ALGER SERIES No. 199
Bound to
Get There
_By Roy Franklin_
[Illustration: S AND S NOVELS]
BOOKS THAT NEVER GROW OLD
Alger Series
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_
By HORATIO ALGER, Jr.
1--Driven from Home
2--A Cousin’s Conspiracy
3--Ned Newton
4--Andy Gordon
5--Tony, the Tramp
6--The Five Hundred Dollar Check
7--Helping Himself
8--Making His Way
9--Try and Trust
10--Only an Irish Boy
11--Jed, the Poorhouse Boy
12--Chester Rand
13--Grit, the Young Boatman of Pine Point
14--Joe’s Luck
15--From Farm Boy to Senator
16--The Young Outlaw
17--Jack’s Ward
18--Dean Dunham
19--In a New World
20--Both Sides of the Continent
21--The Store Boy
22--Brave and Bold
23--A New York Boy
24--Bob Burton
25--The Young Adventurer
26--Julius, the Street Boy
27--Adrift in New York
28--Tom Brace
29--Struggling Upward
30--The Adventures of a New York Telegraph Boy
31--Tom Tracy
32--The Young Acrobat
33--Bound to Rise
34--Hector’s Inheritance
35--Do and Dare
36--The Tin Box
37--Tom, the Bootblack
38--Risen from the Ranks
39--Shifting for Himself
40--Wait and Hope
41--Sam’s Chance
42--Striving for Fortune
43--Phil, the Fiddler
44--Slow and Sure
45--Walter Sherwood’s Probation
46--The Trials and Triumphs of Mark Mason
47--The Young Salesman
48--Andy Grant’s Pluck
49--Facing the World
50--Luke Walton
51--Strive and Succeed
52--From Canal Boy to President
53--The Erie Train Boy
54--Paul, the Peddler
55--The Young Miner
56--Charlie Codman’s Cruise
57--A Debt of Honor
58--The Young Explorer
59--Ben’s Nugget
60--The Errand Boy
61--Frank and Fearless
62--Frank Hunter’s Peril
63--Adrift in the City
64--Tom Thatcher’s Fortune
65--Tom Turner’s Legacy
66--Dan, the Newsboy
67--Digging for Gold
68--Lester’s Luck
69--In Search of Treasure
70--Frank’s Campaign
71--Bernard Brook’s Adventures
72--Robert Coverdale’s Struggles
73--Paul Prescott’s Charge
74--Mark Manning’s Mission
75--Rupert’s Ambition
76--Sink or Swim
77--The Backwoods Boy
78--Tom Temple’s Career
79--Ben Bruce
80--The Young Musician
81--The Telegraph Boy
82--Work and Win
83--The Train Boy
84--The Cash Boy
85--Herbert Carter’s Legacy
86--Strong and Steady
87--Lost at Sea
88--From Farm to Fortune
89--Young Captain Jack
90--Joe, the Hotel Boy
91--Out for Business
92--Falling in with Fortune
93--Nelson, the Newsboy
94--Randy of the River
95--Jerry, the Backwoods Boy
96--Ben Logan’s Triumph
97--The Young Book Agent
168--Luck and Pluck
169--Ragged Dick
170--Fame and Fortune
171--Mark, the Match Boy
172--Rough and Ready
173--Ben, the Luggage Boy
174--Rufus and Rose
By EDWARD STRATEMEYER
98--The Last Cruise of _The Spitfire_
99--Reuben Stone’s Discovery
100--True to Himself
101--Richard Dare’s Venture
102--Oliver Bright’s Search
103--To Alaska for Gold
104--The Young Auctioneer
105--Bound to Be an Electrician
106--Shorthand Tom
107--Fighting for His Own
108--Joe, the Surveyor
109--Larry, the Wanderer
110--The Young Ranchman
111--The Young Lumberman
112--The Young Explorers
113--Boys of the Wilderness
114--Boys of the Great Northwest
115--Boys of the Gold Field
116--For His Country
117--Comrades in Peril
118--The Young Pearl Hunters
119--The Young Bandmaster
120--Boys of the Fort
121--On Fortune’s Trail
122--Lost in the Land of Ice
123--Bob, the Photographer
By OLIVER OPTIC
124--Among the Missing
125--His Own Helper
126--Honest Kit Dunstable
127--Every Inch a Boy
128--The Young Pilot
129--Always in Luck
