CHAPTER XXVII.
IN THE EDITOR'S OFFICE.
A few moments later Meg was walking by her grandfather's side. He hadrefused to drive. Sir Malcolm never said a word, but he seemed in hothaste. Meg's thoughts were in a tumult. What was he going to do? Howwould he meet his former enemy? Had he been softened?
The old baronet gripped his stick as he went along and planted it firmlyon the road. She would have given anything to have questioned him; butfear on the one hand lest she should exasperate him, on the other afailing heart lest if he were inclined to conciliation she might balkthe impulse by some well-meant blunder kept her silent.
When they reached the office, and her grandfather asked the clerk if Mr.Standish was at home, she tried to judge his mood by the tone of hisvoice. For an instant she hoped the clerk's answer would be in thenegative; but the young man, leaving his desk, replied that Mr. Standishwas at home, adding with an air of bewilderment: "Sir Malcolm Loftdale,I believe?"
"Take my card up," said the baronet, pulling out his cardcase.
They climbed up the narrow stairs, and Meg saw her lover standing by histable to receive them. With a bow as cold, Mr. Standish returned the oldgentleman's frigid salutation. He was stretching out his hand to her,but with a little anxious frown she signaled to him to take no notice ofher at present.
"You are, I believe, sir, the responsible editor of the _GreywoldsMercury_," said the baronet with a chill civility that brought asorrowful anticipation to Meg.
Mr. Standish in a constrained voice acknowledged his position. "I amafraid that this places me in an unfavorable light before you, sir," hecontinued in a half-apologetic tone.
Sir Malcolm moved his hand. "You mistake the object of my visit if youthink, sir, that I ask for an explanation--if you suppose that articlesupon myself which appeared some months ago, and which no doubt hadliterary merit, have produced upon me the slightest impression. I amready to admit the right of every man to his opinions. I have my ownopinions on a subject which I would prefer not to express."
He paused, and Mr. Standish remained silent, waiting for his visitor tocontinue.
"My motive for entering a publishing office," the baronet went on,looking round him with a cold smile, "is from a widely different motive.I will refer to one of those articles only for the simple sake ofillustration. You were very indignant, sir, at my stringent suppressionof a poacher. Now, sir, I beg you in justice to give me your opinion ofa poacher in a moral sense--one who, by assignations, by means at hiscommand, contrives to inveigle the affections of a young girl, almost achild, intruding himself thus dishonestly into a gentleman's family."
"Sir Malcolm Loftdale," said Mr. Standish firmly yet courteously, "Iperfectly understand your meaning. This young lady occupies an honorableposition in your household, and she has always led me to understand thatyou treated her with the utmost kindness and consideration; but she isnot a member of your family."
"Such being your impression, I will not presume to blame you," said thebaronet with the cynical courtesy one uses to an inferior. "Yourhonorable intentions I take for granted. It only remains for me toinform you, in the presence of this young lady--who has herself beenmade acquainted by me within the hour of the position she holds in myhouse--that Miss Beecham is my granddaughter."
"Your granddaughter!" repeated Mr. Standish with a movement of surprise."I thought, sir, you had but one child--a son?"
"She is the daughter and only child of that son," answered the baronetwith lofty curtness. "There is no necessity for me to enter with youinto the details of a family history. Suffice it to say that I beg ofyou, as an honorable literary man"--the old gentleman laid a slightsarcastic stress on the word literary--"never again to address thislady, and to terminate from this moment an acquaintance which, ifpursued, must be henceforth termed clandestine, treacherous, anddishonorable."
At these words Mr. Standish drew himself up with a dignity as cold andstern as was that of his visitor. "Sir Malcolm Loftdale," he said, "thiscomes rather late. It is not for me to give the pledge you exact; I willgive it at the request of Miss Beecham only."
For a moment irritation seemed about to surprise the old gentleman. Heclinched his stick and reared his grand old head as for a rebuke; thenhe turned mutely toward Meg.
"You have applied the word dishonorable to me, Sir Malcolm Loftdale.Allow me to say it is the last word, I think, you should haveemployed," resumed Mr. Standish.
"Sir, your protestations are thrown away upon me. I have no more to sayto you," replied the baronet. "Meg, my child, it is now for you todecide. You have heard the expression of my positive wishes; you knowhow I feel on this subject; you know better than any one how yourdecision one way or the other will affect me. I confide in you."
Meg wrung her hands and remained silent. In her despair she confusedlyfelt she was called upon to make her choice between two duties. One washeavy to follow, the other meant all the happiness of her young heart.She gave an inarticulate moan--a word of that primal language common toall creation in its moments of anguish.
"I do not ask you to speak," said Sir Malcolm. "Put your hand on my arm,Meg, and let me take you home--that will suffice."
