Fame And Fortune Weekly (no. 1019) (1925 04 10)

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YS, READ THE RADIO ARTICLES IN THIS NUMBER APRIL. 10, 1925 No. 1019 : Ba! ! Price 8 Cents “At that moment a horse and wagon ¢ came ‘tearing up the road. Farmer Whipple was standing up and pulling hard but ineffectually at the reins. To avert a smash-up against the fence, Tom grabbed the gate and swung it open.’

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BOOKS, MAGAZINES, NOVELS Bought, Seid and Ex _ Waite fer fists Out of Print Five Cent Novels, Our Specialty HAROLD G. L , Darien Center, LY,

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Read Page 24 for Radio News and MAR 10 i927 Hints. ~ FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY Issued weekly—Subscription price, $4.00 per year! Canada, $4.50; Foreign, $5.00. Harry E. Wolff, Publisher, inc, 160 West 23d Street, New York, N. Y Entered as Second-Class ; Ath#tqn, October 4, 1911, at the Post-Office at New York, N. Y., under the Actof March 3, 1879. No. 1019, NEW YORK, APRIL 10,., 1925 ~ * Price 8 Cents. Starting His Own Business — OR, THE BOY WHO CAUGHT ON By A SELF-MADE MAN CHAPTER I.—Introduces Tom Sheridan and His Surroundings. . - “Where are you bound, Tom?” asked Bob Pen- nington. j “After the doctor.” “For your aunt?” . : “Yes. She’s very bad. I’m afraid she’s going to die,” said Tom Sheridan, gulping back a lump in his throat, while his eyes filled with tears. , “Too bad,” replied Bob. ‘I’m dead sorry for “her. She’s had a pretty hard time of it for some time back, ever since = k _ And then he stopped and kicked a dent in the country road. : “ft know what you mean, Bob,” said Tom, solemnly. “She has had a hard time of it. No one knows that better than me. I’ve tried to ~make things as easy for her as I could; but Mr. Bagley has simply acted like a brute all along. He’s down at the Corners, now, getting his usual _ jag on, I guess, though where he gets the money _ to fill up on is a mystery tome. When she’s gone he'll go to the dogs, not but that he’s pretty near _ there now.” : ‘ “You'll pull out, I suppose,” said Bob. - “There’s nothing else for me to do. I’d ‘have - gone away from here long ago, only for aunt. I -wouldn’t leave her to the mercy of that hog not for a million dollars.” “You've done the square thing by her, Tom.” “Pye tried to. She was my father’s sister, and was always good to me. I don’t like to lose her, but she'll be happier away from this life.” : --Tom leaned his arm on the rail fence and, hid is face in the folds of his jacket. “Well,” he said, pulling himself. together, “what's the use of kicking against fate? Ate you coming my way?” “Ym going to the village.” ve “@ome on, then.” Half a mile down the road the boys. parted, an to take the hor sountermanded, - “» posed to be tor were soon driving up the read toward the miserable dwelling, where the lad lived with his — aunt, Mrs. Sarah Bagley, and her shiftless hus- band. Once on a time that wretched habitation had been a neat and .comfortable cottake, with a good piece of ground for vegetables and fruit trees, the whole surrounded by a white picket fence. All this, however, was altered now. Ten years since that desolate place had been the well- furnished, comfortable home of William Bagley and his contented wife, Sarah. : He was a carpenter and builder and had plenty of work. He owned the cottage and ground, and was considered fairly prosperous. He had a little money saved, ‘and he hoped one day to add a neighboring bit of property to his possessions. The ownet of the property died suddenly, and the opportunity was offered to him to get the place cheap for cash. But he didn’t have the cash, and he hated to mortgage his own little property. is While he was considering the matter he dis-~ covered that a well-to-do farmer on the other side, a man whom he hated, was after the property, _ too. He was in a quandary, for he didn’t want Farmer Whipple to get it. However, he had the advantage of the first chance. Unfortunately, at this juncture a reckless acquaintance of ‘earlier © years turned up. He had just come out of prison, but kept that fact to himself, e learned how Bagley was fixed, and taking — advantage of his old weakness for liquor, which he had, to a certain extent conquered, got (him in- toxicated one night, and persuaded him to take part in an enterprise which promised consider- | able monetary results. It was nothing more or — less than the robbery of Farmer Whipple’s home. — Bagley’s friend, Tom Johnson, had sent a note to the farmér, telling him that) his” uncle, a wealthy farmer in the next county, was dying, and that Whipple and his wife must come*there at once. Johnson calculated that this would leave the house at his mercy. The scheme would probably have succeeded only it happened. that the uncle in question had set out to make a visit toshis nephew, and the two parties came together on the road. Farmer Whipple was much as- tonished to meet the man in good health he sup- ST Sa aaa a ra RE 4 a

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ee ". §TARTING HIS Perhaps he was also disappointed, for he yearned for his uncle’s money. Explanations ensued, and these gave Whipple a strong sus- picion that something was wrong. The com- bined party hurried back to the Whipple farm, arriving just in.time to capture Johnson, and the intoxicated Bagley, red-handed. Both were tried and sent to the penitentiary for five years. When Bagley got out he was a changed man. His re- turn to the village was eyed with suspicion. His wife, who had borne up.as well as she ‘could under the disgrace, had managed to get along _ after a fashion. He made no attempt to go to ' work; in fact, nobody wished to employ him, and the first thing he did was to mortgage his home. With the money, he sought the questionable so- ciety at the Corners, and commenced the down-. ward path. About this time, Tom Sheridan, a bright and industrious lad, came to live with the Bagleys. Tom Was an orphan, and Mrs. Bagley was his dead father’s only sister. things were goi ad and as he grew older he rem- ‘onstrated with Mr. Bagley, who-drove him away from the cottage. He went to work for Farmer Pennington. and stayed with him about.a year. ‘Then his aunt was stricken with a lingering ill- ness and Tom went back to the cottage to do what he could for her, for nobody else would stay with her on account of her husband, who had got - pretty low by this time. Several times she. had seemed at the -point of death, but had pulled _ through, On.the day” our story opens she had “pten taken with one of her sinking spells, and from the way she looked Tom was afraid that she wouldn’t get over it. The only thing he could do was to go for the doctor. When they reached the cottage Mrs. Bagley seemed td be better. The “doctor’s experienced eye saw that she could not live long—not many hours at the most—and after he Had done what he could for her he took Tom aside and told him what he might expect. The boy was shocked and upset, though he had prac- _ teally expected it. He smothered his grief as ~ pest he could and sat down by his aunt’s bedside ee to stick to her to the last. Night found- him still : Sth His ,aunt, who had been in a semi-con- ' — scious state for some ‘time, came to herself about ~ nine o’clock. “Tom, I am going to die,” she gaid; in a weak voice. “I feel it here,” putting her hand on her eb ert: “J shan’t live till morning. Where is - Willism, my husband ? ee ENS. aunt: He doesn’t usually get back till af midnight.” oe J ait see him. He’s at the Corners. You'll go for him, Tom, and bring him to me, --won’t you?” she begged, earnestly. “There is no one to stop with you if I go, aunt.” No matter. - I shall. want for nothing. Do go at once and bring him home. I want to see him ‘before I die.” : Fe Aide kissed her tenderly and departed on | houses. and a eee OWN BUSINESS a The boy soon saw how: Hasn't he come home _ ‘ ig errand. He made all, haste to reach the _ Corners. This was the .jpedtian of three roads, : 0 miles outside the village. It consisted of a ick shop, a small, general store, several “struck a chill to the boy’s heart. The gs i $0 hours of the day and well into the Renee The sx steadiest one of all was William Bagley, who; Ie" the course of: five years, had spent several hun- dred dollars over the bar. The place was dim with tobacco. smoke, ‘and at first Tom was not able to see the object of his errand. At length — he saw him at a table with three other men, all drinking, talking and smoking, as if life held no better employment. He walked straight up to his ~~ aunt’s husband and tapped him on the shoulder. The man turned his inflamed countenance toward him and recognized him. “Oh, it’s you, is it?”’ he said, want? How’s the old woman?” “Aunt Sarah is dying,” Tom said, huskily, “She wants to see you, and sent me to fetch you.” “What do I care what she wants?” he cried, ; with an imprecation. “Do you s’pose I’m goin’ to leave my friends just to oblige her? Not by. a jugful.” “Tf you don’t come you may never see her alive again,” persisted Tom. “Well, I’m not worryin’ ’bout her dyin’,” replied — Bagley, heartlessly. ‘“She’s been dyin’ severa’ times, but I notice she didn’t turn up her toes just the same. Now just go back and mind yo: own business, d’ye understand? Maybe, “you dry and would like a drink, first. There’s the bottle—help yourself.” “T wouldn’t touch the vile stuff,” answered the’ boy, with much spirit. “You wouldn’t, eh?” cried Bagley, with a wicked grin. “I’ve a preat mind to make you, you sanctimonious little monkey! What say?. Shal we pour some down his throat?” he added, turn- ing toward his associates, and at the same time grabbing Tom by the sleeve of his jacket. : One of the other men caught him by the arm,_ while Bagley, catching up the bottle, labell whisky, staggered on his ‘feet. .Failing to dis engage his arms Tom struck at the man who held him. Swat! The blow reached the fellow’s — jaw and he fell against Bagley. The latter lost his uncertain balance and both men fell iy ie The bottle was smashed against the table. — ley held on to the jagged end and, as his* swung around, he struck his companion a ele ing blow, cutting open his cheek. .,The ‘wounde man, bleeding like a pig, jumped on Bagley ani began to pound him. Tom made use of his chan to leave the barroom in a hurry. ; “What do you sew sedis Ii.—Tom Is Thrown on His s Own Resources. Tom started for the cottage, conscious that errand had been fruitless. He saw that t was little chance of Mr. Bagley appearin, his dying wife’s bedside for some hours, an did not know what kind of report to make t h a aunt, who he knew was feverishly anxious her husband. When he opened the back do entered the kitchen, the very silence A the ea the stairs ag re bedroom on th

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rf a = STARTING HIS OWN BUSINESS , 8 i something about her that looked different even aeross the room. With a great fear oppressing him, he crossed the room and looked at her. The dropped jaw and staring eye told their story. His aunt was dead. It was a terrible shock for Tom, and for some time he was quite overcome _by grief, but at length he pulled himself together and proceeded to tie up her lower jaw and close her eyes, on which he put a couple of small _pebbles that he found on a shelf. After that he sat down to pass the night as a silent and mourn- _ ful watcher. _ About two in the morning he heard ~ a voice in thé road, singing discordantly. : “That’s Mr. Bagley,” he muttered, a hard look ' coming into his young face. Well, I see his finish right here. The only friend he had in the world is gone. After this he’ll have to carry his _ jags somewhere else. The lawyer who foreclosed _ the mortgage months ago, but who permitted us to live here because he didn’t want to turn aunt - out into the road, will now take possession of the property and turn it to some account.” ~ The door banged downstairs as Bagley entered the kitchen. Finally he appeared in the doorway, clinging to the sides. He was a picture for fair. Bagley gazed around the room before entering, and his eyes rested on the boy. Then.they began to twinkle with a tipsy fury, and rolling up his eee as he advanced, he made direct for ‘om. : _ “Now, you little monkey, I’ve got you and I’m going’ to thrash you within an inch of your life!” narled Bagley. “You'd better not touch me, Mr. Bagley, if you ‘know when you're well off,” replied Tom. “I’ve “taken all I’m going to from you. If you had the eelings of a mouse you’d respect the presence of _ the dead, but I don’t imagine that you have any.” - “Nead!” exclaimed Bagley, coming to a stop. ‘What. d’ye mean?” - “T mean your wife is dead. She died while I was over at the Corners trying to persuade you © come to her, as she begged me to do. But you wouldn’t come. No, you preferred to stay with four cronies. Well, you'll have full swing after this to stay with them right along—if they'll let ou. It’s a long lane that hasn’t a turning, and you’ve reached the turn of yours. I hope you'll enjoy the sensation.” 3 _ Bagley turned from Tom and staggered to the bed. He grabbed the dead woman by the arm -and shook her roughly. pringing forward and pulling him away. Bagley swung half around and crashed over a chair. ew ae Sicuk sent the liquor fumes to his head. He made one feeble effort to rise, and then rolled - over, stupidly, and presently was snoring in a ken sleep. The boy regarded him with con- npt. At length daybreak dawned, and after sh ng his face he started for the Pennington m. “ He found Bob just coming out’in the yard. llo, Tom!” exclaimed his friend, in some ise at seeing him so early. “What brings ‘e at thisthour? How’s your aunt?” e’s dead,” replied Tom, sadly, but without a. Tay: “Let her alone, you brute!” flashed Tom,. } “Last night. I would like you to come over and help me out-a bit.” “Sure I will. We’ll have breakfast in a little while. You'll eat with me, of course. I'll tell father I’m going over with you.” The Penningtons liked Tom, and they sympath- ized with him in his loss, though they believed that his aunt was far better off at rest. Mr. Pennington asked the boy if he needed any money for immediate expenses, and offered him a $20 bill. Tom accepted it gratefully, promising to repay it when he could. He said that the furni- ture and personal property of his aunt: ought to easily cover the expenses of her funeral. “If Mr. Bagley interferes with me in any way, or asserts his right to the property necessary to bury my aunt, I’ll swear out. a warrant against him, and have him put in the lock-up as a vag- rant,” said Tom, resolutely. “T would,” replied Mr. Pennington. “What do you expect to do after the funeral, Tom?” “Hustle for myself,” replied the boy, promptly. — “J can give you something to do on the farm for a while, and that will give you time to con- sider the future.” i “Thank you, Mr. Pennington. I will accept your offer.” After breakfast Tom returned to the cottage with Bob. Bagley was still snoring away where Tom had left him during the night. With Bob’s help, Tom carried the man into a back room, laid , him upon the bed he was accustomed to use since his habits had got so bad, and locked him in. _ “Now he’s out of the way,” said Tom. “If you don’t mind staying here on watch, Bob, -I’ll call on Mr. Modd, the undertaker.” : Bob had no.objection, and ‘Tom departed on his errand. He came back with Mr. Mold, and while the undertaker was performing his first duties with the dead, Bagley woke up, fairly sober, and finding himself locked inside the room, started to kick the door open. Tom then let him out. - ‘ After raising a small ruction, Bagley discovered that his wife was indeed dead. That quieted him down, and for a little while it looked as if he was sorry for his conduct toward the poor woman. | Tom relented toward him so far as to cook him some breakfast. Soon after eating it he -disap- peared, and the boys guessed he had gone to the Corners to drown his feelings in liquor. turned up late that night, full, as usual, but not in such a quarrelsome mood. He was easily per- suaded to go to bed, and the watchers were glad to be relieved of his presence. Next day Mrs. Sarah Bagley was buried in a sunny’corner of the _ village churchyard, and her husband remained. sober long enough to accompany the funeral party, in company with Tom, as chief mourner. After the funeral Tom went over to the Penning- He ton farmhouse, where for the next *month he, shared Bob’s\room and worked at odd jobs about the place. In the meantime the contents of the

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~) shovel,” snarled Ezra. 4, CHAPTER II.—Tom Has a Run-in with the Whipples—Father and Son. Farmer Whipple, for.the attempted burglary of whose house Tom Johnson and William Bagley had served a five-year sentence in the penitenitary lived on a good-sized farm which ajoined the Pennington’s. _He was not a popular man in the neighborhood, but that fact didn’t worry, him. While Bagley was serving his time, the Whipple family made things as hard as they could for poor Mis. Bagley, though everybody knew that she had no hand in or sympathy with, her husband’s crime. Tom Sheridan, when he came.to live with his aunt, also came in for his share of the Whipple family’s aversion and suspicion. Ezra Whipple hated Tom beeause he was much better-looking than himself, and because he soon established him- self in the favorable estimation of the girls and boys in the neighborhood which he never could do himself. One morning, Mr. Pennington sent Tom over to Farmer Whipple’s to borrow a small tool which ‘he wanted to use, but found he could not buy in Liberty. There stood a small barn between the fence surrounding the house and the fence en- circling ‘the field beyond, and Tom, seeing some- body at work therein, walked in. - The somebody - in question was Ezra in his working clothes. “What do you want here?” he asked, in a surly tone, i Tom mentioned the object of his errand in a pleasant way.. 2 ‘ “J don’t know nothin’ about the tool,” replied Ezra. “ : “Where can I find your father?” asked Tom. “Dunno. Go hunt for him,” replied Ezra, un- graciously. “Ts he in the house?” ‘No, he isn’t in the house.” ; “Took here, Ezra Whipple, why can’t you talk ‘to a fellow in a civil manner?” asked Tom,’ dis- gusted with the snappishness shown by the other. : “J don’t want to talk to you at all. I don’t want ‘nothin’ to do with a common boy like you. Your ‘uncle was a jailbird and your aunt was a——” “Don’t you dare say a word against my aunt,” exclaimed Tom, threateningly. “If you do, I'll * make you sorry for it.” ; “Keep away from me or I'll hit you with this “Tf my father was here he’d kick you off the farm. We don’t want you around here.” ain = You're a nice boy, you are, I don’t think,” re- ~ torted Tom, holding himself in check with an ef- stort. ; ; : ~ “Yah!” snorted Ezra, favoring him with a vin- **dictive look. “Why don’t you go when I tell you we don’t want you around?” . ' “]m going.- I wouldn’t waste my time on such a - disagreeable young-cub as ‘you are,” answered Tom, turning around and walking out of the db : STARTING HIS OWN BUSINESS eS To avert a smash-up against the fence Tom grabbed the gate and swung it open. The horse, — which was frightened and unmanageable, dashed — blindly at the opening and passed through. The — wagon was not quite so fortunate. The hub of — the forward wheel came into collision with the gatepost. Crash! Ephraim Whipple turned a~ half sommersault, struck the animal’s back and ~ tumbled, head first, into the dirt, where he was — dragged. several yards before the reins slipped — from his fingers.’ Ezra had rushed out of thé ~ barn as the runaway approached the fence and saw Tom’s prompt action which clearly saved the — horse’s life. Then he stood gazing, open-mouthed at the stranded wagon which filled up the open- ing, while Tom vaulted the fence and hastened to — Farmer Whipple’s aid. i Ors “You’re not hurt, are you, Mr. Whipple?” asked — Tom, as he raised him up. a The farmer spat out a mouthful of dirt and — gazed about him in a bewildered manner, = “Who are you?” asked the farmer, as he began — to come to-himself. tee “Tom Sheridan.” _ eee » “What are you doin’ here?” $ = “Mr. Pennington sent me over to borrow—— “He ain’t got no business to.send you here to ~ borry nothin’. I don’t want you on my property, — d’ye understand. I won’t have none of the Bag- — ley brood around here. Fust thing I know m house might be robbed ag’in.” Sa “All right. I’ll report your generous reeepti of me to Mr. Pennington,” replied Tom, thorough- ~ ly disgusted with the farmer. “If it hadn’t been ~ that I opened the gate your horse would have © probably broken his legs, and’ you’d had'to shoot — him while you might have broken your own” neck. If you were half way. decent you wouldn't — treat me this way after what-I did for you; but T — suppose you don’t know any better,” concluded Tom, sarcastically, for he was pretty mad at th : farmer’s words. tty Eee “What’s that you -young whippersnapper?” roared Mr. Whipple, furiously. “You dare to talk — to me in that fashion. eh Just wait till I git my whip, P’ll make your back tingle.” oe He scrambled to his feet and started for th 2 wagon. Tom jumped the fence as the man began to climb into the wagon after the whip, __ “Stop him, Ezra!” he shouted to his son. “Do let him git away. He insulted me, and I’m goin’ to take it out of his hide.” . atick Tom made no attempt to run, as he consid that would be both undignified and cowardly. He simply walked‘off without paying any attention to — Ezra. -The boy, however, encouraged by his fa- ther’s. presence, started to head ‘om off. Tom — made an effort to avoid him, but finding that he couldn’t, stopped. i ; : “If you know what’s good for you you w block my way, Ezra Whipple. I am on the pub road now; so get out of my way.” = “You can’t get away from here till you’ve