130--Rich and Humble
131--In School and Out
132--Watch and Wait
133--Work and Win
134--Hope and Have
135--Haste and Waste
136--Royal Tarr’s Pluck
137--The Prisoners of the Cave
138--Louis Chiswick’s Mission
139--The Professor’s Son
140--The Young Hermit
141--The Cruise of _The Dandy_
142--Building Himself Up
143--Lyon Hart’s Heroism
144--Three Young Silver Kings
145--Making a Man of Himself
146--Striving for His Own
147--Through by Daylight
148--Lightning Express
149--On Time
150--Switch Off
151--Brake Up
152--Bear and Forbear
153--The “Starry Flag”
154--Breaking Away
155--Seek and Find
156--Freaks of Fortune
157--Make or Break
158--Down the River
159--The Boat Club
160--All Aboard
161--Now or Never
162--Try Again
163--Poor and Proud
164--Little by Little
165--The Sailor Boy
166--The Yankee Middy
167--Brave Old Salt
175--Fighting for Fortune By Roy Franklin
176--The Young Steel Worker By Frank H. MacDougal
177--The Go-ahead Boys By Gale Richards
178--For the Right By Roy Franklin
179--The Motor Cycle Boys By Donald Grayson
180--The Wall Street Boy By Allan Montgomery
181--Stemming the Tide By Roy Franklin
182--On High Gear By Donald Grayson
183--A Wall Street Fortune By Allan Montgomery
184--Winning by Courage By Roy Franklin
185--From Auto to Airship By Donald Grayson
186--Camp and Canoe By Remson Douglas
187--Winning Against Odds By Roy Franklin
188--The Luck of Vance Sevier By Frederick Gibson
In order that there may be no confusion, we desire to say that the
books listed below will be issued during the respective months in New
York City and vicinity. They may not reach the readers at a distance
promptly, on account of delays in transportation.
To be published in July, 1927.
189--The Island Castaway By Roy Franklin
190--The Boy Marvel By Frank H. MacDougal
191--A Boy With a Purpose By Roy Franklin
To be published in August, 1927.
192--The River Fugitives By Remson Douglas
193--Out For a Fortune By Roy Franklin
To be published in September, 1927.
194--The Boy Horse Owner By Frederick Gibson
195--Always on Deck By Roy Franklin
To be published in October, 1927.
196--Paul Hassard’s Peril By Matt Royal
197--His Own Master By Roy Franklin
To be published in November, 1927.
198--When Courage Wins By Edward S. Ellis
199--Bound to Get There By Roy Franklin
To be published in December, 1927.
200--Who Was Milton Marr? By Frederick Gibson
201--The Lost Mine By Roy Franklin
202--Larry Borden’s Redemption By Emerson Baker
_TALES OF THE ROLLING PLAINS_
Great Western Library
By COL. PRENTISS INGRAHAM and W. B. LAWSON
Thrilling Adventure
For many years we have been urged by readers who like Western stories
to publish some tales about the adventures of Diamond Dick. Therefore,
we decided to have a new series of stories based upon the adventures of
this famous Western character, and to put them in a line called GREAT
WESTERN LIBRARY, together with stories about Buffalo Bill, by Col.
Prentiss Ingraham.
Thus, in this line two of the most famous of all American characters
join hands. The so-called society stories with a kick in them come
and go, but these clean, wholesome tales of the West give a clean-cut
picture of the lives and characters of the men who carried the advance
banners of civilization westward.
There are Indian stories, cowboy stories, outlaw stories, all sorts of
stories of adventures out West. Each one is clean and decent, even if
it is thrilling.
_ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT_
1--Diamond Dick’s Own Brand By W. B. Lawson
2--Buffalo Bill’s Honor By Col. Prentiss Ingraham
3--Diamond Dick’s Maverick By W. B. Lawson
4--Buffalo Bill’s Phantom Hunt By Col. Prentiss Ingraham
5--Diamond Dick’s Man Hunt By W. B. Lawson
6--Buffalo Bill’s Fight with Fire By Col. Prentiss Ingraham
7--Diamond Dick’s Danger Signal By W. B. Lawson
8--Buffalo Bill’s Danite Trail By Col. Prentiss Ingraham
9--Diamond Dick’s Prospect By W. B. Lawson
10--Buffalo Bill’s Ranch Riders By Col. Prentiss Ingraham
11--Diamond Dick and the Gold Bugs By W. B. Lawson
12--Buffalo Bill’s Death Trail By Col. Prentiss Ingraham
13--Diamond Dick at Comet City By W. B. Lawson
In order that there may be no confusion, we desire to say that the
books listed below will be issued during the respective months in New
York City and vicinity. They may not reach the readers at a distance
promptly, on account of delays in transportation.
To be published in July, 1927.
14--Buffalo Bill’s Trackers By Col. Prentiss Ingraham
15--Diamond Dick and the Worthless Bonanza By W. B. Lawson
To be published in August, 1927.
16--Buffalo Bill’s Mid-air Flight By Col. Prentiss Ingraham
17--Diamond Dick’s Black List By W. B. Lawson
To be published in September, 1927.
18--Buffalo Bill, Ambassador By Col. Prentiss Ingraham
19--Diamond Dick and the Indian Outlaw By W. B. Lawson
To be published in October, 1927.
20--Buffalo Bill’s Air Voyage By Col. Prentiss Ingraham
21--Diamond Dick and Gentleman Jack By W. B. Lawson
To be published in November, 1927.
22--Buffalo Bill’s Secret Mission By Col. Prentiss Ingraham
23--Diamond Dick at Secret Pass By W. B. Lawson
24--Buffalo Bill’s Long Trail By Col. Prentiss Ingraham
To be published in December, 1927.
25--Diamond Dick’s Red Trailer By W. B. Lawson
26--Buffalo Bill Against Odds By Col. Prentiss Ingraham
Bound To Get There
OR
A Boy Who Could Not Be Downed
By
ROY FRANKLIN
Author of “His Own Master,” “Always on Deck,”
“Out For a Fortune,” etc.
[Illustration]
STREET & SMITH CORPORATION
PUBLISHERS
79-89 Seventh Avenue, New York
Copyright, 1910
By STREET & SMITH
Bound To Get There
All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign
languages, including the Scandinavian.
Printed in the U. S. A.
BOUND TO GET THERE.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I. THREE DISCONTENTED BOYS.
CHAPTER II. JACK BENSON’S REVENGE.
CHAPTER III. A STORY OF THE PAST.
CHAPTER IV. ON TO THE CITY.
CHAPTER V. THE CRAZY ADMIRAL.
CHAPTER VI. SEEKING WORK.
CHAPTER VII. THE YELLOW PACKAGE.
CHAPTER VIII. A DEEP MYSTERY.
CHAPTER IX. FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS.
CHAPTER X. AT THE OFFICE.
CHAPTER XI. EVIL PLOTTERS.
CHAPTER XII. A BRAVE BOY’S RESOLVE.
CHAPTER XIII. EVENTS OF A DAY.
CHAPTER XIV. A NIGHT OF SUSPENSE.
CHAPTER XV. NEW PLOTS.
CHAPTER XVI. AFLOAT ON THE OCEAN.
CHAPTER XVII. A TERROR AT SEA.
CHAPTER XVIII. OUTWARD BOUND.
CHAPTER XIX. YARNING BY THE WAY.
CHAPTER XX. THE ADMIRAL’S YARN.
CHAPTER XXI. ADRIFT.
CHAPTER XXII. STRANGE ADVENTURES.
CHAPTER XXIII. WRECKED AT THE DOOR OF HOPE.
CHAPTER XXIV. THREE BOY CRUSOES.
CHAPTER XXV. THE TREASURE.
CHAPTER XXVI. ALL ENDS WELL.
CHAPTER I.
THREE DISCONTENTED BOYS.
“I won’t stand it!”
“What will you do, Nick?”
