The Peterkin papers
high wind, and they could not hear exactly what she said.

"I have tried the whip," said Elizabeth Eliza. "She says 'whips,' such as you eat," said one of the little boys. "We might make those," said Mrs. Peterkin, thoughtfully. "We have got plenty of cream," said Elizabeth Eliza. "Yes, let us have some whips," cried the little boys, getting out. And the opposite neighbor cried out something about whips; and the wind was very high.

So they went into the kitchen, and whipped up the cream, and made some very delicious whips; and the little boys tasted all round, and they all thought they were very nice. They carried some out to the horse, who swallowed it down very quickly. "That is just what he wanted," said Mrs. Peterkin; "now he will certainly go!"

So they all got into the carriage again, and put in the currants and the gooseberries and the flowers; and Elizabeth Eliza shook the reins, and they all clucked; but still the horse would not go!

"We must either give up our ride," said Mrs. Peterkin, mournfully, "or else send over to the lady from Philadelphia, and see what she will say."

The little boys jumped out as quickly as they could; they were eager to go and ask the lady from Philadelphia. Elizabeth Eliza went with them, while her mother took the reins. They found that the lady from Philadelphia was very ill that day, and was in her bed. But when she was told what the trouble was, she very kindly said they might draw up the curtain from the window at the foot of the bed, and open the blinds, and she would see. Then she asked for her opera-glass and looked through it, across the way, up the street, to Mrs. Peterkin's door. After she had looked through the glass, she laid it down, leaned her head back against the pillow, for she was very tired, and then said, "Why don't you unchain the horse from the horse-post?" Elizabeth Eliza and the little boys looked at one another, and then hurried back to the house and told their mother. The horse was untied, and they all went to ride.

Another little incident occurred in the Peterkin family. This was at dinner-time. They sat down to a dish of boiled ham. Now it was a peculiarity of the children of the family, that half of them liked fat, and half liked lean. Mr. Peterkin sat down to cut the ham. But the ham turned out to be a very remarkable one. The fat and the lean came in separate slices,--first one of lean, then one of fat, then two slices of lean, and so on. Mr. Peterkin began as usual by helping the children first, 
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