I. A Candidate for the Poorhouse
The primary antagonist of the novel, “Squire” Benjamin Pope, is shown at home plotting against Philip Gray, a young man whose father is dying. Pope plans to place “the boy” in the almshouse to be raised at public expense. His tenderhearted wife Almira thinks it a cruel decision, but defers submissively to Squire Pope, who is described as a “selectman” or elected official who is part of the town government.
The Squire is described as a portly, pompous man who enjoys a reputation for more wisdom than he possesses, and who is treated with great respect at home but little respect elsewhere. He has a great opinion of his own dignity and importance but does not consider the dignity or importance of others. Philip Gray’s background is introduced. His father was previously a successful merchant, but ill health led him to retire early in the town of Norton. He leaves Philip, aged fifteen (although the youth describes himself as being sixteen years old later in the book) with very little in terms of material resources.
The narrative recounts a scene from a week before, when Mr. Gray speaks to his son from his deathbed. The boy declares himself willing and able to work to support himself. He has no reputable relatives and is unaware the Squire intends to place him in a poorhouse.
II. Philip at Home
After the funeral, Philip is comforted by his friend Frank Dunbar, whose father is a small farmer who barely makes a living. More detail is provided about Philip: he is popular, although a few snobs look down on him because of his father’s poverty, and he is a talented musician.
Philip, while going through his late father’s effects, notices a note of debt from a man named Thomas Graham and some mining shares that might be worthless. He keeps these and a violin which belongs to him, having been given to him by his father. But all his mementos, such as his father’s watch, are put up for auction to pay his debts.
III. Nick Holden’s Call
An eighteen-year-old boy who is both unintelligent and unattractive tries to force Philip to sell him the violin. Nick Holden’s father is on good terms with Squire Pope, and is aware of the plot to send Philip to the poor-house.
IV. The Auction
Nick Holden complains to Squire Pope about his failed attempt to buy the violin. Philip meanwhile arranges for his violin to be stored with his friend Frank. He attends the auction and becomes visibly emotional when his father’s watch is offered, yet the watch is bought by Frank’s father. Although enough money is raised from the auction to pay Philip’s father’s debts, Squire Pope tries to force Philip to bring his violin so that it too can be sold. Philip refuses.
V. An Alliance Against Philip
Squire Pope, in a snit, is fully aware that the auction had raised enough to cover the debts of Philip’s father, but insists that Philip’s violin be seized and sold off. He does this chiefly out of spite because he believes Philip’s defiance is not sufficiently respectful. Mr. Dunbar returns and offers Philip his father’s watch, which he bought for him at the auction. Philip accepts it, on condition that Mr. Dunbar keep it for him because Squire Pope appears to be out to take everything Philip owns. This is true, because Nick Holden is manipulating Squire Pope by telling lies about how Philip is continuing to defy him. Nick gets the Squire to agree to get the violin from Philip and to sell it to him for a pittance.
VI. “A Fuss About a Fiddle”
The Squire visits the Holden residence, with Nick, to try to get Philip’s violin away from him. Frank and Philip refuse. The Squire realizes the violin is worth far more than the price at which he agreed to sell it to Nick, and understands that the deal, if made public, would make him look very dishonest. So he reneges on his promise, displaying a lack of moral character. Mr. Dunbar comes into the room and sends the Squire away.
VII. Mr. Joe Tucker
The author introduces the manager of the town almshouse, Joe Tucker. He receives free rent, the right to cultivate ten acres of town land, and a small amount of money intended to pay for the needs of each resident. The Tuckers, however, skimp on food and other expenses to the point where Squire Pope has previously had to investigate in response to a resident complaint. But Joe Tucker manipulates Pope easily.
Zeke Tucker, Joe’s sixteen-year-old son, is torturing a dog by holding his head underwater. Philip asks him what he is doing, to stop him, and Zeke continues torturing the animal. So Philip attacks him and rescues the dog. VIII. In the Enemy’s Hands Joe and Zeke Tucker kidnap Philip, along with Squire Pope, and lock him up in the almshouse or poorhouse.
IX. The Poorhouse
The poorhouse, a three-story farmhouse, is shown to be in very poor repair. Abigail Tucker is not particularly interested in taking in a boy, and nobody is willing to tell the Dunbars where Philip has gone. Philip pays Zeke to carry the message, and he does so out of greed.
X. Bad Tidings
Zeke gloats to Frank Dunbar about how Philip is going to be imprisoned in the poorhouse attic.
XI. Philip’s New Room
The attic room is unclean and in poor repair.
XII. A Pauper’s Meal
Philip insists on paying for his dinner and breakfast, and Joe Tucker congratulates himself on getting paid twice. He receives two slices of dry bread, weak tea, and a slice of meat.
