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+The Project Gutenberg eBook, Little Prudy's Sister Susy, by Sophie May
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: Little Prudy's Sister Susy
+
+Author: Sophie May
+
+Release Date: November 29, 2004  [eBook #14202]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LITTLE PRUDY'S SISTER SUSY***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Juliet Sutherland, Melissa Er-Raqabi, and the Project
+Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+LITTLE PRUDY'S SISTER SUSY
+
+by
+
+SOPHIE MAY
+
+New York
+Hurst & Company
+Publishers
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+TO MY LITTLE NIECE Katie Clarke
+THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU, KATIE, WITH THE LOVE OF YOUR AUNTIE.
+
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+    CHAPTER
+
+       I. KEEPING SECRETS
+      II. BEFORE DAYLIGHT
+     III. SUSY'S CHRISTMAS
+      IV. SUSY'S WINGS
+       V. PRUDY'S TROUBLE
+      VI. ROSY FRANCES EASTMAN MARY
+     VII. LITTLE TROUBLES
+    VIII. ANNIE LOVEJOY
+      IX. MORAL COURAGE
+       X. RUTHIE TURNER
+      XI. SUSY'S BIRTHDAY
+     XII. FAREWELL
+
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+
+Here is a story about the oldest of the three little Parlin girls,
+"sister Susy;" though so many things are always happening to Prudy that
+it is not possible to keep her out of the book.
+
+I hope my dear little friends will see how kind it was in God to send
+the "slow winter" and the long nights of pain to little Prudy.
+
+If trouble should come to us, let us grow gentle, and patient, and
+lovely.
+
+Little friends, be sure of one thing--our dear Father in heaven sends us
+something hard to bear only because he loves us.
+
+
+
+
+SISTER SUSY.
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+KEEPING SECRETS.
+
+
+We might begin this story of Susy Parlin on a New Year's day, only it is
+so hard to skip over Christmas. There is such a charm about Christmas!
+It makes you think at once of a fir tree shining with little candles and
+sparkling with toys, or of a droll Santa Claus with a pack full of
+presents, or of a waxen angel called the Christ-child.
+
+And it is just as well to date from the twenty-fifth of December,
+because, as "Christ was born on Christmas day," that is really the
+"Happy New Year."
+
+For a long while the three little Parlin girls had been thinking and
+dreaming of presents. Susy's wise head was like a beehive, full of
+little plans and little fancies, which were flying about like bees, and
+buzzing in everybody's ears.
+
+But it may be as well to give you a short description of the Parlin
+family.
+
+Susy's eyes were of an "evening blue," the very color of the sky in a
+summer night; good eyes, for they were as clear as a well which has the
+"truth" lying at the bottom of it. She was almost as nimble as a
+squirrel, and could face a northern snow storm like an engineer. Her
+hair was dark brown, and as smooth and straight as pine-needles; while
+Prudy's fair hair rippled like a brook running over pebbles. Prudy's
+face was sunny, and her mouth not much larger than a button-hole.
+
+The youngest sister was named Alice, but the family usually called her
+Dotty, or Dotty Dimple, for she was about as round as a period, and had
+a cunning little dimple in each cheek. She had bright eyes, long curls,
+and a very short tongue; that is, she did not talk much. She was two
+years and a half old before she could be prevailed upon to say anything
+at all. Her father declared that Dotty thought there were people enough
+in the world to do the talking, and she would keep still; or perhaps
+she was tired of hearing Prudy say so much.
+
+However, she had a way of nodding her curly head, and shaking her plump
+little forefinger; so everybody knew very well what she meant. She had
+learned the use of signs from a little deaf and dumb boy of whom we
+shall hear more by and by; but all at once, when she was ready she began
+to talk with all her might, and soon made up for lost time.
+
+The other members of the family were only grown people: Mr. and Mrs.
+Parlin, the children's excellent parents; Mrs. Read, their kind Quaker
+grandmother; and the Irish servant girl, Norah.
+
+Just now Mrs. Margaret Parlin, their "aunt Madge," was visiting them,
+and the little girls felt quite easy about Christmas, for they gave it
+all up to her; and when they wanted to know how to spend their small
+stock of money, or how much this or that pretty toy would cost, Prudy
+always settled it by saying, "Let's go ask auntie: _she'll_ know, for
+she's been through the Rithmetic."
+
+Prudy spoke these words with awe. She thought "going through the
+Rithmetic" was next thing to going round the world.
+
+"O Auntie, I'm so glad you came," said Susy, "for I didn't see how I was
+ever going to finish my Christmas presents: I go to school, you know,
+and it takes me all the rest of the time to slide!"
+
+The children were busy making wonderful things "all secret;" or they
+would have been secret if Prudy hadn't told.
+
+For one thing, she wondered very much what Susy could be doing with four
+pins stuck in a spool. She watched the nimble fingers as they passed the
+worsted thread over the pin-heads, making stitches as fast as Susy could
+wink.
+
+"It looks like a tiny snake all sticked through the hole in the spool,"
+said Prudy, eager with curiosity. "If you ain't a-goin' to speak, I
+don't know what I _shall_ do, Susy Parlin!"
+
+When poor Susy could not pretend any longer not to hear, she answered
+Prudy, half vexed, half laughing, "O, dear, I s'pose you'll tease and
+tease till you find out. Won't you never say a word to anybody,
+_never_?"
+
+"Never in my world," replied the little one, with a solemn shake of her
+head.
+
+"Well, it's a lamp-mat for auntie. It's going to be blue, and red, and
+all colors; and when it's done, mother'll sew it into a round, and put
+fringe on: won't it be splendid? But remember, you promised not to
+tell!"
+
+Now, the very next time Prudy sat in her auntie's lap she whispered in
+her ear,--
+
+"You don't know what _we're_ making for you, _all secret_, out of
+worsted, and _I_ shan't tell!"
+
+"Mittens?" said aunt Madge, kissing Prudy's lips, which were pressed
+together over her sweet little secret like a pair of sugar-tongs
+clinching a lump of sugar.
+
+"Mittens? No, indeed! Better'n that! There'll be fringe all over it;
+it's in a round; it's to put something on,--to put the _lamp_ on!"
+
+"Not a lamp-mat, of course?"
+
+"Why, yes it is! O, there, now you've been and guessed all in a minute!
+Susy's gone an' told! I didn't s'pose she'd tell. I wouldn't for nothin'
+in my world!"
+
+Was it strange that Susy felt vexed when she found that her nice little
+surprise was all spoiled?
+
+"Try to be patient," said Mrs. Parlin, gently. "Remember how young and
+thoughtless your sister is. She never means any harm."
+
+"O, but, mamma," replied Susy, "she _keeps_ me being patient all the
+whole time, and it's hard work."
+
+So Susy, in her vexation, said to Prudy, rather sternly, "You little
+naughty thing, to go and tell when you promised not to! You're almost as
+bad as Dotty. What makes you act so?"
+
+"Why, Susy," said the child, looking up through her tears, "have I
+_acted_? I didn't know I'd acted! If you loved me, you wouldn't look
+that way to me. You wrinkle up your face just like Nanny when she says
+she'll shake the naughty out of me, Miss Prudy."
+
+Then what could Susy do but forgive the sweet sister, who kissed her so
+coaxingly, and looked as innocent as a poor little kitty that has been
+stealing cream without knowing it is a sin?
+
+It was plain that it would not do to trust Prudy with secrets. Her brain
+could not hold them, any more than a sieve can hold water. So Mrs.
+Parlin took pity upon Susy, and allowed her and her cousin Florence
+Eastman to lock themselves into her chamber at certain hours, and work
+at their presents without interruption.
+
+While the little girls sat together busily employed with book-marks and
+pin-cushions, the time flew very swiftly, and they were as happy as bees
+in a honeysuckle.
+
+Mrs. Parlin said she believed nothing less than Christmas presents would
+ever make Susy willing to use a needle and thread; for she disliked
+sewing, and declared she wished the man who made the needles had to
+swallow them all.
+
+The family were to celebrate Christmas evening; for Mr. Parlin was away,
+and might not reach home in season for Christmas eve.
+
+For a wonder they were not to have a Tree, but a Santa Claus, "just for
+a change."
+
+"Not a truly Santa Claus, that comes puffin' down the chimney,"
+explained Prudy, who knew very well it would be only cousin Percy under
+a mask and white wig.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+BEFORE DAYLIGHT.
+
+
+On Christmas morning, at three o'clock, there was a great bustle and
+pattering of little feet, and buzzing of little voices trying to speak
+in whispers. Susy and Prudy were awake and astir.
+
+"Where _do_ you s'pose the stockings are?" buzzed Prudy, in a very loud
+whisper.
+
+"Right by the bed-post, Prudy Parlin; and if you don't take care we'll
+wake everybody up.--'Sh! 'Sh!"
+
+"Mine's pinned on," said Prudy; "and I've pricked my fingers. O deary
+me!"
+
+"Well, of course you've waked 'em all now," exclaimed Susy,
+indignantly: "I might have pricked my fingers to pieces, but I wouldn't
+have said a word."
+
+Mr. and Mrs. Parlin, who were in the next room, were wide awake by this
+time; but they said nothing, only listened to the whispers of the
+children, which grew fainter, being smothered and kept down by mouthfuls
+of candy, lozenges, and peanuts.
+
+The little girls longed for daybreak. The sun, however, seemed to be in
+no haste, and it was a long while before there was a peep of light. Susy
+and Prudy waited, wondering whether the sun would really forget to show
+his face; but all the while they waited they were eating candy; so it
+was neither dull nor lonely. As for closing their eyes again, they would
+have scorned the idea. It would be a pity indeed to fall asleep, and
+lose the pleasure of saying "Merry Christmas" to everybody. Norah, the
+Irish servant, had said she should be up very early to attend High Mass:
+they must certainly waylay her on the stairs. How astonished she would
+be, when she supposed they were both soundly asleep!
+
+"Let me do it myself," said Susy: "you stay here, Prudy, for you'll be
+sure to make a noise."
+
+"I'll go on my tippy toes," pleaded Prudy, her mouth half filled with
+chocolate drops.
+
+So through their mother's room they stole softly, only throwing over
+one chair, and hitting Dotty's crib a little in their haste. Dotty made
+a sleepy sound of alarm, and Prudy could not help laughing, but only "in
+her sleeve," that is, in her "nightie" sleeve, which she put up to her
+mouth to smother the noise.
+
+When they had reached the back-stairs Susy whispered, "O, Norah is up
+and gone down. I hear her in the kitchen. 'Sh! 'Sh!"
+
+Susy thought there was no time to be lost, and she would have rushed
+down stairs, two steps at a time, but her little sister was exactly in
+the way.
+
+"Somebody has been and tugged my little chair up here," said Prudy,
+"and I must tug it back again."
+
+So in the dim light the two children groped their way down stairs, Prudy
+going first with the chair.
+
+"O, what a little snail! Hurry--can't you?" said Susy, impatiently;
+"Norah'll be gone! What's the use of our waking up in the night if we
+can't say Merry Christmas to anybody?"
+
+"Well, _ain't_ I a-hurryin' now?" exclaimed Prudy, plunging forward and
+falling, chair and all, the whole length of the stairs.
+
+All the house was awake now, for Prudy screamed lustily. Grandma Read
+called out from the passage-way,--
+
+"O, little Prudence, has thee broken thy neck?"
+
+Mrs. Parlin rushed out, too frightened to speak, and Mr. Parlin ran down
+stairs, and took Prudy up in his arms.
+
+"It was--you--did it--Susy Parlin," sobbed the child. "I
+shouldn't--have--fell, if you--hadn't--have--screamed."
+
+The poor little girl spoke slowly and with difficulty, as if she dropped
+a bucket into her full heart, and drew up the words one at a time.
+
+"O, mother, I know it was me," said Susy meekly; "and I was careless,
+and it was all in the dark. I'm sure I hope Prudy'll forgive me."
+
+"No, it wasn't you, neither," said Prudy, whose good humor was restored
+the moment Susy had made what she considered due confession. "You never
+touched me, Susy! It was the _chair_; and I love you just as dearly as
+ever I did."
+
+Prudy lay on the sofa for some time, looking quite pale by the
+gas-light, while her mother rubbed her side, and the rest of the family
+stood looking at her with anxious faces.
+
+It was quite an important occasion for Prudy, who always liked to be the
+centre of attraction.
+
+"O, mamma," said she, closing her eyes languidly, "when the room makes
+believe whirl round, does it _truly_ whirl round?"
+
+The truth was, she felt faint and dizzy, though only for a short time.
+
+"I wish," said she, "it had been somebody else that fell down stairs,
+and not me, for I didn't go down easy! The _prongs_ of the chair pushed
+right into my side."
+
+But it did not appear that Prudy was much injured, after all. In a few
+minutes she was skipping about the room almost as nimbly as ever, only
+stopping to groan every now and then, when she happened to think of it.
+
+"It is a wonder," said Mr. Parlin, "that more children are not lamed for
+life by such accidents."
+
+"I have often thought of it," said aunt Madge. "Some little ones seem to
+be making hair-breadth escapes almost every day of their lives. I
+believe Prudy would have been in her grave long ago, if it had not been
+for her guardian angel."
+
+The long-expected Christmas had come at last, and Prudy had stumbled
+into it, as she stumbled into everything else. But it is an ill wind
+which blows no good to anybody; and it so happened that in all this
+confusion Susy was able to "wish a Merry Christmas" to Norah, and to the
+whole family besides.
+
+When Mrs. Parlin found that the children were too thoroughly awake to go
+to sleep again that morning, she told them they might dress themselves
+in the parlor if they would keep as quiet as possible, and let the rest
+of the household take another nap.
+
+It all seemed very strange and delightful to the little girls. It was
+like another sort of life, this new arrangement of stealing about the
+house in the silent hours before daybreak. Susy thought she should like
+to sit up all night, and sleep all day, if the mayor would only hush the
+streets; it would be so odd!
+
+"O, how dark the clouds are!" said Prudy, peeping out of the window; "it
+_fogs_ so I can't see a single thing. Susy, I'm going to keep _at watch_
+of the sky. Don't you s'pose, though, 'twill be Christmas all the same,
+if there's a snow storm?"
+
+"There's been snow," said Susy, "all in the night. Look down at the
+pavement. Don't you wish that was frosted cake?"
+
+"O, the snow came in the night, so not to wake us up," cried Prudy,
+clapping her hands; "but it wouldn't have waked us, you know, even in
+the night, for it came so still."
+
+"But why don't the clouds go off?" she added, sadly.
+
+"I don't know," replied Susy; "perhaps they are waiting till the sun
+comes and smiles them away."
+
+Such happy children as these were, as they sat peeping out of the window
+at the dull gray sky!
+
+They did not know that a great mischief was begun that morning--a
+mischief which was no larger yet than "a midge's wing." They were
+watching the clouds for a snow storm; but they never dreamed of such
+things as clouds of _trouble_, which grow darker and darker, and which
+even the beautiful Christmas sun cannot "smile away."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+SUSY'S CHRISTMAS.
+
+
+It was bright and beautiful all day, and then, when no one could
+possibly wait any longer, it was Christmas evening. The coal glowed in
+the grate with a splendid blaze: all the gas-burners were lighted, and
+so were everybody's eyes. If one had listened, one might have heard,
+from out of doors, a joyful tinkling of sleigh-bells; yet I fancy nobody
+could have told whether the streets were still or noisy, or whether the
+sky had a moon in it or not; for nobody was quiet long enough to notice.
+
+But by and by, when the right time had come, the folding-doors were
+opened, just like the two covers to a Christmas fairy book. Then, in a
+second, it was so still you might have heard a pin drop.
+
+Such a funny little old gentleman had arrived: his face alive with
+dimples, and smiles, and wrinkles. His cheeks were as red and round as
+winter apples, and where there wasn't a wrinkle there was a dimple; and
+no doubt there was a dimple in his chin, and his chin maybe was double,
+only you couldn't tell, for it was hidden ever so deep under a beard as
+white as a snow-drift.
+
+He walked along, tottering under the weight of a huge pack full of
+presents. He extended his small arms towards the audience most
+affectionately, and you could see that his antiquated coat-sleeves were
+bristling with toys and glistening with ornaments. His eyes twinkled
+with fun, and his mouth, which seemed nearly worn out with laughing,
+grew bigger every minute.
+
+It took the dear old gentleman some time to clear his throat; but when
+he had found his voice, which at first was as fine as a knitting-needle,
+and all of a tremble, he made
+
+THE SPEECH OF SANTA CLAUS.
+
+"How do, my darlings? How do, all round? Bless your little hearts, how
+do you all do? Did they tell ye Santa wasn't a-comin', my dears? Did
+your grandpas and grandmas say, 'Humph! there isn't any such a person.'
+My love to the good old people. I know they mean all right; but tell
+them they'll have to give it up now!"
+
+(Here Santa Claus made a low bow. Everybody laughed and clapped; but
+Prudy whispered, "O, don't he look old all over? What has he done with
+his _teeth_? O, dear, has anybody pulled 'em out?")
