MAKING HIS WAY
_or_
Frank Courtney's Struggle Upward
By HORATIO ALGER, Jr.
Whitman Publishing Co.
RACINE, WISCONSIN
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Two School Friends
II. The Telegram
III. Frank's Bereavement
IV. Mrs. Manning's Will
V. Disinherited
VI. An Unsatisfactory Interview
VII. A School Friend
VIII. A New Plan
IX. The New Owner of Ajax
X. Mark Yields to Temptation
XI. Mark Gets into Trouble
XII. Suspended
XIII. Mr. Manning's New Plan
XIV. Good-bye
XV. Erastus Tarbox of Newark
XVI. An Unpleasant Discovery
XVII. The Way of the World
XVIII. Frank Arrives in New York
XIX. Frank Seeks Employment in Vain
XX. An Adventure in Wall Street
XXI. The Capture
XXII. The Young Tea Merchant
XXIII. Frank Meets Mr. Manning and Mark
XXIV. A Discouraging Day
XXV. Perplexity
XXVI. Frank Hears Something to His Advantage
XXVII. An Incident in a Street Car
XXVIII. Frank Makes an Evening Call
XXIX. Frank Is Offered a Position
XXX. Frank as Private Secretary
XXXI. A Letter from Mr. Tarbox
XXXII. Mr. Percival's Proposal
XXXIII. Preparing for a Journey
XXXIV. Frank Reaches Jackson
XXXV. Dick Hamlin
XXXVI. Mr. Fairfield, the Agent
XXXVII. Frank Receives a Letter from Mr. Percival
XXXVIII. The Agent Is Notified
XXXIX. An Important Discovery
XL. Jonas Barton
XLI. Conclusion
MAKING HIS WAY
CHAPTER I
TWO SCHOOL FRIENDS
Two boys were walking in the campus of the Bridgeville Academy. They
were apparently of about the same age--somewhere from fifteen to
sixteen--but there was a considerable difference in their attire.
Herbert Grant was neatly but coarsely dressed, and his shoes were of
cowhide, but his face indicated a frank, sincere nature, and was
expressive of intelligence.
His companion was dressed in a suit of fine cloth, his linen was of the
finest, his shoes were calfskin, and he had the indefinable air of a boy
who had been reared in luxury.
He had not the broad, open face of his friend--for the two boys were
close friends--but his features were finely chiseled, indicating a share
of pride, and a bold, self-reliant nature.
He, too, was an attractive boy, and in spite of his pride possessed a
warm, affectionate heart and sterling qualities, likely to endear him to
those who could read and understand him.
His name was Frank Courtney, and he is the hero of my story.
"Have you written your Latin exercises, Frank?" asked Herbert.
"Yes; I finished them an hour ago."
"I was going to ask you to write them with me. It is pleasanter to
study in company."
"Provided you have the right sort of company," rejoined Frank.
"Am I the right sort of company?" inquired Herbert, with a smile.
"You hardly need to ask that, Herbert. Are we not always together? If I
did not like your company, I should not seek it so persistently. I don't
care to boast, but I have plenty of offers of companionship which I
don't care to accept. There is Bob Stickney, for instance, who is always
inviting me to his room; but you know what he is--a lazy fellow, who
cares more to have a good time than to study. Then there is James
Cameron, a conceited, empty-headed fellow, who is very disagreeable to
me."
"You don't mention your stepbrother, Mark Manning."
"For two reasons--he doesn't care for my company, and of all the boys I
dislike him the most."
"I don't like him myself. But why do you dislike him so much?"
"Because he is a sneak--a crafty, deceitful fellow, always scheming for
his own interest. He hates me, but he doesn't dare to show it. His
father is my mother's husband, but the property is hers, and will be
mine. He thinks he may some day be dependent on me, and he conceals his
dislike in order to stand the better chance by and by. Heaven grant that
it may be long before my dear mother is called away!"
"How did she happen to marry again, Frank?"
"I can hardly tell. It was a great grief to me. Mr. Manning was a
penniless lawyer, who ingratiated himself with my mother, and
persecuted her till she consented to marry him. He is very soft-spoken,
and very plausible, and he managed to make mother--who has been an
invalid for years--think that it would be the best thing for her to
delegate her cares to him, and provide me with a second father."
Frank did not like his stepfather, he did not trust him.
"Your stepbrother, Mark Manning, enjoys the same advantages as yourself,
does he not?" inquired Herbert.
"Yes."
"Then his father's marriage proved a good thing for him."
"That is true. When he first came to the house he was poorly dressed,
and had evidently been used to living in a poor way. He was at once
provided with a complete outfit as good as my own, and from that time as
much has been spent on him as on me. Don't think that I am mean enough
to grudge him any part of the money expended upon him. If he were like
you, I could like him, and enjoy his society; but he is just another as
his father."
Here Herbert's attention was drawn to a boy who was approaching with a
yellow envelope in his hand.
"Frank," he said, suddenly, "there's Mark Manning. He looks as if he had
something to say to you. He has either a letter or a telegram in his
hand."