Dick Hamilton's Fortune

In Short

When fifteen-year-old Dick Hamilton inherits a fortune, his late mother's will imposes a strict catch: he must successfully invest a portion of his funds within one year or lose the main estate to his miserly Uncle Ezra. Armed with a checkbook and boundless optimism, Dick ventures into real estate, oil stocks, metal recycling, Western gold mines, and experimental airships. Along the way, he uses his wealth to bring joy to local orphans and friends. Garis's 1909 novel endures as an energetic, lighthearted adventure that combines financial escapades with wholesome small-town values.

The Story

Following the passing of his mother, young Dick Hamilton discovers he has been left a massive fortune—with a major condition attached. To inherit the bulk of the estate, he must prove he can manage money wisely by making a successful, profitable investment within twelve months. If he fails, he will be forced to live under the austere, penalizing care of his crotchety, penny-pinching Uncle Ezra Larabee and Aunt Samantha in Dankville.

Eager to begin his trial year and test his independence, Dick opens a bank account in his hometown of Hamilton Corners. His initial attempts at high finance yield quick lessons in risk. A land purchase fails when a neighboring site is earmarked for a smelly fertilizer factory. Undeterred, Dick takes a trip to New York, where he falls prey to a smooth-talking promoter named Colonel Dendon, who sells him bogus oil stock.

Despite these setbacks, Dick remains generous. Learning that local orphans cannot travel to a circus in a neighboring town, Dick charters a train and buys tickets for all the children. He also lends money to his hardworking friend Henry Darby, whose lazy father Hank uses the cash to form the "International and Consolidated Old Metal Corporation."

Dick next buys into a Nevada gold mining operation, the Dolphin Mine. Suspicious of the schemers around him, Dick travels out West with his friends to inspect the property. Deep in the mine shafts, he exposes corrupt operators attempting to trick investors, narrowly escaping a dangerous underground trap before returning home empty-handed financially but rich in experience.

Back in Hamilton Corners, Dick hosts a grand party for his peers, survives an attempt by envious rivals to steal his loyal bulldog Grit, and sponsors a summer outing at his family farm for city "fresh-air" children. As his twelve-month deadline approaches, a sudden stock market panic wipes out a milk company in which he had placed his hopes. With time running out, Dick risks five hundred dollars on Herr Doodlebrod, an eccentric local inventor building a revolutionary flying machine. After several mechanical failures and nail-biting delays, the airship succeeds in a decisive test fight. Dick earns a lucrative return on his investment, satisfies the provisions of his mother's strange will, and secures his fortune just in time to embark on his next adventure at a military academy.

How It Unfolds

A strange inheritance Dick learns the terms of his mother's unusual will, which demands he execute a successful investment within one year or be surrendered to the strict guardianship of his miserly Uncle Ezra.

Early financial blunders Dick's first investment in local real estate plummets in value due to a nearby fertilizer factory, and a subsequent trip to New York leaves him holding worthless oil stock sold by a slick sharper.

Investing in joy Rather than growing bitter over his losses, Dick charters a train to take the town's orphan children to a nearby circus and loans money to his friend Henry to launch a small scrap-metal business.

Trouble out West Dick journeys to Nevada to inspect the Dolphin gold mine, where he uncovers a scheme by fraudulent operators and narrowly escapes being trapped deep inside an underground shaft.

The final hour After a nationwide financial panic destroys his investment in a milk company, Dick makes a high-stakes gamble on an eccentric inventor's experimental airship, successfully securing his fortune just before his deadline expires.

The People

• Dick Hamilton: The optimistic, energetic teenage protagonist. He wants to prove he can manage a fortune responsibly without letting money corrupt his good nature. He matures from a naive spender into a cautious, sharp-eyed young man.
• Uncle Ezra Larabee: Dick's miserly, scolding uncle who views fun as frivolous. He wants Dick to fail so he can take control of the boy's life and enforce his strict, tightfisted regime, but he ends up thoroughly outmaneuvered.
• Henry Darby: Dick's industrious, down-to-earth friend who wants to earn an honest living. He takes Dick's initial loan seriously, working hard in the scrap metal business to pay back every cent.
• Simon Scardale: A scheming, jealous acquaintance who resents Dick's wealth. He repeatedly attempts to profit off Dick through dishonest games, land deals, and dog-napping, ending up disgraced.
• Herr Doodlebrod: An eccentric German inventor dedicated to solving human flight. He needs capital for a new motor, ultimately providing Dick with his winning investment.

In Its Own Voice

"I say your mother made a foolish will, and I know what I'm talking about."

Dick's miserly Uncle Ezra makes no secret of his disdain for the arrangement that keeps his nephew's vast inheritance out of his hands.

"The machine fairly flew apart, splinters of wood, bits of iron, belts, spokes, chute, inclines and everything was scattered to the thirty-two points of the compass."

Disaster strikes when Silas Kendall tests his impossible perpetual-motion machine before Dick and his assembled friends.

"You'd never know he was a millionaire, would you?" ... "Why, because he's just like other boys--he's like one of our own folks."

A local parent captures the town's admiration for Dick as he tirelessly serves refreshments to guests at his outdoor party.

What It's Really About

Beneath its upbeat adventure beats, Dick Hamilton's Fortune explores the moral responsibilities of sudden wealth. The novel contrasts Dick's open-handed stewardship with Uncle Ezra's mean-spirited hoarding and Simon Scardale's greedy opportunism. It argues that character is defined not by how much money one possesses, but by how one uses it to lift up others. Garis presents business not merely as a pursuit of personal gain, but as a practical discipline requiring skepticism, resilience, and ethical grounding. The book frames financial literacy as a rite of passage, suggesting that true independence comes from learning how to bounce back from poor choices and foolish investments.

Why Read It Today

modern readers will enjoy Dick Hamilton's Fortune as a charming, fast-paced artifact of early twentieth-century American juvenile fiction. Howard R. Garis—best known as the creator of Uncle Wiggily—writes with crisp efficiency, breezy dialogue, and a warm, indulgent tone toward his youthful characters. The narrative captures the technological wonder of its era, featuring early automobiles, motorboats, gold mines, and rudimentary airships.

While the story contains period tropes, simplistic plot contrivances, and minor ethnic stereotyping common to 1909 dime novels, it remains engaging due to its sunny outlook and likeable hero. Readers looking for a light historical comfort read or an entertaining glimpse into vintage boys' adventure series will find Dick's antics thoroughly satisfying.

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