ee days after leaving Boston, young Franklin found himself in New
York. It was then October, in the year 1723.

The lad had but very little money in his pocket. There was no one in New
York that he knew. He was three hundred miles from home and friends.

As soon as he landed he went about the streets looking for work.

New York was only a little town then, and there was not a newspaper in
it. There were but a few printing houses there, and these had not much
work to do. The boy from Boston called at every place, but he found that
nobody wanted to employ any more help.

At one of the little printing houses Franklin was told that perhaps he
could find work in Philadelphia, which was at that time a much more
important place than New York.

Philadelphia was one hundred miles farther from home. One hundred miles
was a long distance in those days.

But Franklin made up his mind to go there without delay. It would be
easier to do this than to give up and try to return to Boston.

* * * * *

VII.--THE FIRST DAY IN PHILADELPHIA.

There are two ways of going from New York to Philadelphia.

One way is by the sea. The other is by land, across the state of New
Jersey.

As Franklin had but little money, he took the shorter route by land; but
he sent his little chest, containing his Sunday clothes, round by sea,
in a boat.

He walked all the way from Perth Amboy, on the eastern shore of New
Jersey, to Burlington, on the Delaware river.

Nowadays you may travel that distance in an hour, for it is only about
fifty miles.

But there were no railroads at that time; and Franklin was nearly three
days trudging along lonely wagon-tracks, in the midst of a pouring rain.

At Burlington he was lucky enough to be taken on board a small boat that
was going down the river.

Burlington is only twenty miles above Philadelphia. But the boat moved
very slowly, and as there was no wind, the men took turns at rowing.

Night came on, and they were afraid that they might pass by Philadelphia
in the darkness. So they landed, and camped on shore till morning.

Early the next day they reached Philadelphia, and Benjamin Franklin
stepped on shore at the foot of Market street, where the Camden
ferry-boats now land.

No one who saw him could have guessed that he would one day be the
greatest man in the city.

He was a sorry-looking fellow.

He was dressed in his working clothes, and was very dirty from b