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and faced the irate farmer. Ephraim Whipple paused within arm’s length of him and glaring at _ him? said: 2 __-You’ve insulted me, you beggar’s brat, and I intend to thrash you.” : - “Lick him, father, lick him good!” shouted Ezra, from a safe distance. -. Whipple raised the whip and lashed Tom around ‘the body with it. Quick as a wink, the boy seized the lash, sprang forward, grabbed the handle and wrenched the whip from the farmer’s hand. Then he tossed it over into a field on the opposite side of the road. As he proceeded to walk away, Farmer Whipple sprang at him, like a wild beast; aiming a blow at*his head. Tom ducked, put out his foot, and his enemy measured his length in the road. | The boy took advantage of his opportunity to alk quickly away, which he was permitted to do without further molestation. CHAPTER IV.—Tom Gets Interested in a Money- Te Making Scheme. ‘Src j 7 ; » When Tom got back to the Pennington farm he reported the unfruitful result of his mission, and Yso told Mx. Pennington of the run-in he had had run across, with the ignorance of youth added.” + "You don’t blame me for resenting their at- tude toward me, do you, sir?” said Tom. “I dn’t look for Mr. Whipple to thank me for sav- Pry ng -his rig from a*total smash-up, but I did Of course, I don’t blame you, Tom. Whipple y got a small portion of what he richly. de- erved. I guess I'll have to send you over to the lworth Farm for that harness tool, though not sure that Brown has it. Whipple has know, but I might have known that he’s an accommodating man, You needn’t start after dinner.” . 1 right, sir,” replied Tom, starting for the 14mm to resume the job he had left unfinished. : eee Bog returned, Tom told him all. about what had happened to him over at the Whipple farm, and Bob was tickled to death at his de- on of the fumble the old farmer had got his wagon collided with the gate post. —— sh I had been there at the time,” he “It must have been as good as a circus -a chap of his size and strength he’s got e pluck.” ~~ as thou at he’s STARTING HIS OWN BUSINESS. Fe him, | 2) while they all like you. It’s the same way with thé girls. That’s why he’s’ dead nuts on you. He’s jealous of you. The old man is sore on you because you’re related in a way to Bagley, and he hates Bagley because of his connection with that robbery. If Bagley hadn’t gone to the Old. Boy of his own accord, I’ve no doubt he’d have hounded him out of the county. There’s precious little charity in Whipple’s makeup.” “He and Mr. Bagley were not good friends be- fore that urffortunate affair,” said Tom. “At least my aunt told me so, That probably ac- counts for Whipple being so hard on him the moment he got him in his power.” : “J guess so,” replied Bob. - | ; x At that moment the bell rang for dinner and the boys adjourned to the big kitchen, where the table was laid.: When the meal was over, Tom started for the Kenilworth Farm, to try and bor-* row the tool he could not get at Whipple’s. It was about fivesmiles away, and he was going to walk the distance. yeach the place, and he found Mr. Brown, the owner, in his little office, which was an annex to the kitchen. Tom handed him the note he had brought from-Mr. Pennington. Mr. Brown read it, and said he had the tool in question and would be happy to loan it. Telling Tom to wait, he went out to his barn to get it. The Kenilworth Farm was the biggest fruit and produce farm in the State. Just before Tom reached the farm, Mr. Brown had received a letter from the freight department of the railroad line, notifying him _ of an increased rate that would go into effect on the first of the month. As Mr. Brown’s monthly’ bill was considerable as it was, he certainly did not relish the idea of paying more. A few min- utes later Hiram Jones, proprietor of the Ivan- hoe Farm, made his appearance. He said he’ had called to see if he and Mr. Brown, being exten- sive shippers, couldn’t petition the railroad com- pany jointly, with some effect, to secure a rebate from the new tariff about to go into effect. z It took him about an hour to — Pa se i, oe A “This new schedule is bound to make a hole in — our income, Mr. Brown,” he said. “I consider it a tae +? fa an outrage, but the railroad has us tied hand and- foot because there is no other way by which we ean get our stuff to the Toledo market. If there was only some means by which we could ship our stuff to Cherryville on the Maumee, where a con- nection could be made with the Maumee Naviga- tion Co.’s boat, I’d be in favor switching off from the railroad altogether and sending our products all the way by water.”, “Cherryville is twenty miles from here via the Maumee Branch, and it is forty-five miles by river from there to Toledo. Transport of our goods by water, if such a thing was posh: ) would take three times as long as it does n by rail,” said Mr. Brown. 2 at

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f Sy Then he ‘went to the agent of the Maumee River - 6 STARTING HIS smn Pennington and Whipple farms, to Cherry- ville. ; “T think there would be money in it,” he said to himself, after the two men had walked outside. “T¢ I had the money to start such a thing I’d like nothing better than to go into it. I know a small steamboat laid up in Cherryville that would just fill the bill. I believe she could be bought cheap and run cheap. It’s a wonder Mr. Brown and Mr. Jones wouldn’t buy her and run her in their own interest. But probably they don’t know anything about her. I think it might pay me to look into the matter in their interest. I could find out the price of the boat, what it would cost to run her up and down the branch every day, and other particulars. Then I could submit the scheme to Mr. Jones, who seems to be stuck on 2 water route to Cherryville, and then if he liked it and succeeded in interesting Mr. Brown in the project, and they started it, I’d probably be able to secure a good job on, or in connection with, the boat.” . _ Mr. Brown now came back with the harness tool that Mr. Pennington wanted, and handed it to Tom, who thanked him for the loan of it and started back for the farm.’ He could think of nothing else on his way but the new water freight route from that locality to Cherryville, and the more he considered it the more enthusiastic he grew over it. . CHAPTER V.—Tom Visits Cherryville and Meets , With a Great Surprise. That evening Tom talked the water freight route over with Bob. _ ,“That’s a bang-up idea, Tom,” said young Pen- “nington, enthusiastically. _“That’s what I think, If I can get these two big shippers to take a practical interest in it, I consider I’m sure of a job. They might even let me manage it for them, considering that I’m the person to bring it forward in working shape.” _ “Why, of course you’d get a job, and a good one. Brown and Jones are the most important people in this section of the county. I’d like to get a job on the boat, too. I’m sick of farming.” _ “Well, I’d like to have you-in with me, first- rate. By the way, do you think your father . would help, the scheme along by letting his wharf on the branch he used for a steamboat landing?” “Oh, he wouldn’t stand in the way if it was the matter of public service. He isn’t that kind of man.” \ Next morning Tom told Mr. Pennington that he wanted to go to Cherryville for the day, and he received permission to do so, and some money to pay his expenses. He walked in to Liberty } oe took a trolley for the town of Carlyle, a dis- tance of, fifteen miles.* There he changed to. the Cherryville line, which took him through two other small towns en route, and finally landed him at his destination after a twenty-five mile ride ae Liberty. ‘Cherryville was an enterprising own at the junction of the Maumee River and was to go into a restaurant and get his lunch. ae i - were aes oN ges 2 Sara Mia the Maumee Branch. The first thing Tom did- aR ot OWN BUSINESS Navigation Co., down the water front, and made ~ inquiries about the steamét Elsie French. He found that she could be chartered by the day, week or month, or longer for that matter, at a sliding scale, aceording to the length of time con- tracted for. The price included an engineer, fireman, pilot, who acted as captain, and two deckhands. He inquired into all matters connected with the en- terprise he had in view, and having transacted all the business that brought him to town he boarded a trolley car for Carlyle. As the car was passing through the suburbs of Cherryville, along — a shaded street bordered by the better class of — residences, he noticed smoke issuing from the second story front windows of a handsome, three- story mansion, which stood well back from the sidewalk, and was surrounded by a well-kept lawn. . “Look!” cried Tom, excitedly, to the conductor. “That house is surely on fire.” OF “By George, it is!” replied the man. “That’s ~ the home of Sidney French, president of the Mau- mee River Navigation Company. You'd better — jump off and alarm the people, for they don’t ~ appear to be aware of, the danger they are in. Tll give the alarm from the drug store at the “ next corner.” .: Tom sprang from the moving car and rushed into the grounds where the fire was. He ran to- ward the rear of the dwelling. He could not see if a soul through any of the windows as he passed. — The kitchen door was closed, and as he laid his 4 hand on the knob to try it, it was suddenly flung : Vee a See Ly eS a ee ee open in his way, and two rough-looking men — rushed forth, with bundles in their hands. They — collided with the boy, and all three went down in - the ground, together in a heap, the bundles flying out of the men’s hands. Tom, who was as agile — as a monkey, was first on his feet. Then he was treated to the surprise of his life as the men, with — loud imprecations, picked themselves up. He rec- ognized one of them. It was his late aunt’s hus- band, William Bagley. The other was Tom John- son, but Tom did not know him, never having seen him before. a + see “You—Tom Sheridan!” gasped Bagley, recog- nizing him. i ‘ i : “Yes,” replied Tom. here?” ; ess “None of your business!” snarled Bagley, look- — around for his bundle. is ‘Yes, it is my business,” replied Tom, pluckily. “You two have evidently no right in “that house. You’ve been up to some icrooked business. ~Rob- bing the place, I'll bet, for the people all seem tobe away. You’ve set the house on fire, too.” Bagley raised his arm to strike ‘at the boy when at that moment the cry of “Fire!’ was raised in the street, and several persons came running in- — to the grounds. f a Ea “Quick, you fool!” cried Johnson. “Let’s get away. We haven’t a moment: to lose.” The made a snatch at their bundles to continue the retreat, but Tom blocked them. Both then mad a vicious attack on the boy, to the astonishment of the newcomers on the scene. | j eat “Grab these men!” exclaimed Tom, dodging a — vicious blow aimed at him by Johnson. “They ‘eS thieves and incendiaries.” Bagley snatched - / i “What are you doing — in

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bundle and made a dash for the back of the -. grounds. Johnson, abandoning his, followed on his companion’s heels. : “Don’t let them get away!” cried Tom. Two men started after the retreating rascals, but. Johnson and Bagley managed to elude them and ~ got clear off under cover of the excitement. The fire alarm bell was now ringing out its note, startling everybody in town. Crowds, attracted . by the smoke, began to gravitate toward the scene of the conflagration.. The two engines and the hook and ladder company were also on the _. wing by this time, creating more excitement on the streets, and drawing boys and idlers in their _ train. A bie crowd was lined up in the street - before the blazing building, and scores of curi- ‘ous spectators invaded the grounds and sur- - xounded the house at a safe distance. A couple them loose, Tom dashed up the back stairs to os what extent™the fire had obtained headway, and to make-sure, if possible, that no other per- son was in peril of their lives above. Reaching the first landing, he opened-a door communicating with the forward upstairs hall. ~A cloud of smoke rolled out into his face. Gasp- ne and choking, Tom slammed the door shut again. Recovering himself, he opened another ‘door into a'room. The air was thick with smoke, and the boy, dropping on his hands and knees, -erawled toward another door that he dimly made out through the haze. Reaching up and turning the knob, he partially opened the door. Dense “smoke rolled forth, through which he caught the ‘bright gleam of the flames in the room beyond. Tom pushed the door shut and. with his eyes ‘tingling and his breath coming in quick gasps, e crawled back to the landing. There was a Josed window on the landing. Tom staggered breath of air. His appearance was greeted by . shout from those within range, who took him “for an inmate of the house. With a jingle of ells the first engine and hose-carriage arrived m- the scene. Z = oc The firemen began to get busy wi h a pair 0 osé lines. The fire had by this time burned nto the third story front, and from one of the windows of that section of the building a frantic cream: suddenly issued, and almost immediately a lovely girl of seventeen threw up a lower sash: and fell across the sill in a state of mortal ter- r and collapse. ~ CHAPTER VI.—A Gallant Rescue. - ‘om heard the scream, of course, and looking ward toward the spot whence it had proceeded 2 2 saw the girl fall helpless over the window- 4 eye paieee: . 2 t ‘ + "Great Scott!” cried Tom. “She’s in a bad’ sition, and‘ there don’t seem to be any way of aching her. Casting his eyes around in feverish ty, Tom noted that an expert climber could ay to the roof by way of the stout -Yail-lines of a vessel. 0 it, and, throwing it open, leaned out to catch - BE ae 4 ~ a ae ae STARTING HIS OWN BUSINESS ae 7 gutter-pipe close to his elbow. But even if he did he could not save the girl without a rope to lower himself to the level of the window, where she lay in a fainting condition. At that mo- ment Tom noticed that an. extended and stout braneh from'a big shade tree on the lawn pro-- jected right above the window where the girl was. A resolution instantly formed itself in the boy’s mind. He stepped out on the sill of the window he had been leaning out and began to climb the iron gutter-pipe like a sailor would the Several of the firemen shouted to him to come back, but he paid no heed to them. Onward and upward he went till he reached and grasped the horizontal gutter. Swinging by this he managed to throw one ler over the coping. : In another moment he had scrambled onto the roof. As he ran forward to the front of the house, where he was soon half hidden by the smoke, an automobile dashed up into the crowd. The gen- tleman in it sprang to the ground and began to frantically make his way through the throng, while the richly dressed lady rose in her seat and gave every manifestation of agony of mind. Many people recognized them as Sidney French, the owner of the burning house, and his wife. Tom seized the projecting limb and then looked down- she ward. He now realized that he had undertaken a very hazardous job. But he was not a boy to hold back because there was an element of danger to be encountered. The girl just below him had recovered her senses and began to ery for help in a way that nerved him to make the attempt he had decided on to save her. A score of the spectators had gone down the street to meet the hook and ladder and urge it forward, erving out that a girl was trapped in the third story of the burning house, and’ that nothing but a. ladder could save her. The crowd in the meantime vas watching Tom’s actions in great excitement and anticipation. The people did not seem to “get on to his object, even after he had grabbed the limb of the tree. In-a few minutes, however, they got a clear — idea of his purpose when he swung off the roof and then secured a precarious. foothold on the sill of the window below, with one foot, while he clung with both hands to the limb. The tree limb supported him in that position, and the. crowd, perceiving that he really intended to try and save Mr. I'rench’s daughter, sent up a loud cheer of encouragement. The girl extended her hands toward him, appealingly. : “Save me, oh, save me!” she cried. : “That's what I’m trying to do, miss,” he re- plied. “Craw] out on the window-sill, then catch hold of me and support yourself into a standing position. After that, throw your arms around my neck and hold on for your life.” Slowly she made her way out on the window-sill, laying hold of Tom’s lee as a support. until at last she stood: up on what was to her a dizzy height. - gos “Now throw your arms around my neck and — cling on like grim death,” he said. Closing her = eyes, as a shudder ran through her frame, she obeyed him. : 3a “Have you got a firm hold?” he asked. ~ “Yes,” she whispered, tremulously. === “Now I’m going to swing off.” He released _ is foot from the window and the branch ed

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8 _ © STARTING HIS OWN BUSINESS downward under their united weight. He’ ex- pected that it might snap off and braced himself for the shock of a fall. The limb, however, was an uncommonly strong one and only sagged about six feet. Then they hung twenty feet in the air, . but free from the burning building. As soon as the branch came to a rést he began to make his way, hand over hand, along the limb toward the trunk of the tree. Everybody saw now that if the girl held on she was bound to escape un- harmed, and their satisfaction and relief was great. The hook and ladder came rushing up at this juncture, and the men tore fiercely at the first ladder on top, a small one, to get it out of the way so they cold get a longer one beneath. The flames, too, were bursting out of the win- dow so recently vacated by the girl. By the time a ladder was rushed on the grounds, Tom, with his fair burden, had reached a crotch in the tree when she was able to place her foot on one of the limbs below and thus relieve her gallant rescuer “of her weight. Turning around, he planted his foot -on another limb and encircled the girl’s waist with his arm. Both were now quite safe from any further danger, and the lad- der was raised into the tree to assist them to descend. The girl was received in her father’s arms and fondly embraced. He had seen the greater part of the rescue with the deepest of anxiety, hardly daring to believe that the boy would succeed in saving her from a bad. fall. As Tom started to leave the spot without waiting to be thanked, he was seized by several of the fire- ‘men, who shook him by the hand and told him They } what a brave act he had accomplished. wanted. to know his name, and where he lived in Cherryville, and while he was trying to an- swer their questions, Mr. French came forward with his daughter on his arm and began to ex- press gratitude to the boy in no uncertain terms. The fireman had by this time got several streams on the flames, and were working like good fel- lows to try and save as much of the house as was possible. “What is your asked Tom. “Tom Sheridan,” he answered. “Come with us, Sheridan. My daughter can’t thank you here, and she is anxious to express her gratitude. My wife will want to thank you also.” Tom rather shrank from the gaze and plaudits of name, my boy?” Mr. French ~ the ¢rowd as they made their way to the auto- mobile, where Mrs. French sat in a state of in- tense anxiety, although the crowd had informed her that her davehter had been saved, and she herself had had an indistinct view of the rescue. Mrs. French sprang out of the vehicle and clasped ~ her child to her heart, while the crowd cheered again. Mr. French, holding on to Tom, led his wife and daughter over to the residence of a neighbor on the other side of the street, where they were received with sympathy for their trouble and congratulations over the escape of Miss French. Tom had already learned that the girl’s name was Elsie, and now that he was able to get a good look @ her he saw how pretty she was. As soon as she got the chance she turned to Tom, and, with tears in her eyes, thanked him for what he ‘had done for he. “You're the bravest boy in the. wraxld; ” she ex- claimed, Maes him with a nee of interest - to the demands of the business my father formed — and admiration: “I never will forget you as long. as I live—never?” she added, emphatically. Tom felt decidedly embarrassed in her presence, and before the others, for he was not accustomed to associate with people of their social standing. Elsie perceived the state of his feelings, and tried in the most delicate way to put him at his ease. “Tom explained that he did not live in Cherryville, but had merely come on business from a farm near Liberty. The Frenches when they learned how far he had to go, would not hear of his going ee day. the afternoon being already nearly spen “You must’ stay here till to-morrow morning at least,” insisted Mr. French, and Tom finally yielded a reluctant consent to do so. The family who had tendered hospitality to their burnedout neighbors, were glad ‘to include Tom for the. night, at any rate, for they considered that his. heroic conduct entitled him to every considera- tion at their hands. So Tom became as one of them for the time being. The fire was under control by this time through the well-directed efforts of the local fire department, and the greater part of the dwelling was saved, though most everything of real value in the building was more or less injured by water dnd smoke. By the time the fire was out the'silvery tones of a bell. announced that dinner was on the table, and all adjourned to the dining-room, where Tom’s em+ barrassment returned in the presence of a taples: to which’ he was unused. ° CHAPTER VII.—Tom Secures A Fair and In- fluential Backer. “Do you know it seems most remarkable to me x that it should. turn out to be my fortune to save you, Miss French,” said Tom. as he and Elsie sat alone on the veranda after dinner. “If it had been any other girl it wouldn’t have been so significant.” ra “I domt think I quite understand you, Mr. 7 : Sheridan,” said Elsie, in some surprise, “Then I guess I’ll have to explain,” he replied. (3 “T came to Cherryville on business connected with — a small steamboat called the Elsie French.” “The boat that was named after me?” % “T suppose she must have been, seeing that she bears your name, and your father is president of the company that owns her.” “The company does not own her. She belongs torme.” +. ; “Does she?” answered Tom, not a Jittle | - astonished. “Why, I thought——’ “The company never owned her at all. She be- longed to my father when he was the owner of the line that ran between Toledo and Fort Wayne, see That was many years ago. When business in- creased so that the small boats were inadequate — STRANGE ay bee ae pss % 3 or the Maumee River Navigation Company. Three large steamers were built and put into commis- sion, and the smaller ones my father sold; tha’ is, all except the Elsie French, which was the very - first boat he had built when I was an infant. Hes made her a present to me, arid I have made quite — a quite a bit of pin money out of her ‘since. “So she really is your reper w he: oH ty yee 5 ° Denke

