Deborah Read

“Oh, his experiments! He's using a kite to try to prove lightning is electricity, but he's misplaced the key he needs to finish his work. I pray nothing strikes him, except perhaps inspiration!”

—Deborah Read, Mario's Time Machine

Deborah Read was the wife of Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. They married in 1730 and stayed together until Deborah's death in 1774. Together, they had a son, Francis Folger Franklin, and a daughter, Sarah Franklin "Sally". William Franklin, though commonly believed to be Benjamin's son, is not known to be Deborah's son. In Mario's Time Machine, she meets Mario after he travels back in time to Philadelphia circa 1752 to return Benjamin's stolen Key.

History

Mario's Time Machine

According to Mario's Time Machine, Deborah Read lived in Philadelphia in 1752, where she managed Benjamin Franklin's general store. When Mario first visits the store, he asks Deborah if this is Benjamin's store, and she replies in the affirmative. She is surprised that Mario does not know this, as she says that everyone in Philadelphia knows about Benjamin Franklin, especially his Almanac and his bifocals. Mario then recognizes her as "Mrs. Franklin", and she begins to talk about how she and Benjamin first met when he first came to Philadelphia, and how the two later met when he started his printing business. Mario asks her if he is both a printer and a merchant, and she says that he has currently retired from his printing business to focus on scientific advancements, though he is still involved in publishing his Newspaper and Almanac. Mario wonders out loud how Benjamin could possibly have the time to deal with all of that, and Deborah then quotes her husband: "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise!" She mentions that her husband's Almanac contains many of quotes, including "A penny saved is a penny earned," and "Keep thy shop and thy shop will keep thee," before also mentioning that her shop is earning a pretty penny. She also mentions that she sells a variety of goods, and she gives Mario a Stamp for free while asking him to pay her back later. Mario later pays for it with a Penny, and she thanks him for his patronage, saying that he must come from a good family like Benjamin. She says that Benjamin's family had seventeen children and goes on to describe her own family, mentioning Sally and William. The conversation ends with Mario asking Deborah why Benjamin and William are outside flying a kite during a thunderstorm, and she says that Benjamin is trying to prove that lightning is electricity, but he has misplaced the key he needs for his experiment.