and he placed it in
+her hand.</p>
+<p>"Why, Bobby!" exclaimed Mrs. Bright.</p>
+<p>"Pay him, mother, pay him, and I will tell you all about it by
+and by."</p>
+<p>"Thirty-five dollars! and all in gold! Where <i>did</i> you get
+it, Bobby?"</p>
+<p>"Never mind it now, mother."</p>
+<p>Mr. Hardhand's covetous soul had already grasped the glittering
+gold; and removing his hand from the latch string, he approached
+the widow.</p>
+<p>"I shall be able to pay you forty dollars now," said Mrs.
+Bright, taking the five dollars she had saved from her pocket.</p>
+<p>"Yes, marm."</p>
+<p>Mr. Hardhand took the money, and seating himself at the table,
+indorsed the amount on the back of the note.</p>
+<p>"You owe me sixty more," said he, maliciously, as he returned
+the note to his pocket book. "It must be paid immediately."</p>
+<p>"You must not be hard with me now, when I have paid more than
+you demanded."</p>
+<p>"I don't wish to come here again. That boy's impudence has put
+me all out of conceit with you and your family," replied Mr.
+Hardhand, assuming the most benevolent look he could command.
+"There was a time when I was very willing to help you. I have
+waited a great while for my pay for this house; a great deal longer
+than I would have waited for anybody else."</p>
+<p>"Your interest has always been paid punctually," suggested the
+widow, modestly.</p>
+<p>"That's true; but very few people would have waited as long as I
+have for the principal. I wanted to help you&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+<p>"By gracious!" exclaimed Bobby, interrupting him.</p>
+<p>"Don't be saucy, my son, don't," said Mrs. Bright, fearing a
+repetition of the former scene.</p>
+<p>"<i>He</i> wanted to help us!" ejaculated Bobby.</p>
+<p>It was a very absurd and hypocritical expression on the part of
+Mr. Hardhand; for he never wanted to help any one but himself; and
+during the whole period of his relations with the poor widow, he
+had oppressed, insulted, and abused her to the extent of his
+capacity, or at least as far as his interest would permit.</p>
+<p>He was a malicious and revengeful man. He did not consider the
+great provocation he had given Bobby for his violent conduct, but
+determined to be revenged, if it could be accomplished without
+losing any part of the sixty dollars still due him. He was a wicked
+man at heart, and would not scruple to turn the widow and her
+family out of house and home.</p>
+<p>Mrs. Bright knew this, and Bobby knew it too; and they felt very
+uneasy about it. The wretch still had the power to injure them, and
+he would use it without compunction.</p>
+<p>"Yes, young man, I wanted to help you, and you see what I get
+for it&mdash;contempt and insults! You will hear from me again in a
+day or two. Perhaps you will change your tune, you young
+reprobate!"</p>
+<p>"Perhaps I shall," replied Bobby, without much discretion.</p>
+<p>"And you too, marm; you uphold him in his treatment of me. You
+have not done your duty to him. You have been remiss, marm!"
+continued Mr. Hardhand, growing bolder again, as he felt the power
+he wielded.</p>
+<p>"That will do, sir; you can go!" said Bobby, springing from his
+chair, and approaching Mr. Hardhand. "Go, and do your worst!"</p>
+<p>"Humph! you stump me,&mdash;do you?"</p>
+<p>"I would rather see my mother kicked out of the house than
+insulted by such a dried-up old curmudgeon as you are. Go
+along!"</p>
+<p>"Now, don't, Bobby," pleaded his mother.</p>
+<p>"I am going; and if the money is not paid by twelve o'clock
+to-morrow, the law shall take its course;" and Mr. Hardhand rushed
+out of the house, slamming the door violently after him.</p>
+<p>"O, Bobby, what have you done?" exclaimed Mrs. Bright, when the
+hard-hearted creditor had departed.</p>
+<p>"I could not help it, mother; don't cry. I cannot bear to hear
+you insulted and abused; and I thought when I heard him do it a
+year ago, that I couldn't stand it again. It is too bad."</p>
+<p>"But he will turn us out of the house; and what shall we do
+then?"</p>
+<p>"Don't cry, mother; it will come round all right. I have friends
+who are rich and powerful, and who will help us."</p>
+<p>"You don't know what you say, Bobby. Sixty dollars is a great
+deal of money, and if we should sell all we have, it would scarcely
+bring that."</p>
+<p>"Leave it all to me, mother; I feel as though I could do
+something now. I am old enough to make money."</p>
+<p>"What can you do?"</p>
+<p>"Now or never!" replied Bobby, whose mind had wandered from the
+scene to the busy world, where fortunes are made and lost every
+day. "Now or never!" muttered he again.</p>
+<p>"But, Bobby, you have not told me where you got all that
+gold."</p>
+<p>"Dinner is ready, I see, and I will tell you while we eat."</p>
+<p>Bobby had been a fishing, and to be hungry is a part of the
+fisherman's luck; so he seated himself at the table, and gave his
+mother a full account of all that had occurred at the bridge.</p>
+<p>The fond mother trembled when she realized the peril her son had
+incurred for the sake of the young lady; but her maternal heart
+swelled with admiration in view of the generous deed, and she
+thanked God that she was the mother of such a son. She felt more
+confidence in him then than she had ever felt before, and she
+realized that he would be the stay and the staff of her declining
+years.</p>
+<p>Bobby finished his dinner, and seated himself on the front door
+step. His mind was absorbed by a new and brilliant idea; and for
+half an hour he kept up a most tremendous thinking.</p>
+<p>"Now or never!" said he, as he rose and walked down the road
+towards Riverdale Centre.</p>
+<a name="h2HCH0005" id="h2HCH0005"><!-- H2 anchor --></a>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<h2>CHAPTER V</h2>
+<h3>IN WHICH BOBBY GIVES HIS NOTE FOR SIXTY DOLLARS</h3>
+<p>A great idea was born in Bobby's brain. His mother's weakness
+and the insecurity of her position were more apparent to him than
+they had ever been before. She was in the power of her creditor,
+who might turn her out of the little black house, sell the place at
+auction, and thus, perhaps, deprive her of the whole or a large
+part of his father's and her own hard earnings.</p>
+<p>But this was not the peculiar hardship of her situation, as her
+devoted son understood it. It was not the hard work alone which she
+was called upon to perform, not the coarseness of the fare upon
+which they lived, not the danger even of being turned out of doors,
+that distressed Bobby; it was that a wretch like Mr. Hardhand could
+insult and trample upon his mother. He had just heard him use
+language to her that made his blood boil with indignation, and he
+did not, on cool, sober, second thought, regret that he had taken
+such a decided stand against it.</p>
+<p>He cared not for himself. He could live on a crust of bread and
+a cup of water from the spring; he could sleep in a barn; he could
+wear coarse and even ragged clothes; but he could not submit to
+have his mother insulted, and by such a mean and contemptible
+person as Mr. Hardhand.</p>
+<p>Yet what could he do? He was but a boy, and the great world
+would look with contempt upon his puny form. But he felt that he
+was not altogether insignificant. He had performed an act that day,
+which the fair young lady, to whom he had rendered the service, had
+declared very few men would have undertaken. There was something in
+him, something that would come out, if he only put his best foot
+forward. It was a tower of strength within him. It told him that he
+could do wonders; that he could go out into the world and
+accomplish all that would be required to free his mother from debt,
+and relieve her from the severe drudgery of her life.</p>
+<p>A great many people think they can "do wonders." The vanity of
+some very silly people makes them think they can command armies,
+govern nations, and teach the world what the world never knew
+before and never would know but for them. But Bobby's something
+within him was not vanity. It was something more substantial. He
+was not thinking of becoming a great man, a great general, a great
+ruler, or a great statesman; not even of making a great fortune.
+Self was not the idol and the end of his calculations. He was
+thinking of his mother, and only of her; and the feeling within him
+was as pure, and holy, and beautiful as the dream of an angel. He
+wanted to save his mother from insult in the first place, and from
+a life of ceaseless drudgery in the second.</p>
+<p>A legion of angels seemed to have encamped in his soul to give
+him strength for the great purpose in his mind. His was a holy and
+a true purpose, and it was this that made him think he could "do
+wonders."</p>
+<p>What Bobby intended to do the reader shall know in due time. It
+is enough now that he meant to do something. The difficulty with a
+great many people is, that they never resolve to do something. They
+wait for "something to turn up;" and as "things" are often very
+obstinate, they utterly refuse to "turn up" at all. Their lives are
+spent in waiting for a golden opportunity which never comes.</p>
+<p>Now, Bobby Bright repudiated the Micawber philosophy. He would
+have nothing to do with it. He did not believe corn would grow
+without being planted, or that pouts would bite the bare hook.</p>
+<p>I am not going to tell my young readers now how Bobby came out
+in the end; but I can confidently say that, if he had waited for
+"something to turn up," he would have become a vagabond, a loafer,
+out of money, out at the elbows, and out of patience with himself
+and all the world.</p>
+<p>It was "now or never" with Bobby. He meant to do something; and
+after he had made up his mind how and where it was to be done, it
+was no use to stand thinking about it, like the pendulum of the
+"old clock which had stood for fifty years in a farmer's kitchen,
+without giving its owner any cause of complaint."</p>
+<p>Bobby walked down the road towards the village with a rapid
+step. He was thinking very fast, and probably that made him step
+quick. But as he approached Squire Lee's house, his pace slackened,
+and he seemed to be very uneasy. When he reached the great gate
+that led up to the house, he stopped for an instant, and thrust his
+hands down very deep into his trousers pockets. I cannot tell what
+the trousers pockets had to do with what he was thinking about; but
+if he was searching for anything in them, he did not find it; for
+after an instant's hesitation he drew out his hands, struck one of
+them against his chest, and in an audible voice
+exclaimed,&mdash;</p>
+<p>"Now or never."</p>
+<p>All this pantomime, I suppose, meant that Bobby had some
+misgivings as to the ultimate success of his mission at Squire
+Lee's, and that when he struck his breast and uttered his favorite
+expression, they were conquered and driven out.</p>
+<p>Marching with a bold and determined step up to the squire's back
+door,&mdash;Bobby's ideas of etiquette would not have answered for
+the meridian of fashionable society,&mdash;he gave three smart
+raps.</p>
+<p>Bobby's heart beat a little wildly as he awaited a response to
+his summons. It seemed that he still had some doubts as to the
+practicability of his mission; but they were not permitted to
+disturb him long, for the door was opened by the squire's pretty
+daughter Annie, a young miss of twelve.</p>
+<p>"O, Bobby, is it you? I am so glad you have come!" exclaimed the
+little lady.</p>
+<p>Bobby blushed&mdash;he didn't know why, unless it was that the
+young lady desired to see him. He stammered out a reply, and for
+the moment forgot the object of his visit.</p>
+<p>"I want you to go down to the village for me, and get some books
+the expressman was to bring up from Boston for me. Will you
+go?"</p>
+<p>"Certainly, Miss Annie, I shall be very glad to go for
+<i>you</i>," replied Bobby, with an emphasis that made the little
+maiden blush in her turn.</p>
+<p>"You are real good, Bobby; but I will give you something for
+going."</p>
+<p>"I don't want anything," said Bobby, stoutly.</p>
+<p>"You are too generous! Ah, I heard what you did this forenoon;
+and pa says that a great many men would not have dared to do what
+you did. I always thought you were as brave as a lion; now I know
+it."</p>
+<p>"The books are at the express office, I suppose," said Bobby,
+turning as red as a blood beet.</p>
+<p>"Yes, Bobby; I am so anxious to get them that I can't wait till
+pa goes down this evening."</p>
+<p>"I will not be gone long."</p>
+<p>"O, you needn't run, Bobby; take your time."</p>
+<p>"I will go very quick. But, Miss Annie, is your father at
+home?"</p>
+<p>"Not now; he has gone over to the wood lot; but he will be back
+by the time you return."</p>
+<p>"Will you please to tell him that I want to see him about
+something very particular, when he gets back?"</p>
+<p>"I will, Bobby."</p>
+<p>"Thank you, Miss Annie;" and Bobby hastened to the village to
+execute his commission.</p>
+<p>"I wonder what he wants to see pa so very particularly for,"
+said the young lady to herself, as she watched his receding form.
+"In my opinion, something has happened at the little black house,
+for I could see that he looked very sober."</p>
+<p>Either Bobby had a very great regard for the young lady, and
+wished to relieve her impatience to behold the coveted books, or he
+was in a hurry to see Squire Lee; for the squire's old roan horse
+could hardly have gone quicker.</p>
+<p>"You should not have run, Bobby," said the little maiden, when
+he placed the books in her hand; "I would not have asked you to go
+if I had thought you would run all the way. You must be very
+tired."</p>
+<p>"Not at all; I didn't run, only walked very quick," replied he;
+but his quick breathing indicated that his words or his walk had
+been very much exaggerated. "Has your father returned?"</p>
+<p>"He has; he is waiting for you in the sitting room. Come in,
+Bobby."</p>
+<p>Bobby followed her into the room, and took the chair which Annie
+offered him.</p>
+<p>"How do you do, Bobby? I am glad to see you," said the squire,
+taking him by the hand, and bestowing a benignant smile upon
+him&mdash;a smile which cheered his heart more than anything else
+could at that moment. "I have heard of you before, to-day."</p>
+<p>"Have you?"</p>
+<p>"I have, Bobby; you are a brave little fellow."</p>
+<p>"I came over to see you, sir, about something very particular,"
+replied Bobby, whose natural modesty induced him to change the
+topic.</p>
+<p>"Indeed; well, what can I do for you?"</p>
+<p>"A great deal, sir; perhaps you will think I am very bold, sir,
+but I can't help it."</p>
+<p>"I know you are a very bold little fellow, or you would not have
+done what you did this forenoon," laughed the squire.</p>
+<p>"I didn't mean that, sir," answered Bobby, blushing up to the
+eyes.</p>
+<p>"I know you didn't; but go on."</p>
+<p>"I only meant that you would think me presuming, or impudent, or
+something of that kind."</p>
+<p>"O, no, far from it. You cannot be presuming or impudent. Speak
+out, Bobby; anything under the heavens that I can do for you, I
+shall be glad to do."</p>
+<p>"Well, sir, I am going to leave Riverdale."</p>
+<p>"Leave Riverdale!"</p>
+<p>"Yes, sir; I am going to Boston, where I mean to do something to
+help mother."</p>
+<p>"Bravo! you are a good lad. What do you mean to do?"</p>
+<p>"I was thinking I should go into the book business."</p>
+<p>"Indeed!" and Squire Lee was much amused by the matter-of-fact
+manner of the young aspirant.</p>
+<p>"I was talking with a young fellow who went through the place
+last spring, selling books. He told me that some days he made three
+or four dollars, and that he averaged twelve dollars a week."</p>
+<p>"He did well; perhaps, though, only a few of them make so
+much."</p>
+<p>"I know I can make twelve dollars a week," replied Bobby,
+confidently, for that something within him made him feel capable of
+great things.</p>
+<p>"I dare say you can. You have energy and perseverance, and
+people take a liking to you."</p>
+<p>"But I wanted to see you about another matter. To speak out at
+once, I want to borrow sixty dollars of you;" and Bobby blushed,
+and seemed very much embarrassed by his own boldness.</p>
+<p>"Sixty dollars!" exclaimed the squire.</p>
+<p>"I knew you would think me impudent," replied our hero, his
+heart sinking within him.</p>
+<p>"But I don't, Bobby. You want the money to go into business
+with&mdash;to buy your stock of books?"</p>
+<p>"O, no, sir; I am going to apply to Mr. Bayard for that."</p>
+<p>"Just so; Mr. Bayard is the gentleman whose daughter you
+saved?"</p>
+<p>"Yes, sir. I want this money to pay off Mr. Hardhand. We owe him
+but sixty dollars now, and he has threatened to turn us out, if it
+is not paid by to-morrow noon."</p>
+<p>"The old hunks!"</p>
+<p>Bobby briefly related to the squire the events of the morning,
+much to the indignation and disgust of the honest, kind-hearted
+man. The courageous boy detailed more clearly his purpose, and
+doubted not he should be able to pay the loan in a few months.</p>
+<p>"Very well, Bobby, here is the money;" and the squire took it
+from his wallet, and gave it to him.</p>
+<p>"Thank you, sir. May Heaven bless you! I shall certainly pay
+you."</p>
+<p>"Don't worry about it, Bobby. Pay it when you get ready."</p>
+<p>"I will give you my note, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+<p>The squire laughed heartily at this, and told him that, as he
+was a minor, his note was not good for anything.</p>
+<p>"You shall see whether it is, or not," returned Bobby. "Let me
+give it to you, at least, so that we can tell how much I owe you
+from time to time."</p>
+<p>"You shall have your own way."</p>
+<p>Annie Lee, as much amused as her father at Bobby's big talk, got
+the writing materials, and the little merchant in embryo wrote and
+signed the note.</p>
+<p>"Good, Bobby! Now promise that you will come and see me every
+time you come home, and tell me how you are getting along."</p>
+<p>"I will, sir, with the greatest pleasure;" and with a light
+heart Bobby tripped away home.</p>
+<a name="h2HCH0006" id="h2HCH0006"><!-- H2 anchor --></a>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<h2>CHAPTER VI</h2>
+<h3>IN WHICH BOBBY SETS OUT ON HIS TRAVELS</h3>
+<p>Squire Lee, though only a plain farmer, was the richest man in
+Riverdale. He had taken a great fancy to Bobby, and often employed
+him to do errands, ride the horse to plough in the cornfields, and
+such chores about the place as a boy could do. He liked to talk
+with Bobby because there was a great deal of good sense in him, for
+one with a small head.</p>
+<p>If there was any one thing upon which the squire particularly
+prided himself, it was his knowledge of human nature. He declared
+that he only wanted to look a man in the face to know what he was;
+and as for Bobby Bright, he had summered him and wintered him, and
+he was satisfied that he would make something in good time.</p>
+<p>He was not much astonished when Bobby opened his ambitious
+scheme of going into business for himself. But he had full faith in
+his ability to work out a useful and profitable, if not a
+brilliant, life. He often said that Bobby was worth his weight in
+gold, and that he would trust him with anything he had. Perhaps he
+did not suspect that the time was at hand when he would be called
+upon to verify his words practically; for it was only that morning,
+when one of the neighbors told him about Bobby's stopping the
+horse, that he had repeated the expression for the twentieth
+time.</p>
+<p>It was not an idle remark. Sixty dollars was hardly worth
+mentioning with a man of his wealth and liberal views, though so
+careful a man as he was would not have been likely to throw away
+that amount. But as a matter of investment,&mdash;Bobby had made
+the note read "with interest,"&mdash;he would as readily have let
+him have it, as the next richest man in the place, so much
+confidence had he in our hero's integrity, and so sure was he that
+he would soon have the means of paying him.</p>
+<p>Bobby was overjoyed at the fortunate issue of his mission, and
+he walked into the room where his mother was closing shoes, with a
+dignity worthy a banker or a great merchant. Mrs. Bright was very
+sad. Perhaps she felt a little grieved that her son, whom she loved
+so much, had so thoughtlessly plunged her into a new
+difficulty.</p>
+<p>"Come, cheer up, mother; it is all right," said Bobby, in his
+usual elastic and gay tones; and at the same time he took the sixty
+dollars from his pocket and handed it to her. "There is the money,
+and you will be forever quit of Mr. Hardhand to-morrow."</p>
+<p>"What, Bobby! Why, where did you get all this money?" asked Mrs.
+Bright, utterly astonished.</p>
+<p>In a few words the ambitious boy told his story, and then
+informed his mother that he was going to Boston the next Monday
+morning, to commence business for himself.</p>
+<p>"Why, what can you do, Bobby?"</p>
+<p>"Do? I can do a great many things;" and he unfolded his scheme
+of becoming a little book merchant.</p>
+<p>"You are a courageous fellow! Who would have thought of such a
+thing?"</p>
+<p>"I should, and did."</p>
+<p>"But you are not old enough."</p>
+<p>"O, yes, I am."</p>
+<p>"You had better wait a while."</p>
+<p>"Now or never, mother! You see I have given my note, and my
+paper will be dishonored, if I am not up and doing."</p>
+<p>"Your paper!" said Mrs. Bright, with a smile.</p>
+<p>"That is what Mr. Wing, the boot manufacturer, calls it."</p>
+<p>"You needn't go away to earn this money; I can pay it
+myself."</p>
+<p>"This note is my affair, and I mean to pay it myself with my own
+earnings. No objections, mother."</p>
+<p>Like a sensible woman as she was, she did not make any
+objections. She was conscious of Bobby's talents; she knew that he
+had a strong mind of his own, and could take care of himself. It is
+true, she feared the influence of the great world, and especially
+of the great city, upon the tender mind of her son; but if he was
+never tempted, he would never be a conqueror over the foes that
+beset him.</p>
+<p>She determined to do her whole duty towards him; and she
+carefully pointed out to him the sins and the moral danger to which
+he would be exposed, and warned him always to resist temptation.
+She counselled him to think of her when he felt like going
+astray.</p>
+<p>Bobby declared that he would try to be a good boy. He did not
+speak contemptuously of the anticipated perils, as many boys would
+have done, because he knew that his mother would not make bug-bears
+out of things which she knew had no real existence.</p>
+<p>The next day, Mr. Hardhand came; and my young readers can judge
+how astonished and chagrined he was, when the widow Bright offered
+him the sixty dollars. The Lord was with the widow and the
+fatherless, and the wretch was cheated out of his revenge. The note
+was given up, and the mortgage cancelled.</p>
+<p>Mr. Hardhand insisted that she should pay the interest on the
+sixty dollars for one day, as it was then the second day of July;
+but when Bobby reckoned it up, and found it was less than one cent,
+even the wretched miser seemed ashamed of himself, and changed the
+subject of conversation.</p>
+<p>He did not dare to say anything saucy to the widow this time. He
+had lost his power over her, and there stood Bobby, who had come to
+look just like a young lion to him, coward and knave as he was.</p>
+<p>The business was all settled now, and Bobby spent the rest of
+the week in getting ready for his great enterprise. He visited all
+his friends, and went each day to talk with Squire Lee and Annie.
+The little maiden promised to buy a great many books of him, if he
+would bring his stock to Riverdale, for she was quite as much
+interested in him as her father was.</p>
+<p>Monday morning came, and Bobby was out of bed with the first
+streak of dawn. The excitement of the great event which was about
+to happen had not permitted him to sleep for the two hours
+preceding; yet when he got up, he could not help feeling sad. He
+was going to leave the little black house, going to leave his
+mother, going to leave the children, to depart for the great
+city.</p>
+<p>His mother was up before him. She was even more sad than he was,
+for she could see plainer than he the perils that environed him,
+and her maternal heart, in spite of the reasonable confidence she
+had in his integrity and good principles, trembled for his
+safety.</p>
+<p>As he ate his breakfast, his mother repeated the warnings and
+the good lessons she had before imparted. She particularly
+cautioned him to keep out of bad company. If he found that his
+companions would lie and swear, he might depend upon it they would
+steal, and he had better forsake them at once. This was excellent
+advice, and Bobby had occasion at a later period to call it to his
+sorrowing heart.</p>
+<p>"Here is three dollars, Bobby; it is all the money I have. Your
+fare to Boston will be one dollar, and you will have two left to
+pay the expenses of your first trip. It is all I have now," said
+Mrs. Bright.</p>
+<p>"I will not take the whole of it. You will want it yourself. One
+dollar is enough. When I find Mr. Bayard, I shall do very
+well."</p>
+<p>"Yes, Bobby, take the whole of it."</p>
+<p>"I will take just one dollar, and no more," replied Bobby,
+resolutely, as he handed her the other two dollars.</p>
+<p>"Do take it, Bobby."</p>
+<p>"No, mother; it will only make me lazy and indifferent."</p>
+<p>Taking a clean shirt, a pair of socks, and a handkerchief in his
+bundle, he was ready for a start.</p>
+<p>"Good by, mother," said he, kissing her and taking her hand. "I
+shall try and come home on Saturday, so as to be with you on
+Sunday."</p>
+<p>Then kissing the children, who had not yet got up, and to whom
+he had bidden adieu the night before, he left the house. He had
+seen the flood of tears that filled his mother's eyes, as he
+crossed the threshold; and he could not help crying a little
+himself. It is a sad thing to leave one's home, one's mother,
+especially, to go out into the great world; and we need not wonder
+that Bobby, who had hardly been out of Riverdale before, should
+weep. But he soon restrained the flowing tears.</p>
+<p>"Now or never!" said he, and he put his best foot forward.</p>
+<p>It was an epoch in his history, and though he was too young to
+realize the importance of the event, he seemed to feel that what he
+did now was to give character to his whole future life.</p>
+<p>It was a bright and beautiful morning&mdash;somehow it is always
+a bright and beautiful morning when boys leave their homes to
+commence the journey of life; it is typical of the season of youth
+and hope, and it is meet that the sky should be clear, and the sun
+shine brightly, when the little pilgrim sets out upon his tour. He
+will see clouds and storms before he has gone far&mdash;let him
+have a fair start.</p>
+<p>He had to walk five miles to the nearest railroad station. His
+road lay by the house of his friend, Squire Lee; and as he was
+approaching it, he met Annie. She said she had come out to take her
+morning walk; but Bobby knew very well that she did not usually
+walk till an hour later; which, with the fact that she had asked
+him particularly, the day before, what time he was going, made
+Bobby believe that she had come out to say good by, and bid him God
+speed on his journey. At any rate, he was very glad to see her. He
+said a great many pretty things to her, and talked so big about
+what he was going to do, that the little maiden could hardly help
+laughing in his face.</p>
+<p>Then at the house he shook hands with the squire and shook hands
+again with Annie, and resumed his journey. His heart felt lighter
+for having met them, or at least for having met one of them, if not
+both; for Annie's eyes were so full of sunshine that they seemed to
+gladden his heart, and make him feel truer and stronger.</p>
+<p>After a pleasant walk, for he scarcely heeded the distance, so
+full was he of his big thoughts, he reached the railroad station.
+The cars had not yet arrived, and would not for half an hour.</p>
+<p>"Why should I give them a dollar for carrying me to Boston, when
+I can just as well walk? If I get tired, I can sit down and rest
+me. If I save the dollar, I shall have to earn only fifty-nine more
+to pay my note. So here goes;" and he started down the track.</p>
+<a name="h2HCH0007" id="h2HCH0007"><!-- H2 anchor --></a>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<h2>CHAPTER VII</h2>
+<h3>IN WHICH BOBBY STANDS UP FOR "CERTAIN INALIENABLE RIGHTS"</h3>
+<p>Whether it was wise policy, or "penny wise and pound foolish"
+policy for Bobby to undertake such a long walk, is certainly a
+debatable question; but as my young readers would probably object
+to an argument, we will follow him to the city, and let every one
+settle the point to suit himself.</p>
+<p>His cheerful heart made the road smooth beneath his feet. He had
+always been accustomed to an active, busy life, and had probably
+often walked more than twenty miles in a day. About ten o'clock,
+though he did not feel much fatigued, he seated himself on a rock
+by a brook from which he had just taken a drink, to rest himself.
+He had walked slowly so as to husband his strength; and he felt
+confident that he should be able to accomplish the journey without
+injury to himself.</p>
+<p>After resting for half an hour, he resumed his walk. At twelve
+o'clock he reached a point from which he obtained his first view of
+the city. His heart bounded at the sight, and his first impulse was
+to increase his speed so that he should the sooner gratify his
+curiosity; but a second thought reminded him that he had eaten
+nothing since breakfast; so, finding a shady tree by the road side,
+he seated himself on a stone to eat the luncheon which his
+considerate mother had placed in his bundle.</p>
+<p>Thus refreshed, he felt like a new man, and continued his
+journey again till he was on the very outskirts of the city, where
+a sign, "No passing over this bridge," interrupted his farther
+progress. Unlike many others, Bobby took this sign literally, and
+did not venture to cross the bridge. Having some doubts as to the
+direct road to the city, he hailed a man in a butcher's cart, who
+not only pointed the way, but gave him an invitation to ride with
+him, which Bobby was glad to accept.</p>
+<p>They crossed the Milldam, and the little pilgrim forgot the long
+walk he had taken&mdash;forgot Riverdale, his mother, Squire Lee,
+and Annie, for the time, in the absorbing interest of the exciting
+scene. The Common beat Riverdale Common all hollow; he had never
+seen anything like it before. But when the wagon reached Washington
+Street, the measure of his surprise was filled up.</p>
+<p>"My gracious! how thick the houses are!" exclaimed he, much to
+the amusement of the kind-hearted butcher.</p>
+<p>"We have high fences here," he replied.</p>
+<p>"Where are all these folks going to?"</p>
+<p>"You will have to ask them, if you want to know."</p>
+<p>But the wonder soon abated, and Bobby began to think of his
+great mission in the city. He got tired of gazing and wondering,
+and even began to smile with contempt at the silly fops as they
+sauntered along, and the gayly dressed ladies, that flaunted like
+so many idle butterflies, on the sidewalk. It was an exciting
+scene; but it did not look real to him. It was more like Herr
+Grunderslung's exhibition of the magic lantern, than anything
+substantial. The men and women were like so many puppets. They did
+not seem to be doing anything, or to be walking for any
+purpose.</p>
+<p>He got out of the butcher's cart at the Old South. His first
+impression, as he joined the busy throng, was, that he was one of
+the puppets. He did not seem to have any hold upon the scene, and
+for several minutes this sensation of vacancy chained him to the
+spot.</p>
+<p>"All right!" exclaimed he to himself at last. "I am here. Now's
+my time to make a strike. Now or never."</p>
+<p>He pulled Mr. Bayard's card from his pocket, and fixed the
+number of his store in his mind. Now, numbers were not a Riverdale
+institution, and Bobby was a little perplexed about finding the one
+indicated. A little study into the matter, however, set him right,
+and he soon had the satisfaction of seeing the bookseller's name
+over his store.</p>
+<p>"F. Bayard," he read; "this is the place."</p>
+<p>"Country!" shouted a little ragged boy, who dodged across the
+street at that moment.</p>
+<p>"Just so, my beauty!" said Bobby, a little nettled at this
+imputation of verdancy.</p>
+<p>"What a greeny!" shouted the little vagabond from the other side
+of the street.</p>
+<p>"No matter, rag-tag! We'll settle that matter some other
+time."</p>
+<p>But Bobby felt that there was something in his appearance which
+subjected him to the remarks of others, and as he entered the shop,
+he determined to correct it as soon as possible.</p>
+<p>A spruce young gentleman was behind the counter, who cast a
+mischievous glance at him as he entered.</p>
+<p>"Mr. Bayard keep here?" asked Bobby.</p>
+<p>"Well, I reckon he does. How are all the folks up country?"
+replied the spruce clerk, with a rude grin.</p>
+<p>"How are they?" repeated Bobby, the color flying to his
+cheek.</p>
+<p>"Yes, ha-ow do they dew?"</p>
+<p>"They behave themselves better than they do here."</p>
+<p>"Eh, greeny?"</p>
+<p>"Eh, sappy?" repeated Bobby, mimicking the soft, silky tones of
+the young city gentleman.</p>
+<p>"What do you mean by sappy?" asked the clerk indignantly.</p>
+<p>"What do you mean by greeny?"</p>
+<p>"I'll let you know what I mean!"</p>
+<p>"When you do, I'll let you know what I mean by sappy."</p>
+<p>"Good!" exclaimed one of the salesmen, who had heard part of
+this spirited conversation. "You will learn better by and by,
+Timmins, than to impose upon boys from out of town."</p>
+<p>"You seem to be a gentleman, sir," said Bobby, approaching the
+salesman. "I wish to see Mr. Bayard."</p>
+<p>"You can't see him!" growled Timmins.</p>
+<p>"Can't I?"</p>
+<p>"Not at this minute; he is engaged just now," added the
+salesman, who seemed to have a profound respect for Bobby's
+discrimination. "He will be at liberty in a few moments."</p>
+<p>"I will wait, then," said Bobby, seating himself on a stool by
+the counter.</p>
+<p>Pretty soon the civil gentleman left the store to go to dinner,
+and Timmins, a little timid about provoking the young lion, cast an
+occasional glance of hatred at him. He had evidently found that
+"Country" was an embryo American citizen, and that he was a firm
+believer in the self-evident truths of the Declaration of
+Independence.</p>
+<p>Bobby bore no ill will towards the spruce clerk, ready as he had
+been to defend his "certain inalienable rights."</p>
+<p>"You do a big business here," suggested Bobby, in a conciliatory
+tone, and with a smile on his face which ought to have convinced
+the uncourteous clerk that he meant well.</p>
+<p>"Who told you so?" replied Timmins, gruffly.</p>
+<p>"I merely judged from appearances. You have a big store, and an
+immense quantity of books."</p>
+<p>"Appearances are deceitful," replied Timmins; and perhaps he had
+been impressed by the fact from his experience with the lad from
+the country.</p>
+<p>"That is true," added Bobby, with a good-natured smile, which,
+when interpreted, might have meant, "I took you for a civil fellow,
+but I have been very much mistaken."</p>
+<p>"You will find it out before you are many days older."</p>
+<p>"The book business is good just now, isn't it?" continued Bobby,
+without clearly comprehending the meaning of the other's last
+remark.</p>
+<p>"Humph! What's that to you?"</p>
+<p>"O, I intend to go into it myself."</p>
+<p>"Ha, ha, ha! Good! You do?"</p>
+<p>"I do," replied Bobby, seemingly unconcerned at the taunts of
+the clerk.</p>
+<p>"I suppose you want to get a place here," sneered Timmins,
+alarmed at the prospect. "But let me tell you, you can't do it.
+Bayard has all the help he wants; and if that is what you come for,
+you can move on as fast as you please."</p>
+<p>"I guess I will see him," added Bobby, quietly.</p>
+<p>"No use."</p>
+<p>"No harm in seeing him."</p>
+<p>As he spoke he took up a book that lay on the counter, and began
+to turn over the leaves.</p>
+<p>"Put that book down!" said the amiable Mr. Timmins.</p>
+<p>"I won't hurt it," replied Bobby, who had just fixed his eye
+upon some very pretty engravings in the volume.</p>
+<p>"Put it down!" repeated Mr. Timmins, in a loud, imperative
+tone.</p>
+<p>"Certainly I will, if you say so," said Bobby, who, though not
+much intimidated by the harsh tones of the clerk, did not know the
+rules of the store, and deemed it prudent not to meddle.</p>
+<p>"I <i>do</i> say so!" added Mr. Timmins, magnificently; "and
+what's more, you'd better mind me, too."</p>
+<p>Bobby had minded, and probably the stately little clerk would
+not have been so bold if he had not. Some people like to threaten
+after the danger is over.</p>
+<p>Then our visitor from the country espied some little blank books
+lying on the counter. He had already made up his mind to have one,
+in which to keep his accounts; and he thought, while he was
+waiting, that he would purchase one. He meant to do things
+methodically; so when he picked up one of the blank books, it was
+with the intention of buying it.</p>
+<p>"Put that book down!" said Mr. Timmins, encouraged in his
+aggressive intentions by the previous docility of our hero.</p>
+<p>"I want to buy one."</p>
+<p>"No, you don't; put it down."</p>
+<p>"What is the price of these?" asked Bobby, resolutely.</p>
+<p>"None of your business!"</p>
+<p>"Is that the way you treat your customers?" asked Bobby, with a
+little sternness in his looks and tones. "I say I want to buy
+one."</p>
+<p>"Put it down."</p>
+<p>"But I will not; I say I want to buy it."</p>
+<p>"No, you don't!"</p>
+<p>"What is the price of it?"</p>
+<p>"Twenty-five cents," growled Timmins, which was just four times
+the retail price.</p>
+<p>"Twenty-five cents! That's high."</p>
+<p>"Put it down, then."</p>
+<p>"Is that your lowest price?" asked Bobby, who was as cool as a
+cucumber.</p>
+<p>"Yes, it is; and if you don't put it down, I'll kick you out of
+the store."</p>
+<p>"Will you? Then I won't put it down."</p>
+<p>Mr. Timmins took this as a "stump;" his ire was up, and he
+walked round from behind the counter to execute his threat.</p>
+<p>I must say I think Bobby was a little forward, and I would have
+my young readers a little more pliant with small men like Timmins.
+There are always men enough in the world who are ready and willing
+to quarrel on any provocation; and it is always best not to provoke
+them, even if they are overbearing and insolent, as Mr. Timmins
+certainly was.</p>
+<p>"Hold on a minute before you do it," said Bobby, with the same
+provoking coolness. "I want to buy this book, and I am willing to
+pay a fair price for it. But I happen to know that you can buy them
+up in Riverdale, where I came from, for six cents."</p>
+<p>"No matter," exclaimed the indignant clerk, seizing Bobby by the
+coat collar for the purpose of ejecting him; "you shall find your
+way into the street."</p>
+<p>Now Bobby, as I have before intimated, was an embryo American
+citizen, and the act of Mr. Timmins seemed like an invasion of his
+inalienable rights. No time was given him to make a formal
+declaration of rights in the premises; so the instinct of
+self-preservation was allowed to have free course.</p>
+<p>Mr. Timmins pulled and tugged at his coat collar, and Bobby hung
+back like a mule; and for an instant there was quite a spirited
+scene.</p>
+<p>"Hallo! Timmins, what does this mean?" said a voice, at which
+the valiant little clerk instantly let go his hold.</p>
+<a name="h2HCH0008" id="h2HCH0008"><!-- H2 anchor --></a>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<h2>CHAPTER VIII</h2>
+<h3>IN WHICH MR. TIMMINS IS ASTONISHED, AND BOBBY DINES IN CHESTNUT
+STREET</h3>
+<p>It was Mr. Bayard. He had finished his business with the
+gentleman by his side, and hearing the noise of the scuffle, had
+come to learn the occasion of it.</p>
+<p>"This impudent young puppy wouldn't let the books alone!" began
+Mr. Timmins. "I threatened to turn him out if he didn't; and I
+meant to make good my threat. I think he meant to steal
+something."</p>
+<p>Bobby was astonished and shocked at this bold imputation; but he
+wished to have his case judged on its own merits; so he turned his
+face away, that Mr. Bayard might not recognize him.</p>
+<p>"I wanted to buy one of these blank books," added Bobby, picking
+up the one he had dropped on the floor in the struggle.</p>
+<p>"All stuff!" ejaculated Timmins. "He is an impudent, obstinate
+puppy! In my opinion he meant to steal that book."</p>
+<p>"I asked him the price, and told him I wanted to buy it," added
+Bobby, still averting his face.</p>
+<p>"Well, I told him; and he said it was too high."</p>
+<p>"He asked me twenty-five cents for it."</p>
+<p>"Is this true, Timmins?" asked Mr. Bayard, sternly.</p>
+<p>"No, <i>sir</i>! I told him fourpence," replied Timmins,
+boldly.</p>
+<p>"By gracious! What a whopper!" exclaimed Bobby, startled out of
+his propriety by this monstrous lie. "He said twenty-five cents;
+and I told him I could buy one up in Riverdale, where I came from,
+for six cents. Can you deny that?"</p>
+<p>"It's a lie!" protested Timmins.</p>
+<p>"Riverdale," said Mr. Bayard. "Are you from Riverdale, boy?"</p>
+<p>"Yes, sir, I am; and if you will look on your memorandum book
+you will find my name there."</p>
+<p>"Bless me! I am sure I have seen that face before," exclaimed
+Mr. Bayard, as he grasped the hand of Bobby, much to the
+astonishment and consternation of Mr. Timmins. "You
+are&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+<p>"Robert Bright, sir."</p>
+<p>"My brave little fellow! I am heartily glad to see you;" and the
+bookseller shook the hand he held with hearty good will. "I was
+thinking of you only a little while ago."</p>
+<p>"This fellow calls me a liar," said Bobby, pointing to the
+astonished Mr. Timmins, who did not know what to make of the
+cordial reception which "Country" was receiving from his
+employer.</p>
+<p>"Well, Robert, we know that <i>he</i> is a liar; this is not the
+first time he has been caught in a lie. Timmins, your time is
+out."</p>
+<p>The spruce clerk hung his head with shame and mortification.</p>
+<p>"I hope, sir, you will&mdash;&mdash;" he began, but pride or
+fear stopped him short.</p>
+<p>"Don't be hard with him, sir, if you please," said Bobby. "I
+suppose I aggravated him."</p>
+<p>Mr. Bayard looked at the gentleman who stood by his side, and a
+smile of approbation lighted up his face.</p>
+<p>"Generous as he is noble! Butler, this is the boy that saved
+Ellen."</p>
+<p>"Indeed! He is a little giant!" replied Mr. Butler, grasping
+Bobby's hand.</p>
+<p>Even Timmins glanced with something like admiration in his looks
+at the youth whom he had so lately despised. Perhaps, too, he
+thought of that Scripture wisdom about entertaining angels
+unawares. He was very much abashed, and nothing but his silly pride
+prevented him from acknowledging his error and begging Bobby's
+forgiveness.</p>
+<p>"I can't have a liar about me," said Mr. Bayard.</p>
+<p>"There may be some mistake," suggested Mr. Butler.</p>
+<p>"I think not. Robert Bright couldn't lie. So brave and noble a
+boy is incapable of a falsehood. Besides, I got a letter from my
+friend Squire Lee by this morning's mail, in which he informed me
+of my young friend's coming."</p>
+<p>Mr. Bayard took from his pocket a bundle of letters, and
+selected the squire's from among them. Opening it, he read a
+passage which had a direct bearing upon the case before him.</p>
+<p>"'I do not know what Bobby's faults are,'"&mdash;the letter
+said,&mdash;"'but this I do know: that Bobby would rather be
+whipped than tell a lie. He is noted through the place for his love
+of truth.'&mdash;That is pretty strong testimony; and you see,
+Bobby,&mdash;that's what the squire calls you,&mdash;your
+reputation has preceded you."</p>
+<p>Bobby blushed, as he always did when he was praised, and Mr.
+Timmins was more abashed than ever.</p>
+<p>"Did you hear that, Timmins? Who is the liar now?" said Mr.
+Bayard, turning to the culprit.</p>
+<p>"Forgive me, sir, this time. If you turn me off now, I cannot
+get another place, and my mother depends upon my wages."</p>
+<p>"You ought to have thought of this before."</p>
+<p>"He aggravated me, sir, so that I wanted to pay him off."</p>
+<p>"As to that, he commenced upon me the moment I came into the
+store. But don't turn him off, if you please, sir," said Bobby, who
+even now wished no harm to his discomfited assailant. "He will do
+better hereafter: won't you, Timmins?"</p>
+<p>Thus appealed to, Timmins, though he did not relish so direct an
+inquiry, and from such a source, was compelled to reply in the
+affirmative; and Mr. Bayard graciously remitted the sentence he had
+passed against the offending clerk.</p>
+<p>"Now, Robert, you will come over to my house and dine with me.
+Ellen will be delighted to see you."</p>
+<p>"Thank you, sir," replied Bobby, bashfully, "I have been to
+dinner"&mdash;referring to the luncheon he had eaten at
+Brighton.</p>
+<p>"But you must go to the house with me."</p>
+<p>"I should be very glad to do so, sir, but I came on business. I
+will stay here with Mr. Timmins till you come back."</p>
+<p>The truth is, he had heard something about the fine houses of
+the city, and how stylish the people were, and he had some
+misgivings about venturing into such a strange and untried scene as
+the parlor of a Boston merchant.</p>
+<p>"Indeed, you must come with me. Ellen would never forgive you or
+me, if you did not come."</p>
+<p>"I would rather rest here till you return," replied Bobby, still
+willing to escape the fine house and the fine folks. "I walked from
+Riverdale, sir, and I am rather tired."</p>
+<p>"Walked!" exclaimed Mr. Bayard. "Had you no money?"</p>
+<p>"Yes, sir, enough to pay my passage; but Dr. Franklin says that
+'a penny saved is a penny earned,' and I thought I would try it. I
+shall get rested by the time you return."</p>
+<p>"But you must go with me. Timmins, go and get a carriage."</p>
+<p>Timmins obeyed, and before Mr. Bayard had finished asking Bobby
+how all the people in Riverdale were, the carriage was at the
+door.</p>
+<p>There was no backing out now, and our hero was obliged to get
+into the vehicle, though it seemed altogether too fine for a poor
+boy like him. Mr. Bayard and Mr. Butler (whom the former had
+invited to dine with him) seated themselves beside him, and the
+driver was directed to set them down at No. &mdash;, Chestnut
+Street, where they soon arrived.</p>
+<p>Though my readers would, no doubt, be very much amused to learn
+how carefully Bobby trod the velvet carpets, how he stared with
+wonder at the drapery curtains, at the tall mirrors, the elegant
+chandeliers, and the fantastically shaped chairs and tables that
+adorned Mr. Bayard's parlor, the length of our story does not
+permit us to pause over these trivial matters.</p>
+<p>When Ellen Bayard was informed that her little deliverer was in
+the house, she rushed into the parlor like a hoiden school girl,
+grasped both his hands, kissed both his rosy cheeks, and behaved
+just as though she had never been to a boarding school in her
+life.</p>
+<p>She had thought a great deal about Bobby since that eventful
+day, and the more she thought of him, the more she liked him. Her
+admiration of him was not of that silly, sentimental character
+which moonstruck young ladies cherish towards those immaculate
+young men who have saved them from drowning in a horse pond, pulled
+them back just as they were tumbling over a precipice two thousand
+five hundred feet high, or rescued them from a house seven stories
+high, bearing them down a ladder seventy-five odd feet long. The
+fact was, Bobby was a boy of thirteen and there was no chance for
+much sentiment; so the young lady's regard was real, earnest, and
+lifelike.</p>
+<p>Ellen said a great many very handsome things; but I am sure she
+never thought of such a thing as that he would run away with her,
+in case her papa was unnecessarily obstinate. She was very glad to
+see him, and I have no doubt she wished Bobby might be her brother,
+it would be so glorious to have such a noble little fellow always
+with her.</p>
+<p>Bobby managed the dinner much better than he had anticipated;
+for Mr. Bayard insisted that he should sit down with them, whether
+he ate anything or not. But the Rubicon passed, our hero found that
+he had a pretty smart appetite, and did full justice to the viands
+set before him. It is true the silver forks, the napkins, the
+finger bowls, and other articles of luxury and show, to which he
+had been entirely unaccustomed, bothered him not a little; but he
+kept perfectly cool, and carefully observed how Mr. Butler, who sat
+next to him, handled the "spoon fork," what he did with the napkin
+and the finger bowl, so that, I will venture to say, not one in ten
+would have suspected he had not spent his life in the parlor of a
+millionaire.</p>
+<p>Dinner over, the party returned to the parlor, where Bobby
+unfolded his plan for the future. To make his story intelligible,
+he was obliged to tell them all about Mr. Hardhand.</p>
+<p>"The old wretch!" exclaimed Mr. Bayard. "But, Robert, you must
+let me advance the sixty dollars, to pay Squire Lee."</p>
+<p>"No, sir; you have done enough in that way. I have given my note
+for the money."</p>
+<p>"Whew!" said Mr. Butler.</p>
+<p>"And I shall soon earn enough to pay it."</p>
+<p>"No doubt of it. You are a lad of courage and energy, and you
+will succeed in everything you undertake."</p>
+<p>"I shall want you to trust me for a stock of books, on the
+strength of old acquaintance," continued Bobby, who had now grown
+quite bold, and felt as much at home in the midst of the costly
+furniture, as he did in the "living room" of the old black
+house.</p>
+<p>"You shall have all the books you want."</p>
+<p>"I will pay for them as soon as I return. The truth is, Mr.
+Bayard, I mean to be independent. I didn't want to take that
+thirty-five dollars, though I don't know what Mr. Hardhand would
+have done to us, if I hadn't."</p>
+<p>"Ellen said I ought to have given you a hundred, and I think so
+myself."</p>
+<p>"I am glad you didn't. Too much money makes us fat and
+lazy."</p>
+<p>Mr. Bayard laughed at the easy self-possession of the
+lad&mdash;at his big talk; though, big as it was, it meant
+something. When he proposed to go to the store, he told Bobby he
+had better stay at the house and rest himself.</p>
+<p>"No, sir; I want to start out to-morrow, and I must get ready
+to-day."</p>
+<p>"You had better put it off till the next day; you will feel more
+like it then."</p>
+<p>"Now or never," replied Bobby. "That is my motto, sir. If we
+have anything to do, now is always the best time to do it. Dr.
+Franklin says, 'Never put off till to-morrow what you can do
+to-day.'"</p>
+<p>"Right, Robert! you shall have your own way. I wish my clerks
+would adopt some of Dr. Franklin's wise saws. I should be a great
+deal better off in the course of a year if they would."</p>
+<a name="h2HCH0009" id="h2HCH0009"><!-- H2 anchor --></a>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<h2>CHAPTER IX</h2>
+<h3>IN WHICH BOBBY OPENS VARIOUS ACCOUNTS, AND WINS HIS FIRST
+VICTORY</h3>
+<p>"Now, Bobby, I understand your plan," said Mr. Bayard, when they
+reached the store; "but the details must be settled. Where do you
+intend to go?"</p>
+<p>"I hardly know, sir. I suppose I can sell books almost
+anywhere."</p>
+<p>"Very true; but in some places much better than in others."</p>
+<p>Mr. Bayard mentioned a large town about eighteen miles from the
+city, in which he thought a good trade might be carried on, and
+Bobby at once decided to adopt the suggestion.</p>
+<p>"You can make this place your headquarters for the week; if
+books do not sell well right in the village, why, you can go out a
+little way, for the country in the vicinity is peopled by
+intelligent farmers, who are well off, and who can afford to buy
+books."</p>
+<p>"I was thinking of that; but what shall I take with me,
+sir?"</p>
+<p>"There is a new book just published, called 'The Wayfarer,'
+which is going to have a tremendous run. It has been advertised in
+advance all over the country, so that you will find a ready sale
+for it. You will get it there before any one else, and have the
+market all to yourself."</p>
+<p>"'The Wayfarer'? I have heard of it myself."</p>
+<p>"You shall take fifty copies with you, and if you find that you
+shall want more, write, and I will send them."</p>
+<p>"But I cannot carry fifty copies."</p>
+<p>"You must take the cars to B&mdash;&mdash;, and have a trunk or
+box to carry your books in. I have a stout trunk down cellar which
+you shall have."</p>
+<p>"I will pay for it, sir."</p>
+<p>"Never mind that, Bobby; and you will want a small valise or
+carpet bag to carry your books from house to house. I will lend you
+one."</p>
+<p>"You are very kind, sir; I did not mean to ask any favors of you
+except to trust me for the books until my return."</p>
+<p>"All right, Bobby."</p>
+<p>Mr. Bayard called the porter and ordered him to bring up the
+trunk, in which he directed Mr. Timmins to pack fifty
+"Wayfarers."</p>
+<p>"Now, how much will these books cost me apiece?" asked
+Bobby.</p>
+<p>"The retail price is one dollar; the wholesale price is one
+third off; and you shall have them at what they cost me."</p>
+<p>"Sixty-seven cents," added Bobby. "That will give me a profit of
+thirty-three cents on each book."</p>
+<p>"Just so."</p>
+<p>"Perhaps Mr. Timmins will sell me one of those blank books now;
+for I like to have things down in black and white."</p>
+<p>"I will furnish you with something much better than that;" and
+Mr. Bayard left the counting room.</p>
+<p>In a moment he returned with a handsome pocket memorandum book,
+which he presented to the little merchant.</p>
+<p>"But I don't like to take it unless you will let me pay for it,"
+said Bobby, hesitating.</p>
+<p>"Never mind it, my young friend. Now you can sit down at my desk
+and open your accounts. I like to see boys methodical, and there is
+nothing like keeping accounts to make one accurate. Keep your books
+posted up, and you will know where you are at any time."</p>
+<p>"I intend to keep an account of all I spend and all I receive,
+if it is no more than a cent."</p>
+<p>"Right, my little man. Have you ever studied book-keeping?"</p>
+<p>"No, sir, I suppose I haven't; but there was a page of accounts
+in the back part of the arithmetic I studied, and I got a pretty
+good idea of the thing from that. All the money received goes on
+one side, and all the money paid out goes on the other."</p>
+<p>"Exactly so; in this book you had better open a book account
+first. If you wish, I will show you how."</p>
+<p>"Thank you, sir; I should be very glad to have you;" and Bobby
+opened the memorandum book, and seated himself at the desk.</p>
+<p>"Write 'Book Account,' at the top of the pages, one word on
+each. Very well. Now write 'To fifty copies of "Wayfarer," at
+sixty-seven cents, $33.50,' on the left-hand page, or debit side of
+the account."</p>
+<p>"I am not much of a writer," said Bobby, apologetically.</p>
+<p>"You will improve. Now, each day you will credit the amount of
+sales on the right hand page, or credit side of the account; so,
+when you have sold out, the balance due your debit side will be the
+profit on the lot. Do you understand it?"</p>
+<p>Bobby thought a moment before he could see through it; but his
+brain was active, and he soon managed the idea.</p>
+<p>"Now you want a personal account;" and Mr. Bayard explained to
+him how to make this out.</p>
+<p>He then instructed him to enter on the debit side all he spent
+for travel, board, freight, and other charges. The next was the
+"profit and loss" account, which was to show him the net profit of
+the business.</p>
+<p>Our hero, who had a decided taste for accounts, was very much
+pleased with this employment; and when the accounts were all
+opened, he regarded them with a great deal of satisfaction. He
+longed to commence his operations, if it were only for the pleasure
+of making the entries in this book.</p>
+<p>"One thing I forgot," said he, as he seized the pen, and under
+the cash account entered, "To Cash from mother, $1.00." "Now I am
+all right, I believe."</p>
+<p>"I think you are. Now, the cars leave at seven in the morning.
+Can you be ready for a start as early as that?" asked Mr.
+Bayard.</p>
+<p>"O, yes, sir, I hope so. I get up at half past four at
+home."</p>
+<p>"Very well; my small valise is at the house; but I believe
+everything else is ready. Now, I have some business to attend to;
+and if you will amuse yourself for an hour or two, we will go home
+then."</p>
+<p>"I shall want a lodging place when I am in the city; perhaps
+some of your folks can direct me to one where they won't charge too
+much."</p>
+<p>"As to that, Bobby, you must go to my house whenever you are in
+the city."</p>
+<p>"Law, sir! you live so grand, I couldn't think of going to your
+house. I am only a poor boy from the country, and I don't know how
+to behave myself among such nice folks."</p>
+<p>"You will do very well, Bobby. Ellen would never forgive me if I
+let you go anywhere else. So that is settled; you will go to my
+house. Now, you may sit here, or walk out and see the sights."</p>
+<p>"If you please, sir, if Mr. Timmins will let me look at some of
+the books, I shouldn't wish for anything better. I should like to
+look at 'The Wayfarer,' so that I shall know how to recommend
+it."</p>
+<p>"Mr. Timmins <i>will</i> let you," replied Mr. Bayard, as he
+touched the spring of a bell on his desk.</p>
+<p>The dapper clerk came running into the counting room to attend
+the summons of his employer.</p>
+<p>"Mr. Timmins," continued Mr. Bayard, with a mischievous smile,
+"bring Mr. Bright a copy of 'The Wayfarer.'"</p>
+<p>Mr. Timmins was astonished to hear "Country" called "Mister,"
+astonished to hear his employer call him "Mister," and Bobby was
+astonished to hear himself called "Mister." Nevertheless, our hero
+enjoyed the joke.</p>
+<p>The clerk brought the book; and Bobby proceeded to give it a
+thorough, critical examination. He read the preface, the table of
+contents, and several chapters of the work, before Mr. Bayard was
+ready to go home.</p>
+<p>"How do you like it, Bobby?" asked the bookseller.</p>
+<p>"First rate."</p>
+<p>"You may take that copy in your hand; you will want to finish
+it."</p>
+<p>"Thank you, sir; I will be careful of it."</p>
+<p>"You may keep it. Let that be the beginning of your own private
+library."</p>
+<p>His own private library! Bobby had not got far enough to dream
+of such a thing yet; but he thanked Mr. Bayard, and put the book
+under his arm.</p>
+<p>After tea, Ellen proposed to her father that they should all go
+to the Museum. Mr. Bayard acceded, and our hero was duly amazed at
+the drolleries perpetrated there. He had a good time; but it was so
+late when he went to bed, that he was a little fearful lest he
+should over-sleep himself in the morning.</p>
+<p>He did not, however, and was down in the parlor before any of
+the rest of the family were stirring. An early breakfast was
+prepared for him, at which Mr. Bayard, who intended to see him off,
+joined him. Depositing his little bundle and the copy of "The
+Wayfarer" in the valise provided for him, they walked to the store.
+The porter wheeled the trunk down to the railroad station, though
+Bobby insisted upon doing it himself.</p>
+<p>The bookseller saw him and his baggage safely aboard of the
+cars, gave him a ticket, and then bade him an affectionate adieu.
+In a little while Bobby was flying over the rail, and at about
+eight o'clock reached B&mdash;&mdash;.</p>
+<p>The station master kindly permitted him to deposit his trunk in
+the baggage room, and to leave it there for the remainder of the
+week.</p>
+<p>Taking a dozen of the books from the trunk, and placing them in
+his valise, he sallied out upon his mission. It must be confessed
+that his heart was filled with a tumult of emotions. The battle of
+life was before him. He was on the field, sword in hand, ready to
+plunge into the contest. It was victory or defeat.</p>
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<p class="i2">"March on, brave youth! the field of strife</p>
+<p class="i4">With peril fraught before thee lies;</p>
+<p class="i2">March on! the battle plain of life</p>
+<p class="i4">Shall yield thee yet a glorious prize."</p>
+</div>
+</div>
+<p>It was of no use to shrink then, even if he had felt disposed to
+do so. He was prepared to be rebuffed, to be insulted, to be turned
+away from the doors at which he should seek admission; but he was
+determined to conquer.</p>
+<p>He had reached a house at which he proposed to offer "The
+Wayfarer" for sale. His heart went pit pat, pit pat, and he paused
+before the door.</p>
+<p>"Now or never!" exclaimed he, as he swung open the garden gate,
+and made his way up to the door.</p>
+<p>He felt some misgivings. It was so new and strange to him that
+he could hardly muster sufficient resolution to proceed farther.