Page 12

STARTING HIS “She is really and truly all mine.” _ _ “Why, I came to Cherryville to see if she was for sale.” “Did you? Who wanted to buy her?” “Well, no one wanted to buy her, Miss French, but I was thinking of getting a couple of people up my way to buy her, if I could induce them to go into a scheme I had formed to help them ship their products to the Toledo market by water.” “T am afraid that I wouldn’t consent to sell the boat, Mr. Sheridan. Have you any objection to telling me what your scheme is? _ Of course, I don’t want to pry into your business, so you needn’t tell me if you don’t want to.” “7}] tell you the whole thing, Miss French. I had a talk with the company’s agent, and he told ‘me that the boat was open to a charter for any length of time on satisfactory contract, so I «thought that such an arrangement might be made to answer even better than if the boat had to be purchased, though, of course, it would be more expensive in the long run to the persons I am hoping to interest in my scheme.” as “You have some transportation plan in view, then?” she said, with a look of interest. “Yes. The general freight agent of the A. & i . branch of the P., St. F. & C. road has just notified shippers along the line of an advance in freight rates to take effect; from the first of next “month. This will hit several persons in our part. of the country pretty bad, and from what I heard one of them say I am almost sure they would weleome a cheaper means. of transporta- tion to Toledo, even by water, if their products ~ eould be landed at the market in any sort of reasonable time. As the case stands, they have no way of reaching the boats of the Maumee River Navigation Company at this point, for ~ heir farms are twenty miles up the branch. Now, I thought if they could get a small steamer to bring their stuff down the branch to Cherry- | ville, the Navigation Company would be able to - transport the freight from here to Toledo.” ~ “Of course, that could be done all right,” re- plied Elsie. Tom then told the girl that his ob- ject was to secure a good job out of the scheme ‘that he called himself the originator of. “Tf T only had money enough myself to start _ the enterprise I’d run it on my own hook as my own business and make money. Nothing would suit me better than to do that, for I am ambiti- ous to get along in life on my own merits, and ‘some day I will succeed in doing so,” he added, with a determined nod of his head. “Suppose that I was to let you have the use of the Elsie French, do you think you could run the business you have in mind, profitably?” asked ~ the. girl. : -» “Let me have the use of her?’ ‘ 4 ee You know that in saving my life you WOR ve done mea service I never can repay in full. J should like to express my obligation in some manner, however, that would be of benefit to you. hae tae, rey ee Ar OSES oe OWN BUSINESS charter her, for six months or longer, if neces- sary, free of charge. Won’t that give you the start you long for?” “Miss French, you cannot mean that?” ex- claimed Tom, almost bewildered by the proposal. “T do mean. it. Furthermore, I am sure my father will make special rates with you on all freight that you transfer to his steamers at this town for transportation to Toledo. He will be more than glad to do anything to help you make the business a success, for he will always be un- der obligations to you for what you did for me. You will do well to have a talk with him this evening onthe subject. He will help you put the business in shape, for he is thoroughly familiar with all the details of transportation by water.” “You are very kind to offer to put me on my feet in this business, but I would rather make the business pay everything. I think you will be do- ing all that I ought reasonably expect if you will simply give me a start by allowing me to get into your debt until I.am able to turn myself. “Perhaps you would agree to another proposal on my part. Would you accept me as a silent partner in your scheme. I will provide the steamer and cost of tunning her, you will provide the business to make her pay. We will form a company, say—you and-J. You can be’ president and general manager, while I’ll be the secretary. I think I’ should enjoy the sensation of being in business.” “Why, that would be just the thing!” cried Tom, — ith enthusiasm. “T should want it understood, though, that it — I am a girl, — will, in the end, be your business. with a rich father, and consequently well provided for. You are a boy, who will soon be a man, with a future to make for yourself. I am going into this plan simply to help you. While I re- main in the company I will be your partner, but when I retire from the arduous,” she smiled, “duties of the secretaryship, the company will thereafter be wholly yourself, unless you care to 3 take another partner.” ; in “Anything you say goes, Miss French, though it is a mighty liberal arrangement for me. I ~ -will talk to your father about the matter as soon Then I will call on the _prop- — as I get the chance. rietors of Kenilworth and Ivanhoe farms and try to get them to give me their business on trial. Should they refuse to make a change from the — railroad when it comes to a pinch, then the whole _ scheme will, as a matter of course, fall through, | and I will have to think of something else in which to make a start in life.” They talked the matter over a while longer, both being intensely interested in it, and then Mr.’ French coming out, Elsie left Tom to open the subject to her father. Tom laid the whole scheme before the president of the Maumee River Navigation Co. in a business-like way, and asked his advice on the subject. He told the gentle- man of his daughter’s generous offer and asked him if it met with his approval. Mr. French was He said that he was very glad that 2, very much interested in Tom’s project. He asked — the boy many questions, and seemed to be much struck with “his ambitious plans to start himself —

Page 13

10 STARTING HIS -.It is impossible that either of us can ever repay you even a small part of the obligation we are under to you, but it will.give us a great deal of satisfaction to assist you in any way we ~ ean,” said Mr. French. “This nayigation project of yours naturally interests me, as it is the Same business, on a limited’ scale, as that I have been in so long myself. I think you will be able to make it pay so far as vour needs are concerned, and it will give you an education in the busi- ness that will be valuable to you hereafter. I will make you a special rate on all the freight you ‘turn over to our company at this town, so as to increase your profits. Now, in order to help you to gain the confidence of these two shippers on whom you rely to put the business into run- ‘ning order, I will give you an official letter en- dorsins. your plan and guaranteeing to see you through a year’s contract. That will enable - them to understand just «here they are, if, they sign an agreement for that time with you.” “I am very much obliged to’ you, Mr. French,” replied Tom, gratefully. “That ought to fetch ~ them, for Mr. Jones only wants a good excuse to abandon the railroad.” Mr. French then proceeded to give Tom some good, practical advice on navigation matters, and other points that he would need to know if he embarked in the enterprise he was trying to push through. : “Let me know as soon as possible how things are coming, and by all means refer to me as your backer in the business when you find such a recommendation will be of assistance to yow,” In the fara after bidding Elsie and her mother good-by, Tom accompanied Mr. French ‘to his office in the agent’s buildinge The general offices of the company were in Toledo, and there “was an agent at all the towns along the river that the boats made a landing. Mr. French went to Toledo about once a week, but transacted a good deal of the company’s business at Cherryville. Mr. French introduced Tom to the local agent, and then taking him into > nis own office wrote a strong letter supporting . Tom’s navigation plan, and guaranteeing to co- -» operate with him from Cherryville to Toledo. He drew a schedule of rates from Liberty to Cherry- - -yille, and then added the company’s rates from thence to Toledo. “You ean make the basis of your charges and submit it to Messrs. Brown and Jones. As soon as you have signed a contract with them and are ready to go right ahead I will let you know the “rebate I will allow you on vour freight from this point, east.” After some further’ conversation .. Tom parted from Mr. French and started for Liberty, feeling Be a bird. uM CHAPTER VIII.—Discussing the Project. Tom built -a great many air-castles. on his way back to the Pennington farm, which he reached early in the afternoon.. ‘ pee. He laid his transportation fore the farmer, showed him the ee rom. Sidne Vren : re be- - out your help,” The first thing | he did was to hold an interview with Mr. Pen-. er he got. ship my stuff direct to ‘Toled 8 what We a OWN BUSINESS though about the scheme. “Mr. Pennington was “s very much astonished. ’ “Why, Tom, I had no idea you were stich: a progressive boy,” he said. “But how can you ex-— pect to run such a business when you have had no - experience in it?” “Pll run it all right, Mr. Fcutangtent replied Tom, confidently. “You seem to have great contanas in yourself.” But tell me how did you manage to interest Mr. French in the matter? His Jetter indicates his — willingness to give you his unqualified support. — In fact, he guarantees to see you through for a year at least. Such backing as that from an stranger is unprecedented in my experience.” “Well, I secured it through a most fortunate circumstance,” answered Tom, who then described — how he had saved the life of Elsie French at her burning home. He explained to Mr. Pennington — that his visit to Cherryville was wholly with a view to get information and rates to submit to Messrs. Brown and Jones, with the hope that they would take up the scheme themselves, in which event he expected to get a job on the boat. His _ rescue of Miss French, however, had entirely. altered his original idea, and put him in the posi- tion to start the business on his own hook under | the most favorable conditions. “I ean understand now how the case stands,” said the farmer. “You are a very. fortunate ee 3 in having secured so powerful a friend, for even should this scheme miss fire through the refusal of the two shippers to avail themselves of your — offer fo transport their products to Toledo by — water, Mr. I'rench is bound to provide- well for your future in some other way.” “Now, Mr. Pennington, even if everything B turns out favorably for me in my interview with Mr. Jones and Mr. Brown, I can do nothing, with “How is Leen asked ‘the farioen. in some sure prise. “Why, I ae have a landing place or wharf in this ‘vicinity where I can take freight. There | a are only two wharves suitable for this purpose. * One is on Farmer Whipple’s property, the other _ on yours. Of course, you will wnderstand that 2 the Whipple wharf is out of the question f me to consider. That farmer would about as soon cut his head off as to let me have the ra of it.” Mr. Pennineton nodded, with a half smile, — “So,” continued Tom, “I must rely on you to 1 Ws me use your wharf if I am to engage in the busi- — ness. Then to reach the wharf you will have is é concede the right of way through your lane from the road to the wharf. That is a more serioi matter for you to consider,. but I am prepared oe pay you for the use of it, either in money or in transportation, for I can carry your produce | ay Toledo at a less rate than the railroad even “under its present schedule which is to b 4 superseded by a higher one on the. first o xt month, as you probably know.” “Don’t worry, Tom. You shall have he us of both the wharf and the lane at a fair fig In fact, I welcome the prospect of a boat branch. It would save me a lot of hauling four miles of road to the station. To be

Page 14

STARTING HIS of itself easily worth the rent of the wharf privileges.” “Then you are willing to make a year’s con- tract with me to that effect, are you, Mr. Pen- nington? And you will-permit the right of way through your lane to any shipper that wishes to reach the wharf if I agree to pay you a reason- able compensation ?” “Yes, Tom,” replied the farmer, whose admira- tion of the boy’s energetic business ideas had ex- eed greatly since the commencement.of their talk. “Thank vou, Mr. Pennington. This is very friendly on your part and I shan’t forget it, whether the scheme goes through or not.” “T sincerely trust it may go through, my lad. Your tact and perseverance surely ought to suc- eeed. At any rate, I will do all I can to help you reach the goal of your ambition.” © “Then I shall start the ball rolling with the big shippers to-morrow morning. I am anxious to open negotiations with them before they com- _ mit themselves to the railroad for another year.’ After supper Tom and Bob went down to. the wharf, and then the former told his friend all that had happened~ to him in Cherryville, and how successfully his scheme had panned out so far. Bob was as astonished as his father. “Then you’re going to start business for your- self, run it yourself and capture all the profits.” “That’s the idea exactly,” replied Tom. “You were certainly born for good luck. Did you carry a rabbit’s foot in your pocket when you went to Cherryville yesterday morning ?” Tom laughed. “T don’t possess such an article,” “T guess you don’t need one. A fellow who tumbles into such good fortune as you have done can give cards. and spades to those*who rely on rabbit’s feet. Well, as soon as you start this steamboat on ee branch you’re going to give me a job, aren’t y “Tl be glad es do so if your father has no ob- _~ jections.” “Tl answer for him. What do you suppose I ean do?” _ “Well, you might be my chief assistant. You could take full charge of this wharf, receive all he answered. waybills in dupticate, see that everything was properly loaded on the boat, for I will be respon- sible for any damage to freight after it once has heen delivered at the wharf, and attend .to such ; __ other matters as the local agent at this end will _ be expected to look after. Understand?” “Sure,” replied Bob, ‘enthusiastically. “That 2 ‘job will just suit me, and I will attend to things _ right up to the queen’s taste, see if I don’t.” 47] have to lease a wharf, or rather the right to use one in part, up at Liberty. I’m going to ~eall my business the ‘Liberty and Cherryville pid ‘ransportation Company,’ with the chief office\ at Liberty. The agent of the Maumee River Naviga- tion Company, at Cherryville will act as agent for me in that place, so Mr. French told me, “oe ak give tone and importance to my ven- 3 eckiee ee me tell you a a secret, Bob, lideh: yE " / ; 't rive away, | “Miss” Elsie ] re is going r] / sonal property, freight brought here for shipment, make out the ; OWN BUSINESS igees take a personal interest in the line, and will man- age, in a general way, the. Cherryville end.” “You don’t say!” exclaimed Bob,. with open mouth. “Yes, she’s enthusiastic over the idea of hav- ing something to do in connection with my scheme. The boat I’m going to use is her per- | and she’s going to furnish ‘me a with all the funds necessary to start the enter- ; prise.” : “Geewilikins!” ejaculated Bob. fallen into a regular butter-tub.” “Butter-tub or not, Bob, it’s up to me to make good. I should feel like thirty cents if I failed after getting such a splendid start as I am as- sured of.” “Don’t worry. You'll make good all wight: A fellow who can originate such a big scheme and push it through to a practical start is not going to slip up.” “T hope not; but the matter isn’t settléd yet by a long way. Everything depends on my being able to talk Mr. Jones and Mr. Brown into a. regular contract.” “You ought to be able to do that with: the +=. backing you have. They can’t lose, with Mr: 9 — French’s guarantee behind the project.” ‘ “That’s what I depend on, and I have very strong hopes of succeeding. Ill bet the freight te. agent of the A. & T. will have a fit if the Elsie ; French goes into commission between Liberty and Cherryville.” tees “Tl bet he will, too,” grinned Bob. “He’ll have. iz several fits. You'll hear from him before you’re aig long’ in business.” d “Why should TI hear from him? “Why, you've a He won’t be able to interfere with me.” ta Praga “Of course he won’t, “but I’ll bet the yailrodd Sng will try to buy you off.” oe “The railroad company can’t buy me off.” re- : plied Tom, with a resolute shake of his head. py they’ll try to make trouble for you.” ow? “I don’t know how; but don’t forget you'll be up against not alone the A. & H., but the power- ful corporation of which the A. '& T. is one of | the feeders.” ai “You mean the P., Ft. W. & Can? “)" 3 “That’s what I mean.” si “Mr. French will see me through.” } “He will if he can; but recollect there are a hundred millions or more back of that trunk ine “Oh, Tll only take a mighty small bit of their trade away. A mere flee bite.” + “Everything counts with a big railroad com- any.” ' “I don’t care. .They won’t bulldoze me, out of business, you can take'your oath to that, I may ;,"/ be only a boy, but I’ll fight for my rights just J." = as strongly as if I was &~ millionaire. 2 ; “The railroad, may cut’ rates on “you.” - “That won’t hurt me much, for I’ll have a contract for a year at least with the big ship- — % pers.” “That's something, of course.” f “The shippers will understand, anyway, that the cut rates would only hold good until I was driven out of. the business, then the company - would. get back at them with mcreeed: rates to make its dose’ 5 i <

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ay with good news,” 5 products delivere nington’s property, which I have secured, to ‘Toledo, via Cherryville, in five to six hours.” 12 33 - STARTING HIS OWN BUSINESS “That’s right. They’d be fools to desert you, for it would cost them dearly in the end.” Tom and Bob then looked over the wharf. = is won’t be large enough, do you think?” said 0 “Yes, it will, ” yeplied Tom. “I'll arrange with your father for the lease of a portion of this ground here. I'll build a good-sized weather- proof shed, with an office in it for you and your assistant, if you need one, as I fancy you will. All freight will be stored under cover that ar- rives here for the boat. I’ll have hands enough aboard the boat to handle it expeditiously, so that there’ll be no delay in loading up the moment “the steamer hauls in.” “Shall you take passengers, too?” “Sure. Vl carry anybody that wants to go by water from Liberty. It will be a pleasanter trip than by trolley, with the change at Carlyle, and five or six miles shorter as well.” “That will be fine. I’ll bet you’ll have a good many passengers if you don’t charge too much.” “The fare by trolley is fifteen cents. I’ll have to charge a quarter, but it will be worth it.” It was getting dark now, so the boys returned to the house, but they continued to discuss the subject that was nearest their hearts until they : got into bed. Next morning Mr. Pennington loaned Tom a ight rie to visit the two shippers in business- like shape. “T’]l be on pins and needles till you get back said Bob, who accompanied him as far as the road. “I’m over head and ears interested in this scheme of yours, and I should feel awfully disappointed if it didn’t go.” “Oh, I guess it will go all right,” said Tom, as he started off. “Tm just stuck on that, job he’s going to give me,” said Bob to himself, as he watched his friend out of sight. “It hits me on my weak spot. It’s several hundred times better than working about ‘the farm. The boys will all be jealous of my . good luck, while the girls—well,.say, P’ll be solid with them, then, bet your life.” CHAPTER IX.—How Tom Caught On And Is Then Arrested. Tom had no difficulty in securing an interview with Mr. Jones, whom he first visited, as the boy a decd he would be the more easily influenced of the two shippers, and half the battle would be won if he succeeded in talking him over. The ~ proprietor of the Ivanhoe Dairy and Fruit Farm ‘was greatly surprised when Tom broached. the object of his call.. He listened with much inter- est as the boy laid the details of his scheme be- - fore him, and his interest assumed large propor- tions when Tom hand-d him Mr. French’s letter and he read it over. i “There is my scale of. aiben on all your d from the wharf on Mr. Pen- “Mr. Jones examined the freight rates and noted that they showed an appreciable reduction from resent railroad charges. - eontract positively to go into effect on the: “fir st tion. a will sigh a year’s. ‘contract: with me, Mr. Jones,” said Tom, “I will have my part | guaranteed by Mr. French, so that you will be sure that the agreement will be lived up to to — the letter.” = Mr. Jones was evidently much impressed by ~ this. He knew that Mr. French’s endorsement ~ would insure the carriage of his goods in good’ © shape and on time. me “Have you spoken to Mr. Brown on this sub- ~ ject yet?” he asked. “No, sir,” replied Tom; “put Tam going directly to his farm as soon as I leave you.’ “When will you be ready to take freight?” é “On the first of the month.” ae Tom then told him that he had secured the right of wavy through Mr. Pennington’s lane to the wharf on the branch. He said that he would ~ start at once to put up a first-class freight shed at the wharf for the temporary storage of freight pending the arrival of the boat. The Elsie French, — he said, would make connection with both the — early morning boat at Cherryville from Fort — Wayne, and the late night-boat for ‘Toledo. “That will enable you by shipping fruit in the season from my wharf at five o’clock to connect with the Toledo market at daylight, same as you have been doing by the night freight, and — you would save the long haul to-the station, ten miles from here.” ; “That is a big object, certainly,” replied Mr. Jones. “My rates are much lower than the railroad’s.” “That’s true, too.” 3 “Then on the first of the month the railroad — rates will be advanced.” Mr. Jones nodded. iS “Well,” he said, “go over and have a talk with. Mr. Brown, and see how he takes-to your offer, then come back here and-I will give you my answer, which I will consider in the meantime.” “Very well: If Mr. Brown asks me what your views are on it shall I say that you consider them $ in a favorable light? a? pate “Yes. You can tell him that I like the idea im- ~ mensely, and am inclined to sign a contract gua: anteed by the president of the Navigation Com= pany.” *Tom then drove over to the ren ee 3 Barn and interview Mr. Brown. He had a long and interesting conversation with that gentleman. — “Bring me a contract, embodying the follow- ing points which I shall insist. on, endorsed by Mr. Sidney French, and I will sign it. Reme i ber, you must be prepared to accept freight on the first day of next month,” was Mr, Brown’s decision, which was quite satisfactory to Tom, who then returned to Mr. Jones.. Tom repeated a portion of the talk he had had with Mr. Brown and announced his decision. c “Very well,” said Mr. Jones. “Bring ‘me. a contract containmg the following insertions, . : guaranteed by Mr. French, and J will sign it, the ot tek Meglio 2 Section of next month.” é “All right,” replied Tom. “I will have Bes contracts here inside of two days.”” —_ a Mr. Jones invited him to dinner, as tt oe a little after noon, and Tom accepted the invita- After the meal he called on es per, not so important. as the oth er two and succeeded in securing him a ra cust