XIII. A Friendly Mission
The Dunbars are furious that Philip has been imprisoned. Mr. Dunbar is willing to exchange room and board for Philip’s labor, should Philip be inclined to work for him. Frank leaves after supper with the intent of helping Philip escape.
XIV. Philip Makes His Escape
Frank brings a ball attached to a stout piece of twine, which he throws to Philip. Philip uses it to draw up a clothesline. Using this, he lowers himself to the ground.
XV. Escape and Flight
Mrs. Tucker hears the noise of the escape and, not knowing what made the oise, suspects her son, Zeke. He appears to be asleep, so she goes through his clothing and discovers the money Philip paid him to carry his message to Frank Dunbar. She takes the money. But it’s obvious Zeke is not involved in the escape, so she comes to the conclusion that the poorhouse is being robbed. Joe Tucker sticks his head out the window and sees the fleeing boys. Frank throws the ball and hits him in the nose.
XVI. A Night Adventure
Philip has made up his mind to flee Norton. It is roughly nine o’clock at night, so the town is not completely deserted. Squire Pope encounters Frank Dunbar (Philip having hidden) and Frank refuses, again, to turn over the violin.
To avoid another confrontation, the boys cut across a field and interrupt a tramp in the process of trying to rob Farmer Lovett. The sight of the boys inspires the farmer to strike back, and the boys assist in capturing the tramp by distracting him until Lovett is able to obtain an advantage. They tie the tramp up and interview him.
XVII. A Reformed Burglar
The tramp was a mechanic whose house burned to the ground, but he had no insurance and a mortgage. Penniless and in debt, he left the town where he lived and became a tamp. He made his living by begging until he overheard a rumor of Lovett’s wealth, and then succumbed to temptation and tried to become a robber for the first time.
Believing his story, Farmer Lovett gives the man a loan of five dollars to help change his life. Frank and Philip refuse any reward, and Philip shares his story with Farmer Lovett. So the farmer gives him a sealed envelope to be opened fifty miles hence. This, Philip accepts, believing it may contain useful advice.
The Dunbars put Philip up for the night, and he leaves the village the following morning with his violin and a small bundle on a stick.
XVIII. A Professional Engagement
The Tuckers notice Philip’s escape and inform Squire Pope, who leaves for the Dunbar residence. Philip is long gone. After two days, he’s forty miles away. Philip is down to his last penny. He comes upon some houses and is accosted by a young farmer who sees Philip’s violin and offers him a fiddling job. The regular musician for a scheduled dance is sick. So Philip plays in exchange for three dollars, room, and board.
XIX. New Acquaintances
Abner Webb, who hires Philip to play, shares a hundred-acre farm with his brother Jonas. Philip enjoys a hearty meal and tunes up his violin, warming up. His warm-up playing elicits the approval of his hosts.
XX. A Lively Evening
Philip plays for a lively house. One of the young men present, whose date admires Philip, begins by hoping he will fail. But Philip introduces himself to the dance manager Frank Ingalls, who invites him to begin. He plays well, and the dancers approve.
XXI. Fortune Smiles Again
Philip wakes up in time for the family breakfast at seven, and is surprised that he is being regarded as a professional musician. He sets out on his way and picks up a second job from Andrew Blake. The young woman who admired him the night before meets them in passing. He dines with Andrew Blake and his young wife. However, upon arriving at the hall, he finds that the formerly sick musician Paul Beck is back and determined to play.
XXII. Rival Musicians
Paul Beck, though obviously ill, has heard of his new professional rival and is determined to outplay Philip. As a compromise, they agree to divide the commission. Paul Beck plays well.
XXIII. An Hour of Triumph
Philip plays far better than Paul. Paul Beck feigns illness and withdraws. At the end of the dance, Philip is asked to play something that isn’t a dancing tune. He plays “Carnival of Venice” with several showy variations, which is one of his repertoire pieces he plays and practices frequently. The crowd is appreciative.
XXIV. Lorenzo Riccabocca
Philip meets a curious-looking man dressed too formally for the road, who shares the tree under which he is resting. This is “Professor” Lorenzo Riccabocca, who describes himself as an elocutionist and dramatic reader who entertains by giving speeches and readings by prominent authors. He proposes to collaborate with Philip and offer a performance in Wilkesville.
XXV. A Change of Name
Riccabocca, who is a little bit of a showman, alters Philip’s name to “Philip de Gray” in order to inflate his importance. He books a room for himself adn Philip at the best hotel in town and sets about ordering handbills.
