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"Ben Franklin"
Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography: Page 46
of 154
would bind themselves to serve in America.
He went directly, sign'd the indentures, was put into the ship, and came over,
never writing a line to acquaint his friends what was become of him. He was
lively, witty, good-natur'd, and a pleasant companion, but idle, thoughtless,
and imprudent to the last degree.
John, the Irishman, soon ran away; with the rest I began to live very agreeably,
for they all respected me the more, as they found Keimer incapable of
instructing them, and that from me they learned something daily. We never worked
on Saturday, that being Keimer's Sabbath, so I had two days for reading. My
acquaintance with ingenious people in the town increased. Keimer himself treated
me with great civility and apparent regard, and nothing now made me uneasy but
my debt to Vernon, which I was yet unable to pay, being hitherto but a poor
oeconomist. He, however, kindly made no demand of it.
Our printing-house often wanted sorts, and there was no letter-founder in
America; I had seen types cast at James's in London, but without much attention
to the manner; however, I now contrived a mould, made use of the letters we had
as puncheons, struck the matrices in lead, And thus supply'd in a pretty
tolerable way all deficiencies. I also engrav'd several things on occasion; I
made the ink; I was warehouseman, and everything, and, in short, quite a
factotum.
But, however serviceable I might be, I found that my services became every day
of less importance, as the other hands improv'd in the business; and, when
Keimer paid my second quarter's wages, he let me know that he felt them too
heavy, and thought I should make an abatement. He grew by degrees less civil,
put on more of the master, frequently found fault, was captious, and seem'd
ready for an outbreaking. I went on, nevertheless, with a good deal of patience,
thinking that his encumber'd circumstances were partly the cause. At length a
trifle snapt our connections; for, a great noise happening near the court-house,
I put my head out of the window to see what was the matter. Keimer, being in the
street, look'd up and saw me, call'd out to me in a loud voice and angry tone to
mind my business, adding some reproachful words, that nettled me the more for
their publicity, all the neighbors who were looking out on the same occasion
being witnesses how I was treated. He came up immediately into the
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