I want," he said. Then he hurried on to the
store where all kinds of things were kept for sale.

"Have you any good whistles?" he asked.

He was out of breath from running, but he tried hard to speak like a
man.

"Yes, plenty of them," said the man.

"Well, I want one, and I'll give you all the money I have for it," said
the little fellow. He forgot to ask the price.

"How much money have you?" asked the man.

Benjamin took the coppers from his pocket. The man counted them and
said, "All right, my boy. It's a bargain."

Then he put the pennies into his money drawer, and gave one of the
whistles to the boy.

Benjamin Franklin was a proud and happy boy. He ran home as fast as he
could, blowing his whistle as he ran.

His mother met him at the door and said, "Well, my child, what did you
do with your pennies?"

"I bought a whistle!" he cried. "Just hear me blow it!"

"How much did you pay for it?"

"All the money I had."

One of his brothers was standing by and asked to see the whistle. "Well,
well!" he said, "did you spend all of your money for this thing?"

"Every penny," said Benjamin.

"Did you ask the price?"

"No. But I offered them to the man, and he said it was all right."

His brother laughed and said, "You are a very foolish fellow. You paid
four times as much as it is worth."

"Yes," said his mother, "I think it is rather a dear whistle. You had
enough money to buy a whistle and some candy, too."

The little boy saw what a mistake he had made. The whistle did not
please him any more. He threw it upon the floor, and began to cry. But
his mother took him upon her lap and said:

"Never mind, my child. We must all live and learn; and I think that my
little boy will be careful, after this, not to pay too dear for his
whistles."

* * * * *

II.--SCHOOLDAYS.

When Benjamin Franklin was a boy there were no great public schools in
Boston as there are now. But he learned to read almost as soon as he
could talk, and he was always fond of books.

His nine brothers were older than he, and every one had learned a trade.
They did not care so much for books.

"Benjamin shall be the scholar of our family," said his mother.

"Yes, we will educate him for a minister," said his father. For at that
time all the most learned men were ministers.

And so, when he was eight years old, Benjamin Franklin was sent to a
grammar school, where boys were prepared for college.