Transcriber’s Notes:
Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).
The whole number part of a mixed fraction is separated from the
fractional part with -, for example, 2-1/2.
Additional Transcriber’s Notes are at the end.
* * * * *
[Illustration:
ALGER SERIES No. 149
On Time
_BY_
OLIVER OPTIC
STREET & SMITH CORPORATION
PUBLISHERS NEW YORK]
* * * * *
BOOKS THAT NEVER GROW OLD
Alger Series
Price, Fifteen Cents Clean Adventure Stories for Boys
The Most Complete List Published
The following list does not contain all the books that Horatio Alger
wrote, but it contains most of them, and certainly the best.
Horatio Alger is to boys what Charles Dickens is to grown-ups. His
work is just as popular to-day as it was years ago. The books have a
quality, the value of which is beyond computation.
There are legions of boys of foreign parents who are being helped
along the road to true Americanism by reading these books which
are so peculiarly American in tone that the reader cannot fail to
absorb some of the spirit of fair play and clean living which is so
characteristically American.
In this list will be included certain books by Edward Stratemeyer,
Oliver Optic, and other authors who wrote the Alger type of stories,
which are equal in interest and wholesomeness with those written by the
famous author after which this great line of books for boys is named.
_ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT_
1--Driven From Home By Horatio Alger, Jr.
2--A Cousin’s Conspiracy By Horatio Alger, Jr.
3--Ned Newton By Horatio Alger, Jr.
4--Andy Gordon By Horatio Alger, Jr.
5--Tony, the Tramp By Horatio Alger, Jr.
6--The Five Hundred Dollar Check By Horatio Alger, Jr.
7--Helping Himself By Horatio Alger, Jr.
8--Making His Way By Horatio Alger, Jr.
9--Try and Trust By Horatio Alger, Jr.
10--Only an Irish Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr.
11--Jed, the Poorhouse Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr.
12--Chester Rand By Horatio Alger, Jr.
13--Grit, the Young Boatman of Pine Point By Horatio Alger, Jr.
14--Joe’s Luck By Horatio Alger, Jr.
15--From Farm Boy to Senator By Horatio Alger, Jr.
16--The Young Outlaw By Horatio Alger, Jr.
17--Jack’s Ward By Horatio Alger, Jr.
18--Dean Dunham By Horatio Alger, Jr.
19--In a New World By Horatio Alger, Jr.
20--Both Sides of the Continent By Horatio Alger, Jr.
21--The Store Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr.
22--Brave and Bold By Horatio Alger, Jr.
23--A New York Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr.
24--Bob Burton By Horatio Alger, Jr.
25--The Young Adventurer By Horatio Alger, Jr.
26--Julius, the Street Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr.
27--Adrift in New York By Horatio Alger, Jr.
28--Tom Brace By Horatio Alger, Jr.
29--Struggling Upward By Horatio Alger, Jr.
30--The Adventures of a New York Telegraph Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr.
31--Tom Tracy By Horatio Alger, Jr.
32--The Young Acrobat By Horatio Alger, Jr.
33--Bound to Rise By Horatio Alger, Jr.
34--Hector’s Inheritance By Horatio Alger, Jr.
35--Do and Dare By Horatio Alger, Jr.
36--The Tin Box By Horatio Alger, Jr.
37--Tom, the Bootblack By Horatio Alger, Jr.
38--Risen from the Ranks By Horatio Alger, Jr.
39--Shifting for Himself By Horatio Alger, Jr.
40--Wait and Hope By Horatio Alger, Jr.
41--Sam’s Chance By Horatio Alger, Jr.
42--Striving for Fortune By Horatio Alger, Jr.
43--Phil, the Fiddler By Horatio Alger, Jr.
44--Slow and Sure By Horatio Alger, Jr.
45--Walter Sherwood’s Probation By Horatio Alger, Jr.
46--The Trials and Triumphs of Mark Mason By Horatio Alger, Jr.