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STARTING HIS “My business is. as good as started now,” Tom congratulated himself on the road back ‘to the Pennington farm. “The Liberty & Cherryville _ Transportation Company will soon be an actom- plished fact, and the steamboat Elsie French will : presently make the water fly twice a day up and ~ down the branch. -I wonder what Farmer Whip- ple and his son Ezra will say when they hear that I’m at the head of the new concern? Will they have a fit? Well, say, they’ll turn green. with rage. If Mr. Whipple wants to get his produce -\ to the. Toledo market at low rates he’ll have to “see me.’ : Tom felt about as good as any boy can well - fell as he drove along the road. As he approach- _ €d a cross-road a buggy, with a boy in it, came - up the other road. Both rigs came together at -- the crossing, and the other boy, who proved to be Ezra Whipple, whipped up his animal and his wheel locked with Tom’s forward one; and - both vehicles came to a standstill. -. “What do you want to get in my way for?” snarled Ezra, recognizing Tom. way,” replied Tom, pleasantly. “You lie, Tom Sherid lan! It was your fault,” snorted Ezra. “All right; _-“Let’s unlock.” _“Back your wagon, then,” returned Ezra, who hought. he had won his point. “That won't do any good. as I can go ahead.” -“f won’t do no such thing. Do you s’pose Pm : £0; g@ to let you get ahead of me on the road?’ : ay don’t see how you can help yourself the way gs are.” “JT can help it. Back your wagon.” f “T can’t back without carnyine your wheel h me. You must be a fool if you can’t see that,” * yeplied Tom, impatiently. : “Do you mean to call me a fool, you beggar!” roared Ezra, furiously. “You are acting like one, Ezra Whipple. And want you to understand that I.am no more gar than you are,” added Tom, angrily. “How dare you call me a beggar?” “T didn’t call you one.” 5 #Yes, you did.” “i Are you going to hack your pore away from let it go at that,” replied Tom. Back. yours a bit oe Ym not.” “Then I’m going ahead and you can take the msequences. Get up, Mollie.” “Ave you goin’ to upset me?” ‘That’s your lookout. Whoa, girl! ‘ou_another chance to draw out.” “Back your wagon,” insisted ake in a dom- mating tone. — ‘Look here, Ezra Whipple, if I wassio do as ‘say I might snap your wheel off. If you ack there is room enough for you to get it. toward the ditch and - tried-to get ahead. He only succeeded in getting | iy! rather think it was you who got in my- _ Ezgra’s stubbornness in trying to pass him at the’ Tl give. t Tom’s rear wheel ook the. ee in= want to see_a boy named t aaige Bae ee. who is te % 13 was that Evrza was spilled out into the bushes; while Tom drove on, leaving his enemy to pic himself up. His buggy was scratched and the. - front wheel wrenched. “T’]] make you pay for this, Tom Sheridan,” he OWN BUSINESS ‘cried, shaking his fist after the retreating wagon.. “My, father will have you arrested and sent to . the lock-up.. Ugh! How I hate you!” : He got into his buggy after getting it out of the ditch and resumed his way, nursing a lot of revengeful thoughts against the boy he disliked. “Well, Tom, what luck?” asked Bob, when his friend drove into the yard. “First- class. Brown, Jones and Robinson are going to sign a year’s contract each.” “urrah!” eried Bob, throwing his cap into the- air. “Three cheers for the Liberty and Cherry- wie Transportation Company.” om told him all the particulars of his visits to. the three shippers, and Bob was tickled to death that things were coming out the way he wanted them to.» Mr. Pennington was also pleased to » learn of Tom’s success, and said there was noth- ing now to prevent him from going ahead. “And I’m going right ahead, Mr. Pennington. I shall make my application ‘to-morrow to the Liberty Town Council for warfage rights on the . river front.” ‘ “You'll get what you want, for it will be of publie benefit for you to run a steamboat up and — down the branch from Liberty _ to Cherryville.” - “That's the way I figure it,” replied Tom. teas After Supper that evening Tom told Bob about his unexpected meeting with his late aunt’s hus- band in Cherryville at the scene of the fire. tae “He and that other chap had evidently robbed” : the house, and J guess they accidentally set the place on fire while doing it, Bagley has developed into a full-fledged criminal, ‘and his finish will come pretty soon.’ Of course, Bob was surprised to hear that news. Tes didn’t tell me about this yesterday,” ee said 3 f “No, I -hadn’t decided whether I’d say anything v4 about it or not, but I don’t mind telling you now. dg Keep it: mum. ” 2 _ Bob promised that he would. Eat “By the way, Bob, I had a run-in with Ezra Whipple on the road this afternoon.” ; ABE _ “Did you? What about?” : : is Tom told his story of how he and fre had met at the cross-road, and got mixed up. through 9 wrong moment. = “And you dumped him into the diteh, did you foe S chuckled Bob. ! ee % = “J couldn’t help doing it, I sant ighine 1 eames stay there all day just because he chose to be. ugly and wouldn’t do the right thing.” “You served him right. It’s a wonder he Wouldn’t take a tumble.” __ : At that moment a man drove into the yard in alight wagon. Mr. Pennington went to meet him as he alighted. The farmer recognized him as one of the town officers. “How do you do, Mr. "Pennington, » he said. “ ng with won

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14 “There he is yonder with my son,” said Mr. Pennington, wondering what the officer wanted with Tom. They both approached the boys. “T believe you are Tom Sheridan?” said the officer, addressing Tom. “That’s my name.” “You will have to go to town with me.” “What for?” “T have a warrant for your arrest.” “My arrest!” gasped Tom. “There must be some mistake,” said the farmer. “What is the charge?” “Assault on Ezra Whipple. complaint with his father.” Mr. Pennington looked astonished. \ “Do you know “anything about this, Tom?” he asked. ° Tom explained what had happened-in the road. “Why, this charge is ridiculous,” said Mr. Pen- nington. © He swore out the “Well, that is for the magistrate -to pass on,”. said the officer. “I must do my duty.” “Their object evidently is to keep me in prison over night,” said Tom, indignantly. | “They shan’t succeed,” said the farmer. “I'll _ go with you and bail you out.” Accordingly, Mr. Pennington accompanied the officer and Tom to the village. The officer con- “sented to drive to the magistrate’s home, who. after hearing the boy’s story, paroled him in the farmer’s custody until ten o’clock on the follow- ing morning. o CHAPTER X.—Getting Into Shape to Start Operations. Next morning, a little before ten, Mr. Pen- nington, Tom and Bob drove up to the magis- trate’s office, where they found Ezra Whipple and his father already on hand to press the com- plaint against the boy they both hated. Tom was turned over to the custody of the officer and proceedings began. The charge was read to him and Tom pleaded “Not Guilty.” * Ezra was then sworn and stated the case as he* viewed it.. He also started to tell how Tom had knocked him down in the road and also had in- sulted his father when he came over to borrow the harness tool, but the magistrate cut him short, and told him to stick to the facts of the case in hand. Tom asked permission to cross-examine ‘ him, and was accorded the privilege. Question- ‘ing Ezra closely, he compelled him to admit facts so damaging to his story that the magistrate threw the case out and discharged Tom from cus- _ tody. Ephraim Whipple and his son withdrew, ‘much disgruntled ‘over the magistrate’s decision, while Tom received the congratulations of his friends. As soon as possible he took a car for “Carlyle, where he changed for Cherryville. On _, his arrival in that town he found Mr. French at his office. The president of the Navigation Com- pany was pleased to see him back so soon, and ~ asked him what luck he had had with his scheme. _ "I've caught the shippers, sir, and they are xeady to sign contracts, provided you will guaran- ae them.” ~ : i 55 OS Gent Pe ela ae yes Foe STARTING HIS OWN BUSINESS “T’m ready to do that, my lad.” ; “Here are the special points each wants in- serted in his agreement. You can look them over, and if satisfactory I shall want you to have three contracts drawn up in duplicate. Also an. agreement with Mr. Pennington, covering the right of way through his property and the wharf privilege.” Tom then went into the details of his plans, which ineluded the shed for freight at Penning- ton Landing, as he intended calling it, the leasing of part of a wharf at Liberty, and other matters of importance to the new freight line. He re- mained over night at Cherryville, and when he left next morning he carried with him the con- tracts, and a sum of money sufficient to start the ball rolling. ; He reached Liberty in time to attend a regular meeting of the Town Council, and put in his re- quest for the wharf privilege that he required. His statement that a freight and passenger steam- boat was about to be put into commission be- tween Cherryville and Liberty created consider- able excitement in the Council room. He re- | ceived the assurance of the members of the board that his request would be granted on very easy terms. Next morning the tri-weekly paper an- nounced that -the “Liberty & Cherryville Trans- portation Company” would run a boat between the two places, beginning on the first of the month. The publication of the paragraph aroused a good deal of interest in the village, and many of the citizens were of the opinion that it would give Liberty a boom. That day Tom presented the contracts in turn to the three shippers, and they accepted and signed them. Then he got an estimate for the shed from a village carpenter, after he had ob- tained a lease of the necessary ground from Mr. — Pennington, and om the day following work was begun on the building. As soon as he concluded © arrangements with the Town Council) he had a | small shed put up at the head of the wharf, and divided into a ticket and freight office, and a- reception-room for passengers. The printing. of tickets, freight waybills and other stationery was prepared for him at Cher- ryville by an employee of the Navigation Com- pany, and Tom spent a portion of his time in — that town in being coached in all matters con-' nected with the business that it was necessary for him to know. All printed matter bore the name of the new transportation company, and the office stationery in addition carried Tom’s name as general manager. Tom was introduced to the _ pilot-captain of the Elsie French, who was in- — stgucted to look to the boy for his instructions in © future. Sets Bob Pennington haying received permission — from his father to accept the position of agent for the new transportation company at Penning- — ton Landing, was instructed in his duties by — Tom, who also hired a young’and bright acquaint- — ance to fill a similar position at Liberty. Hand- — bills containing the following announcement were — bere in Liberty and | throughout the neigh. orhood: $ BP ie” & Cherryville Transportation Co, See, Liberty 2 homas Sheridan, Gen’l Mgr. ~

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-On and after May 1 the Steamer Elsie French will make two trips daily (Sunday excepted) be- tween Liberty and Cherryville, connecting with the fast palatial steamers of the Maumee. River Navigatith Co. at Cherryville for all points: east - “and west on ‘the Maumee River, leaving Liberty at 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.; leaving Cherryville 2 and 8 p. m. Passenger fare to Cherryville; 25 cents. Excursion, cents. Freight received at Meiges’ Wharf, Liberty, and at Pennington Landing (Pennington Farm). For rates apply to agent at either wharf. » Office of company in Liberty, 119 Main street.” . fe A standing advertisement was also inserted in - the Liberty and Cherryville newspapers after a similar’ fashion. Bob saw to it that a bunch of * the hand-bills were dumped into Farmer Whip- - ple’s front yard’ after dark -one ‘night, and Nzra found them there next morning. He started to read one. “Thomas Sheridan, general manager,” he mut- tered. “Same name as that beggar at Penning- ton’s.” Then he read,on and presently came to “Pen- 'nington Landing (Pennington Farm).” He rushed into the house to find his father. ' “Say dad,” he cried, excitedly, “there’s a new steamboat line on the Maumee Branch.” “Who says so?” growled the farmer. “This circular says so. And what do you sup- ‘pose, one of the landings is at Pennington’s wharf.” , “What!” roared Farmer Whipple. * see that hand-bill.” -. He also paused a moment at “Thomas Sheridan, ‘gen’l mer.” 2 He did not, of course, connect the name with the boy Tom whom he hated, but put it down as a coincidence. What interested him the most “was that this new company had established a landing at Pennington’s wharf. It made him as *mad as a hatter to think that his own wharf sshould have been overlooked when the selection was made. - He figured that Mr. Pennington would make a ‘good thing out of it, and he felt that he ought to ee had this good thing himself. He was jealous of Farmer Pennington’s prosperity, although he had no cause to kick about his own, and this extra slice of luck going to his neighbor in place of ~ coming to himself, galled him terribly. He de- ‘termined to go to the company’s office and see if ‘he couldn’t make a deal to have the steamboat landing transferred to his property. _ In order to do Pennington out of it, he was illing to‘give the company the use of his wharf free for six months. With that resolve in his ‘mind he harnessed up his buggy and drove into iberty about eleven o’clock. He stopped in front of 119 Main street, where a new sign pointed the “Let me ened that Bob and Tom were both there at the oaks: making the final arrangements for the be- inning of business on the following Monday. ‘They were in the private office, the outer room : STARTING HIS OWN BUSINESS ray to the offices of the new company. It hap-. the Kenilworth Farm; Mr. Hiram Jones, of the 15 “Yes, sir. Do you want te see him?” &kdos% 3 “What is your name?” “Hphraim Whipple.” The office boy entered the private room and told Tom that aman named Ephraim Whipple wanted to see him. Tom and Bob looked at each other in astonishment. _, : : oe the deuce does he want with you?” asked Bob. : “T give it up,” replied Tom. Then turning to Se office boy he told him to ask Mr. Whipple to walk in. ” CHAPTER. ah Seung of the New Freight : ine. Ephraim Whipple walked into the inner office . as if he considered himself the most important © man in the county, and he really did. When his eyes rested on Tom seated at his desk, and Bob by his side, he stopped short and stared, while a hard look came over his features. ~ ““T wish to see the manager,” he said, aggres- sively, intensely, disguested to find that Tom ap- peared to be attached to the office. ; “Tam the manager, Mr. Whipple,” replied Tom, — politely. he “You the manager!” snorted the . farmer, angrily. “How dare you tell me such a lie!” “Tam not telling you a lie, sir. I am the general manager of the Liberty & Cherryville Transportation Company. What can I do for you?” Tom spoke with the dignity that he felt his position as the head of the company called for, and also with studied politeness. Farmer Whip- ple seemed to be thoroughly staggered by his _ Statement. To his eyes it seemed so ridiculously improbable that he couldn’t bring himself to be- lieve it. He stood and glared in a most unfriendly manner at the boy, while Tom waited for him to speak. ©. ; 3 “Y don’t believe such a preposterous statement,” he replied at length. “I. came here to see the manager of this steamboat and not to see you,” “Well, Mr. Whipple, I can only repeat what. I have just told you—that I am the manager of the steamboat company. I can’t help it if you don’t 2 believe me. You had better go out and make a few inquiries,in ordet to satisfy yourself. Then I shall be glad to know the errant that brought you here. If it simply refers to the matter of shipping your produce to Cherryville, or Toledo, I will refer you to Robert Pennington, here, who is agent for the company at Pennington Landing. He will be pleased to give you all the necessary information. You will find our rates much lower __ than those: of the railroad, and we guarantee to __ land your stuff in Toledo via the Maumee River | Navigation Company’s boats within six hours — — the time our boats leave this end of the route.” ee “May I ask, is this new steamboat line run by boys?” asked the farmer, sarcastically. igs eek “Well, sir, Iam running it, and I am a boy, ~~ it is true, but I guarantee ‘thorough satisfaction. s to shippers. At any rate, Mr. Arthur Brown, o: a

Page 19

‘ dil \ (16 Ivanhoe Farm,/and Mr. Robinson, of the Robin- son Farm, have confidence enough in the new line to warrant their signing a year’s contract for the carriage of all their products to Toledo. Those three gentlemen, as well as you know, are the largest shippers in this part of the country, and would not be likely to break away from the rail- road without good and sufficient reason;” _ “Huh!” rephed Farmer Whipple, wiping his brow with his handkerchief. “They must be fool- ish to take any stock in a common boy like you. I certainly shall call on them and let them know ‘a few things about you that they probably are not aware of.” _ “You are at liberty to do so, Mr. Whipple,” answered Tom; “but I don’t believe you will make anything by it. My business with those gentle- men is purely on a business basis. I might also inform you that this. steamboat. line is backed by the president of the Maumee River Naviga- tion Company, and he guarantees all shipments made from up the branch.” . “Well, if you are the manager of this line I don’t want anything to do with it.” With those words, Farmer Whipple turned on his heel and strode out of the room, and thence out of the building. He was not only disgusted, but very angry. The very idea that such a boy as re Sheridan should have the management of a transportation line, even such a short one as ‘between Liberty and Cheeryville, fairly nause- ated him. He couldn’t understand it, and what he couldn’t understand he, had no faith in. He rode straight back home in a very ugly mood, and for the rest of the day made Ezra walk a chalk line, which did not please that, fel- low for a cent. On the afternoon of the 30th of April, the Steamer Elsie French steamed up the -. branch and made fast to the wharf at Liberty. 4 ‘Quite a crowd of curiously disposed people - eame down to the dock to look at her. Tom, in the meantime, called on all the farmers who had anything to send to market, and solicited their custom, pointing out that Cherryville and Riverport, five miles further down, were good marts for the sale of their products. As he of- fered satisfactory rates, he picked up a good bit “of custom in this way, and the company’s books at the end of the first month showed good results. ‘The business was paying from the very start, and Blsie congratulated Tom on the excellent showing that he was making. - ee “Bob was pulling through in great shape, and * was holding his end up without any trouble. Tom ; went to Cherryville two and three times a week, and he never failed to call on Elsie, not alone to talk business with her, but also for the pleasure of meeting her. — { ‘showed an increased partiality for each other’s : company as time passed, and neither was quite go happy as when ‘they were together. Mr. - French’s house had been practically rebuilt since the fire, and it was there that the girl received the young steamboat lad, whom she was proud to call her partner. He always stayed to one meal, sometimes two, and was a great favorite ‘with Mr. and Mrs. French, who felt they never ~~ eould do too much for the boy who had saved the life of their only daughter. and Tom ‘found that his business was panning 4 STARTING. HIS OWN BUSINESS ee ‘cashier of the Cherryville Bank, as a terrific — The young people: In this way two months and a half passed away | out*better and better each week. One July after- noon both Tom and Bob went to Cherryville on the five o’clock boat. This: was the trip they carried the bulk of the day’s freight on the steamboat. Tom had business with the Naviga- tion Company’s agent and did not gd to the’ French residence. In fact, he had barely time in which to do his business, as the boat only remained one hour in Cherryville, as she was due * back at Liberty at ten. € bs It had been a very hot day, and soon after the Elsie French made fast to her berth at Cherryville, which she ee at seven, there were indications in the sky of an approaching thunderstorm. As the time drew near for her to leave, the heavens were almost covered by the storm clouds. From the brilliancy of the light- ning and the loudness of the thunder, as the elec- tric clouds came charging over the town, the storm promised to be a corker while it lasted. Five minutes before starting-time Tom was sur- prised to see Mr. French step on board the steamer, accompanied by a well-dressed man, who was a stranger to him. , “Tom,” said Mr. French, “this is Mr. Parker. He is the cashier of the Cherryville Bank.” Tom bowed to the gentleman, and then Mr. { French continued: , - “Mr. Parker wishes to send the sum of $15,000 in gold to the Liberty Bank, and I have assured him that you will take charge of it and deliver — it in safety, so that there will be no occasion for him to send a special messenger with it., I will, of course, be responsible for the money, — so I shall expect you to take unusual care of . 3 “J shall certainly do that, sir,” replied Tom, who appreciated the responsibility about to de volve upon him. “Both Both and I will keep the — money in sight until we deliver it to the cashier of the Liberty Bank.” : \ ss “The gold is at the agent’s office in charge of — a messenger,” said Mr, Parker. “I will have it sent aboard at once. Where shall you put it?” “There is a little office on the cabin deck. I shall keep it there, and Bob Pennington or my- self will stand guard over it all the way up the ~ branch.” ma “When do you start?” ‘ : “Just as soon as your messenger brings the money aboard.” is “Youre going to have a rough trip, at least- part of the way, Mr. Sheridan,” remarked the clap of thunder sounded almost immediately overhead and the sky was lit up by a vivid flash of lightning. ete 3 “Looks, like it,” answered Tom, as they step- ped ashore on to the wharf. “I will wait here at the gangplank for our messenger.” pass In a few minutes the messenger appeared, bearing a heavy box on his shoulder. See: “It is already receipted for,” he said, delivering it to Tom. ; ; _“All right,” replied the young steamboat mag- nate. “Cast off, Captain Ford,” to the pilot, who was waiting for orders. “Follow me, Bob,” he said to Pennington. : I e8 As the steamboat swung away from the wl amid the crashing of the elements, the two bo walked up the brass-bound stairs to the cabit f

