
THE LITTLE MERCHANT.
I.
II.
III.
IV.
In the modest village of Riverdale, a widowed mother struggles to keep her four children fed and clothed after her husband’s untimely death. Her eldest son, David, is a bright‑eyed nine‑year‑old who helps with chores, attends school, and dreams of earning enough money to ease his mother’s burdens. He watches her labor stitching shoes and longs to join her, even though his small hands aren’t yet suited for the task.
One crisp morning David takes his father’s old fishing pole to the river, hoping a big catch might bring a welcome extra for the family. While waiting beside the water, a clever frog named Froggy appears, sparking a curious encounter that nudges David toward an unexpected opportunity. As the boy’s determination meets a hint of adventure, listeners are invited to follow his early steps toward responsibility, friendship, and the promise of a brighter future.
Language
en
Duration
~28 minutes (27K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
Boston: Lee and Shepard, 1870.
Credits
David Edwards, David E. Brown, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from images made available by the HathiTrust Digital Library.)
Release date
2023-11-08
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1822–1897
A longtime Boston teacher turned hugely popular storyteller, this 19th-century writer filled shelves with fast-moving adventures for young readers. Writing as Oliver Optic, he mixed action, travel, and moral lessons in books that helped shape early American juvenile fiction.
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