47--The Young Salesman By Horatio Alger, Jr.
48--Andy Grant’s Pluck By Horatio Alger, Jr.
49--Facing the World By Horatio Alger, Jr.
50--Luke Walton By Horatio Alger, Jr.
51--Strive and Succeed By Horatio Alger, Jr.
52--From Canal Boy to President By Horatio Alger, Jr.
53--The Erie Train Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr.
54--Paul, the Peddler By Horatio Alger, Jr.
55--The Young Miner By Horatio Alger, Jr.
56--Charlie Codman’s Cruise By Horatio Alger, Jr.
57--A Debt of Honor By Horatio Alger, Jr.
58--The Young Explorer By Horatio Alger, Jr.
59--Ben’s Nugget By Horatio Alger, Jr.
60--The Errand Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr.
61--Frank and Fearless By Horatio Alger, Jr.
62--Frank Hunter’s Peril By Horatio Alger, Jr.
63--Adrift in the City By Horatio Alger, Jr.
64--Tom Thatcher’s Fortune By Horatio Alger, Jr.
65--Tom Turner’s Legacy By Horatio Alger, Jr.
66--Dan, the Newsboy By Horatio Alger, Jr.
67--Digging for Gold By Horatio Alger, Jr.
68--Lester’s Luck By Horatio Alger, Jr.
69--In Search of Treasure By Horatio Alger, Jr.
70--Frank’s Campaign By Horatio Alger, Jr.
71--Bernard Brook’s Adventures By Horatio Alger, Jr.
72--Robert Coverdale’s Struggles By Horatio Alger, Jr.
73--Paul Prescott’s Charge By Horatio Alger, Jr.
74--Mark Manning’s Mission By Horatio Alger, Jr.
75--Rupert’s Ambition By Horatio Alger, Jr.
76--Sink or Swim By Horatio Alger, Jr.
77--The Backwoods Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr.
78--Tom Temple’s Career By Horatio Alger, Jr.
79--Ben Bruce By Horatio Alger, Jr.
80--The Young Musician By Horatio Alger, Jr.
81--The Telegraph Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr.
82--Work and Win By Horatio Alger, Jr.
83--The Train Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr.
84--The Cash Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr.
85--Herbert Carter’s Legacy By Horatio Alger, Jr.
86--Strong and Steady By Horatio Alger, Jr.
87--Lost at Sea By Horatio Alger, Jr.
88--From Farm to Fortune By Horatio Alger, Jr.
89--Young Captain Jack By Horatio Alger, Jr.
90--Joe, the Hotel Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr.
91--Out for Business By Horatio Alger, Jr.
92--Falling in With Fortune By Horatio Alger, Jr.
ON TIME OR, BOUND TO GET THERE
BY
OLIVER OPTIC
Author of many books for boys which will never grow old.
[Illustration]
STREET & SMITH CORPORATION
PUBLISHERS
79-89 Seventh Avenue, New York
* * * * *
Copyright, 1869
By W. T. ADAMS
Renewal Granted to
Alice Adams Russell, 1897
On Time
(Printed in the United States of America)
* * * * *
ON TIME.
CHAPTER I. A NEW PROJECT.
“You don’t want that boat, Wolf, any more than the lake wants water,”
said my father, after I had read an advertisement, in the Ruoara
_Clarion_, of the effects of a bankrupt which were to be sold at
auction the next day.
“I don’t think the lake would amount to much without water; in fact,
to no more than I do without business,” I replied. “I want something
to do, and if I can buy this boat at a low price, I am sure I can make
something out of her.”
“What can you do with her? She is a very pretty plaything; but you and
I can’t afford such luxuries,” added my father.
“I don’t want her for a plaything, father,” I persisted. “I want to
make some money out of her.”
“You are an enterprising boy, Wolf; but I really don’t see any money in
a boat like that.”
