Is the story published in book form? Where does Paul live? I am very much interested in the story, but my father thinks it is all fiction as he calls it. If you will answer this you will oblige a boy ten years old, who has read it four times, and who means to read it again when I go over to Aunt Leach's. Paul's ardent admirer, JOHN W. SCOTT. April 16, 1870. BOSTON, May 7, 1870. JOHN W. SCOTT. _My Dear Young Friend,_--I am very much gratified to hear that you are so much interested in "Winning His Way," which has been published in book form by Messrs. Fields, Osgood, & Co. You ask if it is a true story. I will tell you about it: I knew a brave boy who went into the army and fought just as Paul fought, who was left on the field for dead, and who was taken to a rebel prison, and I had him in mind all the time I was writing the story. That is all true about painting the pigs, and shutting the school-house door, and tying the hay in front of the old horse's nose. So you can tell your father that the things did not happen just in the order they are given in the book, but that I tried to make the story true to life. Your friend, CARLETON. "A story of a poor Western boy who, with true American grit in his composition, worked his way into a position of honorable independence, and who was among the first to rally round the flag when the day of his country's peril came. There is a sound, manly tone about the book, a freedom from nam-by-pambyism, worthy of all commendation."--_Sunday School Times._ "One of the best of stories for boys."--_Hartford Courant._ *** _For sale by all Booksellers. Sent, post-paid, on receipt of price by the Publishers_, =FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO., Boston.= Transcriber's Note Footnotes have been moved to the end of the paragraphs to which they refer. Illustrations have been moved near the relevant section of the text. "=" is used in the text to indicate bolded text, and "~" is used to indicate a fancy font. On Page 255, "-->" is used to denote a hand with the finger pointing right. In the advertisements at the end of the book, "***" is used to denote an inverted asterism. I have separated the ads by asterisks. Inconsistencies have been retained in spelling, hyphenation, punctuation, and grammar, except where indicated in the list below: - Page number added to Table of Contents on Page v - Dash added after "Mud-Wagon." on Page vi - Dash added after "Railroad." on Page vii - Period moved from before to after bracket on Page 96 - "timber" changed to "Timber" on Page 96 - "spot" changed to "sport" on Page 121 - "offer" changed to "offers" on Page 168 - Quotation mark added before "The" on Page 222 - Quotation mark added before "Compare" on Page 223 - "agricul tural" changed to "agricultural" on Page 237 - Single quote added after "Carleton" on Page 242