+
+"Yes, my dears," continued the old gentleman, encouraged by the
+applause,--"yes, my dears, here I am, as jolly as ever! But bless your
+sweet little hearts, I've had a terrible time getting here! The wind has
+been blowin' me up as fierce as you please, and I've been shook round
+as if I wasn't of more account than a kernel of corn in a popper!
+
+"O, O, I've been ducked up to the chin in some awful deep snow-drifts,
+up there by the North Pole! This is the very first time the storms have
+come so heavy as to cover over the end of the North Pole! But this year
+they had to dig three days before they could find it. O, ho!
+
+"I was a-wanderin' round all last night; a real shivery night, too! Got
+so _broke up_, there's nothing left of me but small pieces. O, hum!
+
+"Such a time as I had in some of those chimneys, you haven't any idee!
+Why, if you'll believe me, over there in Iceland somebody forgot to
+clear out the chimney, and there I stuck fast, like a fish-bone in your
+throat; couldn't be picked out, couldn't be swallowed!
+
+"The funniest time that was! How I laughed! And then the children's
+mother woke up, and, 'O, dear,' said she; 'hear the wind sigh down the
+chimney!' 'Only me,' says I; 'and I've caught you napping this time!'
+She helped me out, and when I had caught my breath, I climbed out the
+window; but, deary me, I shouldn't wonder if that very woman went to
+sleep again, and thought it was all a dream! Heigh-ho! that's the way
+they always treat poor Santa Claus nowadays."
+
+(Here the children laughed, and Susy said, "I guess he must have bumped
+his nose against that chimney: see what a hump!")
+
+"O, O, don't you make sport of me, children! My nose is big, to be sure,
+but I'm going to keep it and make the best of it! If you love Santa as
+he loves you, you wouldn't mind the looks. I _was_ going to change my
+coat and dickey; but then, thinks I, I'll come just as I am! I patted
+myself on the shoulder, and says I, 'Santa Claus, don't you fret if you
+_are_ growin' old! You may look a little dried up, but your heart isn't
+wrinkled; O no!' You see father Adam and me was very near of an age, but
+somehow I never growed up! I always thought big folks did very well in
+their place; but for my part, give me the children. Hurrah for the
+children!"
+
+(Great clapping and laughing.)
+
+"I tell you, darlings, I haven't forgot a single one of you. My pockets
+are running over. I've been preparing presents for you ever since last
+fall, when the birds broke up housekeeping.
+
+"Here's a tippet for the Prudy girl, and she may have it for nothing;
+and they are cheaper 'n that, if you take 'em by the quantity.
+
+"I'm a walkin' book-case. Why, I've brought stories and histories enough
+to set up a store! I've got more nuts than you can shake a hammer at;
+but I think there's more bark to 'em than there is bite. O, O, I find I
+can't crack 'em with my teeth, as I used to a hundred years ago!
+
+"But my dear, sweet, cunning little hearers, I must be a-goin'. Queen
+Victoria, said she to me, said she, 'Now, Santa, my love, do you hurry
+back to fill my children's stockings before the clock strikes twelve.'
+Queen Vic is an excellent woman, and is left a poor widow; so I can't
+disappoint her, poor soul!
+
+"I must be a-goin'! Would like to hug and kiss you all round, but can't
+stop. (Kisses his hand and bows.) A Merry Christmas to you all, and a
+Happy New Year."
+
+So saying, Santa Claus suddenly disappeared at the hall door, dropping
+his heavy pack upon the table.
+
+In another minute the lively old gentleman was in the front parlor
+without any mask, and of course it was nobody but cousin Percy "with his
+face off."
+
+Then they all fell to work sorting out presents. Prudy seized her fur
+tippet, and put it on at once.
+
+"O, how pretty I look," said she; "just like a little cat! _Ain't_ I
+cunning?"
+
+But nobody could pause to attend to Prudy, though she chatted very fast,
+without commas or periods, and held up to view a large wax doll which
+"would be alive if it could talk." They all had gifts as well as Prudy,
+and wished to talk rather than to listen. They asked questions without
+waiting for answers, and did not mind interrupting one another, and
+talking all at once, like a party of school children.
+
+All this was hardly polite, it is true; but people are sometimes
+surprised out of their good manners on Christmas evenings, and must be
+forgiven for it, as such a good time happens but once a year.
+
+Percy broke in with an old song, and went through with a whole stanza of
+it, although no one listened to a word:--
+
+    "Good luck unto old Christmas,
+      And long life let us sing,
+    For he doeth more good unto the poor
+      Than many a crownéd king."
+
+"My beautiful books!" cried aunt Madge; "Russia morocco."
+
+"My writing-desk,--has any one looked at it?" said Mrs. Parlin;
+"rose-wood, inlaid with brass."
+
+"My skates!" broke in Susy, at the top of her voice.
+
+"Hush!" screamed cousin Percy; "won't anybody please notice my drum? If
+you won't look, then look out for a drum in each ear!"
+
+And as nobody would look or pay the slightest attention, they all had to
+hear "Dixie" pounded out in true martial style, till they held on to
+their ears.
+
+"Rattlety bang!" went the drum. "Tweet, tweet," whistled the little
+musical instruments which the children were blowing.
+
+"Have pity on us!" cried aunt Madge; "I am bewildered; my head is
+floating like a Chinese garden."
+
+"Order!" shouted Mr. Parlin, laughing.
+
+"O, yes, sir," said Percy, seizing Susy and whirling her round.
+"Children, why don't you try to preserve order? My nerves are strung up
+like violin-strings! I've got a pound of headache to every ounce of
+brains. Susy Parlin, do try to keep still!"
+
+"Thee needn't pretend it is all Susan," said grandma Read, smiling.
+"Thee and little Prudence are the noisiest of the whole!"
+
+In fact, they raised such a din, that after a while poor grandma Read
+smoothed the Quaker cap over her smiling face, and stole off into her
+own chamber, where she could "settle down into quietness." Much noise
+always confused grandma Read.
+
+But in a very few moments, when the excitement began to die out, there
+was a season of overwhelming gratitude. Everybody had to thank everybody
+else; and Mr. Parlin, who had a beautiful dressing-gown to be grateful
+for, nevertheless found time to tell Susy, over and over again, how
+delighted he was with her book-mark, made, by her own fingers, of three
+wide strips of velvet ribbon; on the ends of which were fastened a
+cross, a star, and an anchor, of card-board.
+
+"Papa, one ribbon is to keep your place in the Old Testament," said
+Susy; "one is to stay in the middle, at the births and marriages; and
+the other one is for our chapter in the New Testament, you know."
+
+"I think my lamp-mat is very pretty," said aunt Madge, kissing Susy;
+"every bit as pretty as if Prudy hadn't 'been and told.'"
+
+Prudy had bought a shawl-pin for her mother, a fierce little wooden
+soldier for aunt Madge, and something for everybody else but Susy. Not
+that she forgot Susy. O, no! but one's money does not always hold out,
+even at Christmas time.
+
+"Why," said Mr. Parlin, "what is this sticking fast to the sole of my
+new slipper? Molasses candy, I do believe."
+
+"Yes sir; that's for Susy," cried Prudy, suddenly remembering how she
+had tucked it in at the last moment, when she could not stop to find any
+wrapping-paper. "It isn't so big as it was, but it's the biggest piece I
+had in this world. I saved it last night. Susy likes 'lasses candy, and
+I couldn't think of nothin' else."
+
+It was a wonder that Prudy's candy had not spoiled some of the nice
+presents.
+
+Susy received several pretty things; and though she did not talk quite
+so much as Prudy, she was just as happy. For one thing, she had what she
+had not dreamed was possible for a little girl--a bottle of otto of
+rose; "just like a young lady."
+
+This was a real delight to Susy: but Prudy, sniffing at it, said,
+coolly, "O, ho! it smells 's if it didn't cost more'n a cent! 'Tisn't
+half so sweet as pep'mint!"
+
+Before Dotty could be put to bed, she had contrived to break several
+toys, all of which happened to be Susy's--a sugar temple, a glass
+pitcher, and a small vase.
+
+This was an evening long to be remembered; but the most remarkable event
+of all was to come.
+
+"Susy, my daughter," said Mr. Parlin, "have you been wondering why you
+don't see a present from me?"
+
+Susy blushed. She had certainly expected something handsome this year
+from her father.
+
+"I haven't forgotten you, my dear; but the present I have chosen
+wouldn't sit very well on the shoulders of such a little fellow as Santa
+Claus."
+
+Percy laughed. "Wouldn't it have been a load, uncle?"
+
+"Hush!" whispered aunt Madge; "she isn't to know till morning."
+
+"But, papa," said Susy, her eyes shining with excitement, "why couldn't
+you bring it in here now?"
+
+"It is better off out of doors. Indeed, to tell the truth, my child, it
+is hardly suitable for the parlor."
+
+"Now, Miss Susy," said Percy, measuring off his words on the tips of his
+fingers, "I'm authorized to tell you it's something you mustn't take in
+your lap, mustn't hang on a nail; if you do, you'll lose it. I'm sure
+'twill please you, Susy, because it's a mute, and can't speak. You--"
+
+"O, hush talking about dumb people! I shouldn't think you'd make sport
+of Freddy Jackson! If _you_ was a little _deaf-and-dumber_ than you are
+now, I'd like you better!
+
+"O, dear, dear!" cried she, dancing about the room; "what can it be? I
+can't wait!"
+
+"Only think; all night before I'll know," thought she, as she touched
+her pillow. "O, Prudy, to-morrow morning! Only think of to-morrow
+morning I All my other presents are just nothing at all. Anything is
+_so_ much nicer when you don't know what it is!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+SUSY'S WINGS.
+
+
+Susy awoke next morning very much surprised to find the sun so high.
+Prudy was lying beside her, talking to herself.
+
+"I don't feel very well," said the child; "but I'm pleasant; I mean to
+be good all day."
+
+"Why didn't you speak to me?" cried Susy, springing out of bed, "when
+you knew how I couldn't wait to see my present?"
+
+"I would have woke you up, Susy, but I ain't well; I'm sick in my
+knees."
+
+And Prudy limped about the room to show her sister how lame she was.
+But Susy was in too great a hurry to pay much attention to her, or to
+help her dress.
+
+"Good morning, papa!" she exclaimed, the moment she entered the parlor;
+"now may I see the present?"
+
+"Do you suppose you could wait till after breakfast, Susy?"
+
+Aunt Madge smiled as she looked at the little eager face.
+
+"I see you are going on with your lessons," said she.
+
+"What lessons, auntie? Why, it is the holidays!"
+
+"Lessons in patience, my dear. Isn't something always happening which
+you have to be patient about?"
+
+Susy thought of Prudy's habit of disclosing secrets, Dotty's trying way
+of destroying playthings; and now this long delay about her present. She
+began to think there were a great many vexations in the world, and that
+she bore them remarkably well for such a little girl.
+
+"Yes, thee must let patience have her perfect work, Susan," said grandma
+Read, after the "silent blessing" had been asked at the table.
+
+"Mayn't I go, too?" said Prudy, when she saw her father, her auntie, and
+Susy leaving the house just after breakfast.
+
+And she went, as a matter of course; but the pavements were a little
+slippery from sleet; and Prudy, who was never a famous walker, had as
+much as she could do, even with the help of her father's hand, to keep
+from falling.
+
+"Why, Prudy," said Mr. Parlin, "what ails you this morning? You limp so
+much that I believe you need crutches."
+
+"I'm sick in my knee," replied Prudy, delighted to see that her lameness
+was observed. "If _you_ had my knee, and it hurt, you'd know how it
+feels!"
+
+By this time they had reached a livery stable; and, to Susy's surprise,
+her father stopped short, and said to a man who stood by the door, "Mr.
+Hill, my daughter has come to look at her pony."
+
+Prudy was in a great fright at sight of so many horses, and needed all
+her auntie's attention; but Susy had no fear, and Mr. Parlin led her
+along to a stall where stood a beautiful black pony, as gentle-looking
+as a Newfoundland dog.
+
+"How do you like him, Susy? Stroke his face, and talk to him."
+
+"But, O, papa, you don't mean, you can't mean, he's my very own! A whole
+pony all to myself!"
+
+"See what you think of his saddle, miss," said Mr. Hill, laughing at
+Susy's eagerness; and he led pony out, and threw over his back a
+handsome side-saddle.
+
+"Why, it seems as if I could just jump on without anybody touching me,"
+cried Susy.
+
+"Not afraid a bit?" said Mr. Hill, as Mr. Parlin seated Susy in the
+saddle, and gave her the reins. "Ponies throw people, sometimes."
+
+"O, but my papa would never give me a bad pony," answered Susy, with
+perfect confidence.
+
+Mr. Hill laughed again. He was a rough man; but he thought a child's
+faith in a parent was a beautiful thing.
+
+He did not know many passages of Scripture, but thought he had read
+somewhere, "And if he ask bread, will he give him a stone?" No; fathers
+are glad to give their "best gifts," and the little ones trust them.
+
+"It's like sailing in a boat," cried Susy, riding back and forth about
+the yard in great excitement; "why, it's just as easy as the swing in
+the oilnut-tree at grandma Parlin's! O, papa, to think I should forget
+to thank you!"
+
+But perhaps Mr. Parlin regarded glowing cheeks and shining eyes as the
+very best of thanks.
+
+Prudy thought the pony a beautiful "baby horse;" wanted to ride, and
+didn't want to; was afraid, and wasn't afraid, and, as her father said,
+"had as many minds as some politicians who are said to 'stand on the
+fence.'" By and by, after some coaxing, the timid little thing consented
+to sit behind Susy, and cling round her waist, if her father would walk
+beside her to make sure she didn't fall off. In this way they went
+home.
+
+"I like to sit so I can hug my sister, while she drives the horse," said
+Prudy; "besides, it hurts me to walk."
+
+Mr. Parlin and aunt Madge smiled at the child's speeches, but gave no
+more heed to this lameness of which she complained, than they did to any
+of the rest of her little freaks.
+
+Prudy liked to be pitied for every small hurt; and when Susy had a sore
+throat, and wore a compress, she looked upon her with envy, and felt it
+almost as a personal slight that _her_ throat could not be wrapped in a
+compress too.
+
+On their way they met "lame Jessie," a little girl with crooked spine
+and very high shoulders, who hobbled along on crutches.
+
+"She's lamer than me," said Prudy. "Good morning, Jessie."
+
+"I know what I've thought of," said Susy, who could talk of nothing
+which was not in some way connected with her pony. "I'm going to give
+that girl some rides. How happy she will be, poor little Jessie!"
+
+"When you get your sleigh," said Mr. Parlin.
+
+"My sleigh, papa? How many more presents are coming?"
+
+"It is hard to tell, Susy; one gift makes way for another, you see.
+First comes the pony; but how can he live without a stable, and a groom
+to feed him? Then what is a pony worth without a saddle? And, as one
+does not wish always to ride pony-back, a sleigh is the next thing."
+
+"But, papa, you know in the summer!"
+
+"Yes, my dear, in the summer, if we all live, there must be a light
+carriage made on purpose for you."
+
+"There is one thing more that pony needs," said aunt Madge, stroking his
+eyebrows, "and that is, a name."
+
+"O, I never thought of that," said Susy; "help me find a name, auntie."
+
+"Let me think. I should call him something good and pleasant. Think of
+something good and pleasant Think of something you like very much."
+
+"O, Frosted Cake," cried Prudy: "wouldn't that be pleasant? Susy loves
+that."
+
+"I should like to name him for the American Eagle," said Susy, who had
+heard some patriotic speeches from her cousin Percy; "only you couldn't
+pet that name, could you?"
+
+"You might call him Don Carlos, or Don Pedro," suggested Mr. Parlin.
+
+"No, papa; only think of Donny: that is like Donkey! You haven't any
+long ears, _have_ you, pony? If you had, I'd call you Little Pitcher,
+for 'little pitchers have great ears.' That makes me think of Mr. Allen,
+auntie. How big his ears are, you know? _Is_ it because his teacher
+pulled them so?"
+
+"O, call him 'Gustus,'" cried Prudy.
+
+"But that would soon be Gusty," said aunt Madge, "and would sound too
+much like the east wind."
+
+"Dear me," sighed Susy; "who'd ever think it was such hard work to find
+names?"
+
+"O, look," said Prudy, as they passed a jaded old horse; "there is a
+pony just exactly like this! Only it's twice as big, you know, and not a
+_bit_ such a color!"
+
+"Well, there, Prudy," said Susy, disdainfully, "I thought, when you
+began to speak, you was going to tell something! Why don't you wait till
+you have something to say? Please give me a list of names, papa."
+
+"There's Speedwell, Lightfoot, Zephyr, Prince, Will-o'-the-wisp--"
+
+"I might call him Wispy," broke in Susy. "Zephyr is good, only it makes
+you think of worsteds."
+
+"Now, listen," said aunt Madge; "you might call him Elephant, just for
+sport, because he is in reality so very little. Or, on the other hand,
+you might find the least speck of a name, like Firefly, or Midge."
