XX.

THE WALKING COMEDY.

Meeting a Boy Eating Buys Three Loaves - - His Surprise —

-

-

-

-

-

A Walking Comedy - Sees His Future Wife - His Gener-

osity to Mother and Child - A Trait of His Life - Back to

the Boat On the Street Again and in Quaker Church

Sleeping in Church - The Kind Quaker - The Crooked Bil-

let - Suspected of being a Runaway Meeting the New York

Bradford — Interview with Young Bradford — Interview with

Keimer Showing His Skill at Type-setting - Senior Brad-

ford's Ruse - Giving Account of His Boston Life - Doing

Things Well-Case of Budgett What Parton Said to May-

-

doll.

XXI.

276

-

GETTING ON.

---

Repairing the Old Printing Press - Caution to Keep Secrets ·

Repairing for Bradford — Conversation with Bradford about

Work in Boston Unbelief — Changing Boarding-place-

Talk with Boarding-master Read-Study and Companions

There — High Rank of Printing Then Letter from Collins

- Found by His Brother-in-law, Captain Homes - Letter

from the Captain - Benjamin's Reply His Letter Read by

His History Told Keith - The Latter's

-Two Traits of Ben's Character,

-

-

Governor Keith

-

-

XXII.

292

Keimer's Surprise

osition to Establish Printing House - Keith Proposed He

Should See His Father Keimer Very Inquisitive about the

Interview Waiting for Vessel to Boston - Letter to Collins

How Long Take to Start Printing House - Tells Keimer

He is Going to Boston Sails for Boston A Great Storm

XXIII.

THE SURPRISE, AND ITS RESULTS.

Hastens to See His Parents - Joyful Meeting – Account of Cor-

respondence with Homes — Going to See James — Delight

of Journeymen

-

Many Inquiries

Proposition to Treat

Them- Report of James' Treatment to Parents - His Mother's

The Latter Intemperate

Counsel Meets Collins

---

-

-

Counsels Him to Let Strong Drink Alone His Father's

Opinion of Keith's Letter

Approves Plans of Benjamin

-

- Arrival of Captain Homes

Calling on Friends

-

Seeing

Doctor Mather An Incident and Its Lesson - Collins

Decides to Go to Philadelphia

Benjamin's Father Declines

to Help Him About Courant - Bidding Parents Farewell

and Returning.

Leaves Boston for New York - Collins to Meet Him There -

Calls at Newport to See His Brother John - Takes a Debt to

Collect Finds Collins Drunk in New York - Talk with

Landlord Governor- Burnett Sends for Him - Benjamin's

Words about It - Rebukes John Drunk - Arrival in Philadel-

phia Called on Governor Keith - The Governor Proposes

to Set Him up-

Amusing Talk with Keimer Collins Can

Not Get Work

End of Collins · Governor Keith Sends for Him

to England to Buy Outfit.

Going

337

Keimer's Religious Creed Argument with Benjamin- Estab-
lishing a New Sect and Foregoing a Good Dinner - Benja-
min's Three Literary Associates - Literary Club Formed -
Discussion on Ralph as a Poet - Benjamin's Views Each
One Writing Poetry Paraphrase of 18th Psalm - Benjamin
Reading Ralph's - Plan to Outwit Osborne Its Success
Osborne's Mortification - The Club a Good One - Benjamin
and Deborah Read The Result.

XXVI.

A BOGUS SCHEME.

-

Ralph Going to England with Benjamin — Time to Sail Gov-
ernor Keith Promises Letters - No Suspicion of Keith
Letters Not Ready as Promised - Second Application for
Letters-Final Promise- Bag of Letters Come on Board -
Looked over Letters in English Channel — The Revelation of
Rascality-Benjamin's Situation Alone in London - Ralph
Discloses that He Has Abandoned His Wife - Rebuked by
Benjamin - Advice of Denham - Governor Keith a Fraud —
Finds Work at Palmer's Printing House — Had Ralph to Sup-
Ralph a Schoolmaster Accepting Trouble Philosoph-

-

port
ically

-

370

XXVII.

"OUR WATER DRINKER."

