Oscar; Or, The Boy Who Had His Own Way

by Walter Aimwell

ADVERTISEMENT.

"PRECEPTS MAY LEAD BUT EXAMPLES DRAW."

"THE AIMWELL STORIES" are designed to portray some of the leading phases of juvenile character, and to point out their tendencies to future good and evil. This they undertake to do by describing the quiet, natural scenes and incidents of everyday life, in city and country, at home and abroad, at school and upon the play-ground, rather than by resorting to romantic adventures and startling effects. While their main object is to persuade the young to lay well the foundations of their characters, to win them to the ways of virtue, and to incite them to good deeds and noble aims, the attempt is also made to mingle amusing, curious, and useful information with the moral lessons conveyed. It is hoped that the volumes will thus be made attractive and agreeable, as well as instructive, to the youthful reader.

Each volume of the "Aimwell Stories" will be complete and independent of itself, although a connecting thread will run through the whole series. The order of the volumes, so far as completed, is as follows:—

I. OSCAR; OR, THE BOY WHO HAD HIS OWN WAY.
II. CLINTON; OR, BOY-LIFE IN THE COUNTRY.
III. ELLA; OR, TURNING OVER A NEW LEAF.
IV. WHISTLER; OR, THE MANLY BOY.
V. MARCUS; OR, THE BOY-TAMER.
VI. JESSIE; OR, TRYING TO BE SOMEBODY.

CONTENTS.

[ CHAPTER I.
A KITCHEN SCENE. ]

Bridget and her little realm—A troop of rude intruders—An imperious demand—A flat refusal—Prying investigations—Biddy's displeasure aroused—Why Oscar could not find the pie—Another squabble, and its consequences—Studying under difficulties—Shooting peas—Ralph and George provoked—A piece of Bridget's mind—Mrs. Preston—George's complaint—Oscar rebuked—A tell-tale—Oscar's brothers and sisters—His father and mother.

[ CHAPTER II.
OSCAR IN SCHOOL. ]

Oscar's school—The divisions and classes—Lively and pleasant sights—Playing schoolmaster—Carrying the joke too far to be agreeable—Oscar's indolence in school—Gazing at the blackboard—A release from study, and an unexpected privilege—Whiling away an hour—Doing nothing harder work than studying—A half-learned lesson—A habit of Oscar's—A ridiculous blunder—Absurd mistakes of the British government about the great lakes—Oscar less pardonable than they—Another blunder—Difference between guessing and knowing—Oscar detained after school—His recitation—Good advice—Remembering the blackboard—Willie Davenport—A pounding promised.