+
+"I don't like any of those," replied Susy, still dissatisfied.
+
+"I see," said aunt Madge, laughing, "nothing will please you but a great
+name. What say to Pegasus, a flying horse, which poets are said to ride?
+It might be shortened to Peggy."
+
+"Now, auntie, you wouldn't have this beautiful pony called Peggy; you
+know you wouldn't! the one my father bought on purpose for me! But was
+there such a horse, truly?"
+
+"O, no; there is an old fable, which, as we say, is 'as true now as it
+ever was,' of a glorious creature with wings, and whoever mounts him
+gets a flying ride into the clouds. But the trouble is to catch him!"
+
+"O, I wish my pony could fly," said Susy, gazing dreamily at his black
+mane and sleek sides. "The first place I'd go to would be the moon; and
+there I'd stay till I built a castle as big as a city. I'd come home
+every night, so mother wouldn't be frightened, and fly up in the
+morning, and--and--"
+
+"See here," said Prudy, who had for some time been trying to speak;
+"call him _Wings_!"
+
+"So I will," answered Susy, quickly, "and I'll make believe he flies in
+the air like a bird. Now, auntie, what do you think of Wings?"
+
+"Odd enough, I'm sure, my dear."
+
+"Well, _I_ like it," returned Susy, with a positive shake of the head.
+"It's of no use to keep fussing so long over a name, and I feel a great
+deal easier, now I've made up my mind! Dear little Wings, you prick up
+your ears, and I know you like it, too. I wish you had a soul, so you
+could be taken to church, and christened like a baby."
+
+Just here Susy was startled by a sudden laugh from cousin Percy, who
+had for some moments been walking behind the pony unobserved.
+
+"You're enough to frighten any one to death," she screamed, "creeping
+about like a cat."
+
+Susy had a foolish dread of being laughed at.
+
+"Creeping like a cat," echoed Percy, "while you creep like a snail! What
+will you take for your pony, that can fly in the air like a bird, but
+can't walk on the ground any better than a goose?"
+
+"I don't know what you're talking about," said Susy, quite excited: "if
+you want to see anybody ride fast, just look here." And she started the
+pony at full speed, regardless of Prudy, who was so frightened, that she
+seized poor Wings by his flowing mane, and called out for her sister to
+stop. But Susy dashed on at a flying pace, and Percy cried after her,
+"O, Susy, cousin Susy, what think of your Christmas present? Will you
+remember not to eat it, and not to hang it on a nail? Susy, Susy?"
+
+There was hardly a happier child living than Susy, during those
+delightful holidays. She said to herself, sometimes, that this was such
+a beautiful world, she couldn't think of a single thing that wasn't as
+splendid as it could be.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+PRUDY'S TROUBLE.
+
+
+The happy days flew by. The Old Year was worn out, and the New Year
+stepped in fresh and youthful. Susy found her little sleigh a very
+comfortable affair; and so, I think, did "lame Jessie." When her father
+found that Susy had really chosen for her pony the name of Wings, he
+ordered a beautiful picture of the Flying Horse to be painted on the
+dashboard of the sleigh.
+
+Susy was delighted with this, and her vivid fancy took wings at once,
+and flew away to the other end of the world, where her aunt Madge told
+her the fountain of Pirene was said to gush out of a hill-side.
+
+"Only think," said she to Flossy; "it was a woman once, that fountain
+was; but she poured her life all out into tears, crying because her son
+was killed. So the fountain is made of tears!"
+
+"Bitter and salt, then," said Florence, threading her needle.
+
+"No, indeed; just as sweet and nice as any water. Pegasus loved it; and
+there was a beautiful young man, his name was Bel--Bel--well, I declare,
+I've forgotten,--no, 'twas Bellerophon; and he had a bridle, and wanted
+a horse. O, do you know this horse was white, with silvery wings, wild
+as a hawk; and, once in a while, he would fold up his wings, and trot
+round on the mountain!"
+
+Florence yawned, and waxed her thread.
+
+"O, it was a splendid bridle, this man had, made of gold; and I
+forgot--the mountain the horse trotted round on was called Helicon. And
+the man mounted him, and went up, up, till they were nothing but specks
+in the sky."
+
+"A likely story," said Florence; "there, you've told enough! I don't
+want to hear any more such nonsense."
+
+"Well, if you don't want to hear about the monster they killed, you
+needn't; that's all I can say; but the young man loved that horse; and
+he kissed him, too, he was so splendid!"
+
+"Kiss a horse!" Flossy looked very, much disgusted.
+
+"Why, I've kissed my pony a great many times," said Susy, bravely,
+"right between his eyes; and he almost kisses me. He wants to say, 'I
+love you.' I can see it in his eyes."
+
+By this time Flossy had finished her doll's garment, and, putting it on
+the little thing's shoulders, held up the doll to be admired.
+
+"I think her opera cloak is very 'bewitching,' don't you, Susy? It is
+trimmed with ermine, because she is a queen, and is going to the opera."
+
+"It looks well enough," said Susy, indifferently, "but it isn't ermine;
+it's only white cat's fur, with black spots sewed on,"
+
+"Of course it isn't real ermine!" replied Florence; "but I play that it
+is, and it's just as well."
+
+"But you know all the while it's a make-believe. She hasn't any more
+sense than a stick of wood, either; and I don't see any sport in playing
+with dolls."
+
+"And I don't see any sense in fairy stories," retorted Flossy. "Do you
+know what Percy says about you? He says your head is as full of airy
+notions as a dandelion top. I love Queen Mab as if she was my own
+sister," continued Flossy, in a pettish tone. "You know I do, Susy. I
+always thought, if anything should happen to Queen Mab, and I lost her,
+I should certainly dress in mourning; now you needn't laugh."
+
+"O, I can't help laughing, when anybody makes such a fuss over a doll,"
+replied Susy, with a curl of the lip. "Anything that isn't alive, and
+hasn't any sense, and don't care for you! I like canary birds, and
+babies, and ponies, and that's enough to like."
+
+"Well, now, that's so funny!" said Florence, twitching the folds of
+Queen Mab's dress into place; "for the very reason I like my doll, is
+because she _isn't_ alive. I wouldn't have been you, Susy Parlin, when
+you had your last canary bird, and let him choke to death."
+
+"O, no, Flossy, I didn't let him choke: I forgot to put any seed in the
+bottle, and he stuck his head in so deep, that he smothered to death."
+
+"I don't know but smothering is as bad as choking," said Florence; "and
+now your new bird will be sure to come to some bad end."
+
+"You're always saying hateful things," exclaimed Susy, a good deal
+vexed. "I like Grace Clifford ten times as well, for she's a great deal
+more lady-like."
+
+"Well, I suppose I can go home," said Florence, with a rising color;
+"you're such a perfect lady that I can't get along with you."
+
+"O, dear," thought poor Susy, "what does ail my tongue? Here this very
+morning I said in my prayer, that I meant to be good and patient."
+
+Florence began to put on her cloak.
+
+"Cousin Flossy," said Susy, in a hesitating voice, "I wish you wouldn't
+go. I didn't mean to tell that I liked Gracie best; but it's the real
+honest truth, and if I should take it back, 'twould be a lie."
+
+This was not making matters much better. Florence put on her hood, and
+tied it with a twitch.
+
+"But I like _you_ ever so much, Flossy; now, you know I do. You're
+hateful sometimes; but so am I; and I can't tell which is the
+hatefulest."
+
+Here Flossy, who was as fickle as the wind, laughed merrily, took off
+her hood and cloak, and danced about the room in high spirits.
+
+"Yes," said she, "I'll stay just on purpose to plague you!"
+
+But good humor had been restored on both sides, and the little girls
+were soon talking together, as freely as if nothing had happened.
+
+"Just come out in the kitchen," said Susy, "and you shall see me wash my
+bird."
+
+"Why, I thought birds washed themselves," replied Florence, following
+her cousin with some surprise.
+
+"They do, but Dandy won't; it's all in the world I have against Dandy;
+he isn't a cold-water bird."
+
+Grandma Read stood by the kitchen table, clear-starching one of her
+caps--a piece of work which she always performed with her own hands.
+She moved one side to make room for Susy's bird-cage, but said she did
+not approve of washing canaries; she thought it must be a dangerous
+experiment.
+
+"If he needed a bath, he would take it himself, Susan. Little birds know
+what is best for them by instinct, thee may depend upon it."
+
+"But my birdie gay ought to be clean," persisted Susy, who was often
+very positive. "Mrs. Mason says so--the lady that gave him to me. I told
+her he wouldn't bathe, and she said then I must bathe him."
+
+Susy went to the range, and, dipping some hot water from the boiler,
+cooled it with fresh water, till she found, by putting in her fingers,
+that it was of a proper temperature, according to her own judgment. Then
+she plunged the timid little canary into the bowl, in spite of his
+fluttering. Such a wee young thing as he was too! He seemed to be afraid
+of the water, and struggled against it with all his small strength.
+
+"O, Dandy, darling," said Susy, in a cooing voice, as if she were
+talking to a baby; "be a little man, Dandy; hold up his head, and let
+Susy wash it all cleany! O, he's Susie's birdie gay!--What makes him
+roll up his eyes?"
+
+"Take him out quick, Susan," said grandma Read; "he will strangle."
+
+A few seconds more and all would have been over with birdie gay. He
+curled down very languidly on the floor of the cage, and seemed to wish
+to be let alone.
+
+"He acts so every morning when I bathe him," said Susy, who would not
+give up the point; "but Mrs. Mason told me to do it! Dotty always cried
+when she was washed, till she was ever so old."
+
+"I think," said Mrs. Parlin, who had just entered the kitchen, "I must
+ask Mrs. Mason if she is very sure it is proper to treat little birds in
+that way."
+
+"But look, mamma; here he is, shaking out his feathers, all bright and
+happy again. O, you cunning little Dandy, now we'll hang you up in the
+sun to dry. See him hop on one foot; that is just to make me laugh."
+
+"But _I_ hop on one foot, too," said little Prudy, "and you don't laugh
+at me."
+
+"This is a droll little head for fancies," said Mrs. Parlin, patting
+Prudy's curls, and looking at grandma Read. "Do you know, mother, that
+for several days she has made believe she was lame Jessie, and has
+hobbled about whenever she could think of it."
+
+"Now you mustn't laugh," said Prudy, looking up with a grieved face; I
+can't never help hopping; I _have_ to hop. My knee was so sick, I cried
+last night, and I was just as _wide-awakeful_!"
+
+"Ain't thee afraid the child has been hurt in some way, my daughter?"
+said grandma Read.
+
+"O, no, mother," said Mrs. Parlin, smiling, as Prudy limped out of the
+room. "I have examined her knee, and there is nothing the matter with
+it. She is only imitating that lame child. You know Prudy has all sorts
+of whims. Don't you know how she has wanted us to call her Jessie
+sometimes?"
+
+"Why, no, indeed, grandma, she isn't lame," said Susy, laughing.
+"Sometimes she will run about the room as well as I do, and then, in a
+few minutes, when she thinks of it, she will limp and take hold of
+chairs. Mother, isn't it just the same as a wrong story for Prudy to act
+that way? If I did so, you'd punish me; now, wouldn't you?"
+
+"I don't know what to think about it," said Mrs. Parlin, gravely.
+"Sometimes I am afraid Prudy is really becoming naughty and deceitful. I
+thought once it was only her funny way of playing; but she is getting
+old enough now to know the difference between truth and falsehood."
+
+There was an anxious look on Mrs. Parlin's face. She was a faithful
+mother, and watched her children's conduct with the tenderest care.
+
+But this lameness of which little Prudy complained, was something more
+than play; it was a sad truth, as the family learned very soon. Instead
+of walking properly when her mother bade her do so, the poor child cried
+bitterly, said it hurt her, and she was so tired she wished they would
+let her lie on the sofa, and never get up. At times she seemed better;
+and when everybody thought she was quite well, suddenly the pain and
+weakness would come again, and she could only limp, or walk by catching
+hold of chairs.
+
+At last her father called in a physician.
+
+"How long has this child been lame?" said he.
+
+"A month or more."
+
+The doctor looked grave. "Has she ever had an injury, Mr. Parlin, such
+as slipping on the ice, or falling down stairs?"
+
+"No, sir," replied Mr. Parlin, "I believe not."
+
+"Not a serious injury that I know of," said Mrs. Parlin, passing her
+hand across her forehead, and trying to remember. "No, I think Prudy has
+never had a _bad_ fall, though she is always meeting with slight
+accidents."
+
+"O, mamma," said Susy, who had begged to stay in the room, "she did have
+a fall: don't you know, Christmas day, ever so long ago, how she went
+rolling down stairs with her little chair in her arms, and woke
+everybody up?"
+
+The doctor caught at Susy's words.
+
+"With her little chair in her arms, my dear? And did she cry as if she
+was hurt?"
+
+"Yes, sir; she said the _prongs_ of the chair stuck into her side."
+
+"It hurt me dreffully," said Prudy, who had until now forgotten all
+about it. "Susy spoke so quick, and said I was a little snail; and then
+I rolled over and over, and down I went."
+
+The doctor almost smiled at these words, lisped out in such a plaintive
+voice, as if Prudy could not think of that fall even now, without
+pitying herself very much.
+
+"Just let me see you stand up, little daughter," said he; for Prudy was
+lying on the sofa.
+
+But it hurt her to bear her weight on her feet.
+
+She said, "One foot, the '_lame-knee-foot_,' came down so long, it
+_more_ than touched the floor."
+
+The doctor looked sober. The foot did drag indeed. The trouble was not
+in her knee, but in her hip, which had really been injured when she fell
+down stairs, and the "prongs" of the chair were forced against it.
+
+It seemed to Mrs. Parlin strange that Prudy had never complained of any
+pain in her side; but the doctor said it was very common for people to
+suffer from hip-disease, and seem to have only a lame knee.
+
+"Hip-disease!" When Mrs. Parlin heard these words, she grew so dizzy,
+that it was all she could do to keep from fainting. It came over her in
+a moment, the thought of what her little daughter would have to
+suffer--days and nights of pain, and perhaps a whole lifetime of
+lameness. She had often heard of hip-disease, and was aware that it is a
+very serious thing.
+
+Do you know, she would gladly have changed places with Prudy, would
+gladly have borne all the child must suffer, if by that means she could
+have saved her? This is the feeling which mothers have when any trouble
+comes upon their children; but the little ones, with their simple minds,
+cannot understand it.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+ROSY FRANCES EASTMAN MARY.
+
+
+Prudy had enjoyed a great many rides in Susy's beautiful sleigh; but now
+the doctor forbade her going out, except for very short distances, and
+even then, he said, she must sit in her mother's lap. He wanted her to
+lie down nearly all the time, and keep very quiet.
+
+At first, Mrs. Parlin wondered how it would be possible to keep such a
+restless child quiet; but she found, as time passed, and the disease
+made progress, that poor little Prudy was only too glad to lie still.
+Every motion seemed to hurt her, and sometimes she cried if any one
+even jarred the sofa suddenly.
+
+These were dark days for everybody in the house. Susy, who was
+thoughtful beyond her years, suffered terribly from anxiety about her
+little sister. More than that, she suffered from remorse.
+
+"O, grandma Read," said she one evening, as she sat looking up at the
+solemn, shining stars, with overflowing eyes--"O, grandma!" The words
+came from the depths of a troubled heart. "I may live to be real old;
+but I never shall be happy again! I can't, for, if it hadn't been for
+me? Prudy would be running round the house as well as ever!"
+
+Mrs. Read had a gentle, soothing voice. She could comfort Susy when
+anybody could. Now she tried to set her heart at rest by saying that the
+doctor gave a great deal of hope. He could not promise a certain cure,
+but he felt great faith in a new kind of splint which he was using for
+Prudy's hip.
+
+"O, grandma, it may be, and then, again, it may not be," sobbed poor
+Susy; "we can't tell what God will think best; but anyhow, it was I that
+did it."
+
+"But, Susan, thee must think how innocent thee was of any wrong motive.
+Thee did not get angry, and push thy little sister, thee knows thee
+didn't, Susan! Thee was only in a hurry, and rather thoughtless. The
+best of us often do very foolish things, and cause much mischief; but
+thee'll find it isn't best to grieve over these mistakes. Why, my dear
+little Susan, I have lived eight years to thy one, and if I should sit
+down now and drop a tear for every blunder I have made, I don't know but
+I could almost make a fountain of myself, like that woman thee tells
+about in the fairy story."
+
+"The fountain of Pirene that Pegasus loved," said Susy; "that was the
+name of it. Why, grandma, I never should have thought of your saying
+such a queer thing as that! Why, it seems as if you always did just
+right, and thought it all over before you did it. Do _you_ ever do
+wrong? How funny!"
+
+Mrs. Read smiled sadly. She was not an angel yet; so I suppose she did
+wrong once in a while.
+
+"Now, grandma, I want to ask you one question, real sober and honest.
