The Boy Scout and Other Stories for Boys

Richard Harding Davis lived the adventures he wrote about. A war correspondent who dodged bullets in South Africa, covered the Spanish-American War, and died reporting from the First World War, he knew something about boyish courage and the call of the wild. This collection, published the year after his death, gathers stories that pulse with the energy of early 20th-century American boyhood. The title story follows Jimmie Reeder, a Boy Scout heading to summer camp, whose journey becomes a test of character when he puts his sister's needs above his own excitement. Davis lets the adventures speak for themselves: mischievous encounters, small acts of kindness that matter more than grand heroism, and the quiet dignity of doing the right thing when no one is watching. These are stories about becoming a man through service, laughter, and the rough-and-tumble of growing up. They capture an era when the Boy Scout movement wasnew and exciting, and when a boy's word still meant something. Perfect for readers who love vintage adventure fiction, historical snapshots of American boyhood, or anyone who wants to remember what it felt like to be young and dreaming of distant horizons.