ROBERT OVERHEARS AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION.Frontispiece
OUT FOR BUSINESS
OR
ROBERT FROST'S STRANGE CAREER
BY
HORATIO ALGER, Jr.
AUTHOR OF "FALLING IN WITH FORTUNE," "LUCK OR PLUCK,"
"THE YOUNG BOATMAN," "ONLY AN IRISH BOY,"
"YOUNG MINER," ETC.
COMPLETED BY
ARTHUR M. WINFIELD
AUTHOR OF "THE ROVER BOYS AT SCHOOL," "THE ROVER BOYS
ON THE OCEAN," "THE ROVER BOYS IN THE JUNGLE,"
"THE ROVER BOYS OUT WEST," ETC.
GROSSET & DUNLAP
PUBLISHERS :: :: NEW YORK
BY THE SAME AUTHOR
THE YOUNG BOOK AGENT;
Or, Frank Hardy's Road to Success.
FROM FARM TO FORTUNE;
Or, Nat Nason's Strange Experience.
LOST AT SEA;
Or, Robert Roscoe's Strange Cruise.
JERRY, THE BACKWOODS BOY;
Or, The Parkhurst Treasure.
NELSON, THE NEWSBOY;
Or, Afloat in New York.
YOUNG CAPTAIN JACK;
Or, The Son of a Soldier.
OUT FOR BUSINESS;
Or, Robert Frost's Strange Career.
FALLING IN WITH FORTUNE;
Or, The Experiences of a Young Secretary.
12mo, finely illustrated and bound. Price per volume, 60 cents.
GROSSET & DUNLAP
PUBLISHERS NEW YORK
Copyright, 1900, by
THE MERSHON COMPANY
PREFACE.
"Out for Business" is a complete tale in itself, but forms thefirst of two companion stories, the second being entitled "Falling inwith Fortune."
In this tale are related the various haps and mishaps which befall asturdy country youth, of high moral aim, who, by the harsh actions ofhis step-father, is compelled to leave what had once been the best ofhomes, and go forth into the world to make his own way.
Robert Frost finds his path to fortune no easy one to tread. The thornsof adversity line the way, and there is many a pitfall to be avoided.But the lad is possessed of a good stock of hard, common sense, and inthe end we find him on the fair road to success—and a success richlydeserved.
The two stories, "Out for Business" and "Falling in with Fortune,"give to the reader the last tales begun by that prince of juvenilewriters, Mr. Horatio Alger, Jr., whose books have sold[Pg iv] to the extentof hundreds of thousands of copies, not only in America, but also inEngland and elsewhere. The gifted writer was stricken when on the pointof finishing the stories, and when he saw that he could not completethem himself, it was to the present writer that he turned, and anoutline for a conclusion was drawn up which met with his approval,—andit is this outline which has now been filled out in order to bring thetales to a finish, so that both stories might be as nearly as possiblewhat Mr. Alger intended they should be. It may be that the stories willnot be found as interesting as if Mr. Alger had written them entirely,nevertheless the present writer trusts that they will still hold thereader's