CONTENTS
| CHAPTER | PAGE | |
| I. | Frank at Home | [1] |
| II. | Down at the Wreck | [9] |
| III. | Disagreeable News | [17] |
| IV. | The Hunt for a Missing Man | [25] |
| V. | Frank at the Store | [34] |
| VI. | The Rival Merchants | [42] |
| VII. | A Fourth of July Celebration | [50] |
| VIII. | Frank Looks for Work | [58] |
| IX. | Frank Meets a Book Agent | [67] |
| X. | Frank Goes to New York | [76] |
| XI. | Frank as an Agent | [86] |
| XII. | A Bright Beginning | [96] |
| XIII. | Frank on the Road | [108] |
| XIV. | A Boy Runaway | [118] |
| XV. | Caught in a Storm | [127] |
| XVI. | An Important Sale | [136] |
| XVII. | A Curious Happening | [145] |
| XVIII. | The Would-be Actor | [153] |
| XIX. | Giving an Autograph | [162] |
| XX. | Frank’s Remarkable Find | [171] |
| XXI. | Gabe Flecker Shows His Hand | [180] |
| XXII. | The Rival Book Agent | [189] |
| XXIII. | News from Home | [197] |
| XXIV. | Lost in a Coal Mine | [205] |
| XXV. | Frank Meets Flecker Again | [214] |
| XXVI. | An Escape | [224] |
| XXVII. | At Home Once More | [232] |
| XXVIII. | Frank Starts for the South | [242] |
| XXIX. | A Scene on the Train | [249] |
| XXX. | Frank Meets His Brother Mark | [257] |
| XXXI. | A Clever Capture—Conclusion | [264] |
THE YOUNG BOOK AGENT
CHAPTER I
FRANK AT HOME
Frank Hardy came up the short garden path whistling merrily to himself. He was a tall, good-natured looking boy of sixteen, with dark eyes and dark, curly hair.
“One more week of school and then hurrah for a long vacation in the country!” he murmured to himself as he mounted the piazza steps. “Oh, but won’t we have a dandy time swimming and fishing when we get to Cloverdale!”
His little dog Frisky was at the door to greet him with short, sharp barks of pleasure. Frank caught the animal up and began to coddle him.
“Glad to see me, eh?” he cried. “Frisky, won’t you be glad when we get to the country and you can roam all over the fields?”
For answer the dog barked again and wagged his tail vigorously. Still holding the animal, Frank entered the dining room and passed into the kitchen, where his mother was assisting the servant in the preparation of the evening meal.