+You know it was so dark that morning in the middle of the night, when we
+were going down the back stairs? Now, if I'd made a great deal worse
+mistake than calling Prudy a snail,--if I'd pushed her real hard, and
+she had fallen faster,--O, I can't bear to think! I mean, if the
+chair-prongs had hit her head, grandma--and--killed her! What would they
+have done to _me_? I thought about it last night, so I couldn't go to
+sleep for the longest while! I heard the clock _strike_ once while I was
+awake there in bed! Would they have put me in the lock-up, grandma, and
+then hung me for murder?"
+
+"My dear child, no, indeed! How came such horrible ideas in thy tender
+little brain? It is too dreadful to think about; but, even if thy little
+sister _had_ died, Susan, thee would have been no more to blame than
+thee is now, and a great, great deal more to be pitied."
+
+Susy sat for a long while gazing out of the window; but the stars did
+not wink so solemnly; the moon looked friendly once more. Susy was
+drinking in her grandmother's words of comfort. The look of sadness was
+disappearing from the young face, and smiles began to play about the
+corners of her mouth.
+
+"Well," said she, starting up briskly, "I'm glad I wasn't so very
+terribly wicked! I wish I'd been somewhere else, when I stood on those
+back-stairs, in the middle of the night; but what's the use? I'm not
+going to think any more about it, grandma; for if I should think till my
+head was all twisted up in a knot, what good would it do? It wouldn't
+help Prudy any; would it, grandma?"
+
+"No, dear," said the mild, soothing voice again; "don't think, I beg of
+thee; but if thee wants to know what would do Prudence good, I will tell
+thee: try thy best to amuse her. She has to lie day after day and
+suffer. It is very hard for a little girl that loves to play, and can't
+read, and doesn't know how to pass the time; don't thee think so,
+Susan?"
+
+It was certainly hard. Prudy's round rosy face began to grow pale; and,
+instead of laughing and singing half the time, she would now lie and cry
+from pain, or because she really did not know what else to do with
+herself.
+
+It was worst at night. Hour after hour, she would lie awake, and listen
+to the ticking of the clock. Susy thought it a pitiable case, when
+_she_, heard the clock strike _once_; but little Prudy heard it strike
+again and again. How strangely it pounded out the strokes in the night!
+What a dreary sound it was, pealing through the silence! The echoes
+answered with a shudder. Then, when Prudy had counted one, two, three,
+four, and the clock had no more to say at that time, it began to tick
+again: "Prudy's sick! Prudy's sick! O, dear me! O, dear me!"
+
+Prudy could hardly believe it was the same clock she saw in the daytime.
+She wondered if it felt lonesome in the night, and had the blues; or
+what _could_ ail it! The poor little girl wanted somebody to speak to in
+these long, long hours. She did not sleep with Susy, but in a new
+cot-bed of her own, in aunt Madge's room; for, dearly as she loved to
+lie close to any one she loved, she begged now to sleep alone, "so
+nobody could hit her, or move her, or joggle her."
+
+It was a great comfort to have aunt Madge so near. If it had been Susy
+instead, Prudy would have had no company but the sound of her breathing.
+It was of no use to try to wake Susy in the dead of night. Pricking her
+with pins would startle her, but she never knew anything even after she
+was startled. All she could do was to stare about her, cry, and act very
+cross, and then--go to sleep again.
+
+But with aunt Madge it was quite different. She slept like a cat, with
+one eye open. Perhaps the reason she did not sleep more soundly, was,
+that she felt a care of little Prudy. No matter when Prudy spoke to her,
+aunt Madge always answered. She did not say, "O, dear, you've startled
+me out of a delicious nap!" She said, "Well, darling, what do you want?"
+Prudy generally wanted to know when it would be morning? When would the
+steamboat whistle? What made it stay dark so long? She wanted a drink of
+water, and _always_ wanted a story.
+
+If aunt Madge had forgotten to provide a glass of water, she put on her
+slippers, lighted the little handled lamp, and stole softly down stairs
+to the pail, which Norah always pumped full of well-water the last thing
+in the evening.
+
+Or, if Prudy fancied it would console her to have a peep at her
+beautiful doll which "would be alive if it could speak," why, down
+stairs went auntie again to search out the spot where Susy had probably
+left it when "she took it to show to some children."
+
+The many, many times that kind young lady crept shivering down stairs to
+humor Prudy's whims! Prudy could not have counted the times; and you may
+be sure aunt Madge never _would_.
+
+Then the stories, both sensible and silly, which Prudy teased for, and
+always got! Aunt Madge poured them forth like water into the _sieve_ of
+Prudy's mind, which could not hold stories any better than secrets. No
+matter how many she told, Prudy insisted that she wanted "one more," and
+the "same one over again."
+
+It touched Susy to the heart to see how much her little sister
+suffered, and she spent a great deal of time at first in trying to amuse
+her. Aunt Madge told stories in the night; but Susy told them in the
+daytime, till, as she expressed it, her "tongue ached." She cut out
+paper dolls when she wanted to read, and played go visiting, or dressed
+rag babies, when she longed to be out of doors. But while the novelty
+lasted, she was quite a Florence Nightingale.
+
+Her Wednesday and Saturday after-noons were no longer her own. Before
+Prudy's lameness, Susy had used her new skates a great deal, and could
+now skim over the ice quite gracefully, for a little girl of her age.
+The reason she learned to skate so well, was because she was fearless.
+Most children tremble when they try to stand on the ice, and for that
+very reason are nearly sure to fall; but Susy did not tremble in the
+face of danger: she had a strong will of her own, and never expected to
+fail in anything she undertook.
+
+She had spent half of her short life out of doors, and almost considered
+it lost time when she was obliged to stay in the house for the rain.
+
+Mrs. Parlin kept saying it was high time for her eldest daughter to
+begin to be womanly, and do long stints with her needle: she could not
+sew as well now as she sewed two years ago.
+
+But Mr. Parlin laughed at his wife's anxiety, and said he loved Susy's
+red cheeks; he didn't care if she grew as brown as an Indian. She was
+never rude or coarse, he thought; and she would be womanly enough one of
+these days, he was quite sure.
+
+"Anything," said Mr. Parlin, "but these _womanly_ little girls, such as
+I have seen sitting in a row, sewing seams, without animation enough to
+tear rents in their own dresses! If Susy loves birds, and flowers, and
+snowbanks, I am thankful, and perfectly willing she should have plenty
+of them for playthings."
+
+Then, when Mrs. Parlin smiled mischievously, and said, "I should like to
+know what sort of a wild Arab you would make out of a little girl," Mr.
+Parlin answered triumphantly,--"Look at my sister Margaret! I brought
+her up my own self! I always took her out in the woods with me, gunning
+and trouting. I taught her how to skate when she was a mere baby. I
+often said she was all the brother I had in the world! She can remember
+now how I used to wrap her in shawls, and prop her up on the woodpile,
+while I chopped wood."
+
+"And how you hired her to drop ears of corn for you into the
+corn-sheller; and how, one day, her fingers were so benumbed, that one
+of them was clipped off before she knew it!"
+
+"Well, so it was, that is true; but only the tip of it. Active children
+will meet with accidents. She was a regular little fly-away, and would
+sooner climb a tree or a ladder any time, than walk on solid ground.
+_Now_ look at her!"
+
+And Mr. Parlin repeated the words, "Now look at her," as if he was sure
+his wife must confess that she was a remarkable person.
+
+Mrs. Parlin said, if Susy should ever become half as excellent and
+charming as Miss Margaret Parlin, she should be perfectly satisfied, for
+her part.
+
+Thus Susy was allowed to romp to her heart's content; "fairly ran wild,"
+as aunt Eastman declared, with a frown of disapproval. She gathered wild
+roses, and wore them in her cheeks, the very best place in the world
+for roses. She drank in sunshine with the fresh air of heaven, just as
+the flowers do, and thrived on it.
+
+But there was one objection to this out-of-doors life: Susy did not love
+to stay in the house. Ainu days and evenings, to be sure, she made
+herself very happy with reading, for she loved to read, particularly
+fairy books, and Rollo's Travels.
+
+But now, just as she had learned to skate on the basin with other little
+girls and young ladies, and could drive Wings anywhere and everywhere
+she pleased, it was a sore trial to give up these amusements for the
+sake of spending more hours with poor little Prudy. She was very
+self-denying at first, but it grew to be an "old story." She found it
+was not only pony and skates she must give up, but even her precious
+reading, for Prudy was jealous of books, and did not like to have Susy
+touch them. She thought Susy was lost to her when she opened a book, and
+might as well not be in the house, for she never heard a word that
+anybody said.
+
+Now I know just what you will think: "O, I would have given up a great
+deal more than ponies and books for _my_ dear little sister! I would
+have told her stories, and never have complained that my 'tongue ached.'
+It would not have wearied me to do anything and everything for such a
+patient sufferer as little Prudy!"
+
+But now I shall be obliged to confess one thing, which I would have
+gladly concealed.
+
+Prudy was not always patient. Some sweet little children become almost
+like the angels when sickness is laid upon them; but Prudy had been such
+a healthy, active child, that the change to perfect quiet was
+exceedingly tiresome. She was young, too,--too young to reason about the
+uses of suffering. She only knew she was dreadfully afflicted, and
+thought everybody ought to amuse her.
+
+"O, dear me!" said Susy, sometimes, "I just believe the more anybody
+does for Prudy, the more she expects."
+
+Now this was really the case. When Prudy first began to lie upon the
+sofa, everybody pitied her, and tried to say and do funny things, in
+order to take up her attention. It was not possible to keep on giving so
+much time to her; but Prudy expected it. She would lie very pleasant and
+happy for hours at a time, counting the things in the room, talking to
+herself, or humming little tunes; and then, again, everything would go
+wrong. Her playthings would keep falling to the floor, and, as she could
+not stoop at all, some one must come and pick them up that very minute,
+or they "didn't pity her a bit."
+
+Every once in a while, she declared her knee was "broken in seven new
+places," and the doctor must come and take off the splint. She didn't
+want such a hard thing "right on there;" she wanted it "right off."
+
+Her mother told her she must try to be patient, and be one of God's
+little girls. "But, mamma," said Prudy, "does God love me any? I should
+think, if he loved me, he'd be sorrier I was sick, and get me well."
+
+Then, sometimes, when she had been more fretful than usual, she would
+close her eyes, and her mother would hear her say, in a low voice,--
+
+"O, God, I didn't mean to. It's my _knee_ that's cross!"
+
+Upon the whole, I think Prudy was as patient as most children of her age
+would have been under the same trial. Her father and mother, who had the
+most care of her, did not wonder in the least that her poor little
+nerves got tired out sometimes.
+
+While Susy was at school, Prudy had a long time to think what she wanted
+her to do when she should come home. She would lie and watch the clock,
+for she had learned to tell the time quite well; and when the hour drew
+near for Susy to come, she moved her head on the pillow, and twisted her
+fingers together nervously.
+
+If Susy was in good season, Prudy put up her little mouth for a kiss,
+and said,--
+
+"O, how I do love you, Susy! Ain't I your dear little sister? Well,
+won't you make me a lady on the slate?"
+
+Susy's ladies had no necks, and their heads were driven down on their
+shoulders, as if they were going to be packed into their chests; but,
+such as they were, Prudy wanted them over and over again.
+
+But if Susy stopped to slide, or to play by the way, she would find
+little Prudy in tears, and hear her say, "O, what made you? Naughty,
+naughty old Susy! I'm goin' to die, and go to God's house, and then
+you'll be sorry you didn't 'tend to your little sister."
+
+Susy could never bear to hear Prudy talk about going to God's house. Her
+conscience pricked her when she saw that the poor child was grieved; and
+she resolved, every time she was late, that she would never be late
+again.
+
+Prudy had a great many odd fancies now: among others, she had a fancy
+that she did not like the name of Prudy.
+
+"Why; only think," said she, "you keep a-calling me Prudy, and Prudy,
+and Prudy. It makes my head ache, to have you say Prudy so much."
+
+"But, my dear child," said Mr. Parlin, smiling, "it happens,
+unfortunately, that Prudy is your name; so I think you will have to try
+and bear it as well as you can."
+
+"But I can't bear it any longer," said the child, bursting into tears.
+"Prudy is all lame and sick, and I never shall walk any more while you
+call me Prudy, papa."
+
+Mr. Parlin kissed his little daughters's pale cheek, and said, "Then we
+will call you pet names; will that do?"
+
+Prudy smiled with delight.
+
+"I've thought of a real beautiful, splendid name," said she. "It is Rosy
+Frances Eastman Mary; ain't it splendid?"
+
+After this announcement, Prudy expected the family would be sure to call
+her Rosy Frances Eastman Mary; and, indeed, they were quite willing to
+please her, whenever they could remember the name. They all supposed it
+was a fancy she would forget in a day or two; but, instead of that, she
+clung to it more and more fondly. If any one offered her an orange, or
+roasted apple, and said, "Look, Prudy; here is something nice for you,"
+she would turn her face over to one side on the pillow, and make no
+reply. If she wanted a thing very much, she would never accept it when
+she was addressed by the obnoxious name of Prudy. Even when her father
+wanted to take her in his arms to rest her, and happened to say, "Prudy,
+shall I hold you a little while?" she would say, "Who was you a-talkin'
+to, papa? There isn't any Prudy here!" Then her father had to humble
+himself, and ask to be forgiven for being so forgetful.
+
+The child had a delicate appetite, and her mother tried to tempt it with
+little niceties; but, no matter what pains she took, Prudy relished
+nothing unless it was given to her as Rosy Frances, the little girl who
+was _not_ Prudy.
+
+"O, here is a glass of lemonade for you, Prudy; made on purpose for
+you," Susy would say; "do drink it!"
+
+"O, dear me, suz," cried Prudy, with tears falling over her cheeks; "O,
+Susy, you plague me, and I never done a thing to you! You called me
+Prudy, and I ain't Prudy, never again! Call me Rosy Frances Eastman
+Mary, and I'll drink the lemonade."
+
+"You precious little sister," said Susy, bending over her gently,
+"you'll forgive me; won't you, darling?"
+
+"I'll try to," replied Prudy, with a look of meek forbearance, as she
+sipped the lemonade.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+LITTLE TROUBLES.
+
+
+Somebody said once to Susy and Flossy, when they were having a frolic in
+"Prudy's sitting-room," up stairs, "What happy little things! You don't
+know what trouble is, and never will, till you grow up!"
+
+The little girls preserved a respectful silence, till the lady was out
+of hearing, and then held an indignant discussion as to the truth of
+what she had said. It would have been a discussion, I mean, if they had
+not both taken the same side of the question.
+
+"How she sighed," said Susy, "just as if she was the _melancholiest_
+person that ever was!" Susy was famous for the use she made of
+adjectives, forming the superlatives just as it happened.
+
+"Yes, just the way," responded Flossy. "I'd like to know what ever
+happened to _her_? Pshaw! She laughed this afternoon, and ate apples
+fast enough!"
+
+"O, she thinks she must make believe have a dreadful time, because she
+is grown up," said Susy, scornfully. "She's forgot she was ever a little
+girl! I've had troubles; I guess I have! And I know one thing, I shall
+remember 'em when I grow up, and not say, 'What happy little things!'
+to children. It's real hateful!"
+
+Little folks have trouble, to be sure. Their hearts are full of it, and
+running over, sometimes; and how can the largest heart that ever beat be
+_more_ than full, and running over?
+
+Susy had daily trials. They were sent to her because they were good for
+her. Shadows and night-dews are good for flowers. If the sun had shone
+on Susy always, and she had never had any shadows and night dews, she
+would have _scorched up_ into a selfish girl.
+
+One of her trials was Miss Dotty Dimple. Now, she loved Dotty dearly,
+and considered her funny all over, from the crown of her head to the
+soles of her little twinkling feet, which were squeezed into a pair of
+gaiters. Dotty loved those gaiters as if they were alive. She had a
+great contempt for the slippers she wore in the morning, but it was her
+"darlin' gaiters," which she put on in the afternoon, and loved next to
+father and mother, and all her best friends.
+
+When ladies called, she stepped very briskly across the floor, looking
+down at her feet, and tiptoeing about, till the ladies smiled, and said,
+"O, what sweet little boots!" and then she was perfectly happy.
+
+Susy was not very wide awake in the morning; but Dotty was stirring as
+soon as there was a peep of light, and usually stole into Susy's bed to
+have a frolic. Nothing but a story would keep her still, and poor Susy
+often wondered which was harder, to be used as a football by Dotty, or
+to tell stories with her eyes shut.
+
+"O, Dotty Dimple, keep still; can't you? There's a darling," she would
+plead, longing for another nap; "_don't_ kill me."
+
+"No, no; me won't kill," the little one would reply; "'tisn't _pooty_ to
+kill!"
+
+"O, dear, you little, cunning, darling plague, now hush, and let me go
+to sleep!"
+
+Then Dotty would plant both feet firmly on Susy's chest, and say, in her
+teasing little voice, as troublesome as the hum of a mosquito,--
+
+"Won't you tell me 'tory--tell me a 'tory--tell me a 'tory, Susy."
+
+"Well, what do you want to hear?"