“I think there is, though of course I may be mistaken. Since Major
Toppleton has been running his steamers across the lake to Centreport
so many times a day, the ferry would not pay, and the owner has gone up
to Ruoara with his boat. Now, there are many people who wish to cross
between the steamers’ trips.”
“I don’t think that would pay,” said my father, shaking his head.
“There is hardly a boat to let, either in Middleport or Centreport. I
think a boat kept for parties of pleasure would pay well. There are
plenty of people who want to go up the lake fishing; and there would be
a great many more if a decent boat were to be had.”
“Well, Wolf, you have made your own money, and you are smart enough to
take care of it yourself. If you want to go into a speculation on your
own account, I haven’t a word to say. But what will this boat cost?”
“Of course I don’t mean to pay anything like her value. If she can be
bought at a low figure, I can do something with her, even if I have to
sell her.”
“They say she cost five or six hundred dollars.”
“I should say she could not be built and fitted up for anything less
than six hundred. I am willing to go one hundred on her. If I can
buy her for that, I can turn her again so as to double my money,” I
continued confidently.
“I don’t know. A boat is either the best or the worst property in the
world.”
“I know that. It is October now, and the boating-season is about over,
though there is considerable fishing done up the lake. Not many people
want to buy a boat in the fall, and for that reason she won’t bring
much.”
“Here is the hundred dollars. If you can buy her for that, I think you
will be safe enough,” added my father, as he took the bills from the
bureau drawer.
I was very fond of boating, and would rather have made my living in
that way than any other; but while I could get two, or even one dollar
a day for running an engine, I could not afford to risk my chances
with a boat. I was out of business now. I had been contemptuously
discharged from the Lake Shore Railroad, and, not a little to my
chagrin, Colonel Wimpleton, who had made me liberal offers to serve in
his new steamer, did not repeat them. My father also was out of employ,
and, though we were not likely to suffer at present for the want of
work, we could ill afford to be idle.
I had taken it into my head that I could make something with a good
sailboat. The people of the two towns, as well as many strangers who
came to them, were fond of fishing, and six or seven dollars a day for
such a boat as I proposed to buy would not be an extravagant price,
including, as it would, my own services as skipper. Twenty days’ work
would refund my capital, and I could reasonably hope to obtain this
amount of business during the next two months. The next summer she
would be a small fortune to me, for boats were in constant demand.
The next day I crossed the lake, and went up to Ruoara in Colonel
Wimpleton’s new steamer, the _Ucayga_. This was the first time I
had sailed in her, and I could not help seeing that she was “a big
thing.” It seemed almost incredible to me that I had been offered the
situation of captain of this boat, and even more incredible that I had
refused it; but both of these statements were true. I had come to the
conclusion that the colonel had repented of his splendid offer.
Just now the Lake Shore Railroad was in the ascendant, and the _Ucayga_
was under a shadow. She had very few passengers, while the train which
had just left Middleport had been crowded. It was a busy season among
travelers, and I heard that the colonel was terribly galled by the
ill-success of his line. Major Toppleton had ordered the captains of
the two boats which ran up the lake to be regularly ten minutes behind
time, so that the steamer was unable to leave Centreport in season
to connect with the trains at Ucayga. This delay entirely defeated
the colonel’s plans, and the _Ucayga_ was generally obliged to leave
without any of the through passengers, which comprised more than half.
Without them the boat would not pay.
It did not make much difference to Colonel Wimpleton whether the
steamer made or lost money for him, if he could only get ahead of the
railroad. The _Ucayga_ had failed to connect with the railroads at the
foot of the lake two or three times a week; and this had given her a
very bad reputation. It was true that the Lightning Express, on which
I had formerly run as engineer, had been similarly unfortunate quite a
number of times; but as the major’s plan was fully understood by the
people up the lake, the train was regarded as the surer of the two
modes of conveyance.