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ie). floor. two men had sneaked aboard the steamer, for- ward, and crouched down under the tarpaulins that protected some cases of freight billed for Liberty. But such was the fact, and they. were _. there for no good purpose. » 1 “This is the most valuable freight we've car- ried yet,” said Tom, as he opened the door of the small room that the pilot used as a store- room and office. e “T should think it is,” replied Bob. “While I don’t believe there is much danger of our be- ing relieved of it, as nobody but Mr. French, the bank cashier and his messenger knows that 2 box of money is aboard, one of us, as you told Mr. Parker, must keep a constant watch over it. ” Ym not tak- oP? “You can bet your life on that. ing any chances with it. If I lost it I’d lose my reputation with it and then I might just as well throw up my hands. The pilot has a re- volver. I’m going to borrow it.” Tom locked the door on the box of gold and put the key in his pocket. : “You sit down here and watch that door, Bob, -- while I get the gun,” he said to his companion. : Bob took the seat and Tom went up to the __pilot-house. He was back in a very few minutes _ with the pilot’s revolver in his pocket. Then he took his seat beside Bob, and one or the other of them had his eyes on the door all the time. The fierce wind that accompanied the thunderstorm ‘swooped down on the little steamboat, and she rocked about as if at the mercy of a heavy sea. “The thunder roared overhead at frequent in- tervals, and the lightning flashed almost inces- tly. : - og oe We're catching it, hot, Tom,” said Bob, as the uproar of nature interfered with their conversa- tion to a considerable extent. ‘ “That’s right, we are. This is the biggest storm of the summer.” 2 “It’s a corker and no mistake. Just listen to the wind! One might easily fancy that he was out at sea.” ¥ “Some people would get seasick on this boat ' the way. she rocks,” replied Bob. , I’m glad that I’ve no - “E guess you're right. “< jwomen passengers.” i - ... fhe storm continued at jts height for perhaps -. twenty minutes, during which the rain came a down in a perfect deluge. The boys could hear : it thundering upon the deck above their heads. ~ Then the worst of it passed away to the north- west, but the darkness remained intense, not a star being visible in the sky. The pilot had to feel his way up the branch, and watch out sharp that he didn’t get the boat aground at any of -the turns in the stream, of which there were several. The result was that the steamer reached Pennington Landing an hour late. : _ “You'll have to go on with™me to Liberty to- night, Bob, on account of the money,” said Tom. . “Al right, old man, I’m with you. I'll have =. feepen up the freight shed so the men/can put is ‘those empty crates inside. to wait for me.” : _ *You’ll find me here when you get back,” an- _swered Tom. Sai one __ So Bob hurried away to attend to business while mm remained a RAT cant ; : STARTING HIS OWN BUSINESS No one had noticed in the darkness that Yl tell Mr. Ford his eyes toward the stern of the st -ingthe gloom he saw the indistinct forms of two. 17— “T guess I'll take a look at that box to satisfy myself that: it’s all right,” said Tom to himself ~~ while the boat was lying at the wharf, “Of course it is, for we’ve been on the watch con- tinuously since the box come into my posseSsion; but there is no harm in taking a look. A fellow feels nervous when he has such'a big respon- sibility on his shoulders.” Tom took the key from his pocket, unlocked the door and looked into the little room. It was very dark, so he struck a match and flashed it around, “My gracious!” he ‘exclaimed. “Where is the He box?” It was clearly not where he had placed it. was about to look around on the floor when he noticed that the shutters of the single window were broken open and the sash swung inward. “Great Scott! The box has been stolen!” . CHAPTER XIII.—Pursuit of the Thieves, Tom was completely staggered by the loss of the box of money. How any one could have known that the box was in that little room, and how the window could have been forced without. he or Bob hearing the noise, was a mystery. to him. Tom went to the opening of the window and looked out. Only a narrow six-inch pro- jecting plank extended along the side of the boat under the window. It seemed impossible that one man could have entered the room and got the heavy box out of the window with any suecess at all unless he had provided himself with a rope to lower it to the narrow space of the deck below, between the railing and the side of the steamer. He must have had an accomplice. The job was evidently done some time during the - thunderstorm, when the roar of the elements | deadened the noise of breaking in the window. which an experienced eye would have seen had been accomplished with a jimmy. Probably the * work was put through during the tail end of - the storm, when the lightning was less frequent” and’ dazzling, and the darkness was_ intense enough to cover the movements of the thieves, But who were the thieves? Were two or more of the deckhands implicated in the robbery” “One of them might have overheard the con- versation between Mr. French and me at the ~ head of the gangway at Cherryville, and put up: © the job with the help of a pal,” argued Tom. ~ “In which event they have hidden the box in the hold, with the purpose of smuggling it ashore at Liberty. Unless a better clue is forthcoming. implicating somebody else, Bob and Mr. Ford | will have to maintain a close watch on the hands when the boat reaches her wharf, while I get a posse of officers to come down and search the steamer from stem to stern. This is simply a — terrible misfortune. I was a fool not to leave the door wide open so that Bob and I could keep our eyes on the box continually. What will Mr. French think of me? And how will I ever be able to refund the loss? I must tell Bob at — once.” eR etn pare As he was about to leave the window he cast mer. There

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18 STARTING HIS men, All the hands were busily engaged in put- ing ashore the crates and wheeling them into ihe barn, so these men could not belong to the boat. Tom had only brought up one passenger, '. who he had just noticed reading a paper in the cabin. Who, then, could these men be? One of them stepped across on to the string- “piece of the wharf. The other stood against the rail ‘apparently holding something in his arms. ‘The man on the dock reached out his arms and the: other handed him something that seemed to be quite heavy. As soon as he got it in his arms he started off in the gloom, followed by the other who’ had immediately sprung on the wharf. “Those are. the thieves!” palpitated Tom. “Whoever they be they are certainly the men who have stolen the wold and are now carrying it “away under cover of the gloom. [ hayen’t a moment to lose if I hope to recover the money. . must follow them and shoot them both if they refuse to give up the box. They won’t be able to go very fast with that load, but the trouble will be to’ track them across the farm in the darkness. They will probably make for the woods yonder. first, and then the road, hoping that the vobbery may not be discovered until the steamer - yeached Liberty. ‘That will give them a good start and plenty of time to arrange their future movements. It’s mighty lucky that I looked out this window at the critical moment.” Tom rushed out of the little room, flew down the stairs and dashed on to the wharf. He found Bob just locking the shed door. : “What’s the matter, Tom? You look excited, ” he said, rather surprised that his companion: had : deserted his post before the door of the room.in - which he supposed the box of money. still lay. ~. “Come with me at once. The money-box has been stolen and we must recover it.” —. “Stolen!” .gasped Bob, in utter amazement, “You can’t mean that?” “T do mean it. We haven a moment’ to lose.” “Why, how-——” - “Don’t ask any questions now. I tell Mr. Ford to go ahead.” ~The pilot-captain was standing near the wheel- -. hguse, waiting for Bob’s signal, and two hands held the gangplank partly drawn in, while a man stood forward and another aft, ready to ~ east off the ropes. “AN right, cap’n,” said Tom. and I are not going any further.” “Mr. Ford at once gave orders to cast off from - the wharf, and the steamboat was soon sailing - along her final stretch. ° “Come, Bob, follow me!“ said Tom, starting - off toward the line of the woods, as fast as he ~ eould go, followed by the greatly bewildered Bob. Inside of ten minutes they reached the out- -kirts ‘of the woods. “Keep your eyes skinned for two men, one of _ them carrying: the box,” said Tom, hurriedly. They stood and listened intently, but no sound - met their ears except the distant peals of thun- ‘der and the rustling of the trees in the night wind. Finally Tom, satisfied that the two men Lad already entered the wood, if he had calculated Wait here till “Go ahead. Bob 2 line of retreat aright, led the way in among Tom carried a heayy heart, for unless — the trees. as able to ee fae gold he dreaded the OWN BUSINESS interview he would have to hold with Mr. French over the phone in the morning. Thé president of the Navigation Company would, of course, make the bank’s loss good at once, but the theft would be sure to*leak out, and it was bound to hurt ~ the reputation of the new line as a trustworthy public carrier of valuable property. : Tom set great store by the success of the transportation company he had established, and it certainly was hard luck to have such a. terrible thing happen during the first three months es- ’ pecially. “What will Elsie think of me?” he muttered, between his teeth. To lose her good opinion he felt would almost ~~ 3 break his heart. He not only admired the fair~ - girl, but was beginning to entertain a very strong feeling of regard for her, which every meeting between them deepened. The very fact that he had been instrumental in saving her life made his growing attachment for her warmer. She would not, of course, withdraw her friendship from him because of his misfortune in losing the box of --gold, but he was afraid it would raise an in- definable barrier between them that might never be wholly done away with. He suffered acutely, but determined to be a ~— man in his resolution to recover the last money, and not give way to despair at the prospect he saw ahead of him if failure ultimately rewarded his very best efforts. : “They may have gone towards that old. hut on our propertv, which covers a kind of cellar where we once stored our crop of ice,” said Bob, as they — approached the other side of the woods. ~ : “True, they might. But as they are probably strangers in this neighborhood they will hardly strike it except by accident.” “You are sure they are strangers, then?” “No, Iam not sure of it. I could not tell who they were in the darkness.” “Tt’s funny, but I only noticed that we had one passenger up to-night.” “That was my idea, too. They certainly did not come into the cabin at any. time or we would have noticed them.” “They must have stayed below on the freight aan deck, in which case some of the deckhands cer- tainly saw them there, and Mr. Ford must haye taken their tickets, so that if we fail to over- haul them we will be able to get their description _ ea to furnish to the police of all the towns around, What mystifies me is how they got into that room and got away with so heavv a box right under : They certainly did not enter by the our noses. door, I can swear to that.” “No, they broke in through ‘the window on the outside of the boat.” “They did!” cried Bob. “They must have ae mighty spry rascals to do that. They had to climb up on a six-inch foot-piece and hold on by the skin of their teeth while they were force ing the shutters and the window inside, It’s ~ onde we didn’t hear the noise they must have made “They worked during the thunderstorm, whi made uproar enough to drown any ordinary noise.” ; “But I don’t see how they could accomplis it in the pelting rzin, with the boat wobbling like ‘she did. “The the wind blew hard enough |

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STARTING HIS OWN BUSINESS should think to blow them overboard. They must. have been regular gymnasts.” ' “They were certainly professional crooks, for only an adept in that kind of business could have accomplished, successfully, what they did.” By this time they were drawing near the ice- house. Suddenly, through one of the cracks of the building, they saw a flash of light as if a match had been struck. From the intermittent way the blaze came and went, the boys judged that some one was lighting his pipe. “T’ll bet that’s them now,” whispered Bob, ex- citedly. : “Tt’s lucky I got the pilot’s revolver,” returned Tom, as they crept cautiously up to the entrance of the hut. “I’m going to have that gold back,” ~ he added in a determined tone, “if I have to - . shoot both of them to get it.” ah CHAPTER XIV.—Recovery of the Box of Money : and.Capture of the Thieves. Lying close to the ground in the wet grass the boys heard two men talking inside the hut. The tones of one of them was somewhat familiar to Tom, and he wondered where he had heard it before. He soon found out all about it, and the discovery was not a pleasant one. The men were - smoking and talking. : i \ “Fifteen thousand dollars in gold is a pretty - tough load for a man to carry, Bagley,” said one of the pair, and at the mention of the name - Tom gripped Bob by the arm. His late aunt’s ‘husband was one of the thieves, and the other was probably the fellow Tom met in Bagley’s company at the kitchen doorway of the French house at the time of the fire. : _ *Tt is a heavy load, Johnson,” replied Bagley; “but I don’t mind how tough it is to carry if -weonly get away with it.” - We')]l get away with it all right, don’t you fret,” answered his companion, in a confident tone. “They haven’t more than discovered its loss: by this time; that will give us time enough to reach the \Crossings, where vou are known. ‘We'll hire a room for the night, like any re- spectable person. Then we'll break open the box, divide the swag and make a bundle apiece of our shares. That will make it easy to carry. We will then let ourselves’ out of the house ‘by ~ the window of the room, make for Stanton and zo 2 ; ‘there at four. We ought to reach the city by ent o’clock at the outside. Then we can take a boat for Buffalo, and a. train from there to ‘New York. “Once in the metropolis we'll enjoy eal life, and $7500 apiece will go a long way tov the article.” y pete telecraph may head us off at Toledo, Bagley. : : eee cede think it will bring detectives to the A. & T. freight yards. If we think it best, we ean drop off outside the city limits and walk to the steaniboat dock by a roundabout way. -*T Jeave the matter to you, Johnson. You know the ropes better than me.” ! “Yes, guess I know a thing or two about oodwinking the sleuths. This won’t be the first ime I’ve done it. This has been a mighty good _ y 4 7 : : . monkey! ~-eatch the through freight for Toledo, that gets. , effect. - a gun in front of him, and he threw up his hands,. os “49 haul for us, Bagley, and unexpected at that, Your nephew nearly got us pinched that day in Cherry- ville. This is where we've got back at him for it. He'll get into all kinds of trouble over the loss. of this money.” ; “Serves him right, the cantankerous little I hate him. I don’t see how he got his job on the steamboat.” “He’s liable to lose it after to-night,” chuckled Johnson. : ‘ Bagley made no reply to that, and for a little while the men smoked in silence. “It’s time we were startin’ on, pard,” | said Johnson at last, knocking the ashes out of his Pipe. “It's your turn to act as pack mule.” “How far d’ye expect me,to carty it? Remem- ber, I ain’t as strong as you,” said Bagley, with a growl. : “Well, lug it as far as the road, and I'll reliev you for a spell.” ; The boys heard the men get up inside, and they prepared for action. “You tackle Bagley,” whispered Tom. “He’s got the box and will be at a disadvantage. Slug him good and hard. I’ll hold Johnson up with my gun.” : Johnson came out first, and then Bagley fol- lowed, with the box on his shoulder. sat fet “Hold!” cried Tom, aiming hig revolver at / Johnson, who started back with a deep impreca- - tion. Biff! Bob’s hard first landed on Bagley’s nose, . — and box and rascal went to the ground together. Then the sturdy young agent jumped on Bagley’s chest and pinned him where he lay. : “What in thunder does this Johnson. “It means that. you chaps replied Tom, resolutely. “Your prisoners!” sneered Johnson. not.” * He ran his right hand to‘his hip-pocket and Tom, believing that he was about to draw a weapon, fired at his arm. Johnson uttered a scream of pain, and a succession.of groans, as his arm fell, useless, by his. side. rible string of profanity, he made a dash at Tom, raising his left arm to strike him. The boy stepped aside and the man fell over some creep- sey Bas and lay there, groaning with anguish. o ting up a strong fight with Bob, in an effort. to upset him. “Surrender, Mr. a dose of the same medicine I just handed out to your side partner.” “T guess — turned his revolver on Bagley, who was put- Arie mean?” roared are our prisoners,” i With a ter- “ Bagley, or I may treat you te \ 5 Practically that was a bluff, as Tom had no ~~ intention of shooting Bagley. However, his reso- — lute demeanor and stern words had the requisite Mr. Bagley was a coward when he saw yielding’ sullenly enough. _ / “Tie his hands behind his back with ‘your handkerchief, Bob. The company will present you with a new one.” ; So Bob tied Bagley’s told him to get up, ee “See that he doesn’t get away, Bob,” said Tom, ~ turning his attention to Johnson, who was. evi wrists together and then — dently suffering so much thai all the spirit was taken out of him. we