+
+Now, it was natural for Susy to feel cross when she was sleepy. It cost
+her a hard struggle to speak pleasantly, and when she succeeded in doing
+so, I set it down as one of her greatest victories over herself. The
+Quaker motto of her grandmother, "Let patience have her perfect work,"
+helped her sometimes, when she could wake up enough to remember it.
+
+"Tell 'bout little yellow gell," said the voice of the mosquito, over
+and over again.
+
+Susy roused herself after the third request, and sleepily asked if
+something else wouldn't do?
+
+"I had a little nobby-colt."
+
+"No, no, you _di'n't_, you _di'n't_; grandma had the nobby! Tell yellow
+gell."
+
+"O," sighed Susy, "how can you want to hear that so many, many times?
+Well, once when I was a little bit of a girl--"
+
+"'Bout's big as me, you _said_," put in Dotty.
+
+"O, yes, I did say so once, and I suppose I must tell it so every time,
+or you'll fuss! Well, I had a yellow dress all striped off in checks--"
+
+"Di'n't it go this way?" said Dotty, smoothing the sheet with her little
+hand, "and this way?"
+
+"What? What?" Susy roused herself and rubbed her eyes. "O, yes, it went
+in checks; and I was at grandma Parlin's, and Grace--Grace--O, Grace and
+I went into the pasture where there were a couple of cows, a gray cow
+and a red cow."
+
+"Now you must say what _is_ couple," says Dotty.
+
+"Then what is couple?"
+
+"Gray cow," answers Dotty, very gravely.
+
+"So when the cows saw us coming, they--they--O, they threw up their
+heads, and stopped eating grass--in the air. I mean--threw--up--their
+heads." Susy was nearly asleep.
+
+"Up in the air?"
+
+"Yes, of course, up in the air. (There, I _will_ wake up!) And the gray
+cow began to run towards us, and Grace says to me, 'O, my, she thinks
+you're a pumpkin!'"
+
+"You?"
+
+"Yes, me, because my dress was so yellow. I was just as afraid of the
+cow as I could be."
+
+"Good cow! _He_ wouldn't hurt!"
+
+"No, the cow was good, and didn't think I was a pumpkin, not the least
+speck. But I was so afraid, that I crept under the bars, and ran home."
+
+"To grandma's house?"
+
+"Yes; and grandma laughed."
+
+"Well, where was me?" was the next question, after a pause.
+
+Then, when the duty of story-telling was performed, Susy would gladly
+have gone back to "climbing the dream-tree;" but no, she must still
+listen to Dotty, though she answered her questions in an absent-minded
+way, like a person "hunting for a forgotten dream."
+
+One morning she was going to ride with her cousin Percy. It had been
+some time since she had seen Wings, except in the stable, where she
+visited him every day.
+
+But Dotty had set her heart on a rag-baby which Susy had promised to
+dress, and Prudy was anxious that Susy should play several games of
+checkers with her.
+
+"O, dear," said the eldest sister, with the perplexed air of a mother
+who has disobedient little ones to manage. "I think I have about as much
+as I can bear. The _children_ always make a fuss, just as sure as I
+want to go out."
+
+The old, impatient spirit was rising; that spirit which it was one of
+the duties of Susy's life to keep under control.
+
+She went into the bathing-room, and drank off a glass of cold water, and
+talked to herself a while, for she considered that the safest way.
+
+"Have I any right to be cross? Yes, I think I have. Here Dotty woke me
+up, right in the middle of a dream, and I'm sleepy this minute. Then
+Prudy is a little babyish thing, and always was--making a fuss if I
+forget to call her Rosy Frances! Yes, I'll be cross, and act just as I
+want to. It's too hard work to keep pleasant; I won't try."
+
+She walked along to the door, but, by that time, the better spirit was
+struggling to be heard.
+
+"Now, Susy Parlin," it said, "you little girl with a pony, and a pair of
+skates, and feet to walk on, and everything you want, ain't you ashamed,
+when you think of that dear little sister you pushed down stairs--no,
+didn't push--that poor little lame sister!--O, hark! there is your
+mother winding up that hard splint! How would you feel with such a thing
+on your hip? Go, this minute, and comfort Prudy!"
+
+The impatient feelings were gone for that time; Susy had swallowed
+them, or they had flown out of the window.
+
+"Now Rosy Frances Eastman Mary," said she, "if your splint is all fixed,
+I'll comb your hair."
+
+The splint was made of hard, polished wood and brass. Under it were
+strips of plaster an inch wide, which wound round and round the poor
+wounded limb. These strips of plaster became loose, and there was a
+little key-hole in the splint, into which Mrs. Parlin put a key, and
+wound up and tightened the plaster every morning. This operation did not
+hurt Prudy at all.
+
+"Now," said Susy, after she had combed Prudy's hair carefully, and put a
+net over it, until her mother should be ready to curl it, "now we will
+have a game of checkers."
+
+Prudy played in high glee, for Susy allowed her to jump all her men, and
+march triumphantly into the king-row, at the head of a victorious army.
+
+"There, now, Rosy," said Susy, gently, "are you willing to let me go out
+riding? I can't play any more if I ride, for I must dress Dotty's doll,
+and feed my canary."
+
+"O, well," said Prudy, considering the matter, "I'm sick; I tell you how
+it is, I'm sick, you know; but--well, you may go, Susy, if you'll make
+up a story as long as a mile."
+
+Susy really felt grateful to Prudy, but it was her own gentle manner
+which had charmed the sick child into giving her consent.
+
+Then Susy proceeded to dress Dotty's doll in a very simple fashion, with
+two holes for short sleeves, and a skirt with a raw edge; but she looked
+kind and pleasant while she was at work, and Dotty was just as well
+pleased as if it had been an elegant costume she was preparing. And it
+was really good enough for a poor deformed rag-baby, with a head shaped
+like a stove-pipe.
+
+Susy was delighted to find how well a little patience served her in
+amusing "the children." Next, she went to give Dandy his morning bath.
+Mrs. Parlin still thought it a dangerous practice, but had not seen Mrs.
+Mason, to question her about it, and Susy was too obstinate in her
+opinion to listen to her mother.
+
+"I must do it," said Susy; "it has been ever so long since Dandy was
+bathed, and I shouldn't take any comfort riding, mamma, if I didn't
+leave him clean."
+
+Susy plunged the trembling canary into his little bathing-bowl, in some
+haste. He struggled as usual, and begged, with his weak, piping voice,
+to be spared such an infliction. But Susy was resolute.
+
+"It'll do you good, Ducky Daddles; we mustn't have any lazy, dirty
+birdies in this house."
+
+Ducky Daddies rolled up his little eyes, and gasped for breath.
+
+"O, look, mother!" cried Susy, laughing; "how funny Dandy acts! Do you
+suppose it's to make me laugh? O, is he fainting away?"
+
+"Fainting away! My dear child, he is dying!"
+
+This was the sad truth. Mrs. Parlin fanned him, hoping to call back the
+lingering breath. But it was too late. One or two more throbs, and his
+frightened little heart had ceased to beat; his frail life had gone out
+as suddenly as a spark of fire.
+
+Susy was too much shocked to speak. She stood holding the stiffening
+bird in her hands, and gazing at it.
+
+Mrs. Parlin was very sorry for Susy, and had too much kindness of
+feeling to add to her distress by saying,--
+
+"You know how I warned you, Susy."
+
+Susy was already suffering for her obstinacy and disregard of her
+mother's advice; and Mrs. Parlin believed she would lay the lesson to
+heart quite as well without more words. It was a bitter lesson. Susy
+loved dumb creatures dearly, and was just becoming very fond of Dandy.
+
+In the midst of her trouble, and while her eyes were swollen with tears,
+her cousin Percy came with Wings and the sleigh to give her the promised
+ride. Susy no longer cared for going out: it seemed to her that her
+heart was almost broken.
+
+"Well, cousin Indigo, what is the matter?" said Percy; "you look as if
+this world was a howling wilderness, and you wanted to howl too. What,
+crying over that bird? Poh! I can buy you a screech-owl any time, that
+will make twice the noise he could in his best days. Come, hurry, and
+put your things on!"
+
+Susy buried her face in her apron.
+
+"I'll compose a dirge for him," said Percy.
+
+    "My bird is dead, said Susy P.,
+    My bird is dead; O, deary me!
+    He sang so sweet, te whee, te whee;
+    He sings no more; O, deary me!
+    Go hang his cage up in the tree,
+    That cage I care no more to see.
+    My bird is dead, cried Susy P."
+
+These provoking words Percy drawled out in a sing-song voice. It was
+too much. Susy's eyes flashed through her tears.
+
+"You've always laughed at me, Percy Eastman, and plagued me about Freddy
+Jackson, and everything, and I've borne it like a--like a lady. But when
+you go to laughing at my poor little Dandy that's dead, and can't
+speak--"
+
+Susy was about to say, "Can't speak for himself," but saw in time how
+absurdly she was talking, and stopped short.
+
+Percy laughed.
+
+"Where are you going with that cage?"
+
+"Going to put it away, where I'll never see it again," sobbed poor Susy.
+
+"Give it to me," said Percy: "I'll take care of it for you."
+
+If Susy's eyes had not been blinded by tears, she would have been
+surprised to see the real pity in Percy's face.
+
+He was a rollicking boy, full of merriment and bluster, and what tender
+feelings he possessed, he took such a wonderful amount of pains to
+conceal, that Susy never suspected he had any. She would have enjoyed
+her ride if she had not felt so full of grief. The day was beautiful.
+There had been a storm, and the trees looked as if they had been
+snowballing one another; but Susy had no eye for trees, and just then
+hardly cared for her pony.
+
+Percy put the cage in the sleigh, under the buffalo robes; and when
+they reached his own door, he carried the cage into the house, while
+Susy drew a sigh of relief. He offered to stuff Dandy, or have him
+stuffed; but Susy rejected the idea with horror.
+
+"No, if Dandy was dead, he was all dead; she didn't want to see him
+sitting up stiff and cold, when he couldn't sing a speck."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+ANNIE LOVEJOY.
+
+
+But the day was not over yet. The bright sun and blue sky were doing
+what they could to make a cheerful time of it, but it seemed as if Susy
+fell more deeply into trouble, as the hours passed on.
+
+There are such days in everybody's life, when it rains small vexations
+from morning till night, and when all we can do is to hope for better
+things to-morrow.
+
+It was Wednesday; and in the afternoon, Flossy Eastman came over with a
+new game, and while the little girls, Flossy, Susy and Prudy were
+playing it, and trying their best to keep Dotty Dimple's prying fingers
+and long curls out of the way, in came Miss Annie Lovejoy.
+
+This was a little neighbor, who, as the children sometimes privately
+declared, was "always 'round." Mrs. Parlin had her own private doubts
+about the advantages to be derived from her friendship, and had
+sometimes gone so far as to send her home, when she seemed more than
+usually in the way.
+
+Annie's mother lived next door, but all Mrs. Parlin knew of her, was
+what she could see and hear from her own windows; and that little was
+not very agreeable. She saw that Mrs. Love joy dressed in gaudy colors,
+and loaded herself with jewelry; and she could hear her scold her
+servants and children with a loud, shrill voice.
+
+The two ladies had never exchanged calls; but Annie, it seemed, had few
+playmates, and she clung to Susy with such a show of affection, that Mrs.
+Parlin could not forbid her visits, although she watched her closely;
+anxious, as a careful mother should be, to make sure she was a proper
+companion for her little daughter. So far she had never known her to say
+or do anything morally wrong, though her manners were not exactly those
+of a well-bred little girl.
+
+This afternoon, when the new game was broken up by the entrance of
+Annie, the children began the play of housekeeping, because Prudy could
+join in it. Susy found she enjoyed any amusement much more when it
+pleased the little invalid.
+
+"I will be the lady of the house," said Annie, promptly, "because I have
+rings on my fingers, and a coral necklace. My name is Mrs. Piper.
+Prudy,--no, Rosy,--you shall be Mrs. Shotwell, come a-visiting me;
+because you can't do anything else. We'll make believe you've lost your
+husband in the wars. I know a Mrs. Shotwell, and she is always
+_taking-on_, and saying, 'My poor dear husband,' under her handkerchief;
+just this way."
+
+The children laughed at the nasal twang which Annie gave to the words,
+and Prudy imitated it to perfection, not knowing it was wrong.
+
+"Well, what shall I be?" said Susy, not very well pleased that the first
+characters had been taken already.
+
+"O, you shall be a hired girl, and wear a handkerchief on your head,
+just as our girl does; and you must be a little deaf, and keep saying,
+'What, ma'am?' when I speak to you."
+
+"And I," said Florence, "will be Mr. Peter Piper, the head of the
+family."
+
+"Yes," returned Annie, "you can put on a waterproof cloak, and you will
+make quite a good-looking husband; but I shall be the head of the family
+myself, and have things about as I please!"
+
+"Well, there," cried Flossy, slipping her arms into the sleeves of her
+cloak, "I don't know about that; I don't think it's very polite for you
+to treat your husband in that way."
+
+Flossy wanted to have the control of family matters herself.
+
+"But I believe in 'Woman's Rights,'" said Annie, with a toss of the
+head, "and if there's anything I despise, it is a _man_ meddling about
+the house."
+
+Here little Dotty began to cause a disturbance, by sticking a
+fruit-knife into the edges of the "what-not," and making a whirring
+noise.
+
+"I wouldn't do so, Dotty," said Susy, going up to her; "it troubles us;
+and, besides, I'm afraid it will break the knife."
+
+"I don't allow my hired girl to interfere with my children," said
+Annie, speaking up in the character of Mrs. Piper; "I am mistress of the
+house, I'd have you to know! There, little daughter, they shan't plague
+her; she shall keep on doing mischief; so she shall!"
+
+Dotty needed no coaxing to keep on doing mischief, but hit the musical
+knife harder than ever, giving it a dizzy motion, like the clapper in a
+mill.
+
+Prudy was quite annoyed by the sound, but did not really know whether to
+be nervous or not, and concluded to express her vexation in groans: the
+groans she was giving in memory of the departed Mr. Shotwell, who had
+died of a "cannon bullet."
+
+"My good Mrs. Shotwell," said Mrs. Piper, trying to "make
+conversation," "I think I have got something in my eye: will you please
+tell me how it looks?"
+
+"O," said Prudy, peeping into it, "your eye looks very well, ma'am;
+don't you '_xcuse_ it; it looks well enough for _me_."
+
+"Ahem!" said Mrs. Piper, laughing, and settling her head-dress, which
+was Susy's red scarf: "are your feet warm, Mrs. Shotwell?"
+
+"Thank you, ma'am," replied Prudy, "I don't feel 'em cold. O, dear, if
+your husband was all deaded up, I guess you'd cry, Mrs. Piper."
+
+Susy and Flossy looked at each other, and smiled. They thought Prudy
+seemed more like herself than they had known her for a long time.
+
+"You must go right out of the parlor, Betsey," said Mrs. Piper,
+flourishing the poker; "I mean you, Susy--the parlor isn't any place for
+hired girls."
+
+"Ma'am?" said Susy, inclining her head to one side, in order to hear
+better.
+
+"O, dear! the plague of having a deaf girl!" moaned Mrs. Piper. "You
+don't know how trying it is, Mrs. Shotwell! That hired girl, Betsey,
+hears with her elbows, Mrs. Shotwell; I verily believe she does!"
+
+"O, no, ma'am," replied Prudy; "I guess she doesn't hear with her
+elbows, does she? If she _heard_ with her elbows, she wouldn't have to
+ask you over again!"
+
+This queer little speech set Mr. Piper and his wife, and their servant,
+all to laughing, and Betsey looked at her elbows, to see if they were in
+the right place.
+
+"Will you please, ma'am," said Prudy, "ask Betsey to _hot_ a flatiron?
+I've cried my handkerchief all up!"
+
+"Yes; go right out, Betsey, and _hot_ a flatiron," said Mrs. Piper, very
+hospitably. "Go out, this instant, and build a fire, Betsey."
+
+"Yes, go right out, Betsey," echoed Mr. Piper, who could find nothing
+better to do than to repeat his wife's words; for, in spite of himself,
+she did appear to be the "head of the family."
+
+"It was my darlin' husband's handkerchief," sobbed Prudy.
+
+"Rather a small one for a man," said Mr. Piper, laughing.
+
+"Well," replied Prudy, rather quick for a thought, "my husband had a
+very small nose!"
+
+Mrs. Piper tried to make more "conversation."
+
+"O, Mrs. Shotwell, you ought to be exceeding thankful you're a widow,
+and don't keep house! I think my hired girls will carry down my gray
+hairs to the grave! The last one I had was Irish, and very Catholic."
+
+Prudy groaned for sympathy, and wiped her eyes on that corner of her
+handkerchief which was supposed to be not quite "cried up."
+
+"Yes, indeed, it was awful," continued Mrs. Piper; "for she was always
+going to masses and mass-meetings; and there couldn't anybody die but
+they must be 'waked,' you know."
+
+"Why, I didn't know they could be waked up when they was dead," said
+Prudy, opening her eyes.
