Chester Rand

Chester Rand, by Horatio Alger, Jr

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Chester Rand, by Horatio Alger, Jr This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: Chester Rand or The New Path to Fortune
Author: Horatio Alger, Jr
Release Date: October 20, 2007 [EBook #23108]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHESTER RAND ***

Produced by David Edwards and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from scans of public domain material produced by Microsoft for their Live Search Books site.)

[Illustration: CHESTER RAND
HORATIO ALGER Jr.]

CHESTER RAND
OR
THE NEW PATH TO FORTUNE

BY
HORATIO ALGER, Jr.
AUTHOR OF "ANDY GRANT'S PLUCK," "SINK OR SWIM," "ADRIFT IN NEW YORK."

NEW YORK HURST & COMPANY PUBLISHERS

Transcriber's Note: Minor typographical errors have been corrected without note. Dialect spellings, contractions and discrepancies have been retained. The Table of Contents was not contained in the book and has been created for the convenience of the reader.

CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I.
SILAS TRIPP II. OUT OF WORK III. A NOTEWORTHY EVENING IV. A DYING GIFT V. CHESTER'S FIRST SUCCESS VI. ROBERT RAMSAY VII. SILAS TRIPP MAKES A DISCOVERY VIII. A SCENE IN THE GROCERY STORE IX. NEW PLANS FOR CHESTER X. A RAILROAD ACQUAINTANCE XI. CHESTER'S FIRST EXPERIENCES IN NEW YORK XII. A REAL ESTATE OFFICE XIII. MR. MULLINS, THE BOOKKEEPER XIV. THE TABLES TURNED XV. A PLOT AGAINST CHESTER XVI. PROF. HAZLITT AT HOME XVII. CHESTER TAKES A LESSON IN BOXING XVIII. DICK RALSTON XIX. MR. FAIRCHILD LEAVES THE CITY XX. PAUL PERKINS, OF MINNEAPOLIS XXI. MR. PERKINS MAKES AN ACQUAINTANCE XXII. DICK RALSTON'S FATHER XXIII. CHESTER IS DISCHARGED XXIV. INTRODUCES MR. SHARPLEIGH, THE DETECTIVE XXV. CHESTER MEETS ANOTHER ARTIST XXVI. A STRANGER IN NEW YORK XXVII. MR. TRIPP IS DISAPPOINTED XXVIII. PROF. NUGENT XXIX. MR. FAIRCHILD'S TELEGRAM XXX. THE ATTEMPTED ROBBERY XXXI. A DAY OF SURPRISES XXXII. EDWARD GRANGER XXXIII. A FRIEND FROM OREGON XXXIV. AFTER A YEAR XXXV. PREPARING FOR THE JOURNEY XXXVI. A GREAT SURPRISE XXXVII. DAVID MULLINS AGAIN XXXVIII. ABNER TRIMBLE'S PLOT XXXIX. MAKING A WILL XL. AN UNEXPECTED SURPRISE XLI. CONCLUSION

CHESTER RAND.
CHAPTER I.
SILAS TRIPP.
Probably the best known citizen of Wyncombe, a small town nestling among the Pennsylvania mountains, was Silas Tripp. He kept the village store, occasionally entertained travelers, having three spare rooms, was town treasurer, and conspicuous in other local offices.
The store was in the center of the village, nearly opposite the principal church--there were two--and here it was that the townspeople gathered to hear and discuss the news.
Silas Tripp had one assistant, a stout, pleasant-looking boy of fifteen, who looked attractive, despite his well-worn suit. Chester Rand was the son of a widow, who lived in a tiny cottage about fifty rods west of the Presbyterian church, of which, by the way, Silas Tripp was senior deacon, for he was a leader in religious as well as secular affairs.
Chester's father had died of pneumonia about four years before the story commences, leaving his widow the cottage and about two hundred and fifty dollars. This sum little by little had melted, and a month previous the last dollar had been spent for the winter's supply of coal.
Mrs. Rand had earned a small income by plain sewing and binding shoes for a shoe shop in the village, but to her dismay the announcement had just been made that the shop would close through the winter on account of the increased price of leather and overproduction during the year.
"What shall we do, Chester?" she asked, in alarm, when the news came. "We can't live on your salary, and I get very little sewing to do."
"No, mother," said Chester, his own face reflecting her anxiety; "we can't live on three dollars a week."
"I have been earning two dollars by binding shoes," said Mrs. Rand. "It has been hard enough to live on five dollars a week, but I don't know how we can manage on three."
"I'll tell you what I'll do, mother. I'll ask Mr. Tripp to raise my pay to four dollars a week."
"But will he do it? He is a very close man, and always pleading poverty."
"But I happen to know that he has ten thousand dollars invested in Pennsylvania Railroad stock. I overheard him saying so to Mr. Gardner."
"Ten thousand dollars! It seems a fortune!" sighed Mrs. Rand. "Why do some people have so much and others so little?"
"It beats me, mother. But I don't think either of us would exchange places with Silas Tripp with all his money. By the way, mother, Mr. Tripp is a widower. Why don't you set your cap for him?"
Mrs. Rand smiled, as her imagination conjured up the weazened and wrinkled face of the village