Public-domain ebook
A Cousin's Conspiracy; Or, A Boy's Struggle for an Inheritance
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Subjects
In: Adventure·Novels·American Literature
Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #26630.
About this book
A Cousin's Conspiracy; Or, A Boy's Struggle for an Inheritance is a juvenile adventure that opens in a rural store where a young boy named Ernest purchases whisky under the pretense of medicine. The dialogue with a tramp and the shopkeeper hints at a hidden fortune, while the second chapter moves the action to Ernest’s modest home, where his aging caretaker, Uncle Peter, reveals a secret cache of gold buried beneath an oak tree and a tangled family history that has deprived Ernest of his rightful inheritance. The narrative quickly establishes a tension between the boy’s loyalty to his guardian and the looming threat of greedy relatives, setting the stage for a quest that blends domestic drama with the promise of a hidden treasure.
Written in the straightforward, dialogue‑heavy prose of late‑19th‑century American juvenile fiction, the story carries the cadence of a moral tale without sacrificing the immediacy of its characters’ voices. Readers who enjoy period pieces that combine family intrigue, modest frontier settings, and a young protagonist confronting adult deceit will find this work engaging, especially those who appreciate a plot that unfolds through conversation and careful revelation rather than rapid action.
Characters in A Cousin's Conspiracy
- ErnestTeenage boy, brown hair, simple shirt and suspenders, earnest expression, 19th‑century rural attire
- Uncle PeterElderly caretaker, white beard, weathered face, worn coat, straw hat, gentle eyes
- JoeMiddle‑aged shopkeeper, stout build, apron over shirt, graying hair, pragmatic demeanor
The opening · free to read
"I don't drink myself!" said Ernest, replying to the last part of Joe's remark.
"There's nothing like whisky," remarked the tramp in a hoarse voice.
"You've drunk your share, I'm thinking," said Luke Robbins, the tall hunter.
"Not yet," returned the tramp. "I haven't had my share yet. There's lots of people that has drunk more'n me."
"Why haven't you drunk your share? You hadn't no objections, I reckon?"
"I hadn't the money," said the tramp sadly. "I've never had much money. I ain't lucky."
"If you had more money, you might not be living now. You'd have drunk yourself to death."
"If I ever do commit suicide, that's the way I'd like to die," said the tramp.
Joe filled the bottle from a keg behind the counter and handed it to Ernest. The aroma of the whisky was diffused about the store, and the tramp sniffed it eagerly. It stimulated his desire to indulge his craving for drink. As Ernest, with the bottle in his hand, prepared to leave, the tramp addressed him.
"Say, young feller, ain't you goin' to shout?"
"What do you mean?"
"Ain't you goin' to treat me and this gentleman?" indicating Luke Robbins.
"No," answered Ernest shortly. "I don't buy it as drink, but as medicine."
"I need medicine," urged the tramp, with a smile.
"I don't," said the hunter. "Don't you bother about us, my boy. If we want whisky we can buy it ourselves."
"I can't," whined the tramp. "If I had as much money as you"--for he had noticed that Ernest had changed a gold piece--"I'd be happy, but I'm out of luck."
Ernest paid no attention to his words, but left the store and struck the path homeward.
"What's that boy?" asked the tramp.
"It's Ernest Ray."
"Where'd he get that gold?"
"He lives with his uncle, a mile from the village."
"Is his uncle rich?"
"Folks think so. They call him a miser."
"Is he goin' to die?"
"That's what the boy says."
"And the boy'll get all his money?"
"It's likely."
"I'd like to be his guardian."
Joe and Luke Robbins laughed.
"You'd make a pretty guardian," said Luke.
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