Paul the Peddler; Or, The Fortunes of a Young Street Merchant, Jr. Horatio Alger [drm ebook reader TXT] 📗
- Author: Jr. Horatio Alger
Book online «Paul the Peddler; Or, The Fortunes of a Young Street Merchant, Jr. Horatio Alger [drm ebook reader TXT] 📗». Author Jr. Horatio Alger
By Horatio Alger, Jr.
CONTENTS
BIOGRAPHY AND BIBLIOGRAPHY
PAUL THE PEDDLER
CHAPTER I -- PAUL THE PEDDLER
CHAPTER II -- PAUL AT HOME
CHAPTER III -- PAUL HAS COMPETITORS
CHAPTER IV -- TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS
CHAPTER V -- PAUL LOSES HIS BASKET
CHAPTER VI -- PAUL AS AN ARTIST
CHAPTER VII -- A NEW BUSINESS
CHAPTER VIII -- A STROKE OF ILL LUCK
CHAPTER IX -- A NEW PATRON
CHAPTER X -- ANOTHER LOSS
CHAPTER XI -- BARCLAY & CO.
CHAPTER XII -- THE BARREL THIEF
CHAPTER XIII -- OUT OF BUSINESS
CHAPTER XIV -- THE DIAMOND RING
CHAPTER XV -- THE PAWNBROKER'S SHOP
CHAPTER XVI -- THE JEWELER'S PRICE
CHAPTER XVII -- MR. FELIX MONTGOMERY
CHAPTER XVIII -- A CLEVER THIEF
CHAPTER XIX -- PAUL DELIBERATES
CHAPTER XX -- THE THIEF IN DISGUISE
CHAPTER XXI -- PAUL IS CHECKMATED
CHAPTER XXII -- A MAN OF RESOURCES
CHAPTER XXIII -- A NEW EXPEDIENT
CHAPTER XXIV -- MR. MONTGOMERY'S ARREST
CHAPTER XXV -- PAUL'S FINAL SUCCESS
CHAPTER XXVI -- CONCLUSION
Horatio Alger, Jr., an author who lived among and for boys and himself remained a boy in heart and association till death, was born at Revere, Mass., January 13, 1834. He was the son of a clergyman, was graduated at Harvard College in 1852, and at its Divinity School in 1860 and was pastor of the Unitarian Church at Brewster, Mass., in 1862-66.
In the latter year he settled in New York and began drawing public attention to the condition and needs of street boys. He mingled with them, gained their confidence showed a personal concern in their affairs, and stimulated them to honest and useful living. With his first story he won the hearts of all red-blooded boys everywhere, and of the seventy or more that followed over a million copies were sold during the author's lifetime.
In his later life he was in appearance a short, stout, bald-headed man, with cordial manners and whimsical views of things that amused all who met him. He died at Natick, Mass., July 18, 1899.
Mr. Alger's stories are as popular now as when first published, because they treat of real live boys who were always up and about—just like the boys found everywhere to-day. They are pure in tone and inspiring in influence, and many reforms in the juvenile life of New York may be traced to them. Among the best known are:
Strong and Steady; Strive and Succeed; Try and Trust; Bound to Rise; Risen from the Ranks; Herbert Carter's Legacy; Brave and Bold; Jack's Ward; Shifting for Himself; Wait and Hope; Paul the Peddler; Phil the Fiddler; Slow and Sure; Julius the Street Boy; Tom the Bootblack; Struggling Upward, Facing the World; The Cash Boy; Making His Way; Tony the Tramp; Joe's Luck; Do and Dare; Only an Irish Boy; Sink or Swim; A Cousin's Conspiracy; Andy Gordon; Bob Burton; Harry Vane; Hector's Inheritance; Mark Mason's Triumph; Sam's Chance; The Telegraph Boy; The Young Adventurer; The Young Outlaw; The Young Salesman, and Luke Walton.
PAUL THE PEDDLER
CHAPTER I PAUL THE PEDDLER
“Here's your prize packages! Only five cents! Money prize in every package! Walk up, gentlemen, and try your luck!”
The speaker, a boy of fourteen, stood in front of the shabby brick building, on Nassau street, which has served for many years as the New York post office. In front of him, as he stood with his back to the building, was a small basket, filled with ordinary letter envelopes, each labeled “Prize Package.”
His attractive announcement, which, at that time, had also the merit of novelty—for Paul had himself hit upon the idea, and manufactured the packages, as we shall hereafter explain—drew around him a miscellaneous crowd, composed chiefly of boys.
“What's in the packages, Johnny?” asked a bootblack, with his box strapped to his back.
“Candy,” answered Paul. “Buy one. Only five cents.”
“There ain't much candy,” answered the bootblack, with a disparaging glance.
“What if there isn't? There's a prize.”
“How big a prize?”
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