+
+"O, but they only _make believe_ you can wake 'em," said Mrs. Piper; "of
+course it isn't true! For my part, I don't believe a word an Irish girl
+says, any way."
+
+"Hush, my child," she continued, turning to Dotty, who was now
+sharpening the silver knife on the edges of the iron grate. "Betsey, why
+in the world don't you see to that baby? I believe you are losing your
+mind!"
+
+"That makes me think," said Prudy, suddenly breaking in with a new
+idea; "what do you s'pose the reason is folks can't be waked up? What
+makes 'em stay in heaven all the days, and nights, and years, and never
+come down here to see anybody, not a minute?"
+
+"What an idea!" said Annie. "I'm sure I don't know."
+
+"Well, I've been a thinkin'," said Prudy, answering her own question,
+"that when God has sended 'em up to the sky, they like to stay up there
+the best. It's a nicer place, a great deal nicer place, up to God's
+house."
+
+"O, yes, of course," replied Annie, "but our play--"
+
+"I've been a thinkin'," continued Prudy, "that when I go up to God's
+house, I shan't wear the splint. I can run all over the house, and he'll
+be willing I should go up stairs, and down cellar, you know."
+
+Prudy sighed. Sometimes she almost longed for "God's house."
+
+"Well, let's go on with our play," said Annie, impatiently. "It's most
+supper-time, Mrs. Shotwell. Come in, Betsey."
+
+"Ma'am?" said Betsey, appearing at the door, and turning up one ear,
+very much as if it were a dipper, in which she expected to catch the
+words which dropped from the lips of her mistress. "Betsey, have you
+attended to your sister--to my little child, I mean? Then go out and
+make some sassafras cakes, and some eel-pie, and some squirrel-soup;
+and set the table in five minutes: do you hear?"
+
+"Ma'am?" said the deaf servant; "what did you say about ginger-bread?"
+
+Susy did not like her part of the game; but she played it as well as she
+could, and let Annie manage everything, because that was what pleased
+Annie.
+
+"O, how stupid Betsey is!" said Mr. Piper, coming to the aid of his
+wife. "Mrs. Piper says eel-jumbles, and sassafras-pie, and pound-cake;
+all made in five minutes!"
+
+Here everybody laughed, and Prudy, suddenly remembering her part,
+sighed, and said,--
+
+"O, my darlin' husband used to like jumble-pie! I've forgot to cry for
+ever so long!"
+
+Susy began to set the table, and went into the nursery for some cake and
+cookies, which were kept in an old tin chest, on purpose for this play
+of housekeeping, which had now been carried on regularly every Wednesday
+and Saturday afternoon, for some time.
+
+Susy opened the cake-chest, and found nothing in it but a few dry
+cookies: the fruit-cake was all gone. Who could have eaten it? Not
+Flossy, for she had a singular dislike for raisins and currants, and
+never so much as tasted fruit-cake. Not Prudy, for the poor little thing
+had grown so lame by this time, that she was unable to bear her weight
+on her feet, much less to walk into the nursery. Dotty could not be the
+thief. Her baby-conscience was rather tough and elastic, and I suppose
+she would have felt no more scruples about nibbling nice things, than an
+unprincipled little mouse.
+
+But, then Dotty couldn't reach the cake-chest; so she was certainly
+innocent.
+
+Then Susy remembered in a moment that it was Annie: Annie had run into
+the house morning and night, and had often said, "I'm right hungry. I'm
+going to steal a piece of our cake!"
+
+So it seemed that Annie had eaten it _all_. Susy ran back to Prudy's
+sitting-room, where her little guests were seated, and said, trying not
+to laugh,--
+
+"Please, ma'am, I just made some eel-jumbles and things, and a dog came
+in and stole them."
+
+"Very well, Betsey," said Mrs. Piper, serenely; "make some more."
+
+"Yes, make some more," echoed Mr. Piper; and added, "chain up that dog."
+
+"But real honest true," said Susy, "the fruit-cake _is_ all gone out of
+the chest. You ate it up, you know, Annie; but it's no matter: we'll cut
+up some cookies, or, may be, mother'll let us have some
+oyster-crackers."
+
+"_I_ ate up the cake!" cried Annie; "It's no such a thing; I never
+touched it!" Her face flushed as she spoke.
+
+"O, but you did," persisted Susy; "I suppose you've forgotten! You went
+to the cake-chest this morning, and last night, and yesterday noon, and
+ever so many more times."
+
+Annie was too angry to speak.
+
+"But it's just as well," added Susy, politely; "you could have it as
+well as not, and perfectly welcome!"
+
+"What are you talking about?" cried Annie, indignantly; for she thought
+she saw a look of surprise and contempt on Flossy's face, and fancied
+that Flossy despised her because she had a weakness for fruit-cake.
+
+"I wonder if you take me for a pig, Susy Parlin! I heard what your
+mother said about that cake! She said it was too dry for her company,
+but it was too rich for little girls, and we must only eat a _teeny_
+speck at a time. I told my mamma, and she laughed, to think such mean
+dried-up cake was too rich for little girls!"
+
+Susy felt her temper rising, but her desire to be polite did not desert
+her.
+
+"It _was_ rich, nice cake, Annie; but mother said the slices had been
+cut a great while, and it was drying up. Let's not talk any more about
+it."
+
+"O, but I _shall_ talk more about it," cried Annie, still more
+irritated; "you keep hinting that I tell wrong stories and steal cake;
+yes, you do! and then you ain't willing to let me speak!"
+
+All this sounded like righteous indignation, but was only anger. Annie
+was entirely in the wrong, and knew it; therefore she lost her temper.
+
+Susy had an unusual amount of self-control at this time, merely because
+she had the truth on her side. But her dignified composure only vexed
+Annie the more.
+
+"I won't stay here to be imposed upon, and told that I'm a liar and a
+thief; so I won't! I'll go right home this very minute, and tell my
+mother just how you treat your company!"
+
+And, in spite of all Susy could say, Annie threw on her hood and cloak,
+and flounced out of the room; forgetting, in her wrath, to take off
+Susy's red scarf, which was still festooned about her head.
+
+"Well, I'm glad she's gone," said Flossy, coolly, as the door closed
+with a slam. "She's a bold thing, and my mother wouldn't like me to play
+with her, if she knew how she acts! She said 'victuals' for food, and
+that isn't _elegant_, mother says. What right had she to set up and say
+she'd be Mrs. Piper? So forward!"
+
+After all, this was the grievous part of the whole to Flossy,--that she
+had to take an inferior part in the play.
+
+"But I'm _sorry_ she's gone," said Susy, uneasily. "I don't like to have
+her go and tell that I wasn't polite."
+
+"You _was_ polite," chimed in little Prudy, from the sofa; "a great deal
+politer'n she was! I wouldn't care, if I would be you, Susy. I don't
+wish Annie was dead, but I wish she was a duck a-sailin' on the water!"
+
+The children went back to the game they had been playing before Annie
+came; but the interest was quite gone. Their quick-tempered little
+guest had been a "_kill-joy_" in spite of her name.
+
+But the afternoon was not over yet. What happened next, I will tell you
+in another chapter.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+MORAL COURAGE.
+
+
+Annie Lovejoy had not been gone fifteen minutes, when there was a sharp
+ringing of Mrs. Parlin's doorbell, and a little boy gave Norah the red
+scarf of Susy's, and a note for Mrs. Parlin.
+
+Norah suspected they both came from Mrs. Lovejoy, and she could see that
+lady from the opposite window, looking toward the house with a very
+defiant expression.
+
+Mrs. Parlin opened the note with some surprise, for she had been
+engaged with visitors in the parlor, and did not know what had been
+going on up stairs.
+
+Whatever Mrs. Lovejoy's other accomplishments might be, she could not
+write very elegantly. The ink was hardly dry, and the words were badly
+blotted, as well as incorrectly spelled.
+
+    "Mrs. Parlin.
+
+     "Madam: If my own _doughter_ is a _theif_ and a _lier_, I beg to be
+     informed. She has no _knowlidg_ of the cake, _whitch_ was so
+     _dryed_ up, a _begar woold_ not touch it. Will Miss Susan Parlin
+     come over here, and take back her words?
+
+    "SERENA LOVEJOY."
+
+Mrs. Parlin was at a loss to understand this, for she had quite
+forgotten the fact, that the children had any cake to use at their play
+of housekeeping. She supposed that Susy must have accused Annie of
+prying into the china-closet, where the cakes and jellies were kept. She
+sent for Susy at once.
+
+"My daughter," said she, in her usual quiet tones, "did you ever have
+any reason to suppose that Annie Lovejoy went about meddling with our
+things, and peeping into the closets?"
+
+"Why, no, mother," replied Susy, much surprised; "she never saw the
+closets, that I know of. Why, mother, what do you mean?"
+
+"Never ate cake, did she, without leave?"
+
+"O, now I know what you mean, mother! Yes'm, she ate some of that
+fruit-cake you gave us to play with; and when I told her of it, she got
+angry, and said she was going right home, and would tell her mother how
+I treated my company; but I don't see how you found that out!"
+
+"Never mind yet how I found it out, my dear. I want to know if you are
+sure that Annie ate the cake?"
+
+"Yes, mother: just as certain sure as I can be! You know Dotty can't
+reach that high shelf in the nursery-closet, and I can't, without
+getting into a chair; and Prudy can't walk a step; and Flossy despises
+cake."
+
+"But," said Mrs. Parlin, smiling, "I don't see that you have proved
+Annie to be the guilty one."
+
+"Guilty? O, I don't know as she is _guilty_, mamma; but she ate the
+cake! She ate it right before my face and eyes; but I told her it was
+just as well, she was perfectly welcome, and tried to be as polite as if
+she was a grown-up lady, mother. But, O, dear, it didn't make a speck of
+difference how much I said; for the more I said, the more angry she
+grew, and I couldn't make her believe I didn't think she was a thief and
+a liar! Only think, a thief and a liar! But I never said those words at
+all, mother!"
+
+"Very well, my dear; I am sure you did not. It is a great comfort to
+me, Susy, that I can always rely on your word. You have done nothing
+wrong, and need not be unhappy; but Mrs. Lovejoy sends for you to go
+over and tell her just what you mean about the cake; are you willing to
+go?"
+
+Susy was not willing; indeed, she was very much frightened, and begged
+her mother to excuse her in some way to Mrs. Lovejoy, or, if that would
+not do, to go herself and explain the matter for her.
+
+But, as it was Susy's own affair, Mrs. Parlin wished to have as little
+to do with it as possible. Besides, she considered it a good opportunity
+to teach Susy a lesson in moral courage.
+
+Susy started very reluctantly.
+
+"I'm afraid Mrs. Lovejoy will scold real sharp," said she. "What shall I
+do? O, mother, I didn't see Annie eat _all_ the cake; I didn't watch.
+How do I know but she gave some crumbs to the cat? Can't I--can't I say,
+I _guess_ the cat ate it?"
+
+"Susy!" said Mrs. Parlin, sternly, "are you more afraid of displeasing
+Mrs. Lovejoy than you are of displeasing God? All that is required of
+you is the simple truth. Merely say to Annie's mother just what you have
+said to me; that you saw Annie eating cake several times, though there
+was no harm in it, and you did _not_ call her either a thief or a liar.
+Speak respectfully, but decidedly; and when you have said all that is
+necessary, leave her politely, and come home."
+
+Susy called up all her courage when she entered Mrs. Lovejoy's house,
+and saw that lady sitting very erect on a sofa, with a bleak face, which
+looked somehow as if a north-east wind had blown over it, and frozen it.
+
+"Well, little girl," said she, without waiting for ceremony, "so you
+call my Annie all the bad names you can think of, it seems. Is that the
+way you are brought up?"
+
+"I didn't call her names, ma'am; she ate the cake, but I was willing,"
+replied Susy, calmly and respectfully, though she trembled from head to
+foot. There was one thought which sustained Susy; she was telling the
+truth, and that was just what God wanted her to do.
+
+"Well," said Mrs. Lovejoy, "I must say you're a dignified little piece!
+Do you know you've done the same thing as to tell me I lie?"
+
+This was just the way _Annie_ had spoken; warping innocent words, and
+making them the occasion of a quarrel.
+
+Susy could think of nothing which seemed exactly right to say to Mrs.
+Lovejoy in reply; so she wisely held her peace.
+
+"Yes, miss, you've insulted my child, and, as if that were not enough,
+you come over here, deliberately, and insult _me_, in my own house!"
+
+Tears sprang to Susy's eyes, but she resolutely crushed them back.
+There was, in her childish mind, a certain sense of self-respect, which
+made her unwilling to cry in the presence of such a person as Mrs.
+Lovejoy. She felt instinctively that the woman was not a lady. Susy was
+too young to reason about the matter; but she was quite sure her own
+mother was a model of good manners; and never, never had she known her
+mother to raise her voice to such a high key, or speak such angry words!
+
+Mrs. Lovejoy said a great many things which were both severe and unjust;
+but Susy managed to keep up a respectful manner, as her mother had
+directed. Mrs. Lovejoy was disappointed. She had expected Susy would
+quail before her presence and make the most humble confessions.
+
+"I always knew," cried Mrs. Lovejoy, becoming more and more
+exasperated,--"I always knew Mrs. Parlin held her head pretty high! She
+is a proud, stuck-up woman, your mother is; she has taught you to look
+down on my little girl! O, yes, I understand the whole story! You're a
+beautiful family for neighbors!"
+
+Poor Susy was fairly bewildered.
+
+"Now you may go home as straight as you can go! But remember one thing:
+never, while we live in this city, shall my daughter Annie darken your
+doors again!"
+
+Susy walked home with downcast head and overflowing eyes. Her heart was
+very heavy, for she felt she had been disgraced for life, and could
+never be respected any more. Here was a trial so terrible that it caused
+the death of little Dandy to seem almost a trifle by comparison.
+
+It was strange, Susy thought, how people could live through such severe
+troubles as had fallen to her lot to-day. She was a little girl of quick
+and sensitive feelings, and a sharp word always wounded her more than a
+blow. How that angry woman had talked about her mother!
+
+Susy decided, upon the whole, that this was the sting--this was the "pin
+in the lash," which had hurt her more than the lash. How _dared_ Mrs.
+Lovejoy say a word about her own mother, who was certainly the best
+woman that ever lived, always excepting the good people in the Bible!
+
+By the time she entered the house, her indignation had risen like a
+blaze, and burned away all her tears. But should she tell her mother
+what Mrs. Lovejoy had said about her ownself, about her being "stuck
+up," and holding her head pretty high? Susy could not decide whether she
+ought to tell her, and risk the danger of almost breaking her heart! But
+before she had time to decide, she had poured out the whole story in a
+torrent.
+
+Strange to say, Mrs. Parlin listened with perfect calmness, and even
+said, when Susy had finished,--
+
+"Very well, my dear; now you may go and hang up your hood and cloak."
+
+"But, mother," said Susy, rushing up stairs again, quite out of breath,
+"now I've taken care of my things; but did you understand what I said,
+mother? Annie will never come into this house, never again! Her mother
+forbids it!"
+
+"That is quite fortunate for me, Susy, as it saves me the trouble of
+forbidding it myself!"
+
+"Why, mother, you wouldn't do such a thing as that! Why, mother, I never
+heard of your doing such a thing in my life!"
+
+"I should regret the necessity very much, my child; but wouldn't it be
+better, on the whole, to have a little moral courage, and put an end to
+all intercourse between the two families, than to live in a constant
+broil?"
+
+"Why, yes, mother, I suppose so."
+
+Susy was beginning to feel more composed. She saw that her mother
+understood the whole story, yet her heart was far from being broken!
+
+"What is moral courage, mother?"
+
+"The courage to do right."
+
+"Did I have moral courage when I told Mrs. Lovejoy the truth?"
+
+"Yes, dear. It was hard for you, wasn't it? If it had been easy, there
+would have been no moral courage about it."
+
+"I am glad I had moral courage!" said Susy with animation. "I knew I did
+something _right_, but I didn't know what you called it."
+
+"Now," continued Mrs. Parlin, "I have this very day been talking with a
+lady, who once lived next door to Mrs. Lovejoy; and she tells me enough
+about her to convince me that she is not a person I wish for a neighbor.
+And I have heard enough about Annie, too, to feel very sure she is not a
+safe companion for my little daughter."
+
+"But, mother," said Susy, "you are not--you don't feel 'stuck up' above
+Mrs. Lovejoy?"
+
+Mrs. Parlin smiled.
+
+"That is not a very proper expression, Susy; but I think I do not feel
+_stuck-up_ above her in the least. I am only anxious that my little
+daughter may not be injured by bad examples. I don't know what sort of a
+little girl Annie might be with proper influences, but--"
+
+"Now, mamma, I don't want to say anything improper," said Susy,
+earnestly; "but wouldn't it be the _piousest_ for me to play with Annie,
+and try to make her go to Sabbath school, and be better?"
+
+Mrs. Parlin did not answer at once. She was thinking of what she had
+said to Susy about people who are "home missionaries," and do a great
+deal of good by a beautiful example.
