Horatio Alger

“ With so much money in his possession, Mark felt like a man with a handsome balance at his banker's, and with the usual elasticity of youth he did not look forward to the time when this supply would be exhausted.
"I won't go back to Mother Watson," he determined. "She's beaten me times enough. I'll take care of myself." ”

“ Mother Watson had no claim on him. Upon his mother's death she had assumed the charge of him, but, as it turned out, rather for her own advantage than his. She had taken all his earnings, and given him in return a share of her miserable apartment, a crust of bread or two, daily seasoned with occasional assaults with the leather strap. It had never occured to Mark before, but now for the first time it dawned upon him that he had the worst of the bargin. He could live more comfortable by retaining his earnings. and spending them upon himself. ”

“ There were keepers of street- stands, who liked to be ready for the first wave in the tide of daily travel that was to sweep without interruption through the city streets until late at night. So alto- gether, even at this early hour there was quite a number of pasengers. ”