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20 STARTING HIS OWN: BUSINESS J had to shoot, but you were going to draw that revolver on me that I see sticking out of your pocket, and self-preservation is the first law of nature. Get on your féet and J’ll take you to ~ a doctor.” ' * Tom reached down, took possession of John- -son’s weapon and hande dit to Bob. Bagley’s zompanion got up, with many groans. Tom then Shouldered the money-box and ordered the men to march. They were taken directly to Mr. Pennington’s house, and Johnson was permitted to lie on the lounge in the sitting-room. 'Tom went to the telephone and rang up the solitary night operator in the Liberty telephone. office. He first asked to. be connected with Dr. Kent. - When he got. the physician on the wire he told him he wanted him to come out to the Penning- ton farm to set a man’s arm, which had been broken by a revolver shot. He then got put in _¢onnection with the village head. officer. He ‘told him to come out in his wagon and take charge of two crooks whom he and Bob Penning- ton had captured red-handed. ' Inside of twenty minutes the doctor drove up, and was soon attending the wounded man. the time he was through the officer appeared. _ The“ prisoners were loaded on the wagon, and _. So was the box of money, which would have to be used in evidence against the rascals. Tom went pee: so he had to go back to Liberty anyway, for he had a room there. -_ Bagley and Johnson were put in the lock-up, while the money was carried to the bank and de- “livered to the night watchman for security’s sake, "Then Tom went home, after promising to be on hand at the magistrate’s office next morning to “press the charge of robbery against the two prisoners. He was-a happy boy again, for he : bee ‘recovered the $15,000. b| : 4 CHADEER XV.—Tom and Bob Attend Elsie French’s Birthday Party. the magistrate’s office by officer Wagner. was on hand to give his evidence, and Bob was there, too, to back him up. It was a clear "case jail in Carlyle for trial at the next term of the ~ court. Tom then rang Mr. French up on the ‘Jong-distance telephone and told him the whole ~- story. Tom also surprised him by telling him that these were the two men who had robbed his itera and caused the fire. “Are you prepared to swear to that fact, Tom?” he asked. Yes, sir. I am positive “they are the. men. One, I am sorry te say, is my late aunt’s hus- band. But he richly deserves all that’s coming to him.” | ~“T will have them both indicted for robbery and arson, premeitated or accidental. It will stand against thém while they’re in prison for the stealing of the money-box, and then they’ll e arrested at once and tried on that charge, term tors years sie By - ‘ville at 4 P. NES October, Elsie gave a birthday party at her xis ae ‘ake o’clock the prisoners were brought ae om: against Tom Johnson and William Bagley, and the magis rate remanded them to the county. to it. which is, bound to send them back for another ad. coferatulatons for ‘ Te m ‘also when’ next he came to Cherryville, and then he con- fessed to her how bad he had felt that night over the loss of the box. “Well, Tom, I think you have made an ex- cellent defence, and had you lost the money I should not have held it against you.” : “You are very kind to say that, Elsie, It is a great relief to my mind to feel that I would have ‘ had at least one true friend—my little partner.” “You will always find me your true and earnest friend, Tom,” she replied, in a tone that left him no excuse to doubt the sincerity of her words. On the whole, the month of July proved a good ene, financially considered, for the new company, and August was equally prosperous on the bal- — ance sheet. It now became generally known that Tom Sheridan was practically the Trans- portation Company himself, which diselosure caused many persons to cease to wonder how he — came to be at the head of the concern. The girls all set their caps at Him, but it didn’t do them any good. His thoughts were an- chored at the French home in Cherryville, and, as far as he was concerned, there were two flukes to the anchor. After the first of October, Tom cut out the nrorning trip and changed the time of the afternoon boat as follows: ek “ “eave Liberty at 2 P..M., arrive at Cherry=- ,~ leaying Cherryville at 5 Py M.. a arrive at Liberty FA Rae a fis This was due to the Ree of the fruit sea-- son, and was made after a conference with his ~~ three principal shippers; whom he invited to his office for that purpose. About the middle ef home, and, of course, Tom was invited. She — would as'soon have thought of jumping into the — Maumee River as to give a party and not have, him as the bright particular star of the occasion. Bob was also invited to be present, and both — the boys, arrayed in their best apparel, took ‘the two o’clock boat for Cherryville on the day in question. Tom only knew two or three of Bisie’s own set, and Bob none at all. However, she, seemed to enjoy the task of introducing them, especially Tom, and both boys were favorably re- ceived in the aristocratic social armoenhere of Cherryville’s highest circles, iy They had a pretty swell time of it, and enjay 2 every minute. Tom danced with Elsie so many times that some of the girls and boys got jealous, — but Tom made himself so popular on the whole~ that no one could find fault with him. Bob man- aah aged to pick up one little brunette beauty to — whom he paid particular attention, to the great’ : amusement of Tom and Elsie. The supper was the event. of the evening, and both boys, in com- | mon with all the young guests, did ample justice* hi ry oe As it was too late for them to think of return- ing to Liberty when the party broke up, they were invited to stay all night at the French mansion. In fact, they remained in town until five the next afternoon, when the steamboat bs turned up the branch. By this time Tom J obhnson and William Bagley — were getting | accustomed to their quarters in the State prison, where they had been sent for- een years apiece—their prior conviction for the Farmer WeRP Pe. Wctes Burglary telling, agi them. Pe Siok

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; STARTING HIS OWN BUSINESS Bob, having told all. his friends and acquaint- ances what a bang-up time he and Tom had at Miss French’s birthday party in Cherryville, the news naturally reached the ears of Ezra Whipple. The result was.that he persuaded his mother to allow him to. have a birthday party, too. He sent out a pile of invitations to those he thought were his friends, but he took mighty good care not to inelude. Tom and Bob in the list. When the girls, who were invited, found that. neither Tom nor Bob, who were by long odds the most popular lads in the neighborhood, were poing to be at the party, the majority of them * decided to stay at home, and they did. Most of the boys, when they learned, in one way or an- * other, that their particular girl was not going to - attend, also stayed away. The result was that the party was something of _ a frost, and Ezra felt cheaper than sour apples. Of zourse, Tom and Bob heard that the Whipple party had been a failure and they grinned quiet- ‘ly to each other, for they knew what Ezra had “aimed at whéii he got up his party, and they were rather tickled because his scheme had missed fire. j Goic + CHAPTER XVI.—Conelusion. With the reduction of freight carried, Tom had to reduce his help some. Three deckhands were sufficient to do all the work on the steamer. Bob’s _ assistant was also laid off. On the first of De- ~ eember a trip up and down the branch every - other day was enough to. handle all the business that came Tom’s way. He was satisfied if the hoat paid expenses, and sometimes it didn’t do that.. Most every business has its dull spell, and _the young steamboat magnate was now experl- -encing his. BS "While he had loads of time on his hands he amused himself planning for the next season. There was a large. town called Calfax, three “miles west of Liberty. It was located on the A. & T. Railroad, the-station and freight sidings ~ “being on the side facing Liberty. This was the - place where Messrs, Brown, Jones and Robinson, the fruit, produce and dairy product. shippers had been obliged to send their stuff for shipment by rail before Tom started his steamboat line: Golfax was also close to the head of the Mau-. ~ mee Branch, but owing to the flats a mile be- low the town, that is, toward Liberty, no eraft of any draft could pass up to its water front. Tom, however, got an idea in his head that a ‘ehannel could be dredged through the flats. The ‘question was, how-much would the work cost, and also could the channel, if made, be kept i a - through water rates to Toledo and intermediate -sometimes freight had ~ business, caught ony } "WON." * 2) get my boat through to Colfax. Would you ad- vise me to undertake the expense of a survey?” “Tom,” replied Mr. French, “I would rather you’d use your own judgment in this matter It is ever so much better for a boy or man © to rely on himself, as a rule, for it brings out —~ any latent energies he may possess, and vastly ~ strengthens his grip_on the strenuous conditions of life.” , ; Tom went home and thought the matter over, ~~ with the result that he ordered the Toledo com- = ~ pany to make the survey and submit an esti-~ mate if the project was practicable. The. sur- Me vey was~ duly made, and the manager of the ~*~ | dredging company notified Tom that his diver ~ had discovered a filled-up. channel through the flats, He said that in the spring he would under. take to dredge it out for so much, and that in his opinion it could be “kept clear by looking after it once a year. ; Tom was delighted at the prospect and callea on Elsie to consult with her about the matter. ial told him to go ahead, if he thought it best — 0 do 80 sr Accordingly, at the proper time the dredying company sent its float up to the branch, and ~ commenced operations. wee . The channel was opened up, and after run< ning the Elsie French through to Colfax one — day, to the great surprise of the people along the waterfront, Tom publicly announced that the — steamboat would make regular trips between Col- fax and Cherryville, via Liberty, until further notice. ; . a He changed the name of his line to the Colfax — & Cherryville Transportation Co,, and removed his office to Colfax. higeee He inserted a standing advertisement in the town newspapers, and called personally on the more important shippers. to whom he submitted . points. : He received encouragement enough to guar- — antee the complete success of his venture, and the receipts during the year were more than double what they had previously been on: the ~ original route. Et The running schedule was only increased by fifteen minutes, but the carrying cdpacity of the Elsie French was frequently severely tested, and . to be refused for certain - trips. pares 3 At the close of the year Tom mustered up the « = eourage to ask Elsie if she would enter into new articles of partnership, the term of which-should— be for life. © BM ance Her answer was “Yes,” and in the following June she changed her name to Elsie Shertaan. in the presence of a larre crowd at the church she attended in Cherryville. : - (ee Tom now has two steamers on the Branch. both paying well, and has proved beyond all ‘doubt that he is a boy who, in starting his own: IN STOCK; or.

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GUS AND THE GUIDE — Or. — Three Weeks Lost in the Rockies By GASTON GARNE> (A Serial Story.) CHAPTER XIIJ.—(Continued), “Well,” said Brandt, “we hain’t got no glass balls nor the like of that, but I’ve got a small bag of new silver dollars. What do you say to fas- tening one of them to the/trunk of that big cotton- wood down there by the creek. It’s somewheres about two hundred yards, I recken. Ten shots each. See how many times you can hit it—how’s * that?” _ “It's a close test,” replied the man. ‘“That’s putting the tenderfoot up’ against it pretty strong.” , . “You can’t put me up against it any too strong, ” gentlemén,” spoke up Gus. “If Ike Harmon is satisfied with that test, I am.” “Say!” cried Gophen Jake, “let Belle come in on the deal.. Thar hain’t no better shot in the hull gang than that gal. If the tenderfoot kin wax her and Gophen Ike, tew, waal, then I’m a to admit that he hain’t no tenderfoot, that’s all. “I’m agreeable,” said Gopher George. “Suits me,” assented Ike Harmon. “T just. want to remark,” began Colonel Tim when Gopher George, suddenly wheeling. around, sent a revolver shot whizzing over his head. “Any more of your remarks and Ill put the next one lower,’’ he growled. “Time!” cried Gopher Jake. “We hain’t here to plug old Pop Tolkins. It was to be silver. dol- Jars, iT yalete, Belle, do you want to take a hand in this deal?” ; -“J’m your slave, boys. I have to do what I’m told,” replied the girl, tossing her head proudly. “Tf Ym told to shoot, why, I must shoot—that’s all.” “Shoot! ‘Shoot !” shouted. * Gopher Gegrge then went over to the tree and fastened the Wright silver dollar to the trunk with _ three small nails. ~ “Who plugs it first?” asked Gus. . - “Don’t matter to me,” replied Gopher Ike. ~ “Suppose we toss up for it, then?” “T’m agreeable.” “Here goes,” said Gopher George. “Heads for he tails for the tenderfoot. Ladies fust in every lease.” ‘The dollar,came down on the frozen gro - : with, the head of Liberty uppermost, so Gus h time to. think. He was a splendid shot, but then there were , others. Besides, the mark Was small, and the dis- or tance great.» Belle now came forward with her trifle, and several of the Gophers Hens id taken up ‘his position nee the cotton- FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY ee the dollar, blazed away after Gopher | Mie “A hit!” called Jake. Belle smiled in a sareastic manner. “Time!” cried George, and again the rifle cracked. “A miss!’ shouted Jake. This time Belle didn’t smile, buf stamped her foot, and the next was a hit, and so were all the others but the last. “Eight out of ten,’ cried Gant George. “That: . is doing pretty well, considering the distance and the size of the mark. Now, then Gopher Ike.” Ike came up to the scratch with his big mouth open from ear to ear, but in spite of this sign offs confidence his record was only seven out of ten. Cool and confident, Gus took the rifle and toed the mark. “T’m a little better on the wing shot,” he said, quietly. “If one of you fellows will get up in the tree and fling out the dollar after we get through sue this ’] show you what I can do in that ine “One thing at a time,” said Gopher George. ph ot you would like to try it in the saddle, ey - “That would suit me first-rate,” replied Gus. “Anything to oblige, gentlemen. Well, here goes.” “A hit!” yelled Gopher Jake. The gang received the announcement in silence. Again Gus let ga. “A hit!” should Jake, and there was a murmur of applause.” “T told you the boy knew his business,” Colonel Tolkins ventured to remark. Six shots scored six hits, but the seventh pierced eg tree a fraction of an inch away from the dol- ar. The remaining three shots were watched with — breathless interest. \ : Each one dented the dollar. : “Nine out of ten!’? shouted Gopher Jake. “Noth- ing the matter with that shooting, boys!” Gus handed back the rifle to Gopher Ike with- out a word. “What do you say about his being a tenderfoot now?” cried Belle. “We've just begun,” replied Gopher , George. ne “Gus, can you ride a broncho?’ ane ¢ “Why, certainly,” replied Gus with a smile. ont | “A pucking broncho?” ie “Surest thing. “Can ty Fara the lariat?” ‘ “Try me. I was born in the saddle, and conti ‘eo throw ha lariat before I was eight years old.?? 4 “Tall talk,’ replied Gopher George, grimly. — “Teddy West, bring on that tow-colored broncho of yours. Y’ll. chuck the dollars out of the tree myself, and let him try it so. How many, Gus?” é “Suit yourself.” f Gus saw the gang smiling at each other, and he felt pretty certain that he should have his hands full with the broncho alone, to say nothing — of wing shooting. ° i As Gopher Teddy brought the animal forwa a Gus’s sharp eye instantly sem tes that i was nothing but an unbroken colt. | “You have given me a double Rab: hobs, » he: said. “I expect I shall have to bust, that broncho bef re there is much shooting done.” — ma e’s already been broken,” replied 3 fap you. baie him right shoes

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FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY “no trouble, but if you don’t know your business he’ll bust you, surest thing.” ‘ A “Tl take my chance on that!” cried Gus, spring- ing into the saddle with a bound. 5 teen went the tow-cdlored broncho’s head and up with his hind legs, but Gus stuck to the saddle like a wooden image. j : : Then it was buck! buck! buck! ¥or a minute he let the beast buck, and then, "jerking on the bridle and digging his heels in the doncho’s flanks, he had him on the run. Away they flew past the cottonwood. Several Gophers vaulted to their saddles and . followed. -_- Gus paid no attention to them. A little further ~ down the broncho took to bucking again. But Gus was good for him. ’ : = Once more he put him on the run, and soon dis- ' appeared in the distance. f : aM The Gophers showed no particular uneasiness about this. - They knew that, although the valley made many turns, there was no way out of it in the direction Gus had taken. : At last all came riding back again. ~ Tt was a tiféd broncho which Gus rode now. : “That boy knows his business, cap, there is no denying it,’’ said one of the Gophers who rode be- hind. “PI! bust this broncho if you want me ie re- rked Gus, reining in by the cottonwood tree. wihe buck is not all out of him yet, but I’ll take ‘it out if you' say the word.” *No,” replied Brandt. “We can do our own busting. We want you to shoot now.” ~ “ft is not a fair test on this horse,” said Gus. ought not to count.” z “All right,” said Gopher George. “I agree to that. Out of the way with you, now, boys! I went to give the fellow a fair show.” : Thus saying, Gopher George began to climb ‘the cottonwood, with the bag of dollars bulging in his pocket. The rest of the gang came forward, Colonel ‘Tolkins and Belle among the rest. "Ready!” cried Gopher George, who had taken his place on a convenient limb. \ a “Ready!” echoed Gus, and he dug his heels into “the broncho’s flanks. ee ~ ‘There was no bucking this time. ‘The broncho had had enough of it. Gus gave him the rein and he went dashing past the tree as the bright silver dollar came flying out. CHAPTER XIV. ‘News Of The’ Guide. Bang! the air. — : paar ie: z ane sai there was no holding back. — - The Gophers cheered with a will. ets Wheeling about, Gus dashed back again. — Again the small but shining mark flew out from ‘tre , and once more it was plugged in the air, time Gus came out stro: e, and on “I’m willing to try it, but if he bucks that shot. deft Gus flung up his rifle, and plugged the dollar — ‘ous meant. _ the old lawyer kept a still tongue after that. 4° 28 It was wonderful to see him cateh the bright ~~ dollars on the fly_with his” bullets. eek ; Out of twenty-five dollars thrown out of Mie tree he missed just three. E LAA Fe “That will do,” declared Gopher George, “Go-~ ~ pher Jake, give the boy them’ dollars. He hay 24 ‘fairly won them. Hold on there, Gus; till I come down out of this.” : ; Once out of the tree, Gopher George walked up to the bronclio and held out his hand. BS : “Shake!” he exclaimed. “You are no tender- foot, that’s as sure as eggs is eggs. If you want. to be a Gopher all you have to do is to say the — word.” : ; = “From what yeu said a while ago, it looks as : though I had to be a Gopher,” laughed Gus. “Well. I can give-you. more tests if you want them. If you would like to see me throw the lariat now.” “T should. That will settle it, of course.” sg “Very good. Let’s have your lariat. Don’t-.° see any cows here, so turn loose the buckiest 5 broncho you fellows own, and I’l] give you another | sample of what I can do.” = = All hands came crewding about Gus. ast Where before the Gophers all stood aloof, now that Gopher George had pronounced favorably on = him, all seemed to want to make his acquaintance. Colonel Tim Tolkins again began to show a dis. _ position to orate. ie iat “Say, may I request a word with the Honora-. ble George Gopher without running the risk of being plugged with a bullet?’ he called out. % “Put the name right side foremost, or the plug- ging will begin in a hurry,” Gorpher George re- plied. “ “Waal, consider it did,” said the colonel. “I want to know if I hain’t a Gopher, if I hain’t got ° no rights here.” z : : : “You were a Gopher, but you have broken your oath and showed yourself @ slippery old rat. Until - the letter comes from Marston you hain’t got no — standing in this valley—no, not none.” ~ “Ts ‘that so? Waal, it’s too’ bad. but that’s the — way things goes sometimes. Kinder tough on a man like me—a man of my standing, as one might: say.” : = ay “Or the man who founded Frisco,” sneered Gopher George, and then the laugh. was on the colonel, and everybody joined in. —~ ety But the colonel seemed ‘to feel rather comli- mented than otherwise. Reha “That’s right!” he cried. “I am the man who ” made Frisco. You see, it was this way. In 184 when | gold was first discovered in’ California, Bang! eA ee or 4 Gopher George pulled out his revolver and let The shot seemed to be catching. a The Gophers began banging away right ant Of course the ‘shots were all aimed in the air, and the colonel knew that there was nothing se So whatever it was that Colonel Tim was trying to get out Gus was not destined té learn it: for se © Bo be eontinu

