wherewith boys usually express their delight at whatever completely
suits their views. Nobody thought of questioning the right and justice
of building a wharf with stones that belonged to another person.

"Hurrah! hurrah!" shouted they. "Let's set about it."

It was agreed that they should all be on the spot that evening and
commence their grand public enterprise by moonlight. Accordingly, at
the appointed time, the whole gang of youthful laborers assembled, and
eagerly began to remove the stones. They had not calculated how much
toil would be requisite in this important part of their undertaking.
The very first stone which they laid hold of proved so heavy that it
almost seemed to be fastened to the ground. Nothing but Ben Franklin's
cheerful and resolute spirit could have induced them to persevere.

Ben, as might be expected, was the soul of the enterprise. By his
mechanical genius, he contrived methods to lighten the labor of
transporting the stones, so that one boy, under his directions, would
perform as much as half a dozen if left to themselves. Whenever their
spirits flagged he had some joke ready, which seemed to renew their
strength, by setting them all into a roar of laughter. And when, after
an hour or two of hard work, the stones were transported to the water-
side, Bell Franklin was the engineer to superintend the construction of
the wharf.

The boys, like a colony of ants, performed a great deal of labor by
their multitude, though the individual strength of each could have
accomplished but little. Finally, just as the moon sank below the
horizon, the great work was finished.