"I cannot--I cannot!" she moaned, moving a few irresolute steps awayfrom the two between whom her fate lay. She could not speak the wordthat must bring sorrow to one who was weak, lonely, and already heavilystricken, still less that other word which must crush the young, thestrong, and the beloved one.
"Before you ask this young lady to retract," she heard the voice of herlover say; then he paused as if to change the phrase to one moregenerously worded: "Before you ask her to refuse me for your sake, willyou grant me a few moments' private conversation?"
"No, sir," answered the baronet. "I repeat I have said all I have to sayto you. I wish this interview to end. Come back with me, Meg."
"You have addressed me as one capable of dishonorable conduct," Mr.Standish resumed quietly. "This young lady's father, sir, if he werealive, would have been the last to apply such a term to me."
"Her father! What do you know of her father?" said Sir Malcolm savagely.
"If Philip Loftdale was her father, I knew him well. He often called mehis dearest friend."
Meg, leaning back against the wall, saw her grandfather staring vacantlyat the speaker. "What do you mean? Who are you, sir?" he asked.
"Again I ask you, sir," said Mr. Standish with sudden gentleness, "for afew moments' private conversation."
"No, sir; if you have anything to say, speak out before this young lady.I took the step of leading Miss Beecham here that she might judge themerits of the case for herself. I am sorry to have to add that theassertion you have just made, that you were my son's friend, is norecommendation to me. He was unfortunate in his associates."
Mr. Standish did not reply. He took out a bunch of keys and fitted oneinto a drawer. Meg saw him draw out a bundle of letters. He kept hiseyes averted from her as he said:
"I shrink from telling the particulars I must now state, or of hintingat an obligation. But I am playing for a great stake--one that is allthe world to me; and I see no means of moving you, sir, but by referringto this fact, and bringing evidences of its truth before you."
He laid his hand upon the letters.
"It is your wish, sir, that I should speak before Miss Beecham. Perhapsit is as well that she should hear what I have to say."
"It is my wish. Go on, sir!" said Sir Malcolm fiercely as Mr. Standishpaused.
"Your son was adjutant of his regiment. Whatever were his follies andrecklessness, he was a good soldier. He was trusted by his comrades, andhe was proud of their trust. You were stern with him, sir--I shall notsay overstern. It is not for me to judge."
"Go on, sir," said the old man.
"Since his marriage, if you remember, you held no communication withhim----"
"If your claim upon me," interrupted the baronet fiercely, "is that youare a relation of the unhappy woman he married, I think you must admitthat t
he fact that I have recognized her daughter, and that I meanpublicly to declare her my grandchild, is a reparation which answers allclaims and silences all appeals."
"I make no claim upon you. I think I will establish that I am no--" Mr.Standish paused, then resumed: "If you remember, your son wrote to youshortly before his death a letter that you returned unopened, as you haddone others before."
Sir Malcolm did not reply, and for a moment there was a dead silence.Mr. Standish resumed with difficulty:
"That letter, sir, was to ask you for three hundred pounds, that in areckless moment he had taken from the money belonging to his regiment,convinced that he would be able to repay it."
Still the old man remained silent as death, looking with a fixed gazeupon the speaker.
"Your son came to me. Dishonor faced him. He told me of his folly. Thenext day he would be disgraced if he failed to raise the money."
Sir Malcolm drew a heavy breath; he parted his lips as if to speak, butno words came; and he listened intently.
"God knows, sir," resumed the young man, "that I tell you what followswith the utmost unwillingness. I had the money he needed so sorely, andI let him have it. His honor was saved. His act remained unknown to hisbrother-officers and to the world, but he felt the stigma too bitterlyto live."
The old man sat down and took the proffered documents. He read themthrough hurriedly, and Meg noticed that once he brushed away a tear.Then he rose, and with a large and liberal action put out a tremblinghand to the editor, who clasped it in his.
"Mr. Standish," said the baronet, "you have saved what is dearer to methan life--my family honor. I will do, sir, what I have never donebefore. I ask your pardon. I acknowledge an obligation to you that I cannever repay."
"You can repay it, grandfather," said Meg through tears.
"You can repay it, sir--ay, and brimming over," said Mr. Standish. "Thestake I have played for, as I said, is all the world to me. I love thislady with a love that can never change. I loved her as a child, I loveher as a girl, I will love her as a woman all her life. Do not partus!"
"Grandfather, do not part us!" repeated Meg in a voice hoarse withpleading. "I will never desert you!"
The old gentleman hesitated. He resumed his seat, and putting his elbowon the table he covered his eyes with his hand. There was anxioussilence in the room. At last Sir Malcolm rose, and with a grave dignityhe went to Meg, and taking her hand he placed it in that of her lover.
THE END.
