And the Yeah, Welcome back everyone to 1001 Classic Short Stories and Tales.

This is your host, John Hagadorn.

And today we're glad to bring you a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne, one of America's

earliest and best Classic Writers, the title of which is Benjamin Franklin.

And it's a story about an incident in Benjamin Franklin's childhood that I think you'll enjoy.

If you had to start with a list of American heroes, Benjamin Franklin would probably be in your top few.

He was born in 1706 and died in 1790, and he's perhaps the most eccentric and broadly accomplished of all the nation's founding fathers.

He's the only one to have signed all four major documents for a new nation.

The Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Alliance with France, the Treaty of Paris establishing peace with Great Britain, and the US Constitution.

He left his footprint on almost all aspects of forming the new nation, science, religion, education,

government, finance, and international relations.

We hope you enjoy this short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne. And now Benjamin Franklin by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

In the year 1716 or about that, a boy used to be seen in the streets of Boston,

who was known among his school fellows and playmates by the name of Ben Franklin.

Ben was born in 1706, so that he was now about 10 years old. His father, who

had come over from England, was a soap boiler and tallow chandler and resided in Milk Street,

not far from the old South Church in Boston.

Ben was a bright boy at his book, and even a brighter one when it played with his comrades.

He had some remarkable qualities which always seemed to give him the lead, whether it's sport or in more serious matters.

I might tell you a number of amusing anecdotes about him.

You are acquainted, I suppose suppose with his famous story of the

whistle and how he bought it with a whole pocketful of coppers and afterwards

...