+But his irresolution was of only a moment's duration.</p>
+<p>"Now or never!" and he gave a vigorous knock at the door.</p>
+<p>It was opened by an elderly lady, whose physiognomy did not
+promise much.</p>
+<p>"Good morning, ma'am. Can I sell you a copy of 'The Wayfarer'
+to-day? a new book, just published."</p>
+<p>"No; I don't want none of your books. There's more pedlers round
+the country now than you could shake a stick at in a month,"
+replied the old lady, petulantly.</p>
+<p>"It is a very interesting book, ma'am; has an excellent moral."
+Bobby had read the preface, as I before remarked. "It will suit
+you, ma'am; for you look just like a lady who wants to read
+something with a moral."</p>
+<p>Bravo, Bobby! The lady concluded that her face had a moral
+expression, and she was pleased with the idea.</p>
+<p>"Let me see it;" and she asked Bobby to walk in and be seated,
+while she went for her spectacles.</p>
+<p>As she was looking over the book, our hero went into a more
+elaborate recommendation of its merits. He was sure it would
+interest the young and the old; it taught a good lesson; it had
+elegant engravings; the type was large, which would suit her eyes;
+it was well printed and bound; and finally, it was cheap at one
+dollar.</p>
+<p>"I'll take it," said the old lady.</p>
+<p>"Thank you, ma'am."</p>
+<p>Bobby's first victory was achieved.</p>
+<p>"Have you got a dollar?" asked the lady, as she handed him a
+two-dollar bill.</p>
+<p>"Yes, ma'am;" and he gave her his only dollar and put the two in
+its place, prouder than a king who has conquered an empire. "Thank
+you ma'am."</p>
+<p>Bidding the lady a polite good morning, he left the house,
+encouraged by his success to go forward in his mission with
+undiminished hope.</p>
+<a name="h2HCH0010" id="h2HCH0010"><!-- H2 anchor --></a>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<h2>CHAPTER X</h2>
+<h3>IN WHICH BOBBY IS A LITTLE TOO SMART</h3>
+<p>The clouds were rolled back, and Bobby no longer had a doubt as
+to the success of his undertaking. It requires but a little
+sunshine to gladden the heart, and the influence of his first
+success scattered all the misgivings he had cherished.</p>
+<p>Two New England shillings is undoubtedly a very small sum of
+money; but Bobby had made two shillings, and he would not have
+considered himself more fortunate if some unknown relative had left
+him a fortune. It gave him confidence in his powers, and as he
+walked away from the house, he reviewed the circumstances of his
+first sale.</p>
+<p>The old lady had told him at first she did not wish to buy a
+book, and, moreover, had spoken rather contemptuously of the craft
+to which he had now the honor to belong. He gave himself the credit
+of having conquered the old lady's prejudices. He had sold her a
+book in spite of her evident intention not to purchase. In short,
+he had, as we have before said, won a glorious victory, and he
+congratulated himself accordingly.</p>
+<p>But it was of no use to waste time in useless
+self-glorification, and Bobby turned from the past to the future.
+There were forty-nine more books to be sold; so that the future was
+forty-nine times as big as the past.</p>
+<p>He saw a shoemaker's shop ahead of him, and he was debating with
+himself whether he should enter and offer his books for sale. It
+would do no harm, though he had but slight expectations of doing
+anything.</p>
+<p>There were three men at work in the shop&mdash;one of them a
+middle-aged man, the other two young men. They looked like persons
+of intelligence, and as soon as Bobby saw them his hopes grew
+stronger.</p>
+<p>"Can I sell you any books to-day?" asked the little merchant, as
+he crossed the threshold.</p>
+<p>"Well, I don't know; that depends upon how smart you are,"
+replied the eldest of the men. "It takes a pretty smart fellow to
+sell anything in this shop."</p>
+<p>"Then I hope to sell each of you a book," added Bobby, laughing
+at the badinage of the shoemaker.</p>
+<p>Opening his valise he took out three copies of his book, and
+politely handed one to each of the men.</p>
+<p>"It isn't every book pedler that comes along who offers you such
+a work as that. 'The Wayfarer' is decidedly <i>the</i> book of the
+season."</p>
+<p>"You don't say so!" said the oldest shoemaker, with a laugh.
+"Every pedler that comes along uses those words, precisely."</p>
+<p>"Do they? They steal my thunder then."</p>
+<p>"You are an old one."</p>
+<p>"Only thirteen. I was born where they don't fasten the door with
+a boiled carrot."</p>
+<p>"What do they fasten them with?"</p>
+<p>"They don't fasten them at all."</p>
+<p>"There are no book pedlers round there, then;" and all the
+shoemakers laughed heartily at this smart sally.</p>
+<p>"No; they are all shoemakers in our town."</p>
+<p>"You can take my hat, boy."</p>
+<p>"You will want it to put your head in; but I will take one
+dollar for that book instead."</p>
+<p>The man laughed, took out his wallet, and handed Bobby the
+dollar, probably quite as much because he had a high appreciation
+of his smartness, as from any desire to possess the book.</p>
+<p>"Won't you take one?" asked Bobby, appealing to another of the
+men, who was apparently not more than twenty-four years of age.</p>
+<p>"No; I can't read," replied he roguishly.</p>
+<p>"Let your wife read it to you, then."</p>
+<p>"My wife?"</p>
+<p>"Certainly; she knows how to read, I will warrant."</p>
+<p>"How do you know I have got a wife?"</p>
+<p>"O, well, a fellow as good looking and good natured as you are
+could not have resisted till this time."</p>
+<p>"Has you, Tom," added the oldest shoemaker.</p>
+<p>"I cave in;" and he handed over the dollar, and laid the book
+upon his bench.</p>
+<p>Bobby looked at the third man with some interest. He had said
+nothing, and scarcely heeded the fun which was passing between the
+little merchant and his companions. He was apparently absorbed in
+his examination of the book. He was a different kind of person from
+the others, and Bobby's instinctive knowledge of human nature
+assured him that he was not to be gained by flattery or by smart
+sayings; so he placed himself in front of him, and patiently waited
+in silence for him to complete his examination.</p>
+<p>"You will find that he is a hard one," put in one of the
+others.</p>
+<p>Bobby made no reply, and the two men who had bought books
+resumed their work. For five minutes our hero stood waiting for the
+man to finish his investigation into the merits of "The Wayfarer."
+Something told him not to say anything to this person; and he had
+some doubts about his purchasing.</p>
+<p>"I will take one," said the last shoemaker, as he handed Bobby
+the dollar.</p>
+<p>"I am much obliged to you, gentlemen," said Bobby, as he closed
+his valise. "When I come this way again I shall certainly
+call."</p>
+<p>"Do; you have done what no other pedler ever did in this
+shop."</p>
+<p>"I shall take no credit to myself. The fact is, you are men of
+intelligence, and you want good books."</p>
+<p>Bobby picked up his valise and left the shop, satisfied with
+those who occupied it, and satisfied with himself.</p>
+<p>"Eight shillings!" exclaimed he, when he got into the road.
+"Pretty good hour's work, I should say."</p>
+<p>Bobby trudged along till he came to a very large, elegant house,
+evidently dwelt in by one of the nabobs of B&mdash;&mdash;.
+Inspired by past successes, he walked boldly up to the front door,
+and rang the bell.</p>
+<p>"Is Mr. Whiting in?" asked Bobby, who had read the name on the
+door plate.</p>
+<p>"Colonel Whiting <i>is</i> in," replied the servant, who had
+opened the door.</p>
+<p>"I should like to see him for a moment, if he isn't busy."</p>
+<p>"Walk in;" and for some reason or other the servant chuckled a
+great deal as she admitted him.</p>
+<p>She conducted him to a large, elegantly furnished parlor, where
+Bobby proceeded to take out his books for the inspection of the
+nabob, whom the servant promised to send to the parlor.</p>
+<p>In a moment Colonel Whiting entered. He was a large, fat man,
+about fifty years old. He looked at the little book merchant with a
+frown that would have annihilated a boy less spunky than our hero.
+Bobby was not a little inflated by the successes of the morning,
+and if Julius C&aelig;sar or Napoleon Bonaparte had stood before
+him then, he would not have flinched a hair&mdash;much less in the
+presence of no greater magnate than the nabob of
+B&mdash;&mdash;.</p>
+<p>"Good morning, Colonel Whiting. I hope you are well this
+beautiful morning." Bobby began.</p>
+<p>I must confess I think this was a little too familiar for a boy
+of thirteen to a gentleman of fifty, whom he had never seen before
+in his life; but it must be remembered that Bobby had done a great
+deal the week before, that on the preceding night he had slept in
+Chestnut Street, and that he had just sold four copies of "The
+Wayfarer." He was inclined to be smart, and some folks hate smart
+boys.</p>
+<p>The nabob frowned; his cheek reddened with anger; but he did not
+condescend to make any reply to the smart speech.</p>
+<p>"I have taken the liberty to call upon you this morning, to see
+if you did not wish to purchase a copy of 'The Wayfarer'&mdash;a
+new book just issued from the press, which people say is to be the
+book of the season."</p>
+<p>My young readers need not suppose this was an impromptu speech,
+for Bobby had studied upon it all the time he was coming from
+Boston in the cars. It would be quite natural for a boy who had
+enjoyed no greater educational advantages than our hero to consider
+how he should address people into whose presence his calling would
+bring him; and he had prepared several little addresses of this
+sort, for the several different kinds of people whom he expected to
+encounter. The one he had just "got off" was designed for the
+"upper crust."</p>
+<p>When he had delivered the speech, he approached the indignant,
+frowning nabob, and, with a low bow, offered him a copy of "The
+Wayfarer."</p>
+<p>"Boy," said Colonel Whiting, raising his arm with majestic
+dignity, and pointing to the door,&mdash;"boy, do you see that
+door?"</p>
+<p>Bobby looked at the door, and, somewhat astonished, replied that
+he did see it, that it was a very handsome door, and he would
+inquire whether it was black walnut, or only painted in imitation
+thereof.</p>
+<p>"Do you see that door?" thundered the nabob, swelling with rage
+at the cool impudence of the boy.</p>
+<p>"Certainly I do, sir; my eyesight is excellent."</p>
+<p>"Then use it!"</p>
+<p>"Thank you, sir; I have no use for it. Probably it will be of
+more service to you than to me."</p>
+<p>"Will you clear out, or shall I kick you out?" gasped the
+enraged magnate of B&mdash;&mdash;.</p>
+<p>"I will save you that trouble, sir; I will go, sir. I see we
+have both made a mistake."</p>
+<p>"Mistake? What do you mean by that, you young puppy? You are a
+little impudent, thieving scoundrel!"</p>
+<p>"That is your mistake, sir. I took you for a gentleman, sir; and
+that was my mistake."</p>
+<p>"Ha, ha, ha!" laughed a sweet, musical voice, and at that moment
+a beautiful young lady rushed up to the angry colonel, and threw
+her arms around his neck.</p>
+<p>"The jade!" muttered he.</p>
+<p>"I have caught you in a passion again, uncle;" and the lady
+kissed the old gentleman's anger-reddened cheek, which seemed to
+restore him at once to himself.</p>
+<p>"It was enough to make a minister swear," said he, in
+apology.</p>
+<p>"No, it wasn't, uncle; the boy was a little pert, it is true;
+but you ought to have laughed at him, instead of getting angry. I
+heard the whole of it."</p>
+<p>"Pert?" said Bobby to himself. "What the deuce does she mean by
+that?"</p>
+<p>"Very well, you little minx; I will pay the penalty."</p>
+<p>"Come here, Master Pert," said the lady to Bobby.</p>
+<p>Bobby bowed, approached the lady, and began to feel very much
+embarrassed.</p>
+<p>"My uncle," she continued, "is one of the best-hearted men in
+the world&mdash;ain't you, uncle?"</p>
+<p>"Go on, you jade!"</p>
+<p>"I love him, as I would my own father; but he will sometimes get
+into a passion. Now, you provoked him."</p>
+<p>"Indeed, ma'am, I hadn't the least idea of saying anything
+uncivil," pleaded Bobby. "I studied to be as polite as
+possible."</p>
+<p>"I dare say. You were too important, too pompous, for a boy to
+an old gentleman like uncle, who is really one of the best men in
+the world. Now, if you hadn't <i>studied</i> to be polite, you
+would have done very well."</p>
+<p>"Indeed, ma'am, I am a poor boy, trying to make a little money
+to help my mother. I am sure I meant no harm."</p>
+<p>"I know you didn't. So you are selling books to help your
+mother?"</p>
+<p>"Yes, ma'am."</p>
+<p>She inquired still further into the little merchant's history,
+and seemed to be very much interested in him.</p>
+<p>In a frolic, a few days before, Bobby learned from her, Colonel
+Whiting had agreed to pay any penalty she might name, the next time
+he got into a passion.</p>
+<p>"Now, young man, what book have you to sell?" asked the
+lady.</p>
+<p>"'The Wayfarer.'"</p>
+<p>"How many have you in your valise?"</p>
+<p>"Eight."</p>
+<p>"Very well; now, uncle, I decree, as the penalty of your
+indiscretion, that you purchase the whole stock."</p>
+<p>"I submit."</p>
+<p>"'The Wayfarer' promises to be an excellent book; and I can name
+at least half a dozen persons who will thank you for a copy,
+uncle."</p>
+<p>Colonel Whiting paid Bobby eight dollars, who left the contents
+of his valise on the centre table, and then departed, astounded at
+his good fortune, and fully resolved never to be too smart
+again.</p>
+<a name="h2HCH0011" id="h2HCH0011"><!-- H2 anchor --></a>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<h2>CHAPTER XI</h2>
+<h3>IN WHICH BOBBY STRIKES A BALANCE, AND RETURNS TO RIVERDALE</h3>
+<p>Our hero had learned a lesson which experience alone could teach
+him. The consciousness of that "something within him" inclined him
+to be a little too familiar with his elders; but then it gave him
+confidence in himself, and imparted courage to go forward in the
+accomplishment of his mission. His interview with Colonel Whiting
+and the gentle but plain rebuke of his niece had set him right, and
+he realized that, while he was doing a man's work, he was still a
+boy. He had now a clearer perception of what is due to the position
+and dignity of those upon whom fortune has smiled.</p>
+<p>Bobby wanted to be a man, and it is not strange that he should
+sometimes fancy he was a man. He had an idea, too, that "all men
+are born free and equal;" and he could not exactly see why a nabob
+was entitled to any more respect and consideration than a poor man.
+It was a lesson he was compelled to learn, though some folks live
+out their lifetimes without ever finding out that.</p>
+<p>"'Tis wealth, good sir, makes honorable men." Some people think
+a rich man is no better than a poor man, except so far as he
+behaves himself better. It is strange how stupid some people
+are!</p>
+<p>Bobby had no notion of cringing to any man, and he felt as
+independent as the Declaration of Independence itself. But then the
+beautiful lady had told him that he was pert and forward; and when
+he thought it over, he was willing to believe she was right.
+Colonel Whiting was an old man, compared with himself; and he had
+some faith, at least in theory, in the Spartan virtue of respect
+for the aged. Probably the nabob of B&mdash;&mdash; would have
+objected to being treated with respect on account of his age; and
+Bobby would have been equally unwilling to acknowledge that he
+treated him with peculiar respect on account of his wealth or
+position.</p>
+<p>Perhaps the little merchant had an instinctive perception of
+expediency&mdash;that he should sell more books by being less
+familiar; at any rate he determined never again to use the flowery
+speeches he had arranged for the upper crust.</p>
+<p>He had sold a dozen books; and possibly this fact made him more
+willing to compromise the matter than he would otherwise have been.
+This was, after all, the great matter for congratulation, and with
+a light heart he hurried back to the railroad station to procure
+another supply.</p>
+<p>We cannot follow him into every house where his calling led him.
+He was not always as fortunate as in the instances we have
+mentioned. Sometimes all his arguments were unavailing, and after
+he had spent half an hour of valuable time in setting forth the
+merits of "The Wayfarer," he was compelled to retire without having
+effected a sale. Sometimes, too, he was rudely repulsed; hard
+epithets were applied to him; old men and old women, worried out by
+the continued calls of pedlers, sneered at him, or shut the door in
+his face; but Bobby was not disheartened. He persevered, and did
+not allow these little trials to discompose or discourage him.</p>
+<p>By one o'clock on the first day of his service he had sold
+eighteen books, which far exceeded even his most sanguine
+expectations. By this time he began to feel the want of his dinner;
+but there was no tavern or eating house at hand, and he could not
+think of leaving the harvest to return to the railroad station; so
+he bought a sheet of gingerbread and a piece of cheese at a store,
+and seating himself near a brook by the side of the road, he bolted
+his simple meal, as boys are very apt to do when they are
+excited.</p>
+<p>When he had finished, he took out his account book, and entered,
+"Dinner, 10 cents." Resuming his business, he disposed of the
+remaining six books in his valise by the middle of the afternoon,
+and was obliged to return for another supply.</p>
+<p>About six o'clock he entered the house of a mechanic, just as
+the family were sitting down to tea. He recommended his book with
+so much energy, that the wife of the mechanic took a fancy to him,
+and not only purchased one, but invited him to tea. Bobby accepted
+the invitation, and in the course of the meal the good lady drew
+from him the details of his history, which he very modestly
+related, for though he sometimes fancied himself a man, he was not
+the boy to boast of his exploits. His host was so much pleased with
+him, that he begged him to spend the night with them. Bobby had
+been thinking how and where he should spend the night, and the
+matter had given him no little concern. He did not wish to go to
+the hotel, for it looked like a very smart house, and he reasoned
+that he should have to pay pretty roundly for accommodations there.
+These high prices would eat up his profits, and he seriously
+deliberated whether it would not be better for him to sleep under a
+tree than pay fifty cents for a lodging.</p>
+<p>If I had been there I should have told him that a man loses
+nothing in the long run by taking good care of himself. He must eat
+well and sleep well, in order to do well and be well. But I suppose
+Bobby would have told me that it was of no use to pay a quarter
+extra for sleeping on a gilded bedstead, since the room would be so
+dark he could not see the gilt even if he wished to do so. I could
+not have said anything to such a powerful argument, so I am very
+glad the mechanic's wife set the matter at rest by offering him a
+bed in her house.</p>
+<p>He spent a very pleasant evening with the family, who made him
+feel entirely at home, they were so kind and so plain spoken.
+Before he went to bed, he entered under the book account, "By
+twenty-six 'Wayfarers,' sold this day, $26.00."</p>
+<p>He had done a big day's work, much bigger than he could hope to
+do again. He had sold more than one half of his whole stock, and at
+this rate he should be out of books the next day. At first he
+thought he would send for another lot; but he could not judge yet
+what his average daily sales would be, and finally concluded not to
+do so. What he had might last till Friday or Saturday. He intended
+to go home on the latter day, and he could bring them with him on
+his return without expense. This was considerable of an argument
+for a boy to manage; but Bobby was satisfied with it, and went to
+sleep, wondering what his mother, Squire Lee, and Annie were
+thinking of about that time.</p>
+<p>After breakfast the next morning he resumed his travels. He was
+as enthusiastic as ever, and pressed "The Wayfarer" with so much
+earnestness that he sold a book in nearly every house he visited.
+People seemed to be more interested in the little merchant than in
+his stock, and taking advantage of this kind feeling towards him,
+he appealed to them with so much eloquence that few could resist
+it.</p>
+<p>The result of the day's sales was fifteen copies, which Bobby
+entered in the book account with the most intense satisfaction. He
+had outdone the boy who had passed through Riverdale, but he had
+little hope that the harvest would always be so abundant.</p>
+<p>He often thought of this boy, from whom he had obtained the idea
+he was now carrying out. That boy had stopped over night at the
+little black house, and slept with him. He had asked for lodging,
+and offered to pay for it, as well as for his supper and breakfast.
+Why couldn't he do the same? He liked the suggestion, and from that
+time, wherever he happened to be, he asked for lodging, or the meal
+he required; and he always proposed to pay for what he had, but
+very few would take anything.</p>
+<p>On Friday noon he had sold out. Returning to the railroad
+station, he found that the train would not leave for the city for
+an hour; so he improved the time in examining and balancing his
+accounts. The book sales amounted to just fifty dollars, and, after
+his ticket to Boston was paid for, his expenses would amount to one
+dollar and fifty cents, leaving a balance in his favor of fifteen
+dollars. He was overjoyed with the result, and pictured the
+astonishment with which his mother, Squire Lee, and Annie would
+listen to the history of his excursion.</p>
+<p>After four o'clock that afternoon he entered the store of Mr.
+Bayard, bag and baggage. On his arrival in the city, he was
+considerably exercised in mind to know how he should get the trunk
+to his destination. He was too economical to pay a cartman a
+quarter; but what would have seemed mean in a man was praiseworthy
+in a boy laboring for a noble end.</p>
+<p>Probably a great many of my young readers in Bobby's position,
+thinking that sixteen dollars, which our hero had in his pocket,
+was a mint of money, would have been in favor of being a little
+magnificent,&mdash;of taking a carriage and going up-town in state.
+Bobby had not the least desire to "swell;" so he settled the matter
+by bargaining with a little ragged fellow to help him carry the
+trunk to Mr. Bayard's store for fourpence.</p>
+<p>"How do you do, Mr. Timmins?" said Bobby to the spruce clerk, as
+he deposited the trunk upon the floor, and handed the ragged boy
+the fourpence.</p>
+<p>"Ah, Bobby!" exclaimed Mr. Timmins. "Have you sold out?"</p>
+<p>"All clean. Is Mr. Bayard in?"</p>
+<p>"In the office. But how do you like it?"</p>
+<p>"First rate."</p>
+<p>"Well, every one to his taste; but I don't see how any one who
+has any regard for his dignity can stick himself into everybody's
+house. I couldn't do it, I know."</p>
+<p>"I don't stand for the dignity."</p>
+<p>"Ah, well, there is a difference in folks."</p>
+<p>"That's a fact," replied Bobby, as he hurried to the office of
+Mr. Bayard, leaving Mr. Timmins to sun himself in his own
+dignity.</p>
+<p>The bookseller was surprised to see him so soon, but he gave him
+a cordial reception.</p>
+<p>"I didn't expect you yet," said he. "Why do you come back? Have
+you got sick of the business?"</p>
+<p>"Sick of it! No, sir."</p>
+<p>"What have you come back for, then?"</p>
+<p>"Sold out, sir."</p>
+<p>"Sold out! You have done well!"</p>
+<p>"Better than I expected."</p>
+<p>"I had no idea of seeing you till to-morrow night; and I thought
+you would have books enough to begin the next week with. You have
+done bravely."</p>
+<p>"If I had had twenty more, I could have sold them before
+to-morrow night. Now, sir, if you please, I will pay you for those
+books&mdash;thirty-three dollars and fifty cents."</p>
+<p>"You had better keep that, Bobby. I will trust you as long as
+you wish."</p>
+<p>"If you please, sir, I had rather pay it;" and the little
+merchant, as proud as a lord, handed over the amount.</p>
+<p>"I like your way of doing business, Bobby. Nothing helps a man's
+credit so much as paying promptly. Now tell me some of your
+adventures&mdash;or we will reserve them till this evening, for I
+am sure Ellen will be delighted to hear them."</p>
+<p>"I think I shall go to Riverdale this afternoon. The cars leave
+at half past five."</p>
+<p>"Very well; you have an hour to spare."</p>
+<p>Bobby related to his kind friend the incidents of his excursion,
+including his interview with Colonel Whiting and his niece, which
+amused the bookseller very much. He volunteered some good advice,
+which Bobby received in the right spirit, and with a determination
+to profit by it.</p>
+<p>At half past five he took the cars for home, and before dark was
+folded in his mother's arms. The little black house seemed doubly
+dear to him now that he had been away from it a few days. His
+mother and all the children were so glad to see him that it seemed
+almost worth his while to go away for the pleasure of meeting them
+on his return.</p>
+<a name="h2HCH0012" id="h2HCH0012"><!-- H2 anchor --></a>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<h2>CHAPTER XII</h2>
+<h3>IN WHICH BOBBY ASTONISHES SUNDRY PERSONS AND PAYS PART OF HIS
+NOTE</h3>
+<p>"Now tell me, Bobby, how you have made out," said Mrs. Bright,
+as the little merchant seated himself at the supper table. "You
+cannot have done much, for you have only been gone five days."</p>
+<p>"I have done pretty well, mother," replied Bobby, mysteriously;
+"pretty well, considering that I am only a boy."</p>
+<p>"I didn't expect to see you till to-morrow night."</p>
+<p>"I sold out, and had to come home."</p>
+<p>"That may be, and still you may not have done much."</p>
+<p>"I don't pretend that I have done much."</p>
+<p>"How provoking you are! Why don't you tell me, Bobby, what you
+have done?"</p>
+<p>"Wait a minute, mother, till I have done my supper, and then I
+will show you the footings in my ledger."</p>
+<p>"Your ledger!"</p>
+<p>"Yes, my ledger. I keep a ledger now."</p>
+<p>"You are a great man, Mr. Robert Bright," laughed his mother. "I
+suppose the people took their hats off when they saw you
+coming."</p>
+<p>"Not exactly, mother."</p>
+<p>"Perhaps the governor came out to meet you when he heard you
+were on the road."</p>
+<p>"Perhaps he did; I didn't see him, however. This apple pie
+tastes natural, mother. It is a great luxury to get home after one
+has been travelling."</p>
+<p>"Very likely."</p>
+<p>"No place like home, after all is done and said. Who was the
+fellow that wrote that song, mother?"</p>
+<p>"I forget; the paper said he spent a great many years in foreign
+parts. My sake! Bobby, one would think by your talk that you had
+been away from home for a year."</p>
+<p>"It seems like a year," said he, as he transferred another
+quarter of the famous apple pie to his plate. "I miss home very
+much. I don't more than half like being among strangers so
+much."</p>
+<p>"It is your own choice; no one wants you to go away from
+home."</p>
+<p>"I must pay my debts, anyhow. Don't I owe Squire Lee sixty
+dollars?"</p>
+<p>"But I can pay that."</p>
+<p>"It is my affair, you see."</p>
+<p>"If it is your affair, then I owe you sixty dollars."</p>
+<p>"No, you don't; I calculate to pay my board now. I am old enough
+and big enough to do something."</p>
+<p>"You have done something ever since you were old enough to
+work."</p>
+<p>"Not much; I don't wonder that miserable old hunker of a
+Hardhand twitted me about it. By the way, have you heard anything
+from him?"</p>
+<p>"Not a thing."</p>
+<p>"He has got enough of us, I reckon."</p>
+<p>"You mustn't insult him, Bobby, if you happen to see him."</p>
+<p>"Never fear me."</p>
+<p>"You know the Bible says we must love our enemies, and pray for
+them that despitefully use us and persecute us."</p>
+<p>"I should pray that the Old Nick might get him."</p>
+<p>"No, Bobby; I hope you haven't forgot all your Sunday school
+lessons."</p>
+<p>"I was wrong, mother," replied Bobby, a little moved. "I did not
+mean so. I shall try to think as well of him as I can; but I can't
+help thinking, if all the world was like him, what a desperate hard
+time we should have of it."</p>
+<p>"We must thank the Lord that he has given us so many good and
+true men."</p>
+<p>"Such as Squire Lee, for instance," added Bobby, as he rose from
+the table and put his chair back against the wall. "The squire is
+fit to be a king; and though I believe in the Constitution and the
+Declaration of Independence, I wouldn't mind seeing a crown upon
+his head."</p>
+<p>"He will receive his crown in due time," replied Mrs. Bright,
+piously.</p>
+<p>"The squire?"</p>
+<p>"The crown of rejoicing, I mean."</p>
+<p>"Just so; the squire is a nice man; and I know another just like
+him."</p>
+<p>"Who?"</p>
+<p>"Mr. Bayard; they are as near alike as two peas."</p>
+<p>"I am dying to know about your journey."</p>
+<p>"Wait a minute, mother, till we clear away the supper things;"
+and Bobby took hold, as he had been accustomed, to help remove and
+wash the dishes.</p>
+<p>"You needn't help now, Bobby."</p>
+<p>"Yes, I will, mother."</p>
+<p>Somehow our hero's visit to the city did not seem to produce the
+usual effect upon him; for a great many boys, after they had been
+abroad, would have scorned to wash dishes and wipe them. A week in
+town has made many a boy so smart that you couldn't touch him with
+a ten foot pole. It starches them up so stiff that sometimes they
+don't know their own mothers, and deem it a piece of condescension
+to speak a word to the patriarch in a blue frock who had the honor
+of supporting them in childhood.</p>
+<p>Bobby was none of this sort. We lament that he had a habit of
+talking big, that is, of talking about business affairs in a style
+a little beyond his years. But he was modest to a fault,
+paradoxical as it may seem. He was always blushing when anybody
+spoke a pretty thing about him. Probably the circumstances of his
+position elevated him above the sphere of the mere boy; he had
+spent but little time in play, and his attention had been directed
+at all times to the wants of his mother. He had thought a great
+deal about business, especially since the visit of the boy who sold
+books to the little black house.</p>
+<p>Some boys are born merchants, and from their earliest youth have
+a genius for trade. They think of little else. They "play shop"
+before they wear jackets, and drive a barter trade in jackknives,
+whistles, tops, and fishing lines long before they get into their
+teens. They are shrewd even then, and obtain a taste for commerce
+before they are old enough to know the meaning of the word.</p>
+<p>We saw a boy in school, not long since, give the value of
+eighteen cents for a little stunted quince; boys have a taste for
+raw quinces, strange as it may seem. Undoubtedly he had no talent
+for trade, and would make a very indifferent tin pedler. Our hero
+was shrewd. He always got the best end of the bargain; though, I am
+happy to say, his integrity was too unyielding to let him cheat his
+fellows.</p>
+<p>We have made this digression so that my young readers may know
+why Bobby was so much given to big talk. The desire to do something
+worthy of a good son turned his attention to matters above his
+sphere; and thinking of great things, he had come to talk great
+things. It was not a bad fault, after all. Boys need not
+necessarily be frivolous. Play is a good thing, an excellent thing,
+in its place, and is as much a part of the boy's education as his
+grammar and arithmetic. It not only develops his muscles, but
+enlarges his mental capacity; it not only fills with excitement the
+idle hours of the long day, but it sharpens the judgment, and helps
+to fit the boy for the active duties of life.</p>
+<p>It need not be supposed, because Bobby had to turn his attention
+to serious things, that he was not fond of fun; that he could not
+or did not play. At a game of round ball, he was a lucky fellow who
+secured him upon his side; for the same energy which made him a
+useful son rendered him a desirable hand in a difficult game.</p>
+<p>When the supper things were all removed, the dishes washed and
+put away, Bobby drew out his pocket memorandum book. It was a
+beautiful article, and Mrs. Bright was duly astonished at its
+gilded leaves and the elegant workmanship. Very likely her first
+impulse was to reprove her son for such a piece of reckless
+extravagance; but this matter was set right by Bobby's informing
+her how it came into his possession.</p>
+<p>"Here is my ledger, mother," he said, handing her the book.</p>
+<p>Mrs. Bright put on her spectacles, and after bestowing a careful
+scrutiny upon the memorandum book, turned to the accounts.</p>
+<p>"Fifty books!" she exclaimed, as she read the first entry.</p>
+<p>"Yes, mother; and I sold them all."</p>
+<p>"Fifty dollars!"</p>
+<p>"But I had to pay for the books out of that."</p>
+<p>"To be sure you had; but I suppose you made as much as ten cents
+apiece on them, and that would be&mdash;let me see; ten times
+fifty&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+<p>"But I made more than that, I hope."</p>
+<p>"How much?"</p>
+<p>The proud young merchant referred her to the profit and loss
+account, which exhibited a balance of fifteen dollars.</p>
+<p>"Gracious! Three dollars a day!"</p>
+<p>"Just so, mother. Now I will pay you the dollar I borrowed of
+you when I went away."</p>
+<p>"You didn't borrow it of me."</p>
+<p>"But I shall pay it."</p>
+<p>Mrs. Bright was astonished at this unexpected and gratifying
+result. If she had discovered a gold mine in the cellar of the
+little black house, it could not have afforded her so much
+satisfaction; for this money was the reward of her son's talent and
+energy. Her own earnings scarcely ever amounted to more than three
+or four dollars a week, and Bobby, a boy of thirteen, had come home
+with fifteen for five days' work. She could scarcely believe the
+evidence of her own senses, and she ceased to wonder that he talked
+big.</p>
+<p>It was nearly ten o'clock when the widow and her son went to
+bed, so deeply were they interested in discussing our hero's
+affairs. He had intended to call upon Squire Lee that night, but
+the time passed away so rapidly that he was obliged to defer it
+till the next day.</p>
+<p>After breakfast the following morning, he hastened to pay the
+intended visit. There was a tumult of strange emotions in his bosom
+as he knocked at the squire's door. He was proud of the success he
+had achieved, and even then his cheek burned under the anticipated
+commendations which his generous friend would bestow upon him.
+Besides, Annie would be glad to see him, for she had expressed such
+a desire when they parted on the Monday preceding. I don't think
+that Bobby cherished any silly ideas, but the sympathy of the
+little maiden fell not coldly or unwelcomely upon his warm heart.
+In coming from the house he had placed his copy of "The Wayfarer"
+under his arm, for Annie was fond of reading; and on the way over,
+he had pictured to himself the pleasure she would derive from
+reading <i>his</i> book.</p>
+<p>Of course he received a warm welcome from the squire and his
+daughter. Each of them had bestowed more than a thought upon the
+little wanderer as he went from house to house, and more than once
+they had conversed together about him.</p>
+<p>"Well, Bobby, how is trade in the book line?" asked the squire,
+after the young pilgrim had been cordially greeted.</p>
+<p>"Pretty fair," replied Bobby, with as much indifference as he
+could command, though it was hard even to seem indifferent then and
+there.</p>
+<p>"Where have you been travelling?"</p>
+<p>"In B&mdash;&mdash;."</p>
+<p>"Fine place. Books sell well there?"</p>
+<p>"Very well; in fact, I sold out all my stock by noon
+yesterday."</p>
+<p>"How many books did you carry?"</p>
+<p>"Fifty."</p>
+<p>"You did well."</p>
+<p>"I should think you did!" added Annie, with an enthusiasm which
+quite upset all Bobby's assumed indifference. "Fifty books!"</p>
+<p>"Yes, Miss Annie; and I have brought you a copy of the book I
+have been selling; I thought you would like to read it. It is a
+splendid work, and will be <i>the</i> book of the season."</p>
+<p>"I shall be delighted to read it," replied Annie, taking the
+proffered volume. "It looks real good," she continued, as she
+turned over the leaves.</p>
+<p>"It is first rate; I have read it through."</p>
+<p>"It was very kind of you to think of me when you have so much
+business on your mind," added she, with a roguish smile.</p>
+<p>"I shall never have so much business on my mind that I cannot
+think of my friends," replied Bobby, so gallantly and so smartly
+that it astonished himself.</p>
+<p>"I was just thinking what I should read next; I am <i>so</i>
+glad you have come."</p>
+<p>"Never mind her, Bobby; all she wanted was the book," interposed
+Squire Lee, laughing.</p>
+<p>"Now, pa!"</p>
+<p>"Then I shall bring her one very often."</p>
+<p>"You are too bad, pa," said Annie, who, like most young ladies
+just entering their teens, resented any imputation upon the
+immaculateness of human love, or human friendship.</p>
+<p>"I have got a little money for you, Squire Lee," continued
+Bobby, thinking it time the subject was changed.</p>
+<p>He took out his gilded memorandum book, whose elegant appearance
+rather startled the squire, and from its "treasury department"
+extracted the little roll of bills, representing an aggregate of
+ten dollars, which he had carefully reserved for his creditor.</p>
+<p>"Never mind that, Bobby," replied the squire. "You will want all
+your capital to do business with."</p>
+<p>"I must pay my debts before I think of anything else."</p>
+<p>"A very good plan, Bobby, but this is an exception to the
+general rule."</p>
+<p>"No, sir, I think not. If you please, I insist upon paying you
+ten dollars on my note."</p>
+<p>"O, well, if you insist, I suppose I can't help myself."</p>
+<p>"I would rather pay it, I shall feel so much better."</p>
+<p>"You want to indorse it on the note, I suppose."</p>
+<p>That was just what Bobby wanted. Indorsed on the note was the
+idea, and our hero had often passed that expression through his
+mind. There was something gratifying in the act to a man of
+business integrity like himself; it was discharging a sacred
+obligation,&mdash;he had already come to deem it a sacred duty to
+pay one's debts,&mdash;and as the squire wrote the indorsement
+across the back of the note, he felt more like a hero than ever
+before.</p>
+<p>"'Pay as you go' is an excellent idea; John Randolph called it
+the philosopher's stone," added Squire Lee, as he returned the note
+to his pocket book.</p>
+<p>"That is what I mean to do just as soon as I can."</p>
+<p>"You will do, Bobby."</p>
+<p>The young merchant spent nearly the whole forenoon at the
+squire's, and declined an invitation to dinner only on the plea
+that his mother would wait for him.</p>
+<a name="h2HCH0013" id="h2HCH0013"><!-- H2 anchor --></a>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<h2>CHAPTER XIII</h2>
+<h3>IN WHICH BOBBY DECLINES A COPARTNERSHIP AND VISITS
+B&mdash;&mdash; AGAIN</h3>
+<p>After dinner Bobby performed his Saturday afternoon chores as
+usual. He split wood enough to last for a week, so that his mother
+might not miss him too much, and then, feeling a desire to visit
+his favorite resorts in the vicinity, he concluded to go a fishing.
+The day was favorable, the sky being overcast and the wind very
+light. After digging a little box of worms in the garden back of
+the house, he shouldered his fish pole; and certainly no one would
+have suspected that he was a distinguished travelling merchant. He
+was fond of fishing, and it is a remarkable coincidence that Daniel
+Webster, and many other famous men, have manifested a decided
+passion for this exciting sport. No doubt a fondness for angling is
+a peculiarity of genius; and if being an expert fisherman makes a
+great man, then our hero was a great man.</p>
+<p>He had scarcely seated himself on his favorite rock, and dropped
+his line into the water, before he saw Tom Spicer approaching the
+spot. The bully had never been a welcome companion. There was no
+sympathy between them. They could never agree, for their views,
+opinions, and tastes were always conflicting.</p>
+<p>Bobby had not seen Tom since he left him to crawl out of the
+ditch on the preceding week, and he had good reason to believe that
+he should not be regarded with much favor. Tom was malicious and
+revengeful, and our hero was satisfied that the blow which had
+prostrated him in the ditch would not be forgotten till it had been
+atoned for. He was prepared, therefore, for any disagreeable scene
+which might occur.</p>
+<p>There was another circumstance also which rendered the bully's
+presence decidedly unpleasant at this time,&mdash;an event that had
+occurred during his absence, the particulars of which he had
+received from his mother.</p>
+<p>Tom's father, who was a poor man, and addicted to intemperance,
+had lost ten dollars. He had brought it home, and, as he affirmed,
+placed it in one of the bureau drawers. The next day it could not
+be found. Spicer, for some reason, was satisfied that Tom had taken
+it; but the boy stoutly and persistently denied it. No money was
+found upon him, however, and it did not appear that he had spent
+any at the stores in Riverdale Centre.</p>
+<p>The affair created some excitement in the vicinity, for Spicer
+made no secret of his suspicions, and publicly accused Tom of the
+theft. He did not get much sympathy from any except his pot
+companions; for there was no evidence but his bare and unsupported
+statement to substantiate the grave accusation. Tom had been in the
+room when the money was placed in the drawer, and, as his father
+asserted, had watched him closely, while he deposited the bills
+under the clothing. No one else could have taken it. These were the
+proofs. But people generally believed that Spicer had carried no
+money home, especially as it was known that he was intoxicated on
+the night in question; and that the alleged theft was only a ruse
+to satisfy certain importunate creditors.</p>
+<p>Everybody knew that Tom was bad enough to steal, even from his
+father; from which my readers can understand that it is an
+excellent thing to have a good reputation. Bobby knew that he would
+lie and use profane language; that he spent his Sundays by the
+river, or in roaming through the woods; and that he played truant
+from school as often as the fear of the rod would permit; and the
+boy that would do all these things certainly would steal if he got
+a good chance. Our hero's judgment, therefore, of the case was not
+favorable to the bully, and he would have thanked him to stay away
+from the river while he was there.</p>
+<p>"Hallo, Bob! How are you?" shouted Tom, when he had come within
+hailing distance.</p>
+<p>"Very well," replied Bobby, rather coolly.</p>
+<p>"Been to Boston, they say."</p>
+<p>"Yes."</p>
+<p>"Well, how did you like it?" continued Tom, as he seated himself
+on the rock near our hero.</p>
+<p>"First rate."</p>
+<p>"Been to work there?"</p>
+<p>"No."</p>
+<p>"What have you been doing?"</p>
+<p>"Travelling about."</p>
+<p>"What doing?"</p>
+<p>"Selling books."</p>
+<p>"Was you, though? Did you sell any?"</p>
+<p>"Yes, a few."</p>
+<p>"How many?"</p>
+<p>"O, about fifty."</p>
+<p>"You didn't, though&mdash;did you? How much did you make?"</p>
+<p>"About fifteen dollars."</p>
+<p>"By jolly! You are a smart one, Bobby. There are not many
+fellows that would have done that."</p>
+<p>"Easy enough," replied Bobby, who was not a little surprised at
+this warm commendation from one whom he regarded as his enemy.</p>
+<p>"You had to buy the books first&mdash;didn't you?" asked Tom,
+who began to manifest a deep interest in the trade.</p>
+<p>"Of course; no one will give you the books."</p>
+<p>"What do you pay for them?"</p>
+<p>"I buy them so as to make a profit on them," answered Bobby,
+who, like a discreet merchant, was not disposed to be too
+communicative.</p>
+<p>"That business would suit me first rate."</p>
+<p>"It is pretty hard work."</p>
+<p>"I don't care for that. Don't you believe I could do something
+in this line?"</p>
+<p>"I don't know; perhaps you could."</p>
+<p>"Why not, as well as you?"</p>
+<p>This was a hard question; and, as Bobby did not wish to be
+uncivil, he talked about a big pout he hauled in at that moment,
+instead of answering it. He was politic, and deprecated the anger
+of the bully; so, though Tom plied him pretty hard, he did not
+receive much satisfaction.</p>
+<p>"You see, Tom," said he, when he found that his companion
+insisted upon knowing the cost of the books, "this is a publisher's
+secret; and I dare say they would not wish every one to know the
+cost of books. We sell them for a dollar apiece."</p>
+<p>"Humph! You needn't be so close about it. I'll bet I can find
+out."</p>
+<p>"I have no doubt you can; only, you see, I don't want to tell
+what I am not sure they would be willing I should tell."</p>
+<p>Tom took a slate pencil from his pocket, and commenced ciphering
+on the smooth rock upon which he sat.</p>
+<p>"You say you sold fifty books?"</p>
+<p>"Yes."</p>
+<p>"Well; if you made fifteen dollars out of fifty, that is thirty
+cents apiece."</p>
+<p>Bobby was a little mortified when he perceived that he had
+unwittingly exposed the momentous secret. He had not given Tom
+credit for so much sagacity as he had displayed in his inquiries;
+and as he had fairly reached his conclusion, he was willing he
+should have the benefit of it.</p>
+<p>"You sold them at a dollar apiece. Thirty from a hundred leaves
+seventy. They cost you seventy cents each&mdash;didn't they?"</p>
+<p>"Sixty-seven," replied Bobby, yielding the point.</p>
+<p>"Enough said, Bob; I am going into that business, anyhow."</p>
+<p>"I am willing."</p>
+<p>"Of course you are; suppose we go together," suggested Tom, who
+had not used all this conciliation without having a purpose in
+view.</p>
+<p>"We could do nothing together."</p>
+<p>"I should like to get out with you just once, only to see how it
+is done."</p>
+<p>"You can find out for yourself, as I did."</p>
+<p>"Don't be mean, Bob."</p>
+<p>"Mean? I am not mean."</p>
+<p>"I don't say you are. We have always been good friends, you
+know."</p>
+<p>Bobby did not know it; so he looked at the other with a smile
+which expressed all he meant to say.</p>
+<p>"You hit me a smart dig the other day, I know; but I don't mind
+that. I was in the wrong then, and I am willing to own it,"
+continued Tom, with an appearance of humility.</p>
+<p>This was an immense concession for Tom to make, and Bobby was
+duly affected by it. Probably it was the first time the bully had
+ever owned he was in the wrong.</p>
+<p>"The fact is, Bob, I always liked you; and you know I licked Ben
+Dowse for you."</p>
+<p>"That was two for yourself and one for me; besides, I didn't
+want Ben thrashed."</p>
+<p>"But he deserved it. Didn't he tell the master you were
+whispering in school?"</p>
+<p>"I was whispering; so he told the truth."</p>
+<p>"It was mean to blow on a fellow, though."</p>
+<p>"The master asked him if I whispered to him; of course he ought
+not to lie about it. But he told of you at the same time."</p>
+<p>"I know it; but I wouldn't have licked him on my own
+account."</p>
+<p>"<i>Perhaps</i> you wouldn't."</p>
+<p>"I know I wouldn't. But, I say, Bobby, where do you buy your
+books?"</p>
+<p>"At Mr. Bayard's, in Washington Street."</p>
+<p>"He will sell them to me at the same price&mdash;won't he?"</p>
+<p>"I don't know."</p>
+<p>"When are you going again?"</p>
+<p>"Monday."</p>
+<p>"Won't you let me go with you, Bob?"</p>
+<p>"Let you? Of course you can go where you please; it is none of
+my business."</p>
+<p>Bobby did not like the idea of having such a copartner as Tom
+Spicer, and he did not like to tell him so. If he did, he would
+have to give his reasons for declining the proposition, and that
+would make Tom mad, and perhaps provoke him to quarrel.</p>
+<p>The fish bit well, and in an hour's time Bobby had a mess. As he
+took his basket and walked home, the young ruffian followed him. He
+could not get rid of him till he reached the gate in front of the
+little black house; and even there Tom begged him to stop a few
+moments. Our hero was in a hurry, and in the easiest manner
+possible got rid of this aspirant for mercantile honors.</p>
+<p>We have no doubt a journal of Bobby's daily life would be very
+interesting to our young readers; but the fact that some of his
+most stirring adventures are yet to be related admonishes us to
+hasten forward more rapidly.</p>
+<p>On Monday morning Bobby bade adieu to his mother again, and
+started for Boston. He fully expected to encounter Tom on the way,
+who, he was afraid, would persist in accompanying him on his tour.
+As before, he stopped at Squire Lee's to bid him and Annie good
+by.</p>
+<p>The little maiden had read "The Wayfarer" more than half
+through, and was very enthusiastic in her expression of the
+pleasure she derived from it. She promised to send it over to his
+house when she had finished it, and hoped he would bring his stock
+to Riverdale, so that she might again replenish her library. Bobby
+thought of something just then, and the thought brought forth a
+harvest on the following Saturday, when he returned.</p>
+<p>When he had shaken hands with the squire and was about to
+depart, he received a piece of news which gave him food for an
+hour's serious reflection.</p>
+<p>"Did you hear about Tom Spicer?" asked Squire Lee.</p>
+<p>"No, sir; what about him?"</p>
+<p>"Broken his arm."</p>
+<p>"Broken his arm! Gracious! How did it happen?" exclaimed Bobby,
+the more astonished because he had been thinking of Tom since he
+had left home.</p>
+<p>"He was out in the woods yesterday, where boys should not be on
+Sundays, and, in climbing a tree after a bird's nest, he fell to
+the ground."</p>
+<p>"I am sorry for him," replied Bobby, musing.</p>
+<p>"So am I; but if he had been at home, or at church, where he
+should have been, it would not have happened. If I had any boys, I
+would lock them up in their chambers if I could not keep them at
+home Sundays."</p>
+<p>"Poor Tom!" mused Bobby, recalling the conversation he had had
+with him on Saturday, and then wishing that he had been a little
+more pliant with him.</p>
+<p>"It is too bad; but I must say I am more sorry for his poor
+mother than I am for him," added the squire. "However, I hope it
+will do him good, and be a lesson he will remember as long as he
+lives."</p>
+<p>Bobby bade the squire and Annie adieu again, resumed his journey
+towards the railroad station. His thoughts were busy with Tom
+Spicer's case. The reason why he had not joined him, as he expected
+and feared he would, was now apparent. He pitied him, for he
+realized that he must endure a great deal of pain before he could
+again go out; but he finally dismissed the matter with the squire's
+sage reflection, that he hoped the calamity would be a good lesson
+to him.</p>
+<p>The young merchant did not walk to Boston this time, for he had
+come to the conclusion that, in the six hours it would take him to
+travel to the city on foot, the profit on the books he could sell
+would be more than enough to pay his fare, to say nothing of the
+fatigue and the expense of shoe leather.</p>
+<p>Before noon he was at B&mdash;&mdash; again, as busy as ever in
+driving his business. The experience of the former week was of
+great value to him. He visited people belonging to all spheres in
+society, and, though he was occasionally repulsed or treated with
+incivility, he was not conscious in a single instance of offending
+any person's sense of propriety.</p>
+<p>He was not as fortunate as during the previous week, and it was
+Saturday noon before he had sold out the sixty books he carried
+with him. The net profit for this week was fourteen dollars, with
+which he was abundantly pleased.</p>
+<p>Mr. Bayard again commended him in the warmest terms for his zeal
+and promptness. Mr. Timmins was even more civil than the last time,
+and when Bobby asked the price of Moore's Poems, he actually
+offered to sell it to him for thirty-three per cent less than the
+retail price. The little merchant was on the point of purchasing
+it, when Mr. Bayard inquired what he wanted.</p>
+<p>"I am going to buy this book," replied Bobby.</p>
+<p>"Moore's Poems?"</p>
+<p>"Yes, sir."</p>
+<p>Mr. Bayard took from a glass case an elegantly bound copy of the
+same work&mdash;morocco, full gilt&mdash;and handed it to our
+hero.</p>
+<p>"I shall make you a present of this. Are you an admirer of
+Moore?"</p>
+<p>"No, sir; not exactly&mdash;that is, I don't know much about it;
+but Annie Lee does, and I want to get the book for her."</p>
+<p>Bobby's cheeks reddened as he turned the leaves of the beautiful
+volume, putting his head down to the page to hide his
+confusion.</p>
+<p>"Annie Lee?" said Mr. Bayard with a quizzing smile. "I see how
+it is. Rather young, Bobby."</p>
+<p>"Her father has been very good to me and to my mother; and so
+has Annie, for that matter. Squire Lee would be a great deal more
+pleased if I should make Annie a present than if I made him one. I
+feel grateful to him, and I want to let it out somehow."</p>
+<p>"That's right, Bobby; always remember your friends. Timmins,
+wrap up this book."</p>
+<p>Bobby protested with all his might; but the bookseller insisted
+that he should give Annie this beautiful edition, and he was
+obliged to yield the point.</p>
+<p>That evening he was at the little black house again, and his
+mother examined his ledger with a great deal of pride and
+satisfaction. That evening, too, another ten dollars was indorsed
+on the note, and Annie received that elegant copy of Moore's
+Poems.</p>
+<a name="h2HCH0014" id="h2HCH0014"><!-- H2 anchor --></a>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<h2>CHAPTER XIV</h2>
+<h3>IN WHICH BOBBY'S AIR CASTLE IS UPSET AND TOM SPICER TAKES TO
+THE WOODS</h3>
+<p>During the next four weeks Bobby visited various places in the
+vicinity of Boston; and at the end of that time he had paid the
+whole of the debt he owed Squire Lee. He had the note in his
+memorandum book, and the fact that he had achieved his first great
+purpose afforded him much satisfaction. Now he owed no man
+anything, and he felt as though he could hold up his head among the
+best people in the world.</p>
+<p>The little black house was paid for, and Bobby was proud that
+his own exertions had released his mother from her obligation to
+her hard creditor. Mr. Hardhand could no longer insult and abuse
+her.</p>
+<p>The apparent results which Bobby had accomplished, however, were
+as nothing compared with the real results. He had developed those
+energies of character which were to make him, not only a great
+business man, but a useful member of society. Besides, there was a
+moral grandeur in his humble achievements which was more worthy of
+consideration than the mere worldly success he had obtained.
+Motives determine the character of deeds. That a boy of thirteen
+should display so much enterprise and energy was a great thing; but
+that it should be displayed from pure, unselfish devotion to his
+mother was a vastly greater thing. Many great achievements are
+morally insignificant, while many of which the world never hears
+mark the true hero.</p>
+<p>Our hero was not satisfied with what he had done, and far from
+relinquishing his interesting and profitable employment, his
+ambition suggested new and wider fields of success. As one ideal,
+brilliant and glorious in its time, was reached, another more
+brilliant and more glorious presented itself, and demanded to be
+achieved. The little black house began to appear rusty and
+inconvenient; a coat of white paint would marvellously improve its
+appearance; a set of nice Paris-green blinds would make a palace of
+it; and a neat fence around it would positively transform the place
+into a paradise. Yet Bobby was audacious enough to think of these
+things, and even to promise himself that they should be
+obtained.</p>
+<p>In conversation with Mr. Bayard a few days before, that
+gentleman had suggested a new field of labor; and it had been
+arranged that Bobby should visit the State of Maine the following
+week. On the banks of the Kennebec were many wealthy and important
+towns, where the intelligence of the people created a demand for
+books. This time the little merchant was to take two hundred books,
+and be absent until they were all sold.</p>
+<p>On Monday morning he started bright and early for the railroad
+station. As usual, he called upon Squire Lee, and informed Annie
+that he should probably be absent three or four weeks. She hoped no
+accident would happen to him, and that his journey would be crowned
+with success. Without being sentimental, she was a little sad, for
+Bobby was a great friend of hers. That elegant copy of Moore's
+Poems had been gratefully received, and she was so fond of the
+bard's beautiful and touching melodies that she could never read
+any of them without thinking of the brave little fellow who had
+given her the volume; which no one will consider very remarkable,
+even in a little miss of twelve.</p>
+<p>After he had bidden her and her father adieu, he resumed his
+journey. Of course he was thinking with all his might; but no one
+need suppose he was wondering how wide the Kennebec River was, or
+how many books he should sell in the towns upon its banks. Nothing
+of the kind; though it is enough even for the inquisitive to know
+that he was thinking of something, and that his thoughts were very
+interesting, not to say romantic.</p>
+<p>"Hallo, Bob!" shouted some one from the road side.</p>
+<p>Bobby was provoked; for it is sometimes very uncomfortable to
+have a pleasant train of thought interrupted. The imagination is
+buoyant, ethereal, and elevates poor mortals up to the stars
+sometimes. It was so with Bobby. He was building up some kind of an
+air castle, and had got up in the clouds amidst the fog and
+moonshine, and that aggravating voice brought him down,
+<i>slap</i>, upon terra firma.</p>
+<p>He looked up and saw Tom Spicer seated upon the fence. In his
+hand he held a bundle, and had evidently been waiting some time for
+Bobby's coming.</p>
+<p>He had recovered from the illness caused by his broken arm, and
+people said it had been a good lesson for him, as the squire hoped
+it would be. Bobby had called upon him two or three times during
+his confinement to the house; and Tom, either truly repentant for
+his past errors, or lacking the opportunity at that time to
+manifest his evil propensities, had stoutly protested that he had
+"turned over a new leaf," and meant to keep out of the woods on
+Sunday, stop lying and swearing, and become a good boy.</p>
+<p>Bobby commended his good resolutions, and told him he would
+never want friends while he was true to himself. The right side, he
+declared, was always the best side. He quoted several instances of
+men, whose lives he had read in his Sunday school books, to show
+how happy a good man may be in prison, or when all the world seemed
+to forsake him.</p>
+<p>Tom assured him that he meant to reform and be a good boy; and
+Bobby told him that when any one meant to turn over a new leaf, it
+was "now or never." If he put it off, he would only grow worse, and
+the longer the good work was delayed, the more difficult it would
+be to do it. Tom agreed to all this, and was sure he had
+reformed.</p>
+<p>For these reasons Bobby had come to regard Tom with a feeling of
+deep interest. He considered him as, in some measure, his disciple,
+and he felt a personal responsibility in encouraging him to
+persevere in his good work. Nevertheless Bobby was not exactly
+pleased to have his fine air castle upset, and to be tipped out of
+the clouds upon the cold, uncompromising earth again; so the first
+greeting he gave Tom was not as cordial as it might have been.</p>
+<p>"Hallo, Tom!" he replied, rather coolly.</p>
+<p>"Been waiting for you this half hour."</p>
+<p>"Have you?"</p>
+<p>"Yes; ain't you rather late?"</p>
+<p>"No; I have plenty of time, though none to spare," answered
+Bobby; and this was a hint that he must not detain him too
+long.</p>
+<p>"Come along then."</p>
+<p>"Where are you going, Tom?" asked Bobby, a little surprised at
+these words.</p>
+<p>"To Boston."</p>
+<p>"Are you?"</p>
+<p>"I am; that's a fact. You know I spoke to you about going into
+the book business."</p>
+<p>"Not lately."</p>
+<p>"But I have been thinking about it all the time."</p>
+<p>"What do your father and mother say?"</p>
+<p>"O, they are all right."</p>
+<p>"Have you asked them?"</p>
+<p>"Certainly I have; they are willing I should go with
+<i>you</i>."</p>
+<p>"Why didn't you speak of it then?"</p>
+<p>"I thought I wouldn't say anything till the time came. You know
+you fought shy when I spoke about it before."</p>
+<p>And Bobby, notwithstanding the interest he felt in his
+companion, was a little disposed to "fight shy" now. Tom had
+reformed, or had pretended to do so; but he was still a raw
+recruit, and our hero was somewhat fearful that he would run at the
+first fire.</p>
+<p>To the good and true man life is a constant battle. Temptation
+assails him at almost every point; perils and snares beset him at
+every step of his mortal pilgrimage, so that every day he is called
+upon to gird on his armor and fight the good fight.</p>
+<p>Bobby was no poet; but he had a good idea of this every-day
+strife with the foes of error and sin that crossed his path. It was
+a practical conception, but it was truly expressed under the
+similitude of a battle. There was to be resistance, and he could
+comprehend that, for his bump of combativeness took cognizance of
+the suggestion. He was to fight; and that was an idea that stood
+him in better stead than a whole library of ethical subtilties.</p>
+<p>Judging Tom by his own standard, he was afraid he would
+run&mdash;that he wouldn't "stand fire." He had not been drilled.
