Nearly two hundred years ago, there lived in Boston a little boy whose
name was Benjamin Franklin.

On the day that he was seven years old, his mother gave him a few
pennies.

He looked at the bright, yellow pieces and said, "What shall I do with
these coppers, mother?"

It was the first money that he had ever had.

"You may buy something with them, if you would like," said his mother.

"And will you give me more when they are gone?" he asked.

His mother shook her head and said: "No, Benjamin. I cannot give you any
more. So you must be careful not to spend them foolishly."

The little fellow ran out into the street. He heard the pennies jingle
in his pocket as he ran. He felt as though he was very rich.

Boston was at that time only a small town, and there were not many
stores. As Benjamin ran down toward the busy part of the street, he
wondered what he should buy.

Should he buy candy or toys? It had been a long time since he had tasted
candy. As for toys, he hardly knew what they were.

If he had been the only child in the family, things might have been