Year of Our Lord 1739 My name is William Franklin My family calls me Billy Pappy calls me Good Boy when I help him in the Print Shop which is on the ground Floor of our House in Philadelphia Mama shakes a finger at me and scolds She always scolds whatever I do and her scolds are hot enough to blister the skin especially in the Morning when Pappy and I eat our bread-and-milk Porridge in our twopenny Bowls She continues scolding the whole Day through Pappy says it’s a Wonder her finger doesn’t fall off with all that scolding
I am eight years old which is old enough to help Pappy He was an apprentice at my age working in his brother’s Boston Print Shop Pappy is the famous Ben Franklin who has written the best-known Book in all of Philadelphia printed on his own Press Poor Richard’s Almanack It is full of sayings to make people wise though if you ask me I think it is a little boring Poor Richard makes remarks like this An egg today is better than a hen tomorrow Well maybe that is not so boring I shall heed the advice and stop work today rather than wait for tomorrow to run off with cousin James to play Poor Richard 1739 An Almanack For the Year of Chrift 1739 Third after Leap Year