+Heretofore, when temptation beset him, he had yielded without even
+a struggle, and fled from the field without firing a gun. To go out
+into the great world was a trying event for the raw recruit. He
+lacked, too, that prestige of success which is worth more than
+numbers on the field of battle.</p>
+<p>Tom had chosen for himself, and he could not send him back. He
+had taken up the line of march, let it lead him where it might.</p>
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<p class="i2">"March on! in legions death and sin</p>
+<p class="i4">Impatient wait thy conquering hand;</p>
+<p class="i2">The foe without, the foe within&mdash;</p>
+<p class="i4">Thy youthful arm must both withstand."</p>
+</div>
+</div>
+<p>Bobby had great hopes of him. He felt that he could not well get
+rid of him, and he saw that it was policy for him to make the best
+of it.</p>
+<p>"Well, Tom, where are you going?" asked Bobby, after he had made
+up his mind not to object to the companionship of the other.</p>
+<p>"I don't know. You have been a good friend to me lately, and I
+had an idea that you would give me a lift in this business."</p>
+<p>"I should be very willing to do so; but what can I do for
+you?"</p>
+<p>"Just show me how the business is done; that's all I want."</p>
+<p>"Your father and mother were willing you should come&mdash;were
+they not?"</p>
+<p>Bobby had some doubts about this point, and with good reason
+too. He had called at Tom's house the day before, and they had gone
+to church together; but neither he nor his parents had said a word
+about his going to Boston.</p>
+<p>"When did they agree to it?"</p>
+<p>"Last night," replied Tom, after a moment's hesitation.</p>
+<p>"All right then; but I cannot promise you that Mr. Bayard will
+let you have the books."</p>
+<p>"I can fix that, I reckon," replied Tom, confidently.</p>
+<p>"I will speak a good word for you, at any rate."</p>
+<p>"That's right, Bob."</p>
+<p>"I am going down into the State of Maine this time, and shall be
+gone three or four weeks."</p>
+<p>"So much the better; I always wanted to go down that way."</p>
+<p>Tom asked a great many questions about the business and the
+method of travelling, which Bobby's superior intelligence and more
+extensive experience enabled him to answer to the entire
+satisfaction of the other.</p>
+<p>When they were within half a mile of the railroad station, they
+heard a carriage driven at a rapid rate approaching them from the
+direction of Riverdale.</p>
+<p>Tom seemed to be uneasy, and cast frequent glances behind him.
+In a moment the vehicle was within a short distance of them, and he
+stopped short in the road to scrutinize the persons in it.</p>
+<p>"By jolly!" exclaimed Tom; "my father!"</p>
+<p>"What of it?" asked Bobby, surprised by the strange behavior of
+his companion.</p>
+<p>Tom did not wait to reply, but springing over the fence fled
+like a deer towards some woods a short distance from the road.</p>
+<p>Was it possible? Tom had run away from home. His father had not
+consented to his going to Boston, and Bobby was mortified to find
+that his hopeful disciple had been lying to him ever since they
+left Riverdale. But he was glad the cheat had been exposed.</p>
+<p>"That was Tom with you&mdash;wasn't it?" asked Mr. Spicer, as he
+stopped the foaming horse.</p>
+<p>"Yes, sir; but he told me you had consented that he should go
+with me," replied Bobby, a little disturbed by the angry glance of
+Mr. Spicer's fiery eyes.</p>
+<p>"He lied! the young villain! He will catch it for this."</p>
+<p>"I would not have let him come with me only for that. I asked
+him twice over if you were willing, and he said you were."</p>
+<p>"You ought to have known better than to believe him," interposed
+the man who was with Mr. Spicer.</p>
+<p>Bobby had some reason for believing him. The fact that Tom had
+reformed ought to have entitled him to some consideration, and our
+hero gave him the full benefit of the declaration. To have
+explained this would have taken more time than he could spare;
+besides, it was "a great moral question," whose importance Mr.
+Spicer and his companion would not be likely to apprehend; so he
+made a short story of it, and resumed his walk, thankful that he
+had got rid of Tom.</p>
+<p>Mr. Spicer and his friend, after fastening the horse to the
+fence, went to the woods in search of Tom.</p>
+<p>Bobby reached the station just in time to take the cars, and in
+a moment was on his way to the city.</p>
+<a name="h2HCH0015" id="h2HCH0015"><!-- H2 anchor --></a>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<h2>CHAPTER XV</h2>
+<h3>IN WHICH BOBBY GETS INTO A SCRAPE, AND TOM SPICER TURNS UP
+AGAIN</h3>
+<p>Bobby had a poorer opinion of human nature than ever before. It
+seemed almost incredible to him that words so fairly spoken as
+those of Tom Spicer could be false. He had just risen from a sick
+bed, where he had had an opportunity for long and serious
+reflection. Tom had promised fairly, and Bobby had every reason to
+suppose he intended to be a good boy. But his promises had been
+lies. He had never intended to reform, at least not since he had
+got off his bed of pain. He was mortified and disheartened at the
+failure of this attempt to restore him to himself.</p>
+<p>Like a great many older and wiser persons than himself, he was
+prone to judge the whole human family by a single individual. He
+did not come to believe that every man was a rascal, but, in more
+general terms, that there is a great deal more rascality in this
+world than one would be willing to believe.</p>
+<p>With this sage reflection, he dismissed Tom from his mind, which
+very naturally turned again to the air castle which had been so
+ruthlessly upset. Then his opinion of "the rest of mankind" was
+reversed; and he reflected that if the world were only peopled by
+angels like Annie Lee, what a pleasant place it would be to live
+in. She could not tell a lie, she could not use bad language, she
+could not steal, or do anything else that was bad; and the prospect
+was decidedly pleasant. It was very agreeable to turn from Tom to
+Annie, and in a moment his air castle was built again, and throned
+on clouds of gold and purple. I do not know what impossible things
+he imagined, or how far up in the clouds he would have gone, if the
+arrival of the train at the city had not interrupted his thoughts,
+and pitched him down upon the earth again.</p>
+<p>Bobby was not one of that impracticable class of persons who do
+nothing but dream; for he felt that he had a mission to perform
+which dreaming could not accomplish. However pleasant it may be to
+think of the great and brilliant things which one <i>will</i> do,
+to one of Bobby's practical character it was even more pleasant to
+perform them. We all dream great things, imagine great things; but
+he who stops there does not amount to much, and the world can well
+spare him, for he is nothing but a drone in the hive. Bobby's fine
+imaginings were pretty sure to bring out a "now or never," which
+was the pledge of action, and the work was as good as done when he
+had said it.</p>
+<p>Therefore, when the train arrived, Bobby did not stop to dream
+any longer. He forgot his beautiful air castle, and even let Annie
+Lee slip from his mind for the time being. Those towns upon the
+Kennebec, the two hundred books he was to sell, loomed up before
+him, for it was with them he had to do.</p>
+<p>Grasping the little valise he carried with him, he was hastening
+out of the station house when a hand was placed upon his
+shoulder.</p>
+<p>"Got off slick&mdash;didn't I?" said Tom Spicer, placing himself
+by Bobby's side.</p>
+<p>"You here, Tom!" exclaimed our hero, gazing with astonishment at
+his late companion.</p>
+<p>It was not an agreeable encounter, and from the bottom of his
+heart Bobby wished him anywhere but where he was. He foresaw that
+he could not easily get rid of him.</p>
+<p>"I am here," replied Tom. "I ran through the woods to the depot,
+and got aboard the cars just as they were starting. The old man
+couldn't come it over me quite so slick as that."</p>
+<p>"But you ran away from home."</p>
+<p>"Well, what of it?"</p>
+<p>"A good deal, I should say."</p>
+<p>"If you had been in my place, you would have done the same."</p>
+<p>"I don't know about that; obedience to parents is one of our
+first duties."</p>
+<p>"I know that; and if I had had any sort of fair play, I wouldn't
+have run away."</p>
+<p>"What do you mean by that?" asked Bobby, somewhat surprised,
+though he had a faint idea of the meaning of the other.</p>
+<p>"I will tell you all about it by and by. I give you my word of
+honor that I will make everything satisfactory to you."</p>
+<p>"But you lied to me on the road this morning."</p>
+<p>Tom winced; under ordinary circumstances he would have resented
+such a remark by "clearing away" for a fight. But he had a purpose
+to accomplish, and he knew the character of him with whom he had to
+deal.</p>
+<p>"I'm sorry I did, now," answered Tom, with every manifestation
+of penitence for his fault. "I didn't want to lie to you; and it
+went against my conscience to do so. But I was afraid, if I told
+you my father refused, up and down, to let me go, that you wouldn't
+be willing I should come with you."</p>
+<p>"I shall not be any more willing now I know all about it," added
+Bobby, in an uncompromising tone.</p>
+<p>"Wait till you have heard my story, and then you won't blame
+me."</p>
+<p>"Of course you can go where you please; it is none of my
+business; but let me tell you, Tom, in the beginning, that I won't
+go with a fellow who has run away from his father and mother."</p>
+<p>"Pooh! What's the use of talking in that way?"</p>
+<p>Tom was evidently disconcerted by this decided stand of his
+companion. He knew that his bump of firmness was well developed,
+and whatever he said he meant.</p>
+<p>"You had better return home, Tom. Boys that run away from home
+don't often amount to much. Take my advice, and go home," added
+Bobby.</p>
+<p>"To such a home as mine!" said Tom, gloomily. "If I had such a
+home as yours, I would not have left it."</p>
+<p>Bobby got a further idea from this remark of the true state of
+the case, and the consideration moved him. Tom's father was a
+notoriously intemperate man, and the boy had nothing to hope for
+from his precept or his example. He was the child of a drunkard,
+and as much to be pitied as blamed for his vices. His home was not
+pleasant. He who presided over it, and who should have made a
+paradise of it, was its evil genius, a demon of wickedness, who
+blasted its flowers as fast as they bloomed.</p>
+<p>Tom had seemed truly penitent both during his illness and since
+his recovery. His one great desire now was to get away from home,
+for home to him was a place of torment. Bobby suspected all this,
+and in his great heart he pitied his companion. He did not know
+what to do.</p>
+<p>"I am sorry for you, Tom," said he, after he had considered the
+matter in this new light; "but I don't see what I can do for you. I
+doubt whether it would be right for me to help you run away from
+your parents."</p>
+<p>"I don't want you to help me run away. I have done that
+already."</p>
+<p>"But if I let you go with me, it will be just the same thing.
+Besides, since you told me those lies this morning, I haven't much
+confidence in you."</p>
+<p>"I couldn't help that."</p>
+<p>"Yes, you could. Couldn't help lying?"</p>
+<p>"What could I do? You would have gone right back and told my
+father."</p>
+<p>"Well, we will go up to Mr. Bayard's store, and then we will see
+what can be done."</p>
+<p>"I couldn't stay at home, sure," continued Tom, as they walked
+along together. "My father even talked of binding me out to a
+trade."</p>
+<p>"Did he?"</p>
+<p>Bobby stopped short in the street; for it was evident that, as
+this would remove him from his unhappy home, and thus effect all he
+professed to desire, he had some other purpose in view.</p>
+<p>"What are you stopping for, Bob?"</p>
+<p>"I think you had better go back, Tom."</p>
+<p>"Not I; I won't do that, whatever happens."</p>
+<p>"If your father will put you to a trade, what more do you
+want?"</p>
+<p>"I won't go to a trade, anyhow."</p>
+<p>Bobby said no more, but determined to consult with Mr. Bayard
+about the matter; and Tom was soon too busily engaged in observing
+the strange sights and sounds of the city to think of anything
+else.</p>
+<p>When they reached the store, Bobby went into Mr. Bayard's
+private office and told him all about the affair. The bookseller
+decided that Tom had run away more to avoid being bound to a trade
+than because his home was unpleasant; and this decision seemed to
+Bobby all the more just because he knew that Tom's mother, though a
+drunkard's wife, was a very good woman. Mr. Bayard further decided
+that Bobby ought not to permit the runaway to be the companion of
+his journey. He also considered it his duty to write to Mr. Spicer,
+informing him of his son's arrival in the city, and clearing Bobby
+from any agency in his escape.</p>
+<p>While Mr. Bayard was writing the letter, Bobby went out to give
+Tom the result of the consultation. The runaway received it with a
+great show of emotion, and begged and pleaded to have the decision
+reversed. But Bobby, though he would gladly have done anything for
+him which was consistent with his duty, was firm as a rock, and
+positively refused to have anything to do with him until he
+obtained his father's consent; or, if there was any such trouble as
+he asserted, his mother's consent.</p>
+<p>Tom left the store, apparently "more in sorrow than in anger."
+His bullying nature seemed to be cast out, and Bobby could not but
+feel sorry for him. Duty was imperative, as it always is, and it
+must be done "now or never."</p>
+<p>During the day the little merchant attended to the packing of
+his stock, and to such other preparations as were required for his
+journey. He must take the steamer that evening for Bath, and when
+the time for his departure arrived, he was attended to the wharf by
+Mr. Bayard and Ellen, with whom he had passed the afternoon. The
+bookseller assisted him in procuring his ticket and berth, and gave
+him such instructions as his inexperience demanded.</p>
+<p>The last bell rang, the fasts were cast off, and the great
+wheels of the steamer began to turn. Our hero, who had never been
+on the water in a steamboat, or indeed anything bigger than a punt
+on the river at home, was much interested and excited by his novel
+position. He seated himself on the promenade deck, and watched with
+wonder the boiling, surging waters astern of the steamer.</p>
+<p>How powerful is man, the author of that mighty machine that bore
+him so swiftly over the deep blue waters! Bobby was a little
+philosopher, as we have before had occasion to remark, and he was
+decidedly of the opinion that the steamboat was a great
+institution. When he had in some measure conquered his amazement,
+and the first ideas of sublimity which the steamer and the sea were
+calculated to excite in a poetical imagination, he walked forward
+to take a closer survey of the machinery. After all, there was
+something rather comical in the affair. The steam hissed and
+sputtered, and the great walking beam kept flying up and down; and
+the sum total of Bobby's philosophy was, that it was funny these
+things should make the boat go so like a race horse over the
+water.</p>
+<p>Then he took a look into the pilot house, and it seemed more
+funny that turning that big wheel should steer the boat. But the
+wind blew rather fresh at the forward part of the boat, and as
+Bobby's philosophy was not proof against it, he returned to the
+promenade deck, which was sheltered from the severity of the blast.
+He had got reconciled to the whole thing, and ceased to bother his
+head about the big wheel, the sputtering steam, and the walking
+beam; so he seated himself, and began to wonder what all the people
+in Riverdale were about.</p>
+<p>"All them as hasn't paid their fare, please walk up to the
+cap'n's office and s-e-t-t-l-e!" shouted a colored boy, presenting
+himself just then, and furiously ringing a large hand bell.</p>
+<p>"I have just settled," said Bobby, alluding to his comfortable
+seat.</p>
+<p>But the allusion was so indefinite to the colored boy that he
+thought himself insulted. He did not appear to be a very amiable
+boy, for his fist was doubled up, and with sundry big oaths, he
+threatened to annihilate the little merchant for his insolence.</p>
+<p>"I didn't say anything that need offend you," replied Bobby. "I
+meant nothing."</p>
+<p>"You lie! You did!"</p>
+<p>He was on the point of administering a blow with his fist, when
+a third party appeared on the ground, and without waiting to hear
+the merits of the case, struck the negro a blow which had nearly
+floored him.</p>
+<p>Some of the passengers now interfered, and the colored boy was
+prevented from executing vengeance on the assailant.</p>
+<p>"Strike that fellow and you strike me!" said he who had struck
+the blow.</p>
+<p>"Tom Spicer!" exclaimed Bobby, astonished and chagrined at the
+presence of the runaway.</p>
+<a name="h2HCH0016" id="h2HCH0016"><!-- H2 anchor --></a>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<h2>CHAPTER XVI</h2>
+<h3>IN WHICH BOBBY FINDS "IT IS AN ILL WIND THAT BLOWS NO ONE ANY
+GOOD"</h3>
+<p>A gentleman, who was sitting near Bobby when he made the remark
+which the colored boy had misunderstood, interfered to free him
+from blame, and probably all unpleasant feelings might have been
+saved, if Tom's zeal had been properly directed. As it was, the
+waiter retired with his bell, vowing vengeance upon his
+assailant.</p>
+<p>"How came you here, Tom?" asked Bobby, when the excitement had
+subsided.</p>
+<p>"You don't get rid of me so easily," replied Tom, laughing.</p>
+<p>Bobby called to mind the old adage that "a bad penny is sure to
+return;" and, if it had not been a very uncivil remark, he would
+have said it.</p>
+<p>"I didn't expect to see you again at present," he observed,
+hardly knowing what to say or do.</p>
+<p>"I suppose not; but as I didn't mean you should expect me, I
+kept out of sight. Only for that darkey you wouldn't have found me
+out so soon. I like you, Bob, in spite of all you have done to get
+rid of me, and I wasn't a going to let the darkey thrash you."</p>
+<p>"You only made matters worse."</p>
+<p>"That is all the thanks I get for hitting him for you."</p>
+<p>"I am sorry you hit him; at the same time I suppose you meant to
+do me a service, and I thank you, not for the blow you struck the
+black boy, but for your good intentions."</p>
+<p>"That sounds better. I meant well, Bob."</p>
+<p>"I dare say you did. But how came you here?"</p>
+<p>"Why, you see, I was bound to go with you anyhow or at least to
+keep within hail of you. You told me, you know, that you were going
+in the steamboat; and after I left the shop, what should I see but
+a big picture of a steamboat on a wall. It said. 'Bath, Gardiner,
+and Hallowell,' on the bill; and I knew that was where you meant to
+go. So this afternoon I hunts round and finds the steamboat. I
+thought I never should have found it; but here I am."</p>
+<p>"What are you going to do?"</p>
+<p>"Going into the book business," replied Tom, with a smile.</p>
+<p>"Where are your books?"</p>
+<p>"Down stairs, in the cellar of the steamboat, or whatever you
+call it."</p>
+<p>"Where did you get them?"</p>
+<p>"Bought 'em, of course."</p>
+<p>"Did you? Where?"</p>
+<p>"Well, I don't remember the name of the street now. I could go
+right there if I was in the city, though."</p>
+<p>"Would they trust you?"</p>
+<p>Tom hesitated. The lies he had told that morning had done him no
+good&mdash;had rather injured his cause; and, though he had no
+principle that forbade lying, he questioned its policy in the
+present instance.</p>
+<p>"I paid part down, and they trusted me part."</p>
+<p>"How many books you got?"</p>
+<p>"Twenty dollars' worth. I paid eight dollars down."</p>
+<p>"You did? Where did you get the eight dollars?"</p>
+<p>Bobby remembered the money Tom's father had lost several weeks
+before, and immediately connected that circumstance with his
+present ability to pay so large a sum.</p>
+<p>Tom hesitated again, but he was never at a loss for an
+answer.</p>
+<p>"My mother gave it to me."</p>
+<p>"Your mother?"</p>
+<p>"Yes, <i>sir</i>!" replied Tom, boldly, and in that peculiarly
+bluff manner which is almost always good evidence that the boy is
+lying.</p>
+<p>"But you ran away from home."</p>
+<p>"That's so; but my mother knew I was coming."</p>
+<p>"Did she?"</p>
+<p>"To be sure she did."</p>
+<p>"You didn't say so before."</p>
+<p>"I can't tell all I know in a minute."</p>
+<p>"If I thought your mother consented to your coming, I wouldn't
+say another word."</p>
+<p>"Well, she did; you may bet your life on that."</p>
+<p>"And your mother gave you ten dollars?"</p>
+<p>"Who said she gave me <i>ten</i> dollars?" asked Tom, a little
+sharply.</p>
+<p>That was just the sum his father had lost, and Bobby had
+unwittingly hinted his suspicion.</p>
+<p>"You must have had as much as that if you paid eight on your
+books. Your fare to Boston and your steamboat fare must be two
+dollars more."</p>
+<p>"I know that; but look here, Bob;" and Tom took from his pocket
+five half dollars and exhibited them to his companion. "She gave me
+thirteen dollars."</p>
+<p>Notwithstanding this argument, Bobby felt almost sure that the
+lost ten dollars was a part of his capital.</p>
+<p>"I will tell you my story now, Bob, if you like. You condemned
+me without a hearing, as Jim Guthrie said when they sent him to the
+House of Correction for getting drunk."</p>
+<p>"Go ahead."</p>
+<p>The substance of Tom's story was, that his father drank so hard,
+and was such a tyrant in the house, that he could endure it no
+longer. His father and mother did not agree, as any one might have
+suspected. His mother, encouraged by the success of Bobby, thought
+that Tom might do something of the kind, and she had provided him
+the money to buy his stock of books.</p>
+<p>Bobby had not much confidence in this story. He had been
+deceived once; besides, it was not consistent with his previous
+narrative, and he had not before hinted that he had obtained his
+mother's consent. But Tom was eloquent, and protested that he had
+reformed, and meant to do well. He declared, by all that was good
+and great, Bobby should never have reason to be ashamed of him.</p>
+<p>Our little merchant was troubled. He could not now get rid of
+Tom without actually quarrelling with him, or running away from
+him. He did not wish to do the former, and it was not an easy
+matter to do the latter. Besides, there was hope that the runaway
+would do well; and if he did, when he carried the profits of his
+trade home, his father would forgive him. One thing was certain; if
+he returned to Riverdale he would be what he had been before.</p>
+<p>For these reasons Bobby finally, but very reluctantly, consented
+that Tom should remain with him, resolving, however, that, if he
+did not behave himself, he would leave him at once.</p>
+<p>Before morning he had another reason. When the steamer got out
+into the open bay, Bobby was seasick. He retired to his berth with
+a dreadful headache; as he described it afterwards, it seemed just
+as though that great walking beam was smashing up and down right in
+the midst of his brains. He had never felt so ill before in his
+life, and was very sure, in his inexperience, that something worse
+than mere seasickness ailed him.</p>
+<p>He told Tom, who was not in the least affected, how he felt;
+whereupon the runaway blustered round, got the steward and the
+captain into the cabin, and was very sure that Bobby would die
+before morning, if we may judge by the fuss he made.</p>
+<p>The captain was angry at being called from the pilot house for
+nothing, and threatened to throw Tom overboard if he didn't stop
+his noise. The steward, however, was a kind-hearted man, and
+assured Bobby that passengers were often a great deal sicker than
+he was; but he promised to do something for his relief, and Tom
+went with him to his state room for the desired remedy.</p>
+<p>The potion was nothing more nor less than a table spoonful of
+brandy, which Bobby, who had conscientious scruples about drinking
+ardent spirits, at first refused to take. Then Tom argued the
+point, and the sick boy yielded. The dose made him sicker yet, and
+nature came to his relief, and in a little while he felt
+better.</p>
+<p>Tom behaved like a good nurse; he staid by his friend till he
+went to sleep, and then "turned in" upon a settee beneath his
+berth. The boat pitched and tumbled about so in the heavy sea that
+Bobby did not sleep long, and when he woke he found Tom ready to
+assist him. But our hero felt better, and entreated Tom to go to
+sleep again. He made the best of his unpleasant situation. Sleep
+was not to be wooed, and he tried to pass away the dreary hours in
+thinking of Riverdale and the dear ones there. His mother was
+asleep, and Annie was asleep; that was about all the excitement he
+could get up even on the home question. He could not build castles
+in the air, for seasickness and castle building do not agree. The
+gold and purple clouds would be black in spite of him, and the
+aerial structure he essayed to build would pitch and tumble about,
+for all the world, just like a steamboat in a heavy sea. As often
+as he got fairly into it, he was violently rolled out, and in a
+twinkling found himself in his narrow berth, awfully seasick.</p>
+<p>He went to sleep again at last, and the long night passed away.
+When he woke in the morning, he felt tolerably well, and was
+thankful that he had got out of that scrape. But before he could
+dress himself, he heard a terrible racket on deck. The steam
+whistle was shrieking, the bell was banging, and he heard the
+hoarse bellowing of the captain. It was certain that something had
+happened, or was about to happen.</p>
+<p>Then the boat stopped, rolling heavily in the sea. Tom was not
+there; he had gone on deck. Bobby was beginning to consider what a
+dreadful thing a wreck was, when Tom appeared.</p>
+<p>"What's the matter?" asked Bobby, with some appearance of
+alarm.</p>
+<p>"Fog," replied Tom. "It is so thick you can cut it with a
+hatchet."</p>
+<p>"Is that all?"</p>
+<p>"That's enough."</p>
+<p>"Where are we?"</p>
+<p>"That is just what the pilot would like to know. They can't see
+ahead a bit, and don't know where we are."</p>
+<p>Bobby went on deck. The ocean rolled beneath them, but there was
+nothing but fog to be seen above and around them. The lead was
+heaved every few moments, and the steamer crept slowly along till
+it was found the water shoaled rapidly, when the captain ordered
+the men to let go the anchor.</p>
+<p>There they were; the fog was as obstinate as a mule, and would
+not "lift." Hour after hour they waited, for the captain was a
+prudent man, and would not risk the life of those on board to save
+a few hours' time. After breakfast, the passengers began to display
+their uneasiness, and some of them called the captain very hard
+names, because he would not go on. Almost everybody grumbled, and
+made themselves miserable.</p>
+<p>"Nothing to do and nothing to read," growled a nicely-dressed
+gentleman, as he yawned and stretched himself to manifest his
+sensation of <i>ennui</i>.</p>
+<p>"Nothing to read, eh?" thought Bobby. "We will soon supply that
+want."</p>
+<p>Calling Tom, they went down to the main deck where the baggage
+had been placed.</p>
+<p>"Now's our time," said he, as he proceeded to unlock one of the
+trunks that contained his books. "Now or never."</p>
+<p>"I am with you," replied Tom, catching the idea.</p>
+<p>The books of the latter were in a box, and he was obliged to get
+a hammer to open it; but with Bobby's assistance he soon got at
+them.</p>
+<p>"Buy 'The Wayfarer,'" said Bobby, when he returned to the
+saloon, and placed a volume in the hands of the yawning gentleman.
+"Best book of the season; only one dollar."</p>
+<p>"That I will, and glad of the chance," replied the gentleman. "I
+would give five dollars for anything, if it were only the 'Comic
+Almanac.'"</p>
+<p>Others were of the same mind. There was no present prospect that
+the fog would lift, and before dinner time our merchant had sold
+fifty copies of "The Wayfarer." Tom, whose books were of an
+inferior description, and who was inexperienced as a salesman,
+disposed of twenty, which was more than half of his stock. The fog
+was a godsend to both of them, and they reaped a rich harvest from
+the occasion, for almost all the passengers seemed willing to spend
+their money freely for the means of occupying the heavy hours and
+driving away that dreadful <i>ennui</i> which reigns supreme in a
+fog-bound steamer.</p>
+<p>About the middle of the afternoon, the fog blew over, and the
+boat proceeded on her voyage, and before sunset our young merchants
+were safely landed at Bath.</p>
+<a name="h2HCH0017" id="h2HCH0017"><!-- H2 anchor --></a>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<h2>CHAPTER XVII</h2>
+<h3>IN WHICH TOM HAS A GOOD TIME, AND BOBBY MEETS WITH A TERRIBLE
+MISFORTUNE</h3>
+<p>Bath afforded our young merchants an excellent market for their
+wares, and they remained there the rest of the week. They then
+proceeded to Brunswick, where their success was equally
+flattering.</p>
+<p>Thus far Tom had done very well, though Bobby had frequent
+occasion to remind him of the pledges he had given to conduct
+himself in a proper manner. He would swear now and then, from the
+force of habit; but invariably, when Bobby checked him, he promised
+to do better.</p>
+<p>At Brunswick Tom sold the last of his books, and was in
+possession of about thirty dollars, twelve of which he owed the
+publisher who had furnished his stock. This money seemed to burn in
+his pocket. He had the means of having a good time, and it went
+hard with him to plod along as Bobby did, careful to save every
+penny he could.</p>
+<p>"Come, Bob, let's get a horse and chaise and have a
+ride&mdash;what do you say?" proposed Tom, on the day he finished
+selling his books.</p>
+<p>"I can't spare the time or the money," replied Bobby,
+decidedly.</p>
+<p>"What is the use of having money if we can't spend it? It is a
+first rate day, and we should have a good time."</p>
+<p>"I can't afford it. I have a great many books to sell."</p>
+<p>"About a hundred; you can sell them fast enough."</p>
+<p>"I don't spend my money foolishly."</p>
+<p>"It wouldn't be foolishly. I have sold out, and I am bound to
+have a little fun now."</p>
+<p>"You never will succeed if you do business in that way."</p>
+<p>"Why not?"</p>
+<p>"You will spend your money as fast as you get it."</p>
+<p>"Pooh! we can get a horse and chaise for the afternoon for two
+dollars. That is not much."</p>
+<p>"Considerable, I should say. But if you begin, there is no
+knowing where to leave off. I make it a rule not to spend a single
+cent foolishly, and if I don't begin, I shall never do it."</p>
+<p>"I don't mean to spend all I get; only a little now and then,"
+persisted Tom.</p>
+<p>"Don't spend the first dollar for nonsense, and then you won't
+spend the second. Besides, when I have any money to spare, I mean
+to buy books with it for my library."</p>
+<p>"Humbug! Your library!"</p>
+<p>"Yes, my library; I mean to have a library one of these
+days."</p>
+<p>"I don't want any library, and I mean to spend some of my money
+in having a good time; and if you won't go with me, I shall go
+alone&mdash;that's all."</p>
+<p>"You can do as you please, of course; but I advise you to keep
+your money. You will want it to buy another stock of books."</p>
+<p>"I shall have enough for that. What do you say? will you go with
+me or not?"</p>
+<p>"No, I will not."</p>
+<p>"Enough said; then I shall go alone, or get some fellow to go
+with me."</p>
+<p>"Consider well before you go," pleaded Bobby, who had sense
+enough to see that Tom's proposed "good time" would put back, if
+not entirely prevent, the reform he was working out.</p>
+<p>He then proceeded to reason with him in a very earnest and
+feeling manner, telling him he would not only spend all his money,
+but completely unfit himself for business. What he proposed to do
+was nothing more nor less than extravagance, and it would lead him
+to dissipation and ruin.</p>
+<p>"To-day I am going to send one hundred dollars to Mr. Bayard,"
+continued Bobby; "for I am afraid to have so much money with me. I
+advise you to send your money to your employer."</p>
+<p>"Humph! Catch me doing that! I am bound to have a good time,
+anyhow."</p>
+<p>"At least, send the money you owe him."</p>
+<p>"I'll bet I won't."</p>
+<p>"Well, do as you please; I have said all I have to say."</p>
+<p>"You are a fool, Bob!" exclaimed Tom, who had evidently used
+Bobby as much as he wished, and no longer cared to speak soft words
+to him.</p>
+<p>"Perhaps I am; but I know better than to spend my money upon
+fast horses. If you will go, I can't help it. I am sorry you are
+going astray."</p>
+<p>"What do you mean by that, you young monkey?" said Tom,
+angrily.</p>
+<p>This was Tom Spicer, the bully. It sounded like him; and with a
+feeling of sorrow Bobby resigned the hopes he had cherished of
+making a good boy of him.</p>
+<p>"We had better part now," added our hero, sadly.</p>
+<p>"I'm willing."</p>
+<p>"I shall leave Brunswick this afternoon for the towns up the
+river. I hope no harm will befall you. Good by, Tom."</p>
+<p>"Go it! I have heard your preaching about long enough, and I am
+more glad to get rid of you than you are to get rid of me."</p>
+<p>Bobby walked away towards the house where he had left the trunk
+containing his books, while Tom made his way towards a livery
+stable. The boys had been in the place for several days, and had
+made some acquaintances; so Tom had no difficulty in procuring a
+companion for his proposed ride.</p>
+<p>Our hero wrote a letter that afternoon to Mr. Bayard, in which
+he narrated all the particulars of his journey, his relations with
+Tom Spicer, and the success that had attended his labors. At the
+bank he procured a hundred dollar note for his small bills, and
+enclosed it in the letter.</p>
+<p>He felt sad about Tom. The runaway had done so well, had been so
+industrious, and shown such a tractable spirit, that he had been
+very much encouraged about him. But if he meant to be wild
+again,&mdash;for it was plain that the ride was only "the beginning
+of sorrows,"&mdash;it was well that they should part.</p>
+<p>By the afternoon stage our hero proceeded to Gardiner, passing
+through several smaller towns, which did not promise a very
+abundant harvest. His usual success attended him; for wherever he
+went, people seemed to be pleased with him, as Squire Lee had
+declared they would be. His pleasant, honest face was a capital
+recommendation, and his eloquence seldom failed to achieve the
+result which eloquence has ever achieved from Demosthenes down to
+the present day.</p>
+<p>Our limits do not permit us to follow him in all his
+peregrinations from town to town, and from house to house; so we
+pass over the next fortnight, at the end of which time we find him
+at Augusta. He had sold all his books but twenty, and had that day
+remitted eighty dollars more to Mr. Bayard. It was Wednesday, and
+he hoped to sell out so as to be able to take the next steamer for
+Boston, which was advertised to sail on the following day.</p>
+<p>He had heard nothing from Tom since their parting, and had given
+up all expectation of meeting him again; but that bad penny maxim
+proved true once more, for, as he was walking through one of the
+streets of Augusta, he had the misfortune to meet him&mdash;and
+this time it was indeed a misfortune.</p>
+<p>"Hallo, Bobby!" shouted the runaway, as familiarly as though
+nothing had happened to disturb the harmony of their relations.</p>
+<p>"Ah, Tom, I didn't expect to see you again," replied Bobby, not
+very much rejoiced to meet his late companion.</p>
+<p>"I suppose not; but here I am, as good as new. Have you sold
+out?"</p>
+<p>"No, not quite."</p>
+<p>"How many have you left?"</p>
+<p>"About twenty; but I thought, Tom, you would have returned to
+Boston before this time."</p>
+<p>"No;" and Tom did not seem to be in very good spirits.</p>
+<p>"Where are you going now?"</p>
+<p>"I don't know. I ought to have taken your advice, Bobby."</p>
+<p>This was a concession, and our hero began to feel some sympathy
+for his companion&mdash;as who does not when the erring confess
+their faults?</p>
+<p>"I am sorry you did not."</p>
+<p>"I got in with some pretty hard fellows down there to
+Brunswick," continued Tom, rather sheepishly.</p>
+<p>"And spent all your money," added Bobby, who could readily
+understand the reason why Tom had put on his humility again.</p>
+<p>"Not all."</p>
+<p>"How much have you left?"</p>
+<p>"Not much," replied he, evasively. "I don't know what I shall
+do. I am in a strange place, and have no friends."</p>
+<p>Bobby's sympathies were aroused, and without reflection, he
+promised to be a friend in his extremity.</p>
+<p>"I will stick by you this time, Bob, come what will. I will do
+just as you say, now."</p>
+<p>Our merchant was a little flattered by this unreserved display
+of confidence. He did not give weight enough to the fact that it
+was adversity alone which made Tom so humble. He was in trouble,
+and gave him all the guarantee he could ask for his future good
+behavior. He could not desert him now he was in difficulty.</p>
+<p>"You shall help me sell my books, and then we will return to
+Boston together. Have you money enough left to pay your
+employer?"</p>
+<p>Tom hesitated; something evidently hung heavily upon his
+mind.</p>
+<p>"I don't know how it will be after I have paid my expenses to
+Boston," he replied, averting his face.</p>
+<p>Bobby was perplexed by this evasive answer; but as Tom seemed so
+reluctant to go into details, he reserved his inquiries for a more
+convenient season.</p>
+<p>"Now, Tom, you take the houses on that side of the street, and I
+will take those upon this side. You shall have the profits on all
+you sell."</p>
+<p>"You are a first rate fellow, Bob; and I only wish I had done as
+you wanted me to do."</p>
+<p>"Can't be helped now, and we will do the next best thing,"
+replied Bobby, as he left his companion to enter a house.</p>
+<p>Tom did very well, and by the middle of the afternoon they had
+sold all the books but four. "The Wayfarer" had been liberally
+advertised in that vicinity, and the work was in great demand.
+Bobby's heart grew lighter as the volumes disappeared from his
+valise, and already he had begun to picture the scene which would
+ensue upon his return to the little black house. How glad his
+mother would be to see him, and, he dared believe, how happy Annie
+would be as she listened to the account of his journey in the State
+of Maine! Wouldn't she be astonished when he told her about the
+steamboat, about the fog, and about the wild region at the mouth of
+the beautiful Kennebec!</p>
+<p>Poor Bobby! the brightest dream often ends in sadness; and a
+greater trial than any he had been called upon to endure was yet in
+store for him.</p>
+<p>As he walked along, thinking of Riverdale and its loved ones,
+Tom came out of a grocery store where he had just sold a book.</p>
+<p>"Here, Bob, is a ten dollar bill. I believe I have sold ten
+books for you," said Tom, after they had walked some distance. "You
+had better keep the money now; and while I think of it, you had
+better take what I have left of my former sales;" and Tom handed
+him another ten dollar bill.</p>
+<p>Bobby noticed that Tom seemed very much confused and
+embarrassed; but he did not observe that the two bills he had
+handed him were on the same bank.</p>
+<p>"Then you had ten dollars left after your frolic," he remarked,
+as he took the last bill.</p>
+<p>"About that;" and Tom glanced uneasily behind him.</p>
+<p>"What is the matter with you, Tom?" asked Bobby, who did not
+know what to make of his companion's embarrassment.</p>
+<p>"Nothing, Bob; let us walk a little faster. We had better turn
+up this street," continued Tom, as, with a quick pace, he took the
+direction indicated.</p>
+<p>Bobby began to fear that Tom had been doing something wrong; and
+the suspicion was confirmed by seeing two men running with all
+their might towards them. Tom perceived them at the same
+moment.</p>
+<p>"Run!" he shouted, and suiting the action to the word, he took
+to his heels, and fled up the street into which he had proposed to
+turn.</p>
+<p>Bobby did not run, but stopped short where he was till the men
+came up to him.</p>
+<p>"Grab him," said one of them, "and I will catch the other."</p>
+<p>The man collared Bobby, and in spite of all the resistance he
+could make, dragged him down the street to the grocery store in
+which Tom had sold his last book.</p>
+<p>"What do you mean by this?" asked Bobby, his blood boiling with
+indignation at the harsh treatment to which he had been
+subjected.</p>
+<p>"We have got you, my hearty," replied the man, releasing his
+hold.</p>
+<p>No sooner was the grasp of the man removed, than Bobby, who
+determined on this as on former occasions to stand upon his
+inalienable rights, bolted for the door, and ran away with all his
+speed. But his captor was too fleet for him, and he was immediately
+retaken. To make him sure this time, his arms were tied behind him,
+and he was secured to the counter of the shop.</p>
+<p>In a few moments the other man returned, dragging Tom in triumph
+after him. By this time quite a crowd had collected, which nearly
+filled the store.</p>
+<p>Bobby was confounded at the sudden change that had come over his
+fortunes; but seeing that resistance would be vain, he resolved to
+submit with the best grace he could.</p>
+<p>"I should like to know what all this means?" he inquired,
+indignantly.</p>
+<p>The crowd laughed in derision.</p>
+<p>"This is the chap that stole the wallet, I will be bound," said
+one, pointing to Tom, who stood in surly silence awaiting his
+fate.</p>
+<p>"He is the one who came into the store," replied the
+shopkeeper.</p>
+<p>"<i>I</i> haven't stole any wallet," protested Bobby, who now
+understood the whole affair.</p>
+<p>The names of the two boys were taken, and warrants procured for
+their detention. They were searched, and upon Tom was found the
+lost wallet, and upon Bobby two ten dollar bills, which the loser
+was willing to swear had been in the wallet. The evidence therefore
+was conclusive, and they were both sent to jail.</p>
+<p>Poor Bobby! the inmate of a prison!</p>
+<p>The law took its course, and in due time both of them were
+sentenced to two years' imprisonment in the State Reform School.
+Bobby was innocent, but he could not make his innocence appear. He
+had been the companion of Tom, the real thief, and part of the
+money had been found upon his person. Tom was too mean to exonerate
+him, and even had the hardihood to exult over his misfortune.</p>
+<p>At the end of three days they reached the town in which the
+Reform School is located, and were duly committed for their long
+term.</p>
+<p>Poor Bobby!</p>
+<a name="h2HCH0018" id="h2HCH0018"><!-- H2 anchor --></a>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<h2>CHAPTER XVIII</h2>
+<h3>IN WHICH BOBBY TAKES FRENCH LEAVE, AND CAMPS IN THE WOODS</h3>
+<p>The intelligence of Bobby's misfortune reached Mr. Bayard, in
+Boston, by means of the newspapers. To the country press an item is
+a matter of considerable importance, and the alleged offence
+against the peace and dignity of the State of Maine was duly
+heralded to the inquiring public as a "daring robbery." The
+reporter who furnished the facts in the case for publication was
+not entirely devoid of that essential qualification of the country
+item writer, a lively imagination, and was obliged to dress up the
+particulars a little, in order to produce the necessary amount of
+wonder and indignation. It was stated that one of the two young men
+had been prowling about the place for several days, ostensibly for
+the purpose of selling books, but really with the intention of
+stealing whatever he could lay his hands upon. It was suggested
+that the boys were in league with an organized band of robbers,
+whose nefarious purposes would be defeated by the timely arrest of
+these young villains. The paper hinted that further depredations
+would probably be discovered, and warned people to beware of
+ruffians strolling about the country in the guise of pedlers.</p>
+<p>The writer of this thrilling paragraph must have had reason to
+believe that he had discharged his whole duty to the public, and
+that our hero was duly branded as a desperate fellow. No doubt he
+believed Bobby was an awful monster; for at the conclusion of his
+remarks he introduced some severe strictures on the lenity of the
+magistrate, because he had made the sentence two years, instead of
+five, which the writer thought the atrocious crime deserved. But,
+then, the justice differed from him in politics, which may account
+for the severity of the article.</p>
+<p>Mr. Bayard read this precious paragraph with mingled grief and
+indignation. He understood the case at a glance. Tom Spicer had
+joined him, and the little merchant had been involved in his crime.
+He was sure that Bobby had had no part in stealing the money. One
+so noble and true as he had been could not steal, he reasoned. It
+was contrary to experience, contrary to common sense.</p>
+<p>He was very much disturbed. This intelligence would be a severe
+blow to the poor boy's mother, and he had not the courage to
+destroy all her bright hopes by writing her the terrible truth. He
+was confident that Bobby was innocent, and that his being in the
+company of Tom Spicer had brought the imputation upon him; so he
+could not let the matter take its course. He was determined to do
+something to procure his liberty and restore his reputation.</p>
+<p>Squire Lee was in the city that day, and had left his store only
+half an hour before he discovered the paragraph. He immediately
+sent to his hotel for him, and together they devised means to
+effect Bobby's liberation. The squire was even more confident than
+Mr. Bayard that our hero was innocent of the crime charged upon
+him. They agreed to proceed immediately to the State of Maine, and
+use their influence in obtaining his pardon. The bookseller was a
+man of influence in the community, and was as well known in Maine
+as in Massachusetts; but to make their application the surer, he
+procured letters of introduction from some of the most
+distinguished men in Boston to the governor and other official
+persons in Maine.</p>
+<p>We will leave them now to do the work they had so generously
+undertaken, and return to the Reform School, where Bobby and Tom
+were confined. The latter took the matter very coolly. He seemed to
+feel that he deserved his sentence, but he took a malicious delight
+in seeing Bobby the companion of his captivity. He even had the
+hardihood to remind him of the blow he had struck him more than two
+months before, telling him that he had vowed vengeance then, and
+now the time had come. He was satisfied.</p>
+<p>"You know I didn't steal the money, or have anything to do with
+it," said Bobby.</p>
+<p>"Some of it was found upon you, though," sneered Tom,
+maliciously.</p>
+<p>"You know how it came there, if no one else does."</p>
+<p>"Of course I do; but I like your company too well to get rid of
+you so easy."</p>
+<p>"The Lord is with the innocent," replied Bobby; "and something
+tells me that I shall not stay in this place a great while."</p>
+<p>"Going to run away?" asked Tom, with interest, and suddenly
+dropping his malicious look.</p>
+<p>"I know I am innocent of any crime; and I know that the Lord
+will not let me stay here a great while."</p>
+<p>"What do you mean to do, Bob?"</p>
+<p>Bobby made no reply; he felt that he had had more confidence in
+Tom than he deserved, and he determined to keep his own counsel in
+future. He had a purpose in view. His innocence gave him courage;
+and perhaps he did not feel that sense of necessity for submission
+to the laws of the land which age and experience give. He prayed
+earnestly for deliverance from the place in which he was confined.
+He felt that he did not deserve to be there; and though it was a
+very comfortable place, and the boys fared as well as he wished to
+fare, still it seemed to him like a prison. He was unjustly
+detained; and he not only prayed to be delivered, but he resolved
+to work out his own deliverance at the first opportunity.</p>
+<p>Knowing that whatever he had would be taken from him, he
+resolved by some means to keep possession of the twenty dollars he
+had about him. He had always kept his money in a secret place in
+his jacket to guard against accident, and the officers who had
+searched him had not discovered it. But now his clothes would be
+changed. He thought of these things before his arrival; so, when he
+reached the entrance, and got out of the wagon, to open the gate,
+by order of the officer, he slipped his twenty dollars into a hole
+in the wall.</p>
+<p>It so happened that there was not a suit of clothes in the store
+room of the institution which would fit him; and he was permitted
+to wear his own dress till another should be made. After his name
+and description had been entered, and the superintendent had read
+him a lecture upon his future duties, he was permitted to join the
+other boys, who were at work on the farm. He was sent with half a
+dozen others to pick up stones in a neighboring field. No officer
+was with them, and Bobby was struck with the apparent freedom of
+the institution, and he so expressed himself to his companions.</p>
+<p>"Not so much freedom as you think for," said one, in reply.</p>
+<p>"I should think the fellows would clear out."</p>
+<p>"Not so easy a matter. There is a standing reward of five
+dollars to any one who brings back a runaway."</p>
+<p>"They must catch him first."</p>
+<p>"No fellow ever got away yet. They always caught him before he
+got ten miles from the place."</p>
+<p>This was an important suggestion to Bobby, who already had a
+definite purpose in his mind. Like a skilful general, he had
+surveyed the ground on his arrival, and was at once prepared to
+execute his design.</p>
+<p>In his conversation with the boys, he obtained the history of
+several who had attempted to escape, and found that even those who
+got a fair start were taken on some public road. He perceived that
+they were not good generals, and he determined to profit by their
+mistake.</p>
+<p>A short distance from the institution was what appeared to be a
+very extensive wood. Beyond this, many miles distant, he could see
+the ocean glittering like a sheet of ice under the setting sun.</p>
+<p>He carefully observed the hills, and obtained the bearings of
+various prominent objects in the vicinity which would aid him in
+his flight. The boys gave him all the information in their power
+about the localities of the country. They seemed to feel that he
+was possessed of a superior spirit, and that he would not long
+remain among them; but, whatever they thought, they kept their own
+counsel.</p>
+<p>Bobby behaved well, and was so intelligent and prompt that he
+obtained the confidence of the superintendent, who began to employ
+him about the house, and in his own family. He was sent of errands
+in the neighborhood, and conducted himself so much to the
+satisfaction of his guardians that he was not required to work in
+the field after the second day of his residence on the farm.</p>
+<p>One afternoon he was told that his clothes were ready, and that
+he might put them on the next morning. This was a disagreeable
+announcement; for Bobby saw that, with the uniform of the
+institution upon his back, his chance of escape would be very
+slight. But about sunset, he was sent by the superintendent's lady
+to deliver a note at a house in the vicinity.</p>
+<p>"Now or never!" said Bobby to himself, after he had left the
+house. "Now's my time."</p>
+<p>As he passed the gate, he secured his money, and placed it in
+the secret receptacle of his jacket. After he had delivered the
+letter, he took the road and hastened off in the direction of the
+wood. His heart beat wildly at the prospect of once more meeting
+his mother, after nearly four weeks' absence. Annie Lee would
+welcome him; she would not believe that he was a thief.</p>
+<p>He had been four days an inmate of the Reform School, and
+nothing but the hope of soon attaining his liberty had kept his
+spirits from drooping. He had not for a moment despaired of getting
+away.</p>
+<p>He reached the entrance to the wood, and taking a cart path,
+began to penetrate its hidden depths. The night darkened upon him;
+he heard the owl screech his dismal note, and the whip-poor-will
+chant his cheery song. A certain sense of security now pervaded his
+mind, for the darkness concealed him from the world, and he had
+placed six good miles between him and the prison, as he considered
+it.</p>
+<p>He walked on, however, till he came to what seemed to be the end
+of the wood, and he hoped to reach the blue ocean he had seen in
+the distance before morning. Leaving the forest, he emerged into
+the open country. There was here and there a house before him; but
+the aspect of the country seemed strangely familiar to him. He
+could not understand it. He had never been in this part of the
+country before; yet there was a great house with two barns by the
+side of it, which he was positive he had seen before.</p>
+<p>He walked across the field a little farther, when, to his
+astonishment and dismay, he beheld the lofty turrets of the State
+Reform School. He had been walking in a circle, and had come out of
+the forest near the place where he had entered it.</p>
+<p>Bobby, as the reader has found out by this time, was a
+philosopher as well as a hero; and instead of despairing or wasting
+his precious time in vain regrets at his mistake, he laughed a
+little to himself at the blunder, and turned back into the woods
+again.</p>
+<p>"Now or never!" muttered he. "It will never do to give it up
+so."</p>
+<p>For an hour he walked on, with his eyes fixed on a great bright
+star in the sky. Then he found that the cart path crooked round,
+and he discovered where he had made his blunder. Leaving the road,
+he made his way in a straight line, still guided by the star, till
+he came to a large sheet of water.</p>
+<p>The sheet of water was an effectual barrier to his farther
+progress; indeed, he was so tired he did not feel able to walk any
+more. He deemed himself safe from immediate pursuit in this
+secluded place. He needed rest, and he foresaw that the next few
+days would be burdened with fatigue and hardship which he must be
+prepared to meet.</p>
+<p>Bobby was not nice about trifles, and his habits were such that
+he had no fear of taking cold. His comfortable bed in the little
+black house was preferable to the cold ground, even with the
+primeval forest for a chamber; but circumstances alter cases, and
+he did not waste any vain regrets about the necessity of his
+position. After finding a secluded spot in the wood, he raked the
+dry leaves together for a bed, and offering his simple but fervent
+prayer to the Great Guardian above, he lay down to rest. The owl
+screamed his dismal note, and the whip-poor-will still repeated his
+monotonous song; but they were good company in the solitude of the
+dark forest.</p>
+<p>He could not go to sleep for a time, so strange and exciting
+were the circumstances of his position. He thought of a thousand
+things, but he could not <i>think</i> himself to sleep, as he was
+wont to do. At last nature, worn out by fatigue and anxiety,
+conquered the circumstances, and he slept.</p>
+<a name="h2HCH0019" id="h2HCH0019"><!-- H2 anchor --></a>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<h2>CHAPTER XIX</h2>
+<h3>IN WHICH BOBBY HAS A NARROW ESCAPE, AND GOES TO SEA WITH SAM
+RAY</h3>
+<p>Nature was kind to the little pilgrim in his extremity, and kept
+his senses sealed in grateful slumber till the birds had sung their
+matin song, and the sun had risen high in the heavens.</p>
+<p>Bobby woke with a start, and sprang to his feet. For a moment he
+did not realize where he was, or remember the exciting incidents of
+the previous evening. He felt refreshed by his deep slumber, and
+came out of it as vigorous as though he had slept in his bed at
+home. Rubbing his eyes, he stared about him at the tall pines whose
+foliage canopied his bed, and his identity was soon restored to
+him. He was Bobby Bright&mdash;but Bobby Bright in trouble. He was
+not the little merchant, but the little fugitive fleeing from the
+prison to which he had been doomed.</p>
+<p>It did not take him long to make his toilet, which was the only
+advantage of his primitive style of lodging. His first object was
+to examine his position, and ascertain in what direction he should
+continue his flight. He could not go ahead, as he had intended, for
+the sheet of water was an impassable barrier. Leaving the dense
+forest, he came to a marsh, beyond which was the wide creek he had
+seen in the night. It was salt water, and he reasoned that it could
+not extend a great way inland. His only course was to follow it
+till he found means of crossing it.</p>
+<p>Following the direction of the creek he kept near the margin of
+the wood till he came to a public road. He had some doubts about
+trusting himself out of the forest, even for a single moment; so he
+seated himself upon a rock to argue the point. If any one should
+happen to come along, he was almost sure of furnishing a clew to
+his future movements, if not of being immediately captured.</p>
+<p>This was a very strong argument, but there was a stronger one
+upon the other side. He had eaten nothing since dinner on the
+preceding day, and he began to feel faint for the want of food. On
+the other side of the creek he saw a pasture which looked as though
+it might afford him a few berries; and he was on the point of
+taking to the road, when he heard the rumbling of a wagon in the
+distance.</p>
+<p>His heart beat with apprehension. Perhaps it was some officer of
+the institution in search of him. At any rate it was some one who
+had come from the vicinity of the Reform School, and who had
+probably heard of his escape. As it came nearer, he heard the
+jingling of bells; it was the baker. How he longed for a loaf of
+his bread, or some of the precious gingerbread he carried in his
+cart! Hunger tempted him to run the risk of exposure. He had money;
+he could buy cakes and bread; and perhaps the baker had a kind
+heart, and would befriend him in his distress. The wagon was close
+at hand.</p>
+<p>"Now or never," thought he; but this time it was not <i>now</i>.
+The risk was too great. If he failed now, two years of captivity
+were before him; and as for the hunger, he could grin and bear it
+for a while.</p>
+<p>"Now or never;" but this time it was escape now or never; and he
+permitted the baker to pass without hailing him.</p>
+<p>He waited half an hour, and then determined to take the road
+till he had crossed the creek. The danger was great, but the pangs
+of hunger urged him on. He was sure there were berries in the
+pasture, and with a timid step, carefully watching before and
+behind to insure himself against surprise, he crossed the bridge.
+But then a new difficulty presented itself. There was a house
+within ten rods of the bridge, which he must pass, and to do so
+would expose him to the most imminent peril. He was on the point of
+retreating, when a man came out of the house, and approached him.