A. L. BURT'S PUBLICATIONS
For Young People
BY POPULAR WRITERS,
97-99-101 Reade Street, New York.
Bonnie Prince Charlie: A Tale of Fontenoy and Culloden. By G. A. HENTY. With 12 full-page Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
The adventures of the son of a Scotch officer in French service. Theboy, brought up by a Glasgow bailie, is arrested for aiding a Jacobiteagent, escapes, is wrecked on the French coast, reaches Paris, andserves with the French army at Dettingen. He kills his father's foe in aduel, and escaping to the coast, shares the adventures of PrinceCharlie, but finally settles happily in Scotland.
"Ronald, the hero, is very like the hero of 'Quentin Durward.' The lad's journey across France, and his hairbreadth escapes, make up as good a narrative of the kind as we have ever read. For freshness of treatment and variety of incident Mr. Henty has surpassed himself."--_Spectator._
With Clive in India; or, the Beginnings of an Empire. By G. A. HENTY. With 12 full-page Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
The period between the landing of Clive as a young writer in India andthe close of his career was critical and eventful in the extreme. At itscommencement the English were traders existing on sufferance of thenative princes. At its close they were masters of Bengal and of thegreater part of Southern India. The author has given a full and accurateaccount of the events of that stirring time, and battles and siegesfollow each other in rapid succession, while he combines with hisnarrative a tale of daring and adventure, which gives a lifelikeinterest to the volume.
"He has taken a period of Indian history of the most vital importance, and he has embroidered on the historical facts a story which of itself is deeply interesting. Young people assuredly will be delighted with the volume."--_Scotsman._
The Lion of the North: A Tale of Gustavus Adolphus and the Wars of Religion. By G. A. HENTY. With full-page Illustrations by JOHN SCHOENBERG. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
In this story Mr. Henty gives the history of the first part of theThirty Years' War. The issue had its importance, which has extended tothe present day, as it established religious freedom in Germany. Thearmy of the chivalrous king of Sweden was largely composed of Scotchmen,and among these was the hero of the story.
"The tale is a clever and instructive piece of history, and as boys may be trusted to read it conscientiously, they can hardly fail to be profited."--_Times._
The Dragon and the Raven; or, The Days of King Alfred. By G. A. HENTY. With full-page Illustrations by C. J. STANILAND, R.I. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
In this story the author gives an account of the fierce struggle betweenSaxon and Dane for supremacy in England, and presents a vivid picture ofthe misery and ruin to which the country was reduced by the ravages ofthe sea-wolves. The hero, a young Saxon thane, takes part in all thebattles fought by King Alfred. He is driven from his home, takes to thesea and resists the Danes on their own element, and being pursued bythem up the Seine, is present at the long and desperate siege of Paris.
"Treated in a manner most attractive to the boyish reader."--_Athenaeum._
The Young Carthaginian: A Story of the Times of Hannibal. By G. A. HENTY. With full-page Illustrations by C. J. STANILAND, R.I. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
Boys reading the history of the Punic Wars have seldom a keenappreciation of the merits of the contest. That it was at first astruggle for empire, and afterward for existence on the part ofCarthage, that Hannibal was a great and skillful general, that hedefeated the Romans at Trebia, Lake Trasimenus, and Cannae, and all buttook Rome, represents pretty nearly the sum total of their knowledge. Tolet them know more about this momentous struggle for the empire of theworld Mr. Henty has written this story, which not only gives in graphicstyle a brilliant description of a most interesting period of history,but is a tale of exciting adventure sure to secure the interest of thereader.
"Well constructed and vividly told. From first to last nothing stays the interest of the narrative. It bears us along as on a stream whose current varies in direction, but never loses its force."--_Saturday Review._
In Freedom's Cause: A Story of Wallace and Bruce. By G. A. HENTY. With full-page Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
In this story the author relates the stirring tale of the Scottish Warof Independence. The extraordinary valor and personal prowess of Wallaceand Bruce rival the deeds of the mythical heroes of chivalry, and indeedat one time Wallace was ranked with these legendary personages. Theresearches of modern historians have shown, however, that he was aliving, breathing man--and a valiant champion. The hero of the talefought under both Wallace and Bruce, and while the strictest historicalaccuracy has been maintained with respect to public events, the work isfull of "hairbreadth 'scapes" and wild adventure.
"It is written in the author's best style. Full of the wildest and most remarkable achievements, it is a tale of great interest, which a boy, once he has begun it, will not willingly put on one side."--_The Schoolmaster._
With Lee in Virginia: A Story of the American Civil War. By G. A. HENTY. With full-page Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
The story of a young Virginian planter, who, after bravely proving hissympathy with the slaves of brutal masters, serves with no less courageand enthusiasm under Lee and
Jackson through the most exciting events ofthe struggle. He has many hairbreadth escapes, is several times woundedand twice taken prisoner; but his courage and readiness and, in twocases, the devotion of a black servant and of a runaway slave whom hehad assisted, bring him safely through all difficulties.
