Short excerpt: It seems Margaret left a child-a boy of fourteen; and as she left no property the doctor suggests that I should send for the boy and assume the care of him.
Horatio Alger Jr. ; January 13, 1832 – July 18, 1899) was a prolific 19th-century American writer, best known for his many young adult novels about impoverished boys and their rise from humble backgrounds to lives of middle-class security and comfort through hard work, determination, courage, and honesty. (Excerpt from Wikipedia)