+What should he do? It was a trying moment. If he ran, the act would
+expose him to suspicion. If he went forward, the man might have
+already received a description of him, and arrest him.</p>
+<p>He chose the latter course. The instinct of his being was to do
+everything in a straightforward manner, and this probably prompted
+his decision.</p>
+<p>"Good morning, sir," said he boldly to the man.</p>
+<p>"Good morning. Where are you travelling?"</p>
+<p>This was a hard question. He did not know where he was
+travelling; besides, even in his present difficult position, he
+could not readily resort to a lie.</p>
+<p>"Down here a piece," he replied.</p>
+<p>"Travelled far to-day?"</p>
+<p>"Not far. Good morning, sir;" and Bobby resumed his walk.</p>
+<p>"I say, boy, suppose you tell me where you are going;" and the
+man came close to him, and deliberately surveyed him from head to
+foot.</p>
+<p>"I can hardly tell you," replied Bobby, summoning courage for
+the occasion.</p>
+<p>"Well, I suppose not," added the man, with a meaning smile.</p>
+<p>Bobby felt his strength desert him as he realized that he was
+suspected of being a runaway from the Reform School. That smile on
+the man's face was the knell of hope; and for a moment he felt a
+flood of misery roll over his soul. But the natural elasticity of
+his spirits soon came to his relief, and he resolved not to give up
+the ship, even if he had to fight for it.</p>
+<p>"I am in a hurry, so I shall have to leave you."</p>
+<p>"Not just yet, young man. Perhaps, as you don't know where you
+are going, you may remember what your name is," continued the man,
+good naturedly.</p>
+<p>There was a temptation to give a false name; but as it was so
+strongly beaten into our hero that the truth is better than a
+falsehood, he held his peace.</p>
+<p>"Excuse me, sir, but I can't stop to talk now."</p>
+<p>"In a hurry? Well, I dare say you are. I suppose there is no
+doubt but you are Master Robert Bright."</p>
+<p>"Not the least, sir; I haven't denied it yet, and I am not
+ashamed of my name," replied Bobby, with a good deal of spirit.</p>
+<p>"That's honest; I like that."</p>
+<p>"'Honesty is the best policy,'" added Bobby.</p>
+<p>"That's cool for a rogue, anyhow. You ought to thought of that
+afore."</p>
+<p>"I did."</p>
+<p>"And stole the money?"</p>
+<p>"I didn't. I never stole a penny in my life."</p>
+<p>"Come, I like that."</p>
+<p>"It is the truth."</p>
+<p>"But they won't believe it over to the Reform School," laughed
+the man.</p>
+<p>"They will one of these days, perhaps."</p>
+<p>"You are a smart youngster; but I don't know as I can make five
+dollars any easier than by taking you back where you come
+from."</p>
+<p>"Yes, you can," replied Bobby, promptly.</p>
+<p>"Can I?"</p>
+<p>"Yes."</p>
+<p>"How?"</p>
+<p>"By letting me go."</p>
+<p>"Eh; you talk flush. I suppose you mean to give me your note,
+payable when the Kennebec dries up."</p>
+<p>"Cash on the nail," replied Bobby. "You look like a man with a
+heart in your bosom,"&mdash;Bobby stole this passage from "The
+Wayfarer."</p>
+<p>"I reckon I have. The time hasn't come yet when Sam Ray could
+see a fellow-creature in distress and not help him out. But to help
+a thief off&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+<p>"We will argue that matter," interposed Bobby. "I can prove to
+you beyond a doubt that I am innocent of the crime charged upon
+me."</p>
+<p>"You don't look like a bad boy, I must say."</p>
+<p>"But, Mr. Ray, I'm hungry; I haven't eaten a mouthful since
+yesterday noon."</p>
+<p>"Thunder! You don't say so!" exclaimed Sam Ray. "I never could
+bear to see a man hungry, much more a boy; so come along to my
+house and get something to eat, and we will talk about the other
+matter afterwards."</p>
+<p>Sam Ray took Bobby to the little old house in which he dwelt;
+and in a short time his wife, who expressed her sympathy for the
+little fugitive in the warmest terms, had placed an abundant repast
+upon the table. Our hero did ample justice to it, and when he had
+finished he felt like a new creature.</p>
+<p>"Now, Mr. Ray, let me tell you my story," said Bobby.</p>
+<p>"I don't know as it's any use. Now you have eat my bread and
+butter, I don't feel like being mean to you. If anybody else wants
+to carry you back, they may; I won't."</p>
+<p>"But you shall hear me;" and Bobby proceeded to deliver his
+"plain, unvarnished tale."</p>
+<p>When he had progressed but a little way in the narrative, the
+noise of an approaching vehicle was heard. Sam looked out of the
+window, as almost everybody does in the country when a carriage
+passes.</p>
+<p>"By thunder! It's the Reform School wagon!" exclaimed he. "This
+way, boy!" and the good-hearted man thrust him into his chamber,
+bidding him get under the bed.</p>
+<p>The carriage stopped at the house; but Sam evaded a direct
+reply, and the superintendent&mdash;for it was he&mdash;proceeded
+on his search.</p>
+<p>"Heaven bless you, Mr. Ray!" exclaimed Bobby, when he came out
+of the chamber, as the tears of gratitude coursed down his
+cheeks.</p>
+<p>"O, you will find Sam Ray all right," said he, warmly pressing
+Bobby's proffered hand. "I ain't quite a heathen, though some folks
+around here think so."</p>
+<p>"You are an angel!"</p>
+<p>"Not exactly," laughed Sam.</p>
+<p>Our hero finished his story, and confirmed it by exhibiting his
+account book and some other papers which he had retained. Sam Ray
+was satisfied, and vowed that if ever he saw Tom Spicer he would
+certainly "lick" him for his sake.</p>
+<p>"Now, sonny, I like you; I will be sworn you are a good fellow;
+and I mean to help you off. So just come along with me. I make my
+living by browsing round, hunting and fishing a little, and doing
+an odd job now and then. You see, I have got a good boat down the
+creek, and I shall just put you aboard and take you anywhere you
+have a mind to go."</p>
+<p>"May Heaven reward you!" cried Bobby, almost overcome by this
+sudden and unexpected kindness.</p>
+<p>"O, I don't want no reward; only when you get to be a great
+man&mdash;and I am dead sure you will be a great man&mdash;just
+think now and then of Sam Ray, and it's all right."</p>
+<p>"I shall remember you with gratitude as long as I live."</p>
+<p>Sam Ray took his gun on his shoulder, and Bobby the box of
+provisions which Mrs. Ray had put up, and they left the house. At
+the bridge they got into a little skiff, and Sam took the oars.
+After they had passed a bend in the creek which concealed them from
+the road, Bobby felt secure from further molestation.</p>
+<p>Sam pulled about two miles down the creek, where it widened into
+a broad bay, near the head of which was anchored a small
+schooner.</p>
+<p>"Now, my hearty, nothing short of Uncle Sam's whole navy can get
+you away from me," said Sam, as he pulled alongside the
+schooner.</p>
+<p>"You have been very kind to me."</p>
+<p>"All right, sonny. Now tumble aboard."</p>
+<p>Bobby jumped upon the deck of the little craft and Sam followed
+him, after making fast the skiff to the schooner's moorings.</p>
+<p>In a few minutes the little vessel was standing down the bay
+with "a fresh wind and a flowing sheet." Bobby, who had never been
+in a sail boat before, was delighted, and in no measured terms
+expressed his admiration of the working of the trim little
+craft.</p>
+<p>"Now, sonny, where shall we go?" asked Sam, as they emerged from
+the bay into the broad ocean.</p>
+<p>"I don't know," replied Bobby. "I want to get back to
+Boston."</p>
+<p>"Perhaps I can put you aboard of some coaster bound there."</p>
+<p>"That will do nicely."</p>
+<p>"I will head towards Boston, and if I don't overhaul anything, I
+will take you there myself."</p>
+<p>"Is this boat big enough to go so far?"</p>
+<p>"She'll stand anything short of a West India hurricane. You
+ain't afeard, are you?"</p>
+<p>"O, no; I like it."</p>
+<p>The big waves now tossed the little vessel up and down like a
+feather, and the huge seas broke upon the bow, deluging her deck
+with floods of water. Bobby had unlimited confidence in Sam Ray,
+and felt as much at home as though he had been "cradled upon the
+briny deep." There was an excitement in the scene which accorded
+with his nature, and the perils which he had so painfully pictured
+on the preceding night were all born into the most lively joys.</p>
+<p>They ate their dinners from the provision box; Sam lighted his
+pipe, and many a tale he told of adventure by sea and land. Bobby
+felt happy, and almost dreaded the idea of parting with his rough
+but good-hearted friend. They were now far out at sea, and the
+night was coming on.</p>
+<p>"Now, sonny, you had better turn in and take a snooze; you
+didn't rest much last night."</p>
+<p>"I am not sleepy; but there is one thing I will do;" and Bobby
+drew from his secret receptacle his roll of bills.</p>
+<p>"Put them up, sonny," said Sam.</p>
+<p>"I want to make you a present of ten dollars."</p>
+<p>"You can't do it."</p>
+<p>"Nay, but to please me."</p>
+<p>"No, sir!"</p>
+<p>"Well, then, let me send it to your good wife."</p>
+<p>"You can't do that, nuther," replied Sam, gazing earnestly at a
+lumber-laden schooner ahead of him.</p>
+<p>"You must; your good heart made you lose five dollars, and I
+insist upon making it up to you."</p>
+<p>"You can't do it."</p>
+<p>"I shall feel bad if you don't take it. You see I have twenty
+dollars here, and I would like to give you the whole of it."</p>
+<p>"Not a cent, sonny. I ain't a heathen. That schooner ahead is
+bound for Boston, I reckon."</p>
+<p>"I shall be sorry to part with you, Mr. Ray."</p>
+<p>"Just my sentiment. I hain't seen a youngster afore for many a
+day that I took a fancy to, and I hate to let you go."</p>
+<p>"We shall meet again."</p>
+<p>"I hope so."</p>
+<p>"Please to take this money."</p>
+<p>"No;" and Sam shook his head so resolutely that Bobby gave up
+the point.</p>
+<p>As Sam had conjectured, the lumber schooner was bound to Boston.
+Her captain readily agreed to take our hero on board, and he sadly
+bade adieu to his kind friend.</p>
+<p>"Good by, Mr. Ray," said Bobby, as the schooner filled away.
+"Take this to remember me by."</p>
+<p>It was his jackknife; but Sam did not discover the ten dollar
+bill, which was shut beneath the blade, till it was too late to
+return it.</p>
+<p>Bobby did not cease to wave his hat to Sam till his little craft
+disappeared in the darkness.</p>
+<a name="h2HCH0020" id="h2HCH0020"><!-- H2 anchor --></a>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<h2>CHAPTER XX</h2>
+<h3>IN WHICH THE CLOUDS BLOW OVER, AND BOBBY IS HIMSELF AGAIN</h3>
+<p>Fortunately for Bobby, the wind began to blow very heavily soon
+after he went on board of the lumber schooner, so that the captain
+was too much engaged in working his vessel to ask many questions.
+He was short handed, and though our hero was not much of a sailor
+he made himself useful to the best of his ability. Though the wind
+was heavy, it was not fair; and it was not till the third morning
+after his parting with Sam Ray that the schooner arrived off Boston
+Light. The captain then informed him that, as the tide did not
+favor him, he might not get up to the city for twenty-four hours;
+and, if he was in a hurry, he would put him on board a pilot boat
+which he saw standing up the channel.</p>
+<p>"Thank you, captain; you are very kind, but it would give you a
+great deal of trouble," said Bobby.</p>
+<p>"None at all. We must wait here till the tide turns; so we have
+nothing better to do."</p>
+<p>"I should be very glad to get up this morning."</p>
+<p>"You shall, then;" and the captain ordered two men to get out
+the jolly boat.</p>
+<p>"I will pay my passage now, if you please."</p>
+<p>"That is paid."</p>
+<p>"Paid?"</p>
+<p>"I should say you had worked your passage. You have done very
+well, and I shall not charge you anything."</p>
+<p>"I expected to pay my passage, captain; but if you think I have
+done enough to pay it, why I have nothing to say, only that I am
+very much obliged to you."</p>
+<p>"You ought to be a sailor, young man; you were cut out for
+one."</p>
+<p>"I like the sea, though I never saw it till a few weeks since.
+But I suppose my mother would not let me go to sea."</p>
+<p>"I suppose not; mothers are always afraid of salt water."</p>
+<p>By this time the jolly boat was alongside; and bidding the
+captain adieu, he jumped into it, and the men pulled him to the
+pilot boat, which had come up into the wind at the captain's hail.
+Bobby was kindly received on board, and in a couple of hours landed
+at the wharf in Boston.</p>
+<p>With a beating heart he made his way up into Washington Street.
+He felt strangely; his cheeks seemed to tingle, for he was aware
+that the imputation of dishonesty was fastened upon him. He could
+not doubt but that the story of his alleged crime had reached the
+city, and perhaps gone to his friends in Riverdale. How his poor
+mother must have wept to think her son was a thief! No; she never
+could have thought that. <i>She</i> knew he would not steal, if no
+one else did. And Annie Lee&mdash;would she ever smile upon him
+again? Would she welcome him to her father's house so gladly as she
+had done in the past? He could bring nothing to establish his
+innocence but his previous character. Would not Mr. Bayard frown
+upon him? Would not even Ellen be tempted to forget the service he
+had rendered her?</p>
+<p>Bobby had thought of all these things before&mdash;on his cold,
+damp bed in the forest, in the watches of the tempestuous night on
+board the schooner. But now, when he was almost in the presence of
+those he loved and respected, they had more force, and they nearly
+overwhelmed him.</p>
+<p>"I am innocent," he repeated to himself, "and why need I fear?
+My good Father in heaven will not let me be wronged."</p>
+<p>Yet he could not overcome his anxiety; and when he reached the
+store of Mr. Bayard, he passed by, dreading to face the friend who
+had been so kind to him. He could not bear even to be suspected of
+a crime by him.</p>
+<p>"Now or never," said he, as he turned round.</p>
+<p>"I will know my fate at once, and then make the best of it."</p>
+<p>Mustering all his courage, he entered the store. Mr. Timmins was
+not there; so he was spared the infliction of any ill-natured
+remark from him.</p>
+<p>"Hallo, Bobby!" exclaimed the gentlemanly salesman, whose
+acquaintance he had made on his first visit.</p>
+<p>"Good morning, Mr. Bigelow," replied Bobby with as much boldness
+as he could command.</p>
+<p>"I didn't know as I should ever see you again. You have been
+gone a long while."</p>
+<p>"Longer than usual," answered Bobby, with a blush; for he
+considered the remark of the salesman as an allusion to his
+imprisonment. "Is Mr. Bayard in?"</p>
+<p>"He is&mdash;in his office."</p>
+<p>Bobby's feet would hardly obey the mandate of his will, and with
+a faltering step he entered the private room of the bookseller. Mr.
+Bayard was absorbed in the perusal of the morning paper, and did
+not observe his entrance. With his heart up in his throat, and
+almost choking him, he stood for several minutes upon the
+threshold. He almost feared to speak, dreading the severe frown
+with which he expected to be received. Suspense, however, was more
+painful than condemnation, and he brought his resolution up to the
+point.</p>
+<p>"Mr. Bayard," said he, in faltering tones.</p>
+<p>"Bobby!" exclaimed the bookseller, dropping his paper upon the
+floor, and jumping upon his feet as though an electric current had
+passed through his frame.</p>
+<p>Grasping our hero's hand, he shook it with so much energy that,
+under any other circumstances, Bobby would have thought it hurt
+him. He did not think so now.</p>
+<p>"My poor Bobby! I am delighted to see you!" continued Mr.
+Bayard.</p>
+<p>Bobby burst into tears, and sobbed like a child, as he was. The
+unexpected kindness of this reception completely overwhelmed
+him.</p>
+<p>"Don't cry, Bobby; I know all about it;" and the tender-hearted
+bookseller wiped away his tears. "It was a stroke of misfortune;
+but it is all right now."</p>
+<p>But Bobby could not help crying, and the more Mr. Bayard
+attempted to console him, the more he wept.</p>
+<p>"I am innocent, Mr. Bayard," he sobbed.</p>
+<p>"I know you are, Bobby; and all the world knows you are."</p>
+<p>"I am ruined now; I shall never dare to hold my head up
+again."</p>
+<p>"Nonsense, Bobby; you will hold your head the higher. You have
+behaved like a hero."</p>
+<p>"I ran away from the State Reform School, sir. I was innocent,
+and I would rather have died than stayed there."</p>
+<p>"I know all about it, my young friend. Now dry your tears, and
+we will talk it all over."</p>
+<p>Bobby blew and sputtered a little more; but finally he composed
+himself, and took a chair by Mr. Bayard's side. The bookseller then
+drew from his pocket a ponderous document, with a big official seal
+upon it, and exhibited it to our hero.</p>
+<p>"Do you see this, Bobby? It is your free and unconditional
+pardon."</p>
+<p>"Sir! Why&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+<p>"It will all end well, you may depend."</p>
+<p>Bobby was amazed. His pardon? But it would not restore his
+former good name. He felt that he was branded as a felon. It was
+not mercy, but justice, that he wanted.</p>
+<p>"Truth is mighty, and will prevail," continued Mr. Bayard; "and
+this document restores your reputation."</p>
+<p>"I can hardly believe that."</p>
+<p>"Can't you? Hear my story then. When I read in one of the Maine
+papers the account of your misfortune, I felt that you had been
+grossly wronged. You were coupled with that Tom Spicer, who is the
+most consummate little villain I ever saw, and I understood your
+situation. Ah, Bobby, your only mistake was in having anything to
+do with that fellow."</p>
+<p>"I left him at Brunswick because he began to behave badly; but
+he joined me again at Augusta. He had spent nearly all his money,
+and did not know what to do. I pitied him, and meant to do
+something to help him out of the scrape."</p>
+<p>"Generous as ever! I have heard all about this before."</p>
+<p>"Indeed; who told you?"</p>
+<p>"Tom Spicer himself."</p>
+<p>"Tom?" asked Bobby, completely mystified.</p>
+<p>"Yes, Tom; you see, when I heard about your trouble, Squire Lee
+and myself&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+<p>"Squire Lee? Does he know about it?"</p>
+<p>"He does; and you may depend upon it, he thinks more highly of
+you than ever before. He and I immediately went down to Augusta to
+inquire into the matter. We called upon the governor of the state,
+who said that he had seen you, and bought a book of you."</p>
+<p>"Of me!" exclaimed Bobby, startled to think he had sold a book
+to a governor.</p>
+<p>"Yes; you called at his house; probably you did not know that he
+was the chief magistrate of the state. At any rate, he was very
+much pleased with you, and sorry to hear of your misfortune. Well,
+we followed your route to Brunswick, where we ascertained how Tom
+had conducted. In a week he established a very bad reputation
+there; but nothing could be found to implicate you. The squire
+testified to your uniform good behavior, and especially to your
+devotion to your mother. In short, we procured your pardon, and
+hastened with it to the State Reform School.</p>
+<p>"On our arrival, we learned, to our surprise and regret, that
+you had escaped from the institution on the preceding evening.
+Every effort was made to retake you, but without success. Ah,
+Bobby, you managed that well."</p>
+<p>"They didn't look in the right place," replied Bobby, with a
+smile, for he began to feel happy again.</p>
+<p>"By the permission of the superintendent, Squire Lee and myself
+examined Tom Spicer. He is a great rascal. Perhaps he thought we
+would get him out; so he made a clean breast of it, and confessed
+that you had no hand in the robbery, and that you knew nothing
+about it. He gave you the two bills on purpose to implicate you in
+the crime. We wrote down his statement, and had it sworn to before
+a justice of the peace. You shall read it by and by."</p>
+<p>"May Heaven reward you for your kindness to a poor boy!"
+exclaimed Bobby, the tears flowing down his cheeks again. "I did
+not deserve so much from you, Mr. Bayard."</p>
+<p>"Yes, you did, and a thousand times more. I was very sorry you
+had left the institution, and I waited in the vicinity till they
+said there was no probability that you would be captured. The most
+extraordinary efforts were used to find you; but there was not a
+person to be found who had seen or heard of you. I was very much
+alarmed about you, and offered a hundred dollars for any
+information concerning you."</p>
+<p>"I am sorry you had so much trouble. I wish I had known you were
+there."</p>
+<p>"How did you get off?"</p>
+<p>Bobby briefly related the story of his escape, and Mr. Bayard
+pronounced his skill worthy of his genius.</p>
+<p>"Sam Ray is a good fellow; we will remember him," added the
+bookseller, when he had finished.</p>
+<p>"I shall remember him; and only that I shall be afraid to go
+into the State of Maine after what has happened, I should pay him a
+visit one of these days."</p>
+<p>"There you are wrong. Those who know your story would sooner
+think of giving you a public reception, than of saying or doing
+anything to injure your feelings. Those who have suffered unjustly
+are always lionized."</p>
+<p>"But no one will know my story, only that I was sent to prison
+for stealing."</p>
+<p>"There you are mistaken again. We put articles in all the
+principal papers, stating the facts in the case, and establishing
+your innocence beyond a peradventure. Go to Augusta now, Bobby, and
+you will be a lion."</p>
+<p>"I am sure I had no idea of getting out of the scrape so easily
+as this."</p>
+<p>"Innocence shall triumph, my young friend."</p>
+<p>"What does mother say?" asked Bobby, his countenance growing
+sad.</p>
+<p>"I do not know. We returned from Maine only yesterday; but
+Squire Lee will satisfy her. All that can worry her, as it has
+worried me, will be her fears for your safety when she hears of
+your escape."</p>
+<p>"I will soon set her mind at ease upon that point. I will take
+the noon train home."</p>
+<p>"A word about business before you go. I discharged Timmins about
+a week ago, and I have kept his place for you."</p>
+<p>"By gracious!" exclaimed Bobby, thrown completely out of his
+propriety by this announcement.</p>
+<p>"I think you will do better, in the long run, than you would to
+travel about the country. I was talking with Ellen about it, and
+she says it shall be so. Timmins's salary was five hundred dollars
+a year, and you shall have the same."</p>
+<p>"Five hundred dollars a year!" ejaculated Bobby, amazed at the
+vastness of the sum.</p>
+<p>"Very well for a boy of thirteen, Bobby."</p>
+<p>"I was fourteen last Sunday, sir."</p>
+<p>"I would not give any other boy so much; but you are worth it,
+and you shall have it."</p>
+<p>Probably Mr. Bayard's gratitude had something to do with this
+munificent offer; but he knew that our hero possessed abilities and
+energy far beyond his years. He further informed Bobby that he
+should have a room at his house, and that Ellen was delighted with
+the arrangement he proposed.</p>
+<p>The gloomy, threatening clouds were all rolled back, and floods
+of sunshine streamed in upon the soul of the little merchant; but
+in the midst of his rejoicing he remembered that his own integrity
+had carried him safely through the night of sorrow and doubt. He
+had been true to himself, and now, in the hour of his great
+triumph, he realized that, if he had been faithless to the light
+within him, his laurel would have been a crown of thorns.</p>
+<p>He was happy&mdash;very happy. What made him so? Not his dawning
+prosperity; not the favor of Mr. Bayard; not the handsome salary he
+was to receive; for all these things would have been but dross if
+he had sacrificed his integrity, his love of truth and uprightness.
+He had been true to himself, and unseen angels had held him up. He
+had been faithful, and the consciousness of his fidelity to
+principle made a heaven within his heart.</p>
+<p>It was arranged that he should enter upon the duties of his new
+situation on the following week. After settling with Mr. Bayard, he
+found he had nearly seventy dollars in his possession; so that in a
+pecuniary point of view, if in no other, his eastern excursion was
+perfectly satisfactory.</p>
+<p>By the noon train he departed for Riverdale, and in two hours
+more he was folded to his mother's heart. Mrs. Bright wept for joy
+now, as she had before wept in misery when she heard of her son's
+misfortune. It took him all the afternoon to tell his exciting
+story to her, and she was almost beside herself when Bobby told her
+about his new situation.</p>
+<p>After tea he hastened over to Squire Lee's; and my young readers
+can imagine what a warm reception he had from father and daughter.
+For the third time that day he narrated his adventures in the east;
+and Annie declared they were better than any novel she had ever
+read. Perhaps it was because Bobby was the hero. It was nearly ten
+o'clock before he finished his story; and when he left, the squire
+made him promise to come over the next day.</p>
+<a name="h2HCH0021" id="h2HCH0021"><!-- H2 anchor --></a>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<h2>CHAPTER XXI</h2>
+<h3>IN WHICH BOBBY STEPS OFF THE STAGE, AND THE AUTHOR MUST FINISH
+"NOW OR NEVER"</h3>
+<p>The few days which Bobby remained at home before entering upon
+the duties of his new situation were agreeably filled up in calling
+upon his many friends, and in visiting those pleasant spots in the
+woods and by the river, which years of association had rendered
+dear to him. His plans for the future, too, occupied some of his
+time, though, inasmuch as his path of duty was already marked out,
+these plans were but little more than a series of fond imaginings;
+in short, little more than day dreams. I have before hinted that
+Bobby was addicted to castle building, and I should pity the man or
+boy who was not&mdash;who had no bright dream of future
+achievements, of future usefulness. "As a man thinketh, so is he,"
+the Psalmist tells us, and it was the pen of inspiration which
+wrote it. What a man pictures as his ideal of that which is
+desirable in this world and the world to come, he will endeavor to
+attain. Even if it be no higher aim than the possession of wealth
+or fame, it is good and worthy as far as it goes. It fires his
+brain, it nerves his arm. It stimulates him to action, and action
+is the soul of progress. We must all work; and this world were cold
+and dull if it had no bright dreams to be realized. What Napoleon
+dreamed, he labored to accomplish, and the monarchs of Europe
+trembled before him. What Howard wished to be, he labored to be;
+his ideal was beautiful and true, and he raised a throne which will
+endure through eternity.</p>
+<p>Bobby dreamed great things. That bright picture of the little
+black house transformed into a white cottage, with green blinds,
+and surrounded by a pretty fence, was the nearest object; and
+before Mrs. Bright was aware that he was in earnest, the carpenters
+and the painters were upon the spot.</p>
+<p>"Now or never," replied Bobby to his mother's remonstrance.
+"This is your home, and it shall be the pleasantest spot upon
+earth, if I can make it so."</p>
+<p>Then he had to dream about his business in Boston and I am not
+sure but that he fancied himself a rich merchant, like Mr. Bayard,
+living in an elegant house in Chestnut Street, and having clerks
+and porters to do as he bade them. A great many young men dream
+such things, and though they seem a little silly when spoken out
+loud, they are what wood and water are to the steam
+engine&mdash;they are the mainspring of action. Some are stupid
+enough to dream about these things, and spend their time in
+idleness and dissipation, waiting for "the good time coming." It
+will never come to them. They are more likely to die in the
+almshouse or the state prison, than to ride in their carriages; for
+constant exertion is the price of success.</p>
+<p>Bobby enjoyed himself to the utmost of his capacity during these
+few days of respite from labor. He spent a liberal share of his
+time at Squire Lee's, where he was almost as much at home as in his
+mother's house. Annie read Moore's Poems to him, till he began to
+have quite a taste for poetry himself.</p>
+<p>In connection with Tom Spicer's continued absence, which had to
+be explained, Bobby's trials in the eastern country leaked out, and
+the consequence was, that he became a lion in Riverdale. The
+minister invited him to tea, as well as other prominent persons,
+for the sake of hearing his story; but Bobby declined the polite
+invitations from sheer bashfulness. He had not brass enough to make
+himself a hero; besides, the remembrance of his journey was
+anything but pleasant to him.</p>
+<p>On Monday morning he took the early train for Boston, and
+assumed the duties of his situation in Mr. Bayard's store. But as I
+have carried my hero through the eventful period of his life, I
+cannot dwell upon his subsequent career. He applied himself with
+all the energy of his nature to the discharge of his duties. Early
+in the morning and late in the evening he was at his post. Mr.
+Bigelow was his friend from the first, and gave him all the
+instruction he required. His intelligence and quick perception soon
+enabled him to master the details of the business, and by the time
+he was fifteen, he was competent to perform any service required of
+him.</p>
+<p>By the advice of Mr. Bayard, he attended an evening school for
+six months in the year, to acquire a knowledge of book keeping, and
+to compensate for the opportunities of which he had been
+necessarily deprived in his earlier youth. He took Dr. Franklin for
+his model, and used all his spare time in reading good books, and
+in obtaining such information and such mental culture as would fit
+him to be, not only a good merchant, but a good and true man.</p>
+<p>Every Saturday night he went home to Riverdale to spend the
+Sabbath with his mother. The little black house no longer existed,
+for it had become the little paradise of which he had dreamed, only
+that the house seemed whiter, the blinds greener, and the fence
+more attractive than his fancy had pictured them. His mother, after
+a couple of years, at Bobby's earnest pleadings, ceased to close
+shoes and take in washing; but she had enough and to spare, for her
+son's salary was now six hundred dollars. His kind employer boarded
+him for nothing (much against Bobby's will, I must say), so that
+every month he carried to his mother thirty dollars, which more
+than paid her expenses.</p>
+<hr>
+<p>Eight years have passed by since Bobby&mdash;we beg his pardon,
+he is now Mr. Robert Bright&mdash;entered the store of Mr. Bayard.
+He has passed from the boy to the man. Over the street door a new
+sign has taken the place of the old one, and the passer-by
+reads,&mdash;</p>
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<p class="i2">BAYARD &amp; BRIGHT,</p>
+<p class="i2">BOOKSELLERS AND PUBLISHERS.</p>
+</div>
+</div>
+<p>The senior partner resorts to his counting room every morning
+from the force of habit; but he takes no active part in the
+business. Mr. Bright has frequent occasion to ask his advice,
+though everything is directly managed by him; and the junior is
+accounted one of the ablest, but at the same time one of the most
+honest, business men in the city. His integrity has never been
+sacrificed, even to the emergencies of trade. The man is what the
+boy was; and we can best sum up the results of his life by saying
+that he has been true to himself, true to his friends, and true to
+his God.</p>
+<p>Mrs. Bright is still living at the little white cottage, happy
+in herself and happy in her children. Bobby&mdash;we mean Mr.
+Bright&mdash;has hardly missed going to Riverdale on a Saturday
+night since he left home, eight years before. He has the same
+partiality for those famous apple pies, and his mother would as
+soon think of being without bread as being without apple pies when
+he comes home.</p>
+<p>Of course Squire Lee and Annie were always glad to see him when
+he came to Riverdale; and for two years it had been common talk in
+Riverdale that our hero did not go home on Sunday evening when the
+clock struck nine. But as this is a forbidden topic, we will ask
+the reader to go with us to Mr. Bayard's house in Chestnut
+Street.</p>
+<p>What! Annie Lee here?</p>
+<p>No; but as you are here, allow me to introduce Mrs. Robert
+Bright.</p>
+<p>They were married a few months before, and Mr. Bayard insisted
+that the happy couple should make their home at his house.</p>
+<p>But where is Ellen Bayard?</p>
+<p>O, she is Mrs. Bigelow now, and her husband is at the head of a
+large book establishment in New York.</p>
+<p>Bobby's dream had been realized, and he was the happiest man in
+the world&mdash;at least he thought so, which is just the same
+thing. He had been successful in business; his wife&mdash;the
+friend and companion of his youth, the brightest filament of the
+bright vision his fancy had woven&mdash;had been won, and the
+future glowed with brilliant promises.</p>
+<p>He had been successful; but neither nor all of the things we
+have mentioned constituted his highest and truest success&mdash;not
+his business prosperity, not the bright promise of wealth in store
+for him, not his good name among men, not even the beautiful and
+loving wife who had cast her lot with his to the end of time. These
+were successes, great and worthy, but not the highest success.</p>
+<p>He had made himself a man,&mdash;this was his real
+success,&mdash;a true, a Christian man. He had lived a noble life.
+He had reared the lofty structure of his manhood upon a solid
+foundation&mdash;principle. It is the rock which the winds of
+temptation and the rains of selfishness cannot move.</p>
+<p>Robert Bright is happy because he is good. Tom Spicer, now in
+the state prison, is unhappy,&mdash;not <i>because</i> he is in the
+state prison, but because the evil passions of his nature are at
+war with the peace of his soul. He has fed the good that was within
+him upon straw and husks, and starved it out. He is a body only;
+the soul is dead in trespasses and sin. He loves no one, and no one
+loves him.</p>
+<p>During the past summer, Mr. Bright and his lady took a journey
+"down east." Annie insisted upon visiting the State Reform School;
+and her husband drove through the forest by which he had made his
+escape on that eventful night. Afterwards they called upon Sam Ray,
+who had been "dead sure that Bobby would one day be a great man."
+He was about the same person, and was astonished and delighted when
+our hero introduced himself.</p>
+<p>They spent a couple of hours in talking over the past, and at
+his departure, Mr. Bright made him a handsome present in such a
+delicate manner that he could not help accepting it.</p>
+<p>Squire Lee is still as hale and hearty as ever, and is never so
+happy as when Annie and her husband come to Riverdale to spend the
+Sabbath. He is fully of the opinion that Mr. Bright is the greatest
+man on the western continent, and he would not be in the least
+surprised if he should be elected President of the United States
+one of these days.</p>
+<p>The little merchant is a great merchant now. But more than this,
+he is a good man. He has formed his character, and he will probably
+die as he has lived.</p>
+<p>Reader, if you have any good work to do, do it now; for with you
+it may be <span class="smcap">"Now or Never</span>."</p>
+<div style="height: 8em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<a name="image-0002" id="image-0002"><!--IMG--></a>
+<div class="figure"><img src="images/img301.jpg" width="264"
+height="400" alt="By England's Aid by G. A. Henty "><br>
+By England's Aid by G. A. Henty</div>
+<h2>THE FAMOUS HENTY BOOKS</h2>
+<h3>The Boys' Own Library</h3>
+<center>12mo, Cloth
+<p>G. A. Henty has long held the field as the most popular boys'
+author. Age after age of heroic deeds has been the subject of his
+pen, and the knights of old seem very real in his pages. Always
+wholesome and manly, always heroic and of high ideals, his books
+are more than popular wherever the English language is spoken.</p>
+<p>Each volume is printed on excellent paper from new large-type
+plates, bound in cloth, assorted colors, with an attractive ink and
+gold stamp. <b>Price 75 Cents.</b></p>
+<div class="poem">
+<p class="i2"><b>A Final Reckoning</b></p>
+<p class="i4">A Tale of Bush Life in Australia</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>By England's Aid</b></p>
+<p class="i4">The Freeing of the Netherlands</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>By Right of Conquest</b></p>
+<p class="i4">A Tale of Cortez in Mexico</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>Bravest of the Brave</b></p>
+<p class="i4">A Tale of Peterborough in Spain</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>By Pike and Dyke</b></p>
+<p class="i4">The Rise of the Dutch Republic</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>By Sheer Pluck</b></p>
+<p class="i4">A Tale of the Ashantee War</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>Bonnie Prince Charlie</b></p>
+<p class="i4">A Tale of Fontenoy and Culloden</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>Captain Bayley's Heir</b></p>
+<p class="i4">A Tale of the Gold Fields of California</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>Cat of Bubastes</b></p>
+<p class="i4">A Story of Ancient Egypt</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>Cornet of Horse</b></p>
+<p class="i4">A Tale of Marlborough's Wars</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>Facing Death</b></p>
+<p class="i4">A Tale of the Coal Mines</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>Friends, though Divided</b></p>
+<p class="i4">A Tale of the Civil War in England</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>For Name and Fame</b></p>
+<p class="i4">A Tale of Afghan Warfare</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>For the Temple</b></p>
+<p class="i4">A Tale of the Fall of Jerusalem</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>In Freedom's Cause</b></p>
+<p class="i4">A Story of Wallace and Bruce</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>In the Reign of Terror</b></p>
+<p class="i4">The Adventures of a Westminster Boy</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>In Times of Peril</b></p>
+<p class="i4">A Tale of India</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>Jack Archer</b></p>
+<p class="i4">A Tale of the Crimea</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>Lion of St. Mark</b></p>
+<p class="i4">A Tale of Venice in the XIV. Century</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>Lion of the North</b></p>
+<p class="i4">A Tale of Gustavus Adolphus</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>Maori and Settler</b></p>
+<p class="i4">A Tale of the New Zealand War</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>Orange and Green</b></p>
+<p class="i4">A Tale of the Boyne and Limerick</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>One of the 28th</b></p>
+<p class="i4">A Tale of Waterloo</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>Out on the Pampas</b></p>
+<p class="i4">A Tale of South America</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>St. George for England</b></p>
+<p class="i4">A Tale of Cr&eacute;cy and Poietiers</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>True to the Old Flag</b></p>
+<p class="i4">A Tale of the Revolution</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>The Young Colonists</b></p>
+<p class="i4">A Tale of the Zulu and Boer Wars</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>The Dragon and the Raven</b></p>
+<p class="i4">A Tale of King Alfred</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>The Boy Knight</b></p>
+<p class="i4">A Tale of the Crusades</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>Through the Fray</b></p>
+<p class="i4">A Story of the Luddite Riots</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>Under Drake's Flag</b></p>
+<p class="i4">A Tale of the Spanish Main</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>With Wolfe in Canada</b></p>
+<p class="i4">The Tale of Winning a Continent</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>With Clive in India</b></p>
+<p class="i4">The Beginning of an Empire</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>With Lee in Virginia</b></p>
+<p class="i4">A Story of the American Civil War</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>Young Carthaginian</b></p>
+<p class="i4">A story of the Times of Hannibal</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>Young Buglers</b></p>
+<p class="i4">A Tale of the Peninsular War</p>
+<p class="i2"><b>Young Franc-Tireurs</b></p>
+<p class="i4">A Tale of the Franco-Prussian War</p>
+</div>
+<center><b>THE MERSHON COMPANY<br>
+156 Fifth Avenue, New York<br>
+Rahway, N. J.</b></center>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<h2>FLAG OF FREEDOM SERIES</h2>
+<h3>By CAPTAIN RALPH BONEHILL</h3>
+<center><i>Three Volumes, Illustrated, Bound in Cloth, with a very
+Attractive Cover, Price $1.00 Per Volume</i></center>
+<hr>
+<h3><i>WHEN SANTIAGO FELL; or, The War Adventures of Two
+Chums</i></h3>
+<p>Captain Bonehill has never penned a better tale than this
+stirring story of adventures in Cuba. Two boys, an American and his
+Cuban chum, leave New York to join their parents in the interior of
+Cuba. The war between Spain and the Cubans is on, and the boys are
+detained at Santiago de Cuba, but escape by crossing the bay at
+night. Many adventures between the lines follow, and a good pen
+picture of General Garcia is given. The American lad, with others,
+is captured and cast into a dungeon in Santiago; and then follows
+the never-to-be-forgotten campaign in Cuba under General Shafter.
+How the hero finally escapes makes reading no wide-awake boy will
+want to miss.</p>
+<a name="h2H_4_0030" id="h2H_4_0030"><!-- H2 anchor --></a>
+<h3><i>A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY; or, Afloat in the
+Philippines</i></h3>
+<p>The story of Dewey's victory in Manila Bay will never grow old,
+but here we have it told in a new form&mdash;not as those in
+command witnessed the contest, but as it appeared to a real, live
+American youth who was in the navy at the time. Many adventures in
+Manila and in the interior follow, giving true-to-life scenes from
+this remote portion of the globe. A book that should be in every
+boy's library.</p>
+<a name="h2H_4_0031" id="h2H_4_0031"><!-- H2 anchor --></a>
+<h3><i>OFF FOR HAWAII; or, The Mystery of a Great Volcano</i></h3>
+<p>Here we have fact and romance cleverly interwoven. Several boys
+start on a tour of the Hawaiian Islands. They have heard that there
+is a treasure located in the vicinity of Kilauea, the largest
+active volcano in the world, and go in search of it. Their numerous
+adventures will be followed with much interest.</p>
+<a name="h2H_4_0032" id="h2H_4_0032"><!-- H2 anchor --></a>
+<hr>
+<h3><i>PRESS OPINIONS OF CAPTAIN BONEHILL'S BOOKS FOR BOYS</i></h3>
+<p>"Captain Bonehill's stories will always be popular with our
+boys, for the reason that they are thoroughly up-to-date and true
+to life. As a writer of outdoor tales he has no
+rival."&mdash;<i>Bright Days</i>.</p>
+<p>"The story is by Captain Ralph Bonehill, and that is all that
+need be said about it, for all of our readers know that the captain
+is one of America's best story-tellers, so far as stories for young
+people go."&mdash;<i>Young People of America</i>.</p>
+<p>"The story is excellently told, and will please any intelligent
+boy into whose hands it may fall."&mdash;<i>Charleston (S. C.)
+News</i>.</p>
+<p>"We understand that Captain Bonehill will soon be turning from
+sporting stories to tales of the war. This field is one in which he
+should feel thoroughly at home. We are certain that the boys will
+look eagerly for the Bonehill war tales."&mdash;<i>Weekly
+Messenger</i>.</p>
+<center><b>THE MERSHON COMPANY<br>
+156 Fifth Avenue, New York<br>
+Rahway, N. J.</b></center>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<div class="figure"><img src="images/img303.jpg" width="282"
+height="400" alt=""></div>
+<h2>Mrs. L. T. Meade's<br>
+FAMOUS BOOKS FOR GIRLS</h2>
+<p>There are few more favorite authors with American girls than
+Mrs. L. T. Meade, whose copyright works can only be had from us.
+Essentially a writer for the home, with the loftiest aims and
+purest sentiments, Mrs. Meade's books possess the merit of utility
+as well as the means of amusement. They are girls'
+books&mdash;written for girls, and fitted for every home.</p>
+<p>Here will be found no maudlin nonsense as to the affections.
+There are no counts in disguise nor castles in Spain. It is pure
+and wholesome literature of a high order with a lofty ideal.</p>
+<p>The volumes are all copyright, excellently printed with clear,
+open type, uniformly bound in best cloth, with ink and gold stamp.
+12mo, price $1.00.</p>
+<h3>THE FOLLOWING ARE THE TITLES</h3>
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<p class="i2"><b>The Children of Wilton Chase</b></p>
+<p class="i4"><b>Bashful Fifteen</b></p>
+<p class="i6"><b>Betty: A Schoolgirl</b></p>
+</div>
+</div>
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<p class="i2"><b>Four on an Island</b></p>
+<p class="i4"><b>Girls New and Old</b></p>
+<p class="i6"><b>Out of the Fashion</b></p>
+</div>
+</div>
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<p class="i2"><b>The Palace Beautiful</b></p>
+<p class="i4"><b>Polly, a New-Fashioned Girl</b></p>
+<p class="i6"><b>Red Rose and Tiger Lily</b></p>
+</div>
+</div>
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<p class="i2"><b>A Ring of Rubies</b></p>
+<p class="i4"><b>A Sweet Girl Graduate</b></p>
+<p class="i6"><b>A World of Girls</b></p>
+</div>
+</div>
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<p class="i2"><b>Good Luck</b></p>
+<p class="i4"><b>A Girl in Ten Thousand</b></p>
+<p class="i6"><b>A Young Mutineer</b></p>
+</div>
+</div>
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<p class="i2"><b>Wild Kitty</b></p>
+<p class="i4"><b>The Children's Pilgrimage</b></p>
+<p class="i6"><b>The Girls of St. Wode's</b></p>
+</div>
+</div>
+<center><b>THE MERSHON COMPANY<br>
+156 Fifth Avenue, New York<br>
+Rahway, N. J.</b></center>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<a name="image-0004" id="image-0004"><!--IMG--></a>
+<div class="figure"><img src="images/img304.jpg" width="295"
+height="400" alt=""><br></div>
+<h2><span class="smcap">Edward S. Ellis</span><br>
+POPULAR BOYS' BOOKS</h2>
+<h3>12mo, Cloth</h3>
+<p>Purely American in scene, plot, motives, and characters, the
+copyright works of Edward S. Ellis have been deservedly popular
+with the youth of America. In a community where every native-born
+boy can aspire to the highest offices, such a book as Ellis' "From
+the Throttle to the President's Chair," detailing the progress of
+the sturdy son of the people from locomotive engigineer to the
+presidency of a great railroad, must always be popular. The youth
+of the land which boasts of a Vanderbilt will ever desire such
+books, and naturally will desire stories of their native land
+before wandering over foreign climes.</p>
+<p>The volumes of this series are all copyright, printed from
+large, new type, on good paper, and are handsomely bound in cloth,
+stamped with appropriate designs. Price $1.00.</p>
+<h3>THE FOLLOWING COMPRISE THE TITLES</h3>
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<p class="i2"><b>Down the Mississippi</b></p>
+<p class="i4"><b>From the Throttle to the President's Chair</b></p>
+<p class="i6"><b>Up the Tapajos</b></p>
+<p class="i8"><b>Tad; or, "Getting Even" with Him</b></p>
+<p class="i9"><b>Lost in Samoa</b></p>
+<p class="i12"><b>Lost in the Wilds</b></p>
+<p class="i14"><b>Red Plume</b></p>
+<p class="i16"><b>A Waif of the Mountains</b></p>
+</div>
+</div>
+<center><b>THE MERSHON COMPANY<br>
+156 Fifth Avenue, New York<br>
+Rahway, N. J.</b></center>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<a name="image-0005" id="image-0005"><!--IMG--></a>
+<div class="figure"><img src="images/img305.jpg" width="293"
+height="400" alt=""><br></div>
+<h2>The Famous Andrew Lang Fairy Books</h2>
+<h3>The Blue, Red, Green, and Yellow Fairy Books</h3>
+<p>Never were there more popular books of Fairy Tales than these
+famous collections made by Andrew Lang. At his able hands the
+romantic literature of the world has been laid under contribution.
+The folk-lore of Ireland, the romance of the Rhine, and the wild
+legends of the west coast of Scotland, with all the glamour and
+mystery of the Scottish border, have contributed to this famous
+series of fairy tales.</p>
+<p>Here are the tales that have delighted generations of children,
+some culled from old English versions of the eighteenth century,
+some modernized from quaint chap-books, and all handsomely and
+modernly illustrated. With the aid of a scholar such as Mr. Lang,
+the entire world has contributed to this famous series. There is
+material here for years of delight for children.</p>
+<p>Each volume is profusely illustrated, printed on velvet-finished
+paper, bound in cloth, with a very attractive stamp in ink and
+gold. Small 12mo, price 75 cents.</p>
+<p>These books should be read in the following order: 1, The Blue
+Fairy Book; 2, The Red Fairy Book; 3, The Green Fairy Book; 4, The
+Yellow Fairy Book.</p>
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<p class="i2"><b>The Blue Fairy Book</b></p>
+<p class="i4"><b>The Red Fairy Book</b></p>
+<p class="i2"><b>The Green Fairy Book</b></p>
+<p class="i4"><b>The Yellow Fairy Book</b></p>
+</div>
+</div>
+<center><b>THE MERSHON COMPANY<br>
+156 Fifth Avenue, New York<br>
+Rahway, N. J.</b></center>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<a name="h2H_4_0033" id="h2H_4_0033"><!-- H2 anchor --></a>
+<center>"Masterpieces of the World's Literature"</center>
+<h2>THE PREMIUM LIBRARY</h2>
+<p>Is extensively used by schools and colleges for supplementary
+reading. It is issued in attractive 16mo shape, paper covers,
+printed from clear, readable type, on good paper. Many of the
+volumes are illustrated. They are published at the low price of
+<b>TEN CENTS</b> each, or 12 books for one dollar. Postage paid.
+Special prices quoted to schools for larger quantities.</p>
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<p class="i2">1. Abb&eacute; Constantin. Ludovic Hal&eacute;vy.</p>
+<p class="i2">2. &AElig;sop's Fables.</p>
+<p class="i2">3. Black Beauty. Anna Sewell.</p>
+<p class="i2">4. Bracebridge Hall. Irving.</p>
+<p class="i2">5. Childe Harold's Pilgrimage. Byron.</p>
+<p class="i2">6. Coming Race. Bulwer.</p>
+<p class="i2">7. Cranford. Mrs. Gaskell.</p>
+<p class="i2">8. Crown of Wild Olive. Ruskin.</p>
+<p class="i2">9. Discourses of Epictetus.</p>
+<p class="i2">10. Dreams. Olive Schreiner.</p>
+<p class="i2">11. Dream Life. Ik Marvel.</p>
+<p class="i2">12. Drummond's Addresses.</p>
+<p class="i2">13. Emerson's Earlier Essays.</p>
+<p class="i2">14. Ethics of the Dust. Ruskin.</p>
+<p class="i2">15. Frankenstein. Mrs. Shelley.</p>
+<p class="i2">16. Uncle Tom's Cabin. Mrs. Stowe.</p>
+<p class="i2">17. Lady of the Lake. Scott.</p>
+<p class="i2">18. Lalla Rookh. Thomas Moore.</p>
+<p class="i2">19. Lamb's Essays of Elia.</p>
+<p class="i2">20. Lamb's Last Essays of Elia.</p>
+<p class="i2">21. Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare, I.</p>
+<p class="i2">22. Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare, II.</p>
+<p class="i2">23. Lays of Ancient Rome. Macaulay.</p>
+<p class="i2">24. Lays of Scottish Cavaliers.</p>
+<p class="i2">25. Light of Asia. Sir E. Arnold.</p>
+<p class="i2">26. Longfellow's Poems.</p>
+<p class="i2">27. Lowell's Poems.</p>
+<p class="i2">28. Mornings in Florence. Ruskin.</p>
+<p class="i2">29. One of the Profession. M. White, Jr.</p>
+<p class="i2">30. Paul and Virginia. B. St. Pierre.</p>
+<p class="i2">31. Pleasures of Life. Sir J. Lubbock.</p>
+<p class="i2">32. Poe's Poems.</p>
+<p class="i2">33. Princess. Tennyson.</p>
+<p class="i2">34. Queen of the Air. Ruskin.</p>
+<p class="i2">35. Rab and His Friends. Dr. J. Brown.</p>
+<p class="i2">36. Rasselas. Johnson.</p>
+<p class="i2">37. Reveries of a Bachelor. Ik Marvel.</p>
+<p class="i2">38. Representative Men. Emerson.</p>
+<p class="i2">39. Sartor Resartus. Carlyle.</p>
+<p class="i2">40. Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne.</p>
+<p class="i2">41. Sesame and Lilies. Ruskin.</p>
+<p class="i2">42. Ships that Pass in the Night. Beatrice
+Harraden.</p>
+<p class="i2">43. St. Mark's Rest. Ruskin.</p>
+<p class="i2">44. Thoughts from Marcus Aurelius Antoninus.</p>
+<p class="i2">45. Tillyloss Scandal. J. M. Barrie.</p>
+<p class="i2">46. Twice-Told Tales, I. Hawthorne.</p>
+<p class="i2">47. Twice-Told Tales, II. Hawthorne.</p>
+<p class="i2">48. In Memoriam. Tennyson.</p>
+<p class="i2">49. Vicar of Wakefield. Goldsmith.</p>
+<p class="i2">50. Whittier's Poems.</p>
+<p class="i2">51. Autocrat of Breakfast Table. Holmes.</p>
+<p class="i2">52. Heroes and Hero Worship. Carlyle.</p>
+<p class="i2">53. Mosses from an Old Manse, I. Hawthorne.</p>
+<p class="i2">54. Mosses from an Old Manse, II. Hawthorne.</p>
+<p class="i2">55. Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.</p>
+<p class="i2">56. Song of Hiawatha. Longfellow.</p>
+<p class="i2">57. Evangeline, and Poems. Longfellow.</p>
+<p class="i2">58. Sketch Book. Irving.</p>
+<p class="i2">59. Stickit Minister. S. R. Crockett.</p>
+<p class="i2">60. House of the Seven Gables. Hawthorne.</p>
+<p class="i2">61. Poetical Works of Robt. Browning.</p>
+<p class="i2">62. Paradise Lost. Milton.</p>
+<p class="i2">63. Hamlet. Shakespeare.</p>
+<p class="i2">64. Julius C&aelig;sar. Shakespeare.</p>
+<p class="i2">65. Book of Golden Deeds. Yonge.</p>
+<p class="i2">66. Child's History of England. Dickens.</p>
+<p class="i2">67. Confessions of an Opium Eater. De Quincey.</p>
+<p class="i2">68. Ten Nights in a Barroom. Arthur.</p>
+<p class="i2">69. Treasure Island. Stevenson.</p>
+<p class="i2">70. Tanglewood Tales. Hawthorne.</p>
+</div>
+</div>
+<p>All of the above titles can also be supplied in our famous
+STANDARD SERIES, handsomely bound in cloth, assorted colors, with
+an artistic design, at <i>FIFTEEN CENTS</i> per volume, postage
+paid. Special prices quoted to schools for larger quantities.</p>
+<center><b>THE MERSHON COMPANY<br>
+156 Fifth Avenue, New York<br>
+Rahway, N. J.</b></center>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br></div>
+<div style="height: 4em;"><br>
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@@ -0,0 +1,7058 @@
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Now or Never, by Oliver Optic
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Now or Never
+       The Adventures of Bobby Bright
+
+Author: Oliver Optic
+
+Release Date: October 5, 2006 [EBook #19473]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NOW OR NEVER ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Tom Allen and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: "I'm big enough to protect my Mother, and I'll do
+it."
+
+_p. 42._]
+
+
+
+
+NOW OR NEVER
+
+OR
+
+THE ADVENTURES OF BOBBY BRIGHT
+
+
+_A STORY FOR YOUNG FOLKS_
+
+
+OLIVER OPTIC
+
+
+_NEW EDITION_
+
+
+NEW YORK
+THE MERSHON COMPANY
+PUBLISHERS
+
+
+
+
+Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1856, by
+
+WILLIAM T. ADAMS,
+
+in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of
+Massachusetts.
+
+
+Copyright, 1884,
+By WILLIAM T. ADAMS.
+
+
+
+
+NOW OR NEVER.
+
+
+
+
+To my Nephew
+
+CHARLES HENRY POPE
+
+THIS BOOK
+
+IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE
+
+
+The story contained in this volume is a record of youthful struggles,
+not only in the world without, but in the world within; and the
+success of the little hero is not merely a gathering up of wealth and
+honors, but a triumph over the temptations that beset the pilgrim on
+the plain of life. The attainment of worldly prosperity is not the
+truest victory; and the author has endeavored to make the interest of
+his story depend more on the hero's devotion to principles than on his
+success in business.
+
+Bobby Bright is a smart boy; perhaps the reader will think he is
+altogether too smart for one of his years. This is a progressive age,
+and anything which young America may do need not surprise any
+person. That little gentleman is older than his father, knows more
+than his mother, can talk politics, smoke cigars, and drive a 2:40
+horse. He orders "one stew" with as much ease as a man of forty, and
+can even pronounce correctly the villanous names of sundry French and
+German wines and liqueurs. One would suppose, to hear him talk, that
+he had been intimate with Socrates and Solon, with Napoleon and Noah
+Webster; in short, that whatever he did not know was not worth
+knowing.
+
+In the face of these manifestations of exuberant genius, it would be
+absurd to accuse the author of making his hero do too much. All he has
+done is to give this genius a right direction; and for politics,
+cigars, 2:40 horses, and "one stew," he has substituted the duties of
+a rational and accountable being, regarding them as better fitted to
+develop the young gentleman's mind, heart, and soul.
+
+Bobby Bright is something more than a smart boy. He is a good boy, and
+makes a true man. His daily life is the moral of the story, and the
+author hopes that his devotion to principle will make a stronger
+impression upon the mind of the young reader, than even the most
+exciting incidents of his eventful career.
+
+  WILLIAM T. ADAMS.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+  CHAPTER                                                    PAGE
+
+       I. In which Bobby goes a fishing, and catches
+             a Horse                                            1
+
+      II. In which Bobby blushes several Times, and
+             does a Sum in Arithmetic                          13
+
+     III. In which the Little Black House is bought,
+             but not paid for                                  26
+
+      IV. In which Bobby gets out of one Scrape, and
+             into another                                      38
+
+       V. In which Bobby gives his Note for Sixty
+             Dollars                                           52
+
+      VI. In which Bobby sets out on his Travels               66
+
+     VII. In which Bobby stands up for certain "Inalienable
+             Rights"                                           78
+
+    VIII. In which Mr. Timmins is astonished, and
+             Bobby dines in Chestnut Street                    91
+
+      IX. In which Bobby opens various Accounts, and
+             wins his first Victory                           104
+
+       X. In which Bobby is a little too smart                117
+
+      XI. In which Bobby strikes a Balance, and returns
+            to Riverdale                                      131
+
+     XII. In which Bobby astonishes sundry Persons,
+            and pays Part of his Note                         144
+
+    XIII. In which Bobby declines a Copartnership,
+            and visits B---- again                            160
+
+     XIV. In which Bobby's Air Castle is upset, and
+            Tom Spicer takes to the Woods                     177
+
+      XV. In which Bobby gets into a Scrape, and
+            Tom Spicer turns up again                         191
+
+     XVI. In which Bobby finds "it is an ill wind
+            that blows no one any good"                       205
+
+    XVII. In which Tom has a good Time, and Bobby
+            meets with a terrible Misfortune                  219
+
+   XVIII. In which Bobby takes French Leave, and
+            camps in the Woods                                235
+
+     XIX. In which Bobby has a narrow Escape, and
+            goes to Sea with Sam Ray                          248
+
+      XX. In which the Clouds blow over, and Bobby
+            is himself again                                  264
+
+     XXI. In which Bobby steps off the Stage, and
+            the Author must finish "Now or Never"             280
+
+
+
+
+NOW OR NEVER
+
+OR
+
+THE ADVENTURES OF BOBBY BRIGHT
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY GOES A FISHING, AND CATCHES A HORSE
+
+
+"By jolly! I've got a bite!" exclaimed Tom Spicer, a rough,
+hard-looking boy, who sat on a rock by the river's side, anxiously
+watching the cork float on his line.
+
+"Catch him, then," quietly responded Bobby Bright, who occupied
+another rock near the first speaker, as he pulled up a large pout,
+and, without any appearance of exultation, proceeded to unhook and
+place him in his basket.
+
+"You are a lucky dog, Bob," added Tom, as he glanced into the basket
+of his companion, which now contained six good-sized fishes. "I
+haven't caught one yet."
+
+"You don't fish deep enough."
+
+"I fish on the bottom."
+
+"That is too deep."
+
+"It don't make any difference how I fish; it is all luck."
+
+"Not all luck, Tom; there is something in doing it right."
+
+"I shall not catch a fish," continued Tom, in despair.
+
+"You'll catch something else, though, when you go home."
+
+"Will I?"
+
+"I'm afraid you will."
+
+"Who says I will?"
+
+"Didn't you tell me you were 'hooking jack'?"
+
+"Who is going to know anything about it?"
+
+"The master will know you are absent."
+
+"I shall tell him my mother sent me over to the village on an errand."
+
+"I never knew a fellow to 'hook jack,' yet, without getting found
+out."
+
+"I shall not get found out unless you blow on me; and you wouldn't be
+mean enough to do that;" and Tom glanced uneasily at his companion.
+
+"Suppose your mother should ask me if I had seen you."
+
+"You would tell her you have not, of course."
+
+"Of course?"
+
+"Why, wouldn't you? Wouldn't you do as much as that for a fellow?"
+
+"It would be a lie."
+
+"A lie! Humph!"
+
+"I wouldn't lie for any fellow," replied Bobby, stoutly, as he pulled
+in his seventh fish, and placed him in the basket.
+
+"Wouldn't you?"
+
+"No, I wouldn't."
+
+"Then let me tell you this; if you peach on me, I'll smash your head."
+
+Tom Spicer removed one hand from the fish pole and, doubling his fist,
+shook it with energy at his companion.
+
+"Smash away," replied Bobby, coolly. "I shall not go out of my way to
+tell tales; but if your mother or the master asks me the question, I
+shall not lie."
+
+"Won't you?"
+
+"No, I won't."
+
+"I'll bet you will;" and Tom dropped his fish pole, and was on the
+point of jumping over to the rock occupied by Bobby, when the float of
+the former disappeared beneath the surface of the water.
+
+"You've got a bite," coolly interposed Bobby, pointing to the line.