"One of the best stories for lads which Mr. Henty has yet written. The picture is full of life and color, and the stirring and romantic incidents are skillfully blended with the personal interest and charm of the story."--_Standard._
By England's Aid; or, The Freeing of the Netherlands (1585-1604). By G. A. HENTY. With full-page Illustrations by ALFRED PEARSE, and Maps. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
The story of two English lads who go to Holland as pages in the serviceof one of "the fighting Veres." After many adventures by sea and land,one of the lads finds himself on board a Spanish ship at, the time ofthe defeat of the Armada, and escapes only to fall into the hands of theCorsairs. He is successful in getting back to Spain under the protectionof a wealthy merchant, and regains his native country after the captureof Cadiz.
"It is an admirable book for youngsters. It overflows with stirring incident and exciting adventure, and the color of the era and of the scene are finely reproduced. The illustrations add to its attractiveness."--_Boston Gazette._
By Right of Conquest; or, With Cortez in Mexico. By G. A. HENTY. With full-page Illustrations by W. S. STACEY, and Two Maps. 12mo, cloth, price $1.50.
The conquest of Mexico by a small band of resolute men under themagnificent leadership of Cortez is always rightly ranked among the mostromantic and daring exploits in history. With this as the groundwork ofhis story Mr. Henty has interwoven the adventures of an English youth,Roger Hawkshaw, the sole survivor of the good ship Swan, which hadsailed from a Devon port to challenge the mercantile supremacy of theSpaniards in the New World. He is beset by many perils among thenatives, but is saved by his own judgment and strength, and by thedevotion of an Aztec princess. At last by a ruse he obtains theprotection of the Spaniards, and after the fall of Mexico he succeeds inregaining his native shore, with a fortune and a charming Aztec bride.
"'By Right of Conquest' is the nearest approach to a perfectly successful historical tale that Mr. Henty has yet published."--_Academy._
In the Reign of Terror: The Adventures of a Westminster Boy. By G. A. HENTY. With full-page Illustrations by J. SCHOENBERG. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
Harry Sandwith, a Westminster boy, becomes a resident at the chateau ofa French marquis, and after various adventures accompanies the family toParis at the crisis of the Revolution. Imprisonment and death reducetheir number, and the hero finds himself beset by perils with the threeyoung daughters of the house in his charge. After hairbreadth escapesthey reach Nantes. There the girls are condemned to death in thecoffin-ships, but are saved by the unfailing courage of their boyprotector.
"Harry Sandwith, the Westminster boy, may fairly be said to beat Mr. Henty's record. His adventures will delight boys by the audacity and peril they depict.... The story is one of Mr. Henty's best."--_Saturday Review._
With Wolfe in Canada; or, The Winning of a Continent. By G. A. HENTY. With full-page Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
In the present volume Mr. Henty gives an account of the struggle betweenBritain and France for supremacy in the North American continent. On theissue of this war depended not only the destinies of North America, butto a large extent those of the mother countries themselves. The fall ofQuebec decided that the Anglo-Saxon race should predominate in the NewWorld; that Britain, and not France, should take the lead among thenations of Europe; and that English and American commerce, the Englishlanguage, and English literature, should spread right round the globe.
"It is not only a lesson in history as instructively as it is graphically told, but also a deeply interesting and often thrilling tale of adventure and peril by flood and field."--_Illustrated London News._
True to the Old Flag: A Tale of the American War of Independence. By G. A. HENTY. With full-page Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
In this story the author has gone to the accounts of officers who tookpart in the conflict, and lads will find that in no war in whichAmerican and British soldiers have been engaged did they behave withgreater courage and good conduct. The historical portion of the bookbeing accompanied with numerous thrilling adventures with the redskinson the shores of Lake Huron, a story of exciting interest is interwovenwith the general narrative and carried through the book.
"Does justice to the pluck and determination of the British soldiers during the unfortunate struggle against American emancipation. The son of an American loyalist, who remains true to our flag, falls among the hostile redskins in that very Huron country which has been endeared to us by the exploits of Hawkeye and Chingachgook."--_The Times._
The Lion of St. Mark: A Tale of Venice in the Fourteenth Century. By G. A. HENTY. With full-page Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
A story of Venice at a period when her strength and splendor were put tothe severest tests. The hero displays a fine sense and manliness whichcarry him safely through an atmosphere of intrigue, crime, andbloodshed. He contributes largely to the victories of the Venetians atPorto d'Anzo and Chioggia, and finally wins the hand of the daughter ofone of the chief men of Venice.
