From Farm to Fortune; or, Nat Nason's Strange Experience Read online

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  FROM FARM TO FORTUNE

  _Or, Nat Nason's Strange Experience_

  BY HORATIO ALGER, JR.

  AUTHOR OF "LOST AT SEA," "NELSON THE NEWSBOY," "OUT FOR BUSINESS," "THEYOUNG BOOK AGENT," "RAGGED DICK SERIES," ETC.

  GROSSET & DUNLAPPUBLISHERS : NEW YORKCopyright, 1905

  BY STITT PUBLISHING COMPANY

  HE FELT SOMEBODY CATCH HIM BY THE ARM, AND TURNING HEBEHELD NAT.]

  CONTENTS

  PREFACE

  I. NAT ON THE FARM

  II. A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD

  III. NAT LEAVES THE FARM

  IV. ABNER BALBERRY'S DISCOVERY

  V. THE SALE OF A COW

  VI. NAT ON LAKE ERIE

  VII. AN ADVENTURE AT NIAGARA FALLS

  VIII. A FRESH START IN LIFE

  IX. FIRST DAYS IN NEW YORK

  X. OUT OF WORK ONCE MORE

  XI. WHAT A HUNDRED DOLLARS DID

  XII. ON THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE

  XIII. A SWINDLE EXPOSED

  XIV. NAT OBTAINS ANOTHER SITUATION

  XV. ABNER AND THE WIDOW GUFF

  XVI. ABNER VISITS NEW YORK

  XVII. A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY

  XVIII. NAT MEETS HIS UNCLE

  XIX. NAT BECOMES A PRIVATE CLERK

  XX. RUFUS CAMERON'S BOLD MOVE

  XXI. A MISSING DOCUMENT OF VALUE

  XXII. AT THE ELEVATED STATION

  XXIII. TOM NOLAN'S CONFESSION

  XXIV. THE PAPERS IN THE TRUNK

  XXV. BACK TO THE CITY

  XXVI. FRED GIVES UP CITY LIFE

  XXVII. A SCENE AT THE HOTEL

  XXVIII. A SUDDEN PROPOSAL

  XXIX. THE CAPTURE OF NICK SMITHERS

  XXX. NAT COMES INTO HIS OWN

  PREFACE

  Nat Nason was a poor country boy with a strong desire to better hiscondition. Life on the farm was unusually hard for him, and after aquarrel with his miserly uncle, with whom he resided, he resolved tostrike out for himself.

  Nat was poor and it was a struggle to reach the great city, where theyouth trusted that fame and fortune awaited him.

  The boy obtained, by accident, a fair sum of money and with this heresolved to go into a business of some kind. But a sharper quicklyrelieved him of his wealth, and opened Nat's eyes to the fact that hewas not as shrewd as he had thought himself to be.

  The lesson proved a valuable one, and from that moment the country boydid his best to not alone win success but to deserve it. He worked hard,often in the midst of great difficulties, and what the outcome of hisstruggle was, will be found in the pages which follow.

  In penning this tale the author has endeavored to show the differencebetween life in a quiet country place and in a great bustling city, andespecially as that difference shows itself to the eyes of a country boy.Many country lads imagine that to go to the city and win success thereis easy; perhaps they will not think it so easy after they have read ofwhat happened to Nat Nason. More than once, in spite of his grit andcourage, Nat came close to making a complete failure of what he hadstarted out to do, and his success in the end was perhaps after all notas great as he had anticipated when first striking out.

  FROM FARM TO FORTUNE