+
+Tom snatched the pole, and with a violent twitch, pulled up a big
+pout; but his violence jerked the hook out of the fish's mouth, and he
+disappeared beneath the surface of the river.
+
+"Just my luck!" muttered Tom.
+
+"Keep cool, then."
+
+"I will fix you yet."
+
+"All right; but you had better not let go your pole again, or you will
+lose another fish."
+
+"I'm bound to smash your head, though."
+
+"No, you won't."
+
+"Won't I?"
+
+"Two can play at that game."
+
+"Do you stump me?"
+
+"No; I don't want to fight; I won't fight if I can help it."
+
+"I'll bet you won't!" sneered Tom.
+
+"But I will defend myself."
+
+"Humph!"
+
+"I am not a liar, and the fear of a flogging shall not make me tell a
+lie."
+
+"Go to Sunday school--don't you?"
+
+"I do; and besides that, my mother always taught me never to tell a
+lie."
+
+"Come! you needn't preach to me. By and by, you will call me a liar."
+
+"No, I won't; but just now you told me you meant to lie to your
+mother, and to the master."
+
+"What if I did? That is none of your business."
+
+"It _is_ my business when you want me to lie for you, though; and
+I shall not do it."
+
+"Blow on me, and see what you will get."
+
+"I don't mean to blow on you."
+
+"Yes, you do."
+
+"I will not lie about it; that's all."
+
+"By jolly! see that horse!" exclaimed Tom, suddenly, as he pointed to
+the road leading to Riverdale Centre.
+
+"By gracious!" added Bobby, dropping his fish pole, as he saw the
+horse running at a furious rate up the road from the village.
+
+The mad animal was attached to a chaise, in which was seated a lady,
+whose frantic shrieks pierced the soul of our youthful hero.
+
+The course of the road was by the river's side for nearly half a mile,
+and crossed the stream at a wooden bridge but a few rods from the
+place where the boys were fishing.
+
+Bobby Bright's impulses were noble and generous; and without stopping
+to consider the peril to which the attempt would expose him, he boldly
+resolved to stop that horse, or let the animal dash him to pieces on
+the bridge.
+
+"Now or never!" shouted he, as he leaped from the rock, and ran with
+all his might to the bridge.
+
+The shrieks of the lady rang in his ears, and seemed to command him,
+with an authority which he could not resist, to stop the horse. There
+was no time for deliberation; and, indeed, Bobby did not want any
+deliberation. The lady was in danger; if the horse's flight was not
+checked, she would be dashed in pieces; and what then could excuse him
+for neglecting his duty? Not the fear of broken limbs, of mangled
+flesh, or even of a sudden and violent death.
+
+It is true Bobby did not think of any of these things; though, if he
+had, it would have made no difference with him. He was a boy who would
+not fight except in self-defence, but he had the courage to do a deed
+which might have made the stoutest heart tremble with terror.
+
+Grasping a broken rail as he leaped over the fence, he planted himself
+in the middle of the bridge, which was not more than half as wide as
+the road at each end of it, to await the coming of the furious
+animal. On he came, and the piercing shrieks of the affrighted lady
+nerved him to the performance of his perilous duty.
+
+The horse approached him at a mad run, and his feet struck the loose
+planks of the bridge. The brave boy then raised his big club, and
+brandished it with all his might in the air. Probably the horse did
+not mean anything very bad; was only frightened, and had no wicked
+intentions towards the lady; so that when a new danger menaced him in
+front, he stopped suddenly, and with so much violence as to throw the
+lady forward from her seat upon the dasher of the chaise. He gave a
+long snort, which was his way of expressing his fear. He was evidently
+astonished at the sudden barrier to his further progress, and
+commenced running back.
+
+"Save me!" screamed the lady.
+
+"I will, ma'am; don't be scared!" replied Bobby, confidently, as he
+dropped his club, and grasped the bridle of the horse, just as he was
+on the point of whirling round to escape by the way he had come.
+
+"Stop him! Do stop him!" cried the lady.
+
+"Whoa!" said Bobby, in gentle tones, as he patted the trembling horse
+on his neck. "Whoa, good horse! Be quiet! Whoa!"
+
+The animal, in his terror, kept running backward and forward; but
+Bobby persevered in his gentle treatment, and finally soothed him, so
+that he stood quiet enough for the lady to get out of the chaise.
+
+"What a miracle that I am alive!" exclaimed she, when she realized
+that she stood once more upon the firm earth.
+
+"Yes, ma'am, it is lucky he didn't break the chaise. Whoa! Good horse!
+Stand quiet!"
+
+"What a brave little fellow you are!" said the lady, as soon as she
+could recover her breath so as to express her admiration of Bobby's
+bold act.
+
+"O, I don't mind it," replied he, blushing like a rose in June. "Did
+he run away with you?"
+
+"No; my father left me in the chaise for a moment while he went into a
+store in the village, and a teamster who was passing by snapped his
+whip, which frightened Kate so that she started off at the top of her
+speed. I was so terrified that I screamed with all my might, which
+frightened her the more. The more I screamed, the faster she ran."
+
+"I dare say. Good horse! Whoa, Kate!"
+
+"She is a splendid creature; she never did such a thing before. My
+father will think I am killed."
+
+By this time, Kate had become quite reasonable, and seemed very much
+obliged to Bobby for preventing her from doing mischief to her
+mistress; for she looked at the lady with a glance of satisfaction,
+which her deliverer interpreted as a promise to behave better in
+future. He relaxed his grasp upon the bridle, patted her upon the
+neck, and said sundry pleasant things to encourage her in her assumed
+purpose of doing better. Kate appeared to understand Bobby's kind
+words, and declared as plainly as a horse could declare that she would
+be sober and tractable.
+
+"Now, ma'am, if you will get into the chaise again, I think Kate will
+let me drive her down to the village."
+
+"O, dear! I should not dare to do so."
+
+"Then, if you please, I will drive down alone, so as to let your
+father know that you are safe."
+
+"Do."
+
+"I am sure he must feel very bad, and I may save him a great deal of
+pain, for a man can suffer a great deal in a very short time."
+
+"You are a little philosopher, as well as a hero, and if you are not
+afraid of Kate, you may do as you wish."
+
+"She seems very gentle now;" and Bobby turned her round, and got into
+the chaise.
+
+"Be very careful," said the lady.
+
+"I will."
+
+Bobby took the reins, and Kate, true to the promise she had virtually
+made, started off at a round pace towards the village.
+
+He had not gone more than a quarter of a mile of the distance when he
+met a wagon containing three men, one of whom was the lady's
+father. The gestures which he made assured Bobby he had found the
+person whom he sought, and he stopped.
+
+"My daughter! Where is she?" gasped the gentleman, as he leaped from
+the wagon.
+
+"She is safe, sir," replied Bobby, with all the enthusiasm of his warm
+nature.
+
+"Thank God!" added the gentleman, devoutly, as he placed himself in
+the chaise by the side of Bobby.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY BLUSHES SEVERAL TIMES, AND DOES A SUM IN ARITHMETIC
+
+
+Mr. Bayard, the owner of the horse, and the father of the lady whom
+Bobby had saved from impending death, was too much agitated to say
+much, even to the bold youth who had rendered him such a signal
+service. He could scarcely believe the intelligence which the boy
+brought him; it seemed too good to be true. He had assured himself
+that Ellen--for that was the young lady's name--was killed or
+dreadfully injured.
+
+Kate was driven at the top of her speed, and in a few moments reached
+the bridge, where Ellen was awaiting his arrival.
+
+"Here I am, father, alive and unhurt!" cried Ellen, as Mr. Bayard
+stopped the horse.
+
+"Thank Heaven, my child!" replied the glad father, embracing his
+daughter. "I was sure you were killed."
+
+"No, father; thanks to this bold youth, I am uninjured."
+
+"I am under very great obligations to you, young man," continued
+Mr. Bayard, grasping Bobby's hand.
+
+"O, never mind, sir;" and Bobby blushed just as he had blushed when
+the young lady spoke to him.
+
+"We shall never forget you--shall we, father?" added Ellen.
+
+"No, my child; and I shall endeavor to repay, to some slight extent,
+our indebtedness to him. But you have not yet told me how you were
+saved."
+
+"O, I merely stopped the horse; that's all," answered Bobby, modestly.
+
+"Yes, father, but he placed himself right before Kate when she was
+almost flying over the ground. When I saw him, I was certain that he
+would lose his life, or be horribly mangled for his boldness,"
+interposed Ellen.
+
+"It was a daring deed, young man, to place yourself before an
+affrighted horse in that manner," said Mr. Bayard.
+
+"I didn't mind it, sir."
+
+"And then he flourished a big club, almost as big as he is himself, in
+the air, which made Kate pause in her mad career, when my deliverer
+here grasped her by the bit and held her."
+
+"It was well and bravely done."
+
+"That it was, father; not many men would have been bold enough to do
+what he did," added Ellen, with enthusiasm.
+
+"Very true; and I feel that I am indebted to him for your safety. What
+is your name, young man?"
+
+"Robert Bright, sir."
+
+Mr. Bayard took from his pocket several pieces of gold, which he
+offered to Bobby.
+
+"No, I thank you, sir," replied Bobby, blushing.
+
+"What! as proud as you are bold?"
+
+"I don't like to be paid for doing my duty."
+
+"Bravo! You are a noble little fellow! But you must take this money,
+not as a reward for what you have done, but as a testimonial of my
+gratitude."
+
+"I would rather not, sir."
+
+"Do take it, Robert," added Ellen.
+
+"I don't like to take it. It looks mean to take money for doing one's
+duty."
+
+"Take it, Robert, to please me;" and the young lady smiled so sweetly
+that Bobby's resolution began to give way. "Only to please me,
+Robert."
+
+"I will, to please you; but I don't feel right about it."
+
+"You must not be too proud, Robert," said Mr. Bayard, as he put the
+gold pieces into his hand.
+
+"I am not proud, sir; only I don't like to be paid for doing my duty."
+
+"Not paid, my young friend. Consider that you have placed me under an
+obligation to you for life. This money is only an expression of my own
+and my daughter's feelings. It is but a small sum, but I hope you will
+permit me to do something more for you, when you need it. You will
+regard me as your friend as long as you live."
+
+"Thank you, sir."
+
+"When you want any assistance of any kind, come to me. I live in
+Boston; here is my business card."
+
+Mr. Bayard handed him a card, on which Bobby read, "F. Bayard & Co.,
+Booksellers and Publishers, No. --, Washington Street, Boston."
+
+"You are very kind, sir."
+
+"I want you should come to Boston and see us, too," interposed
+Ellen. "I should be delighted to show you the city, to take you to the
+Athenaeum and the Museum."
+
+"Thank you."
+
+Mr. Bayard inquired of Bobby about his parents, where he lived, and
+about the circumstances of his family. He then took out his memorandum
+book, in which he wrote the boy's name and residence.
+
+"I am sorry to leave you now, Robert, but I have over twenty miles to
+ride to-day. I should be glad to visit your mother, and next time I
+come to Riverdale, I shall certainly do so."
+
+"Thank you, sir; my mother is a very poor woman, but she will be glad
+to see you."
+
+"Now, good by, Robert."
+
+"Good by," repeated Ellen.
+
+"Good by."
+
+Mr. Bayard drove off, leaving Bobby standing on the bridge with the
+gold pieces in his hand.
+
+"Here's luck!" said Bobby, shaking the coin. "Won't mother's eyes
+stick out when she sees these shiners? There are no such shiners in
+the river as these."
+
+Bobby was astonished, and the more he gazed at the gold pieces, the
+more bewildered he became. He had never held so much money in his hand
+before. There were three large coins and one smaller one. He turned
+them over and over, and finally ascertained that the large coins were
+ten dollar pieces, and the smaller one a five dollar piece. Bobby was
+not a great scholar, but he knew enough of arithmetic to calculate the
+value of his treasure. He was so excited, however, that he did not
+arrive at the conclusion half so quick as most of my young readers
+would have done.
+
+"Thirty-five dollars!" exclaimed Bobby, when the problem was
+solved. "Gracious!"
+
+"Hallo, Bob!" shouted Tom Spicer, who had got tired of fishing;
+besides, the village clock was just striking twelve, and it was time
+for him to go home.
+
+Bobby made no answer, but hastily tying the gold pieces up in the
+corner of his handkerchief, he threw the broken rail he had used in
+stopping the horse where it belonged, and started for the place where
+he had left his fishing apparatus.
+
+"Hallo, Bob!"
+
+"Well, Tom?"
+
+"Stopped him--didn't you?"
+
+"I did."
+
+"You were a fool; he might have killed you."
+
+"So he might; but I didn't stop to think of that. The lady's life was
+in danger."
+
+"What of that?"
+
+"Everything, I should say."
+
+"Did he give you anything?"
+
+"Yes;" and Bobby continued his walk down to the river's side.
+
+"I say, what did he give you, Bobby?" persisted Tom, following him.
+
+"O, he gave me a good deal of money."
+
+"How much?"
+
+"I want to get my fish line now; I will tell you all about it some
+other time," replied Bobby, who rather suspected the intentions of his
+companion.
+
+"Tell me now; how much was it?"
+
+"Never mind it now."
+
+"Humph! Do you think I mean to rob you?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Ain't you going halveses?"
+
+"Why should I?"
+
+"Wasn't I with you?"
+
+"Were you?"
+
+"Wasn't I fishing with you?"
+
+"You did not do anything about stopping the horse."
+
+"I would, if I hadn't been afraid to go up to the road."
+
+"Afraid?"
+
+"Somebody might have seen me, and they would have known that I was
+hooking jack."
+
+"Then you ought not to share the money."
+
+"Yes, I had. When a fellow is with you, he ought to have half. It is
+mean not to give him half."
+
+"If you had done anything to help stop the horse, I would have shared
+with you. But you didn't."
+
+"What of that?"
+
+Bobby was particularly sensitive in regard to the charge of
+meanness. His soul was a great deal bigger than his body, and he was
+always generous, even to his own injury, among his companions. It was
+evident to him that Tom had no claim to any part of the reward; but he
+could not endure the thought even of being accused of meanness.
+
+"I'll tell you what I will do, if you think I ought to share with
+you. I will leave it out to Squire Lee; and if he thinks you ought to
+have half, or any part of the money, I will give it to you."
+
+"No, you don't; you want to get me into a scrape for hooking jack. I
+see what you are up to."
+
+"I will state the case to him without telling him who the boys are."
+
+"No, you don't! You want to be mean about it. Come, hand over half the
+money."
+
+"I will not," replied Bobby, who, when it became a matter of
+compulsion, could stand his ground at any peril.
+
+"How much have you got?"
+
+"Thirty-five dollars."
+
+"By jolly! And you mean to keep it all yourself?"
+
+"I mean to give it to my mother."
+
+"No, you won't! If you are going to be mean about it, I'll smash your
+head!"
+
+This was a favorite expression with Tom Spicer, who was a noted bully
+among the boys of Riverdale. The young ruffian now placed himself in
+front of Bobby, and shook his clenched fist in his face.
+
+"Hand over."
+
+"No, I won't. You have no claim to any part of the money; at least, I
+think you have not. If you have a mind to leave it out to Squire Lee,
+I will do what is right about it."
+
+"Not I; hand over, or I'll smash your head!"
+
+"Smash away," replied Bobby, placing himself on the defensive.
+
+"Do you think you can lick me?" asked Tom, not a little embarrassed by
+this exhibition of resolution on the part of his companion.
+
+"I don't think anything about it; but you don't bully me in that kind
+of style."
+
+"Won't I?"
+
+"No."
+
+But Tom did not immediately put his threat in execution, and Bobby
+would not be the aggressor; so he stepped one side to pass his
+assailant. Tom took this as an evidence of the other's desire to
+escape, and struck him a heavy blow on the side of the head. The next
+instant the bully was floundering in the soft mud of a ditch; Bobby's
+reply was more than Tom had bargained for, and while he was dragging
+himself out of the ditch, our hero ran down to the river, and got his
+fish pole and basket.
+
+"You'll catch it for that!" growled Tom.
+
+"I'm all ready, whenever it suits your convenience," replied Bobby.
+
+"Just come out here and take it in fair fight," continued Tom, who
+could not help bullying, even in the midst of his misfortune.
+
+"No, I thank you; I don't want to fight with any fellow. I will not
+fight if I can help it."
+
+"What did you hit me for, then?"
+
+"In self-defence."
+
+"Just come out here, and try it fair!"
+
+"No;" and Bobby hurried home, leaving the bully astonished and
+discomfited by the winding up of the morning's sport.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+IN WHICH THE LITTLE BLACK HOUSE IS BOUGHT BUT NOT PAID FOR
+
+
+Probably my young readers have by this time come to the conclusion
+that Bobby Bright was a very clever fellow--one whose acquaintance
+they would be happy to cultivate. Perhaps by this time they have
+become so far interested in him as to desire to know who his parents
+were, what they did, and in what kind of a house he lived.
+
+I hope none of my young friends will think any less of him when I
+inform them that Bobby lived in an old black house which had never
+been painted, which had no flower garden in front of it, and which, in
+a word, was quite far from being a palace. A great many very nice city
+folks would not have considered it fit to live in, would have turned
+up their noses at it, and wondered that any human beings could be so
+degraded as to live in such a miserable house. But the widow Bright,
+Bobby's mother, thought it was a very comfortable house, and
+considered herself very fortunate in being able to get so good a
+dwelling. She had never lived in a fine house, knew nothing about
+velvet carpets, mirrors seven feet high, damask chairs and lounges, or
+any of the smart things which very rich and very proud city people
+consider absolutely necessary for their comfort. Her father had been a
+poor man, her husband had died a poor man, and her own life had been a
+struggle to keep the demons of poverty and want from invading her
+humble abode.
+
+Mr. Bright, her deceased husband, had been a day laborer in
+Riverdale. He never got more than a dollar a day, which was then
+considered very good wages in the country. He was a very honest,
+industrious man, and while he lived, his family did very
+well. Mrs. Bright was a careful, prudent woman, and helped him support
+the family. They never knew what it was to want for anything.
+
+Poor people, as well as rich, have an ambition to be something which
+they are not, or to have something which they have not. Every person,
+who has any energy of character, desires to get ahead in the
+world. Some merchants, who own big ships and big warehouses by the
+dozen, desire to be what they consider rich. But their idea of wealth
+is very grand. They wish to count it in millions of dollars, in whole
+blocks of warehouses; and they are even more discontented than the day
+laborer who has to earn his dinner before he can eat it.
+
+Bobby's father and mother had just such an ambition, only it was so
+modest that the merchant would have laughed at it. They wanted to own
+the little black house in which they resided, so that they could not
+only be sure of a home while they lived, but have the satisfaction of
+living in their own house. This was a very reasonable ideal, compared
+with that of the rich merchants I have mentioned; but it was even more
+difficult for them to reach it, for the wages were small, and they had
+many mouths to feed.
+
+Mr. Bright had saved up fifty dollars; and he thought a great deal
+more of this sum than many people do of a thousand dollars. He had had
+to work very hard and be very prudent in order to accumulate this sum,
+which made him value it all the more highly.
+
+With this sum of fifty dollars at his command, John Bright felt rich;
+and then, more than ever before, he wanted to own the little black
+house. He felt as grand as a lord; and as soon as the forty-nine
+dollars had become fifty, he waited upon Mr. Hardhand, a little crusty
+old man, who owned the little black house, and proposed to purchase
+it.
+
+The landlord was a hard man. Everybody in Riverdale said he was mean
+and stingy. Any generous-hearted man would have been willing to make
+an easy bargain with an honest, industrious, poor man, like John
+Bright, who wished to own the house in which he lived; but
+Mr. Hardhand, although he was rich, only thought how he could make
+more money. He asked the poor man four hundred dollars for the old
+house and the little lot of land on which it stood.
+
+It was a matter of great concern to John Bright. Four hundred dollars
+was a "mint of money," and he could not see how he should ever be able
+to save so much from his daily earnings. So he talked with Squire Lee
+about it, who told him that three hundred was all it was worth. John
+offered this for it, and after a month's hesitation Mr. Hardhand
+accepted the offer, agreeing to take fifty dollars down, and the rest
+in semi-annual payments of twenty-five dollars each until the whole
+was paid.
+
+I am thus particular in telling my readers about the bargain, because
+this debt which his father contracted was the means of making a man of
+Bobby, as will be seen in his subsequent history.
+
+John Bright paid the first fifty dollars; but before the next
+instalment became due, the poor man was laid in his cold and silent
+grave. A malignant disease carried him off, and the hopes of the
+Bright family seemed to be blasted.
+
+Four children were left to the widow. The youngest was only three
+years old, and Bobby, the oldest, was nine, when his father died.
+Squire Lee, who had always been a good friend of John Bright, told the
+widow that she had better go to the poorhouse, and not attempt to
+struggle along with such fearful odds against her. But the widow nobly
+refused to become a pauper, and to make paupers of her children, whom
+she loved quite as much as though she and they had been born in a
+ducal palace. She told the squire that she had two hands, and as long
+as she had her health, the town need not trouble itself about her
+support.
+
+Squire Lee was filled with surprise and admiration at the noble
+resolution of the poor woman; and when he returned to his house, he
+immediately sent her a cord of wood, ten bushels of potatoes, two bags
+of meal, and a firkin of salt pork.
+
+The widow was very grateful for these articles, and no false pride
+prevented her from accepting the gift of her rich and kind-hearted
+neighbor.
+
+Riverdale Centre was largely engaged in the manufacturing of boots and
+shoes, and this business gave employment to a large number of men and
+women.
+
+Mrs. Bright had for several years "closed" shoes--which, my readers
+who do not live in "shoe towns" may not know, means sewing or
+stitching them. To this business she applied herself with renewed
+energy. There was a large hotel in Riverdale Centre, where several
+families from Boston spent the summer. By the aid of Squire Lee, she
+obtained the washing of these families, which was more profitable than
+closing shoes.
+
+By these means she not only supported her family very comfortably, but
+was able to save a little money towards paying for the house.
+Mr. Hardhand, by the persuasions of Squire Lee, had consented to let
+the widow keep the house, and pay for it as she could.
+
+John Bright had been dead four years at the time we introduce Bobby to
+the reader. Mrs. Bright had paid another hundred dollars towards the
+house, with the interest; so there was now but one hundred due. Bobby
+had learned to "close," and helped his mother a great deal; but the
+confinement and the stooping posture did not agree with his health,
+and his mother was obliged to dispense with his assistance. But the
+devoted little fellow found a great many ways of helping her. He was
+now thirteen, and was as handy about the house as a girl. When he was
+not better occupied, he would often go to the river and catch a mess
+of fish, which was so much clear gain.
+
+The winter which had just passed had brought a great deal of sickness
+to the little black house. The children all had the measles, and two
+of them the scarlet fever, so that Mrs. Bright could not work
+much. Her affairs were not in a very prosperous condition when the
+spring opened; but the future was bright, and the widow, trusting in
+Providence, believed that all would end well.
+
+One thing troubled her. She had not been able to save anything for
+Mr. Hardhand. She could only pay her interest; but she hoped by the
+first of July to give him twenty-five dollars of the principal. But
+the first of July came, and she had only five dollars of the sum she
+had partly promised her creditor. She could not so easily recover from
+the disasters of the hard winter, and she had but just paid off the
+little debts she had contracted. She was nervous and uneasy as the day
+approached. Mr. Hardhand always abused her when she told him she could
+not pay him, and she dreaded his coming.
+
+It was the first of July on which Bobby caught those pouts, caught the
+horse, and on which Tom Spicer had "caught a Tartar."
+
+Bobby hastened home, as we said at the conclusion of the last
+chapter. He was as happy as a lord. He had fish enough in his basket
+for dinner, and for breakfast the next morning, and money enough in
+his pocket to make his mother as happy as a queen, if queens are
+always happy.
+
+The widow Bright, though she had worried and fretted night and day
+about the money which was to be paid to Mr. Hardhand on the first of
+July, had not told her son anything about it. It would only make him
+unhappy, she reasoned, and it was needless to make the dear boy
+miserable for nothing; so Bobby ran home all unconscious of the
+pleasure which was in store for him.
+
+When he reached the front door, as he stopped to scrape his feet on
+the sharp stone there, as all considerate boys who love their mothers
+do, before they go into the house, he heard the angry tones of
+Mr. Hardhand. He was scolding and abusing his mother because she could
+not pay him the twenty-five dollars.
+
+Bobby's blood boiled with indignation, and his first impulse was to
+serve him as he had served Tom Spicer, only a few moments before; but
+Bobby, as we have before intimated, was a peaceful boy, and not
+disposed to quarrel with any person; so he contented himself with
+muttering a few hard words.
+
+"The wretch! What business has he to talk to _my_ mother in that
+style?" said he to himself. "I have a great mind to kick him out of
+the house."
+
+But Bobby's better judgment came to his aid; and perhaps he realized
+that he and his mother would only get kicked out in return. He could
+battle with Mr. Hardhand, but not with the power which his wealth gave
+him; so, like a great many older persons in similar circumstances, he
+took counsel of prudence rather than impulse.
+
+"Bear ye one another's burdens," saith the Scripture; but Bobby was
+not old enough or astute enough to realize that Mr. Hardhand's burden
+was his wealth, his love of money; that it made him little better than
+a Hottentot; and he could not feel as charitably towards him as a
+Christian should towards his erring, weak brother.
+
+Setting his pole by the door, he entered the room where Hardhand was
+abusing his mother.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY GETS OUT OF ONE SCRAPE, AND INTO ANOTHER
+
+
+Bobby was so indignant at the conduct of Mr. Hardhand, that he
+entirely forgot the adventure of the morning; and he did not even
+think of the gold he had in his pocket. He loved his mother; he knew
+how hard she had worked for him and his brother and sisters; that she
+had burned the "midnight oil" at her clamps; and it made him feel very
+bad to hear her abused as Mr. Hardhand was abusing her. It was not
+her fault that she had not the money to pay him. She had been obliged
+to spend a large portion of her time over the sick beds of her
+children, so that she could not earn so much money as usual; while the
+family expenses were necessarily much greater.
+
+Bobby knew also that Mr. Hardhand was aware of all the circumstances
+of his mother's position, and the more he considered the case the more
+brutal and inhuman was his course.
+
+As our hero entered the family room with the basket of fish on his
+arm, the little crusty old man fixed the glance of his evil eye upon
+him.
+
+"There is that boy, marm, idling away his time by the river, and
+eating you out of house and home," said the wretch. "Why don't you set
+him to work, and make him earn something?"
+
+"Bobby is a very good boy," meekly responded the widow Bright.
+
+"Humph! I should think he was. A great lazy lubber like him, living on
+his mother!" and Mr. Hardhand looked contemptuously at Bobby.
+
+"I am not a lazy lubber," interposed the insulted boy with spirit.
+
+"Yes, you are. Why don't you go to work?"
+
+"I do work."
+
+"No, you don't; you waste your time paddling in the river."
+
+"I don't."
+
+"You had better teach this boy manners too, marm," said the creditor,
+who, like all men of small souls, was willing to take advantage of the
+power which the widow's indebtedness gave him. "He is saucy."
+
+"I should like to know who taught _you_ manners, Mr. Hardhand,"
+replied Bobby, whose indignation was rapidly getting the better of his
+discretion.
+
+"What!" growled Mr. Hardhand, aghast at this unwonted boldness.
+
+"I heard what you said before I came in; and no decent man would go to
+the house of a poor woman to insult her."
+
+"Humph! Mighty fine," snarled the little old man, his gray eyes
+twinkling with malice.
+
+"Don't, Bobby; don't be saucy to the gentleman," interposed his
+mother.
+
+"Saucy, marm? You ought to horsewhip him for it. If you don't, I
+will."
+
+"No, you won't!" replied Bobby, shaking his head significantly. "I can
+take care of myself."
+
+"Did any one ever hear such impudence!" gasped Mr. Hardhand.
+
+"Don't, Bobby, don't," pleaded the anxious mother.
+
+"I should like to know what right you have to come here and abuse my
+mother," continued Bobby, who could not restrain his anger.
+
+"Your mother owes me money, and she doesn't pay it, you young
+scoundrel!" answered Mr. Hardhand, foaming with rage.
+
+"That is no reason why you should insult her. You can call _me_
+what you please, but you shall not insult my mother while I'm round."
+
+"Your mother is a miserable woman, and----"
+
+"Say that again, and though you are an old man, I'll hit you for
+it. I'm big enough to protect my mother, and I'll do it."
+
+Bobby doubled up his fists and edged up to Mr. Hardhand, fully
+determined to execute his threat if he repeated the offensive
+expression, or any other of a similar import. He was roused to the
+highest pitch of anger, and felt as though he had just as lief die as
+live in defence of his mother's good name.
+
+I am not sure that I could excuse Bobby's violence under any other
+circumstances. He loved his mother--as the novelists would say, he
+idolized her; and Mr. Hardhand had certainly applied some very
+offensive epithets to her--epithets which no good son could calmly
+hear applied to a mother. Besides, Bobby, though his heart was a large
+one, and was in the right place, had never been educated into those
+nice distinctions of moral right and wrong which control the judgment
+of wise and learned men. He had an idea that violence, resistance with
+blows, was allowable in certain extreme cases; and he could conceive
+of no greater provocation than an insult to his mother.
+
+"Be calm, Bobby; you are in a passion," said Mrs. Bright.
+
+"I am surprised, marm," began Mr. Hardhand, who prudently refrained
+from repeating the offensive language--and I have no doubt he was
+surprised; for he looked both astonished and alarmed. "This boy has a
+most ungovernable temper."
+
+"Don't you worry about my temper, Mr. Hardhand; I'll take care of
+myself. All I want of you is not to insult my mother. You may say what
+you like to me; but don't you call her hard names."
+
+Mr. Hardhand, like all mean, little men, was a coward; and he was
+effectually intimidated by the bold and manly conduct of the boy. He
+changed his tone and manner at once.
+
+"You have no money for me, marm?" said he, edging towards the door.
+
+"No, sir; I am sorry to say that I have been able to save only five
+dollars since I paid you last; but I hope----"
+
+"Never mind, marm, never mind; I shall not trouble myself to come here
+again, where I am liable to be kicked by this ill-bred cub. No, marm,
+I shall not come again. Let the law take its course."
+
+"O, mercy! See what you have brought upon us, Bobby," exclaimed
+Mrs. Bright, bursting into tears.
+
+"Yes, marm, let the law take its course."
+
+"O, Bobby! Stop a moment, Mr. Hardhand; do stop a moment."
+
+"Not a moment, marm. We'll see;" and Mr. Hardhand placed his hand
+upon the latch string.
+
+Bobby felt very uneasy and very unhappy at that moment. His passion
+had subsided, and he realized that he had done a great deal of
+mischief by his impetuous conduct.
+
+Then the remembrance of his morning adventure on the bridge came like
+a flash of sunshine to his mind, and he eagerly drew from his pocket
+the handkerchief in which he had deposited the precious gold,--doubly
+precious now, because it would enable him to retrieve the error into
+which he had fallen, and do something towards relieving his mother's
+embarrassment. With a trembling hand he untied the knot which secured
+the money.
+
+"Here, mother, here is thirty-five dollars;" and he placed it in her
+hand.
+
+"Why, Bobby!" exclaimed Mrs. Bright.
+
+"Pay him, mother, pay him, and I will tell you all about it by and
+by."
+
+"Thirty-five dollars! and all in gold! Where _did_ you get it,
+Bobby?"
+
+"Never mind it now, mother."
+
+Mr. Hardhand's covetous soul had already grasped the glittering gold;
+and removing his hand from the latch string, he approached the widow.
+
+"I shall be able to pay you forty dollars now," said Mrs. Bright,
+taking the five dollars she had saved from her pocket.
+
+"Yes, marm."
+
+Mr. Hardhand took the money, and seating himself at the table,
+indorsed the amount on the back of the note.
+
+"You owe me sixty more," said he, maliciously, as he returned the note
+to his pocket book. "It must be paid immediately."
+
+"You must not be hard with me now, when I have paid more than you
+demanded."
+
+"I don't wish to come here again. That boy's impudence has put me all
+out of conceit with you and your family," replied Mr. Hardhand,
+assuming the most benevolent look he could command. "There was a time
+when I was very willing to help you. I have waited a great while for
+my pay for this house; a great deal longer than I would have waited
+for anybody else."
+
+"Your interest has always been paid punctually," suggested the widow,
+modestly.
+
+"That's true; but very few people would have waited as long as I have
+for the principal. I wanted to help you----"
+
+"By gracious!" exclaimed Bobby, interrupting him.
+
+"Don't be saucy, my son, don't," said Mrs. Bright, fearing a
+repetition of the former scene.
+
+"_He_ wanted to help us!" ejaculated Bobby.
+
+It was a very absurd and hypocritical expression on the part of
+Mr. Hardhand; for he never wanted to help any one but himself; and
+during the whole period of his relations with the poor widow, he had
+oppressed, insulted, and abused her to the extent of his capacity, or
+at least as far as his interest would permit.
+
+He was a malicious and revengeful man. He did not consider the great
+provocation he had given Bobby for his violent conduct, but determined
+to be revenged, if it could be accomplished without losing any part of
+the sixty dollars still due him. He was a wicked man at heart, and
+would not scruple to turn the widow and her family out of house and
+home.
+
+Mrs. Bright knew this, and Bobby knew it too; and they felt very
+uneasy about it. The wretch still had the power to injure them, and he
+would use it without compunction.
+
+"Yes, young man, I wanted to help you, and you see what I get for
+it--contempt and insults! You will hear from me again in a day or
+two. Perhaps you will change your tune, you young reprobate!"
+
+"Perhaps I shall," replied Bobby, without much discretion.
+
+"And you too, marm; you uphold him in his treatment of me. You have
+not done your duty to him. You have been remiss, marm!" continued
+Mr. Hardhand, growing bolder again, as he felt the power he wielded.
+
+"That will do, sir; you can go!" said Bobby, springing from his chair,
+and approaching Mr. Hardhand. "Go, and do your worst!"
+
+"Humph! you stump me,--do you?"
+
+"I would rather see my mother kicked out of the house than insulted by
+such a dried-up old curmudgeon as you are. Go along!"
+
+"Now, don't, Bobby," pleaded his mother.
+
+"I am going; and if the money is not paid by twelve o'clock to-morrow,
+the law shall take its course;" and Mr. Hardhand rushed out of the
+house, slamming the door violently after him.
+
+"O, Bobby, what have you done?" exclaimed Mrs. Bright, when the
+hard-hearted creditor had departed.
+
+"I could not help it, mother; don't cry. I cannot bear to hear you
+insulted and abused; and I thought when I heard him do it a year ago,
+that I couldn't stand it again. It is too bad."
+
+"But he will turn us out of the house; and what shall we do then?"
+
+"Don't cry, mother; it will come round all right. I have friends who
+are rich and powerful, and who will help us."
+
+"You don't know what you say, Bobby. Sixty dollars is a great deal of
+money, and if we should sell all we have, it would scarcely bring
+that."
+
+"Leave it all to me, mother; I feel as though I could do something
+now. I am old enough to make money."
+
+"What can you do?"
+
+"Now or never!" replied Bobby, whose mind had wandered from the scene
+to the busy world, where fortunes are made and lost every day. "Now
+or never!" muttered he again.
+
+"But, Bobby, you have not told me where you got all that gold."
+
+"Dinner is ready, I see, and I will tell you while we eat."
+
+Bobby had been a fishing, and to be hungry is a part of the
+fisherman's luck; so he seated himself at the table, and gave his
+mother a full account of all that had occurred at the bridge.
+
+The fond mother trembled when she realized the peril her son had
+incurred for the sake of the young lady; but her maternal heart
+swelled with admiration in view of the generous deed, and she thanked
+God that she was the mother of such a son. She felt more confidence in
+him then than she had ever felt before, and she realized that he would
+be the stay and the staff of her declining years.
+
+Bobby finished his dinner, and seated himself on the front door
+step. His mind was absorbed by a new and brilliant idea; and for half
+an hour he kept up a most tremendous thinking.
+
+"Now or never!" said he, as he rose and walked down the road towards
+Riverdale Centre.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY GIVES HIS NOTE FOR SIXTY DOLLARS
+
+
+A great idea was born in Bobby's brain. His mother's weakness and the
+insecurity of her position were more apparent to him than they had
+ever been before. She was in the power of her creditor, who might turn
+her out of the little black house, sell the place at auction, and
+thus, perhaps, deprive her of the whole or a large part of his
+father's and her own hard earnings.
+
+But this was not the peculiar hardship of her situation, as her
+devoted son understood it. It was not the hard work alone which she
+was called upon to perform, not the coarseness of the fare upon which
+they lived, not the danger even of being turned out of doors, that
+distressed Bobby; it was that a wretch like Mr. Hardhand could insult
+and trample upon his mother. He had just heard him use language to her
+that made his blood boil with indignation, and he did not, on cool,
+sober, second thought, regret that he had taken such a decided stand
+against it.
+
+He cared not for himself. He could live on a crust of bread and a cup
+of water from the spring; he could sleep in a barn; he could wear
+coarse and even ragged clothes; but he could not submit to have his
+mother insulted, and by such a mean and contemptible person as
+Mr. Hardhand.
+
+Yet what could he do? He was but a boy, and the great world would look
+with contempt upon his puny form. But he felt that he was not
+altogether insignificant. He had performed an act that day, which the
+fair young lady, to whom he had rendered the service, had declared
+very few men would have undertaken. There was something in him,
+something that would come out, if he only put his best foot
+forward. It was a tower of strength within him. It told him that he
+could do wonders; that he could go out into the world and accomplish
+all that would be required to free his mother from debt, and relieve
+her from the severe drudgery of her life.
+
+A great many people think they can "do wonders." The vanity of some
+very silly people makes them think they can command armies, govern
+nations, and teach the world what the world never knew before and
+never would know but for them. But Bobby's something within him was
+not vanity. It was something more substantial. He was not thinking of
+becoming a great man, a great general, a great ruler, or a great
+statesman; not even of making a great fortune. Self was not the idol
+and the end of his calculations. He was thinking of his mother, and
+only of her; and the feeling within him was as pure, and holy, and
+beautiful as the dream of an angel. He wanted to save his mother from
+insult in the first place, and from a life of ceaseless drudgery in
+the second.
+
+A legion of angels seemed to have encamped in his soul to give him
+strength for the great purpose in his mind. His was a holy and a true
+purpose, and it was this that made him think he could "do wonders."
+
+What Bobby intended to do the reader shall know in due time. It is
+enough now that he meant to do something. The difficulty with a great
+many people is, that they never resolve to do something. They wait for
+"something to turn up;" and as "things" are often very obstinate, they
+utterly refuse to "turn up" at all. Their lives are spent in waiting
+for a golden opportunity which never comes.
+
+Now, Bobby Bright repudiated the Micawber philosophy. He would have
+nothing to do with it. He did not believe corn would grow without
+being planted, or that pouts would bite the bare hook.
+
+I am not going to tell my young readers now how Bobby came out in the
+end; but I can confidently say that, if he had waited for "something
+to turn up," he would have become a vagabond, a loafer, out of money,
+out at the elbows, and out of patience with himself and all the world.
+
+It was "now or never" with Bobby. He meant to do something; and after
+he had made up his mind how and where it was to be done, it was no use
+to stand thinking about it, like the pendulum of the "old clock which
+had stood for fifty years in a farmer's kitchen, without giving its
+owner any cause of complaint."
+
+Bobby walked down the road towards the village with a rapid step. He
+was thinking very fast, and probably that made him step quick. But as
+he approached Squire Lee's house, his pace slackened, and he seemed to
+be very uneasy. When he reached the great gate that led up to the
+house, he stopped for an instant, and thrust his hands down very deep
+into his trousers pockets. I cannot tell what the trousers pockets
+had to do with what he was thinking about; but if he was searching for
+anything in them, he did not find it; for after an instant's
+hesitation he drew out his hands, struck one of them against his
+chest, and in an audible voice exclaimed,--
+
+"Now or never."
+
+All this pantomime, I suppose, meant that Bobby had some misgivings as
+to the ultimate success of his mission at Squire Lee's, and that when
+he struck his breast and uttered his favorite expression, they were
+conquered and driven out.
+
+Marching with a bold and determined step up to the squire's back
+door,--Bobby's ideas of etiquette would not have answered for the
+meridian of fashionable society,--he gave three smart raps.
+
+Bobby's heart beat a little wildly as he awaited a response to his
+summons. It seemed that he still had some doubts as to the
+practicability of his mission; but they were not permitted to disturb
+him long, for the door was opened by the squire's pretty daughter
+Annie, a young miss of twelve.
+
+"O, Bobby, is it you? I am so glad you have come!" exclaimed the
+little lady.
+
+Bobby blushed--he didn't know why, unless it was that the young lady
+desired to see him. He stammered out a reply, and for the moment
+forgot the object of his visit.
+
+"I want you to go down to the village for me, and get some books the
+expressman was to bring up from Boston for me. Will you go?"
+
+"Certainly, Miss Annie, I shall be very glad to go for _you_,"
+replied Bobby, with an emphasis that made the little maiden blush in
+her turn.
+
+"You are real good, Bobby; but I will give you something for going."
+
+"I don't want anything," said Bobby, stoutly.
+
+"You are too generous! Ah, I heard what you did this forenoon; and pa
+says that a great many men would not have dared to do what you did. I
+always thought you were as brave as a lion; now I know it."
+
+"The books are at the express office, I suppose," said Bobby, turning
+as red as a blood beet.
+
+"Yes, Bobby; I am so anxious to get them that I can't wait till pa
+goes down this evening."
+
+"I will not be gone long."
+
+"O, you needn't run, Bobby; take your time."
+
+"I will go very quick. But, Miss Annie, is your father at home?"
+
+"Not now; he has gone over to the wood lot; but he will be back by the
+time you return."
+
+"Will you please to tell him that I want to see him about something
+very particular, when he gets back?"
+
+"I will, Bobby."
+
+"Thank you, Miss Annie;" and Bobby hastened to the village to execute
+his commission.
+
+"I wonder what he wants to see pa so very particularly for," said the
+young lady to herself, as she watched his receding form. "In my
+opinion, something has happened at the little black house, for I could
+see that he looked very sober."
+
+Either Bobby had a very great regard for the young lady, and wished to
+relieve her impatience to behold the coveted books, or he was in a
+hurry to see Squire Lee; for the squire's old roan horse could hardly
+have gone quicker.
+
+"You should not have run, Bobby," said the little maiden, when he
+placed the books in her hand; "I would not have asked you to go if I
+had thought you would run all the way. You must be very tired."
+
+"Not at all; I didn't run, only walked very quick," replied he; but
+his quick breathing indicated that his words or his walk had been very
+much exaggerated. "Has your father returned?"
+
+"He has; he is waiting for you in the sitting room. Come in, Bobby."
+
+Bobby followed her into the room, and took the chair which Annie
+offered him.
+
+"How do you do, Bobby? I am glad to see you," said the squire, taking
+him by the hand, and bestowing a benignant smile upon him--a smile
+which cheered his heart more than anything else could at that
+moment. "I have heard of you before, to-day."
+
+"Have you?"
+
+"I have, Bobby; you are a brave little fellow."
+
+"I came over to see you, sir, about something very particular,"
+replied Bobby, whose natural modesty induced him to change the topic.
+
+"Indeed; well, what can I do for you?"
+
+"A great deal, sir; perhaps you will think I am very bold, sir, but I
+can't help it."
+
+"I know you are a very bold little fellow, or you would not have done
+what you did this forenoon," laughed the squire.
+
+"I didn't mean that, sir," answered Bobby, blushing up to the eyes.
+
+"I know you didn't; but go on."
+
+"I only meant that you would think me presuming, or impudent, or
+something of that kind."
+
+"O, no, far from it. You cannot be presuming or impudent. Speak out,
+Bobby; anything under the heavens that I can do for you, I shall be
+glad to do."
+
+"Well, sir, I am going to leave Riverdale."
+
+"Leave Riverdale!"
+
+"Yes, sir; I am going to Boston, where I mean to do something to help
+mother."
+
+"Bravo! you are a good lad. What do you mean to do?"
+
+"I was thinking I should go into the book business."
+
+"Indeed!" and Squire Lee was much amused by the matter-of-fact manner
+of the young aspirant.
+
+"I was talking with a young fellow who went through the place last
+spring, selling books. He told me that some days he made three or
+four dollars, and that he averaged twelve dollars a week."
+
+"He did well; perhaps, though, only a few of them make so much."
+
+"I know I can make twelve dollars a week," replied Bobby, confidently,
+for that something within him made him feel capable of great things.
+
+"I dare say you can. You have energy and perseverance, and people take
+a liking to you."
+
+"But I wanted to see you about another matter. To speak out at once,
+I want to borrow sixty dollars of you;" and Bobby blushed, and seemed
+very much embarrassed by his own boldness.
+
+"Sixty dollars!" exclaimed the squire.
+
+"I knew you would think me impudent," replied our hero, his heart
+sinking within him.
+
+"But I don't, Bobby. You want the money to go into business with--to
+buy your stock of books?"
+
+"O, no, sir; I am going to apply to Mr. Bayard for that."
+
+"Just so; Mr. Bayard is the gentleman whose daughter you saved?"
+
+"Yes, sir. I want this money to pay off Mr. Hardhand. We owe him but
+sixty dollars now, and he has threatened to turn us out, if it is not
+paid by to-morrow noon."
+
+"The old hunks!"
+
+Bobby briefly related to the squire the events of the morning, much to
+the indignation and disgust of the honest, kind-hearted man. The
+courageous boy detailed more clearly his purpose, and doubted not he
+should be able to pay the loan in a few months.
+
+"Very well, Bobby, here is the money;" and the squire took it from his
+wallet, and gave it to him.
+
+"Thank you, sir. May Heaven bless you! I shall certainly pay you."
+
+"Don't worry about it, Bobby. Pay it when you get ready."
+
+"I will give you my note, and----"
+
+The squire laughed heartily at this, and told him that, as he was a
+minor, his note was not good for anything.
+
+"You shall see whether it is, or not," returned Bobby. "Let me give it
+to you, at least, so that we can tell how much I owe you from time to
+time."
+
+"You shall have your own way."
+
+Annie Lee, as much amused as her father at Bobby's big talk, got the
+writing materials, and the little merchant in embryo wrote and signed
+the note.
+
+"Good, Bobby! Now promise that you will come and see me every time you
+come home, and tell me how you are getting along."
+
+"I will, sir, with the greatest pleasure;" and with a light heart
+Bobby tripped away home.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY SETS OUT ON HIS TRAVELS
+
+
+Squire Lee, though only a plain farmer, was the richest man in
+Riverdale. He had taken a great fancy to Bobby, and often employed him
+to do errands, ride the horse to plough in the cornfields, and such
+chores about the place as a boy could do. He liked to talk with Bobby
+because there was a great deal of good sense in him, for one with a
+small head.
+
+If there was any one thing upon which the squire particularly prided
+himself, it was his knowledge of human nature. He declared that he
+only wanted to look a man in the face to know what he was; and as for
+Bobby Bright, he had summered him and wintered him, and he was
+satisfied that he would make something in good time.
+
+He was not much astonished when Bobby opened his ambitious scheme of
+going into business for himself. But he had full faith in his ability
+to work out a useful and profitable, if not a brilliant, life. He
+often said that Bobby was worth his weight in gold, and that he would
+trust him with anything he had. Perhaps he did not suspect that the
+time was at hand when he would be called upon to verify his words
+practically; for it was only that morning, when one of the neighbors
+told him about Bobby's stopping the horse, that he had repeated the
+expression for the twentieth time.
+
+It was not an idle remark. Sixty dollars was hardly worth mentioning
+with a man of his wealth and liberal views, though so careful a man as
+he was would not have been likely to throw away that amount. But as a
+matter of investment,--Bobby had made the note read "with
+interest,"--he would as readily have let him have it, as the next
+richest man in the place, so much confidence had he in our hero's
+integrity, and so sure was he that he would soon have the means of
+paying him.
+
+Bobby was overjoyed at the fortunate issue of his mission, and he
+walked into the room where his mother was closing shoes, with a
+dignity worthy a banker or a great merchant. Mrs. Bright was very
+sad. Perhaps she felt a little grieved that her son, whom she loved so
+much, had so thoughtlessly plunged her into a new difficulty.
+
+"Come, cheer up, mother; it is all right," said Bobby, in his usual
+elastic and gay tones; and at the same time he took the sixty dollars
+from his pocket and handed it to her. "There is the money, and you
+will be forever quit of Mr. Hardhand to-morrow."
+
+"What, Bobby! Why, where did you get all this money?" asked
+Mrs. Bright, utterly astonished.
+
+In a few words the ambitious boy told his story, and then informed his
+mother that he was going to Boston the next Monday morning, to
+commence business for himself.
+
+"Why, what can you do, Bobby?"
+
+"Do? I can do a great many things;" and he unfolded his scheme of
+becoming a little book merchant.
+
+"You are a courageous fellow! Who would have thought of such a thing?"
+
+"I should, and did."
+
+"But you are not old enough."
+
+"O, yes, I am."
+
+"You had better wait a while."
+
+"Now or never, mother! You see I have given my note, and my paper will
+be dishonored, if I am not up and doing."
+
+"Your paper!" said Mrs. Bright, with a smile.
+
+"That is what Mr. Wing, the boot manufacturer, calls it."
+
+"You needn't go away to earn this money; I can pay it myself."
+
+"This note is my affair, and I mean to pay it myself with my own
+earnings. No objections, mother."
+
+Like a sensible woman as she was, she did not make any objections. She
+was conscious of Bobby's talents; she knew that he had a strong mind
+of his own, and could take care of himself. It is true, she feared the
+influence of the great world, and especially of the great city, upon
+the tender mind of her son; but if he was never tempted, he would
+never be a conqueror over the foes that beset him.
+
+She determined to do her whole duty towards him; and she carefully
+pointed out to him the sins and the moral danger to which he would be
+exposed, and warned him always to resist temptation. She counselled
+him to think of her when he felt like going astray.
+
+Bobby declared that he would try to be a good boy. He did not speak
+contemptuously of the anticipated perils, as many boys would have
+done, because he knew that his mother would not make bug-bears out of
+things which she knew had no real existence.
+
+The next day, Mr. Hardhand came; and my young readers can judge how
+astonished and chagrined he was, when the widow Bright offered him the
+sixty dollars. The Lord was with the widow and the fatherless, and the
+wretch was cheated out of his revenge. The note was given up, and the
+mortgage cancelled.
+
+Mr. Hardhand insisted that she should pay the interest on the sixty
+dollars for one day, as it was then the second day of July; but when
+Bobby reckoned it up, and found it was less than one cent, even the
+wretched miser seemed ashamed of himself, and changed the subject of
+conversation.
+
+He did not dare to say anything saucy to the widow this time. He had
+lost his power over her, and there stood Bobby, who had come to look
+just like a young lion to him, coward and knave as he was.
+
+The business was all settled now, and Bobby spent the rest of the week
+in getting ready for his great enterprise. He visited all his friends,
+and went each day to talk with Squire Lee and Annie. The little maiden
+promised to buy a great many books of him, if he would bring his stock
+to Riverdale, for she was quite as much interested in him as her
+father was.
+
+Monday morning came, and Bobby was out of bed with the first streak of
+dawn. The excitement of the great event which was about to happen had
+not permitted him to sleep for the two hours preceding; yet when he
+got up, he could not help feeling sad. He was going to leave the
+little black house, going to leave his mother, going to leave the
+children, to depart for the great city.
+
+His mother was up before him. She was even more sad than he was, for
+she could see plainer than he the perils that environed him, and her
+maternal heart, in spite of the reasonable confidence she had in his
+integrity and good principles, trembled for his safety.
+
+As he ate his breakfast, his mother repeated the warnings and the good
+lessons she had before imparted. She particularly cautioned him to
+keep out of bad company. If he found that his companions would lie and
+swear, he might depend upon it they would steal, and he had better
+forsake them at once. This was excellent advice, and Bobby had
+occasion at a later period to call it to his sorrowing heart.
+
+"Here is three dollars, Bobby; it is all the money I have. Your fare
+to Boston will be one dollar, and you will have two left to pay the
+expenses of your first trip. It is all I have now," said Mrs. Bright.
+
+"I will not take the whole of it. You will want it yourself. One
+dollar is enough. When I find Mr. Bayard, I shall do very well."
+
+"Yes, Bobby, take the whole of it."
+
+"I will take just one dollar, and no more," replied Bobby, resolutely,
+as he handed her the other two dollars.
+
+"Do take it, Bobby."
+
+"No, mother; it will only make me lazy and indifferent."
+
+Taking a clean shirt, a pair of socks, and a handkerchief in his
+bundle, he was ready for a start.
+
+"Good by, mother," said he, kissing her and taking her hand. "I shall
+try and come home on Saturday, so as to be with you on Sunday."
+
+Then kissing the children, who had not yet got up, and to whom he had
+bidden adieu the night before, he left the house. He had seen the
+flood of tears that filled his mother's eyes, as he crossed the
+threshold; and he could not help crying a little himself. It is a sad
+thing to leave one's home, one's mother, especially, to go out into
+the great world; and we need not wonder that Bobby, who had hardly
+been out of Riverdale before, should weep. But he soon restrained the
+flowing tears.
+
+"Now or never!" said he, and he put his best foot forward.
+
+It was an epoch in his history, and though he was too young to realize
+the importance of the event, he seemed to feel that what he did now
+was to give character to his whole future life.
+
+It was a bright and beautiful morning--somehow it is always a bright
+and beautiful morning when boys leave their homes to commence the
+journey of life; it is typical of the season of youth and hope, and it
+is meet that the sky should be clear, and the sun shine brightly, when
+the little pilgrim sets out upon his tour. He will see clouds and
+storms before he has gone far--let him have a fair start.
+
+He had to walk five miles to the nearest railroad station. His road
+lay by the house of his friend, Squire Lee; and as he was approaching
+it, he met Annie. She said she had come out to take her morning walk;
+but Bobby knew very well that she did not usually walk till an hour
+later; which, with the fact that she had asked him particularly, the
+day before, what time he was going, made Bobby believe that she had
+come out to say good by, and bid him God speed on his journey. At any
+rate, he was very glad to see her. He said a great many pretty things
+to her, and talked so big about what he was going to do, that the
+little maiden could hardly help laughing in his face.
+
+Then at the house he shook hands with the squire and shook hands again
+with Annie, and resumed his journey. His heart felt lighter for having
+met them, or at least for having met one of them, if not both; for
+Annie's eyes were so full of sunshine that they seemed to gladden his
+heart, and make him feel truer and stronger.
+
+After a pleasant walk, for he scarcely heeded the distance, so full
+was he of his big thoughts, he reached the railroad station. The cars
+had not yet arrived, and would not for half an hour.
+
+"Why should I give them a dollar for carrying me to Boston, when I can
+just as well walk? If I get tired, I can sit down and rest me. If I
+save the dollar, I shall have to earn only fifty-nine more to pay my
+note. So here goes;" and he started down the track.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY STANDS UP FOR "CERTAIN INALIENABLE RIGHTS"
+
+
+Whether it was wise policy, or "penny wise and pound foolish" policy
+for Bobby to undertake such a long walk, is certainly a debatable
+question; but as my young readers would probably object to an
+argument, we will follow him to the city, and let every one settle the
+point to suit himself.
+
+His cheerful heart made the road smooth beneath his feet. He had
+always been accustomed to an active, busy life, and had probably often
+walked more than twenty miles in a day. About ten o'clock, though he
+did not feel much fatigued, he seated himself on a rock by a brook
+from which he had just taken a drink, to rest himself. He had walked
+slowly so as to husband his strength; and he felt confident that he
+should be able to accomplish the journey without injury to himself.
+
+After resting for half an hour, he resumed his walk. At twelve o'clock
+he reached a point from which he obtained his first view of the
+city. His heart bounded at the sight, and his first impulse was to
+increase his speed so that he should the sooner gratify his curiosity;
+but a second thought reminded him that he had eaten nothing since
+breakfast; so, finding a shady tree by the road side, he seated
+himself on a stone to eat the luncheon which his considerate mother
+had placed in his bundle.
+
+Thus refreshed, he felt like a new man, and continued his journey
+again till he was on the very outskirts of the city, where a sign, "No
+passing over this bridge," interrupted his farther progress. Unlike
+many others, Bobby took this sign literally, and did not venture to
+cross the bridge. Having some doubts as to the direct road to the
+city, he hailed a man in a butcher's cart, who not only pointed the
+way, but gave him an invitation to ride with him, which Bobby was glad
+to accept.
+
+They crossed the Milldam, and the little pilgrim forgot the long walk
+he had taken--forgot Riverdale, his mother, Squire Lee, and Annie, for
+the time, in the absorbing interest of the exciting scene. The Common
+beat Riverdale Common all hollow; he had never seen anything like it
+before. But when the wagon reached Washington Street, the measure of
+his surprise was filled up.
+
+"My gracious! how thick the houses are!" exclaimed he, much to the
+amusement of the kind-hearted butcher.
+
+"We have high fences here," he replied.
+
+"Where are all these folks going to?"
+
+"You will have to ask them, if you want to know."
+
+But the wonder soon abated, and Bobby began to think of his great
+mission in the city. He got tired of gazing and wondering, and even
+began to smile with contempt at the silly fops as they sauntered
+along, and the gayly dressed ladies, that flaunted like so many idle
+butterflies, on the sidewalk. It was an exciting scene; but it did not
+look real to him. It was more like Herr Grunderslung's exhibition of
+the magic lantern, than anything substantial. The men and women were
+like so many puppets. They did not seem to be doing anything, or to
+be walking for any purpose.
+
+He got out of the butcher's cart at the Old South. His first
+impression, as he joined the busy throng, was, that he was one of the
+puppets. He did not seem to have any hold upon the scene, and for
+several minutes this sensation of vacancy chained him to the spot.
+
+"All right!" exclaimed he to himself at last. "I am here. Now's my
+time to make a strike. Now or never."