+
+"If you were older, dear, it would be quite different. But, instead of
+improving Annie, who is a self-willed child, I fear you would only grow
+worse yourself. She is bold, and you are rather timid. She wants to
+lead, and not to follow. I fear she will set you bad examples."
+
+"I didn't know, mamma; but I thought I was almost old enough to set my
+_own_ examples! I'm the oldest of the family."
+
+Susy said no more about becoming a home-missionary to Annie; for,
+although she could not quite see the force of her mother's reasoning,
+she believed her mother was always right.
+
+"But what does she mean by calling me _timid_? She has blamed me a great
+deal for being _bold_."
+
+Yes, bold Susy certainly was, when there was a fence to climb, a pony to
+ride, or a storm to be faced; but she was, nevertheless, a little
+faint-hearted when people laughed at her. But Susy was learning every
+day, and this time it had been a lesson in moral courage. She did not
+fully understand her mother, however, as you will see by and by.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+RUTHIE TURNER.
+
+                  "The darkest day,
+    Wait till to-morrow, will have passed away."
+
+
+The next morning, Susy woke with a faint recollection that something
+unpleasant had occurred, though she could not at first remember what it
+was.
+
+"But I didn't do anything wrong," was her second thought. "Now, after I
+say my prayers, the next thing I'll feed--O, Dandy is dead!"
+
+"See here, Susy," said Percy, coming into the dining-room, just after
+breakfast; "did you ever see this cage before?"
+
+"Now, Percy! When you know I want it out of my sight!"
+
+Then, in the next breath, "Why, Percy Eastman, if here isn't your
+beautiful mocking-bird in the cage!"
+
+"Yes, Susy; and if you'll keep him, and be good to him, you'll do me a
+great favor."
+
+It was a long while before Susy could be persuaded that this rare bird
+was to be her "ownest own." It was a wonderfully gifted little creature.
+Susy could but own that he was just as good as a canary, only a great
+deal better. "The greater included the less." He had as sweet a voice,
+and a vast deal more compass. His powers of mimicry were very amusing to
+poor little Prudy, who was never tired of hearing him mew like a kitten,
+quack like a duck, or whistle like a schoolboy.
+
+Susy was still more delighted than Prudy. It was so comforting, too, to
+know that she was doing Percy "a great favor," by accepting his
+beautiful present. She wondered in her own mind how he _could_ be tired
+of such an interesting pet, and asked her to take it, just to get rid of
+it!
+
+About this time, Mr. Parlin bought for Prudy a little armed-chair, which
+rolled about the floor on wheels. This Prudy herself could propel with
+only the outlay of a very little strength; but there were days when she
+did not care to sit in it at all. Prudy seemed to grow worse. The doctor
+was hopeful, very hopeful; but Mrs. Parlin was not.
+
+Prudy's dimpled hands had grown so thin, that you could trace the
+winding path of every blue vein quite distinctly. Her eyes were large
+and mournful, and seemed to be always asking for pity. She grew quiet
+and patient--"painfully patient," her father said. Indeed, Mr. Parlin,
+as well as his wife, feared the little sufferer was ripening for heaven.
+
+"Mamma," said she, one day, "mamma, you never snip my fingers any
+nowadays do you? When I'm just as naughty, you never snip my fingers!"
+
+Mrs. Parlin turned her face away. There were tears in her eyes, and she
+did not like to look at those little white fingers, which she was almost
+afraid would never have the natural, childish naughtiness in them any
+more.
+
+"I think sick and patient little girls don't need punishing," said she,
+after a while. "Do you remember how you used to think I snipped your
+hands to 'get the naughty out?' You thought the naughty was all in your
+little hands!"
+
+"But it wasn't, mamma," said Prudy, slowly and solemnly. "I know where
+it was: it was in my _heart_."
+
+"Who can take the naughty out of our hearts, dear? Do you ever think?"
+
+"Our Father in heaven. No one else can. _He_ knows how to snip our
+hearts, and get the naughty out. Sometimes he sends the earache and the
+toothache to Susy, and the--the--lameness to me. O, he has a great many
+ways of snipping!"
+
+Prudy was showing the angel-side of her nature now. Suffering was
+"making her perfect." She had a firm belief that God knew all about it,
+and that somehow or other it was "all right." Her mother took a great
+deal of pains to teach her this. She knew that no one can bear
+affliction with real cheerfulness who does not trust in God.
+
+But there was now and then a bright day when Prudy felt quite buoyant,
+and wanted to play. Susy left everything then, and tried to amuse her.
+If this lameness was refining little Prudy, it was also making Susy more
+patient. She could not look at her little sister's pale face, and not be
+touched with pity.
+
+One afternoon, Flossy Eastman and Ruthie Turner came to see Susy; and,
+as it was one of Prudy's best days, Mrs. Parlin said they might play in
+Prudy's sitting-room. Ruthie was what Susy called an "old-fashioned
+little girl." She lived with a widowed mother, and had no brothers and
+sisters, so that she appeared much older than she really was. She liked
+to talk with grown people upon wise subjects, as if she were at least
+twenty-five years old. Susy knew that this was not good manners, and she
+longed to say so to Ruthie.
+
+Aunt Madge was in Prudy's sitting-room when Ruthie entered. Ruthie went
+up to her and shook hands at once.
+
+"I suppose it is Susy's aunt Madge," said she. "I am delighted to see
+you, for Susy says you love little girls, and know lots of games."
+
+There was such a quiet composure in Ruth's manner, and she seemed to
+feel so perfectly at home in addressing a young lady she had never seen
+before, that Miss Parlin was quite astonished, as well as a little
+inclined to smile.
+
+Then Ruthie went on to talk about the war. Susy listened in mute
+despair, for she did not know anything about politics. Aunt Madge looked
+at Susy's face, and felt amused, for _Ruthie_ knew nothing about
+politics either: she was as ignorant as Susy. She had only heard her
+mother and other ladies talking together. Ruthie answered all the
+purpose of a parrot hung up in a cage, for she caught and echoed
+everything that was said, not having much idea what it meant.
+
+When aunt Madge heard Ruth laboring away at long sentences, with hard
+words in them, she thought of little Dotty, as she had seen her, that
+morning, trying to tug Percy's huge dog up stairs in her arms.
+
+"It is too much for her," thought aunt Madge: "the dog got the
+upper-hand of Dotty, and I think the big words are more than a match for
+Ruth."
+
+But Ruth did not seem to know it, for she persevered. She gravely asked
+aunt Madge if she approved of the "_Mancimation_ of _Proclapation_."
+Then she said she and her mamma were very much "_perplexed"_ when news
+came of the last defeat. She would have said "_surprised_" only
+_surprised_ was an every-day word, and not up to standard of elegant
+English.
+
+Ruth was not so very silly, after all. It was only when she tried to
+talk of matters too old for her that she made herself ridiculous. She
+was very quiet and industrious, and had knit several pairs of socks for
+the soldiers.
+
+As soon as Miss Parlin could disentangle herself from her conversation
+with Ruthie, she left the children to themselves.
+
+"Let's keep school," said Prudy. "I'll be teacher, if you want me to."
+
+"Very well," replied Susy, "we'll let her; won't we, girls? she is such
+a darling."
+
+"Well," said Prudy, with a look of immense satisfaction, "please go,
+Susy, and ask grandma if I may have one of those shiny, white
+handkerchiefs she wears on her neck, and a cap, and play Quaker."
+
+Grandma was very glad that Prudy felt well enough to play Quaker, and
+lent her as much "costume" as she needed, as well as a pair of
+spectacles without eyes, which the children often borrowed for their
+plays, fancying that they added to the dignity of the wearer.
+
+When Prudy was fairly equipped, she was a droll little Quakeress,
+surely, and grandma had to be called up from the kitchen to behold her
+with her own eyes. The little soft face, almost lost in the folds of the
+expansive cap, was every bit as solemn as if she had been, as aunt Madge
+said, "a hundred years old, and very old for her age."
+
+She was really a sweet little likeness of grandma Read in miniature.
+
+"And their names are alike, too," said Susy: "grandma's name is
+Prudence, and so is Prudy's."
+
+"Used to be," said Prudy, gravely.
+
+"Rosy Frances" was now lifted most carefully into her little wheeled
+chair and no queen ever held a court with more dignity than she assumed
+as she smoothed into place the folds of her grandma's snowy kerchief,
+which she wore about her neck.
+
+"What shall we do first?" said Flossy and Susy.
+
+"Thee? thee?" Prudy considered "thee" the most important word of all.
+"Why, _thee_ may behave; I mean, behave _thyselves_."
+
+The new teacher had not collected her ideas yet.
+
+"Let's get our books together," said Susy, "and then we'll all sit on
+the sofa and study."
+
+"Me, me," chimed in Dotty Dimple, dropping the little carriage in which
+she was wheeling her kitty; "me, too!"
+
+"Well, if you must, you must; snuggle in here between Flossy and me,"
+said Susy, who was determined that to-day everything should go on
+pleasantly.
+
+"Sixteenth class in joggerphy," said Miss Rosy Frances, peeping severely
+over her spectacles. "Be spry quick!"
+
+The three pupils stood up in a row, holding their books close to their
+faces.
+
+"Thee may hold out your hands now, and I shall ferule thee--the whole
+school," was the stern remark of the young teacher, as she took off her
+spectacles to wipe the holes.
+
+"Why, we haven't been doing anything," said Ruthie, affecting to cry.
+
+"No, I know it; but thee'd _ought_ to have been doing something; thee'd
+ought to have studied thy lessons."
+
+"But, teacher, we didn't have time," pleaded Flossy; "you called us out
+so quick! Won't you forgive us!"
+
+"Yes, I will," said Rosy Frances, gently; "I will, if thee'll speak up
+_'xtremely_ loud, and fix _thine_ eyes on thy teacher."
+
+The pupils replied, "Yes, ma'am," at the top of their voices.
+
+"Now," said Rosy Frances, appearing to read from the book, "where is the
+Isthmus of _Susy?_"
+
+The scholars all laughed, and answered at random. They did not know that
+their teacher was trying to say the "Isthmus of Suez."
+
+The next question took them by surprise:--
+
+"Is there any man in the moon?"
+
+"What a queer idea, Rosy," said Susy; "what made you ask that?"
+
+"'Cause I wanted to know," replied the Quaker damsel. "They said he
+came down when the other man was eatin' porridge. I should think, if he
+went back up there, and didn't have any wife and children, he'd be real
+lonesome!"
+
+This idea of Prudy's set the whole school to romancing, although it was
+in the midst of a recitation. Flossy said if there was a man in the
+moon, he must be a giant, or he never could get round over the
+mountains, which she had heard were very steep.
+
+Ruthie asked if there was anything said about his wife! Susy, who had
+read considerable poetry was sure she had heard something of a woman up
+there, named "Cynthia;" but she supposed it was all "moonshine," or
+"made up," as she expressed it. She said she meant to ask her aunt
+Madge to write a fairy story about it.
+
+Here their progress in useful knowledge was cut short by the
+disappearance of Dotty. Looking out of the window, they saw the little
+rogue driving ducks with a broomstick. These ducks had a home not far
+from Mrs. Parlin's, and if Dotty Dimple had one temptation stronger than
+all others, it was the sight of those waddling fowls, with their velvet
+heads, beads of eyes, and spotted feathers. When she saw them "marshin'
+along," she was instantly seized with a desire either to head the
+company or to march in the rear, and set them to quacking. She was
+bareheaded, and Susy ran down stairs to bring her into the house; and
+that was an end of the school for that day. Dotty Dimple was something
+like the kettle of molasses which Norah was boiling, very sweet, but
+very apt to _boil over_: she needed watching.
+
+When Norah's candy was brought up stairs, the little girls pronounced it
+excellent.
+
+"O, dear," said Flossy, "I wish our girl was half as good as Norah! I
+don't see why Electa and Norah ain't more alike when they are own
+sisters!"
+
+"What dreadful girls your mother always has!" said Susy; "it's too bad?"
+
+"I know of a girl," said Prudy, "one you'd like ever'n, ever so much,
+Flossy; only you can't have her."
+
+"Why not?" said Flossy; "my mother would go hundreds of leagues to get a
+good girl. Why can't she have her?"
+
+"O, 'cause, she's _dead!_ It's Norah's cousin over to Ireland."
+
+They next played the little game of guessing "something in this room,"
+that begins with a certain letter. Ruthie puzzled them a long while on
+the initial S. At last she said she meant "scrutau" (escritoire or
+scrutoire), pointing towards the article with her finger.
+
+"Why, that's a _writing-desk_," said Susy. "I don't see where you learn
+so many big worns, Ruthie."
+
+"O, I take notice, and remember them," replied Ruthie, looking quite
+pleased. She thought Susy was praising her.
+
+"Now let _me_ tell some letters," said Prudy.
+
+"L.R. She lives at your house, Flossy."
+
+Nobody could guess.
+
+"Why, I should think _that_ was easy enough," said Prudy: "it's that
+girl that lives there; she takes off the covers of your stove with a
+clothes-pin: it's 'Lecta Rosbornd.'"
+
+The little girls explained to Prudy that the true initials of Electa
+Osborne would be E.O., instead of L.R. But Prudy did not know much about
+spelling. She _had_ known most of her letters; but it was some time ago,
+and they had nearly all slipped out of her head.
+
+She said, often, she wished she could "only, only read;" and Susy
+offered to teach her, but Mrs. Parlin said it would never do till Prudy
+felt stronger.
+
+I will tell you now why I think Susy did not understand her mother when
+she said Annie was not a suitable playmate. In the evening, after Ruthie
+and Flossy were gone, Susy said to her mother,--
+
+"I feel real cross with Ruthie, mamma: I think she puts herself forward.
+She goes into a room, and no matter how old the people are that are
+talking, she speaks up, and says, 'O, yes, I know all about it.' I never
+saw such an old-fashioned little girl."
+
+"Very well," said Mrs. Parlin; "if _she_ is rude, take care that the
+same fault does not appear in yourself, Susy."
+
+"But, mother," said Susy, suddenly veering about and speaking in Ruth's
+favor, "I don't know but it's proper to do as Ruthy does. If you know
+something, and other people don't, ain't it right to speak up and say
+it?"
+
+"It is never right for little girls to _monopolize_ conversation, Susy;
+that is, to take the lead in it, and so prevent older people from
+talking. Neither is it proper to pretend to know more than we do, and
+talk of things beyond our knowledge."
+
+"I knew you would say so, mother. I just asked to hear what you would
+say. I know Ruthie is ill-mannered: do you think I ought to play with
+her any more?"
+
+Mrs. Parlin looked at Susy in surprise.
+
+"Why, you know, mother, you wouldn't let me play with Annie Lovejoy. You
+said, 'evil communications corrupted good manners.'"
+
+"But can't you see any difference in the cases, Susy? What a muddy
+little head you must wear on your shoulders!"
+
+"Not much of any," said Susy, trying to think; "they're both _bold_;
+that's what you don't like."
+
+"Anything else, Susy?"
+
+"O, yes, mother; Ruthie's good, and Annie isn't. It was queer for me to
+forget that!"
+
+"I should think it was, Susy, since it is the only thing of much
+importance, after all. Now, it seems to me you are very ready to cast
+off your friends when their manners offend you. How would you like it to
+be treated in the same way? Suppose Mrs. Turner and Ruthie should be
+talking together this very minute. Ruthie says, 'That Susy Parlin keeps
+her drawers in a perfect tumble; she isn't orderly a bit. Susy Parlin
+never knit a stitch for the soldiers in her life. Mother, mayn't I stop
+playing with Susy Parlin?'"
+
+Susy laughed, and looked a little ashamed.
+
+"Well, mother," said she, twisting the corner of her handkerchief, "I
+guess I can't say anything about Ruthie Turner; she's a great deal
+better girl than I am, any way."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+SUSY'S BIRTHDAY.
+
+
+Days and weeks passed. The snowflakes, which had fallen from time to
+time, and kept themselves busy making a patchwork quilt for mother
+Earth, now melted away, and the white quilt was torn into shreds. The
+bare ground was all there was to be seen, except now and then a dot of
+the white coverlet. It was Spring, and everything began to wake up. The
+sun wasn't half so sleepy, and didn't walk off over the western hills in
+the middle of the afternoon to take a nap.
+
+The sleighing was gone long ago. The roads were dismal swamps. "Wings"
+would have a rest till "settled going." Susy's skates were hung up in a
+green baize bag, to dream away the summer.
+
+The mocking-bird performed his daily duties of entertaining the family,
+besides learning a great many new songs. Susy said she tried not to set
+her heart on that bird.
+
+"I'll not give him a name," she added, "for then he'll be sure to die!
+My first canary was Bertie, and I named the others Berties, as fast as
+they died off. The last one was so yellow that I couldn't help calling
+him Dandelion; but I wish I hadn't, for then, perhaps, he'd have lived."
