Many stories follow characters as they seek adventure beyond their humble abode in great mountains and kingdoms. From Lucretia P. Hale’s collection of stories, “The Peterkin Papers,” the short story, “The Peterkins Try to Become Wise,” shows that the best adventures and fun can happen right at home with the family.
With the absence of their friend from Philadelphia, Mr. and Mrs. Peterkin and their children—Agamemnon, Elizabeth Eliza, and Solomon John, and three little boys—realize that they have lost a great source of wisdom. Without her, how will they solve their most puzzling questions? They decide that, if the don’t have their wise friend, they themselves must become wise.
