A millionaire at sixteen : or, The cruise of the Guardian-Mother by Oliver Optic
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“A millionaire at sixteen : or, The cruise of the Guardian-Mother” by Oliver Optic is a juvenile adventure novel written in the late 19th century. It follows Louis Belgrave, a level‑headed sixteen-year-old who has unexpectedly become a millionaire, as he embarks on sea-going adventures shaped by duty to his mother, guidance from a prudent trustee, and the lure of world travel. Expect nautical action, moral tests, and a globe‑trotting premise centered on
yachting, with figures like the genial Uncle Moses, the seasoned Captain Ringgold, and a menacing former stepfather complicating the voyage. The opening of the story sets up Louis’s fortune, character, and intentions: after good‑natured sparring with his trustee about wealth and prudence, he plans to buy a modest schooner for quiet cruising with his mother. A suave stranger, “Mr. Frinks Fobbington,” offers a too‑good‑to‑be‑true yacht inspection at Southfield; Louis goes with his mother, Captain Ringgold, and his friend Felix. Once aboard, the schooner unexpectedly gets under way, and Louis discovers it is actually the Maud, commanded by his mother’s disreputable former husband, with “Fobbington” revealed as the mate. As a blow rises and the crew traps Ringgold and Felix below, Louis tends to his seasick mother, steels her resolve against the villain, then slips through a pantry passage, pries open the lower hatch, and frees his companions. The section closes with the group regrouping in the second cabin amid worsening weather, learning they are bound for England, and preparing to resist. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Optic, Oliver, 1822-1897 |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Shute, A. B. (Augustus Burnham), 1851-1906 |
| Title | A millionaire at sixteen : or, The cruise of the Guardian-Mother |
| Original Publication | Boston: Lee and Shepard, 1892, pubdate 1896. |
| Series Title | All-over-the-world library, first series |
| Credits | Aaron Adrignola, David E. Brown, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres |
| Subject | Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction |
| Subject | Adventure stories |
| Subject | Sailing -- Juvenile fiction |
| Subject | Voyages and travels -- Juvenile fiction |
| Subject | Shipwrecks -- Juvenile fiction |
| Subject | Youth -- Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction |
| Subject | Mothers and sons -- Juvenile fiction |
| Subject | Prisoners -- Juvenile fiction |
| Subject | Wealth -- Juvenile fiction |
| Subject | Steamboats -- Juvenile fiction |
| Subject | Stepfathers -- Juvenile fiction |
| Subject | Trusts and trustees -- Juvenile fiction |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 77036 |
| ISBN (HTML) | 979-8-238-77036-9 |
| Release Date | Oct 12, 2025 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 174 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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