+
+He pulled Mr. Bayard's card from his pocket, and fixed the number of
+his store in his mind. Now, numbers were not a Riverdale institution,
+and Bobby was a little perplexed about finding the one indicated. A
+little study into the matter, however, set him right, and he soon had
+the satisfaction of seeing the bookseller's name over his store.
+
+"F. Bayard," he read; "this is the place."
+
+"Country!" shouted a little ragged boy, who dodged across the street
+at that moment.
+
+"Just so, my beauty!" said Bobby, a little nettled at this imputation
+of verdancy.
+
+"What a greeny!" shouted the little vagabond from the other side of
+the street.
+
+"No matter, rag-tag! We'll settle that matter some other time."
+
+But Bobby felt that there was something in his appearance which
+subjected him to the remarks of others, and as he entered the shop, he
+determined to correct it as soon as possible.
+
+A spruce young gentleman was behind the counter, who cast a
+mischievous glance at him as he entered.
+
+"Mr. Bayard keep here?" asked Bobby.
+
+"Well, I reckon he does. How are all the folks up country?" replied
+the spruce clerk, with a rude grin.
+
+"How are they?" repeated Bobby, the color flying to his cheek.
+
+"Yes, ha-ow do they dew?"
+
+"They behave themselves better than they do here."
+
+"Eh, greeny?"
+
+"Eh, sappy?" repeated Bobby, mimicking the soft, silky tones of the
+young city gentleman.
+
+"What do you mean by sappy?" asked the clerk indignantly.
+
+"What do you mean by greeny?"
+
+"I'll let you know what I mean!"
+
+"When you do, I'll let you know what I mean by sappy."
+
+"Good!" exclaimed one of the salesmen, who had heard part of this
+spirited conversation. "You will learn better by and by, Timmins,
+than to impose upon boys from out of town."
+
+"You seem to be a gentleman, sir," said Bobby, approaching the
+salesman. "I wish to see Mr. Bayard."
+
+"You can't see him!" growled Timmins.
+
+"Can't I?"
+
+"Not at this minute; he is engaged just now," added the salesman, who
+seemed to have a profound respect for Bobby's discrimination. "He
+will be at liberty in a few moments."
+
+"I will wait, then," said Bobby, seating himself on a stool by the
+counter.
+
+Pretty soon the civil gentleman left the store to go to dinner, and
+Timmins, a little timid about provoking the young lion, cast an
+occasional glance of hatred at him. He had evidently found that
+"Country" was an embryo American citizen, and that he was a firm
+believer in the self-evident truths of the Declaration of
+Independence.
+
+Bobby bore no ill will towards the spruce clerk, ready as he had been
+to defend his "certain inalienable rights."
+
+"You do a big business here," suggested Bobby, in a conciliatory tone,
+and with a smile on his face which ought to have convinced the
+uncourteous clerk that he meant well.
+
+"Who told you so?" replied Timmins, gruffly.
+
+"I merely judged from appearances. You have a big store, and an
+immense quantity of books."
+
+"Appearances are deceitful," replied Timmins; and perhaps he had been
+impressed by the fact from his experience with the lad from the
+country.
+
+"That is true," added Bobby, with a good-natured smile, which, when
+interpreted, might have meant, "I took you for a civil fellow, but I
+have been very much mistaken."
+
+"You will find it out before you are many days older."
+
+"The book business is good just now, isn't it?" continued Bobby,
+without clearly comprehending the meaning of the other's last remark.
+
+"Humph! What's that to you?"
+
+"O, I intend to go into it myself."
+
+"Ha, ha, ha! Good! You do?"
+
+"I do," replied Bobby, seemingly unconcerned at the taunts of the
+clerk.
+
+"I suppose you want to get a place here," sneered Timmins, alarmed at
+the prospect. "But let me tell you, you can't do it. Bayard has all
+the help he wants; and if that is what you come for, you can move on
+as fast as you please."
+
+"I guess I will see him," added Bobby, quietly.
+
+"No use."
+
+"No harm in seeing him."
+
+As he spoke he took up a book that lay on the counter, and began to
+turn over the leaves.
+
+"Put that book down!" said the amiable Mr. Timmins.
+
+"I won't hurt it," replied Bobby, who had just fixed his eye upon some
+very pretty engravings in the volume.
+
+"Put it down!" repeated Mr. Timmins, in a loud, imperative tone.
+
+"Certainly I will, if you say so," said Bobby, who, though not much
+intimidated by the harsh tones of the clerk, did not know the rules of
+the store, and deemed it prudent not to meddle.
+
+"I _do_ say so!" added Mr. Timmins, magnificently; "and what's
+more, you'd better mind me, too."
+
+Bobby had minded, and probably the stately little clerk would not have
+been so bold if he had not. Some people like to threaten after the
+danger is over.
+
+Then our visitor from the country espied some little blank books lying
+on the counter. He had already made up his mind to have one, in which
+to keep his accounts; and he thought, while he was waiting, that he
+would purchase one. He meant to do things methodically; so when he
+picked up one of the blank books, it was with the intention of buying
+it.
+
+"Put that book down!" said Mr. Timmins, encouraged in his aggressive
+intentions by the previous docility of our hero.
+
+"I want to buy one."
+
+"No, you don't; put it down."
+
+"What is the price of these?" asked Bobby, resolutely.
+
+"None of your business!"
+
+"Is that the way you treat your customers?" asked Bobby, with a
+little sternness in his looks and tones. "I say I want to buy one."
+
+"Put it down."
+
+"But I will not; I say I want to buy it."
+
+"No, you don't!"
+
+"What is the price of it?"
+
+"Twenty-five cents," growled Timmins, which was just four times the
+retail price.
+
+"Twenty-five cents! That's high."
+
+"Put it down, then."
+
+"Is that your lowest price?" asked Bobby, who was as cool as a
+cucumber.
+
+"Yes, it is; and if you don't put it down, I'll kick you out of the
+store."
+
+"Will you? Then I won't put it down."
+
+Mr. Timmins took this as a "stump;" his ire was up, and he walked
+round from behind the counter to execute his threat.
+
+I must say I think Bobby was a little forward, and I would have my
+young readers a little more pliant with small men like Timmins. There
+are always men enough in the world who are ready and willing to
+quarrel on any provocation; and it is always best not to provoke them,
+even if they are overbearing and insolent, as Mr. Timmins certainly
+was.
+
+"Hold on a minute before you do it," said Bobby, with the same
+provoking coolness. "I want to buy this book, and I am willing to pay
+a fair price for it. But I happen to know that you can buy them up in
+Riverdale, where I came from, for six cents."
+
+"No matter," exclaimed the indignant clerk, seizing Bobby by the coat
+collar for the purpose of ejecting him; "you shall find your way into
+the street."
+
+Now Bobby, as I have before intimated, was an embryo American citizen,
+and the act of Mr. Timmins seemed like an invasion of his inalienable
+rights. No time was given him to make a formal declaration of rights
+in the premises; so the instinct of self-preservation was allowed to
+have free course.
+
+Mr. Timmins pulled and tugged at his coat collar, and Bobby hung back
+like a mule; and for an instant there was quite a spirited scene.
+
+"Hallo! Timmins, what does this mean?" said a voice, at which the
+valiant little clerk instantly let go his hold.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+IN WHICH MR. TIMMINS IS ASTONISHED, AND BOBBY DINES IN CHESTNUT STREET
+
+
+It was Mr. Bayard. He had finished his business with the gentleman by
+his side, and hearing the noise of the scuffle, had come to learn the
+occasion of it.
+
+"This impudent young puppy wouldn't let the books alone!" began
+Mr. Timmins. "I threatened to turn him out if he didn't; and I meant
+to make good my threat. I think he meant to steal something."
+
+Bobby was astonished and shocked at this bold imputation; but he
+wished to have his case judged on its own merits; so he turned his
+face away, that Mr. Bayard might not recognize him.
+
+"I wanted to buy one of these blank books," added Bobby, picking up
+the one he had dropped on the floor in the struggle.
+
+"All stuff!" ejaculated Timmins. "He is an impudent, obstinate puppy!
+In my opinion he meant to steal that book."
+
+"I asked him the price, and told him I wanted to buy it," added Bobby,
+still averting his face.
+
+"Well, I told him; and he said it was too high."
+
+"He asked me twenty-five cents for it."
+
+"Is this true, Timmins?" asked Mr. Bayard, sternly.
+
+"No, _sir_! I told him fourpence," replied Timmins, boldly.
+
+"By gracious! What a whopper!" exclaimed Bobby, startled out of his
+propriety by this monstrous lie. "He said twenty-five cents; and I
+told him I could buy one up in Riverdale, where I came from, for six
+cents. Can you deny that?"
+
+"It's a lie!" protested Timmins.
+
+"Riverdale," said Mr. Bayard. "Are you from Riverdale, boy?"
+
+"Yes, sir, I am; and if you will look on your memorandum book you will
+find my name there."
+
+"Bless me! I am sure I have seen that face before," exclaimed
+Mr. Bayard, as he grasped the hand of Bobby, much to the astonishment
+and consternation of Mr. Timmins. "You are----"
+
+"Robert Bright, sir."
+
+"My brave little fellow! I am heartily glad to see you;" and the
+bookseller shook the hand he held with hearty good will. "I was
+thinking of you only a little while ago."
+
+"This fellow calls me a liar," said Bobby, pointing to the astonished
+Mr. Timmins, who did not know what to make of the cordial reception
+which "Country" was receiving from his employer.
+
+"Well, Robert, we know that _he_ is a liar; this is not the first
+time he has been caught in a lie. Timmins, your time is out."
+
+The spruce clerk hung his head with shame and mortification.
+
+"I hope, sir, you will----" he began, but pride or fear stopped him
+short.
+
+"Don't be hard with him, sir, if you please," said Bobby. "I suppose I
+aggravated him."
+
+Mr. Bayard looked at the gentleman who stood by his side, and a smile
+of approbation lighted up his face.
+
+"Generous as he is noble! Butler, this is the boy that saved Ellen."
+
+"Indeed! He is a little giant!" replied Mr. Butler, grasping Bobby's
+hand.
+
+Even Timmins glanced with something like admiration in his looks at
+the youth whom he had so lately despised. Perhaps, too, he thought of
+that Scripture wisdom about entertaining angels unawares. He was very
+much abashed, and nothing but his silly pride prevented him from
+acknowledging his error and begging Bobby's forgiveness.
+
+"I can't have a liar about me," said Mr. Bayard.
+
+"There may be some mistake," suggested Mr. Butler.
+
+"I think not. Robert Bright couldn't lie. So brave and noble a boy is
+incapable of a falsehood. Besides, I got a letter from my friend
+Squire Lee by this morning's mail, in which he informed me of my young
+friend's coming."
+
+Mr. Bayard took from his pocket a bundle of letters, and selected the
+squire's from among them. Opening it, he read a passage which had a
+direct bearing upon the case before him.
+
+"'I do not know what Bobby's faults are,'"--the letter said,--"'but
+this I do know: that Bobby would rather be whipped than tell a lie.
+He is noted through the place for his love of truth.'--That is pretty
+strong testimony; and you see, Bobby,--that's what the squire calls
+you,--your reputation has preceded you."
+
+Bobby blushed, as he always did when he was praised, and Mr. Timmins
+was more abashed than ever.
+
+"Did you hear that, Timmins? Who is the liar now?" said Mr. Bayard,
+turning to the culprit.
+
+"Forgive me, sir, this time. If you turn me off now, I cannot get
+another place, and my mother depends upon my wages."
+
+"You ought to have thought of this before."
+
+"He aggravated me, sir, so that I wanted to pay him off."
+
+"As to that, he commenced upon me the moment I came into the
+store. But don't turn him off, if you please, sir," said Bobby, who
+even now wished no harm to his discomfited assailant. "He will do
+better hereafter: won't you, Timmins?"
+
+Thus appealed to, Timmins, though he did not relish so direct an
+inquiry, and from such a source, was compelled to reply in the
+affirmative; and Mr. Bayard graciously remitted the sentence he had
+passed against the offending clerk.
+
+"Now, Robert, you will come over to my house and dine with me. Ellen
+will be delighted to see you."
+
+"Thank you, sir," replied Bobby, bashfully, "I have been to
+dinner"--referring to the luncheon he had eaten at Brighton.
+
+"But you must go to the house with me."
+
+"I should be very glad to do so, sir, but I came on business. I will
+stay here with Mr. Timmins till you come back."
+
+The truth is, he had heard something about the fine houses of the
+city, and how stylish the people were, and he had some misgivings
+about venturing into such a strange and untried scene as the parlor of
+a Boston merchant.
+
+"Indeed, you must come with me. Ellen would never forgive you or me,
+if you did not come."
+
+"I would rather rest here till you return," replied Bobby, still
+willing to escape the fine house and the fine folks. "I walked from
+Riverdale, sir, and I am rather tired."
+
+"Walked!" exclaimed Mr. Bayard. "Had you no money?"
+
+"Yes, sir, enough to pay my passage; but Dr. Franklin says that 'a
+penny saved is a penny earned,' and I thought I would try it. I shall
+get rested by the time you return."
+
+"But you must go with me. Timmins, go and get a carriage."
+
+Timmins obeyed, and before Mr. Bayard had finished asking Bobby how
+all the people in Riverdale were, the carriage was at the door.
+
+There was no backing out now, and our hero was obliged to get into the
+vehicle, though it seemed altogether too fine for a poor boy like
+him. Mr. Bayard and Mr. Butler (whom the former had invited to dine
+with him) seated themselves beside him, and the driver was directed to
+set them down at No. --, Chestnut Street, where they soon arrived.
+
+Though my readers would, no doubt, be very much amused to learn how
+carefully Bobby trod the velvet carpets, how he stared with wonder at
+the drapery curtains, at the tall mirrors, the elegant chandeliers,
+and the fantastically shaped chairs and tables that adorned Mr.
+Bayard's parlor, the length of our story does not permit us to pause
+over these trivial matters.
+
+When Ellen Bayard was informed that her little deliverer was in the
+house, she rushed into the parlor like a hoiden school girl, grasped
+both his hands, kissed both his rosy cheeks, and behaved just as
+though she had never been to a boarding school in her life.
+
+She had thought a great deal about Bobby since that eventful day, and
+the more she thought of him, the more she liked him. Her admiration of
+him was not of that silly, sentimental character which moonstruck
+young ladies cherish towards those immaculate young men who have saved
+them from drowning in a horse pond, pulled them back just as they were
+tumbling over a precipice two thousand five hundred feet high, or
+rescued them from a house seven stories high, bearing them down a
+ladder seventy-five odd feet long. The fact was, Bobby was a boy of
+thirteen and there was no chance for much sentiment; so the young
+lady's regard was real, earnest, and lifelike.
+
+Ellen said a great many very handsome things; but I am sure she never
+thought of such a thing as that he would run away with her, in case
+her papa was unnecessarily obstinate. She was very glad to see him,
+and I have no doubt she wished Bobby might be her brother, it would be
+so glorious to have such a noble little fellow always with her.
+
+Bobby managed the dinner much better than he had anticipated; for
+Mr. Bayard insisted that he should sit down with them, whether he ate
+anything or not. But the Rubicon passed, our hero found that he had a
+pretty smart appetite, and did full justice to the viands set before
+him. It is true the silver forks, the napkins, the finger bowls, and
+other articles of luxury and show, to which he had been entirely
+unaccustomed, bothered him not a little; but he kept perfectly cool,
+and carefully observed how Mr. Butler, who sat next to him, handled
+the "spoon fork," what he did with the napkin and the finger bowl, so
+that, I will venture to say, not one in ten would have suspected he
+had not spent his life in the parlor of a millionaire.
+
+Dinner over, the party returned to the parlor, where Bobby unfolded
+his plan for the future. To make his story intelligible, he was
+obliged to tell them all about Mr. Hardhand.
+
+"The old wretch!" exclaimed Mr. Bayard. "But, Robert, you must let me
+advance the sixty dollars, to pay Squire Lee."
+
+"No, sir; you have done enough in that way. I have given my note for
+the money."
+
+"Whew!" said Mr. Butler.
+
+"And I shall soon earn enough to pay it."
+
+"No doubt of it. You are a lad of courage and energy, and you will
+succeed in everything you undertake."
+
+"I shall want you to trust me for a stock of books, on the strength of
+old acquaintance," continued Bobby, who had now grown quite bold, and
+felt as much at home in the midst of the costly furniture, as he did
+in the "living room" of the old black house.
+
+"You shall have all the books you want."
+
+"I will pay for them as soon as I return. The truth is, Mr. Bayard, I
+mean to be independent. I didn't want to take that thirty-five
+dollars, though I don't know what Mr. Hardhand would have done to us,
+if I hadn't."
+
+"Ellen said I ought to have given you a hundred, and I think so
+myself."
+
+"I am glad you didn't. Too much money makes us fat and lazy."
+
+Mr. Bayard laughed at the easy self-possession of the lad--at his big
+talk; though, big as it was, it meant something. When he proposed to
+go to the store, he told Bobby he had better stay at the house and
+rest himself.
+
+"No, sir; I want to start out to-morrow, and I must get ready to-day."
+
+"You had better put it off till the next day; you will feel more like
+it then."
+
+"Now or never," replied Bobby. "That is my motto, sir. If we have
+anything to do, now is always the best time to do it. Dr. Franklin
+says, 'Never put off till to-morrow what you can do to-day.'"
+
+"Right, Robert! you shall have your own way. I wish my clerks would
+adopt some of Dr. Franklin's wise saws. I should be a great deal
+better off in the course of a year if they would."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY OPENS VARIOUS ACCOUNTS, AND WINS HIS FIRST VICTORY
+
+
+"Now, Bobby, I understand your plan," said Mr. Bayard, when they
+reached the store; "but the details must be settled. Where do you
+intend to go?"
+
+"I hardly know, sir. I suppose I can sell books almost anywhere."
+
+"Very true; but in some places much better than in others."
+
+Mr. Bayard mentioned a large town about eighteen miles from the city,
+in which he thought a good trade might be carried on, and Bobby at
+once decided to adopt the suggestion.
+
+"You can make this place your headquarters for the week; if books do
+not sell well right in the village, why, you can go out a little way,
+for the country in the vicinity is peopled by intelligent farmers, who
+are well off, and who can afford to buy books."
+
+"I was thinking of that; but what shall I take with me, sir?"
+
+"There is a new book just published, called 'The Wayfarer,' which is
+going to have a tremendous run. It has been advertised in advance all
+over the country, so that you will find a ready sale for it. You will
+get it there before any one else, and have the market all to
+yourself."
+
+"'The Wayfarer'? I have heard of it myself."
+
+"You shall take fifty copies with you, and if you find that you shall
+want more, write, and I will send them."
+
+"But I cannot carry fifty copies."
+
+"You must take the cars to B----, and have a trunk or box to carry
+your books in. I have a stout trunk down cellar which you shall have."
+
+"I will pay for it, sir."
+
+"Never mind that, Bobby; and you will want a small valise or carpet
+bag to carry your books from house to house. I will lend you one."
+
+"You are very kind, sir; I did not mean to ask any favors of you
+except to trust me for the books until my return."
+
+"All right, Bobby."
+
+Mr. Bayard called the porter and ordered him to bring up the trunk, in
+which he directed Mr. Timmins to pack fifty "Wayfarers."
+
+"Now, how much will these books cost me apiece?" asked Bobby.
+
+"The retail price is one dollar; the wholesale price is one third off;
+and you shall have them at what they cost me."
+
+"Sixty-seven cents," added Bobby. "That will give me a profit of
+thirty-three cents on each book."
+
+"Just so."
+
+"Perhaps Mr. Timmins will sell me one of those blank books now; for I
+like to have things down in black and white."
+
+"I will furnish you with something much better than that;" and
+Mr. Bayard left the counting room.
+
+In a moment he returned with a handsome pocket memorandum book, which
+he presented to the little merchant.
+
+"But I don't like to take it unless you will let me pay for it," said
+Bobby, hesitating.
+
+"Never mind it, my young friend. Now you can sit down at my desk and
+open your accounts. I like to see boys methodical, and there is
+nothing like keeping accounts to make one accurate. Keep your books
+posted up, and you will know where you are at any time."
+
+"I intend to keep an account of all I spend and all I receive, if it
+is no more than a cent."
+
+"Right, my little man. Have you ever studied book-keeping?"
+
+"No, sir, I suppose I haven't; but there was a page of accounts in the
+back part of the arithmetic I studied, and I got a pretty good idea of
+the thing from that. All the money received goes on one side, and all
+the money paid out goes on the other."
+
+"Exactly so; in this book you had better open a book account first. If
+you wish, I will show you how."
+
+"Thank you, sir; I should be very glad to have you;" and Bobby opened
+the memorandum book, and seated himself at the desk.
+
+"Write 'Book Account,' at the top of the pages, one word on each. Very
+well. Now write 'To fifty copies of "Wayfarer," at sixty-seven cents,
+$33.50,' on the left-hand page, or debit side of the account."
+
+"I am not much of a writer," said Bobby, apologetically.
+
+"You will improve. Now, each day you will credit the amount of sales
+on the right hand page, or credit side of the account; so, when you
+have sold out, the balance due your debit side will be the profit on
+the lot. Do you understand it?"
+
+Bobby thought a moment before he could see through it; but his brain
+was active, and he soon managed the idea.
+
+"Now you want a personal account;" and Mr. Bayard explained to him how
+to make this out.
+
+He then instructed him to enter on the debit side all he spent for
+travel, board, freight, and other charges. The next was the "profit
+and loss" account, which was to show him the net profit of the
+business.
+
+Our hero, who had a decided taste for accounts, was very much pleased
+with this employment; and when the accounts were all opened, he
+regarded them with a great deal of satisfaction. He longed to commence
+his operations, if it were only for the pleasure of making the entries
+in this book.
+
+"One thing I forgot," said he, as he seized the pen, and under the
+cash account entered, "To Cash from mother, $1.00." "Now I am all
+right, I believe."
+
+"I think you are. Now, the cars leave at seven in the morning. Can you
+be ready for a start as early as that?" asked Mr. Bayard.
+
+"O, yes, sir, I hope so. I get up at half past four at home."
+
+"Very well; my small valise is at the house; but I believe everything
+else is ready. Now, I have some business to attend to; and if you will
+amuse yourself for an hour or two, we will go home then."
+
+"I shall want a lodging place when I am in the city; perhaps some of
+your folks can direct me to one where they won't charge too much."
+
+"As to that, Bobby, you must go to my house whenever you are in the
+city."
+
+"Law, sir! you live so grand, I couldn't think of going to your
+house. I am only a poor boy from the country, and I don't know how to
+behave myself among such nice folks."
+
+"You will do very well, Bobby. Ellen would never forgive me if I let
+you go anywhere else. So that is settled; you will go to my house.
+Now, you may sit here, or walk out and see the sights."
+
+"If you please, sir, if Mr. Timmins will let me look at some of the
+books, I shouldn't wish for anything better. I should like to look at
+'The Wayfarer,' so that I shall know how to recommend it."
+
+"Mr. Timmins _will_ let you," replied Mr. Bayard, as he touched
+the spring of a bell on his desk.
+
+The dapper clerk came running into the counting room to attend the
+summons of his employer.
+
+"Mr. Timmins," continued Mr. Bayard, with a mischievous smile, "bring
+Mr. Bright a copy of 'The Wayfarer.'"
+
+Mr. Timmins was astonished to hear "Country" called "Mister,"
+astonished to hear his employer call him "Mister," and Bobby was
+astonished to hear himself called "Mister." Nevertheless, our hero
+enjoyed the joke.
+
+The clerk brought the book; and Bobby proceeded to give it a thorough,
+critical examination. He read the preface, the table of contents, and
+several chapters of the work, before Mr. Bayard was ready to go home.
+
+"How do you like it, Bobby?" asked the bookseller.
+
+"First rate."
+
+"You may take that copy in your hand; you will want to finish it."
+
+"Thank you, sir; I will be careful of it."
+
+"You may keep it. Let that be the beginning of your own private
+library."
+
+His own private library! Bobby had not got far enough to dream of such
+a thing yet; but he thanked Mr. Bayard, and put the book under his
+arm.
+
+After tea, Ellen proposed to her father that they should all go to the
+Museum. Mr. Bayard acceded, and our hero was duly amazed at the
+drolleries perpetrated there. He had a good time; but it was so late
+when he went to bed, that he was a little fearful lest he should
+over-sleep himself in the morning.
+
+He did not, however, and was down in the parlor before any of the rest
+of the family were stirring. An early breakfast was prepared for him,
+at which Mr. Bayard, who intended to see him off, joined
+him. Depositing his little bundle and the copy of "The Wayfarer" in
+the valise provided for him, they walked to the store. The porter
+wheeled the trunk down to the railroad station, though Bobby insisted
+upon doing it himself.
+
+The bookseller saw him and his baggage safely aboard of the cars, gave
+him a ticket, and then bade him an affectionate adieu. In a little
+while Bobby was flying over the rail, and at about eight o'clock
+reached B----.
+
+The station master kindly permitted him to deposit his trunk in the
+baggage room, and to leave it there for the remainder of the week.
+
+Taking a dozen of the books from the trunk, and placing them in his
+valise, he sallied out upon his mission. It must be confessed that his
+heart was filled with a tumult of emotions. The battle of life was
+before him. He was on the field, sword in hand, ready to plunge into
+the contest. It was victory or defeat.
+
+  "March on, brave youth! the field of strife
+    With peril fraught before thee lies;
+  March on! the battle plain of life
+    Shall yield thee yet a glorious prize."
+
+It was of no use to shrink then, even if he had felt disposed to do
+so. He was prepared to be rebuffed, to be insulted, to be turned away
+from the doors at which he should seek admission; but he was
+determined to conquer.
+
+He had reached a house at which he proposed to offer "The Wayfarer"
+for sale. His heart went pit pat, pit pat, and he paused before the
+door.
+
+"Now or never!" exclaimed he, as he swung open the garden gate, and
+made his way up to the door.
+
+He felt some misgivings. It was so new and strange to him that he
+could hardly muster sufficient resolution to proceed farther. But his
+irresolution was of only a moment's duration.
+
+"Now or never!" and he gave a vigorous knock at the door.
+
+It was opened by an elderly lady, whose physiognomy did not promise
+much.
+
+"Good morning, ma'am. Can I sell you a copy of 'The Wayfarer' to-day?
+a new book, just published."
+
+"No; I don't want none of your books. There's more pedlers round the
+country now than you could shake a stick at in a month," replied the
+old lady, petulantly.
+
+"It is a very interesting book, ma'am; has an excellent moral." Bobby
+had read the preface, as I before remarked. "It will suit you, ma'am;
+for you look just like a lady who wants to read something with a
+moral."
+
+Bravo, Bobby! The lady concluded that her face had a moral expression,
+and she was pleased with the idea.
+
+"Let me see it;" and she asked Bobby to walk in and be seated, while
+she went for her spectacles.
+
+As she was looking over the book, our hero went into a more elaborate
+recommendation of its merits. He was sure it would interest the young
+and the old; it taught a good lesson; it had elegant engravings; the
+type was large, which would suit her eyes; it was well printed and
+bound; and finally, it was cheap at one dollar.
+
+"I'll take it," said the old lady.
+
+"Thank you, ma'am."
+
+Bobby's first victory was achieved.
+
+"Have you got a dollar?" asked the lady, as she handed him a
+two-dollar bill.
+
+"Yes, ma'am;" and he gave her his only dollar and put the two in its
+place, prouder than a king who has conquered an empire. "Thank you
+ma'am."
+
+Bidding the lady a polite good morning, he left the house, encouraged
+by his success to go forward in his mission with undiminished hope.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY IS A LITTLE TOO SMART
+
+
+The clouds were rolled back, and Bobby no longer had a doubt as to the
+success of his undertaking. It requires but a little sunshine to
+gladden the heart, and the influence of his first success scattered
+all the misgivings he had cherished.
+
+Two New England shillings is undoubtedly a very small sum of money;
+but Bobby had made two shillings, and he would not have considered
+himself more fortunate if some unknown relative had left him a
+fortune. It gave him confidence in his powers, and as he walked away
+from the house, he reviewed the circumstances of his first sale.
+
+The old lady had told him at first she did not wish to buy a book,
+and, moreover, had spoken rather contemptuously of the craft to which
+he had now the honor to belong. He gave himself the credit of having
+conquered the old lady's prejudices. He had sold her a book in spite
+of her evident intention not to purchase. In short, he had, as we
+have before said, won a glorious victory, and he congratulated himself
+accordingly.
+
+But it was of no use to waste time in useless self-glorification, and
+Bobby turned from the past to the future. There were forty-nine more
+books to be sold; so that the future was forty-nine times as big as
+the past.
+
+He saw a shoemaker's shop ahead of him, and he was debating with
+himself whether he should enter and offer his books for sale. It would
+do no harm, though he had but slight expectations of doing anything.
+
+There were three men at work in the shop--one of them a middle-aged
+man, the other two young men. They looked like persons of
+intelligence, and as soon as Bobby saw them his hopes grew stronger.
+
+"Can I sell you any books to-day?" asked the little merchant, as he
+crossed the threshold.
+
+"Well, I don't know; that depends upon how smart you are," replied the
+eldest of the men. "It takes a pretty smart fellow to sell anything
+in this shop."
+
+"Then I hope to sell each of you a book," added Bobby, laughing at the
+badinage of the shoemaker.
+
+Opening his valise he took out three copies of his book, and politely
+handed one to each of the men.
+
+"It isn't every book pedler that comes along who offers you such a
+work as that. 'The Wayfarer' is decidedly _the_ book of the
+season."
+
+"You don't say so!" said the oldest shoemaker, with a laugh. "Every
+pedler that comes along uses those words, precisely."
+
+"Do they? They steal my thunder then."
+
+"You are an old one."
+
+"Only thirteen. I was born where they don't fasten the door with a
+boiled carrot."
+
+"What do they fasten them with?"
+
+"They don't fasten them at all."
+
+"There are no book pedlers round there, then;" and all the shoemakers
+laughed heartily at this smart sally.
+
+"No; they are all shoemakers in our town."
+
+"You can take my hat, boy."
+
+"You will want it to put your head in; but I will take one dollar for
+that book instead."
+
+The man laughed, took out his wallet, and handed Bobby the dollar,
+probably quite as much because he had a high appreciation of his
+smartness, as from any desire to possess the book.
+
+"Won't you take one?" asked Bobby, appealing to another of the men,
+who was apparently not more than twenty-four years of age.
+
+"No; I can't read," replied he roguishly.
+
+"Let your wife read it to you, then."
+
+"My wife?"
+
+"Certainly; she knows how to read, I will warrant."
+
+"How do you know I have got a wife?"
+
+"O, well, a fellow as good looking and good natured as you are could
+not have resisted till this time."
+
+"Has you, Tom," added the oldest shoemaker.
+
+"I cave in;" and he handed over the dollar, and laid the book upon his
+bench.
+
+Bobby looked at the third man with some interest. He had said nothing,
+and scarcely heeded the fun which was passing between the little
+merchant and his companions. He was apparently absorbed in his
+examination of the book. He was a different kind of person from the
+others, and Bobby's instinctive knowledge of human nature assured him
+that he was not to be gained by flattery or by smart sayings; so he
+placed himself in front of him, and patiently waited in silence for
+him to complete his examination.
+
+"You will find that he is a hard one," put in one of the others.
+
+Bobby made no reply, and the two men who had bought books resumed
+their work. For five minutes our hero stood waiting for the man to
+finish his investigation into the merits of "The Wayfarer." Something
+told him not to say anything to this person; and he had some doubts
+about his purchasing.
+
+"I will take one," said the last shoemaker, as he handed Bobby the
+dollar.
+
+"I am much obliged to you, gentlemen," said Bobby, as he closed his
+valise. "When I come this way again I shall certainly call."
+
+"Do; you have done what no other pedler ever did in this shop."
+
+"I shall take no credit to myself. The fact is, you are men of
+intelligence, and you want good books."
+
+Bobby picked up his valise and left the shop, satisfied with those who
+occupied it, and satisfied with himself.
+
+"Eight shillings!" exclaimed he, when he got into the road. "Pretty
+good hour's work, I should say."
+
+Bobby trudged along till he came to a very large, elegant house,
+evidently dwelt in by one of the nabobs of B----. Inspired by past
+successes, he walked boldly up to the front door, and rang the bell.
+
+"Is Mr. Whiting in?" asked Bobby, who had read the name on the door
+plate.
+
+"Colonel Whiting _is_ in," replied the servant, who had opened
+the door.
+
+"I should like to see him for a moment, if he isn't busy."
+
+"Walk in;" and for some reason or other the servant chuckled a great
+deal as she admitted him.
+
+She conducted him to a large, elegantly furnished parlor, where Bobby
+proceeded to take out his books for the inspection of the nabob, whom
+the servant promised to send to the parlor.
+
+In a moment Colonel Whiting entered. He was a large, fat man, about
+fifty years old. He looked at the little book merchant with a frown
+that would have annihilated a boy less spunky than our hero. Bobby was
+not a little inflated by the successes of the morning, and if Julius
+Caesar or Napoleon Bonaparte had stood before him then, he would not
+have flinched a hair--much less in the presence of no greater magnate
+than the nabob of B----.
+
+"Good morning, Colonel Whiting. I hope you are well this beautiful
+morning." Bobby began.
+
+I must confess I think this was a little too familiar for a boy of
+thirteen to a gentleman of fifty, whom he had never seen before in his
+life; but it must be remembered that Bobby had done a great deal the
+week before, that on the preceding night he had slept in Chestnut
+Street, and that he had just sold four copies of "The Wayfarer." He
+was inclined to be smart, and some folks hate smart boys.
+
+The nabob frowned; his cheek reddened with anger; but he did not
+condescend to make any reply to the smart speech.
+
+"I have taken the liberty to call upon you this morning, to see if you
+did not wish to purchase a copy of 'The Wayfarer'--a new book just
+issued from the press, which people say is to be the book of the
+season."
+
+My young readers need not suppose this was an impromptu speech, for
+Bobby had studied upon it all the time he was coming from Boston in
+the cars. It would be quite natural for a boy who had enjoyed no
+greater educational advantages than our hero to consider how he should
+address people into whose presence his calling would bring him; and he
+had prepared several little addresses of this sort, for the several
+different kinds of people whom he expected to encounter. The one he
+had just "got off" was designed for the "upper crust."
+
+When he had delivered the speech, he approached the indignant,
+frowning nabob, and, with a low bow, offered him a copy of "The
+Wayfarer."
+
+"Boy," said Colonel Whiting, raising his arm with majestic dignity,
+and pointing to the door,--"boy, do you see that door?"
+
+Bobby looked at the door, and, somewhat astonished, replied that he
+did see it, that it was a very handsome door, and he would inquire
+whether it was black walnut, or only painted in imitation thereof.
+
+"Do you see that door?" thundered the nabob, swelling with rage at the
+cool impudence of the boy.
+
+"Certainly I do, sir; my eyesight is excellent."
+
+"Then use it!"
+
+"Thank you, sir; I have no use for it. Probably it will be of more
+service to you than to me."
+
+"Will you clear out, or shall I kick you out?" gasped the enraged
+magnate of B----.
+
+"I will save you that trouble, sir; I will go, sir. I see we have both
+made a mistake."
+
+"Mistake? What do you mean by that, you young puppy? You are a little
+impudent, thieving scoundrel!"
+
+"That is your mistake, sir. I took you for a gentleman, sir; and that
+was my mistake."
+
+"Ha, ha, ha!" laughed a sweet, musical voice, and at that moment a
+beautiful young lady rushed up to the angry colonel, and threw her
+arms around his neck.
+
+"The jade!" muttered he.
+
+"I have caught you in a passion again, uncle;" and the lady kissed the
+old gentleman's anger-reddened cheek, which seemed to restore him at
+once to himself.
+
+"It was enough to make a minister swear," said he, in apology.
+
+"No, it wasn't, uncle; the boy was a little pert, it is true; but you
+ought to have laughed at him, instead of getting angry. I heard the
+whole of it."
+
+"Pert?" said Bobby to himself. "What the deuce does she mean by that?"
+
+"Very well, you little minx; I will pay the penalty."
+
+"Come here, Master Pert," said the lady to Bobby.
+
+Bobby bowed, approached the lady, and began to feel very much
+embarrassed.
+
+"My uncle," she continued, "is one of the best-hearted men in the
+world--ain't you, uncle?"
+
+"Go on, you jade!"
+
+"I love him, as I would my own father; but he will sometimes get into
+a passion. Now, you provoked him."
+
+"Indeed, ma'am, I hadn't the least idea of saying anything uncivil,"
+pleaded Bobby. "I studied to be as polite as possible."
+
+"I dare say. You were too important, too pompous, for a boy to an old
+gentleman like uncle, who is really one of the best men in the
+world. Now, if you hadn't _studied_ to be polite, you would have
+done very well."
+
+"Indeed, ma'am, I am a poor boy, trying to make a little money to help
+my mother. I am sure I meant no harm."
+
+"I know you didn't. So you are selling books to help your mother?"
+
+"Yes, ma'am."
+
+She inquired still further into the little merchant's history, and
+seemed to be very much interested in him.
+
+In a frolic, a few days before, Bobby learned from her, Colonel
+Whiting had agreed to pay any penalty she might name, the next time he
+got into a passion.
+
+"Now, young man, what book have you to sell?" asked the lady.
+
+"'The Wayfarer.'"
+
+"How many have you in your valise?"
+
+"Eight."
+
+"Very well; now, uncle, I decree, as the penalty of your indiscretion,
+that you purchase the whole stock."
+
+"I submit."
+
+"'The Wayfarer' promises to be an excellent book; and I can name at
+least half a dozen persons who will thank you for a copy, uncle."
+
+Colonel Whiting paid Bobby eight dollars, who left the contents of his
+valise on the centre table, and then departed, astounded at his good
+fortune, and fully resolved never to be too smart again.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY STRIKES A BALANCE, AND RETURNS TO RIVERDALE
+
+
+Our hero had learned a lesson which experience alone could teach
+him. The consciousness of that "something within him" inclined him to
+be a little too familiar with his elders; but then it gave him
+confidence in himself, and imparted courage to go forward in the
+accomplishment of his mission. His interview with Colonel Whiting and
+the gentle but plain rebuke of his niece had set him right, and he
+realized that, while he was doing a man's work, he was still a boy. He
+had now a clearer perception of what is due to the position and
+dignity of those upon whom fortune has smiled.
+
+Bobby wanted to be a man, and it is not strange that he should
+sometimes fancy he was a man. He had an idea, too, that "all men are
+born free and equal;" and he could not exactly see why a nabob was
+entitled to any more respect and consideration than a poor man. It was
+a lesson he was compelled to learn, though some folks live out their
+lifetimes without ever finding out that.
+
+"'Tis wealth, good sir, makes honorable men." Some people think a
+rich man is no better than a poor man, except so far as he behaves
+himself better. It is strange how stupid some people are!
+
+Bobby had no notion of cringing to any man, and he felt as independent
+as the Declaration of Independence itself. But then the beautiful lady
+had told him that he was pert and forward; and when he thought it
+over, he was willing to believe she was right. Colonel Whiting was an
+old man, compared with himself; and he had some faith, at least in
+theory, in the Spartan virtue of respect for the aged. Probably the
+nabob of B---- would have objected to being treated with respect on
+account of his age; and Bobby would have been equally unwilling to
+acknowledge that he treated him with peculiar respect on account of
+his wealth or position.
+
+Perhaps the little merchant had an instinctive perception of
+expediency--that he should sell more books by being less familiar; at
+any rate he determined never again to use the flowery speeches he had
+arranged for the upper crust.
+
+He had sold a dozen books; and possibly this fact made him more
+willing to compromise the matter than he would otherwise have been.
+This was, after all, the great matter for congratulation, and with a
+light heart he hurried back to the railroad station to procure another
+supply.
+
+We cannot follow him into every house where his calling led him. He
+was not always as fortunate as in the instances we have mentioned.
+Sometimes all his arguments were unavailing, and after he had spent
+half an hour of valuable time in setting forth the merits of "The
+Wayfarer," he was compelled to retire without having effected a
+sale. Sometimes, too, he was rudely repulsed; hard epithets were
+applied to him; old men and old women, worried out by the continued
+calls of pedlers, sneered at him, or shut the door in his face; but
+Bobby was not disheartened. He persevered, and did not allow these
+little trials to discompose or discourage him.
+
+By one o'clock on the first day of his service he had sold eighteen
+books, which far exceeded even his most sanguine expectations. By this
+time he began to feel the want of his dinner; but there was no tavern
+or eating house at hand, and he could not think of leaving the harvest
+to return to the railroad station; so he bought a sheet of gingerbread
+and a piece of cheese at a store, and seating himself near a brook by
+the side of the road, he bolted his simple meal, as boys are very apt
+to do when they are excited.
+
+When he had finished, he took out his account book, and entered,
+"Dinner, 10 cents." Resuming his business, he disposed of the
+remaining six books in his valise by the middle of the afternoon, and
+was obliged to return for another supply.
+
+About six o'clock he entered the house of a mechanic, just as the
+family were sitting down to tea. He recommended his book with so much
+energy, that the wife of the mechanic took a fancy to him, and not
+only purchased one, but invited him to tea. Bobby accepted the
+invitation, and in the course of the meal the good lady drew from him
+the details of his history, which he very modestly related, for though
+he sometimes fancied himself a man, he was not the boy to boast of his
+exploits. His host was so much pleased with him, that he begged him to
+spend the night with them. Bobby had been thinking how and where he
+should spend the night, and the matter had given him no little
+concern. He did not wish to go to the hotel, for it looked like a very
+smart house, and he reasoned that he should have to pay pretty roundly
+for accommodations there. These high prices would eat up his profits,
+and he seriously deliberated whether it would not be better for him to
+sleep under a tree than pay fifty cents for a lodging.
+
+If I had been there I should have told him that a man loses nothing in
+the long run by taking good care of himself. He must eat well and
+sleep well, in order to do well and be well. But I suppose Bobby
+would have told me that it was of no use to pay a quarter extra for
+sleeping on a gilded bedstead, since the room would be so dark he
+could not see the gilt even if he wished to do so. I could not have
+said anything to such a powerful argument, so I am very glad the
+mechanic's wife set the matter at rest by offering him a bed in her
+house.
+
+He spent a very pleasant evening with the family, who made him feel
+entirely at home, they were so kind and so plain spoken. Before he
+went to bed, he entered under the book account, "By twenty-six
+'Wayfarers,' sold this day, $26.00."
+
+He had done a big day's work, much bigger than he could hope to do
+again. He had sold more than one half of his whole stock, and at this
+rate he should be out of books the next day. At first he thought he
+would send for another lot; but he could not judge yet what his
+average daily sales would be, and finally concluded not to do so. What
+he had might last till Friday or Saturday. He intended to go home on
+the latter day, and he could bring them with him on his return without
+expense. This was considerable of an argument for a boy to manage;
+but Bobby was satisfied with it, and went to sleep, wondering what his
+mother, Squire Lee, and Annie were thinking of about that time.
+
+After breakfast the next morning he resumed his travels. He was as
+enthusiastic as ever, and pressed "The Wayfarer" with so much
+earnestness that he sold a book in nearly every house he
+visited. People seemed to be more interested in the little merchant
+than in his stock, and taking advantage of this kind feeling towards
+him, he appealed to them with so much eloquence that few could resist
+it.
+
+The result of the day's sales was fifteen copies, which Bobby entered
+in the book account with the most intense satisfaction. He had outdone
+the boy who had passed through Riverdale, but he had little hope that
+the harvest would always be so abundant.
+
+He often thought of this boy, from whom he had obtained the idea he
+was now carrying out. That boy had stopped over night at the little
+black house, and slept with him. He had asked for lodging, and offered
+to pay for it, as well as for his supper and breakfast. Why couldn't
+he do the same? He liked the suggestion, and from that time, wherever
+he happened to be, he asked for lodging, or the meal he required; and
+he always proposed to pay for what he had, but very few would take
+anything.
+
+On Friday noon he had sold out. Returning to the railroad station, he
+found that the train would not leave for the city for an hour; so he
+improved the time in examining and balancing his accounts. The book
+sales amounted to just fifty dollars, and, after his ticket to Boston
+was paid for, his expenses would amount to one dollar and fifty cents,
+leaving a balance in his favor of fifteen dollars. He was overjoyed
+with the result, and pictured the astonishment with which his mother,
+Squire Lee, and Annie would listen to the history of his excursion.
+
+After four o'clock that afternoon he entered the store of Mr. Bayard,
+bag and baggage. On his arrival in the city, he was considerably
+exercised in mind to know how he should get the trunk to his
+destination. He was too economical to pay a cartman a quarter; but
+what would have seemed mean in a man was praiseworthy in a boy
+laboring for a noble end.
+
+Probably a great many of my young readers in Bobby's position,
+thinking that sixteen dollars, which our hero had in his pocket, was a
+mint of money, would have been in favor of being a little
+magnificent,--of taking a carriage and going up-town in state. Bobby
+had not the least desire to "swell;" so he settled the matter by
+bargaining with a little ragged fellow to help him carry the trunk to
+Mr. Bayard's store for fourpence.
+
+"How do you do, Mr. Timmins?" said Bobby to the spruce clerk, as he
+deposited the trunk upon the floor, and handed the ragged boy the
+fourpence.
+
+"Ah, Bobby!" exclaimed Mr. Timmins. "Have you sold out?"
+
+"All clean. Is Mr. Bayard in?"
+
+"In the office. But how do you like it?"
+
+"First rate."
+
+"Well, every one to his taste; but I don't see how any one who has any
+regard for his dignity can stick himself into everybody's house. I
+couldn't do it, I know."
+
+"I don't stand for the dignity."
+
+"Ah, well, there is a difference in folks."
+
+"That's a fact," replied Bobby, as he hurried to the office of
+Mr. Bayard, leaving Mr. Timmins to sun himself in his own dignity.
+
+The bookseller was surprised to see him so soon, but he gave him a
+cordial reception.
+
+"I didn't expect you yet," said he. "Why do you come back? Have you
+got sick of the business?"
+
+"Sick of it! No, sir."
+
+"What have you come back for, then?"
+
+"Sold out, sir."
+
+"Sold out! You have done well!"
+
+"Better than I expected."
+
+"I had no idea of seeing you till to-morrow night; and I thought you
+would have books enough to begin the next week with. You have done
+bravely."
+
+"If I had had twenty more, I could have sold them before to-morrow
+night. Now, sir, if you please, I will pay you for those
+books--thirty-three dollars and fifty cents."
+
+"You had better keep that, Bobby. I will trust you as long as you
+wish."
+
+"If you please, sir, I had rather pay it;" and the little merchant, as
+proud as a lord, handed over the amount.
+
+"I like your way of doing business, Bobby. Nothing helps a man's
+credit so much as paying promptly. Now tell me some of your
+adventures--or we will reserve them till this evening, for I am sure
+Ellen will be delighted to hear them."
+
+"I think I shall go to Riverdale this afternoon. The cars leave at
+half past five."
+
+"Very well; you have an hour to spare."
+
+Bobby related to his kind friend the incidents of his excursion,
+including his interview with Colonel Whiting and his niece, which
+amused the bookseller very much. He volunteered some good advice,
+which Bobby received in the right spirit, and with a determination to
+profit by it.
+
+At half past five he took the cars for home, and before dark was
+folded in his mother's arms. The little black house seemed doubly
+dear to him now that he had been away from it a few days. His mother
+and all the children were so glad to see him that it seemed almost
+worth his while to go away for the pleasure of meeting them on his
+return.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY ASTONISHES SUNDRY PERSONS AND PAYS PART OF HIS NOTE
+
+
+"Now tell me, Bobby, how you have made out," said Mrs. Bright, as the
+little merchant seated himself at the supper table. "You cannot have
+done much, for you have only been gone five days."
+
+"I have done pretty well, mother," replied Bobby, mysteriously;
+"pretty well, considering that I am only a boy."
+
+"I didn't expect to see you till to-morrow night."
+
+"I sold out, and had to come home."
+
+"That may be, and still you may not have done much."
+
+"I don't pretend that I have done much."
+
+"How provoking you are! Why don't you tell me, Bobby, what you have
+done?"
+
+"Wait a minute, mother, till I have done my supper, and then I will
+show you the footings in my ledger."
+
+"Your ledger!"
+
+"Yes, my ledger. I keep a ledger now."
+
+"You are a great man, Mr. Robert Bright," laughed his mother. "I
+suppose the people took their hats off when they saw you coming."
+
+"Not exactly, mother."
+
+"Perhaps the governor came out to meet you when he heard you were on
+the road."
+
+"Perhaps he did; I didn't see him, however. This apple pie tastes
+natural, mother. It is a great luxury to get home after one has been
+travelling."
+
+"Very likely."
+
+"No place like home, after all is done and said. Who was the fellow
+that wrote that song, mother?"
+
+"I forget; the paper said he spent a great many years in foreign
+parts. My sake! Bobby, one would think by your talk that you had been
+away from home for a year."
+
+"It seems like a year," said he, as he transferred another quarter of
+the famous apple pie to his plate. "I miss home very much. I don't
+more than half like being among strangers so much."
+
+"It is your own choice; no one wants you to go away from home."
+
+"I must pay my debts, anyhow. Don't I owe Squire Lee sixty dollars?"
+
+"But I can pay that."
+
+"It is my affair, you see."
+
+"If it is your affair, then I owe you sixty dollars."
+
+"No, you don't; I calculate to pay my board now. I am old enough and
+big enough to do something."
+
+"You have done something ever since you were old enough to work."
+
+"Not much; I don't wonder that miserable old hunker of a Hardhand
+twitted me about it. By the way, have you heard anything from him?"
+
+"Not a thing."
+
+"He has got enough of us, I reckon."
+
+"You mustn't insult him, Bobby, if you happen to see him."
+
+"Never fear me."
+
+"You know the Bible says we must love our enemies, and pray for them
+that despitefully use us and persecute us."
+
+"I should pray that the Old Nick might get him."
+
+"No, Bobby; I hope you haven't forgot all your Sunday school lessons."
+
+"I was wrong, mother," replied Bobby, a little moved. "I did not mean
+so. I shall try to think as well of him as I can; but I can't help
+thinking, if all the world was like him, what a desperate hard time we
+should have of it."
+
+"We must thank the Lord that he has given us so many good and true
+men."
+
+"Such as Squire Lee, for instance," added Bobby, as he rose from the
+table and put his chair back against the wall. "The squire is fit to
+be a king; and though I believe in the Constitution and the
+Declaration of Independence, I wouldn't mind seeing a crown upon his
+head."
+
+"He will receive his crown in due time," replied Mrs. Bright, piously.
+
+"The squire?"
+
+"The crown of rejoicing, I mean."
+
+"Just so; the squire is a nice man; and I know another just like him."
+
+"Who?"
+
+"Mr. Bayard; they are as near alike as two peas."
+
+"I am dying to know about your journey."
+
+"Wait a minute, mother, till we clear away the supper things;" and
+Bobby took hold, as he had been accustomed, to help remove and wash
+the dishes.
+
+"You needn't help now, Bobby."
+
+"Yes, I will, mother."
+
+Somehow our hero's visit to the city did not seem to produce the usual
+effect upon him; for a great many boys, after they had been abroad,
+would have scorned to wash dishes and wipe them. A week in town has
+made many a boy so smart that you couldn't touch him with a ten foot
+pole. It starches them up so stiff that sometimes they don't know
+their own mothers, and deem it a piece of condescension to speak a
+word to the patriarch in a blue frock who had the honor of supporting
+them in childhood.
+
+Bobby was none of this sort. We lament that he had a habit of talking
+big, that is, of talking about business affairs in a style a little
+beyond his years. But he was modest to a fault, paradoxical as it may
+seem. He was always blushing when anybody spoke a pretty thing about
+him. Probably the circumstances of his position elevated him above the
+sphere of the mere boy; he had spent but little time in play, and his
+attention had been directed at all times to the wants of his
+mother. He had thought a great deal about business, especially since
+the visit of the boy who sold books to the little black house.
+
+Some boys are born merchants, and from their earliest youth have a
+genius for trade. They think of little else. They "play shop" before
+they wear jackets, and drive a barter trade in jackknives, whistles,
+tops, and fishing lines long before they get into their teens. They
+are shrewd even then, and obtain a taste for commerce before they are
+old enough to know the meaning of the word.
+
+We saw a boy in school, not long since, give the value of eighteen
+cents for a little stunted quince; boys have a taste for raw quinces,
+strange as it may seem. Undoubtedly he had no talent for trade, and
+would make a very indifferent tin pedler. Our hero was shrewd. He
+always got the best end of the bargain; though, I am happy to say, his
+integrity was too unyielding to let him cheat his fellows.
+
+We have made this digression so that my young readers may know why
+Bobby was so much given to big talk. The desire to do something worthy
+of a good son turned his attention to matters above his sphere; and
+thinking of great things, he had come to talk great things. It was not
+a bad fault, after all. Boys need not necessarily be frivolous. Play
+is a good thing, an excellent thing, in its place, and is as much a
+part of the boy's education as his grammar and arithmetic. It not only
+develops his muscles, but enlarges his mental capacity; it not only
+fills with excitement the idle hours of the long day, but it sharpens
+the judgment, and helps to fit the boy for the active duties of life.
+
+It need not be supposed, because Bobby had to turn his attention to
+serious things, that he was not fond of fun; that he could not or did
+not play. At a game of round ball, he was a lucky fellow who secured
+him upon his side; for the same energy which made him a useful son
+rendered him a desirable hand in a difficult game.
+
+When the supper things were all removed, the dishes washed and put
+away, Bobby drew out his pocket memorandum book. It was a beautiful
+article, and Mrs. Bright was duly astonished at its gilded leaves and
+the elegant workmanship. Very likely her first impulse was to reprove
+her son for such a piece of reckless extravagance; but this matter was
+set right by Bobby's informing her how it came into his possession.
+
+"Here is my ledger, mother," he said, handing her the book.
+
+Mrs. Bright put on her spectacles, and after bestowing a careful
+scrutiny upon the memorandum book, turned to the accounts.
+
+"Fifty books!" she exclaimed, as she read the first entry.
+
+"Yes, mother; and I sold them all."
+
+"Fifty dollars!"
+
+"But I had to pay for the books out of that."
+
+"To be sure you had; but I suppose you made as much as ten cents
+apiece on them, and that would be--let me see; ten times fifty----"
+
+"But I made more than that, I hope."
+
+"How much?"
+
+The proud young merchant referred her to the profit and loss account,
+which exhibited a balance of fifteen dollars.
+
+"Gracious! Three dollars a day!"
+
+"Just so, mother. Now I will pay you the dollar I borrowed of you when
+I went away."
+
+"You didn't borrow it of me."
+
+"But I shall pay it."
+
+Mrs. Bright was astonished at this unexpected and gratifying
+result. If she had discovered a gold mine in the cellar of the little
+black house, it could not have afforded her so much satisfaction; for
+this money was the reward of her son's talent and energy. Her own
+earnings scarcely ever amounted to more than three or four dollars a
+week, and Bobby, a boy of thirteen, had come home with fifteen for
+five days' work. She could scarcely believe the evidence of her own
+senses, and she ceased to wonder that he talked big.
+
+It was nearly ten o'clock when the widow and her son went to bed, so
+deeply were they interested in discussing our hero's affairs. He had
+intended to call upon Squire Lee that night, but the time passed away
+so rapidly that he was obliged to defer it till the next day.
+
+After breakfast the following morning, he hastened to pay the intended
+visit. There was a tumult of strange emotions in his bosom as he
+knocked at the squire's door. He was proud of the success he had
+achieved, and even then his cheek burned under the anticipated
+commendations which his generous friend would bestow upon
+him. Besides, Annie would be glad to see him, for she had expressed
+such a desire when they parted on the Monday preceding. I don't think
+that Bobby cherished any silly ideas, but the sympathy of the little
+maiden fell not coldly or unwelcomely upon his warm heart. In coming
+from the house he had placed his copy of "The Wayfarer" under his arm,
+for Annie was fond of reading; and on the way over, he had pictured to
+himself the pleasure she would derive from reading _his_ book.
+
+Of course he received a warm welcome from the squire and his
+daughter. Each of them had bestowed more than a thought upon the
+little wanderer as he went from house to house, and more than once
+they had conversed together about him.
+
+"Well, Bobby, how is trade in the book line?" asked the squire, after
+the young pilgrim had been cordially greeted.
+
+"Pretty fair," replied Bobby, with as much indifference as he could
+command, though it was hard even to seem indifferent then and there.
+
+"Where have you been travelling?"
+
+"In B----."
+
+"Fine place. Books sell well there?"
+
+"Very well; in fact, I sold out all my stock by noon yesterday."
+
+"How many books did you carry?"
+
+"Fifty."
+
+"You did well."
+
+"I should think you did!" added Annie, with an enthusiasm which quite
+upset all Bobby's assumed indifference. "Fifty books!"
+
+"Yes, Miss Annie; and I have brought you a copy of the book I have
+been selling; I thought you would like to read it. It is a splendid
+work, and will be _the_ book of the season."
+
+"I shall be delighted to read it," replied Annie, taking the proffered
+volume. "It looks real good," she continued, as she turned over the
+leaves.
+
+"It is first rate; I have read it through."
+
+"It was very kind of you to think of me when you have so much business
+on your mind," added she, with a roguish smile.
+
+"I shall never have so much business on my mind that I cannot think of
+my friends," replied Bobby, so gallantly and so smartly that it
+astonished himself.
+
+"I was just thinking what I should read next; I am _so_ glad you
+have come."
+
+"Never mind her, Bobby; all she wanted was the book," interposed
+Squire Lee, laughing.
+
+"Now, pa!"
+
+"Then I shall bring her one very often."