"Every boy should read 'The Lion of St. Mark.' Mr. Henty has never produced a story more delightful, more wholesome, or more vivacious."--_Saturday Review._
A Final Reckoning: A Tale of Bush Life in Australia. By G. A. HENTY. With full-page Illustrations by W. B. WOLLEN, 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
The hero, a young English lad, after rather a stormy boyhood, emigratesto Australia, and gets employment as an officer in the mounted police. Afew years of active work on the frontier, where he has many a brush withboth natives and bushrangers, gain him promotion to a captaincy, and heeventually settles down to the peaceful life of a squatter.
"Mr. Henty has never published a more readable, a more carefully constructed, or a better written story than this."--_Spectator._
Under Drake's Flag: A Tale of the Spanish Main. By G. A. HENTY. With full-page Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
A story of the days when England and Spain struggled for the supremacyof the sea. The heroes sail as lads with Drake in the Pacificexpedition, and in his great voyage of circumnavigation. The historicalportion of the story is absolutely to be relied upon, but this willperhaps be less attractive than the great variety of exciting adventurethrough which the young heroes pass in the course of their voyages.
"A book of adventure, where the hero meets with experience enough, one would think, to turn his hair gray."--_Harper's Monthly Magazine._
By Sheer Pluck: A Tale of the Ashanti War. By G. A. HENTY. With full-page Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
The author has woven, in a tale of thrilling interest, all the detailsof the Ashanti campaign, of which he was himself a witness. His hero,after many exciting adventures in the interior, is detained a prisonerby the king just before the outbreak of the war, but escapes, andaccompanies the English expedition on their march to Coomassie.
"Mr. Henty keeps up his reputation as a writer of boys' stories. 'By Sheer Pluck' will be eagerly read."--_Athenaeum._
By Pike and Dyke: A Tale of the Rise of the Dutch Republic. By G. A. HENTY. With full-page Illustrations by MAYNARD BROWN, and 4 Maps. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
In this story Mr. Henty traces the adventures and brave deeds of anEnglish boy in the household of the ablest man of his age--William theSilent. Edward Martin, the son of an English sea captain, enters theservice of the Prince as a volunteer, and is employed by him
in manydangerous and responsible missions, in the discharge of which he passesthrough the great sieges of the time. He ultimately settles down as SirEdward Martin.
"Boys with a turn for historical research will be enchanted with the book, while the rest who only care for adventure will be students in spite of themselves."--_St. James' Gazette._
St. George for England: A Tale of Cressy and Poitiers. By G. A. HENTY. With full-page Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
No portion of English history is more crowded with great events thanthat of the reign of Edward III. Cressy and Poitiers; the destruction ofthe Spanish fleet; the plague of the Black Death; the Jacquerie rising;these are treated by the author in "St. George for England." The hero ofthe story, although of good family, begins life as a London apprentice,but after countless adventures and perils becomes by valor and goodconduct the squire, and at last the trusted friend of the Black Prince.
"Mr. Henty has developed for himself a type of historical novel for boys which bids fair to supplement, on their behalf, the historical labors of Sir Walter Scott in the land of fiction."--_The Standard._
Captain's Kidd's Gold: The True Story of an Adventurous Sailor Boy. By JAMES FRANKLIN FITTS. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
There is something fascinating to the average youth in the veryidea of buried treasure. A vision arises before his eyes of swarthyPortuguese and Spanish rascals, with black beards and gleamingeyes--sinister-looking fellows who once on a time haunted the SpanishMain, sneaking out from some hidden creek in their long, low schooner,of picaroonish rake and sheer, to attack an unsuspecting trading craft.There were many famous sea rovers in their day, but none more celebratedthan Capt. Kidd. Perhaps the most fascinating tale of all is Mr. Fitts'true story of an adventurous American boy, who receives from his dyingfather an ancient bit of vellum, which the latter obtained in a curiousway. The document bears obscure directions purporting to locate acertain island in the Bahama group, and a considerable treasure buriedthere by two of Kidd's crew. The hero of this book, Paul Jones Garry, isan ambitious, persevering lad, of salt-water New England ancestry, andhis efforts to reach the island and secure the money form one of themost absorbing tales for our youth that has come from the press.
Captain Bayley's Heir: A Tale of the Gold Fields of California. By G. A. HENTY. With full-page Illustrations by H. M. PAGET. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
A frank, manly lad and his cousin are rivals in the heirship of aconsiderable property. The former falls into a trap laid by the latter,and while under a false accusation of theft foolishly leaves England forAmerica. He works his passage before the mast, joins a small band ofhunters, crosses a tract of country infested with Indians to theCalifornian gold diggings, and is successful both as digger and trader.
