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.