+
+"You are too bad, pa," said Annie, who, like most young ladies just
+entering their teens, resented any imputation upon the immaculateness
+of human love, or human friendship.
+
+"I have got a little money for you, Squire Lee," continued Bobby,
+thinking it time the subject was changed.
+
+He took out his gilded memorandum book, whose elegant appearance
+rather startled the squire, and from its "treasury department"
+extracted the little roll of bills, representing an aggregate of ten
+dollars, which he had carefully reserved for his creditor.
+
+"Never mind that, Bobby," replied the squire. "You will want all your
+capital to do business with."
+
+"I must pay my debts before I think of anything else."
+
+"A very good plan, Bobby, but this is an exception to the general
+rule."
+
+"No, sir, I think not. If you please, I insist upon paying you ten
+dollars on my note."
+
+"O, well, if you insist, I suppose I can't help myself."
+
+"I would rather pay it, I shall feel so much better."
+
+"You want to indorse it on the note, I suppose."
+
+That was just what Bobby wanted. Indorsed on the note was the idea,
+and our hero had often passed that expression through his mind. There
+was something gratifying in the act to a man of business integrity
+like himself; it was discharging a sacred obligation,--he had already
+come to deem it a sacred duty to pay one's debts,--and as the squire
+wrote the indorsement across the back of the note, he felt more like a
+hero than ever before.
+
+"'Pay as you go' is an excellent idea; John Randolph called it the
+philosopher's stone," added Squire Lee, as he returned the note to his
+pocket book.
+
+"That is what I mean to do just as soon as I can."
+
+"You will do, Bobby."
+
+The young merchant spent nearly the whole forenoon at the squire's,
+and declined an invitation to dinner only on the plea that his mother
+would wait for him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY DECLINES A COPARTNERSHIP AND VISITS B---- AGAIN
+
+
+After dinner Bobby performed his Saturday afternoon chores as
+usual. He split wood enough to last for a week, so that his mother
+might not miss him too much, and then, feeling a desire to visit his
+favorite resorts in the vicinity, he concluded to go a fishing. The
+day was favorable, the sky being overcast and the wind very
+light. After digging a little box of worms in the garden back of the
+house, he shouldered his fish pole; and certainly no one would have
+suspected that he was a distinguished travelling merchant. He was fond
+of fishing, and it is a remarkable coincidence that Daniel Webster,
+and many other famous men, have manifested a decided passion for this
+exciting sport. No doubt a fondness for angling is a peculiarity of
+genius; and if being an expert fisherman makes a great man, then our
+hero was a great man.
+
+He had scarcely seated himself on his favorite rock, and dropped his
+line into the water, before he saw Tom Spicer approaching the
+spot. The bully had never been a welcome companion. There was no
+sympathy between them. They could never agree, for their views,
+opinions, and tastes were always conflicting.
+
+Bobby had not seen Tom since he left him to crawl out of the ditch on
+the preceding week, and he had good reason to believe that he should
+not be regarded with much favor. Tom was malicious and revengeful,
+and our hero was satisfied that the blow which had prostrated him in
+the ditch would not be forgotten till it had been atoned for. He was
+prepared, therefore, for any disagreeable scene which might occur.
+
+There was another circumstance also which rendered the bully's
+presence decidedly unpleasant at this time,--an event that had
+occurred during his absence, the particulars of which he had received
+from his mother.
+
+Tom's father, who was a poor man, and addicted to intemperance, had
+lost ten dollars. He had brought it home, and, as he affirmed, placed
+it in one of the bureau drawers. The next day it could not be
+found. Spicer, for some reason, was satisfied that Tom had taken it;
+but the boy stoutly and persistently denied it. No money was found
+upon him, however, and it did not appear that he had spent any at the
+stores in Riverdale Centre.
+
+The affair created some excitement in the vicinity, for Spicer made no
+secret of his suspicions, and publicly accused Tom of the theft. He
+did not get much sympathy from any except his pot companions; for
+there was no evidence but his bare and unsupported statement to
+substantiate the grave accusation. Tom had been in the room when the
+money was placed in the drawer, and, as his father asserted, had
+watched him closely, while he deposited the bills under the
+clothing. No one else could have taken it. These were the proofs. But
+people generally believed that Spicer had carried no money home,
+especially as it was known that he was intoxicated on the night in
+question; and that the alleged theft was only a ruse to satisfy
+certain importunate creditors.
+
+Everybody knew that Tom was bad enough to steal, even from his father;
+from which my readers can understand that it is an excellent thing to
+have a good reputation. Bobby knew that he would lie and use profane
+language; that he spent his Sundays by the river, or in roaming
+through the woods; and that he played truant from school as often as
+the fear of the rod would permit; and the boy that would do all these
+things certainly would steal if he got a good chance. Our hero's
+judgment, therefore, of the case was not favorable to the bully, and
+he would have thanked him to stay away from the river while he was
+there.
+
+"Hallo, Bob! How are you?" shouted Tom, when he had come within
+hailing distance.
+
+"Very well," replied Bobby, rather coolly.
+
+"Been to Boston, they say."
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Well, how did you like it?" continued Tom, as he seated himself on
+the rock near our hero.
+
+"First rate."
+
+"Been to work there?"
+
+"No."
+
+"What have you been doing?"
+
+"Travelling about."
+
+"What doing?"
+
+"Selling books."
+
+"Was you, though? Did you sell any?"
+
+"Yes, a few."
+
+"How many?"
+
+"O, about fifty."
+
+"You didn't, though--did you? How much did you make?"
+
+"About fifteen dollars."
+
+"By jolly! You are a smart one, Bobby. There are not many fellows
+that would have done that."
+
+"Easy enough," replied Bobby, who was not a little surprised at this
+warm commendation from one whom he regarded as his enemy.
+
+"You had to buy the books first--didn't you?" asked Tom, who began to
+manifest a deep interest in the trade.
+
+"Of course; no one will give you the books."
+
+"What do you pay for them?"
+
+"I buy them so as to make a profit on them," answered Bobby, who, like
+a discreet merchant, was not disposed to be too communicative.
+
+"That business would suit me first rate."
+
+"It is pretty hard work."
+
+"I don't care for that. Don't you believe I could do something in this
+line?"
+
+"I don't know; perhaps you could."
+
+"Why not, as well as you?"
+
+This was a hard question; and, as Bobby did not wish to be uncivil, he
+talked about a big pout he hauled in at that moment, instead of
+answering it. He was politic, and deprecated the anger of the bully;
+so, though Tom plied him pretty hard, he did not receive much
+satisfaction.
+
+"You see, Tom," said he, when he found that his companion insisted
+upon knowing the cost of the books, "this is a publisher's secret; and
+I dare say they would not wish every one to know the cost of books. We
+sell them for a dollar apiece."
+
+"Humph! You needn't be so close about it. I'll bet I can find out."
+
+"I have no doubt you can; only, you see, I don't want to tell what I
+am not sure they would be willing I should tell."
+
+Tom took a slate pencil from his pocket, and commenced ciphering on
+the smooth rock upon which he sat.
+
+"You say you sold fifty books?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Well; if you made fifteen dollars out of fifty, that is thirty cents
+apiece."
+
+Bobby was a little mortified when he perceived that he had unwittingly
+exposed the momentous secret. He had not given Tom credit for so much
+sagacity as he had displayed in his inquiries; and as he had fairly
+reached his conclusion, he was willing he should have the benefit of
+it.
+
+"You sold them at a dollar apiece. Thirty from a hundred leaves
+seventy. They cost you seventy cents each--didn't they?"
+
+"Sixty-seven," replied Bobby, yielding the point.
+
+"Enough said, Bob; I am going into that business, anyhow."
+
+"I am willing."
+
+"Of course you are; suppose we go together," suggested Tom, who had
+not used all this conciliation without having a purpose in view.
+
+"We could do nothing together."
+
+"I should like to get out with you just once, only to see how it is
+done."
+
+"You can find out for yourself, as I did."
+
+"Don't be mean, Bob."
+
+"Mean? I am not mean."
+
+"I don't say you are. We have always been good friends, you know."
+
+Bobby did not know it; so he looked at the other with a smile which
+expressed all he meant to say.
+
+"You hit me a smart dig the other day, I know; but I don't mind
+that. I was in the wrong then, and I am willing to own it," continued
+Tom, with an appearance of humility.
+
+This was an immense concession for Tom to make, and Bobby was duly
+affected by it. Probably it was the first time the bully had ever
+owned he was in the wrong.
+
+"The fact is, Bob, I always liked you; and you know I licked Ben Dowse
+for you."
+
+"That was two for yourself and one for me; besides, I didn't want Ben
+thrashed."
+
+"But he deserved it. Didn't he tell the master you were whispering in
+school?"
+
+"I was whispering; so he told the truth."
+
+"It was mean to blow on a fellow, though."
+
+"The master asked him if I whispered to him; of course he ought not to
+lie about it. But he told of you at the same time."
+
+"I know it; but I wouldn't have licked him on my own account."
+
+"_Perhaps_ you wouldn't."
+
+"I know I wouldn't. But, I say, Bobby, where do you buy your books?"
+
+"At Mr. Bayard's, in Washington Street."
+
+"He will sell them to me at the same price--won't he?"
+
+"I don't know."
+
+"When are you going again?"
+
+"Monday."
+
+"Won't you let me go with you, Bob?"
+
+"Let you? Of course you can go where you please; it is none of my
+business."
+
+Bobby did not like the idea of having such a copartner as Tom Spicer,
+and he did not like to tell him so. If he did, he would have to give
+his reasons for declining the proposition, and that would make Tom
+mad, and perhaps provoke him to quarrel.
+
+The fish bit well, and in an hour's time Bobby had a mess. As he took
+his basket and walked home, the young ruffian followed him. He could
+not get rid of him till he reached the gate in front of the little
+black house; and even there Tom begged him to stop a few moments. Our
+hero was in a hurry, and in the easiest manner possible got rid of
+this aspirant for mercantile honors.
+
+We have no doubt a journal of Bobby's daily life would be very
+interesting to our young readers; but the fact that some of his most
+stirring adventures are yet to be related admonishes us to hasten
+forward more rapidly.
+
+On Monday morning Bobby bade adieu to his mother again, and started
+for Boston. He fully expected to encounter Tom on the way, who, he was
+afraid, would persist in accompanying him on his tour. As before, he
+stopped at Squire Lee's to bid him and Annie good by.
+
+The little maiden had read "The Wayfarer" more than half through, and
+was very enthusiastic in her expression of the pleasure she derived
+from it. She promised to send it over to his house when she had
+finished it, and hoped he would bring his stock to Riverdale, so that
+she might again replenish her library. Bobby thought of something just
+then, and the thought brought forth a harvest on the following
+Saturday, when he returned.
+
+When he had shaken hands with the squire and was about to depart, he
+received a piece of news which gave him food for an hour's serious
+reflection.
+
+"Did you hear about Tom Spicer?" asked Squire Lee.
+
+"No, sir; what about him?"
+
+"Broken his arm."
+
+"Broken his arm! Gracious! How did it happen?" exclaimed Bobby, the
+more astonished because he had been thinking of Tom since he had left
+home.
+
+"He was out in the woods yesterday, where boys should not be on
+Sundays, and, in climbing a tree after a bird's nest, he fell to the
+ground."
+
+"I am sorry for him," replied Bobby, musing.
+
+"So am I; but if he had been at home, or at church, where he should
+have been, it would not have happened. If I had any boys, I would lock
+them up in their chambers if I could not keep them at home Sundays."
+
+"Poor Tom!" mused Bobby, recalling the conversation he had had with
+him on Saturday, and then wishing that he had been a little more
+pliant with him.
+
+"It is too bad; but I must say I am more sorry for his poor mother
+than I am for him," added the squire. "However, I hope it will do him
+good, and be a lesson he will remember as long as he lives."
+
+Bobby bade the squire and Annie adieu again, resumed his journey
+towards the railroad station. His thoughts were busy with Tom Spicer's
+case. The reason why he had not joined him, as he expected and feared
+he would, was now apparent. He pitied him, for he realized that he
+must endure a great deal of pain before he could again go out; but he
+finally dismissed the matter with the squire's sage reflection, that
+he hoped the calamity would be a good lesson to him.
+
+The young merchant did not walk to Boston this time, for he had come
+to the conclusion that, in the six hours it would take him to travel
+to the city on foot, the profit on the books he could sell would be
+more than enough to pay his fare, to say nothing of the fatigue and
+the expense of shoe leather.
+
+Before noon he was at B---- again, as busy as ever in driving his
+business. The experience of the former week was of great value to him.
+He visited people belonging to all spheres in society, and, though he
+was occasionally repulsed or treated with incivility, he was not
+conscious in a single instance of offending any person's sense of
+propriety.
+
+He was not as fortunate as during the previous week, and it was
+Saturday noon before he had sold out the sixty books he carried with
+him. The net profit for this week was fourteen dollars, with which he
+was abundantly pleased.
+
+Mr. Bayard again commended him in the warmest terms for his zeal and
+promptness. Mr. Timmins was even more civil than the last time, and
+when Bobby asked the price of Moore's Poems, he actually offered to
+sell it to him for thirty-three per cent less than the retail
+price. The little merchant was on the point of purchasing it, when
+Mr. Bayard inquired what he wanted.
+
+"I am going to buy this book," replied Bobby.
+
+"Moore's Poems?"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+Mr. Bayard took from a glass case an elegantly bound copy of the same
+work--morocco, full gilt--and handed it to our hero.
+
+"I shall make you a present of this. Are you an admirer of Moore?"
+
+"No, sir; not exactly--that is, I don't know much about it; but Annie
+Lee does, and I want to get the book for her."
+
+Bobby's cheeks reddened as he turned the leaves of the beautiful
+volume, putting his head down to the page to hide his confusion.
+
+"Annie Lee?" said Mr. Bayard with a quizzing smile. "I see how it
+is. Rather young, Bobby."
+
+"Her father has been very good to me and to my mother; and so has
+Annie, for that matter. Squire Lee would be a great deal more pleased
+if I should make Annie a present than if I made him one. I feel
+grateful to him, and I want to let it out somehow."
+
+"That's right, Bobby; always remember your friends. Timmins, wrap up
+this book."
+
+Bobby protested with all his might; but the bookseller insisted that
+he should give Annie this beautiful edition, and he was obliged to
+yield the point.
+
+That evening he was at the little black house again, and his mother
+examined his ledger with a great deal of pride and satisfaction. That
+evening, too, another ten dollars was indorsed on the note, and Annie
+received that elegant copy of Moore's Poems.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY'S AIR CASTLE IS UPSET AND TOM SPICER TAKES TO THE WOODS
+
+
+During the next four weeks Bobby visited various places in the
+vicinity of Boston; and at the end of that time he had paid the whole
+of the debt he owed Squire Lee. He had the note in his memorandum
+book, and the fact that he had achieved his first great purpose
+afforded him much satisfaction. Now he owed no man anything, and he
+felt as though he could hold up his head among the best people in the
+world.
+
+The little black house was paid for, and Bobby was proud that his own
+exertions had released his mother from her obligation to her hard
+creditor. Mr. Hardhand could no longer insult and abuse her.
+
+The apparent results which Bobby had accomplished, however, were as
+nothing compared with the real results. He had developed those
+energies of character which were to make him, not only a great
+business man, but a useful member of society. Besides, there was a
+moral grandeur in his humble achievements which was more worthy of
+consideration than the mere worldly success he had obtained. Motives
+determine the character of deeds. That a boy of thirteen should
+display so much enterprise and energy was a great thing; but that it
+should be displayed from pure, unselfish devotion to his mother was a
+vastly greater thing. Many great achievements are morally
+insignificant, while many of which the world never hears mark the true
+hero.
+
+Our hero was not satisfied with what he had done, and far from
+relinquishing his interesting and profitable employment, his ambition
+suggested new and wider fields of success. As one ideal, brilliant and
+glorious in its time, was reached, another more brilliant and more
+glorious presented itself, and demanded to be achieved. The little
+black house began to appear rusty and inconvenient; a coat of white
+paint would marvellously improve its appearance; a set of nice
+Paris-green blinds would make a palace of it; and a neat fence around
+it would positively transform the place into a paradise. Yet Bobby was
+audacious enough to think of these things, and even to promise himself
+that they should be obtained.
+
+In conversation with Mr. Bayard a few days before, that gentleman had
+suggested a new field of labor; and it had been arranged that Bobby
+should visit the State of Maine the following week. On the banks of
+the Kennebec were many wealthy and important towns, where the
+intelligence of the people created a demand for books. This time the
+little merchant was to take two hundred books, and be absent until
+they were all sold.
+
+On Monday morning he started bright and early for the railroad
+station. As usual, he called upon Squire Lee, and informed Annie that
+he should probably be absent three or four weeks. She hoped no
+accident would happen to him, and that his journey would be crowned
+with success. Without being sentimental, she was a little sad, for
+Bobby was a great friend of hers. That elegant copy of Moore's Poems
+had been gratefully received, and she was so fond of the bard's
+beautiful and touching melodies that she could never read any of them
+without thinking of the brave little fellow who had given her the
+volume; which no one will consider very remarkable, even in a little
+miss of twelve.
+
+After he had bidden her and her father adieu, he resumed his
+journey. Of course he was thinking with all his might; but no one need
+suppose he was wondering how wide the Kennebec River was, or how many
+books he should sell in the towns upon its banks. Nothing of the kind;
+though it is enough even for the inquisitive to know that he was
+thinking of something, and that his thoughts were very interesting,
+not to say romantic.
+
+"Hallo, Bob!" shouted some one from the road side.
+
+Bobby was provoked; for it is sometimes very uncomfortable to have a
+pleasant train of thought interrupted. The imagination is buoyant,
+ethereal, and elevates poor mortals up to the stars sometimes. It was
+so with Bobby. He was building up some kind of an air castle, and had
+got up in the clouds amidst the fog and moonshine, and that
+aggravating voice brought him down, _slap_, upon terra firma.
+
+He looked up and saw Tom Spicer seated upon the fence. In his hand he
+held a bundle, and had evidently been waiting some time for Bobby's
+coming.
+
+He had recovered from the illness caused by his broken arm, and people
+said it had been a good lesson for him, as the squire hoped it would
+be. Bobby had called upon him two or three times during his
+confinement to the house; and Tom, either truly repentant for his past
+errors, or lacking the opportunity at that time to manifest his evil
+propensities, had stoutly protested that he had "turned over a new
+leaf," and meant to keep out of the woods on Sunday, stop lying and
+swearing, and become a good boy.
+
+Bobby commended his good resolutions, and told him he would never want
+friends while he was true to himself. The right side, he declared, was
+always the best side. He quoted several instances of men, whose lives
+he had read in his Sunday school books, to show how happy a good man
+may be in prison, or when all the world seemed to forsake him.
+
+Tom assured him that he meant to reform and be a good boy; and Bobby
+told him that when any one meant to turn over a new leaf, it was "now
+or never." If he put it off, he would only grow worse, and the longer
+the good work was delayed, the more difficult it would be to do it.
+Tom agreed to all this, and was sure he had reformed.
+
+For these reasons Bobby had come to regard Tom with a feeling of deep
+interest. He considered him as, in some measure, his disciple, and he
+felt a personal responsibility in encouraging him to persevere in his
+good work. Nevertheless Bobby was not exactly pleased to have his fine
+air castle upset, and to be tipped out of the clouds upon the cold,
+uncompromising earth again; so the first greeting he gave Tom was not
+as cordial as it might have been.
+
+"Hallo, Tom!" he replied, rather coolly.
+
+"Been waiting for you this half hour."
+
+"Have you?"
+
+"Yes; ain't you rather late?"
+
+"No; I have plenty of time, though none to spare," answered Bobby; and
+this was a hint that he must not detain him too long.
+
+"Come along then."
+
+"Where are you going, Tom?" asked Bobby, a little surprised at these
+words.
+
+"To Boston."
+
+"Are you?"
+
+"I am; that's a fact. You know I spoke to you about going into the
+book business."
+
+"Not lately."
+
+"But I have been thinking about it all the time."
+
+"What do your father and mother say?"
+
+"O, they are all right."
+
+"Have you asked them?"
+
+"Certainly I have; they are willing I should go with _you_."
+
+"Why didn't you speak of it then?"
+
+"I thought I wouldn't say anything till the time came. You know you
+fought shy when I spoke about it before."
+
+And Bobby, notwithstanding the interest he felt in his companion, was
+a little disposed to "fight shy" now. Tom had reformed, or had
+pretended to do so; but he was still a raw recruit, and our hero was
+somewhat fearful that he would run at the first fire.
+
+To the good and true man life is a constant battle. Temptation assails
+him at almost every point; perils and snares beset him at every step
+of his mortal pilgrimage, so that every day he is called upon to gird
+on his armor and fight the good fight.
+
+Bobby was no poet; but he had a good idea of this every-day strife
+with the foes of error and sin that crossed his path. It was a
+practical conception, but it was truly expressed under the similitude
+of a battle. There was to be resistance, and he could comprehend that,
+for his bump of combativeness took cognizance of the suggestion. He
+was to fight; and that was an idea that stood him in better stead than
+a whole library of ethical subtilties.
+
+Judging Tom by his own standard, he was afraid he would run--that he
+wouldn't "stand fire." He had not been drilled. Heretofore, when
+temptation beset him, he had yielded without even a struggle, and fled
+from the field without firing a gun. To go out into the great world
+was a trying event for the raw recruit. He lacked, too, that prestige
+of success which is worth more than numbers on the field of battle.
+
+Tom had chosen for himself, and he could not send him back. He had
+taken up the line of march, let it lead him where it might.
+
+  "March on! in legions death and sin
+    Impatient wait thy conquering hand;
+  The foe without, the foe within--
+    Thy youthful arm must both withstand."
+
+Bobby had great hopes of him. He felt that he could not well get rid
+of him, and he saw that it was policy for him to make the best of it.
+
+"Well, Tom, where are you going?" asked Bobby, after he had made up
+his mind not to object to the companionship of the other.
+
+"I don't know. You have been a good friend to me lately, and I had an
+idea that you would give me a lift in this business."
+
+"I should be very willing to do so; but what can I do for you?"
+
+"Just show me how the business is done; that's all I want."
+
+"Your father and mother were willing you should come--were they not?"
+
+Bobby had some doubts about this point, and with good reason too. He
+had called at Tom's house the day before, and they had gone to church
+together; but neither he nor his parents had said a word about his
+going to Boston.
+
+"When did they agree to it?"
+
+"Last night," replied Tom, after a moment's hesitation.
+
+"All right then; but I cannot promise you that Mr. Bayard will let you
+have the books."
+
+"I can fix that, I reckon," replied Tom, confidently.
+
+"I will speak a good word for you, at any rate."
+
+"That's right, Bob."
+
+"I am going down into the State of Maine this time, and shall be gone
+three or four weeks."
+
+"So much the better; I always wanted to go down that way."
+
+Tom asked a great many questions about the business and the method of
+travelling, which Bobby's superior intelligence and more extensive
+experience enabled him to answer to the entire satisfaction of the
+other.
+
+When they were within half a mile of the railroad station, they heard
+a carriage driven at a rapid rate approaching them from the direction
+of Riverdale.
+
+Tom seemed to be uneasy, and cast frequent glances behind him. In a
+moment the vehicle was within a short distance of them, and he stopped
+short in the road to scrutinize the persons in it.
+
+"By jolly!" exclaimed Tom; "my father!"
+
+"What of it?" asked Bobby, surprised by the strange behavior of his
+companion.
+
+Tom did not wait to reply, but springing over the fence fled like a
+deer towards some woods a short distance from the road.
+
+Was it possible? Tom had run away from home. His father had not
+consented to his going to Boston, and Bobby was mortified to find that
+his hopeful disciple had been lying to him ever since they left
+Riverdale. But he was glad the cheat had been exposed.
+
+"That was Tom with you--wasn't it?" asked Mr. Spicer, as he stopped
+the foaming horse.
+
+"Yes, sir; but he told me you had consented that he should go with
+me," replied Bobby, a little disturbed by the angry glance of Mr.
+Spicer's fiery eyes.
+
+"He lied! the young villain! He will catch it for this."
+
+"I would not have let him come with me only for that. I asked him
+twice over if you were willing, and he said you were."
+
+"You ought to have known better than to believe him," interposed the
+man who was with Mr. Spicer.
+
+Bobby had some reason for believing him. The fact that Tom had
+reformed ought to have entitled him to some consideration, and our
+hero gave him the full benefit of the declaration. To have explained
+this would have taken more time than he could spare; besides, it was
+"a great moral question," whose importance Mr. Spicer and his
+companion would not be likely to apprehend; so he made a short story
+of it, and resumed his walk, thankful that he had got rid of Tom.
+
+Mr. Spicer and his friend, after fastening the horse to the fence,
+went to the woods in search of Tom.
+
+Bobby reached the station just in time to take the cars, and in a
+moment was on his way to the city.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY GETS INTO A SCRAPE, AND TOM SPICER TURNS UP AGAIN
+
+
+Bobby had a poorer opinion of human nature than ever before. It seemed
+almost incredible to him that words so fairly spoken as those of Tom
+Spicer could be false. He had just risen from a sick bed, where he had
+had an opportunity for long and serious reflection. Tom had promised
+fairly, and Bobby had every reason to suppose he intended to be a good
+boy. But his promises had been lies. He had never intended to reform,
+at least not since he had got off his bed of pain. He was mortified
+and disheartened at the failure of this attempt to restore him to
+himself.
+
+Like a great many older and wiser persons than himself, he was prone
+to judge the whole human family by a single individual. He did not
+come to believe that every man was a rascal, but, in more general
+terms, that there is a great deal more rascality in this world than
+one would be willing to believe.
+
+With this sage reflection, he dismissed Tom from his mind, which very
+naturally turned again to the air castle which had been so ruthlessly
+upset. Then his opinion of "the rest of mankind" was reversed; and he
+reflected that if the world were only peopled by angels like Annie
+Lee, what a pleasant place it would be to live in. She could not tell
+a lie, she could not use bad language, she could not steal, or do
+anything else that was bad; and the prospect was decidedly
+pleasant. It was very agreeable to turn from Tom to Annie, and in a
+moment his air castle was built again, and throned on clouds of gold
+and purple. I do not know what impossible things he imagined, or how
+far up in the clouds he would have gone, if the arrival of the train
+at the city had not interrupted his thoughts, and pitched him down
+upon the earth again.
+
+Bobby was not one of that impracticable class of persons who do
+nothing but dream; for he felt that he had a mission to perform which
+dreaming could not accomplish. However pleasant it may be to think of
+the great and brilliant things which one _will_ do, to one of
+Bobby's practical character it was even more pleasant to perform
+them. We all dream great things, imagine great things; but he who
+stops there does not amount to much, and the world can well spare him,
+for he is nothing but a drone in the hive. Bobby's fine imaginings
+were pretty sure to bring out a "now or never," which was the pledge
+of action, and the work was as good as done when he had said it.
+
+Therefore, when the train arrived, Bobby did not stop to dream any
+longer. He forgot his beautiful air castle, and even let Annie Lee
+slip from his mind for the time being. Those towns upon the Kennebec,
+the two hundred books he was to sell, loomed up before him, for it was
+with them he had to do.
+
+Grasping the little valise he carried with him, he was hastening out
+of the station house when a hand was placed upon his shoulder.
+
+"Got off slick--didn't I?" said Tom Spicer, placing himself by Bobby's
+side.
+
+"You here, Tom!" exclaimed our hero, gazing with astonishment at his
+late companion.
+
+It was not an agreeable encounter, and from the bottom of his heart
+Bobby wished him anywhere but where he was. He foresaw that he could
+not easily get rid of him.
+
+"I am here," replied Tom. "I ran through the woods to the depot, and
+got aboard the cars just as they were starting. The old man couldn't
+come it over me quite so slick as that."
+
+"But you ran away from home."
+
+"Well, what of it?"
+
+"A good deal, I should say."
+
+"If you had been in my place, you would have done the same."
+
+"I don't know about that; obedience to parents is one of our first
+duties."
+
+"I know that; and if I had had any sort of fair play, I wouldn't have
+run away."
+
+"What do you mean by that?" asked Bobby, somewhat surprised, though he
+had a faint idea of the meaning of the other.
+
+"I will tell you all about it by and by. I give you my word of honor
+that I will make everything satisfactory to you."
+
+"But you lied to me on the road this morning."
+
+Tom winced; under ordinary circumstances he would have resented such a
+remark by "clearing away" for a fight. But he had a purpose to
+accomplish, and he knew the character of him with whom he had to deal.
+
+"I'm sorry I did, now," answered Tom, with every manifestation of
+penitence for his fault. "I didn't want to lie to you; and it went
+against my conscience to do so. But I was afraid, if I told you my
+father refused, up and down, to let me go, that you wouldn't be
+willing I should come with you."
+
+"I shall not be any more willing now I know all about it," added
+Bobby, in an uncompromising tone.
+
+"Wait till you have heard my story, and then you won't blame me."
+
+"Of course you can go where you please; it is none of my business; but
+let me tell you, Tom, in the beginning, that I won't go with a fellow
+who has run away from his father and mother."
+
+"Pooh! What's the use of talking in that way?"
+
+Tom was evidently disconcerted by this decided stand of his
+companion. He knew that his bump of firmness was well developed, and
+whatever he said he meant.
+
+"You had better return home, Tom. Boys that run away from home don't
+often amount to much. Take my advice, and go home," added Bobby.
+
+"To such a home as mine!" said Tom, gloomily. "If I had such a home
+as yours, I would not have left it."
+
+Bobby got a further idea from this remark of the true state of the
+case, and the consideration moved him. Tom's father was a notoriously
+intemperate man, and the boy had nothing to hope for from his precept
+or his example. He was the child of a drunkard, and as much to be
+pitied as blamed for his vices. His home was not pleasant. He who
+presided over it, and who should have made a paradise of it, was its
+evil genius, a demon of wickedness, who blasted its flowers as fast as
+they bloomed.
+
+Tom had seemed truly penitent both during his illness and since his
+recovery. His one great desire now was to get away from home, for home
+to him was a place of torment. Bobby suspected all this, and in his
+great heart he pitied his companion. He did not know what to do.
+
+"I am sorry for you, Tom," said he, after he had considered the matter
+in this new light; "but I don't see what I can do for you. I doubt
+whether it would be right for me to help you run away from your
+parents."
+
+"I don't want you to help me run away. I have done that already."
+
+"But if I let you go with me, it will be just the same thing. Besides,
+since you told me those lies this morning, I haven't much confidence
+in you."
+
+"I couldn't help that."
+
+"Yes, you could. Couldn't help lying?"
+
+"What could I do? You would have gone right back and told my father."
+
+"Well, we will go up to Mr. Bayard's store, and then we will see what
+can be done."
+
+"I couldn't stay at home, sure," continued Tom, as they walked along
+together. "My father even talked of binding me out to a trade."
+
+"Did he?"
+
+Bobby stopped short in the street; for it was evident that, as this
+would remove him from his unhappy home, and thus effect all he
+professed to desire, he had some other purpose in view.
+
+"What are you stopping for, Bob?"
+
+"I think you had better go back, Tom."
+
+"Not I; I won't do that, whatever happens."
+
+"If your father will put you to a trade, what more do you want?"
+
+"I won't go to a trade, anyhow."
+
+Bobby said no more, but determined to consult with Mr. Bayard about
+the matter; and Tom was soon too busily engaged in observing the
+strange sights and sounds of the city to think of anything else.
+
+When they reached the store, Bobby went into Mr. Bayard's private
+office and told him all about the affair. The bookseller decided that
+Tom had run away more to avoid being bound to a trade than because his
+home was unpleasant; and this decision seemed to Bobby all the more
+just because he knew that Tom's mother, though a drunkard's wife, was
+a very good woman. Mr. Bayard further decided that Bobby ought not to
+permit the runaway to be the companion of his journey. He also
+considered it his duty to write to Mr. Spicer, informing him of his
+son's arrival in the city, and clearing Bobby from any agency in his
+escape.
+
+While Mr. Bayard was writing the letter, Bobby went out to give Tom
+the result of the consultation. The runaway received it with a great
+show of emotion, and begged and pleaded to have the decision
+reversed. But Bobby, though he would gladly have done anything for him
+which was consistent with his duty, was firm as a rock, and positively
+refused to have anything to do with him until he obtained his father's
+consent; or, if there was any such trouble as he asserted, his
+mother's consent.
+
+Tom left the store, apparently "more in sorrow than in anger." His
+bullying nature seemed to be cast out, and Bobby could not but feel
+sorry for him. Duty was imperative, as it always is, and it must be
+done "now or never."
+
+During the day the little merchant attended to the packing of his
+stock, and to such other preparations as were required for his
+journey. He must take the steamer that evening for Bath, and when the
+time for his departure arrived, he was attended to the wharf by Mr.
+Bayard and Ellen, with whom he had passed the afternoon. The
+bookseller assisted him in procuring his ticket and berth, and gave
+him such instructions as his inexperience demanded.
+
+The last bell rang, the fasts were cast off, and the great wheels of
+the steamer began to turn. Our hero, who had never been on the water
+in a steamboat, or indeed anything bigger than a punt on the river at
+home, was much interested and excited by his novel position. He
+seated himself on the promenade deck, and watched with wonder the
+boiling, surging waters astern of the steamer.
+
+How powerful is man, the author of that mighty machine that bore him
+so swiftly over the deep blue waters! Bobby was a little philosopher,
+as we have before had occasion to remark, and he was decidedly of the
+opinion that the steamboat was a great institution. When he had in
+some measure conquered his amazement, and the first ideas of sublimity
+which the steamer and the sea were calculated to excite in a poetical
+imagination, he walked forward to take a closer survey of the
+machinery. After all, there was something rather comical in the
+affair. The steam hissed and sputtered, and the great walking beam
+kept flying up and down; and the sum total of Bobby's philosophy was,
+that it was funny these things should make the boat go so like a race
+horse over the water.
+
+Then he took a look into the pilot house, and it seemed more funny
+that turning that big wheel should steer the boat. But the wind blew
+rather fresh at the forward part of the boat, and as Bobby's
+philosophy was not proof against it, he returned to the promenade
+deck, which was sheltered from the severity of the blast. He had got
+reconciled to the whole thing, and ceased to bother his head about the
+big wheel, the sputtering steam, and the walking beam; so he seated
+himself, and began to wonder what all the people in Riverdale were
+about.
+
+"All them as hasn't paid their fare, please walk up to the cap'n's
+office and s-e-t-t-l-e!" shouted a colored boy, presenting himself
+just then, and furiously ringing a large hand bell.
+
+"I have just settled," said Bobby, alluding to his comfortable seat.
+
+But the allusion was so indefinite to the colored boy that he thought
+himself insulted. He did not appear to be a very amiable boy, for his
+fist was doubled up, and with sundry big oaths, he threatened to
+annihilate the little merchant for his insolence.
+
+"I didn't say anything that need offend you," replied Bobby. "I meant
+nothing."
+
+"You lie! You did!"
+
+He was on the point of administering a blow with his fist, when a
+third party appeared on the ground, and without waiting to hear the
+merits of the case, struck the negro a blow which had nearly floored
+him.
+
+Some of the passengers now interfered, and the colored boy was
+prevented from executing vengeance on the assailant.
+
+"Strike that fellow and you strike me!" said he who had struck the
+blow.
+
+"Tom Spicer!" exclaimed Bobby, astonished and chagrined at the
+presence of the runaway.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY FINDS "IT IS AN ILL WIND THAT BLOWS NO ONE ANY GOOD"
+
+
+A gentleman, who was sitting near Bobby when he made the remark which
+the colored boy had misunderstood, interfered to free him from blame,
+and probably all unpleasant feelings might have been saved, if Tom's
+zeal had been properly directed. As it was, the waiter retired with
+his bell, vowing vengeance upon his assailant.
+
+"How came you here, Tom?" asked Bobby, when the excitement had
+subsided.
+
+"You don't get rid of me so easily," replied Tom, laughing.
+
+Bobby called to mind the old adage that "a bad penny is sure to
+return;" and, if it had not been a very uncivil remark, he would have
+said it.
+
+"I didn't expect to see you again at present," he observed, hardly
+knowing what to say or do.
+
+"I suppose not; but as I didn't mean you should expect me, I kept out
+of sight. Only for that darkey you wouldn't have found me out so
+soon. I like you, Bob, in spite of all you have done to get rid of me,
+and I wasn't a going to let the darkey thrash you."
+
+"You only made matters worse."
+
+"That is all the thanks I get for hitting him for you."
+
+"I am sorry you hit him; at the same time I suppose you meant to do me
+a service, and I thank you, not for the blow you struck the black boy,
+but for your good intentions."
+
+"That sounds better. I meant well, Bob."
+
+"I dare say you did. But how came you here?"
+
+"Why, you see, I was bound to go with you anyhow or at least to keep
+within hail of you. You told me, you know, that you were going in the
+steamboat; and after I left the shop, what should I see but a big
+picture of a steamboat on a wall. It said. 'Bath, Gardiner, and
+Hallowell,' on the bill; and I knew that was where you meant to go. So
+this afternoon I hunts round and finds the steamboat. I thought I
+never should have found it; but here I am."
+
+"What are you going to do?"
+
+"Going into the book business," replied Tom, with a smile.
+
+"Where are your books?"
+
+"Down stairs, in the cellar of the steamboat, or whatever you call
+it."
+
+"Where did you get them?"
+
+"Bought 'em, of course."
+
+"Did you? Where?"
+
+"Well, I don't remember the name of the street now. I could go right
+there if I was in the city, though."
+
+"Would they trust you?"
+
+Tom hesitated. The lies he had told that morning had done him no
+good--had rather injured his cause; and, though he had no principle
+that forbade lying, he questioned its policy in the present instance.
+
+"I paid part down, and they trusted me part."
+
+"How many books you got?"
+
+"Twenty dollars' worth. I paid eight dollars down."
+
+"You did? Where did you get the eight dollars?"
+
+Bobby remembered the money Tom's father had lost several weeks before,
+and immediately connected that circumstance with his present ability
+to pay so large a sum.
+
+Tom hesitated again, but he was never at a loss for an answer.
+
+"My mother gave it to me."
+
+"Your mother?"
+
+"Yes, _sir_!" replied Tom, boldly, and in that peculiarly bluff
+manner which is almost always good evidence that the boy is lying.
+
+"But you ran away from home."
+
+"That's so; but my mother knew I was coming."
+
+"Did she?"
+
+"To be sure she did."
+
+"You didn't say so before."
+
+"I can't tell all I know in a minute."
+
+"If I thought your mother consented to your coming, I wouldn't say
+another word."
+
+"Well, she did; you may bet your life on that."
+
+"And your mother gave you ten dollars?"
+
+"Who said she gave me _ten_ dollars?" asked Tom, a little
+sharply.
+
+That was just the sum his father had lost, and Bobby had unwittingly
+hinted his suspicion.
+
+"You must have had as much as that if you paid eight on your
+books. Your fare to Boston and your steamboat fare must be two dollars
+more."
+
+"I know that; but look here, Bob;" and Tom took from his pocket five
+half dollars and exhibited them to his companion. "She gave me
+thirteen dollars."
+
+Notwithstanding this argument, Bobby felt almost sure that the lost
+ten dollars was a part of his capital.
+
+"I will tell you my story now, Bob, if you like. You condemned me
+without a hearing, as Jim Guthrie said when they sent him to the House
+of Correction for getting drunk."
+
+"Go ahead."
+
+The substance of Tom's story was, that his father drank so hard, and
+was such a tyrant in the house, that he could endure it no longer.
+His father and mother did not agree, as any one might have
+suspected. His mother, encouraged by the success of Bobby, thought
+that Tom might do something of the kind, and she had provided him the
+money to buy his stock of books.
+
+Bobby had not much confidence in this story. He had been deceived
+once; besides, it was not consistent with his previous narrative, and
+he had not before hinted that he had obtained his mother's
+consent. But Tom was eloquent, and protested that he had reformed, and
+meant to do well. He declared, by all that was good and great, Bobby
+should never have reason to be ashamed of him.
+
+Our little merchant was troubled. He could not now get rid of Tom
+without actually quarrelling with him, or running away from him. He
+did not wish to do the former, and it was not an easy matter to do the
+latter. Besides, there was hope that the runaway would do well; and if
+he did, when he carried the profits of his trade home, his father
+would forgive him. One thing was certain; if he returned to Riverdale
+he would be what he had been before.
+
+For these reasons Bobby finally, but very reluctantly, consented that
+Tom should remain with him, resolving, however, that, if he did not
+behave himself, he would leave him at once.
+
+Before morning he had another reason. When the steamer got out into
+the open bay, Bobby was seasick. He retired to his berth with a
+dreadful headache; as he described it afterwards, it seemed just as
+though that great walking beam was smashing up and down right in the
+midst of his brains. He had never felt so ill before in his life, and
+was very sure, in his inexperience, that something worse than mere
+seasickness ailed him.
+
+He told Tom, who was not in the least affected, how he felt; whereupon
+the runaway blustered round, got the steward and the captain into the
+cabin, and was very sure that Bobby would die before morning, if we
+may judge by the fuss he made.
+
+The captain was angry at being called from the pilot house for
+nothing, and threatened to throw Tom overboard if he didn't stop his
+noise. The steward, however, was a kind-hearted man, and assured
+Bobby that passengers were often a great deal sicker than he was; but
+he promised to do something for his relief, and Tom went with him to
+his state room for the desired remedy.
+
+The potion was nothing more nor less than a table spoonful of brandy,
+which Bobby, who had conscientious scruples about drinking ardent
+spirits, at first refused to take. Then Tom argued the point, and the
+sick boy yielded. The dose made him sicker yet, and nature came to his
+relief, and in a little while he felt better.
+
+Tom behaved like a good nurse; he staid by his friend till he went to
+sleep, and then "turned in" upon a settee beneath his berth. The boat
+pitched and tumbled about so in the heavy sea that Bobby did not sleep
+long, and when he woke he found Tom ready to assist him. But our hero
+felt better, and entreated Tom to go to sleep again. He made the best
+of his unpleasant situation. Sleep was not to be wooed, and he tried
+to pass away the dreary hours in thinking of Riverdale and the dear
+ones there. His mother was asleep, and Annie was asleep; that was
+about all the excitement he could get up even on the home question. He
+could not build castles in the air, for seasickness and castle
+building do not agree. The gold and purple clouds would be black in
+spite of him, and the aerial structure he essayed to build would pitch
+and tumble about, for all the world, just like a steamboat in a heavy
+sea. As often as he got fairly into it, he was violently rolled out,
+and in a twinkling found himself in his narrow berth, awfully seasick.
+
+He went to sleep again at last, and the long night passed away. When
+he woke in the morning, he felt tolerably well, and was thankful that
+he had got out of that scrape. But before he could dress himself, he
+heard a terrible racket on deck. The steam whistle was shrieking, the
+bell was banging, and he heard the hoarse bellowing of the captain. It
+was certain that something had happened, or was about to happen.
+
+Then the boat stopped, rolling heavily in the sea. Tom was not there;
+he had gone on deck. Bobby was beginning to consider what a dreadful
+thing a wreck was, when Tom appeared.
+
+"What's the matter?" asked Bobby, with some appearance of alarm.
+
+"Fog," replied Tom. "It is so thick you can cut it with a hatchet."
+
+"Is that all?"
+
+"That's enough."
+
+"Where are we?"
+
+"That is just what the pilot would like to know. They can't see ahead
+a bit, and don't know where we are."
+
+Bobby went on deck. The ocean rolled beneath them, but there was
+nothing but fog to be seen above and around them. The lead was heaved
+every few moments, and the steamer crept slowly along till it was
+found the water shoaled rapidly, when the captain ordered the men to
+let go the anchor.
+
+There they were; the fog was as obstinate as a mule, and would not
+"lift." Hour after hour they waited, for the captain was a prudent
+man, and would not risk the life of those on board to save a few
+hours' time. After breakfast, the passengers began to display their
+uneasiness, and some of them called the captain very hard names,
+because he would not go on. Almost everybody grumbled, and made
+themselves miserable.
+
+"Nothing to do and nothing to read," growled a nicely-dressed
+gentleman, as he yawned and stretched himself to manifest his
+sensation of _ennui_.
+
+"Nothing to read, eh?" thought Bobby. "We will soon supply that want."
+
+Calling Tom, they went down to the main deck where the baggage had
+been placed.
+
+"Now's our time," said he, as he proceeded to unlock one of the trunks
+that contained his books. "Now or never."
+
+"I am with you," replied Tom, catching the idea.
+
+The books of the latter were in a box, and he was obliged to get a
+hammer to open it; but with Bobby's assistance he soon got at them.
+
+"Buy 'The Wayfarer,'" said Bobby, when he returned to the saloon, and
+placed a volume in the hands of the yawning gentleman. "Best book of
+the season; only one dollar."
+
+"That I will, and glad of the chance," replied the gentleman. "I would
+give five dollars for anything, if it were only the 'Comic Almanac.'"
+
+Others were of the same mind. There was no present prospect that the
+fog would lift, and before dinner time our merchant had sold fifty
+copies of "The Wayfarer." Tom, whose books were of an inferior
+description, and who was inexperienced as a salesman, disposed of
+twenty, which was more than half of his stock. The fog was a godsend
+to both of them, and they reaped a rich harvest from the occasion, for
+almost all the passengers seemed willing to spend their money freely
+for the means of occupying the heavy hours and driving away that
+dreadful _ennui_ which reigns supreme in a fog-bound steamer.
+
+About the middle of the afternoon, the fog blew over, and the boat
+proceeded on her voyage, and before sunset our young merchants were
+safely landed at Bath.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+IN WHICH TOM HAS A GOOD TIME, AND BOBBY MEETS WITH A TERRIBLE
+MISFORTUNE
+
+
+Bath afforded our young merchants an excellent market for their wares,
+and they remained there the rest of the week. They then proceeded to
+Brunswick, where their success was equally flattering.
+
+Thus far Tom had done very well, though Bobby had frequent occasion to
+remind him of the pledges he had given to conduct himself in a proper
+manner. He would swear now and then, from the force of habit; but
+invariably, when Bobby checked him, he promised to do better.
+
+At Brunswick Tom sold the last of his books, and was in possession of
+about thirty dollars, twelve of which he owed the publisher who had
+furnished his stock. This money seemed to burn in his pocket. He had
+the means of having a good time, and it went hard with him to plod
+along as Bobby did, careful to save every penny he could.
+
+"Come, Bob, let's get a horse and chaise and have a ride--what do you
+say?" proposed Tom, on the day he finished selling his books.
+
+"I can't spare the time or the money," replied Bobby, decidedly.
+
+"What is the use of having money if we can't spend it? It is a first
+rate day, and we should have a good time."
+
+"I can't afford it. I have a great many books to sell."
+
+"About a hundred; you can sell them fast enough."
+
+"I don't spend my money foolishly."
+
+"It wouldn't be foolishly. I have sold out, and I am bound to have a
+little fun now."
+
+"You never will succeed if you do business in that way."
+
+"Why not?"
+
+"You will spend your money as fast as you get it."
+
+"Pooh! we can get a horse and chaise for the afternoon for two
+dollars. That is not much."
+
+"Considerable, I should say. But if you begin, there is no knowing
+where to leave off. I make it a rule not to spend a single cent
+foolishly, and if I don't begin, I shall never do it."
+
+"I don't mean to spend all I get; only a little now and then,"
+persisted Tom.
+
+"Don't spend the first dollar for nonsense, and then you won't spend
+the second. Besides, when I have any money to spare, I mean to buy
+books with it for my library."
+
+"Humbug! Your library!"
+
+"Yes, my library; I mean to have a library one of these days."
+
+"I don't want any library, and I mean to spend some of my money in
+having a good time; and if you won't go with me, I shall go
+alone--that's all."
+
+"You can do as you please, of course; but I advise you to keep your
+money. You will want it to buy another stock of books."
+
+"I shall have enough for that. What do you say? will you go with me or
+not?"
+
+"No, I will not."
+
+"Enough said; then I shall go alone, or get some fellow to go with
+me."
+
+"Consider well before you go," pleaded Bobby, who had sense enough to
+see that Tom's proposed "good time" would put back, if not entirely
+prevent, the reform he was working out.
+
+He then proceeded to reason with him in a very earnest and feeling
+manner, telling him he would not only spend all his money, but
+completely unfit himself for business. What he proposed to do was
+nothing more nor less than extravagance, and it would lead him to
+dissipation and ruin.
+
+"To-day I am going to send one hundred dollars to Mr. Bayard,"
+continued Bobby; "for I am afraid to have so much money with me. I
+advise you to send your money to your employer."
+
+"Humph! Catch me doing that! I am bound to have a good time, anyhow."
+
+"At least, send the money you owe him."
+
+"I'll bet I won't."
+
+"Well, do as you please; I have said all I have to say."
+
+"You are a fool, Bob!" exclaimed Tom, who had evidently used Bobby as
+much as he wished, and no longer cared to speak soft words to him.
+
+"Perhaps I am; but I know better than to spend my money upon fast
+horses. If you will go, I can't help it. I am sorry you are going
+astray."
+
+"What do you mean by that, you young monkey?" said Tom, angrily.
+
+This was Tom Spicer, the bully. It sounded like him; and with a
+feeling of sorrow Bobby resigned the hopes he had cherished of making
+a good boy of him.
+
+"We had better part now," added our hero, sadly.
+
+"I'm willing."
+
+"I shall leave Brunswick this afternoon for the towns up the river. I
+hope no harm will befall you. Good by, Tom."
+
+"Go it! I have heard your preaching about long enough, and I am more
+glad to get rid of you than you are to get rid of me."
+
+Bobby walked away towards the house where he had left the trunk
+containing his books, while Tom made his way towards a livery
+stable. The boys had been in the place for several days, and had made
+some acquaintances; so Tom had no difficulty in procuring a companion
+for his proposed ride.
+
+Our hero wrote a letter that afternoon to Mr. Bayard, in which he
+narrated all the particulars of his journey, his relations with Tom
+Spicer, and the success that had attended his labors. At the bank he
+procured a hundred dollar note for his small bills, and enclosed it in
+the letter.
+
+He felt sad about Tom. The runaway had done so well, had been so
+industrious, and shown such a tractable spirit, that he had been very
+much encouraged about him. But if he meant to be wild again,--for it
+was plain that the ride was only "the beginning of sorrows,"--it was
+well that they should part.
+
+By the afternoon stage our hero proceeded to Gardiner, passing through
+several smaller towns, which did not promise a very abundant harvest.
+His usual success attended him; for wherever he went, people seemed to
+be pleased with him, as Squire Lee had declared they would be. His
+pleasant, honest face was a capital recommendation, and his eloquence
+seldom failed to achieve the result which eloquence has ever achieved
+from Demosthenes down to the present day.
+
+Our limits do not permit us to follow him in all his peregrinations
+from town to town, and from house to house; so we pass over the next
+fortnight, at the end of which time we find him at Augusta. He had
+sold all his books but twenty, and had that day remitted eighty
+dollars more to Mr. Bayard. It was Wednesday, and he hoped to sell out
+so as to be able to take the next steamer for Boston, which was
+advertised to sail on the following day.
+
+He had heard nothing from Tom since their parting, and had given up
+all expectation of meeting him again; but that bad penny maxim proved
+true once more, for, as he was walking through one of the streets of
+Augusta, he had the misfortune to meet him--and this time it was
+indeed a misfortune.
+
+"Hallo, Bobby!" shouted the runaway, as familiarly as though nothing
+had happened to disturb the harmony of their relations.
+
+"Ah, Tom, I didn't expect to see you again," replied Bobby, not very
+much rejoiced to meet his late companion.
+
+"I suppose not; but here I am, as good as new. Have you sold out?"
+
+"No, not quite."
+
+"How many have you left?"
+
+"About twenty; but I thought, Tom, you would have returned to Boston
+before this time."
+
+"No;" and Tom did not seem to be in very good spirits.
+
+"Where are you going now?"
+
+"I don't know. I ought to have taken your advice, Bobby."
+
+This was a concession, and our hero began to feel some sympathy for
+his companion--as who does not when the erring confess their faults?
+
+"I am sorry you did not."
+
+"I got in with some pretty hard fellows down there to Brunswick,"
+continued Tom, rather sheepishly.
+
+"And spent all your money," added Bobby, who could readily understand
+the reason why Tom had put on his humility again.
+
+"Not all."
+
+"How much have you left?"
+
+"Not much," replied he, evasively. "I don't know what I shall do. I am
+in a strange place, and have no friends."
+
+Bobby's sympathies were aroused, and without reflection, he promised
+to be a friend in his extremity.
+
+"I will stick by you this time, Bob, come what will. I will do just as
+you say, now."
+
+Our merchant was a little flattered by this unreserved display of
+confidence. He did not give weight enough to the fact that it was
+adversity alone which made Tom so humble. He was in trouble, and gave
+him all the guarantee he could ask for his future good behavior. He
+could not desert him now he was in difficulty.
+
+"You shall help me sell my books, and then we will return to Boston
+together. Have you money enough left to pay your employer?"
+
+Tom hesitated; something evidently hung heavily upon his mind.
+
+"I don't know how it will be after I have paid my expenses to Boston,"
+he replied, averting his face.
+
+Bobby was perplexed by this evasive answer; but as Tom seemed so
+reluctant to go into details, he reserved his inquiries for a more
+convenient season.
+
+"Now, Tom, you take the houses on that side of the street, and I will
+take those upon this side. You shall have the profits on all you
+sell."
+
+"You are a first rate fellow, Bob; and I only wish I had done as you
+wanted me to do."
+
+"Can't be helped now, and we will do the next best thing," replied
+Bobby, as he left his companion to enter a house.
+
+Tom did very well, and by the middle of the afternoon they had sold
+all the books but four. "The Wayfarer" had been liberally advertised
+in that vicinity, and the work was in great demand. Bobby's heart
+grew lighter as the volumes disappeared from his valise, and already
+he had begun to picture the scene which would ensue upon his return to
+the little black house. How glad his mother would be to see him, and,
+he dared believe, how happy Annie would be as she listened to the
+account of his journey in the State of Maine! Wouldn't she be
+astonished when he told her about the steamboat, about the fog, and
+about the wild region at the mouth of the beautiful Kennebec!
+
+Poor Bobby! the brightest dream often ends in sadness; and a greater
+trial than any he had been called upon to endure was yet in store for
+him.
+
+As he walked along, thinking of Riverdale and its loved ones, Tom came
+out of a grocery store where he had just sold a book.
+
+"Here, Bob, is a ten dollar bill. I believe I have sold ten books for
+you," said Tom, after they had walked some distance. "You had better
+keep the money now; and while I think of it, you had better take what
+I have left of my former sales;" and Tom handed him another ten dollar
+bill.
+
+Bobby noticed that Tom seemed very much confused and embarrassed; but
+he did not observe that the two bills he had handed him were on the
+same bank.
+
+"Then you had ten dollars left after your frolic," he remarked, as he
+took the last bill.
+
+"About that;" and Tom glanced uneasily behind him.
+
+"What is the matter with you, Tom?" asked Bobby, who did not know what
+to make of his companion's embarrassment.
+
+"Nothing, Bob; let us walk a little faster. We had better turn up
+this street," continued Tom, as, with a quick pace, he took the
+direction indicated.
+
+Bobby began to fear that Tom had been doing something wrong; and the
+suspicion was confirmed by seeing two men running with all their might
+towards them. Tom perceived them at the same moment.
+
+"Run!" he shouted, and suiting the action to the word, he took to his
+heels, and fled up the street into which he had proposed to turn.
+
+Bobby did not run, but stopped short where he was till the men came up
+to him.
+
+"Grab him," said one of them, "and I will catch the other."
+
+The man collared Bobby, and in spite of all the resistance he could
+make, dragged him down the street to the grocery store in which Tom
+had sold his last book.
+
+"What do you mean by this?" asked Bobby, his blood boiling with
+indignation at the harsh treatment to which he had been subjected.
+
+"We have got you, my hearty," replied the man, releasing his hold.
+
+No sooner was the grasp of the man removed, than Bobby, who determined
+on this as on former occasions to stand upon his inalienable rights,
+bolted for the door, and ran away with all his speed. But his captor
+was too fleet for him, and he was immediately retaken. To make him
+sure this time, his arms were tied behind him, and he was secured to
+the counter of the shop.
+
+In a few moments the other man returned, dragging Tom in triumph after
+him. By this time quite a crowd had collected, which nearly filled the
+store.
+
+Bobby was confounded at the sudden change that had come over his
+fortunes; but seeing that resistance would be vain, he resolved to
+submit with the best grace he could.
+
+"I should like to know what all this means?" he inquired,
+indignantly.
+
+The crowd laughed in derision.
+
+"This is the chap that stole the wallet, I will be bound," said one,
+pointing to Tom, who stood in surly silence awaiting his fate.
+
+"He is the one who came into the store," replied the shopkeeper.
+
+"_I_ haven't stole any wallet," protested Bobby, who now
+understood the whole affair.
+
+The names of the two boys were taken, and warrants procured for their
+detention. They were searched, and upon Tom was found the lost wallet,
+and upon Bobby two ten dollar bills, which the loser was willing to
+swear had been in the wallet. The evidence therefore was conclusive,
+and they were both sent to jail.
+
+Poor Bobby! the inmate of a prison!
+
+The law took its course, and in due time both of them were sentenced
+to two years' imprisonment in the State Reform School. Bobby was
+innocent, but he could not make his innocence appear. He had been the
+companion of Tom, the real thief, and part of the money had been found
+upon his person. Tom was too mean to exonerate him, and even had the
+hardihood to exult over his misfortune.
+
+At the end of three days they reached the town in which the Reform
+School is located, and were duly committed for their long term.
