If the owner of the stolen property had not been more merciful than the master mason, it might have gone hard with our friend Benjamin and his fellow-laborers.

But, luckily for them, the gentleman had a respect for Ben's father, and, moreover, was amused with the spirit of the whole affair.

He therefore let the culprits off pretty easily.
But, when the constables were dismissed, the poor boys had to go through another trial, and receive sentence, and suffer execution, too, from their own fathers.

Many a rod, I grieve to say, was worn to the stump on that unlucky night.
As for Ben, he was less afraid of a whipping than of his father's disapprobation.

Mr.Franklin, as I have mentioned before, was a sagacious man, and also an inflexibly upright one.