Agamemnon and Solomon John, turned the piano round.

"Why did we not think of that before?" said Mrs. Peterkin. "What
shall we do when the lady from Philadelphia goes home again?"

THE PETERKINS TRY TO BECOME WISE. 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 they were not
wise. "It comes from books," said one of the family. "People who
have a great many books are very wise." Then they counted up
that there were very few books in the house,­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, "We want a library!"

"Let us think how we shall get one," said Mrs. Peterkin. "I have
observed 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 in the wood-shed, and I have a hammer and some nails ,
and perhaps we can borrow some hinges, and there we have our
library!"