become personally interested in it. Every youth who desires
to cultivate his mental faculties ought to hail such enterprises with
joy, and pledge his noblest efforts to sustain them. It may be that it
is discouragingly difficult for him to write at first; but let him
persevere, with patience and firm resolve, and he will prove to
himself that "practice makes perfect." There is no better exercise for
his mind than this, and none better adapted to inspire him with a
dauntless resolve to acquire knowledge.

[Illustration: The Mysterious Contributor.--See page 123.]

CHAPTER XIII.

THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG.

Benjamin was so highly gratified with the favourable remarks he heard
about his articles, and especially that different persons, in guessing
who the author might be, usually guessed some writer of distinction,
that he could keep the secret no longer. He was eager to make the fact
known, that the much talked of essays emanated from his own pen; and
soon "the cat was let out of the bag."

Having a good opportunity, in reply to some remark of James about "the
last article found under the door," he said, "I know who the author
is."

"You know?" exclaimed James with surprise. "Why have you not disclosed
it before?"

"Because I thought it was not wise. It is not best to tell all we know
always."

"But you have heard us discuss this matter over and over, and take
measures to discover the author, and yet you have never intimated that
you knew anything about it."

"Well, the author did not wish to be known, until the right time
came, and that is a good reason for keeping the matter secret, I
think."

"Will you tell me who the author is now?" asked James, impatient to
obtain the long-sought information.

"Perhaps I will, if you are very anxious to know."

"You know that I am. Who is it?"

"It is Benjamin Franklin."

"What!" exclaimed James, astonished almost beyond measure by the
disclosure; "do you mean to say that you wrote those articles?"

"Certainly I do."

"But it is not your handwriting."

"I disguised my hand in order to conceal the authorship."

"What could possibly be your object in doing so?"

"That the articles might be fairly examined. If I had proposed to
write an article for your paper, you would have said that I, a
printer-boy, could write nothing worthy of print."

Here the conversation dropped, and James appeared to be abstracted in
thought. He said but little about the matter