The Project Gutenberg EBook of Desk and Debit, by Oliver Optic

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

Title: Desk and Debit
or, The Catastrophes of a Clerk

Author: Oliver Optic

Release Date: February 8, 2008 [EBook #24544]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DESK AND DEBIT ***

Produced by David Edwards and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was
produced from scans of public domain material produced by
Microsoft for their Live Search Books site.)

Transcriber's Note: The advertisement that was located at the beginning
of the book has been moved to the end of this e-text.

_THE UPWARD AND ONWARD SERIES._

DESK AND DEBIT;
OR,
THE CATASTROPHES OF A CLERK.

By

OLIVER OPTIC,

AUTHOR OF "YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD," "THE ARMY AND NAVY STORIES,"
"THE WOODVILLE STORIES," "THE BOAT-CLUB STORIES," "THE
STARRY FLAG SERIES," "THE LAKE-SHORE SERIES," ETC.

WITH FOURTEEN ILLUSTRATIONS.

BOSTON:
LEE AND SHEPARD, PUBLISHERS.
NEW YORK:
LEE, SHEPARD AND DILLINGHAM.
1871.

Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1871,
By WILLIAM T. ADAMS,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.

ELECTROTYPED AT THE
BOSTON STEREOTYPE FOUNDRY,
10 Spring Lane.

TO THE MEMORY OF

MY GOOD-NATURED AND VERSATILE YOUNG FRIEND

_EDWIN A. FARWELL_,

WHO, SINCE THIS BOOK WAS WRITTEN, HAS PASSED AWAY FROM
THE SCENES OF EARTH, LOVED AND RESPECTED
BY ALL WHO KNEW HIM,

THIS BOOK

IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED.

THE UPWARD AND ONWARD SERIES.

1. _Field and Forest_; OR, THE FORTUNES OF A FARMER.

2. _Plane and Plank_; OR, THE MISHAPS OF A MECHANIC.

3. _Desk and Debit_; OR, THE CATASTROPHES OF A CLERK.

_IN PREPARATION_:

4. _Cringle and Cross-Tree_; OR, THE SEA SWASHES OF A SAILOR.

5. _Bivouac and Battle_; OR, THE STRUGGLES OF A SOLDIER.

6. _Sea and Shore_; OR, THE TRAMPS OF A TRAVELLER.

PREFACE.

"DESK AND DEBIT" is the third of "THE UPWARD AND ONWARD SERIES," in
which Phil Farringford appears as a clerk. The principal events of the
story are located in Chicago and on Lake Michigan--the latter, perhaps,
because the auth