“I’ll run away. If I work for my money I ought to have it. Mr. Steele
can get a new boy. I won’t work any longer and get nothing for it.”
The scene was a yard at the rear of a barn that belonged to a
comfortable-looking house in Parkdale. Nick Collins, just turned his
sixteenth year, was the first speaker, and his companion was Frank
Alden, about the same age. Day had just died beyond the high, blue
hills, and evening sounds were in the air.
Until two months before the story opens Nick had lived with his
grandfather, his only known relative. The old man died, leaving the lad
an orphan; at least, people told him so. His mother had passed away
when he was very young, and his father, a sailor, had gone to sea and
never returned.
Nick was left penniless, and at the death of his grandfather was
obliged to earn a living as best he could. He was a bright boy in many
respects. At mechanics and navigation, his grandfather’s hobbies, he
had become quite proficient, but neither of these sciences offered him
any opportunity in the dull, inland town of Parkdale.
So Nick took the only work he could get, that of lighting the lamps
of the little town. In this employment he was the assistant of Jerry
Steele, the official lamplighter--a man who had treated him none too
well.
“Well, Nick,” said Frank Alden, “you’re better off than my brother Will
and I are. Six dollars a week----”
“I don’t get six dollars a week.”
“They say you do.”
“All the same, I don’t. That’s my wages, but I don’t get it.”
“Who does, then?”
“Jerry Steele.”
“Doesn’t he give you your board and clothes?”
“He promised to; but you ought to see the board! As for the clothes,
look at them. These are my best--Sunday and week day alike. Oh, I don’t
want to talk about it. It isn’t worth wasting breath over. I’ve made up
my mind. Mr. Jerry Steele and I will part. That’s the end of it.”
There was a resolute look in Nick’s eye, and his friend knew that he
meant to keep his word. Just then there came from the barn sounds that
were familiar to the ears of one of the boys--Frank Alden.
“Oh, Nick!” he whispered. “Something has happened.”
“I guess you’re right, Frank.”
The familiar sounds were the wailing, pleading cries of a boy in
distress, and the harsh, coarse accents of an angry man.
“Ye hain’t had enough of it yit!”
“Oh, yes, I have.”
“No, ye hain’t. I’ll teach ye to worrit the life out o’ me. Take that,
an’ that, an’ that! Ha, the switch’s broke. Well, I’ll git a new one.”
“Oh, please don’t,” the victim of the man wailed. “I don’t deserve a
licking.”
“Ye don’t, eh?”
“No. It wasn’t me that let the duck into the parlor.”
“Tell that to the marines. Mebbe ye didn’t steal my silk hat?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Ye didn’t, eh? Then who was it?”
For a moment there was silence. Evidently the boy would not tell. “Out
with it!” cried the man. “Do ye hear?”
Still silence.
“Then take the consequences, ye stubborn little mule!” exclaimed the
other. “I’ll beat it out o’ ye, or my name ain’t Ahab Towns!”
The two boys outside the barn looked at one another significantly, and
then at the building whence the talk and wails had come. Their glance
spoke indignation and resentment.
“He’s getting it bad, Frank,” said Nick.
“Yes, and it isn’t his fault. I’m not going to stand it.
“I’m with you, Frank,” the other said firmly. “What had we better do?”
“Wait! He’s coming.”
The boys found a convenient clump of lilacs to shelter them as they saw
the dim outlines of a man’s burly form at the barn door.
“It’s Ahab Towns, and he’s going to hunt another switch,” whispered
Frank. “Come along. Now’s our chance.”
“What’s your plan?”
“Sh! Come and see.”
Frank’s voice was resolute. He led the way toward the barn, entered it
quietly, and Nick followed.
“Will, Will! Are you there?” called out Frank in the darkness.
“Yes, yes!” came the quick, eager response. “Oh, help me out of this.
Look out! He’s coming back.”
“We’ll help you, Will.”
“Yes,” added Nick. “That’s what we’re here for.”
“Now, Will,” said Frank, “you get out of the window as quick as you
can; and you, too, Nick, and wait for me outside. Never mind what I
intend to do. Skip!”
