Twelve-year-old Henry Starr was born in New York. The family came to Illinois two years ago, in 1850. Mr. Starr left a position as cashier of a Wall Street bank to become a merchant in the growing town of Rockford. There are three other children in the family, and Mrs. Starr devotes a great deal of her energy to their education.

Henry is a good student, but his mind is often concerned as much with toys as books. Today he finds himself with sixty cents of his own money and is considering his choices.