Horatio Alger tells the story of young boy from New York, thrust into the heart of poverty, but who makes his way up in the world through a combination of pluck and luck. Mostly luck. Although Dan does a good job of acting a gentleman and not wasting the money he comes across, fortune is practically dumped on his luck by several overly generous strangers who seem to take a liking to him out of nowhere.
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)