Lewis Holgate, the son of the man who had robbed my father, was still
the engineer of the Lightning Express. He was under the powerful
protection of Tommy Toppleton, who ruled all Middleport by ruling his
father, the magnate of the town. Lewis was a treacherous wretch. He
had labored to ruin me, under the direction of his young master; but I
tried to think as kindly of him as I could. I was daily in fear that,
through his unskilful management of the locomotive, an accident would
occur on the road. I am almost sure that Colonel Wimpleton would have
hailed such a catastrophe with satisfaction, so deep and bitter was his
hatred of Major Toppleton, and so great was his opposition to the road.
As the matter stood, neither the train nor the steamer was entirely
reliable. A little more shrewdness, skill, and enterprise would have
turned the scale in favor of either.
The _Ucayga_ started this morning without waiting for the arrival of
the up-lake steamer. As soon as she left the wharf, I began to walk
about her decks and cabins on an exploring-tour. I was delighted with
her appointments; and, while I tried to be impartial between the
steamer and the railroad, my admiration of the beautiful craft inclined
me to believe that she ought to win. In the course of my wanderings
about the boat, I came to the forward deck. About the first person
I encountered here was Mr. Waddie Wimpleton. He sat on the capstan,
smoking a cigar, for the young scion of the Wimpleton house was bent on
being as “big” as anybody else.
“What are you doing on our boat, Wolf Penniman?” demanded he, leaping
down from his high seat the moment he saw me.
“I’m going down to Ruoara on her; that’s all I’m doing just now,” I
replied.
“Did you come to count the passengers?” said he bitterly.
“I did not, though, for that matter, it would not be a difficult task
to count them.”
“None of your impudence, Wolf Penniman!”
“What’s the matter, Waddie?” I asked, laughing. “I suppose you know I’m
not the engineer of the railroad now, and you need not waste any hard
words upon me.”
“I don’t want to see you on this boat, or on our side of the lake,” he
added, restoring the cigar to his mouth, and looking as magnificent as
a little magnate could look.
“I won’t hurt you, or the boat.”
“I’ll bet you won’t!”
“This is a splendid boat,” I continued, in a conciliatory tone.
“Splendid enough.”
“But I don’t think you are smart to let the major get ahead of you, as
he does.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“If I were running this boat, I should have my share of the through
passengers,” I replied, with all the good-nature I possessed.
“You would do big things!” sneered he.
“I should try to.”
“You can’t come it over me, as you did over my father.”
“I haven’t the least desire to come it over you. I expect to go into
business on my own account pretty soon,” I replied.
“If it hadn’t been for me, you would have been captain of this boat,”
said he, intending to throw his heaviest shot by this remark.
“Well, I suppose you did what you thought was best for the line; and if
you are satisfied, I ought to be.”
“You didn’t make much when you ran away from Centreport.”
“Neither did I lose much. If we are both satisfied about that, we need
not quarrel.”
“I shall always quarrel with you, Wolf Penniman, as long as I live,” he
added spitefully. “I hate you!”
“Well, I hope you will have a good time. For my part, I don’t hate you,
Waddie; and if I had a chance to do you a good turn, I would do it now
as quick as ever I would.”
“You needn’t snuffle to me. I don’t ask any favors of you. I am
president of the steamboat company, and I suppose you would like to
have me get down on my knees and beg you to take command of this boat.”
“Not much,” I replied, laughing.
“You think you are a great man!”
“No, I’m only a boy, like yourself.”
“If I had seen you before the boat started, you should not have gone in
her.”
“That game was tried on the other side of the lake. It don’t work well.”
“Don’t you come on board of this boat again; if you do, we will try it
on.”
Both of the little magnates down upon me, and I was forbidden to ride
in either steamer or cars! Waddie puffed up his cigar and walked away,
evidently with the feeling that he was not making much out of me. The
_Ucayga_ touched at the wharf, and I went on shore. So did the little
magnate of Centreport.