Frank and Nick scampered to the other end of the barn, taking Frank
at his word, and not turning back to see what he was about. They only
noticed, as they were getting out of the window, that Frank was busying
himself about something at the door. In the dim light that showed from
the outside they could not tell what he was doing.
A minute more, however, and Frank also sprang through the window.
Then the boys waited, all together, until Ahab Towns should return.
Presently they saw him, armed with a fresh switch, rush for the barn.
He was shaking with rage, and determined to whip the stubbornness, as
he called it, out of his stepson.
In the semi-darkness and amid his haste, however, he never noticed a
rope stretched across the open door, perfectly taut. There was a wild
sprawl forward, a quivering shock, and Ahab Towns measured his length
on the floor, and made the air hideous with his cries of pain and anger.
“We’ve paid him off, anyway,” muttered Frank grimly. “Now, boys, let us
leave here.”
“Yes, and he’ll pay us off when we come home again,” replied Will, in
alarm.
“You leave that to me,” was Frank’s assuring response. “Ahab Towns has
whipped me for the last time. If you haven’t the grit to say the same,
why, stand it, that’s all!”
“What do you mean, Frank?” asked Will.
“Come over to the common, where we will have a fair run if Towns
follows us, and I’ll tell you.”
The three boys moved on silently after this. A bright, intelligent trio
they were, although the episode of the hour somewhat clouded their
youthful, handsome faces.
The expression of the features of each indicated their peculiar
individual characteristics.
Frank looked resolute, reckless, defiant. Will’s countenance expressed
a haunting fear and anxiety. Their history was a brief but strange one.
Frank and Will were brothers and Ahab Towns was their stepfather.
About five years previous their mother, who was a widow, had married
again. Two years later she had died, and Ahab Towns, already a
disagreeable, fault-finding stepfather, became a cruel, heartless
guardian and taskmaster.
He seemed thoroughly to hate the boys, and on every occasion that
presented the slightest excuse for an exercise of his mean authority,
he beat them unmercifully.
Schooling, clothes, and even proper food were denied them, and the
loveless life the boys were thus compelled to lead almost broke their
spirits.
Matters had been going from bad to worse until Frank had formed a
secret resolve at some near time to cast aside the galling yoke that
bound him and his brother to an unhappy fate. He had been delighted at
heart, therefore, when he heard Nick Collins complaining of his hard
lot, and declaring that he, too, intended to run away and strike out
for himself.
The three boys reached the village common and found a grassy spot,
where they seated themselves.
They found the playground deserted, for it happened to be that hour
when supper claimed boys’ and girls’ attention for a time.
Will kept glancing back apprehensively in the direction of home, as if
fearful of pursuit from his stepfather.
Frank translated the significance of his anxious looks with a scornful
glance.
“Don’t be afraid, Will!” he said. “I meant what I told you.”
“What?”
“Ahab Towns won’t whip me again.”
“Nor me?”
“Not if you’re wise.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll tell you later. When the boys come we’ll play with them. When
they go home you and Nick be sure to wait and see me.”
“Look here, Will,” said Nick, “what was the trouble to-night, anyway?”
“Nothing that I was to blame for.”
“I believe that.”
“You know Jack Benson?”
“Yes, and everybody knows him as the meanest, roughest boy in town.”
“You know the gang of loafers he goes with?”
“You bet I do.”
“Well, a few days ago, you remember, we had some trouble with him and
his friends--those fellows from the river?”
“Yes, and I guess they’ll remember it, too,” said Frank. “We gave them
a good whipping.”
“And you remember what Jack said?”
“Yes--that he’d get even with us.”
“Well, he did.”
“How’s that?”
“Ahab Towns”--the boys never called their ill-natured stepfather
otherwise--“caught Jack stealing apples a week ago, and licked him for
it.”
“That’s the best thing Ahab ever did,” remarked Frank, with a grin.
“Maybe it was, but the double licking made Jack hot to get even with
all of us. To-day, when we were in the garden, Jack came along. He was
ready to do anything to spite us. He drove the duck into the parlor and
shut it in, and there Towns found it when he brought in a friend an
hour or so afterward.”