"Mr. Henty is careful to mingle instruction with entertainment; and the humorous touches, especially in the sketch of John Holl, the Westminster dustman, Dickens himself could hardly have excelled."--_Christian Leader._
For Name and Fame; or, Through Afghan Passes. By G. A. HENTY. With full-page Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
An interesting story of the last war in Afghanistan. The hero, afterbeing wrecked and going through many stirring adventures among theMalays, finds his way to Calcutta and enlists in a regiment proceedingto join the army at the Afghan passes. He accompanies the force underGeneral Roberts to the Peiwar Kotal, is wounded, taken prisoner, carriedto Cabul, whence he is transferred to Candahar, and takes part in thefinal defeat of the army of Ayoub Khan.
"The best feature of the book--apart from the interest of its scenes of adventure--is its honest effort to do justice to the patriotism of the Afghan people."--_Daily News._
Captured by Apes: The Wonderful Adventures of a Young Animal Trainer. By HARRY PRENTICE. 12mo, cloth, $1.00.
The scene of this tale is laid on an island in the Malay Archipelago.Philip Garland, a young animal collector and trainer, of New York, setssail for Eastern seas in quest of a new stock of living curiosities. Thevessel is wrecked off the coast of Borneo and young Garland, the solesurvivor of the disaster, is cast ashore on a small island, and capturedby the apes that overrun the place. The lad discovers that the rulingspirit of the monkey tribe is a gigantic and vicious baboon, whom heidentifies as Goliah, an animal at one time in his possession and withwhose instruction he had been especially diligent. The brute recognizeshim, and with a kind of malignant satisfaction puts his former masterthrough the same course of training he had himself experienced with afaithfulness of detail which shows how astonishing is monkeyrecollection. Very novel indeed is the way by which the young manescapes death. Mr. Prentice has certainly worked a new vein on juvenilefiction, and the ability with which he handles a difficult subjectstamps him as a writer of undoubted skill.
The Bravest of the Brave; or, With Peterborough in Spain. By G. A. HENTY. With full-page Illustrations by H. M. PAGET. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
There are few great leaders whose lives and actions have so completelyfallen into oblivion as those of the Earl of Peterborough. This islargely due to the fact that they were overshadowed by the glory andsuccesses of Marlborough. His career as general extended over littlemore than a year, and yet, in that time, he showed a genius for warfarewhich has never been surpassed.
"Mr. Henty never loses sight of the moral purpose of his work--to enforce the doctrine of courage and truth. Lads will read 'The Bravest of the Brave' with pleasure and profit; of that we are quite sure."--_Daily Telegraph._
The Cat of Bubastes: A Story of Ancient Egypt. By G. A. HENTY. With full-page Illustrations. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
A story which will give young readers an unsurpassed insight into thecustoms of the Egyptian people. Amuba, a prince of the Rebu nation, iscarried with his charioteer Jethro into slavery. They become inmates ofthe house of Ameres, the Egyptian high-priest, and are happy in hisservice until the priest's son accidentally kills the sacred cat ofBubastes. In an outburst of popular fury Ameres is killed, and it restswith Jethro and Amuba to secure the escape of the high-priest's son anddaughter.
"The story, from the critical moment of the killing of the sacred cat to the perilous exodus into Asia with which it closes, is very skillfully constructed and full of exciting adventures. It is admirably illustrated."--_Saturday Review._
With Washington at Monmouth: A Story of Three Philadelphia Boys. By JAMES OTIS. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
Three Philadelphia boys, Seth Graydon "whose mother conducted aboarding-house which was patronized by the British officers;" EnochBall, "son of that Mrs. Ball whose dancing school was situated onLetitia Street," and little Jacob, son of "Chris, the Baker," serve asthe principal characters. The story is laid during the winter when LordHowe held possession of the city, and the lads aid the cause byassisting the American spies who make regular and frequent visits fromValley Forge. One reads here of home-life in the captive city when breadwas scarce among the people of the lower classes, and a recklessprodigality shown by the British officers, who passed the winter infeasting and merry-making while the members of the patriot army but afew miles away were suffering from both cold and hunger. The storyabounds with pictures of Colonial life skillfully drawn, and theglimpses of Washington's soldiers which are given show that the work hasnot been hastily done, or without considerable study.
For the Temple: A Tale of the Fall of Jerusalem. By G. A. HENTY. With full-page Illustrations by S. J. SOLOMON. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
Mr. Henty here weaves into the record of Josephus an admirable andattractive story. The troubles in the district of Tiberias, the march ofthe legions, the sieges of Jotapata, of Gamala, and of Jerusalem, formthe impressive and carefully studied historic setting to the figure ofthe lad who passes from the vineyard to the service of Josephus, becomesthe leader of a guerrilla
band of patriots, fights bravely for theTemple, and after a brief term of slavery at Alexandria, returns to hisGalilean home with the favor of Titus.
