The Peterkin Papers

Produced by Sankar Viswanathan, Chris Curnow, Joseph Cooper,
and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
http://www.pgdp.net







       [Illustration: MRS. PETERKIN PUTS SALT INTO HER COFFEE.]


                                 THE

                           PETERKIN PAPERS



                                  BY


                           LUCRETIA P. HALE


                          With Illustrations


                           SEVENTH EDITION.





                         BOSTON AND NEW YORK

                    HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY

                   The Riverside Press, Cambridge.

                                 1893



                           Copyright, 1880

                     By JAMES R. OSGOOD & COMPANY

                               and 1886

                         By TICKNOR & COMPANY

       *       *       *       *       *




THE PETERKIN PAPERS

Dedicated

TO MEGGIE

(THE DAUGHTER OF THE LADY FROM PHILADELPHIA)

_TO WHOM THESE STORIES WERE FIRST TOLD_

       *       *       *       *       *



PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION OF
THE PETERKIN PAPERS.


The first of these stories was accepted by Mr. Howard M. Ticknor for
the "Young Folks." They were afterwards continued in numbers of the
"St. Nicholas."

A second edition is now printed, containing a new paper, which has
never before been published, "The Peterkins at the Farm."

It may be remembered that the Peterkins originally hesitated about
publishing their Family Papers, and were decided by referring the
matter to the lady from Philadelphia. A little uncertain whether she
might happen to be at Philadelphia, they determined to write and ask
her.

Solomon John suggested a postal-card. Everybody reads a postal, and
everybody would read it as it came along, and see its importance, and
help it on. If the lady from Philadelphia were away, her family and
all her servants would read it, and send it after her, for answer.

Elizabeth Eliza thought the postal a bright idea. It would not take so
long to write as a letter, and would not be so expensive. But could
they get the whole subject on a postal?

Mr. Peterkin believed there could be no difficulty, there was but one
question:--

Shall the adventures of the Peterkin family be published?

This was decided upon, and there was room for each of the family to
sign, the little boys contenting themselves with rough sketches of
their india-rubber boots.

Mr. Peterkin, Agamemnon, and Solomon John took the postal-card to the
post-office early one morning, and by the afternoon of that very day,
and all the next day, and for many days, came streaming in answers on
postals and in letters. Their card had been addressed to the lady from
Philadelphia, with the number of her street. But it must have been
read by their neighbors in their own town post-office before leaving;
it must have been read along its way: for by each mail came piles of
postals and letters from town after town, in answer to the question,
and all in the same tone: "Yes, yes; publish the adventures of the
Peterkin family."

"Publish them, of course."

And in time came the answer of the lady from Philadelphia:--

"Yes, of course; publish them."

This is why they were published.




CONTENTS.


THE LADY WHO PUT SALT IN HER COFFEE

ABOUT ELIZABETH ELIZA'S PIANO

THE PETERKINS TRY TO BECOME WISE

MRS. PETERKIN WISHES TO GO TO DRIVE

THE PETERKINS AT HOME

WHY THE PETERKINS HAD A LATE DINNER

THE PETERKINS' SUMMER JOURNEY

THE PETERKINS SNOWED-UP

THE PETERKINS DECIDE TO KEEP A COW

THE PETERKINS' CHRISTMAS-TREE

MRS. PETERKIN'S TEA-PARTY

THE PETERKINS TOO LATE FOR THE EXHIBITION

THE PETERKINS CELEBRATE THE "FOURTH"

THE PETERKINS' PICNIC

THE PETERKINS' CHARADES

THE PETERKINS ARE OBLIGED TO MOVE

THE PETERKINS DECIDE TO LEARN THE LANGUAGES

MODERN IMPROVEMENTS AT THE PETERKINS'

AGAMEMNON'S CAREER

THE EDUCATIONAL BREAKFAST

THE PETERKINS AT THE "CARNIVAL OF AUTHORS" IN BOSTON

THE PETERKINS AT THE FARM




THE PETERKIN PAPERS.

THE LADY WHO PUT SALT IN HER COFFEE.


This was Mrs. Peterkin. It was a mistake. She had poured out a
delicious cup of coffee, and, just as she was helping herself to
cream, she found she had put in salt instead of sugar! It tasted bad.
What should she do? Of course she couldn't drink the coffee; so she
called in the family, for she was sitting at a late breakfast all
alone. The family came in; they all tasted, and looked, and wondered
what should be done, and all sat down to think.

At last Agamemnon, who had been to college, said, "Why don't we go
over and ask the advice of the chemist?" (For the chemist lived over
the way, and was a very wise man.)

Mrs. Peterkin said, "Yes," and Mr. Peterkin said, "Very well," and all
the children said they would go too. So the little boys put on their
india-rubber boots, and over they went.

Now the chemist was just trying to find out something which should
turn everything it touched into gold; and he had a large glass bottle
into which he put all kinds of gold and silver, and many other
valuable things, and melted them all up over the fire, till he had
almost found what he wanted.