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William Taylor Adams, American author, better known and loved byboys and girls through his pseudonym "Oliver Optic," was born July30, 1822, in the town of Medway, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, abouttwenty-five miles from Boston. For twenty years he was a teacher inthe Public Schools of Boston, where he came in close contact with boylife. These twenty years taught him how to reach the boy's heart andinterest as the popularity of his books attest.
His story writing began in 1850 when he was twenty-eight years oldand his first book was published in 1853. He also edited "The OliverOptic Magazine," "The Student and Schoolmate," "Our Little Ones."
Mr. Adams died at the age of seventy-five years, in Boston, March27, 1897.
He was a prolific writer and his stories are most attractive andunobjectionable. Most of his books were published in series. Probablythe most famous of these is "The Boat Club Series" which comprisesthe following titles:
"The Boat Club," "All Aboard," "Now or Never," "Try Again," "Poorand Proud," "Little by Little." All of these titles will be found inthis edition.
Other well-known series are his "Soldier Boy Series," "Sailor BoySeries," "Woodville Stories." The "Woodville Stories" will also befound in this edition.
"Stand by, Captain John!" shouted Lawry Wilford, a stout boy offourteen, as he stood at the helm of a sloop, which was going beforethe wind up Lake Champlain.
"What's the matter, Lawry?" demanded the captain.
"We're going to have a squall," continued the young pilot, as heglanced at the tall peaks of the Adirondacks.
There was a squall in those clouds, in the judgment of LawryWilford; but having duly notified the captain of the impending dangerto his craft, he did not assume any further responsibility in themanagement of the sloop. It was very quiet on the lake; the water wassmooth, and the tiny waves sparkled in the bright sunshine. There wasno roll of distant thunder to admonish the voyagers, and the youth atthe helm was so much accustomed to squalls and tempests, which are offrequent occurrence on the lake, that they had no terrors to him. Itwas dinner-time, and the young pilot, fearful that the unexpectedguest might reduce the rations to a low ebb for the second table, wasmore concerned about this matter than about the squall.
Captain John, as he was familiarly called on board theMissisque, which was the name of the sloop, was not a man tobe cheated out of any portion of his dinner by the approach of asquall; and though his jaws may have moved more rapidly after theannouncement of the young pilot, he did not neglect even the green-applepies, the first of the season, prepared with care and skill byMrs. Captain John, who resided on board, and did "doctor's" duty atthe galley. Captain John did not abate a single mouthful of the meal,though he knew how rapidly the mountain showers and squalls travelover the lake. The sloop did not usually make more than four or fivemiles an hour, being deeply laden with lumber, which was piled up sohigh on the deck that