XXVI. A Promising Plan
Philip objects to using a stage name. It turns out that Lorenzo Riccabocca is actually Lemuel Jones. But the stage name is far more impressive. While Riccabocca makes all the arrangements for the following night’s performance, Philip buys a piece of paper and an envelope to write to Frank.
XXVII. Unexpected Honors
When he sees the advertisement Riccabocca produces, Philip realizes that his partner is a humbug who grossly exaggerates his skill and reputation.
XXVIII. A Triumphant Success
The concert begins oddly. Riccabocca’s initial soliloquy—with exaggurated gestures and inflections—are almost comical or burlesque. The young boys and men are amused. Philip follows with the “Carnival of Venice”. He loses himself in the music, overcome with the pleasure of playing a piece he knows and loves well, and the audience is so thrilled they force him to play a second time. Throughout the evening, the Professor performs what are interpreted as comical recitations of poetry. He amuses the crowd, but does not gratify them emotionally. Philip’s performances are far better received.
After an hour and a half of shared entertainments, the total take is over a hundred and forty-five dollars. After expenses, Riccabocca expects each of them to earn about fifty dollars each. Professor Riccabocca leaves about two hours before breakfast.
XXIX. Beset by Creditors
Philip gradually realizes he has been duped, hoping for a time that Riccabocca will reappear. The clerk and the landlord, more experienced men, come to the conclusion more rapidly. For the musical engagement, Philip and Riccabocca ran up a debt of eleven dollars. Besides this, Philip owes lodging to Mr. Gates, the hotelier.
Philip has only six dollars in his possession, and possibly less since he has purchased writing materials and lent fifty cents to Riccaboca. Mr. Gunn, an agent to whom Philip owes five dollars, insists on prompt payment and demands that Philip’s violin be sold. The other men, who realize Philip too has been swindled, resist and Mr. Gates pays Mr. Gunn his share of the debt. Philip recalls the envelope from Farmer Lovett. He is now far enough away from Norton to open it.
XXX. A Timely Gift
Philip is hoping that Farmer Lovett might have tucked a five-dollar bill into the envelope, since this is the amount the farmer lent to the man who tried to rob him. Yet inside the envelope is fifty dollars and a note from John Lovett. Philip is able to pay all his debts including the one Mr. Gates had paid out to Mr. Gunn.
For sheer entertainment, the landlord Gates offers to drive to Knoxville, the most likely destination of Riccabocca, so that Philip can recoup his loss. During the drive, Gates says that Riccabocca made a grave mistake in trying to cheat Philip, since without Philip’s playing the performance would not have gone off well. By chance they meet a hotelier acquaintance of Mr. Gates, who—since they are in the same line of work—stops to chat. Mr. Gates asks a few questions, and it turns out that Riccabocca is lodging with the friend.
XXXI. The Professor’s Flight
This chapter describes Riccabocca’s impulsive decision to leave with the money, and his journey to Knoxville. Philip and Mr. Gates arrive at Knoxville, and the landlod decides to hitch up his horse behind the hotel. Philip would enter and confront the Professor. When he does, Riccabocca denies ever having met Philip, relying on context and other people’s opinion to silence the lad. Everyone present believes the Professor to be in the right, until Mr. Gates enters and confirms it. The Professor claims to have gone to Knoxville only to set up their next engagement, and offers to bring the money down from his room. Instead he escapes out the back door.
XXXII. The Race Across Fields
Riccabocca has the money in his pocket and decides to leave town by train. By doing so he is destroying the chance of collaborating with Philip to earn even more money, but since Riccabocca is an impulsive person this fact does not occur to him. The hotel maid notices him leaving and suggests that Sam, the hotel errand-boy, apprehend him. But he trips over a rock and loses his wallet. Sam retrieves it and brings it back to Mr. Perry, the innkeeper in Knoxville.
XXXIII. The Lost Wallet
Riccabocca arrives at the train station. Instead of pulling out his bill-stuffed wallet, he pays for his ticket to Chambersburg out of a bill he has stuffed into his vest. He waits five minutes for the train and then is the first to board. He sees the buggy approaching with Mr. Gates in it but gets safely away. Mr. Gates, who is clearly a well known man in the area, is also acquainted with the station-master, who telegraphs ahead to Chambersburg to have Riccabocca arrested and detained.
Sam arrives with the missing wallet. Philip takes custody of it, and tips Sam five dollars out of his share of the proceeds. He makes an accounting, receipts and all, and leaves Riccabocca’s share in the keeping of Mr. Perry. Riccabocca notices the missing wallet and leaves the train early, walking five miles back to Knoxville. There, he notices Philip who greets him coolly. Riccabocca tells Philip he has lost all the money. Philip, who knows the truth, says he saw him on the train. The “professor” claims to have had a headache and to not have known what he was doing, but Philip knows otherwise and says so. He tells Riccabocca the wallet has been found, and explains his accounting. Riccabocca, whose dishonesty is now blatant, does not argue.