"Mr. Henty's graphic prose pictures of the hopeless Jewish resistance to Roman sway add another leaf to his record of the famous wars of the world."--_Graphic._
Facing Death; or, The Hero of the Vaughan Pit. A Tale of the Coal Mines. By G. A. HENTY. With full-page Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
"Facing Death" is a story with a purpose. It is intended to show that alad who makes up his mind firmly and resolutely that he will rise inlife, and who is prepared to face toil and ridicule and hardship tocarry out his determination, is sure to succeed. The hero of the storyis a typical British boy, dogged, earnest, generous, and though"shamefaced" to a degree, is ready to face death in the discharge ofduty.
"The tale is well written and well illustrated, and there is much reality in the characters. If any father, clergyman, or schoolmaster is on the lookout for a good book to give as a present to a boy who is worth his salt, this is the book we would recommend."--_Standard._
Tom Temple's Career. By HORATIO ALGER. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
Tom Temple, a bright, self-reliant lad, by the death of his fatherbecomes a boarder at the home of Nathan Middleton, a penurious insuranceagent. Though well paid for keeping the boy, Nathan and his wifeendeavor to bring Master Tom in line with their parsimonious habits. Thelad ingeniously evades their efforts and revolutionizes the household.As Tom is heir to $40,000, he is regarded as a person of some importanceuntil by an unfortunate combination of circumstances his fortune shrinksto a few hundreds. He leaves Plympton village to seek work in New York,whence he undertakes an important mission to California, around whichcenter the most exciting incidents of his young career. Some of hisadventures in the far west are so startling that the reader willscarcely close the book until the last page shall have been reached. Thetale is written in Mr. Alger's most fascinating style, and is bound toplease the very large class of boys who regard this popular author as aprime favorite.
Maori and Settler: A Story of the New Zealand War. By G. A. HENTY. With full-page Illustrations by ALFRED PEARSE. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
The Renshaws emigrate to New Zealand during the period of the war withthe natives. Wilfrid, a strong, self-reliant, courageous lad, is themainstay of the household. He has for his friend Mr. Atherton, abotanist and naturalist of herculean strength and unfailing nerve andhumor. In the adventures among the Maoris, there are many breathlessmoments in which the odds seem hopelessly against the party, but theysucceed in establishing themselves happily in one of the pleasant NewZealand valleys.
"Brimful of adventure, of humorous and interesting conversation, and vivid pictures of colonial life."--_Schoolmaster._
Julian Mortimer: A Brave Boy's Struggle for Home and Fortune. By HARRY CASTLEMON. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
Here is a story that will warm every boy's heart. There is mysteryenough to keep any lad's imagination wound up to the highest pitch. Thescene of the story lies west of the Mississippi River, in the days whenemigrants made their perilous way across the great plains to the land ofgold. One of the startling features of the book is the attack upon thewagon train by a large party of Indians. Our hero is a lad of uncommonnerve and pluck, a brave young American in every sense of the word. Heenlists and holds the reader's sympathy from the outset. Surrounded byan unknown and constant peril, and assisted by the unswerving fidelityof a stalwart trapper, a real rough diamond, our hero achieves the mosthappy results. Harry Castlemon has written many entertaining stories forboys, and it would seem almost superfluous to say anything in hispraise, for the youth of America regard him as a favorite author.
"Carrots:" Just a Little Boy. By MRS. MOLESWORTH. With Illustrations by WALTER CRANE. 12mo, cloth, price 75 cents.
"One of the cleverest and most pleasing stories it has been our good fortune to meet with for some time. Carrots and his sister are delightful little beings, whom to read about is at once to become very fond of."--_Examiner._
"A genuine children's book; we've seen 'em seize it, and read it greedily. Children are first-rate critics, and thoroughly appreciate Walter Crane's illustrations."--_Punch._
Mopsa the Fairy. By JEAN INGELOW. With Eight page Illustrations. 12mo, cloth, price 75 cents.
"Mrs. Ingelow is, to our mind, the most charming of all living writers for children, and 'Mopsa' alone ought to give her a kind of pre-emptive right to the love and gratitude of our young folks. It requires genius to conceive a purely imaginary work which must of necessity deal with the supernatural, without running into a mere riot of fantastic absurdity; but genius Miss Ingelow has and the story of 'Jack' is as careless and joyous, but as delicate, as a picture of childhood."--_Eclectic._
A Jaunt Through Java: The Story of a Journey to the Sacred Mountain. By EDWARD S. ELLIS. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
The central interest of this story is found in the thrilling adventuresof two cousins, Hermon and Eustace Hadley, on their trip across theisland of Java, from Samarang to the Sacred Mountain. In a land wherethe Royal Bengal tiger runs at large; where the rhinoceros and otherfierce beasts are to be met with at unexpected moments; it is butnatural that the heroes of this book should have a lively experience.Hermon not only distinguishes himself by killing a full-grown tiger atshort range, but meets with the most startling adventure of the journey.There is much in this narrative to instruct as well as entertain thereader, and so deftly has Mr. Ellis used his material that there is nota dull page in the book. The two heroes are brave, manly young fellows,bubbling over with boyish independence. They cope with the manydifficulties that arise during the trip in a fearless way that is boundto win the admiration of every lad who is so fortunate as to read theiradventures.