“I see. And Towns blamed you for it?”
“He whipped me for it,” replied Will, with a long face.
“I should say he did, the way you hollered. Well, go on.”
“Then Jack saw Towns’ high silk hat on the ledge of the sitting-room
window. He broke a dozen eggs into it. When Towns put it on you can
imagine how he raved and tore. I told him that I saw Jack around
and that I knew he did it. No use. I had to take the blame and the
punishment for it.”
Just at that moment there was an interruption to the talk of the three
boys. The advance courier of the players of the evening had arrived
with a joyous shout, and within five minutes several others had joined
him. In half an hour a score of light-hearted boys were engaged in
harmless, enjoyable games on the village green.
Amid the excitement of the hour, Frank, Nick, and Will forgot all about
their troubles and plans, and joined heartily in the fun. Hi-spy,
pump-pump, pull-away, and other spirited games finally palled on their
spirits, and mischief began its subtle promptings.
“Who wants some real fun?” called out the voice of one of the larger
boys.
A ready response came in a dozen voices.
“You know where old Captain Eccles lives?”
“Yes, yes!”
Captain Eccles was a retired sailor who lived alone near the river.
His hermitlike life had long been a theme of discussion and mystery to
Parkdale boys.
“Well, let us make him a quiet visit.”
“Huh! A nice welcome he’d give us.”
“Oh! I don’t mean a friendly call. We’ll put a “tick-tack” on the
window and get him out after us with that old broken blunderbuss of
his.”
There were some dissenting voices, but the majority prevailed, and the
throng were soon on their way toward the river. Eager for the “real
fun,” they could hardly keep silent as they neared the dilapidated
cabin where Captain Eccles had lived so many years. It was merged in
complete darkness, and the boys got in the shadow of some bushes. One
of them had produced the bent pin, stone, and string that comprises
that fascinating mischief maker so dear to boys’ hearts.
“Who’ll put it on the window?” was asked.
Will Alden, a ready victim in all cases, assumed the duty. The pin was
attached, he returned to the bushes.
Tap, tap! amid the stillness of the place, and then a cry of
disappointment.
“The pin has fallen out. It will have to be put in place again, boys,”
spoke the leader of the group.
“I’ll fix it,” whispered Nick.
Nick Collins approached the cabin window cautiously. The stealthy
application of the pin to the window was only the work of a moment, but
it was disturbed rudely.
“Run, Nick!”
“The captain!”
The warning came from the group in the bushes and startled Nick. It
came too late, however, for just as he began to run, a man’s form
darted from the door of the house.
“Ha! You young rascal! I’ve caught you!” said some one in a gruff voice.
And then appeared Captain Eccles. He dragged his struggling captive to
the open door of the cabin, thrust him in roughly, followed himself,
and locked the door after them.
Those in the bushes had started to run at the first sign of danger
in the appearance of the captain. They paused finally, dismayed and
frightened. Frank Alden, less timorous than the others, had remained
behind, and checked their flight by a sudden call.
“Don’t be cowards!” he cried. “See here, are you going to desert a
comrade?”
There was no reply.
“Let us pelt the house with stones,” suggested Will.
“No--that’s no use. I wonder what the captain will do with Nick?”
But wondering and impatient waiting were all that resulted from a brief
consultation. One by one the boys decided that they were expected at
home, and abandoned Nick Collins to his fate. All except Frank and
Will. They remained behind. The former looked sullen and angry as the
last of their companions disappeared toward the village.
“Nice fellows, they are!” he growled.
“What can they do to help Nick, anyway?” asked Will.
“They might wait, at least.”
“Oh! the captain won’t hurt him. See here, Frank, it’s time we were
home.”
“Where?”
“Home.”
“Is it?”
“Yes, and Towns will whip us as it is.”
“He won’t whip me!” declared Frank. “I’m not going home, Will. I’m
going to wait here for Nick.”
“It may be all night.”
“I don’t care. I shouldn’t go home, anyway. Will, that is what I meant
to tell you. I’m through with hard work and hard knocks from Ahab
Towns. I shall never go home again. I’m going to try life on my own
hook--I am going to run away!”