XXXIV. A New Business Proposal
Riccabocca is relieved: he now owns more than sixty dollars, is no longer on the run, and nobody disputes his right tothe money. He proposes to renew his partnership with Philip, and makes a bunch of excuses for his former bad conduct. Philip politely refuses. Mr. Perry, however, proposes a club benefit to help a local literary club.
Since Mr. Perry and his staff have been of great service to Philip, the young violinist readily agrees to help in exchange for ten dollars plus room and board. Riccabocca agrees too, hoping to entice the young fiddler back into a partnership. Philip remains cool, having prudently realized that Riccabocca is a con artist. He tolerates the older man, but does not trust him. This shows a prudence far beyond his years.
Philip sees the literary club and thinks it is quite agreeable: it’s a place for young people to meet socially in the evening without the temptation of alcohol. He decides to join such a club should his circumstances ever allow him to settle down. This is another Alger motif: heroes are instinctively attracted to wholesome things and repulsed by unwholesome things. The concert is well attended, and Philip begins to play, however he also notices Squire Pope among the attendees.
XXXV. Squire Pope Is Amazed
Squire Pope’s sister, a widow named Mrs. Cunningham, and her twelve-year-old daughter Carrie live in Knoxville. The Squire dropped by and everyone agreed to go to the benefit. Because of the fact they arrived late and needed seats near the back, the Squire doesn’t recognize Philip right away. His niece is quite taken with the young violinist and insists on being introduced. Squire Pope describes part of Philip’s history, omitting the bits in which he himself behaved dishonestly.
Noticing that Philip is a good musician, the Squire resolves to take him back to Norton and take charge of the money he’s since made.
XXXVI. The Pretended Guardian
Thanks to the profits from the evening’s entertainment, the club is now well out of debt. However, as before, it is primarily Philip’s efforts that please the audience.
XXXVII. His Own Master
Philip greets Squire Pope cordially. He offers to meet him at the hotel. He is polite to young Caroline. At the hotel, Philip rejects the Squire as a guardian and says that he prefers Mr. Dunbar, who is at least a friend. He refuses to turn over the money he has earned.
XXXVIII. An Offer Declined
Philip rejects an offer of further business from Professor Riccabocca. He refuses to do business with anyone who has treaed him so dishonestly. Philip has decided to go to New York to seek out a real opportunity to sustain himself. He is aware that, although he is a clever amateur, it will take years of study to become a world-class professional.
XXXIX. An Ambitious Wayfarer
Outside a village the author calls Cranston, Philip meets a boy about his own age named Henry Taylor. Henry and a friend ran away to go West and fight Indians, but they have run out of money. Philip is relatively flush and offers to pay for supper.
XL. The Indian Hunter
Henry explains the rather fanciful notion of being an Indian killer. Philip finds it a ridiculous idea, and it’s obvious Henry learned everything about being a fighter from the novels he had read. He cites the example of the fictional character Bully Bill. Henry’s pal Tom left him when they stopped at a hotel in Albany, the adventure having cost more than they expected. Philip isn’t interested in a partnership with Henry, who is broke except for his revolver. He proposes instead to pay Henry’s expenses if Henry takes him to New York City.
XXI. An Adventure in the Woods
If Henry writes to his father explaining what is happening, Philip agrees to take a leisurely pace and travel through the woods. He does not give money to Henry. But he buys them supper at a large farm-house.
The boys, continuing toward the next town, see what appears to be a deserted cabin in the woods and they resolve to sleep there. They are awakened by a tall, muscular Indian man who returns home later that evening: it is his cabin.
XLII. An Indian at Last
Winuca, the owner of the cabin, is surprised to find the boys there but lets them sleep peacefully. Although Henry is terrified of him, Philip recognizes immediately that Winuca is friendly. In the morning, Winuca feeds the boys and Philip makes him a gift of a folding-knife in exchange.
XLIII. A Welcome Letter
Henry’s letter is received by Alexander Taylor, a successful Wall Street broker who is not entirely pleased at his son’s decision to run away. Jennie, his younger sister, misses his brother but Alexander is hoping that the natural consequences of his son’s stupid decision making will have an effect. The contents of the letter, in which Henry describes Philip, make his father decide that Philip is a sensible boy and a good influence.
XLIV. A Fresh Start
Henry and Philip arrive in New York. Alexander gives Philip a hundred dollars to reimburse him for expenses. To help repay him for his effort, he gives Philip a new suit of clothes and offers to send him, with Henry, to an academy in Connecticut to finish his education.