Wrecked on Spider Island; or, How Ned Rogers Found the Treasure. By JAMES OTIS. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
A "down-east" plucky lad who ships as cabin boy, not from love ofadventure, but because it is the only course remaining by which he cangain a livelihood. While in his bunk, seasick, Ned Rogers hears thecaptain and mate discussing their plans for the willful wreck of thebrig in order to gain the insurance. Once it is known he is inpossession of the secret the captain maroons him on Spider Island,explaining to the crew that the boy is afflicted with leprosy. Whilethus involuntarily playing the part of a Crusoe, Ned discovers a wrecksubmerged in the sand, and overhauling the timbers for the purpose ofgathering material with which to build a hut finds a considerable amountof treasure. Raising the wreck; a voyage to Havana under sail; shippingthere a crew and running for Savannah; the attempt of the crew to seizethe little craft after learning of the treasure on board, and, as amatter of course, the successful ending of the journey, all serve tomake as entertaining a story of sea-life as the most captious boy coulddesire.
Geoff and Jim: A Story of School Life. By ISMAY THORN. Illustrated by A. G. WALKER. 12mo, cloth, price 75 cents.
"This is a prettily told story of the life spent by two motherless bairns at a small preparatory school. Both Geoff and Jim are very lovable characters, only Jim is the more so; and the scrapes he gets into and the trials he endures will, no doubt, interest a large circle of young readers."--_Church Times._
"This is a capital children's story, the characters well portrayed, and the book tastefully bound and well illustrated."--_Schoolmaster._
"The story can be heartily recommended as a present for boys."--_Standard._
The Castaways; or, On the Florida Reefs. By JAMES OTIS. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
This tale smacks of the salt sea. It is just the kind of story that themajority of boys yearn for. From the moment that the Sea Queen dispenseswith the services of the tug in lower New York bay till the breezeleaves her becalmed
off the coast of Florida, one can almost hear thewhistle of the wind through her rigging, the creak of her strainingcordage as she heels to the leeward, and feel her rise to thesnow-capped waves which her sharp bow cuts into twin streaks of foam.Off Marquesas Keys she floats in a dead calm. Ben Clark, the hero of thestory, and Jake, the cook, spy a turtle asleep upon the glassy surfaceof the water. They determine to capture him, and take a boat for thatpurpose, and just as they succeed in catching him a thick fog cuts themoff from the vessel, and then their troubles begin. They take refuge onboard a drifting hulk, a storm arises and they are cast ashore upon alow sandy key. Their adventures from this point cannot fail to charm thereader. As a writer for young people Mr. Otis is a prime favorite. Hisstyle is captivating, and never for a moment does he allow the interestto flag. In "The Castaways" he is at his best.
Tom Thatcher's Fortune. By HORATIO ALGER, JR. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
Like all of Mr. Alger's heroes, Tom Thatcher is a brave, ambitious,unselfish boy. He supports his mother and sister on meager wages earnedas a shoe-pegger in John Simpson's factory. The story begins with Tom'sdischarge from the factory, because Mr. Simpson felt annoyed with thelad for interrogating him too closely about his missing father. A fewdays afterward Tom learns that which induces him to start overland forCalifornia with the view of probing the family mystery. He meets withmany adventures. Ultimately he returns to his native village, bringingconsternation to the soul of John Simpson, who only escapes theconsequences of his villainy by making full restitution to the man whosefriendship he had betrayed. The story is told in that entertaining waywhich has made Mr. Alger's name a household word in so many homes.
Birdie: A Tale of Child Life. By H. L. CHILDE-PEMBERTON. Illustrated by H. W. RAINEY. 12mo, cloth, price 75 cents.
"The story is quaint and simple, but there is a freshness about it that makes one hear again the ringing laugh and the cheery shout of children at play which charmed his earlier years."--_New York Express._
Popular Fairy Tales. By the BROTHERS GRIMM. Profusely Illustrated, 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
"From first to last, almost without exception, these stories are delightful."--_Athenaeum._
* * * * * *
Transcribers note:
These variations that were present in the original text have beenretained:
"Who Gave That Kiss?" and "Who Gave That Kiss." Italicized and non-italicized "Greywolds Mercury" fashionplate and fashion-plate finger-tips and fingertips weather-beaten and weatherbeaten
Meg's Friend: A Story for Girls Page 27
