"My dear child, thou hast done wonders!" cried his mother.

The good lady was in an ecstasy of delight. And well might she be proud
of her boy; for there were touches in this picture which old artists,
who had spent a lifetime in the business, need not have been ashamed of.
Many a year afterwards, this wonderful production was exhibited at the
Royal Academy in London.

When Benjamin was quite a large lad he was sent to school at
Philadelphia. Not long after his arrival he had a slight attack of
fever, which confined him to his bed. The light, which would otherwise
have disturbed him, was excluded from his chamber by means of closed
wooden shutters. At first it appeared so totally dark that Ben could
not distinguish any object in the room. By degrees, however, his eyes
became accustomed to the scanty light.

He was lying on his back, looking up towards the ceiling, when suddenly
he beheld the dim apparition of a white cow moving slowly over his head!
Ben started, and rubbed his eyes in the greatest amazement.

"What can this mean?" thought he.

The white cow disappeared; and next came several pigs, which trotted
along the ceiling and vanished into the darkness of the chamber. So
lifelike did these grunters look that Ben almost seemed to hear them
squeak.

"Well, this is very strange!" said Ben to himself.