The Peterkin Papers Page 3

  THE PETERKINS TRY TO BECOME WISE.

  THEY were sitting round the breakfast-table, and wondering what theyshould do because the lady from Philadelphia had gone away. "If," saidMrs. Peterkin, "we could only be more wise as a family!" How could theymanage it? Agamemnon had been to college, and the children all went toschool; but still as a family they were not wise. "It comes from books,"said one of the family. "People who have a great many books are verywise." Then they counted up that there were very few books in thehouse,--a few school-books and Mrs. Peterkin's cook-book were all.

  "That's the thing!" said Agamemnon. "We want a library."

  "We want a library!" said Solomon John. And all of them exclaimed, "Wewant a library!"

  "Let us think how we shall get one," said Mrs. Peterkin. "I haveobserved that other people think a great deal of thinking."

  So they all sat and thought a great while.

  Then said Agamemnon, "I will make a library. There are some boards inthe wood-shed, and I have a hammer and some nails, and perhaps we canborrow some hinges, and there we have our library!"

  They were all very much pleased at the idea.

  "That's the book-case part," said Elizabeth Eliza; "but where are thebooks?"

  So they sat and thought a little while, when Solomon John exclaimed, "Iwill make a book!"

  They all looked at him in wonder.

  "Yes," said Solomon John, "books will make us wise, but first I mustmake a book."

  So they went into the parlor, and sat down to make a book. But there wasno ink.

  What should he do for ink? Elizabeth Eliza said she had heard thatnutgalls and vinegar made very good ink. So they decided to make some.The little boys said they could find some nutgalls up in the woods.So they all agreed to set out and pick some. Mrs. Peterkins put on hercape-bonnet, and the little boys got into their india-rubber boots, andoff they went.

  The nutgalls were hard to find. There was almost everything else in thewoods,--chestnuts, and walnuts, and small hazel-nuts, and a great manysquirrels; and they had to walk a great way before they found anynutgalls. At last they came home with a large basket and two nutgallsin it. Then came the question of the vinegar. Mrs. Peterkin had used hervery last on some beets they had the day before. "Suppose we go andask the minister's wife," said Elizabeth Eliza. So they all went tothe minister's wife. She said if they wanted some good vinegar they hadbetter set a barrel of cider down in the cellar, and in a year or twoit would make very nice vinegar. But they said they wanted it that veryafternoon. When the minister's wife heard this, she said she should bevery glad to let them have some vinegar, and gave them a cupful to carryhome.

  So they stirred in the nutgalls, and by the time evening came they hadvery good ink.

  Then Solomon John wanted a pen. Agamemnon had a steel one, but SolomonJohn said, "Poets always used quills." Elizabeth Eliza suggested thatthey should go out to the poultry-yard and get a quill. But it wasalready dark. They had, however, two lanterns, and the littleboys borrowed the neighbors'. They set out in procession for thepoultry-yard. When they got there, the fowls were all at roost, so theycould look at them quietly.