The Project Gutenberg EBook of Ben Hadden, by W.H.G. Kingston

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Title: Ben Hadden
or, Do Right Whatever Comes Of It

Author: W.H.G. Kingston

Release Date: May 15, 2007 [EBook #21451]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BEN HADDEN ***

Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England

Ben Hadden; or, Do Right, Whatever Comes Of It, by W.H.G. Kingston.

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This small book, starts Ben off as the son of a fisherman on the east
coast of England. The father is a pious Christian, and brings Ben up to
be one too. Unfortunately various accidents befall the family, and they
fall on hard times. Ben, in rescuing some children from a runaway
horse, is injured, but is befriended by Lieutenant Charlton, who is able
to arrange so that things go better for Ben's mother.

Ben and Charlton go to sea, where Ben has it in mind to find his
long-lost brother Ned.

Many accidents befall Ned, culminating in a shipwreck in the Pacific.
Eventually he is rescued, and, not long after, finds his brother Ned.
They come home together, and set up a new life in support of their
mother.

Throughout, Ben's morale is upheld by his Christian belief. We are told
a great deal about the progress of missionaries among the Pacific
Islands. Rather definitely a Victorian book, but a good read.

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BEN HADDEN, BY W.H.G. KINGSTON.

CHAPTER ONE.

BEN'S HOME.

On the east coast of England, there is a small hamlet surrounded by high
sand-hills, with scarcely a blade of grass or even a low shrub to be
seen in its neighbourhood. The only vegetable productions, indeed,
which can flourish in that light soil, are the pale green rushes, whose
roots serve to bind the sand together, and to prevent the high easterly
winds, so constantly blowing on that coast, affecting it as much as they
would otherwise do. Even in spite of the opposition of the rushes,
several deserted huts have been almost entirely covered up by the
drifting sand. See Note 1.

The population of the village consists o