They were sitting round the breakfast-table, and wondering what they should do because the lady from Philadelphia had gone away. “If,” said Mrs. Peterkin, “we could only be more wise as a family!” How could they manage it? Agamemnon had been to college, and the children all went to school; but still as a family […]

Elizabeth Eliza had a present of a piano, and she was to take lessons of the postmaster’s daughter. They decided to have the piano set across the window in the parlor, and the carters brought it in, and went away. After they had gone the family all came in to look at the piano; but […]

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 […]

The trouble was in the dumb-waiter. All had seated themselves at the dinner-table, and Amanda had gone to take out the dinner she had sent up from the kitchen on the dumb-waiter. But something was the matter; she could not pull it up. There was the dinner, but she could not reach it. All the […]

AT DINNER. Another little incident occurred in the Peterkin family. This was at dinner-time. They sat down to a dish of boiled ham. Now it was a peculiarity of the children of the family that half of them liked fat, and half liked lean. Mr. Peterkin sat down to cut the ham. But the ham […]

Early in the autumn the Peterkins began to prepare for their Christmas-tree. Everything was done in great privacy, as it was to be a surprise to the neighbors, as well as to the rest of the family. Mr. Peterkin had been up to Mr. Bromwick’s wood-lot, and, with his consent, selected the tree. Agamemnon went […]

Not that they were fond of drinking milk, nor that they drank very much. But for that reason Mr. Peterkin thought it would be well to have a cow, to encourage the family to drink more, as he felt it would be so healthy. Mrs. Peterkin recalled the troubles of the last cold winter, and […]

Mrs. Peterkin awoke one morning to find a heavy snow-storm raging. The wind had flung the snow against the windows, had heaped it up around the house, and thrown it into huge white drifts over the fields, covering hedges and fences. Mrs. Peterkin went from one window to the other to look out; but nothing […]

In fact, it was their last summer’s journey,–for it had been planned then; but there had been so many difficulties it had been delayed. The first trouble had been about trunks. The family did not own a trunk suitable for travelling. Agamemnon had his valise, that he had used when he stayed a week at […]

Dramatis Personae. –Amanda (friend of Elizabeth Eliza), Amanda’s mother, girls of the graduating class, Mrs. Peterkin, Elizabeth Eliza. AMANDA

Twas important to have a tea-party, as they had all been invited by everybody,–the Bromwicks, the Tremletts, and the Gibbonses. It would be such a good chance to pay off some of their old debts, now that the lady from Philadelphia was back again, and her two daughters, who would be sure to make it […]

Ever since the picnic the Peterkins had been wanting to have “something” at their house in the way of entertainment. The little boys wanted to get up a “great Exposition,” to show to the people of the place. But Mr. Peterkin thought it too great an effort to send to foreign countries for “exhibits,” and […]

There was some doubt about the weather. Solomon John looked at the “Probabilities”; there were to be “areas of rain” in the New England States. Agamemnon thought if they could only know where the areas of rain were to be they might go to the others. Mr. Peterkin proposed walking round the house in a […]

Certainly now was the time to study the languages. The Peterkins had moved into a new house, far more convenient than their old one, where they would have a place for everything and everything in its place. Of course they would then have more time. Elizabeth Eliza recalled the troubles of the old house; how […]

The day began early. A compact had been made with the little boys the evening before. They were to be allowed to usher in the glorious day by the blowing of horns exactly at sunrise. But they were to blow them for precisely five minutes only, and no sound of the horns should be heard […]

Agamemnon had long felt it an impropriety to live in a house that was called a “semi-detached” house, when there was no other “semi” to it. It had always remained wholly detached, as the owner had never built the other half. Mrs. Peterkin felt this was not a sufficient reason for undertaking the terrible process […]

Agamemnon felt that it became necessary for him to choose a profession. It was important on account of the little boys. If he should make a trial of several different professions he could find out which would be the most likely to be successful, and it would then be easy to bring up the little […]

The Peterkins were in quite a muddle (for them) about the carnival of authors, to be given in Boston. As soon as it was announced, their interests were excited, and they determined that all the family should go. But they conceived a wrong idea of the entertainment, as they supposed that every one must go […]

Mrs. Peterkin’s nerves were so shaken by the excitement of the fall of the three little boys into the enclosure where the cow was kept that the educational breakfast was long postponed. The little boys continued at school, as before, and the conversation dwelt as little as possible upon the subject of education. Mrs. Peterkin’s […]

There had apparently been some mistake in Agamemnon’s education. He had been to a number of colleges, indeed, but he had never completed his course in any one. He had continually fallen into some difficulty with the authorities. It was singular, for he was of an inquiring mind, and had always tried to find out […]