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24 THE LOW'- LOSS REGENERATIVE RECEIVER The old regenerative receiver seems to be get- - ting a new deal of late in the form of sets mak- ing use of low-loss condensers and low-loss coils. By means of these low-loss components, it be- comes possible to build a regenerative receiver which is not only more efficient as far as sensi- tiveness is concerned, but also as regards sharp turing. High resistance in radio circuits is the cause of broad tuning. : THREE TUBES FOR FOUR A three-tube Neutrodyne has now made its ap- pearance, taking its place side by side with the well-known four-tube and five-tube types. The main objects sought in producing the three-tube neutrodyne have been to obtain a smaller set which could be sold at-a lower price and which would be more economical to operate. In fact, the three-tube set, using ZV-19 and C-299 tubes, is operated on standard dry cells. The current em- ployed calls for one stage of tuned radio-fre- quency amplification, detector, and two stages of audio-frequency amplification. One tube is re- flexed so as to obtain the equivalent of four tubes. The tuning is simplified by reducing the controls - te two tuning dials and one rheostat for all tubes. SHORT-WAVE TRANSMISSION Recently station KDKA at Pittsburgh, Pa., has been transmitting its radio programs on a wave ‘Jength of 68 meters for repeating stations. These short-wave signals are said to be very loud in daylight, as well as at night. Station WGY at Schenectady, N.°Y., has been transmitting on a wave length of 15 meters, simultaneously with its regular broadcasting on 880 meters. Turning to radio telegraphy, we find that station POZ in Germany and station UFT in France are trans- mitting to station LPZ in Argentine Republic on about 77 and 88 meters, respectively. They-are transmitting regular commercial messages by this means, and the amount of power used in each case is said to be ridiculously small, compared with the - amount of power formerly considered necessary. They are probably using no more than five kilo- watts, and this amount only when conditions are - exceptionally severe. The tegular transmitters at stations POZ and UFT, by way of contrasts, ” use anywhere from 200 to 1,000 kilowatts, on wave lengths ranging from 10,000 to 18,000 meters, and with antennas covering several hun- dred acres of land, to transmit commercial traffic -to the United States. A REVIEW RADIO © ae Radio has been adopted universally and more rapidly than any other invention, yet it will un- doubtedly be many years before the majority of homes are equipped with receiving sets. Radio -yets are enonomical; they can be made at home; tainment is more diversified than any other form which comes direct to the home. These factors A Be their range of receptiom is wide, and the enter-_ > FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY Interesting Radio News and Hints will help it to be adopted rapidly. Three years ago there were no broadcasting stations. To-day there are about 550 stations. It may be expected that the number of broad- casting stations will decrease instead of increase, and that high-power stations with daily programs will be operated by interest of national scope. A number of radiophone stations have relinguished their licenses every month, and a few new stations are coming “on the air.” This condition results largely from lack of understanding as to the cost ~ and responsibility of broadcasting.. A modern, well-equipped station costs not less than $156,000, and the annual cost of operation is approximately $100,000. 4 TOROIDAL COILS The possibilities of the toroidal coil or torus, particularly in radio frequency amplification; have — been appreciated by experimenters and the coils would be far more frequently seen than they are - save for one thing. That is, that the torusis very ~ difficult to wind, ils when quantity pro- duction is desired. The torus is shaped like a doughnut, and radio experimenters, in order to make them, have been obliged to use a doughnut- shaped form and to, wind wire around this form with the help of a wooden needle. eon 8 Very recently Frank Auty, a radio inventor, devised a method of winding these coils at a rea- sonable cost, and toroidal coil radio frequency transformers, under the name of “Toroids,” have — been put on the market. The advantage of the toroid is that it has no external magnetic field. A great part of the diffi- culty with tuned radio frequency has been due to the difficulty in eliminating the effect of one coil on another nearby. If toroids are used this diffi- culty vanishes and a radio frequency circuit will be stable without the use of neutralizing con- densers or potentiometers. Care in spacing of the - toroid transformers is not necessary, and the an- gle at which the toroids are mounted is of noim- — portance. The toroid can be used wherever on airecore transformer is desired. The first toroid kit to be put on the market comprises three transformers for use as the antenna coupling, and as the trans- _ formers for the first and second stages of radio ~ frequency amplification. ‘They will cover the broadcast range if a .0005 mfd. variable condenser is used across each. Toroids are also made for use as intermediate R. F. transformers with the superheterodyne and | can be used in the superdyne (as’ the tuned plate coil) and in other circuits where it is advantage- ous to have a coil with a magnetic flux which is confined within the limits of the coil. ae at Now that toroidal coils have found their way on the market, there is an opportunity for ex- ~ perimenters to find some new uses for one of the most interesting of all of the forms of induc- | tance used in radio. The torus coils “Toroids” are very well and strongly made, the terminals a plainly marked and they should be very sai factory: pants roe i cee ee Ce bis NT ag . fag in atop

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FAME AND FORTUNE “WEEKLY 25 GOOD READING MONEY BURNED ; Lying in bed for an extra hour while his wife kindled the morning fire cost Lane Morley, a Salem, Oreg., merchant, $125, according to his story told to friends. é : : At the time of closing his store Friday night Mr. Morley put the money in a box near the stove, covered it with waste paper and onion skins and retired. with the feeling that it would not be found by robbers. Barly Saturday morning Mrs. Morley went to the store while her husband remained’ in bed. The weather was cold, so Mr. Morley helped her- ' self to the accumulation of waste paper and onion skins and started a fire. Into the stove with the refuse went the perfectly good green- backs. eS INDIANS’ BONES GAVE KEY WEST ITS ae EARLY NAME i Key West barracks and Fort Taylor are on the Island of Key ‘West, at the extreme southern tip of the State of Florida, sixty miles southwest of The island is four and one-half miles long and one mile wide and its formation is primarily coral. Its highest point rises but ten feet above sea level. ; i From the time of Ponce de Leon until the ces- sion of the Floridas to the United States the Cape Sable. many small islands were visited only by aborig- ines. Of the occasional presence of the natives we have evidence in the work of ancient fortifi- eations or mounds of stone, in one of which, opened some years since, human bones of large - size were. discovered, says The Army Recruiting : , News. i S Before 1820 Key West was, because of its pe- te culiar position, a rendezyous of pirates and other - lawless characters. The’ first permanent settlers were a. few emigrants from New York and sev- eral fishermen of the Bahamas. A legend of. the extermination of A “West is current in Florida. several Indian tribes at Key It relates that in a feud arising about the beginning of the eigh- teenth century the Indians were driven from - sland to island until they could go no further. ‘he few survivors escaped in canoes to Cuba. - The bones of the dead, having been left unburied, Jed to the designation “Cayo Hueso,” or Bone Reef, or Key, later to be corrupted into the name »f Key West. are the cession of Florida, Lieutenant M. C. Perry, United States Navy, commanding the schooner Shark, received orders to visit and ex- mine the island and harbor with a view to de- - termining its military qualifications, as well as to take possession in the name of the United tes. The ceremony proclaiming American vereignty and the raising of the Stars and ‘as witnessed by the few residents on e island was named Thomp- ort Rogers, in and the Pres- General Zachary ar: Taylor, was. begun in 1845, but much of the work that had been completed by October, 1846, was washed away as a result of a hurricane. The buildings were completed in time to be occupied by troops in 1861. Through the Civil War it ~, was strongly garrisoned by Union soldiers. The Confederates attempted to seize the post and were successfully resisted by General William 4H. French. An extract from the report of Assistant Sur- geon William F. Cornick, in 1870, gives an idea of the isolation of Key West at that time. ‘Med- ical supplies are obtained once a year. About a year’s supfly is now on hand. Communication with the nearest city is by water or telegraph; the mails are, therefore, sent once a week, some- times once a month. The average price of milk | is $1 a gallon; butter, 60 cents a pound; eggs from 75 cents to $1 a dozen. The Commissary Department is supplied from New Orleans. Very many of the stores are spoiled before they are received at the post.” Such conditions have long been changed, and Key West is now more ideal. There is regular boat service to Havana, ninety miles away, and railway connects with the Florida mainland. : WILD WEST WEEKLY LATEST ISSUES 1172 Young Wild West and the Dutchman’s Claim; or, Arietta Defending Her Life. 1159 and the Mexican Deadshot; or, ‘The Shooting. — Match On the Border. 1160 * srr i Luck; or, Arietta and the Stream of old. 1161 Detending a Ranch; or, Besieged by . Cattle Rustlers. i 1162 “ and the Miner's Trap; or, Arietta’s Great Shot. 1163 ‘“ at Ace High Fair; or, The Liveliest Time on Record. ¥ 1164 Risky Ride; or, Arietta and the Gulch Gang. 1165 “ Buckskin Band: or, The Sheriff's Big Mistake. 1165. ** Double Triumph; or, Arietta Saving, the Flag. 1167 “ and “Cowboy Jack’; or, Spoiling a Ranch Raid. 1168 “ Only Chance; or, Arietta’s Quick Throw, 1169 “ Desperate Charge; or, The Shot That Beat’ the Redskins, 3170 Young Wild West at Gold Dust Plat: or, Arietta and the Secret Band. 1171“ in Danger; or, Helping the Trapped Cayatry- 4 men. For sale by all newsdeaters, or will be sent to any ad- e dress on receipt of price, 8c. per copy, in money or postage stamps by % HARRY E. WOLFF, Publisher, Inc. 166 West 23d’ Street New York Cits | ASSLT “Moving Picture Stories” A Weekly Magazine Devoted to Photoplays and Players PRICE TEN CENTS PER COPY Each number contains Three Stories of the Best. lilms on the Sereen—Blegant Half-tone Scenes from the Plays —Interesting Articles About Prominent People in the Films—Doings of Actors and Actresses in the Studio _ and Lessons in Scenario Writing.” spe 4 _ HARRY E, WOLFF, Publisher, Inc. 166 West 23d Street New York City ett ete LAR eee

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26 FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY NEW YORK, APRIL 10, 1925 TERMS TO SUBSCRIBERS Sigig “Copies. i... i505 caak a cae Postage Free 8 Cents One copy Three Months........ ° “ xg 00 ne Copy Six Months.......... pk ace 2.00 Une Copy One Year,...+......-. ¥ . 4,00 Canada, $4.50; Foreign, $5.00: HOW TO SEND MONEY ~ At our risk send P. O. Money Order, Check or Kegistered Letter; remittances in any other way are at your risk. We accept Postage Stamps the same as cash. When sending silver wrap the Coin in a separate piece of paper to avoid cutting the envelope. Write your name and address plainly. ‘ Harry DB, Wolff, Pres. HARRY E. WOLFF, Charles BF. Nylandec, Sec. lL. BE. Wilzin, Treas, Publisher, Ine. 166 W. 23d St. N. Y. ITEMS OF INTEREST WOLF PACK LAYS SIEGE TO CANADIAN HAMLET A large pack of starving wolves has besieged Vilna, a settlement northeast of Edmonton, Al- berta, according to a dispatch received by the “Vancouver Snu, from Winnipeg. All social af- fairs involving trips away from home at night iave been cancelled because of wolves threatening the lives of several residents. ; f The message declared that a pack of twenty wolves chased a party of merrymakers returning from a dance many miles on a lonely trail.. The men in the party, desiring to save a single cart- yidge in their guns, used the butts’ of the guns on the wolves when they attempted to jump into the sleighs. “CONEY TO BE REVITALIZED Extensive plans for a revitalized Coney Island, making it comparable to Atlantic City, were an- anounced by business men backing the venture. é One feature is to be a $2,000,000 hotel at West 29th street. Shacks and other unsightly buildings ~ facing the boardwalk will be removed. Sideshows, scenic railways and similar conces- sions are to be relegated to certain parts of the resort. The Chanin Building, seven stories and - voof garden, is to open in the spring. A Keith - theatre and a boxing arena will be ready for the _ summer, ~ Borough President Joseph A. Guider has as- sured the Chamber of Commerce that West Fifth, ~ Sixth, Eighth and 14th streets will be extended across Coney Island Creek, adding four automo- bile routes to the island. , ; THE ISLE OF MAN The Isle of Man, which has an area of 227 square miles and a population of 60,000, is _sit- - nated in the Ivish Sea, half way between England and Treland. Douglas, the capital, has a popula- tion of 20,192. The other chief towns are Ram- _ sey, Peel and Castletown, The island is hilly and yw ssesses a number of mountains, on some of whi trees do not grow on account of strong” as * winds. The inhabitants, the Manx, form one of _ fully. FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY the branches of the Celtic race. Their language is a Celtic dialect. = The Island’ is not bound by any acts passed by the British Parliament. It has its own laws, as well as its own government, the court of Tyn-~ wald, the latter being composed of a governor appointed by the Crown, a Legislative Council (consisting of 11 members, including the: gover- nor), and the House of Keys (a representative assembly of 24 members). The principal veget- able products of the island are barley, oats, pota- toes and turnips. Cattle, horses, sheep and pigs - are raised. The mineral products ave iron ore, limestone, slate, clay and igneous rocks. Wishing is an important industry. A popular summer resort, thé Isle of Man is noted for its prehistoric relics of the men of the Stone Age and for its. - Manx,” or tailless, cats. s LAUGHS Pe Lady (in bird store)—Does this parrot swear? Clerk—No, madam; but y Sots ; a week. ut you could teach him in : Wife (complainingly)—You never praise me up to any one. Husband—I don’t, eh? You should hear me describe you at the employment office when I’m trying to hire a cook. ; Post-office Clerk—You can’t mail thos ins : se coins in a letter. You ought to know that. Stranger— Well, what am I going to do? You've got a sign outside that says “Post No Bills.” t “To-morrow, gentlemen,” said the professor in a lecture on taking: notes, “I will bring in Bh aera cards and show you my card system.” —Voice— O. K., doc. Fetch some chips, and we'll have a regular party. “Hello, Bilkins—how well you look. All your — worries gone up in smoke?” said Slithers, joy- ously. “Yes, Slithers,” said Bilkins, “I’ve got a great load off my mind. I’ve just been able to borrow enough money to pay off all my debts.2>. _ George—Women are still pushing their way into all the industries. Jack—That’s so. I have just been discharged, to make way for a woman. “You have? Well, well! What are you going to do now?” “I am trying to marry the woman.” — “Walter Jones,” said a teacher, sternly, “you are not attending to the lesson. Did you hear Jessié Smith’s deseription of ‘Hominy’??? “Yes’m,” replied the small’boy. “All right, then. Give me a sentence in which you bring in the word correctly.” To which the answer was: “Hominy marbles have you?” ; <5 “Lady,” said the wayfarer, “though I look like a common tramp, I was not always like thi. I have seen better days.” “That’s what ¢ all say,” answered the lady of the house, scorm- “It’s true, just the same,” insisted the shabby one. “Why, one day last week I-pot six handouts of grub and four dollars in real money.” ~

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FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY i . HERE AND THERE BLACKBERRIES A PEST Blackberries thrive more luxuriantly in Aus- tralia than in Europe or America, their growth ' being so rapid that in many places they are re- garded as an agricultural pest. Like the first rabbits, the original blackberry vines have grown and multiplied until they bid fair to cover the face of the country. The bushes are not culti- vated—they can look after themselves, as many Australian agriculturists are painfully aware— but the jam made from their fruit is sufficiently tempting to make one forget their unwelcome ._* presence on the farm. THE FROZEN SOIL OF ALASKA The depth of permanently frozen soil in polar and subpolar regions is a subject of perennial in- terest, concerning which few data are available. In numerous excavations made in places mining in Alaska the ground is permanently frozen to great depths, beginning 8 inches or two feet be- low the surface. In the Klondike, according to the GeologicaksSurvey, the alluvium is frozen to a depth of about two hundred feet. At Fairbanks permanent ground front has been found at many places to a depth of more than two hundred feet, and the deepest shaft there penetrated 818 feet - _ of frozen alluvium. In Seward Peninsula many - holes in permanently frozen alluvium are more ' than seventy-five feet deep, and one is nearly : two hundred feet deep. On the other hand, some ' ground in this region is not/ frozen, for reasons not understood. According to Dr. A. H. Brooks, when the moss is stripped from the soil the ground thaws, and with open-cut mining or cul- tivation the upper level of permanent ground front seems gradually to descend. It is there- fore believed that this ground frost is a survival of a climate colder than the present one, and is ; other vegetation. mae feet, the yard will be supplanted by the metre, he miles by the kilometre, the ounce by the gram and the pound by the kilo. The number 10 will e the common multiple for alll the tables, and school children will no longer have to remember ‘that a mile contains exactly 1,760 yards; they will have to learn. that ten milligrams make a cen- m, end that ten centigrams make a decimetre. j i’ money is already standardized by this metric care a making accounting far easier here than it preserved by the non-conducting mat of moss and. 3 : areas is in England, where they still stick to their an- tiquated farthings; pennies, shillings, crowns, sovereigns and guineas. a MAKING COUNTERFEIT MONEY The kind of money a counterfeiter makes de- + — pends mostly on what part of the country he lives in. In the East where the paper circulation is greatest, bank notes are most commonly counter- teited, with a little silver on the side. In the South and Middle West the natural demand is for silver dollars and half dollars. Out in the Far West the business is mainly gold, with very few bills of any sort. pa 3 It is alWays easiest for the counterfeiter in any one region to circulate the sort of money which is most abundant in that region. He gets rid of it more quickly since there is a greater use for it. And it is safer. It is just like watching the mar- ket. Once in a while, of course, a particularly nervy gang or individual tries gold in the East or bills on the Pacific coast, but comparatively seldom. : : It is puzzling to try to figure out how the prop- osition can possibly pay. The larger the coin or bill.to be counterfeited the greater the danger of detection, and hence the acl of a more expen- sive plant. The commonest form of making spuri- — ous money is the turning out of base metal ‘coins —even copper cents—but the operation is always an expensive one. Silver, for instance, cannot be successfully cast. Base coins with silver in them must therefore be- struck off with a steel die, a die representing days i of work on the part of an expert engraver. Then ! there must be a powerful press to make the im- pression, to say nothing at all of the expense of running a chemical laboratory and keeping it ~~ secret. Z * There are two principal ways of making coun- terfeit coins, with endless variations of each. One ~~ is casting, the other stamping the cold metal. The . — latter always produces better results, as the coin is more accurate and more clearly cut. In the casting process a mold is generally made from a fresh and genuine coin. In stamping a die is : either cast of cut by hand. Both operations re- ! quire hours of careful work and then the counter- feit metal is put in this die and struck with the sharp blow of a heavy press. ja3, Expert counterfeiters do the work so well that the average person is easily fooled. In making | silver coins they use a certain amount of silver and adjust the alloy. of the other metal so that the oad . finished product rings true, or very nearly s0.° Gold coins, being worth more, are often more ~ carefully worked, over. One method is to cut about $4 worth of gold from the centre, in one or two borings. The hole is filled in with a base — alloy that is treated chemically so that it gives every appearance of the gild itself. Ring the — coin or test the edge and it seems good. Detec- tion in work like this is made a hundredfold harder than in counterfeits where none of the pure gold is used. This is the sort of work which the Secret Service agent with a pride in his job delights to follow up, and there are many in-, _ stances in which he succeeds. See a7 7.