+
+Poor Bobby!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY TAKES FRENCH LEAVE, AND CAMPS IN THE WOODS
+
+
+The intelligence of Bobby's misfortune reached Mr. Bayard, in Boston,
+by means of the newspapers. To the country press an item is a matter
+of considerable importance, and the alleged offence against the peace
+and dignity of the State of Maine was duly heralded to the inquiring
+public as a "daring robbery." The reporter who furnished the facts in
+the case for publication was not entirely devoid of that essential
+qualification of the country item writer, a lively imagination, and
+was obliged to dress up the particulars a little, in order to produce
+the necessary amount of wonder and indignation. It was stated that one
+of the two young men had been prowling about the place for several
+days, ostensibly for the purpose of selling books, but really with the
+intention of stealing whatever he could lay his hands upon. It was
+suggested that the boys were in league with an organized band of
+robbers, whose nefarious purposes would be defeated by the timely
+arrest of these young villains. The paper hinted that further
+depredations would probably be discovered, and warned people to beware
+of ruffians strolling about the country in the guise of pedlers.
+
+The writer of this thrilling paragraph must have had reason to believe
+that he had discharged his whole duty to the public, and that our hero
+was duly branded as a desperate fellow. No doubt he believed Bobby was
+an awful monster; for at the conclusion of his remarks he introduced
+some severe strictures on the lenity of the magistrate, because he had
+made the sentence two years, instead of five, which the writer thought
+the atrocious crime deserved. But, then, the justice differed from him
+in politics, which may account for the severity of the article.
+
+Mr. Bayard read this precious paragraph with mingled grief and
+indignation. He understood the case at a glance. Tom Spicer had joined
+him, and the little merchant had been involved in his crime. He was
+sure that Bobby had had no part in stealing the money. One so noble
+and true as he had been could not steal, he reasoned. It was contrary
+to experience, contrary to common sense.
+
+He was very much disturbed. This intelligence would be a severe blow
+to the poor boy's mother, and he had not the courage to destroy all
+her bright hopes by writing her the terrible truth. He was confident
+that Bobby was innocent, and that his being in the company of Tom
+Spicer had brought the imputation upon him; so he could not let the
+matter take its course. He was determined to do something to procure
+his liberty and restore his reputation.
+
+Squire Lee was in the city that day, and had left his store only half
+an hour before he discovered the paragraph. He immediately sent to his
+hotel for him, and together they devised means to effect Bobby's
+liberation. The squire was even more confident than Mr. Bayard that
+our hero was innocent of the crime charged upon him. They agreed to
+proceed immediately to the State of Maine, and use their influence in
+obtaining his pardon. The bookseller was a man of influence in the
+community, and was as well known in Maine as in Massachusetts; but to
+make their application the surer, he procured letters of introduction
+from some of the most distinguished men in Boston to the governor and
+other official persons in Maine.
+
+We will leave them now to do the work they had so generously
+undertaken, and return to the Reform School, where Bobby and Tom were
+confined. The latter took the matter very coolly. He seemed to feel
+that he deserved his sentence, but he took a malicious delight in
+seeing Bobby the companion of his captivity. He even had the hardihood
+to remind him of the blow he had struck him more than two months
+before, telling him that he had vowed vengeance then, and now the time
+had come. He was satisfied.
+
+"You know I didn't steal the money, or have anything to do with it,"
+said Bobby.
+
+"Some of it was found upon you, though," sneered Tom, maliciously.
+
+"You know how it came there, if no one else does."
+
+"Of course I do; but I like your company too well to get rid of you so
+easy."
+
+"The Lord is with the innocent," replied Bobby; "and something tells
+me that I shall not stay in this place a great while."
+
+"Going to run away?" asked Tom, with interest, and suddenly dropping
+his malicious look.
+
+"I know I am innocent of any crime; and I know that the Lord will not
+let me stay here a great while."
+
+"What do you mean to do, Bob?"
+
+Bobby made no reply; he felt that he had had more confidence in Tom
+than he deserved, and he determined to keep his own counsel in
+future. He had a purpose in view. His innocence gave him courage; and
+perhaps he did not feel that sense of necessity for submission to the
+laws of the land which age and experience give. He prayed earnestly
+for deliverance from the place in which he was confined. He felt that
+he did not deserve to be there; and though it was a very comfortable
+place, and the boys fared as well as he wished to fare, still it
+seemed to him like a prison. He was unjustly detained; and he not only
+prayed to be delivered, but he resolved to work out his own
+deliverance at the first opportunity.
+
+Knowing that whatever he had would be taken from him, he resolved by
+some means to keep possession of the twenty dollars he had about
+him. He had always kept his money in a secret place in his jacket to
+guard against accident, and the officers who had searched him had not
+discovered it. But now his clothes would be changed. He thought of
+these things before his arrival; so, when he reached the entrance, and
+got out of the wagon, to open the gate, by order of the officer, he
+slipped his twenty dollars into a hole in the wall.
+
+It so happened that there was not a suit of clothes in the store room
+of the institution which would fit him; and he was permitted to wear
+his own dress till another should be made. After his name and
+description had been entered, and the superintendent had read him a
+lecture upon his future duties, he was permitted to join the other
+boys, who were at work on the farm. He was sent with half a dozen
+others to pick up stones in a neighboring field. No officer was with
+them, and Bobby was struck with the apparent freedom of the
+institution, and he so expressed himself to his companions.
+
+"Not so much freedom as you think for," said one, in reply.
+
+"I should think the fellows would clear out."
+
+"Not so easy a matter. There is a standing reward of five dollars to
+any one who brings back a runaway."
+
+"They must catch him first."
+
+"No fellow ever got away yet. They always caught him before he got ten
+miles from the place."
+
+This was an important suggestion to Bobby, who already had a definite
+purpose in his mind. Like a skilful general, he had surveyed the
+ground on his arrival, and was at once prepared to execute his design.
+
+In his conversation with the boys, he obtained the history of several
+who had attempted to escape, and found that even those who got a fair
+start were taken on some public road. He perceived that they were not
+good generals, and he determined to profit by their mistake.
+
+A short distance from the institution was what appeared to be a very
+extensive wood. Beyond this, many miles distant, he could see the
+ocean glittering like a sheet of ice under the setting sun.
+
+He carefully observed the hills, and obtained the bearings of various
+prominent objects in the vicinity which would aid him in his flight.
+The boys gave him all the information in their power about the
+localities of the country. They seemed to feel that he was possessed
+of a superior spirit, and that he would not long remain among them;
+but, whatever they thought, they kept their own counsel.
+
+Bobby behaved well, and was so intelligent and prompt that he obtained
+the confidence of the superintendent, who began to employ him about
+the house, and in his own family. He was sent of errands in the
+neighborhood, and conducted himself so much to the satisfaction of his
+guardians that he was not required to work in the field after the
+second day of his residence on the farm.
+
+One afternoon he was told that his clothes were ready, and that he
+might put them on the next morning. This was a disagreeable
+announcement; for Bobby saw that, with the uniform of the institution
+upon his back, his chance of escape would be very slight. But about
+sunset, he was sent by the superintendent's lady to deliver a note at
+a house in the vicinity.
+
+"Now or never!" said Bobby to himself, after he had left the
+house. "Now's my time."
+
+As he passed the gate, he secured his money, and placed it in the
+secret receptacle of his jacket. After he had delivered the letter,
+he took the road and hastened off in the direction of the wood. His
+heart beat wildly at the prospect of once more meeting his mother,
+after nearly four weeks' absence. Annie Lee would welcome him; she
+would not believe that he was a thief.
+
+He had been four days an inmate of the Reform School, and nothing but
+the hope of soon attaining his liberty had kept his spirits from
+drooping. He had not for a moment despaired of getting away.
+
+He reached the entrance to the wood, and taking a cart path, began to
+penetrate its hidden depths. The night darkened upon him; he heard the
+owl screech his dismal note, and the whip-poor-will chant his cheery
+song. A certain sense of security now pervaded his mind, for the
+darkness concealed him from the world, and he had placed six good
+miles between him and the prison, as he considered it.
+
+He walked on, however, till he came to what seemed to be the end of
+the wood, and he hoped to reach the blue ocean he had seen in the
+distance before morning. Leaving the forest, he emerged into the open
+country. There was here and there a house before him; but the aspect
+of the country seemed strangely familiar to him. He could not
+understand it. He had never been in this part of the country before;
+yet there was a great house with two barns by the side of it, which he
+was positive he had seen before.
+
+He walked across the field a little farther, when, to his astonishment
+and dismay, he beheld the lofty turrets of the State Reform School. He
+had been walking in a circle, and had come out of the forest near the
+place where he had entered it.
+
+Bobby, as the reader has found out by this time, was a philosopher as
+well as a hero; and instead of despairing or wasting his precious time
+in vain regrets at his mistake, he laughed a little to himself at the
+blunder, and turned back into the woods again.
+
+"Now or never!" muttered he. "It will never do to give it up so."
+
+For an hour he walked on, with his eyes fixed on a great bright star
+in the sky. Then he found that the cart path crooked round, and he
+discovered where he had made his blunder. Leaving the road, he made
+his way in a straight line, still guided by the star, till he came to
+a large sheet of water.
+
+The sheet of water was an effectual barrier to his farther progress;
+indeed, he was so tired he did not feel able to walk any more. He
+deemed himself safe from immediate pursuit in this secluded place. He
+needed rest, and he foresaw that the next few days would be burdened
+with fatigue and hardship which he must be prepared to meet.
+
+Bobby was not nice about trifles, and his habits were such that he had
+no fear of taking cold. His comfortable bed in the little black house
+was preferable to the cold ground, even with the primeval forest for a
+chamber; but circumstances alter cases, and he did not waste any vain
+regrets about the necessity of his position. After finding a secluded
+spot in the wood, he raked the dry leaves together for a bed, and
+offering his simple but fervent prayer to the Great Guardian above, he
+lay down to rest. The owl screamed his dismal note, and the
+whip-poor-will still repeated his monotonous song; but they were good
+company in the solitude of the dark forest.
+
+He could not go to sleep for a time, so strange and exciting were the
+circumstances of his position. He thought of a thousand things, but
+he could not _think_ himself to sleep, as he was wont to do. At
+last nature, worn out by fatigue and anxiety, conquered the
+circumstances, and he slept.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY HAS A NARROW ESCAPE, AND GOES TO SEA WITH SAM RAY
+
+
+Nature was kind to the little pilgrim in his extremity, and kept his
+senses sealed in grateful slumber till the birds had sung their matin
+song, and the sun had risen high in the heavens.
+
+Bobby woke with a start, and sprang to his feet. For a moment he did
+not realize where he was, or remember the exciting incidents of the
+previous evening. He felt refreshed by his deep slumber, and came out
+of it as vigorous as though he had slept in his bed at home. Rubbing
+his eyes, he stared about him at the tall pines whose foliage canopied
+his bed, and his identity was soon restored to him. He was Bobby
+Bright--but Bobby Bright in trouble. He was not the little merchant,
+but the little fugitive fleeing from the prison to which he had been
+doomed.
+
+It did not take him long to make his toilet, which was the only
+advantage of his primitive style of lodging. His first object was to
+examine his position, and ascertain in what direction he should
+continue his flight. He could not go ahead, as he had intended, for
+the sheet of water was an impassable barrier. Leaving the dense
+forest, he came to a marsh, beyond which was the wide creek he had
+seen in the night. It was salt water, and he reasoned that it could
+not extend a great way inland. His only course was to follow it till
+he found means of crossing it.
+
+Following the direction of the creek he kept near the margin of the
+wood till he came to a public road. He had some doubts about trusting
+himself out of the forest, even for a single moment; so he seated
+himself upon a rock to argue the point. If any one should happen to
+come along, he was almost sure of furnishing a clew to his future
+movements, if not of being immediately captured.
+
+This was a very strong argument, but there was a stronger one upon the
+other side. He had eaten nothing since dinner on the preceding day,
+and he began to feel faint for the want of food. On the other side of
+the creek he saw a pasture which looked as though it might afford him
+a few berries; and he was on the point of taking to the road, when he
+heard the rumbling of a wagon in the distance.
+
+His heart beat with apprehension. Perhaps it was some officer of the
+institution in search of him. At any rate it was some one who had come
+from the vicinity of the Reform School, and who had probably heard of
+his escape. As it came nearer, he heard the jingling of bells; it was
+the baker. How he longed for a loaf of his bread, or some of the
+precious gingerbread he carried in his cart! Hunger tempted him to run
+the risk of exposure. He had money; he could buy cakes and bread; and
+perhaps the baker had a kind heart, and would befriend him in his
+distress. The wagon was close at hand.
+
+"Now or never," thought he; but this time it was not _now_. The
+risk was too great. If he failed now, two years of captivity were
+before him; and as for the hunger, he could grin and bear it for a
+while.
+
+"Now or never;" but this time it was escape now or never; and he
+permitted the baker to pass without hailing him.
+
+He waited half an hour, and then determined to take the road till he
+had crossed the creek. The danger was great, but the pangs of hunger
+urged him on. He was sure there were berries in the pasture, and with
+a timid step, carefully watching before and behind to insure himself
+against surprise, he crossed the bridge. But then a new difficulty
+presented itself. There was a house within ten rods of the bridge,
+which he must pass, and to do so would expose him to the most imminent
+peril. He was on the point of retreating, when a man came out of the
+house, and approached him. What should he do? It was a trying
+moment. If he ran, the act would expose him to suspicion. If he went
+forward, the man might have already received a description of him, and
+arrest him.
+
+He chose the latter course. The instinct of his being was to do
+everything in a straightforward manner, and this probably prompted his
+decision.
+
+"Good morning, sir," said he boldly to the man.
+
+"Good morning. Where are you travelling?"
+
+This was a hard question. He did not know where he was travelling;
+besides, even in his present difficult position, he could not readily
+resort to a lie.
+
+"Down here a piece," he replied.
+
+"Travelled far to-day?"
+
+"Not far. Good morning, sir;" and Bobby resumed his walk.
+
+"I say, boy, suppose you tell me where you are going;" and the man
+came close to him, and deliberately surveyed him from head to foot.
+
+"I can hardly tell you," replied Bobby, summoning courage for the
+occasion.
+
+"Well, I suppose not," added the man, with a meaning smile.
+
+Bobby felt his strength desert him as he realized that he was
+suspected of being a runaway from the Reform School. That smile on the
+man's face was the knell of hope; and for a moment he felt a flood of
+misery roll over his soul. But the natural elasticity of his spirits
+soon came to his relief, and he resolved not to give up the ship, even
+if he had to fight for it.
+
+"I am in a hurry, so I shall have to leave you."
+
+"Not just yet, young man. Perhaps, as you don't know where you are
+going, you may remember what your name is," continued the man, good
+naturedly.
+
+There was a temptation to give a false name; but as it was so strongly
+beaten into our hero that the truth is better than a falsehood, he
+held his peace.
+
+"Excuse me, sir, but I can't stop to talk now."
+
+"In a hurry? Well, I dare say you are. I suppose there is no doubt but
+you are Master Robert Bright."
+
+"Not the least, sir; I haven't denied it yet, and I am not ashamed of
+my name," replied Bobby, with a good deal of spirit.
+
+"That's honest; I like that."
+
+"'Honesty is the best policy,'" added Bobby.
+
+"That's cool for a rogue, anyhow. You ought to thought of that afore."
+
+"I did."
+
+"And stole the money?"
+
+"I didn't. I never stole a penny in my life."
+
+"Come, I like that."
+
+"It is the truth."
+
+"But they won't believe it over to the Reform School," laughed the
+man.
+
+"They will one of these days, perhaps."
+
+"You are a smart youngster; but I don't know as I can make five
+dollars any easier than by taking you back where you come from."
+
+"Yes, you can," replied Bobby, promptly.
+
+"Can I?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"How?"
+
+"By letting me go."
+
+"Eh; you talk flush. I suppose you mean to give me your note, payable
+when the Kennebec dries up."
+
+"Cash on the nail," replied Bobby. "You look like a man with a heart
+in your bosom,"--Bobby stole this passage from "The Wayfarer."
+
+"I reckon I have. The time hasn't come yet when Sam Ray could see a
+fellow-creature in distress and not help him out. But to help a thief
+off----"
+
+"We will argue that matter," interposed Bobby. "I can prove to you
+beyond a doubt that I am innocent of the crime charged upon me."
+
+"You don't look like a bad boy, I must say."
+
+"But, Mr. Ray, I'm hungry; I haven't eaten a mouthful since yesterday
+noon."
+
+"Thunder! You don't say so!" exclaimed Sam Ray. "I never could bear to
+see a man hungry, much more a boy; so come along to my house and get
+something to eat, and we will talk about the other matter afterwards."
+
+Sam Ray took Bobby to the little old house in which he dwelt; and in a
+short time his wife, who expressed her sympathy for the little
+fugitive in the warmest terms, had placed an abundant repast upon the
+table. Our hero did ample justice to it, and when he had finished he
+felt like a new creature.
+
+"Now, Mr. Ray, let me tell you my story," said Bobby.
+
+"I don't know as it's any use. Now you have eat my bread and butter, I
+don't feel like being mean to you. If anybody else wants to carry you
+back, they may; I won't."
+
+"But you shall hear me;" and Bobby proceeded to deliver his "plain,
+unvarnished tale."
+
+When he had progressed but a little way in the narrative, the noise of
+an approaching vehicle was heard. Sam looked out of the window, as
+almost everybody does in the country when a carriage passes.
+
+"By thunder! It's the Reform School wagon!" exclaimed he. "This way,
+boy!" and the good-hearted man thrust him into his chamber, bidding
+him get under the bed.
+
+The carriage stopped at the house; but Sam evaded a direct reply, and
+the superintendent--for it was he--proceeded on his search.
+
+"Heaven bless you, Mr. Ray!" exclaimed Bobby, when he came out of the
+chamber, as the tears of gratitude coursed down his cheeks.
+
+"O, you will find Sam Ray all right," said he, warmly pressing Bobby's
+proffered hand. "I ain't quite a heathen, though some folks around
+here think so."
+
+"You are an angel!"
+
+"Not exactly," laughed Sam.
+
+Our hero finished his story, and confirmed it by exhibiting his
+account book and some other papers which he had retained. Sam Ray was
+satisfied, and vowed that if ever he saw Tom Spicer he would certainly
+"lick" him for his sake.
+
+"Now, sonny, I like you; I will be sworn you are a good fellow; and I
+mean to help you off. So just come along with me. I make my living by
+browsing round, hunting and fishing a little, and doing an odd job now
+and then. You see, I have got a good boat down the creek, and I shall
+just put you aboard and take you anywhere you have a mind to go."
+
+"May Heaven reward you!" cried Bobby, almost overcome by this sudden
+and unexpected kindness.
+
+"O, I don't want no reward; only when you get to be a great man--and I
+am dead sure you will be a great man--just think now and then of Sam
+Ray, and it's all right."
+
+"I shall remember you with gratitude as long as I live."
+
+Sam Ray took his gun on his shoulder, and Bobby the box of provisions
+which Mrs. Ray had put up, and they left the house. At the bridge they
+got into a little skiff, and Sam took the oars. After they had passed
+a bend in the creek which concealed them from the road, Bobby felt
+secure from further molestation.
+
+Sam pulled about two miles down the creek, where it widened into a
+broad bay, near the head of which was anchored a small schooner.
+
+"Now, my hearty, nothing short of Uncle Sam's whole navy can get you
+away from me," said Sam, as he pulled alongside the schooner.
+
+"You have been very kind to me."
+
+"All right, sonny. Now tumble aboard."
+
+Bobby jumped upon the deck of the little craft and Sam followed him,
+after making fast the skiff to the schooner's moorings.
+
+In a few minutes the little vessel was standing down the bay with "a
+fresh wind and a flowing sheet." Bobby, who had never been in a sail
+boat before, was delighted, and in no measured terms expressed his
+admiration of the working of the trim little craft.
+
+"Now, sonny, where shall we go?" asked Sam, as they emerged from the
+bay into the broad ocean.
+
+"I don't know," replied Bobby. "I want to get back to Boston."
+
+"Perhaps I can put you aboard of some coaster bound there."
+
+"That will do nicely."
+
+"I will head towards Boston, and if I don't overhaul anything, I will
+take you there myself."
+
+"Is this boat big enough to go so far?"
+
+"She'll stand anything short of a West India hurricane. You ain't
+afeard, are you?"
+
+"O, no; I like it."
+
+The big waves now tossed the little vessel up and down like a feather,
+and the huge seas broke upon the bow, deluging her deck with floods of
+water. Bobby had unlimited confidence in Sam Ray, and felt as much at
+home as though he had been "cradled upon the briny deep." There was an
+excitement in the scene which accorded with his nature, and the perils
+which he had so painfully pictured on the preceding night were all
+born into the most lively joys.
+
+They ate their dinners from the provision box; Sam lighted his pipe,
+and many a tale he told of adventure by sea and land. Bobby felt
+happy, and almost dreaded the idea of parting with his rough but
+good-hearted friend. They were now far out at sea, and the night was
+coming on.
+
+"Now, sonny, you had better turn in and take a snooze; you didn't rest
+much last night."
+
+"I am not sleepy; but there is one thing I will do;" and Bobby drew
+from his secret receptacle his roll of bills.
+
+"Put them up, sonny," said Sam.
+
+"I want to make you a present of ten dollars."
+
+"You can't do it."
+
+"Nay, but to please me."
+
+"No, sir!"
+
+"Well, then, let me send it to your good wife."
+
+"You can't do that, nuther," replied Sam, gazing earnestly at a
+lumber-laden schooner ahead of him.
+
+"You must; your good heart made you lose five dollars, and I insist
+upon making it up to you."
+
+"You can't do it."
+
+"I shall feel bad if you don't take it. You see I have twenty dollars
+here, and I would like to give you the whole of it."
+
+"Not a cent, sonny. I ain't a heathen. That schooner ahead is bound
+for Boston, I reckon."
+
+"I shall be sorry to part with you, Mr. Ray."
+
+"Just my sentiment. I hain't seen a youngster afore for many a day
+that I took a fancy to, and I hate to let you go."
+
+"We shall meet again."
+
+"I hope so."
+
+"Please to take this money."
+
+"No;" and Sam shook his head so resolutely that Bobby gave up the
+point.
+
+As Sam had conjectured, the lumber schooner was bound to Boston. Her
+captain readily agreed to take our hero on board, and he sadly bade
+adieu to his kind friend.
+
+"Good by, Mr. Ray," said Bobby, as the schooner filled away. "Take
+this to remember me by."
+
+It was his jackknife; but Sam did not discover the ten dollar bill,
+which was shut beneath the blade, till it was too late to return it.
+
+Bobby did not cease to wave his hat to Sam till his little craft
+disappeared in the darkness.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+IN WHICH THE CLOUDS BLOW OVER, AND BOBBY IS HIMSELF AGAIN
+
+
+Fortunately for Bobby, the wind began to blow very heavily soon after
+he went on board of the lumber schooner, so that the captain was too
+much engaged in working his vessel to ask many questions. He was short
+handed, and though our hero was not much of a sailor he made himself
+useful to the best of his ability. Though the wind was heavy, it was
+not fair; and it was not till the third morning after his parting with
+Sam Ray that the schooner arrived off Boston Light. The captain then
+informed him that, as the tide did not favor him, he might not get up
+to the city for twenty-four hours; and, if he was in a hurry, he would
+put him on board a pilot boat which he saw standing up the channel.
+
+"Thank you, captain; you are very kind, but it would give you a great
+deal of trouble," said Bobby.
+
+"None at all. We must wait here till the tide turns; so we have
+nothing better to do."
+
+"I should be very glad to get up this morning."
+
+"You shall, then;" and the captain ordered two men to get out the
+jolly boat.
+
+"I will pay my passage now, if you please."
+
+"That is paid."
+
+"Paid?"
+
+"I should say you had worked your passage. You have done very well,
+and I shall not charge you anything."
+
+"I expected to pay my passage, captain; but if you think I have done
+enough to pay it, why I have nothing to say, only that I am very much
+obliged to you."
+
+"You ought to be a sailor, young man; you were cut out for one."
+
+"I like the sea, though I never saw it till a few weeks since. But I
+suppose my mother would not let me go to sea."
+
+"I suppose not; mothers are always afraid of salt water."
+
+By this time the jolly boat was alongside; and bidding the captain
+adieu, he jumped into it, and the men pulled him to the pilot boat,
+which had come up into the wind at the captain's hail. Bobby was
+kindly received on board, and in a couple of hours landed at the wharf
+in Boston.
+
+With a beating heart he made his way up into Washington Street. He
+felt strangely; his cheeks seemed to tingle, for he was aware that the
+imputation of dishonesty was fastened upon him. He could not doubt but
+that the story of his alleged crime had reached the city, and perhaps
+gone to his friends in Riverdale. How his poor mother must have wept
+to think her son was a thief! No; she never could have thought that.
+_She_ knew he would not steal, if no one else did. And Annie
+Lee--would she ever smile upon him again? Would she welcome him to her
+father's house so gladly as she had done in the past? He could bring
+nothing to establish his innocence but his previous character. Would
+not Mr. Bayard frown upon him? Would not even Ellen be tempted to
+forget the service he had rendered her?
+
+Bobby had thought of all these things before--on his cold, damp bed in
+the forest, in the watches of the tempestuous night on board the
+schooner. But now, when he was almost in the presence of those he
+loved and respected, they had more force, and they nearly overwhelmed
+him.
+
+"I am innocent," he repeated to himself, "and why need I fear? My good
+Father in heaven will not let me be wronged."
+
+Yet he could not overcome his anxiety; and when he reached the store
+of Mr. Bayard, he passed by, dreading to face the friend who had been
+so kind to him. He could not bear even to be suspected of a crime by
+him.
+
+"Now or never," said he, as he turned round.
+
+"I will know my fate at once, and then make the best of it."
+
+Mustering all his courage, he entered the store. Mr. Timmins was not
+there; so he was spared the infliction of any ill-natured remark from
+him.
+
+"Hallo, Bobby!" exclaimed the gentlemanly salesman, whose acquaintance
+he had made on his first visit.
+
+"Good morning, Mr. Bigelow," replied Bobby with as much boldness as he
+could command.
+
+"I didn't know as I should ever see you again. You have been gone a
+long while."
+
+"Longer than usual," answered Bobby, with a blush; for he considered
+the remark of the salesman as an allusion to his imprisonment. "Is
+Mr. Bayard in?"
+
+"He is--in his office."
+
+Bobby's feet would hardly obey the mandate of his will, and with a
+faltering step he entered the private room of the bookseller. Mr.
+Bayard was absorbed in the perusal of the morning paper, and did not
+observe his entrance. With his heart up in his throat, and almost
+choking him, he stood for several minutes upon the threshold. He
+almost feared to speak, dreading the severe frown with which he
+expected to be received. Suspense, however, was more painful than
+condemnation, and he brought his resolution up to the point.
+
+"Mr. Bayard," said he, in faltering tones.
+
+"Bobby!" exclaimed the bookseller, dropping his paper upon the floor,
+and jumping upon his feet as though an electric current had passed
+through his frame.
+
+Grasping our hero's hand, he shook it with so much energy that, under
+any other circumstances, Bobby would have thought it hurt him. He did
+not think so now.
+
+"My poor Bobby! I am delighted to see you!" continued Mr. Bayard.
+
+Bobby burst into tears, and sobbed like a child, as he was. The
+unexpected kindness of this reception completely overwhelmed him.
+
+"Don't cry, Bobby; I know all about it;" and the tender-hearted
+bookseller wiped away his tears. "It was a stroke of misfortune; but
+it is all right now."
+
+But Bobby could not help crying, and the more Mr. Bayard attempted to
+console him, the more he wept.
+
+"I am innocent, Mr. Bayard," he sobbed.
+
+"I know you are, Bobby; and all the world knows you are."
+
+"I am ruined now; I shall never dare to hold my head up again."
+
+"Nonsense, Bobby; you will hold your head the higher. You have behaved
+like a hero."
+
+"I ran away from the State Reform School, sir. I was innocent, and I
+would rather have died than stayed there."
+
+"I know all about it, my young friend. Now dry your tears, and we
+will talk it all over."
+
+Bobby blew and sputtered a little more; but finally he composed
+himself, and took a chair by Mr. Bayard's side. The bookseller then
+drew from his pocket a ponderous document, with a big official seal
+upon it, and exhibited it to our hero.
+
+"Do you see this, Bobby? It is your free and unconditional pardon."
+
+"Sir! Why----"
+
+"It will all end well, you may depend."
+
+Bobby was amazed. His pardon? But it would not restore his former good
+name. He felt that he was branded as a felon. It was not mercy, but
+justice, that he wanted.
+
+"Truth is mighty, and will prevail," continued Mr. Bayard; "and this
+document restores your reputation."
+
+"I can hardly believe that."
+
+"Can't you? Hear my story then. When I read in one of the Maine papers
+the account of your misfortune, I felt that you had been grossly
+wronged. You were coupled with that Tom Spicer, who is the most
+consummate little villain I ever saw, and I understood your
+situation. Ah, Bobby, your only mistake was in having anything to do
+with that fellow."
+
+"I left him at Brunswick because he began to behave badly; but he
+joined me again at Augusta. He had spent nearly all his money, and did
+not know what to do. I pitied him, and meant to do something to help
+him out of the scrape."
+
+"Generous as ever! I have heard all about this before."
+
+"Indeed; who told you?"
+
+"Tom Spicer himself."
+
+"Tom?" asked Bobby, completely mystified.
+
+"Yes, Tom; you see, when I heard about your trouble, Squire Lee and
+myself----"
+
+"Squire Lee? Does he know about it?"
+
+"He does; and you may depend upon it, he thinks more highly of you
+than ever before. He and I immediately went down to Augusta to
+inquire into the matter. We called upon the governor of the state, who
+said that he had seen you, and bought a book of you."
+
+"Of me!" exclaimed Bobby, startled to think he had sold a book to a
+governor.
+
+"Yes; you called at his house; probably you did not know that he was
+the chief magistrate of the state. At any rate, he was very much
+pleased with you, and sorry to hear of your misfortune. Well, we
+followed your route to Brunswick, where we ascertained how Tom had
+conducted. In a week he established a very bad reputation there; but
+nothing could be found to implicate you. The squire testified to your
+uniform good behavior, and especially to your devotion to your mother.
+In short, we procured your pardon, and hastened with it to the State
+Reform School.
+
+"On our arrival, we learned, to our surprise and regret, that you had
+escaped from the institution on the preceding evening. Every effort
+was made to retake you, but without success. Ah, Bobby, you managed
+that well."
+
+"They didn't look in the right place," replied Bobby, with a smile,
+for he began to feel happy again.
+
+"By the permission of the superintendent, Squire Lee and myself
+examined Tom Spicer. He is a great rascal. Perhaps he thought we
+would get him out; so he made a clean breast of it, and confessed that
+you had no hand in the robbery, and that you knew nothing about it.
+He gave you the two bills on purpose to implicate you in the crime. We
+wrote down his statement, and had it sworn to before a justice of the
+peace. You shall read it by and by."
+
+"May Heaven reward you for your kindness to a poor boy!" exclaimed
+Bobby, the tears flowing down his cheeks again. "I did not deserve so
+much from you, Mr. Bayard."
+
+"Yes, you did, and a thousand times more. I was very sorry you had
+left the institution, and I waited in the vicinity till they said
+there was no probability that you would be captured. The most
+extraordinary efforts were used to find you; but there was not a
+person to be found who had seen or heard of you. I was very much
+alarmed about you, and offered a hundred dollars for any information
+concerning you."
+
+"I am sorry you had so much trouble. I wish I had known you were
+there."
+
+"How did you get off?"
+
+Bobby briefly related the story of his escape, and Mr. Bayard
+pronounced his skill worthy of his genius.
+
+"Sam Ray is a good fellow; we will remember him," added the
+bookseller, when he had finished.
+
+"I shall remember him; and only that I shall be afraid to go into the
+State of Maine after what has happened, I should pay him a visit one
+of these days."
+
+"There you are wrong. Those who know your story would sooner think of
+giving you a public reception, than of saying or doing anything to
+injure your feelings. Those who have suffered unjustly are always
+lionized."
+
+"But no one will know my story, only that I was sent to prison for
+stealing."
+
+"There you are mistaken again. We put articles in all the principal
+papers, stating the facts in the case, and establishing your innocence
+beyond a peradventure. Go to Augusta now, Bobby, and you will be a
+lion."
+
+"I am sure I had no idea of getting out of the scrape so easily as
+this."
+
+"Innocence shall triumph, my young friend."
+
+"What does mother say?" asked Bobby, his countenance growing sad.
+
+"I do not know. We returned from Maine only yesterday; but Squire Lee
+will satisfy her. All that can worry her, as it has worried me, will
+be her fears for your safety when she hears of your escape."
+
+"I will soon set her mind at ease upon that point. I will take the
+noon train home."
+
+"A word about business before you go. I discharged Timmins about a
+week ago, and I have kept his place for you."
+
+"By gracious!" exclaimed Bobby, thrown completely out of his propriety
+by this announcement.
+
+"I think you will do better, in the long run, than you would to travel
+about the country. I was talking with Ellen about it, and she says it
+shall be so. Timmins's salary was five hundred dollars a year, and you
+shall have the same."
+
+"Five hundred dollars a year!" ejaculated Bobby, amazed at the
+vastness of the sum.
+
+"Very well for a boy of thirteen, Bobby."
+
+"I was fourteen last Sunday, sir."
+
+"I would not give any other boy so much; but you are worth it, and you
+shall have it."
+
+Probably Mr. Bayard's gratitude had something to do with this
+munificent offer; but he knew that our hero possessed abilities and
+energy far beyond his years. He further informed Bobby that he should
+have a room at his house, and that Ellen was delighted with the
+arrangement he proposed.
+
+The gloomy, threatening clouds were all rolled back, and floods of
+sunshine streamed in upon the soul of the little merchant; but in the
+midst of his rejoicing he remembered that his own integrity had
+carried him safely through the night of sorrow and doubt. He had been
+true to himself, and now, in the hour of his great triumph, he
+realized that, if he had been faithless to the light within him, his
+laurel would have been a crown of thorns.
+
+He was happy--very happy. What made him so? Not his dawning
+prosperity; not the favor of Mr. Bayard; not the handsome salary he
+was to receive; for all these things would have been but dross if he
+had sacrificed his integrity, his love of truth and uprightness. He
+had been true to himself, and unseen angels had held him up. He had
+been faithful, and the consciousness of his fidelity to principle made
+a heaven within his heart.
+
+It was arranged that he should enter upon the duties of his new
+situation on the following week. After settling with Mr. Bayard, he
+found he had nearly seventy dollars in his possession; so that in a
+pecuniary point of view, if in no other, his eastern excursion was
+perfectly satisfactory.
+
+By the noon train he departed for Riverdale, and in two hours more he
+was folded to his mother's heart. Mrs. Bright wept for joy now, as she
+had before wept in misery when she heard of her son's misfortune. It
+took him all the afternoon to tell his exciting story to her, and she
+was almost beside herself when Bobby told her about his new situation.
+
+After tea he hastened over to Squire Lee's; and my young readers can
+imagine what a warm reception he had from father and daughter. For the
+third time that day he narrated his adventures in the east; and Annie
+declared they were better than any novel she had ever read. Perhaps it
+was because Bobby was the hero. It was nearly ten o'clock before he
+finished his story; and when he left, the squire made him promise to
+come over the next day.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+IN WHICH BOBBY STEPS OFF THE STAGE, AND THE AUTHOR MUST FINISH "NOW OR
+NEVER"
+
+
+The few days which Bobby remained at home before entering upon the
+duties of his new situation were agreeably filled up in calling upon
+his many friends, and in visiting those pleasant spots in the woods
+and by the river, which years of association had rendered dear to
+him. His plans for the future, too, occupied some of his time, though,
+inasmuch as his path of duty was already marked out, these plans were
+but little more than a series of fond imaginings; in short, little
+more than day dreams. I have before hinted that Bobby was addicted to
+castle building, and I should pity the man or boy who was not--who had
+no bright dream of future achievements, of future usefulness. "As a
+man thinketh, so is he," the Psalmist tells us, and it was the pen of
+inspiration which wrote it. What a man pictures as his ideal of that
+which is desirable in this world and the world to come, he will
+endeavor to attain. Even if it be no higher aim than the possession of
+wealth or fame, it is good and worthy as far as it goes. It fires his
+brain, it nerves his arm. It stimulates him to action, and action is
+the soul of progress. We must all work; and this world were cold and
+dull if it had no bright dreams to be realized. What Napoleon
+dreamed, he labored to accomplish, and the monarchs of Europe trembled
+before him. What Howard wished to be, he labored to be; his ideal was
+beautiful and true, and he raised a throne which will endure through
+eternity.
+
+Bobby dreamed great things. That bright picture of the little black
+house transformed into a white cottage, with green blinds, and
+surrounded by a pretty fence, was the nearest object; and before
+Mrs. Bright was aware that he was in earnest, the carpenters and the
+painters were upon the spot.
+
+"Now or never," replied Bobby to his mother's remonstrance. "This is
+your home, and it shall be the pleasantest spot upon earth, if I can
+make it so."
+
+Then he had to dream about his business in Boston and I am not sure
+but that he fancied himself a rich merchant, like Mr. Bayard, living
+in an elegant house in Chestnut Street, and having clerks and porters
+to do as he bade them. A great many young men dream such things, and
+though they seem a little silly when spoken out loud, they are what
+wood and water are to the steam engine--they are the mainspring of
+action. Some are stupid enough to dream about these things, and spend
+their time in idleness and dissipation, waiting for "the good time
+coming." It will never come to them. They are more likely to die in
+the almshouse or the state prison, than to ride in their carriages;
+for constant exertion is the price of success.
+
+Bobby enjoyed himself to the utmost of his capacity during these few
+days of respite from labor. He spent a liberal share of his time at
+Squire Lee's, where he was almost as much at home as in his mother's
+house. Annie read Moore's Poems to him, till he began to have quite a
+taste for poetry himself.
+
+In connection with Tom Spicer's continued absence, which had to be
+explained, Bobby's trials in the eastern country leaked out, and the
+consequence was, that he became a lion in Riverdale. The minister
+invited him to tea, as well as other prominent persons, for the sake
+of hearing his story; but Bobby declined the polite invitations from
+sheer bashfulness. He had not brass enough to make himself a hero;
+besides, the remembrance of his journey was anything but pleasant to
+him.
+
+On Monday morning he took the early train for Boston, and assumed the
+duties of his situation in Mr. Bayard's store. But as I have carried
+my hero through the eventful period of his life, I cannot dwell upon
+his subsequent career. He applied himself with all the energy of his
+nature to the discharge of his duties. Early in the morning and late
+in the evening he was at his post. Mr. Bigelow was his friend from the
+first, and gave him all the instruction he required. His intelligence
+and quick perception soon enabled him to master the details of the
+business, and by the time he was fifteen, he was competent to perform
+any service required of him.
+
+By the advice of Mr. Bayard, he attended an evening school for six
+months in the year, to acquire a knowledge of book keeping, and to
+compensate for the opportunities of which he had been necessarily
+deprived in his earlier youth. He took Dr. Franklin for his model, and
+used all his spare time in reading good books, and in obtaining such
+information and such mental culture as would fit him to be, not only a
+good merchant, but a good and true man.
+
+Every Saturday night he went home to Riverdale to spend the Sabbath
+with his mother. The little black house no longer existed, for it had
+become the little paradise of which he had dreamed, only that the
+house seemed whiter, the blinds greener, and the fence more attractive
+than his fancy had pictured them. His mother, after a couple of years,
+at Bobby's earnest pleadings, ceased to close shoes and take in
+washing; but she had enough and to spare, for her son's salary was now
+six hundred dollars. His kind employer boarded him for nothing (much
+against Bobby's will, I must say), so that every month he carried to
+his mother thirty dollars, which more than paid her expenses.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Eight years have passed by since Bobby--we beg his pardon, he is now
+Mr. Robert Bright--entered the store of Mr. Bayard. He has passed from
+the boy to the man. Over the street door a new sign has taken the
+place of the old one, and the passer-by reads,--
+
+  BAYARD & BRIGHT,
+  BOOKSELLERS AND PUBLISHERS.
+
+The senior partner resorts to his counting room every morning from the
+force of habit; but he takes no active part in the business.
+Mr. Bright has frequent occasion to ask his advice, though everything
+is directly managed by him; and the junior is accounted one of the
+ablest, but at the same time one of the most honest, business men in
+the city. His integrity has never been sacrificed, even to the
+emergencies of trade. The man is what the boy was; and we can best sum
+up the results of his life by saying that he has been true to himself,
+true to his friends, and true to his God.
+
+Mrs. Bright is still living at the little white cottage, happy in
+herself and happy in her children. Bobby--we mean Mr. Bright--has
+hardly missed going to Riverdale on a Saturday night since he left
+home, eight years before. He has the same partiality for those famous
+apple pies, and his mother would as soon think of being without bread
+as being without apple pies when he comes home.
+
+Of course Squire Lee and Annie were always glad to see him when he
+came to Riverdale; and for two years it had been common talk in
+Riverdale that our hero did not go home on Sunday evening when the
+clock struck nine. But as this is a forbidden topic, we will ask the
+reader to go with us to Mr. Bayard's house in Chestnut Street.
+
+What! Annie Lee here?
+
+No; but as you are here, allow me to introduce Mrs. Robert Bright.
+
+They were married a few months before, and Mr. Bayard insisted that
+the happy couple should make their home at his house.
+
+But where is Ellen Bayard?
+
+O, she is Mrs. Bigelow now, and her husband is at the head of a large
+book establishment in New York.
+
+Bobby's dream had been realized, and he was the happiest man in the
+world--at least he thought so, which is just the same thing. He had
+been successful in business; his wife--the friend and companion of his
+youth, the brightest filament of the bright vision his fancy had
+woven--had been won, and the future glowed with brilliant promises.
+
+He had been successful; but neither nor all of the things we have
+mentioned constituted his highest and truest success--not his business
+prosperity, not the bright promise of wealth in store for him, not his
+good name among men, not even the beautiful and loving wife who had
+cast her lot with his to the end of time. These were successes, great
+and worthy, but not the highest success.
+
+He had made himself a man,--this was his real success,--a true, a
+Christian man. He had lived a noble life. He had reared the lofty
+structure of his manhood upon a solid foundation--principle. It is
+the rock which the winds of temptation and the rains of selfishness
+cannot move.
+
+Robert Bright is happy because he is good. Tom Spicer, now in the
+state prison, is unhappy,--not _because_ he is in the state
+prison, but because the evil passions of his nature are at war with
+the peace of his soul. He has fed the good that was within him upon
+straw and husks, and starved it out. He is a body only; the soul is
+dead in trespasses and sin. He loves no one, and no one loves him.
+
+During the past summer, Mr. Bright and his lady took a journey "down
+east." Annie insisted upon visiting the State Reform School; and her
+husband drove through the forest by which he had made his escape on
+that eventful night. Afterwards they called upon Sam Ray, who had been
+"dead sure that Bobby would one day be a great man." He was about the
+same person, and was astonished and delighted when our hero introduced
+himself.
+
+They spent a couple of hours in talking over the past, and at his
+departure, Mr. Bright made him a handsome present in such a delicate
+manner that he could not help accepting it.
+
+Squire Lee is still as hale and hearty as ever, and is never so happy
+as when Annie and her husband come to Riverdale to spend the
+Sabbath. He is fully of the opinion that Mr. Bright is the greatest
+man on the western continent, and he would not be in the least
+surprised if he should be elected President of the United States one
+of these days.
+
+The little merchant is a great merchant now. But more than this, he
+is a good man. He has formed his character, and he will probably die
+as he has lived.
+
+Reader, if you have any good work to do, do it now; for with you it
+may be "NOW OR NEVER."
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: By England's Aid by G. A. Henty]
+
+THE FAMOUS HENTY BOOKS
+
+The Boys' Own Library
+
+12mo, Cloth
+
+G. A. Henty has long held the field as the most popular boys'
+author. Age after age of heroic deeds has been the subject of his pen,
+and the knights of old seem very real in his pages. Always wholesome
+and manly, always heroic and of high ideals, his books are more than
+popular wherever the English language is spoken.
+
+Each volume is printed on excellent paper from new large-type plates,
+bound in cloth, assorted colors, with an attractive ink and gold
+stamp. _Price 75 Cents._
+
+  _A Final Reckoning_
+      A Tale of Bush Life in Australia
+
+  _By England's Aid_
+      The Freeing of the Netherlands
+
+  _By Right of Conquest_
+      A Tale of Cortez in Mexico
+
+  _Bravest of the Brave_
+      A Tale of Peterborough in Spain
+
+  _By Pike and Dyke_
+      The Rise of the Dutch Republic
+
+  _By Sheer Pluck_
+      A Tale of the Ashantee War
+
+  _Bonnie Prince Charlie_
+      A Tale of Fontenoy and Culloden
+
+  _Captain Bayley's Heir_
+      A Tale of the Gold Fields of California
+
+  _Cat of Bubastes_
+      A Story of Ancient Egypt
+
+  _Cornet of Horse_
+      A Tale of Marlborough's Wars
+
+  _Facing Death_
+      A Tale of the Coal Mines
+
+  _Friends, though Divided_
+      A Tale of the Civil War in England
+
+  _For Name and Fame_
+      A Tale of Afghan Warfare
+
+  _For the Temple_
+      A Tale of the Fall of Jerusalem
+
+  _In Freedom's Cause_
+      A Story of Wallace and Bruce
+
+  _In the Reign of Terror_
+      The Adventures of a Westminster Boy
+
+  _In Times of Peril_
+      A Tale of India
+
+  _Jack Archer_
+      A Tale of the Crimea
+
+  _Lion of St. Mark_
+      A Tale of Venice in the XIV. Century
+
+  _Lion of the North_
+      A Tale of Gustavus Adolphus
+
+  _Maori and Settler_
+      A Tale of the New Zealand War
+
+  _Orange and Green_
+      A Tale of the Boyne and Limerick
+
+  _One of the 28th_
+      A Tale of Waterloo
+
+  _Out on the Pampas_
+      A Tale of South America
+
+  _St. George for England_
+      A Tale of Crecy and Poietiers
+
+  _True to the Old Flag_
+      A Tale of the Revolution
+
+  _The Young Colonists_
+      A Tale of the Zulu and Boer Wars
+
+  _The Dragon and the Raven_
+      A Tale of King Alfred
+
+  _The Boy Knight_
+      A Tale of the Crusades
+
+  _Through the Fray_
+      A Story of the Luddite Riots
+
+  _Under Drake's Flag_
+      A Tale of the Spanish Main
+
+  _With Wolfe in Canada_
+      The Tale of Winning a Continent
+
+  _With Clive in India_
+      The Beginning of an Empire
+
+  _With Lee in Virginia_
+      A Story of the American Civil War
+
+  _Young Carthaginian_
+      A story of the Times of Hannibal
+
+  _Young Buglers_
+      A Tale of the Peninsular War
+
+  _Young Franc-Tireurs_
+      A Tale of the Franco-Prussian War
+
+THE MERSHON COMPANY
+
+156 Fifth Avenue, New York    Rahway, N. J.
+
+
+
+
+FLAG OF FREEDOM SERIES
+
+By CAPTAIN RALPH BONEHILL
+
+
+_Three Volumes, Illustrated, Bound in Cloth, with a very Attractive
+Cover, Price $1.00 Per Volume_
+
+
+_WHEN SANTIAGO FELL; or, The War Adventures of Two Chums_
+
+Captain Bonehill has never penned a better tale than this stirring
+story of adventures in Cuba. Two boys, an American and his Cuban chum,
+leave New York to join their parents in the interior of Cuba. The war
+between Spain and the Cubans is on, and the boys are detained at
+Santiago de Cuba, but escape by crossing the bay at night. Many
+adventures between the lines follow, and a good pen picture of General
+Garcia is given. The American lad, with others, is captured and cast
+into a dungeon in Santiago; and then follows the never-to-be-forgotten
+campaign in Cuba under General Shafter. How the hero finally escapes
+makes reading no wide-awake boy will want to miss.
+
+
+_A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY; or, Afloat in the Philippines_
+
+The story of Dewey's victory in Manila Bay will never grow old, but
+here we have it told in a new form--not as those in command witnessed
+the contest, but as it appeared to a real, live American youth who was
+in the navy at the time. Many adventures in Manila and in the interior
+follow, giving true-to-life scenes from this remote portion of the
+globe. A book that should be in every boy's library.
+
+
+_OFF FOR HAWAII; or, The Mystery of a Great Volcano_
+
+Here we have fact and romance cleverly interwoven. Several boys start
+on a tour of the Hawaiian Islands. They have heard that there is a
+treasure located in the vicinity of Kilauea, the largest active
+volcano in the world, and go in search of it. Their numerous
+adventures will be followed with much interest.
+
+
+_PRESS OPINIONS OF CAPTAIN BONEHILL'S BOOKS FOR BOYS_
+
+"Captain Bonehill's stories will always be popular with our boys, for
+the reason that they are thoroughly up-to-date and true to life. As a
+writer of outdoor tales he has no rival."--_Bright Days_.
+
+"The story is by Captain Ralph Bonehill, and that is all that need be
+said about it, for all of our readers know that the captain is one of
+America's best story-tellers, so far as stories for young people
+go."--_Young People of America_.
+
+"The story is excellently told, and will please any intelligent boy
+into whose hands it may fall."--_Charleston (S. C.) News_.
+
+"We understand that Captain Bonehill will soon be turning from
+sporting stories to tales of the war. This field is one in which he
+should feel thoroughly at home. We are certain that the boys will look
+eagerly for the Bonehill war tales."--_Weekly Messenger_.
+
+THE MERSHON COMPANY
+
+156 Fifth Avenue, New York    Rahway, N. J.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Mrs. L. T. Meade's
+FAMOUS BOOKS FOR GIRLS
+
+
+There are few more favorite authors with American girls than Mrs.
+L. T. Meade, whose copyright works can only be had from
+us. Essentially a writer for the home, with the loftiest aims and
+purest sentiments, Mrs. Meade's books possess the merit of utility as
+well as the means of amusement. They are girls' books--written for
+girls, and fitted for every home.
+
+Here will be found no maudlin nonsense as to the affections. There
+are no counts in disguise nor castles in Spain. It is pure and
+wholesome literature of a high order with a lofty ideal.
+
+The volumes are all copyright, excellently printed with clear, open
+type, uniformly bound in best cloth, with ink and gold stamp. 12mo,
+price $1.00.
+
+
+THE FOLLOWING ARE THE TITLES
+
+  The Children of Wilton Chase
+    Bashful Fifteen
+      Betty: A Schoolgirl
+
+  Four on an Island
+    Girls New and Old
+      Out of the Fashion
+
+  The Palace Beautiful
+    Polly, a New-Fashioned Girl
+      Red Rose and Tiger Lily
+
+  A Ring of Rubies
+    A Sweet Girl Graduate
+      A World of Girls
+
+  Good Luck
+    A Girl in Ten Thousand
+      A Young Mutineer
+
+  Wild Kitty
+    The Children's Pilgrimage
+      The Girls of St. Wode's
+
+THE MERSHON COMPANY
+
+56 Fifth Ave., New York    Rahway, N. J.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Edward S. Ellis
+POPULAR BOYS' BOOKS
+12mo, Cloth
+
+
+Purely American in scene, plot, motives, and characters, the copyright
+works of Edward S. Ellis have been deservedly popular with the youth
+of America. In a community where every native-born boy can aspire to
+the highest offices, such a book as Ellis' "From the Throttle to the
+President's Chair," detailing the progress of the sturdy son of the
+people from locomotive engigineer to the presidency of a great
+railroad, must always be popular. The youth of the land which boasts
+of a Vanderbilt will ever desire such books, and naturally will desire
+stories of their native land before wandering over foreign climes.
+
+The volumes of this series are all copyright, printed from large, new
+type, on good paper, and are handsomely bound in cloth, stamped with
+appropriate designs. Price $1.00.
+
+
+THE FOLLOWING COMPRISE THE TITLES
+
+  Down the Mississippi
+    From the Throttle to the President's Chair
+      Up the Tapajos
+        Tad; or, "Getting Even" with Him
+         Lost in Samoa
+            Lost in the Wilds
+              Red Plume
+                A Waif of the Mountains
+
+
+THE MERSHON COMPANY
+
+156 Fifth Ave., New York    Rahway, N. J.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+THE FAMOUS ANDREW LANG FAIRY BOOKS
+
+The Blue, Red, Green, and Yellow Fairy Books
+
+
+Never were there more popular books of Fairy Tales than these famous
+collections made by Andrew Lang. At his able hands the romantic
+literature of the world has been laid under contribution. The
+folk-lore of Ireland, the romance of the Rhine, and the wild legends
+of the west coast of Scotland, with all the glamour and mystery of the
+Scottish border, have contributed to this famous series of fairy
+tales.
+
+Here are the tales that have delighted generations of children, some
+culled from old English versions of the eighteenth century, some
+modernized from quaint chap-books, and all handsomely and modernly
+illustrated. With the aid of a scholar such as Mr. Lang, the entire
+world has contributed to this famous series. There is material here
+for years of delight for children.
+
+Each volume is profusely illustrated, printed on velvet-finished
+paper, bound in cloth, with a very attractive stamp in ink and
+gold. Small 12mo, price 75 cents.
+
+These books should be read in the following order: 1, The Blue Fairy
+Book; 2, The Red Fairy Book; 3, The Green Fairy Book; 4, The Yellow
+Fairy Book.
+
+  The Blue Fairy Book
+    The Red Fairy Book
+  The Green Fairy Book
+    The Yellow Fairy Book
+
+THE MERSHON COMPANY
+
+156 Fifth Ave., New York    Rahway, N. J.
+
+
+
+
+"Masterpieces of the World's Literature"
+
+THE PREMIUM LIBRARY
+
+
+Is extensively used by schools and colleges for supplementary
+reading. It is issued in attractive 16mo shape, paper covers, printed
+from clear, readable type, on good paper. Many of the volumes are
+illustrated. They are published at the low price of _TEN CENTS_
+each, or 12 books for one dollar. Postage paid. Special prices quoted
+to schools for larger quantities.
+
+  1. Abbe Constantin. Ludovic Halevy.
+  2. AEsop's Fables.
+  3. Black Beauty. Anna Sewell.
+  4. Bracebridge Hall. Irving.
+  5. Childe Harold's Pilgrimage. Byron.
+  6. Coming Race. Bulwer.
+  7. Cranford. Mrs. Gaskell.
+  8. Crown of Wild Olive. Ruskin.
+  9. Discourses of Epictetus.
+  10. Dreams. Olive Schreiner.
+  11. Dream Life. Ik Marvel.
+  12. Drummond's Addresses.
+  13. Emerson's Earlier Essays.
+  14. Ethics of the Dust. Ruskin.
+  15. Frankenstein. Mrs. Shelley.
+  16. Uncle Tom's Cabin. Mrs. Stowe.
+  17. Lady of the Lake. Scott.
+  18. Lalla Rookh. Thomas Moore.
+  19. Lamb's Essays of Elia.
+  20. Lamb's Last Essays of Elia.
+  21. Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare, I.
+  22. Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare, II.
+  23. Lays of Ancient Rome. Macaulay.
+  24. Lays of Scottish Cavaliers.
+  25. Light of Asia. Sir E. Arnold.
+  26. Longfellow's Poems.
+  27. Lowell's Poems.
+  28. Mornings in Florence. Ruskin.
+  29. One of the Profession. M. White, Jr.
+  30. Paul and Virginia. B. St. Pierre.
+  31. Pleasures of Life. Sir J. Lubbock.
+  32. Poe's Poems.
+  33. Princess. Tennyson.
+  34. Queen of the Air. Ruskin.
+  35. Rab and His Friends. Dr. J. Brown.
+  36. Rasselas. Johnson.
+  37. Reveries of a Bachelor. Ik Marvel.
+  38. Representative Men. Emerson.
+  39. Sartor Resartus. Carlyle.
+  40. Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne.
+  41. Sesame and Lilies. Ruskin.
+  42. Ships that Pass in the Night. Beatrice Harraden.
+  43. St. Mark's Rest. Ruskin.
+  44. Thoughts from Marcus Aurelius Antoninus.
+  45. Tillyloss Scandal. J. M. Barrie.
+  46. Twice-Told Tales, I. Hawthorne.
+  47. Twice-Told Tales, II. Hawthorne.
+  48. In Memoriam. Tennyson.
+  49. Vicar of Wakefield. Goldsmith.
+  50. Whittier's Poems.
+  51. Autocrat of Breakfast Table. Holmes.
+  52. Heroes and Hero Worship. Carlyle.
+  53. Mosses from an Old Manse, I. Hawthorne.
+  54. Mosses from an Old Manse, II. Hawthorne.
+  55. Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.
+  56. Song of Hiawatha. Longfellow.
+  57. Evangeline, and Poems. Longfellow.
+  58. Sketch Book. Irving.
+  59. Stickit Minister. S. R. Crockett.
+  60. House of the Seven Gables. Hawthorne.
+  61. Poetical Works of Robt. Browning.
+  62. Paradise Lost. Milton.
+  63. Hamlet. Shakespeare.
+  64. Julius Caesar. Shakespeare.
+  65. Book of Golden Deeds. Yonge.
+  66. Child's History of England. Dickens.
+  67. Confessions of an Opium Eater. De Quincey.
+  68. Ten Nights in a Barroom. Arthur.
+  69. Treasure Island. Stevenson.
+  70. Tanglewood Tales. Hawthorne.
+
+All of the above titles can also be supplied in our famous STANDARD
+SERIES, handsomely bound in cloth, assorted colors, with an artistic
+design, at _FIFTEEN CENTS_ per volume, postage paid. Special
+prices quoted to schools for larger quantities.
+
+THE MERSHON COMPANY
+
+156 Fifth Ave., New York    Rahway, N. J.
+
+
+
+
+
+[Transcriber's note: The spelling of "engigineer" in the advertising
+pages has been retained.]
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Now or Never, by Oliver Optic
+
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