Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 22 — page 1: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

BEADLE AND ADAMS, PUBLI ent; THE BOY ROBINSON CRUSOE. BY JUAN LEWIS, AUTHOR OF “TRUST HER NOT,” “THE SWAMP Fox,” “THE SORCERER'S VICTIM,” “‘ MY QUAINT FAMIL- IARS,"’ “THE SKELETON HAND,” “ LIFE AGAINST TIDE,"’ ETC., ETC. CHAPTER I. THE BOY HERO—HIS RESOLVE. Tue tide was rising on a sandy shore. A boy, of fifteen years of age or thereabouts, was walking slowly up and down along the margin, lost | in thought. | At every step the incoming tide obliterated his mo tg but he evidently gave no thought to wind | or tide. A heavy wave sent the spray a him, and recalled him to himself ‘*T will do it!” he declared with emphatic gesture; “y shall succeed. Something tells me so; 1 will begin at once the search for my uncle, the old sea-captain.” And with these words he walked briskly in the direction of a small cottage, the roof and chimney of which were visible among the trees a few hundred yards inland. A cottage formerly his moth- er’s—now his own, for she was buried yesterday. His name was Julian Adams, He was entirely alone in the world—alone with the single oan tion to which he had al- u That exception was his moth- er’s brother, an old sea-captain —James Kidd—of whom he had often heard in earlier years, who had gone to India and East, and was still sup- »osed to be living in or near Bombay. It had been one of Julian's boyish dreams to go out to his uncle, and in fact he had only been restrained therefrom by the urgent solicitations of his mother, whom he loved too well to leave in loneliness. As he now deliberated in ref- erence to his future course, this early dream came back to him with renewed force, and the result of his deliberations, as we have seen, was to lose no time in carrying this pur- 3¢ into execution, But there was one difficulty in the way, as it now occurred to him; he did not even know his uncle’s address. Beyond the bare fact that he was somewhere in India, where he was supposed to have set- tled, and that he had once been heard from at Somer he knew of him absolutely nothing, That he was a man of vast wealth Julian's mother had be- lieved, but that he had been incensed at her marriage she also believed, for he had never held communication with his sister after the first announce- ment of that event. But, trust- a H} 7; . alti © = h 2 | iD Copyrighted in 1877, by BEADLE AND ADAMS. No. 988 WILLIAM STREET, NEW YORK. ing to the softening influence of time, and to the rseverance that usually commands success, Julian determined at every hazard to find this uncle; to make known his kinship to this man of ominous name, but as Julian believed of 1 heart—in short, to begin at once the search for ytain Kidd. He reached the house and went in. Everything was as his mother had left it, for her iliness had been brief, and there had been no change. Her familiar easy-chair was in its accustomed lace, but alas! em vA the clock ticking away upon he mantle as it one many a year: the tea-kettle by the fireside—as in happier days; and as Julian looked around him and thought bow soon these old associates would be but a memory of the past, he dropped upon a lounge and burst into tears. For his was a tender heart. For some time he sat with his head upon his hands, but at length dried his tears, and rising walked the floor with all the latent energy of his nature coming to the surface. To enter upon the search which he proposed, he knew would require money. HH ; mii tity. 11) AT WIN bit (IN) | MK ‘ ij Hi iil j ; i mit) ; NM | yt -o- - — al THE SEA SERPENT ON THE WRECK. Ii) ii iii i = lat att a a tet a SHERS, “ee Vl) j 1) tT it "\Y - a ~ : ellen = a / b - _ — oe ' : ws - nam SEGUE, “ET, SSS SS : ' 7 : . ‘ 1% : \ ber te No. 22. 5 Cents. Besides the house and grounds, left him by bis deceased parents, the sum total of his own and his mother's savings amounted to two hundred dollars. To the boy this seemed a large amount, and he bcd it ready to his hand, saved up between the leaves of the old family Bible; which k his mother had al- ways taught him was a far safer place of dpposit than any other—for was it not a treasure in itself? He now proceeded to k up such things as he felt he would most need, placing his mother's Bible with its treasure in a breast-pocket, and filling his knapsack, locked all the doors and windows of the house, and coming out took one long silent glance at the premises thus left desolate and forsaken. He was in the act of turning away, when a gruff voice accosted him, and looking up he saw quire Lawson, a petty magistrate and neighbor who lived a mile off. He looked suspiciously at Julian's well-filled knap- sack, and at the closed house. “ Where are you ung Julian?” he demanded. Julian faltered. Of all the men in the world. he thought, this man was the least likely to take : ny interest in the course he }iu! marked out. He had often heard him ray, that there was no romance about Aim, and with a sharp- ness beyond his years, the boy already foresaw that his pro- jected search for his uncle might be considered by his elders as an enterprise bith romantic and foolish. He hesitated. The man saw his hesitation and looked at him more sus- piciously. “T asked you just now,” he said sternly, ‘*‘ where po were going: I repeat it, and demand o know.” “Demand, sir?’ said Julian, flushing with some resentment, in his tone. 7 demand,"’ responded uire Lawson. ‘I have been oy eg your guardian. See! here is my authority!’ displaying a folded paper as hespoke; “and Ihave come down to take possession of your mother’s property be- fore it is all wasted by neglect, or se egy nt ay by — Julian turned from hot to cold at these words, but his voice had a manly ring as he replied: “Sir, you have no right; I do not acknowledge you as my guardian; Iam old enough to choose for myself; I was fourteen last year. My mother has often told me that after that age any boy could choose his own guardian.” Squire Lawson looked angry and annoyed. “Do you undertake to tell me the law—me, a magistrate?’ “No, sir,’ replied the bo promptly, but firmly; “I teil you only the truth as it ap- lies to myself; that I am past ourteen, and that if Ihave a ruardian, as I suppose I may, will be one of my own choosing.” ‘*And do you then object to me?" “T have had no thought a- bout the matter, as yet, sir,’’ replied Julian, evasively, who had a strong reason for not incurring the ill-will of the squire. reason might be found in the consideration te felt for the bright eyes and ECORNICLOOOKS (G (E@)