A Boy's Fortune; Or, The Strange Adventures of Ben BakerAlger, Horatio, Jr.
General
A Boy's Fortune; Or, The Strange Adventures of Ben Baker
Alger, Horatio, Jr.
Adventure and adventurers -- Juvenile fiction; Fortune -- Juvenile fiction
"Did you see Philip?" asked Adeline, eagerly, when her young brother
returned from his visit to the Metropolitan Hotel.
"No," answered Harry. "He was out."
"And you brought back the note, then?" said his sister, disappointed.
"No; the clerk said he would give it to him; so I left it with him."
Adeline looked anxious.
"I am afraid his guardian will get hold of it," she said, turning to
Rose.
"Even if he does, there is nothing in it that you need regret
writing."
"It would never reach Philip."
"Probably you are right. In that case we must make another effort
when there seems a good chance."
It was decided that Harry should call the next day, at his dinner
hour, and ascertain whether the note had been delivered. He did so,
but only to learn that the note had been given to Major Grafton, and
that both he and Philip had left the hotel.
"Do you know where they went," asked Harry, eagerly.
"No; the major did not say. He will probably send here for letters,
and then I can mention that you called."
Harry assented, not being able to explain that this would not answer
his purpose.
When he reported his information at home, Adeline said, quickly:
"He left because he does not want us to communicate with Philip."
"Probably," said Rose. "This shows," she added, "that he is afraid
Philip would be inclined to do something for us. I am glad to have
my faith strengthened in the boy, at all events. If he were willing
to live in luxury while he knew we were struggling with poverty I
could not regard him as a cousin."
The next morning Mr. Codicil read in the morning papers, among the
passengers who had sailed for Europe the day before, the names of
Major Grafton and Philip.
"The fellow has lost no time," he said to himself. "The boy is
bright and attractive, but he stands a chance of being spoiled under
such a guardian. I wish I had questioned him, and tried to learn
something of him. I might have given him some idea of the injustice
which has been practiced toward his poor cousins. I do not care
so much that he profits by it as that that worthless uncle of his
should live in luxury at their expense. I am afraid they are having
a hard time."
How hard a time the sisters were having--how stern and exacting was
the toil which her sister's helplessness imposed upon Rose--Mr.
Codicil really had little idea. If he had, he would certainly have
done something to assist them, for he was a kind-hearted man; but
whenever Rose called upon him she was neatly dressed, and did not
bear outward marks of the poverty with which she had to contend.
So far as Nicholas Walton was concerned, he was glad, upon the
whole, to learn that his nephew had gone to Europe. He could not
see Ben without his conscience reproaching him with the wrong he
had done him, and was still doing him and his mother, by retaining
possession of a sum of money which would have given them opulence
in exchange for the poverty which was not removed by the small
allowance he sent them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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