Part 3

Governor Keith and Colonel French Call on Benjamin--Keimer's Surprise--Benjamin's Interview with Them--Proposition 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--Experience in Reaching Boston.

XXIII. THE SURPRISE, AND ITS RESULTS.

Hastens to See His Parents--Joyful Meeting--Account of Correspondence with Homes--Going to See James--Delight of Journeymen--Many Inquiries-- Proposition to Treat Them--Report of James' Treatment to Parents--His Mother's Counsel--Meets Collins--The Latter Intemperate--Counsels Him to Let Strong Drink Alone--His Father's Opinion of Keith's Letter-- Arrival of Captain Homes--Approves Plans of Benjamin--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.

XXIV. HIS RETURN, AND WHAT CAME OF IT.

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 Philadelphia-- Called on Governor Keith--The Governor Proposes to Set Him up--Amusing Talk with Keimer--Collins Can Not Get Work--Trouble with Collins on the Delaware--End of Collins--Governor Keith Sends for Him--Going to England to Buy Outfit.

XXV. WORKING, READING, AND COURTING.

Keimer's Religious Creed--Argument with Benjamin--Establishing a New Sect and Foregoing a Good Dinner--Benjamin'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--Governor 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 Support--Ralph a Schoolmaster--Accepting Trouble Philosophically.

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.

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 Printing House for Warehouse--Returns to Philadelphia.

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 Benjamin--Arrival of Captain Homes--Working for Keimer Again--The Latter Making Trouble--Benjamin Leaves Him--Interview with Meredith--Proposition to Go into Company in Printing Business--Meredith's Father Loans Capital.

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 Library 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.

XXXI. BRIGHTER DAYS.

Proposition from Keimer--Discussion of It with Meredith--Returns to Keimer--Printing Money for New Jersey at Burlington--The Surveyor General's Life--His Talk with Benjamin--Starting New Firm, Franklin and Meredith--The First Job--Predictions of Its Failure by Nickle and Merchants' Club--Doctor Baird Differed--A Proposition from a Stationer--Interview with Webb--Plan for Starting a Paper Made Known-- Keimer's Paper--Benjamin's Articles in Mercury--Buys Keimer's Paper--Dissolves Partnership--Rum the Cause--The Gazette a Success.

XXXII. NO LONGER A SKEPTIC.

Time is Money--The Lounger Rebuked--Maxims--Avoiding Slander and Abuse--Revising His Religious Belief--Articles of Belief--Code of Morals Adopted--Creed for "United Party of Virtue "--Letters to Friends--Proposed Prayers in Congress and Speech--Epitaph for His Tombstone Written at Twenty-three.

XXXIII. POOR RICHARD'S ALMANAC.

Publishing an Almanac--Discussion about It--When It Was Started-- Maxims Found in It--Very Popular, and Great Circulation--Franklin's Fame Spreading--The Junto Pleased--Franklin's Account of Success-- How He Conducted His Paper--The Libeller Suppressed--Success of His Stationer's Shop--Visit to Boston--Visits His Brother James-- Reconciliation--Takes His Son Home--He Buries a Child--His Defense of Rev. George Whitefield--Building a House of Worship for Him.

XXXIV. MORE HONORS AND MORE WORK.

Clerk of the Assembly--Postmaster--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--Its Great Success--Franklin Organized Militia--Influence of Quakers against It--Eighty Companies Formed--Franklin Secured Fast Day--Peace.

XXXV. PHILOSOPHER AND STATESMAN.

Entering into Partnership with Hall--His Large Income--Time for Study and Research--Rapid Progress in Science--His Fame in Both Hemispheres-- What Mignet Said of His Labors--Kimmersley on His Lightning Rod-- Called Again to Political Life--List of Offices He Filled--Drafting Declaration of Independence--Hanging Separately--Anecdote--His First Labors at Court of England--Minister to England--Source of Troubles-- Hatred of Tories--Firm before House of Commons--Death of Mrs. Franklin-- Famous Letter to Strahan--The Eight Years' War--Franklin Author of the Union--First Name in History--Library and Letters of Franklin, Mass.-- His Death--Bequest to Washington.

BOYHOOD TO MANHOOD.