-

Letter from Ralph to Benjamin — Ralph's Epic Poem — Assisted

Ralph's Wife - How He and Ralph Separated — Kindness of

Wilcox, the Bookseller - Loaning Books — Benjamin Reviews

"Religion of Nature" - Talk with Watts, and His Opinion of

It-Interview with Doctor Lyons-Doctor Pemberton

Lived to See His Folly - Interview with Sir Hans Sloane·

Benjamin's Attack on Beer Drinking — His Sound Argument—

Jake, the Ale Boy - Called "A Water Drinker "— Discussion

with Watts — Refused to Treat the Company — Visits His Old

Press Forty Years After.

XXVIII.

AT HOME AGAIN.

-

-

• . 385

What Became of Ralph — Benjamin Teaching Two Companions
to Swim - Who Was Wygate?-The Excursion to Chelsea
- Benjamin Swims Four Miles - Antics in the Water - Sir
W. Wyndham Proposes He Should Open a Swimming School -
Wygate's Proposition to Travel-Denham's Advice - Cheaper
Board - Incident Showing Denham's Character - Denham
Offers to Employ Him as Clerk in Philadelphia-Leaves Print-
ing House for Warehouse - Returns to Philadelphia.

-

.

401

XXIX.

UPS AND DOWNS OF LIFE.

-

Visits Keimer's Printing Office - Calls on Deborah Read — Her

Marriage to Rogers, and Divorce - Visit to Deborah Leads

to Re-engagement-Now a Merchant's Clerk - Denham and

Benjamin Both Sick - Denham Died and Left Legacy to Ben-

jamin - Arrival of Captain Homes - Working for Keimer

Again - The Latter Making Trouble - Benjamin Leaves Him

- Interview with Meredith-Proposition to Go into Com-

pany in Printing Business - Meredith's Father Loans Capital. 414

XXX.

THE LEATHERN APRON CLUB.

Reflecting on His Religious Belief

-

-

-

Rules He Wrote on the

Berkshire and Introduction to Them - The Leathern Apron

Club Patterned after Cotton Mather's -The Questions

Asked - Benjamin's Explanation - The Compact Signed -

Bringing in Books They Owned - Establishing the First Li-

brary in the Land Questions Discussed by the Club - No

Improvement on This Club Benjamin's View of It in

Age Organizing Other Clubs — Studying the Languages

Benjamin's Success.

-

-

426

XXXI.

BRIGHTER DAYS.

-

Proposition from Keimer Discussion of It with Meredith

Returns to Keimer Printing Money for New Jersey at Bur-

lington - The Surveyor General's Life - His Talk with Ben-

jamin Starting New Firm, Franklin and Meredith

First Job Predictions of Its Failure by Nickle and Mer-

chants' Club Doctor Baird Differed A Proposition from

a Stationer Interview with Webb - Plan for Starting a

Paper Made Known - Keimer's Paper Benjamin's Arti-

cles in Mercury -

ship Rum the Cause

-

XXXII.

NO LONGER A SKEPTIC.

-

-

Revising His Religious Belief

-

Avoiding

-

Arti-

Time is Money The Lounger Rebuked - Maxims
Slander and Abuse
cles of Belief - Code of Morals Adopted Creed for
"United Party of Virtue" - Letters to Friends - Proposed
Prayers in Congress and Speech — Epitaph for His Tomb-
stone Written at Twenty-three

-

XXXIII.

POOR RICHARD'S ALMANAC.

451

Publishing an Almanac

-

When It Was
Started Maxims Found in It - Very Popular, and Great Cir-
culation - Franklin's Fame Spreading-The Junto Pleased-
Franklin's Account of Success-How He Conducted His Pa-
per - The Libeller Suppressed - Success of His Stationer's
Shop Visit to Boston Visits His Brother James - Rec-

onciliation - Takes His Son Home He Buries a Child-

Night-watch Discussed
in the Junto Plan of a Fire Department Many Fire
Companies Formed Plan to Pave the Streets Paper on
Smoky Chimneys Franklin Invents a Stove Gives Away
the Patent Franklin Founds the University of Philadelphia
Franklin Organized Militia - Influ-