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.