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FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. POINTS OF INTEREST YEGGMAN BOASTS OF LEARNING “ART” # IN ATLANTA PENITENTIARY Declaring that he had learned the “art” of safe _ Plowing and lock tumbling while serving a term -_ in the Federal penitentiary at Atlanta, Charles ~ Thornton Bean, thirty-two years old, was arrested - -recently when surprised in an attempt to force “an entrance into the Parkway Theatre, Baltimore. ‘The lock was drilled almost through. According to records, Bean was one of the best ‘high school hurdlers, quarter-milers and football players ever developed in Baltimore, - DEATH ENDS DOG’S LONG VIGIL Death recently ended the long vigil of Nero, a dog who died on, his master’s grave in a lonely cemetery at Lancaster, O. Beas - -His owner, Charles Farmer, was shot to death ~ “Jast July in a gun fight with Prohibition officers. ~- Nero followed the funeral procession to the ceme- tery, where he kept watch daily, leaving the grave at short intervals for food. All efforts to coax - the dog away failed. ‘ A boulder marks the grave of Nero. -.- Ministers in their sermons referred, just as ~ they have in the past six months. to the love and _ devotion of Nero for his master. ¥ CREEPS IN SIX FEET OF FIRE, Horace Harris, forty, went to sleep about 2 o’clock in the morning in the firebox of a laid-up locomotive at the Solvay yards of the New York Centra] Railroad at Syracuse, N. Y His stint—he is on the railroad payroll as a - boiler inspector—was done for the night. He was tired. It was bitter cold outside, and he figured the firebox provided a comfortable place to snatch a few winks before quitting time. _ At3 o’clock in the morning he was sound asleep. A fireman got on the locomotive, placed oil-soaked ~ waste and other kindling in the firebox and ap- plied a torch. Harris awoke to find himself cut _ off by a wali of flames over six feet of burning _ kindling. Once outside he fainted, and the fire- - men and other railroad workers beat out the - flames enveloping him. x ee - _Hesis in-a serious condition in Good Shepherd _ Hospital. _ > THE “MISSISSIPPI. BUBBLE” - he “Mississippi Bubble”.was a gigantic finan- ¢ial_ scheme prospected in Paris in 1717 by John Law, a Scotchman. The object of this experiment was to secure money for France to pay her-war debts and other national obligations which fol- lation. It was claimed mountains of gold and . precious stones had been found and stocks of the association rose to fabulous prices. The inflated scheme, which was to make every one happy and yich, collapsed in July, 1720, when the bank stopped payment and Law was compelled to flee from the country, while investors found them- selves facing financial ruin. MARINE CORPS INVENTS STRONG LITTLE RADIO The Marine-Corps flying field at Quantico, Va., is getting splendid results with a radio set weigh- ing fifty pounds and having a sending range of 15,000 miles. The set was developed. primarily for use on aireraft, where light weight is a vital factor. B This set is operated with a high frequency wave on a length varying from 60 to 90 meters, and therefore does not conflict with aadiophone broadcasting waves, which range between 250 and 550 meters, The island of Guam in the Pacific recent ceived messages from this Quantico set. re- uam is 10,000 miles west of Quantico and approximate- _ ly 15,000 miles east. The message received by the — distant Pacific station traveled eastward, making — the longer circuit, having been transmitted at 2 A. M. when conditions were most favorable on ~ . account of darkness. E : Remarkable results were achieyed by a similar set on the hirship Shenandoah during its flight to the Pacific Coast and return. ; 7 250 MILLION MOVES UP BROADWAY __ Securities valued at $250,000,000 were trans-* ferred from the Metropolitan Trust Company, 120 y -Broadway, to the Chatham Phenix National Bank and Trust Company, 149 Broadway, the other day, completing the merger of the two banks which was begun two years ago. The treasure was car- ried in four armored cars and protected by thirty guards armed with revolvers and riot guns and a detall of fifteen matrolmen from the First Precinct. under Lieutenant McCauliff. ae More than twenty tons of securities, most of which were negotiable, were transferred, while police and plainclothes men stationed along both sides of Broadway for three blocks hustled on the curious who stopped to watch the odd-looking cars. The transfer began at 9:30 o’clock and was completed at 12:30. o=% Se seaanes A small transfer was made after business hours on Saturday, when $500,000 in cash and pullion was carried from the Metropolitan to the — tional funds. | eed ‘The Chatham Phenix ‘bank in this city which has the title of trus

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BOGUS WAR STAMPS Ben Newmark, assistant State fire marshal, Chi-| was | jailed on a charge) eS cago, who of contempt in E connection with the. trial two years ago of Gov. Len .Small, was sought by Feder-| al agents on wat | rants charging 2 counterfeiting | bonds)- Liberty and treasury sav- ings stamps. With him were named ten others, | two of them 3 women. Seventy. cther Chicagoans were said by Fed-| eral agents to be ~ involved. The ‘eperations affect-., "ed banks here, in New York and as far west as Oma- | ha. William eet attorney ; A.) Stubbins, : ond insurance bro- ker; (J. -R. Me. Donald, R. KE. Manley, William W. Zigge, Daniel Ambruso, Sam Gorgolione, Her- pert C. Schmitz, Mrs. Laura E. “Schmitz and Miss Frances Walsh “were listed in the "warrants. Seven of the de- ‘fendants have been arrested and: four, including Newmark, are at large. ‘The counterfeit- ing was of a $5 war revenue _ stamp. The fraud was not discov- ! | | | t tod = a stamps had been ¢ cashed in the Chi- & “Brought Mo $1000 in Cash!” gays Follies chorua-zirl. One hour after wearing the SHEIK GOOD LUCK oe airiend gave me 61000 cash." Oth- ss ors aay if brings luck tp love, suc- cess, happiness. Silver finish, DON’T SEND AL PENNY! Pay when delivered $2.95. Or c: wil for $3. 26). order only $1.70, eens (format, jer t co., anh 151 SHEIK Ss ‘Ave. Chicago ROW TALLER INCREASE YOUR HEIGHT! Simple, Natural, Easy Meth- od, Will increase your height and improve your appearance. Write fer. REE Booklet. Dept. M. ~ THE NATURAL METHOD. BUREAU Atlantic City, N. J. Sta feizs| Solve This Puzzle—Win 5,000 Votes What words do these numbers The Sunpare in the square: of the wae abet. Fi n, cur @ and its yours All late modela, completely rebuil , Maniea rand tee, ~GUARAN Buy ‘for en shows actual ipeneraanl a srt staaclnndas hee lag i ete ea e pt. si4,chicaxe TIRES WITH 500 NAIL HOLES LEAK NO AIR A new puncture-proof inner tube has been invented by a Mr. H. G, Milburn: of Chicago. In actual test it was punctured 500 times without the loss of air, This wonderful new tube increases mileage from 10,000 to 12,000 miles and eliminates changing tires. It costs 4 no more than the ordinary tube. Mr; H. G. Milburn, 331 West 47th St., Chicago, wants them introduced everywhere and is making a special offer to agents; Write him today. B THE MAGIC BOX- WONDERS] eat FREE profit to you. Make Vourclf Slender! It's easy todo, Thousands of men and women each year regain healthy, slender figures. | > simply by taking Marmola Prescription Tab- lets. Nodoubt you have heard many ef your friends tell what wonderful results these tab- lets produce — how easy they are to take, how ~ pleasant they are, how slender they make you. Don't envy other people’s slender, shapely figures, Get one yourself, Go to your druggist and ask for a box of Marmola Prescription Tablets, or, if you prefer, send one dollar to the Marmola Co.,187) General Motors Bide. ; Detroit, Mich., and a box will be sent postpaid, You only have to try them fora short time— you will start to get slender almost immedi- ately. No tiresome exercises or starvation diets. These tablets alone will give you the slender figure you want, Geta box today and nee for yourself, Genuine Seataoner: ROLL &ims, : Sell only 30 assortments hand- somes color KMAS SEALS at Ipc ‘ a : ait, EASILY SOLD. Get lot to- day. WE TRUST YOU with seals “till nold. MERICAN Sapte teen el yore 27-K TOBACCO Habit Cured or No Pay ny form, cigars,ci tes, pipe, chewing orsnuff ranteed, Harmless. Complete treatmentsont _ an trial. Coots $1.00 if it cures. Nothing if it fail. SUPERBA CO. M-21, Baltimore, Md. - PIMPLES Your Skin Gan Be Quickly Geared of Pimples, pacnee 6 aly tions on the face or body, rsitch, = ai fates and : Olly or Shiny ar, 4 FREE °<* Si ti my Suman NE One SE, a iene not a : E.S.GIVENS, 186 0 Cheauloal ide, Kansas City, Mo. en Old Money Wanted © Will pay Fifty Dollars for nickel of 1913 — with Liberty head (not Buffalo). We pay. cash premiums “for all rare coins. Send 4e — for large Coin Cireular. May inean much x NUMISMATIC BANK. Devt. 436, Ft. Worth, Tex. Zour alent ween, ga aes a pat Waal saci ex oa porate wat eal dboppione Farmer Burs ai Frank doteh. pease fe Sint ioe book. "Sta ore boot 24065 Raway Bld, Omak

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HERE IS A GREAT CHANCE | FOR YOU READ HOW YOU CAN GET THIS movine Picrure Macuine ERE, Shows the Kind of Pictures You Like Best Right in ‘‘Your Own Home’’ We send this splendid, perfect working, high grade Motion Picture Machine, with a box of film, already for immediate use. You can start and show pictures the mo- ment you get this machine. We also give a 4-space Metal Slide and 50 different - Film Subjects which enables you to show magnified still pictures, giving a longer, better and more interest- ing show, This is new equipment never before given. THIS MACHINE IS NOT A MERE TOY — IT’S A JOY! Can you think of anything greater for a fellow to own than a real, honest-to-goodness MOVING . PICTURE MACHINE of his own, that shows the very same films that are shown in all the big “MOVIE HOUSES"? Can you think of a better way of affording your friends an evening’s entertainment than by having them come to your house and admire the splendid pictures you can show on this genuine moving picture machine? y This is a. remarkable offer and we want you to take advantage of it immediately. And, if you do act quickly, you can aiso Tecelve AN HXERA FILM OF CHAILIE CHAPLIN OH BlLIy HATE FR Do not delay. These machines are going like hot-cakes, and by our easy plan you should get one of these FREE AT ONCE with yery little trouble on your part. The whole question is a matter of time and you should not delay. You should send the coupon below, properly filled out, today. Here is your chance to own a regular fellow’s machine and give a regular fellow’s show right in your own home, Only, do not delay! i How You Can Get This Great Moving Picture Machine— | FREE Read My Offer to You! COUPON cf faa meee for. Send your name and address—that is all. Write name and address |” °"'"* ictare Machine Offar yery- plainly—mail ,today—and please use the Free Coupon. As soon A. E/ FLEMING, Secretary, as I receive your name and address I ma) mail to yom emg * Dept."400 colored pictures manufactured for us by one of the biggest color ’ intiad Bones in the United States. I want you to distiipnte the [615 W. 43d St, New York,N. Y. 20 premium pictures on a 30c. offer among people you know, When you have distributed the pictures on my liberal offer you will have ary piconet 2 pete 9 collected $6.00. Send the $6.00 to me and I will immediately send you fe Pletare Backine ae ‘Outfit. Free, this wonderful National Moving Picture Machine, with complete : outfit, Just as deseribed. Yours truly, 50,000 of these Machines have made 50,000 boys happy. Answer at once. Be the first in your town to get one. _A.E. Fleming, Secy., 615 W. 43d St., Dept. 400, New York, N.Y. #2 ‘ Pat . Se = > - £

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Ui te “The Best Hunch I Ever Had!” “Tt happened just three years ago. -I was feeling pretty blue. Pay day had come around again and the raise I’d hoped for wasn’t there. It began to look as though I was to spend my life checking orders at a small salary. “T picked up a magazine to read. ° It fell open at a familiar-advertisement, and a coupon stared me in the face. Month after month for years I’d been seeing that coupon, but never until that moment had J thought of it as meaning anything to me. But this time I read the advertisement twice—yes, every word! “Two million men, it said, had made that coupon the first stepping stone toward success. “In every line of business, men were getting splendid salaries because they had torn out that ‘coupon. Mechanics had become foremen and superintendents—carpenters had become archi- tects and contractors—clerks like me had be- - “* come sales, advertising and business managers _ because they had used that coupon. “Suppose that I . ..? What if by studying -- at home nights I really could learn to do some- _ thing besides check orders? I had a hunch to ~ find out—and then and there I tore out that ~ coupon, marked it, and mailed it. “That was the turn in the road for me. ~The Schools at Scranton suggested just the - course of training I needed and they worked with me every hour I had to spare. 3 “In six months I was in charge of my division. In a year my salary had been doubled. And I’ve een advancing ever since, Today I was appointed om s peat wd neianes © rt hae _the chance to prove it, manager of our Western office at $5,000 a year. Tearing out that coupon three years ago was the best hunch I ever had.” For thirty years, the International Correspondence » Schools have been helping men to win promotion, to earn more money, to have happy, prosperous homes, to get ahead in business and in life. You, too, can have the position you want in the work you like best. Yes, you-can! All we ask is Without cost, without obligation, just mark and mail this coupon. Do it right now! ee ee ee, ree ee ee ee ee ee ee ie ey INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOLS Box 4487-D, Seranton, Ponna. Without cost or obligation, please tell me how I can quality for the position or in the subject Before which I have marked an X: Sedan aaa Tacs BUSINESS TRAINING COURSES ei usinoss gemont Sale: iD : ¢ ndustrial omen’ ‘DAdver: Personnel Org tion Better Letters Trafic Management Show Card Lettering Business Law Stenography and Typing Banking and Banking Law Business English Accountancy (including C.P.A.) Civil Service Nicholson Cost Accounting Railway Mail Clerk Bookkeeping Common School Subjects Private bes be High School Subjects Spanish French Mlustrating Cartooning “TECHNICAL AND INDUSTRIAL COURSES chitect 5 Electrical Engineerin, Ar Electric Lighting 4 ° Architects’ Blue Prints Mechanical Engineer Contractor and Builder Mechanical Drafteman Architectural Draftsman Machine Shop Practice Concrete Bulider Railroad Positions Structural Engineer Gas Engine Operating Chemistry Pharmacy Civil Engineer Automobile curreune and Mapping Airplane Engines etallurgy Navigation z Steam Engineering riculture and Poultry Radio athomatios i Name.. OOCUDALLOM sss eschs-vaseekvierstisaeodsegvanssash Persons residing in Oanada should send this coupon to the Interns- Bont Correspondance Sohools Canadian, Limited, Montrest, Canada, 4 co

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we Fame and Fortune Weekly — LATEST ISSUES — Boss of the Market; or, The Greatest Boy in Wall Street. f The Chance of His Lite; or, fhe Young Pilot of Crytal Lake. Striving for Fortuue; or, From Bell-Boy to Million- aire. . Out for Business; or, The Smartest Boy in Town, A Favorite of Fortune; or, Striking It Rich in Wall Street. : Through Thick and Thin; or, The Adventures of a Smart_ Boy. ; Doing ’*His Level Best; or, Working His Way ae Always, on Deck; or, The Boy Who Made ig Mark. A Mint of Money; or, The Young Wall Street Broker. ; The Ladder of Fame; or, From Office Boy to Senator. ‘ On the Square; or, The Success of an Honest Boy. After ‘a Fortune; or, The Pluckiest Boy in the West. Winning the dollars; or ,The Young Wonder of Wall Street. faking His Mark; The Boy Dees tsent: N Heir to a Million: or, The Boy Who Was Born Lucky. Lost 7h the Andes; or, The Treasures of the Buried or, Who Became ity. ox His Mettle: or, A Plucky Boy in Wall Street. A Lucky Chance; or, Taking Tortune on the Wing. The Road to Success; or, The Career of a For- tunate Boy, / Chasing Pointers; or, The Luckiest Boy in Wall Street. 2 985 Rising in the World; or, From Factory Boy to Manager. From Dark to Dawn; or, A Poor Boy’s Chance. Out for Himself: or, Paving His Way to Fortune. Diamond Cut Diamond; or, The Boy Brokers of Wall Street. : A Start in Life; or, A Bright Boy’s Ambition. Out! for a Million; or, The Young Midas of Wall Street. Ran oe Inch a Boy; or, Doing His Level Best. Money to Burn; or, The Shrewdest Boy in Wall reet. An Bye to Business; or, The Boy Who Was Not sleep. mpped. by the Ticker; or, An Ambitious Boy in Wall Street. On to Success: or, The Boy Who Got Ahead. A Bid for a Fortune; or, A Country Boy Jn Wall Street. Bound to Rise: or, Fighting His Way to Success. Out for the Dollars; or, A Smart Boy in Wall . Street. | : 499 For Fame and Fortune; or, The Boy Who Won Both. 7900 A Wall Street Winner; or, Making a Mint of Money, 1001 The Road to Wealth: or, The, Boy Who Found . tt Out. 1002 On the Wing; or. The Young Mercury of Wall Street... f 1008 A Chase for a Fortune: or, The Bow who Hustied. 1004 Juggling with the Market; or, The Boy Who Made it? + Pay. : “gon Cast Adrift: or. The Luck of a Homeless Boy. i008 piavine the Market; or, A Keen ‘Boy in Wall Street. : A Pot of Money: or, The Legacy of a Lucky Boy. 1008 an Rags to Riches; or, A Lucky Wall Street Mossenger. Pe 1009 On His Merits or. The Smartest Boy Alive. 1010 Trapping the Brokers; or, A Game Wall Street Boy. 1 A Million in Gold: or, The Treasure of Santa Cruz. ound to Make Money; or, From the West to Wall egos Making Baseball Pay. ; “018 The Boy Magnate; or. , : ate Mating Maney: or, A Wall Street Messenger’s Luek. “O1b A. Harvest of Gold; or, The Buried Treasure of , Coral Tsland. 10) the Curb: or, Beating the Wall Street Brokers. 101 Sees of. Fortune; or, ‘The Boy Who Struck : , Oil. : F : y 018 Phe Prince of Wall Street; or, A Big Deal for Big iA cee HARRY K. WOLFE, Publisher; Inc., Money. - For sale by all newsdealers, or will be sent to any ats adaross on receipt of price, 8c. per Copy, . i in money or stamps, by York City 166 Wes 23d Strees ; ean De OF ee. ¥ ¥. _ ‘ New OUR TEN-CENT HAND BOOKS Useful, Instructive, and Amusing. They contain Valuable Information on Almost . * Every Subiect. No. 1, NAPOLEON'S ORACULUM AND DREAM, BOOK.—Containing the great oracle of human destiny; also the true meaning of almost any kind of dreams, Ae ee with charms, ceremonies and curious games of cards. No. 2. HOW TO DO TRICKS.—The great book of magic and ecard tricks, containing full instructions on all jeading card tricks of the day, also the most popular magical illusions as performed by our leading magi- cians; every boy should obtain a copy of this book. No. 3. HOW TO FLIRT, —The arts and wiles of flirtation are fully explained by this little book. | Be- sides the various methods of handkerchief, fan, glove, parasol, window and hat flirtation, it contains a full list of the language and sentiment of flowers. No. 4. HOW TO DANCE is the title of this little book. It contains full instructions in the art of dancing, eti- quette In the ballroom and at narties, how to dress, and full directions for calling off in all popular square , dances. No. 5. HOW TO MAKE LOVE—A complete guide to love, courtship and marriage, giving sensible advice, rules and etiquette to be observed. with many curious and interesting thihgs not generally known. No. 6. HOW TO BECOME AN ATHLETH,—Giving full instructions for the use of dumbells, Indian elub, j parallel bars, horizontal bars and various other methods . of developing a good, healthy muscle; containing over sixty illustrations. No. 7 HOW TO KEEP BIRDS,—Handsomely - iti cee SYAly pave i instructions for rae ment and training o e canary, mockingbir Be eat aetna parrot, ete, Send Ronee No. 9. € TO BECOME A VENTRILOOUIST.— By Harry Kennedy. Every intelligent boy seadine tele hook is EAD Sek SE esis the art, and crents any amount of fim for himself and friends, wif ee de eh published. Tae Roe, Wieae No 10. OW TO BOX.—The art of self-d sem easy. Containing over thirty inudtrations’ of aactae blows and the different positions of a good boxer, Rvery hoy should obtain one of these useful and instructive hooks, as it will teach you to box) without an ine structor, No. 11. HOW TO WRITE LOVE-LETTERS complete little book, containing full directions ing love-letters, and when to letters for young and old. = No. 12. HOW TO WRITE LETTERS T&T ¢ —Giving complete instructions for wiithig. interna Indies on all subjects; also letters of introduction, notes and requests BOOK OF ETIQUETTE, -—A most | for eee : use them, giving specimen ; No. HOW TO DO IT; Or, —It is a great life secret, and one that ever man desires to know about. There's happiness tn tt oat ae HON, TO MARE CANDY.—A Eomplote hands ) ng a nds of candy, ice-ere : . esgences, ete. ice-cream, SYTUDS, o 1. HOW TO BECOME BEAUTIFUL.—One the brightest and most valuable Ifttle books prea 2s to the world. Everybody wishes to know how to be- come beantiful, both male and female. The secret ig simple and almost costless, a No. 20. HOW TO ENTERTAIN AN EVENING PARTY,—A most complete compendium of games, rely a card diversions, comic recitations, ete., suitable for par- lor or drawing-room entertainment. It contains more f for the money than any book published. ; J No, 23. HOW TO EXPLAIN DREAMS.—Thig little book gives the explanation to all kinds of dreams, te- ~ gether with lucky and unlucky days. bx Ney No. 24. HOW TO WRITE LETTERS TO GENTLE. MEN.—Containing full directions for writing to gentle- men on all subjects, : at i No. { OW TO BECOME A GYMNAST.—Contain. ing full directions for all kinds of gymnastic sports ang — atheltie exercises. Embracing thirty-five illustrations, By Professor W. Macdonald. For sale by all newsdealers, or will be sent to any address on receipt of price, 10c. per copy, in money or stamps, by i ‘HARRY FE. WOLFF. Publisher. Inc. 166 West 23d Street :