+
+Susy had caught some whimsical notions about "signs and wonders." It is
+strange how some intelligent children will believe in superstitious
+stories! But as soon as Susy's parents discovered that her young head
+had been stored with such worse than foolish ideas, they were not slow
+to teach her better.
+
+She had a great fright, about this time, concerning Freddy Jackson. He
+was one of the few children who were allowed to play in "Prudy's
+sitting-room." He did not distract the tired nerves of "Rosy Frances,"
+as her cousin Percy and other boys did, by sudden shouts and loud
+laughing. Prudy had a vague feeling that he was one of the little ones
+that God thought best to punish by "snipping his heart." She knew what
+it was to have _her_ heart snipped, and had a sympathy with little
+Freddy.
+
+Susy loved Freddy, too. Perhaps Percy was right, when he said that Susy
+loved everything that was dumb; and I am not sure but her tender heart
+would have warmed to him all the more if he had been stone-blind, as
+well as deaf.
+
+Freddy had a drunken father, and a sad home; but, for all that, he was
+not entirely miserable. It is only the wicked who are miserable. The
+kind Father in heaven has so planned it that there is something pleasant
+in everybody's life.
+
+Freddy had no more idea what _sound_ is than we have of the angels in
+heaven; but he could see, and there is so much to be seen! Here is a
+great, round world, full of beauty and wonder. It stands ready to be
+looked at. Freddy's ears must be forever shut out from pleasant sound;
+but his bright eyes were wide open, seeing all that was made to be
+seen.
+
+He loved to go to Mrs. Parlin's, for there he was sure to be greeted
+pleasantly; and he understood the language of smiles as well as anybody.
+
+When grandma Read saw him coming she would say,--
+
+"Now, Susan, thee'd better lay aside thy book, for most likely the poor
+little fellow will want to _talk_."
+
+And Susy did lay aside her book. She had learned so many lessons this
+winter in self-denial!
+
+These "silent talks" were quite droll. Little Dotty almost understood
+something about them; that is, when they used the signs: the alphabet
+was more than she could manage. When Freddy wanted to talk about Dotty,
+he made a sign for a dimple in each cheek. He smoothed his hair when he
+meant Susy, and made a waving motion over his head for Prudy, whose hair
+was full of ripples.
+
+Prudy said she had wrinkled hair, and she knew it; but the wrinkles
+"wouldn't come out."
+
+Grandma Read sat one evening by the coal-grate, holding a letter in her
+hand, and looking into the glowing fire with a thoughtful expression.
+Susy came and sat near her, resting one arm on her grandma's lap, and
+trying in various ways to attract her attention.
+
+"Why, grandma," said she, "I've spoken to you three times; but I can't
+get you to answer or look at me."
+
+"What does thee want, my dear? I will try to attend to thee."
+
+"O, grandma, there are ever so many things I want to say, now mother is
+out of the room, and father hasn't got home. I must tell somebody, or my
+heart will break; and you know, grandma dear, I can talk to you so
+easy."
+
+"Can thee? Then go on, Susy; what would thee like to say?"
+
+"O, two or three things. Have you noticed, grandma, that I've been just
+as sober as can be?"
+
+"For how long, Susan?"
+
+"O, all day; I've felt as if I couldn't but just live!"
+
+Grandma Read did not smile at this. She knew very well that such a child
+as Susy is capable of intense suffering.
+
+"Well, Susan, is it about thy sister Prudence?"
+
+"O, no, grandma! she's getting; better; isn't she?"
+
+"Are thy lessons at school too hard for thee, Susan?"
+
+Mrs. Read saw that Susy was very reluctant about opening her heart,
+although she had said she could talk to her grandmother "so easy."
+
+"No, indeed, grandma; my lessons are not too hard. I'm a real good
+scholar--one of the best in school for my age."
+
+This was a fact. Some people would have chidden Susy for it; but Mrs.
+Read reflected that the child was only telling the simple truth, and had
+no idea of boasting. She was not a little girl who would intrude such
+remarks about herself upon strangers. But when she and her grandma were
+talking together confidentially, she thought it made all the difference
+in the world; as indeed it did.
+
+"I have a great deal to trouble me," said Susy, and the "evening-blue"
+of her eyes clouded over, till there were signs of a shower. "I thought
+my pony would make me happy as long as I lived; but it hasn't. One thing
+that I feel bad about is--well, it's turning over a new leaf. When New
+Year's comes, I'm going to do it, and don't; so I wait till my birthday,
+and then I don't. It seems as if I'd tried about a thousand New Years
+and birthdays to turn over that leaf."
+
+Grandma smiled, but did not interrupt Susy.
+
+"I think I should be real good," continued the child, "if it wasn't such
+hard work. I can't be orderly, grandma--not much; and then Dotty upsets
+everything. Sometimes I have to hold my breath to keep patient.
+
+"Well, grandma, my birthday comes to-morrow, the 8th of April. I like
+it well enough; only there's one reason why I don't like it at all, and
+that is a Bible reason. It's so dreadful that I can't bear to say it to
+you," said Susy, shuddering, and lowering her voice to a whisper; "I
+don't want to grow up, for I shall have to marry Freddy Jackson."
+
+Grandma tried to look serious.
+
+"Who put such a foolish idea into thy head, child?"
+
+"Cousin Percy told me last night," answered Susy, solemnly. "How can you
+laugh when it's all in the Bible, grandma? I never told anybody before.
+Wait; I'll show you the verse. I've put a mark at the place."
+
+Susy brought her Bible to her grandmother, and, opening it at the
+thirty-first chapter of Proverbs, pointed, with a trembling finger, to
+the eighth verse, which Mrs. Read read aloud,--
+
+"Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed
+to destruction."
+
+"Now Percy says that's a sure sign! I told him, O, dear! Freddy ought to
+marry a dumb woman; that would be _properest_; but Percy says
+no--anything has got to 'come to pass' when it's _foreordinationed_!"
+
+"And could thee really believe such foolishness, my sensible little
+Susan? Does thee suppose the good Lord ever meant that we should read
+his Bible as if it were a wicked dream-book?"
+
+"Then you don't think I shall have to marry Freddy Jackson," cried Susy,
+immensely relieved. "I'm so glad I told you! I felt so sober all day,
+only nobody noticed it, and I was ashamed to tell!"
+
+"It is a good thing for thee to tell thy little troubles to thy older
+friends, Susan: thee'll almost always find it so," said grandma Read,
+stroking Susy's hair.
+
+"Now, my child, I have a piece of news for thee, if thee is ready to
+hear it: thy cousin, Grace Clifford, has a little sister."
+
+"A baby sister? A real sister? Does mother know it?"
+
+"Yes, thy mother knows it."
+
+"But how _could_ you keep it to yourself so long?"
+
+"Thee thinks good news is hard to keep, does thee? Well, thee shall be
+the first to tell thy father when he comes home."
+
+Susy heard steps on the door-stone, and rushed out, with the joyful
+story on her lips. It proved to be not her father, but callers, who were
+just ringing the bell; and they heard Susy's exclamation,--
+
+"O, have you heard? Grace has a new sister, a baby sister, as true as
+you live!" with the most provoking coolness.
+
+But when Mr. Parlin came, he was sufficiently interested in the news to
+satisfy even Susy.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+FAREWELL.
+
+
+Prudy was really getting better. Mrs. Parlin said she should trust a
+physician more next time. The doctor declared that all the severe pain
+Prudy had suffered was really necessary.
+
+"Believe me, my dear madam," said he, "when the poor child has
+complained most, she has in fact been making most progress towards
+health. When the sinews are 'knitting together,' as we call it, then the
+agony is greatest."
+
+This was very comforting to Mrs. Parlin, who thought she would not be
+discouraged so easily again; she would always believe that it is
+"darkest just before day."
+
+There was really everything to hope for Prudy. The doctor thought that
+by the end of three months she would walk as well as ever. He said she
+might make the effort now, every day, to bear her weight on her feet.
+She tried this experiment first with her father and mother on each side
+to support her; but it was not many days before she could stand firmly
+on her right foot, and bear a little weight on her left one, which did
+not now, as formerly, drag, or, as she had said, "_more_ than touch the
+floor." By and by she began to scramble about on the carpet on all
+fours, partly creeping, partly pushing herself along.
+
+It was surprising how much pleasure Prudy took in going back to these
+ways of babyhood.
+
+Faint blush roses began to bloom in her cheeks as soon as she could take
+a little exercise and go out of doors. Her father bought a little
+carriage just suitable for the pony, and in this she rode every morning,
+her mother or Percy driving; for Mrs. Parlin thought it hardly safe to
+trust Susy with such a precious encumbrance as this dear little sister.
+
+She had been willing that Susy should manage Wings in a sleigh, but in a
+carriage the case was quite different; for, though in a sleigh there
+might be even more danger of overturning, there was not as much danger
+of getting hurt. Indeed, Susy's sleigh had tipped over once or twice in
+turning too sharp a corner, and Susy had fallen out, but had instantly
+jumped up again, laughing.
+
+She would have driven in her new carriage to Yarmouth and back again, or
+perhaps to Bath, if she had been permitted. She was a reckless little
+horsewoman, afraid of nothing, and for that very reason could not be
+trusted alone.
+
+But there was no difficulty in finding companions. Percy pretended to
+study book-keeping, but was always ready for a ride. Flossy was not
+steady enough to be trusted with the reins, but Ruth Turner was as
+careful a driver as need be; though Susy laughed because she held the
+reins in both hands, and looked so terrified.
+
+She said it did no good to talk with Ruth when she was driving; she
+never heard a word, for she was always watching to see if a carriage
+was coming, and talking to herself, to make sure she remembered which
+was her right hand, so she could "turn to the right, as the law
+directs."
+
+Prudy enjoyed the out-of-doors world once more, and felt like a bird let
+out of a cage. And so did Susy, for she thought she had had a dull
+season of it, and fully agreed with Prudy, who spoke of it as the "slow
+winter."
+
+But now it was the quick spring, the live spring. The brooks began to
+gossip; the birds poured out their hearts in song, and the dumb trees
+expressed their joy in leaves.
+
+    "The bobolink, on the mullein-stalk,
+    Would rattle away like a sweet girl's talk."
+
+The frogs took severe colds, but gave concerts a little way out of the
+city every evening. The little flowers peeped up from their beds, as
+Norah said, "like babies asking to be took;" and Susy took them;
+whenever she could find them, you may be sure, and looked joyfully into
+their faces. She could almost say,--
+
+    "And 'tis my faith that every flower
+      Enjoys the air it breathes."
+
+She said, "I don't suppose they know much, but _perhaps_ they know
+enough to have a good time: who knows?"
+
+Susy took long walks to Westbrook, and farther, coming home tired out,
+but loaded with precious flowers. There were plenty of friends to give
+them to her from their early gardens: broad-faced crocuses, jonquils,
+and lilies of the valley, and by and by lilacs, with "purple spikes."
+
+She gathered snowdrops, "the first pale blossoms of the unripened
+year," and May-flowers, pink and white, like sea-shells, or like
+"cream-candy," as Prudy said. These soft little blossoms blushed so
+sweetly on the same leaf with such old experienced leaves! Susy said,
+"it made her think of little bits of children who hadn't any mother, and
+lived with their grandparents."
+
+Dotty was almost crazy with delight when she had a "new pair o' boots,
+and a pair o' shaker," and was allowed to toddle about on the pavement
+in the sunshine. She had a green twig or a switch to flourish, and could
+now cry, "Hullelo!" to those waddling ducks, and hear them reply,
+"Quack! quack!" without having such a trembling fear that some stern
+Norah, or firm mamma, would rush out bareheaded, and drag her into the
+house, like a little culprit.
+
+It was good times for Dotty Dimple, and good times for the whole family.
+Spring had come, and Prudy was getting well. There was a great deal to
+thank God for!
+
+It is an evening in the last of May. A bit of a moon, called "the new
+moon," is peeping in at the window. It shines over Susy's right
+shoulder, she says. Susy is reading, Prudy is walking slowly across the
+floor, and Dotty Dimple is whispering to her kitty, telling her to go
+down cellar, and catch the naughty rats while they are asleep. When
+kitty winks, Dotty thinks it the same as if she said,--
+
+"I hear you, little Miss Dotty: I'm going."
+
+I think perhaps this is a good time to bid the three little girls
+good-by, or, as dear grandma Read would say, "Farewell!"
+
+
+
+***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LITTLE PRUDY'S SISTER SUSY***
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+<title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Little Prudy's Sister Susy, by Sophie May</title>
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+<h1>The Project Gutenberg eBook, Little Prudy's Sister Susy, by Sophie May</h1>
+<pre>
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at <a href = "https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></pre>
+<p>Title: Little Prudy's Sister Susy</p>
+<p>Author: Sophie May</p>
+<p>Release Date: November 29, 2004  [eBook #14202]</p>
+<p>Language: English</p>
+<p>Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1</p>
+<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LITTLE PRUDY'S SISTER SUSY***</p>
+<br><br><h3>E-text prepared by Juliet Sutherland, Melissa Er-Raqabi,<br>
+            and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br>
+            at <a href="https://www.pgdp.net" target="_blank">https://www.pgdp.net</a>
+            </h3><br><br>
+<hr class="full" noshade>
+<br>
+<p class="figcenter"><img src="images/cover.jpg" alt="Cover Illustration" title="Cover Illustration" /></p>
+
+<h1>LITTLE PRUDY'S</h1>
+<h1>SISTER SUSY</h1>
+
+<h3><i>By</i></h3>
+<h2>SOPHIE MAY</h2>
+
+<br />
+
+<h6>New York<br>
+Hurst &amp; Company<br>
+Publishers</h6>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h3>TO MY<br />
+LITTLE NIECE<br />
+<i>Katie Clarke</i><br />
+THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU, KATIE,<br />
+WITH THE LOVE OF YOUR AUNTIE.</h3>
+
+
+
+
+<p class="figcenter"><img src="images/front.png" alt="Illustration">
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+
+<h4>CONTENTS.</h4>
+
+<center>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary="Table of Contents">
+<tr><td align='right'>&nbsp;</td><td align='left'><a href="#PREFACE">PREFACE</a></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'>I.</td><td align='left'><a href="#CHAPTER_I">KEEPING SECRETS</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'>II.</td><td align='left'><a href="#CHAPTER_II">BEFORE DAYLIGHT</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'>III.</td><td align='left'><a href="#CHAPTER_III">SUSY'S CHRISTMAS</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'>IV.</td><td align='left'><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">SUSY'S WINGS</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'>V.</td><td align='left'><a href="#CHAPTER_V">PRUDY'S TROUBLE</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'>VI.</td><td align='left'><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">ROSY FRANCES EASTMAN MARY</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'>VII.</td><td align='left'><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">LITTLE TROUBLES</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'>VIII.</td><td align='left'><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">ANNIE LOVEJOY</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'>IX.</td><td align='left'><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">MORAL COURAGE</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'>X.</td><td align='left'><a href="#CHAPTER_X">RUTHIE TURNER</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'>XI.</td><td align='left'><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">SUSY'S BIRTHDAY</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'>XII.</td><td align='left'><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">FAREWELL</a></td></tr></table>
+</center>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="PREFACE"></a><h2>PREFACE.</h2>
+<br />
+
+<p>Here is a story about the oldest of
+the three little Parlin girls, &quot;sister
+Susy;&quot; though so many things are
+always happening to Prudy that it is
+not possible to keep her out of the
+book.</p>
+
+<p>I hope my dear little friends will
+see how kind it was in God to send the
+&quot;slow winter&quot; and the long nights of
+pain to little Prudy.</p>
+
+<p>If trouble should come to us, let us
+grow gentle, and patient, and lovely.</p>
+
+<p>Little friends, be sure of one thing&mdash;our
+dear Father in heaven sends us
+something hard to bear only because
+he loves us.</p>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="CHAPTER_I"></a><h2>CHAPTER I.</h2>
+
+<h3>KEEPING SECRETS.</h3>
+<br />
+
+<p>We might begin this story of Susy
+Parlin on a New Year's day, only it is
+so hard to skip over Christmas. There
+is such a charm about Christmas! It
+makes you think at once of a fir tree
+shining with little candles and sparkling
+with toys, or of a droll Santa Claus
+with a pack full of presents, or of a
+waxen angel called the Christ-child.</p>
+
+<p>And it is just as well to date from
+the twenty-fifth of December, because,
+as &quot;Christ was born on Christmas
+day,&quot; that is really the &quot;Happy New
+Year.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>For a long while the three little
+Parlin girls had been thinking and
+dreaming of presents. Susy's wise
+head was like a beehive, full of little
+plans and little fancies, which were
+flying about like bees, and buzzing in
+everybody's ears.</p>
+
+<p>But it may be as well to give you a
+short description of the Parlin family.</p>
+
+<p>Susy's eyes were of an &quot;evening
+blue,&quot; the very color of the sky in a
+summer night; good eyes, for they
+were as clear as a well which has the
+&quot;truth&quot; lying at the bottom of it. She
+was almost as nimble as a squirrel, and
+could face a northern snow storm
+like an engineer. Her hair was dark
+brown, and as smooth and straight
+as pine-needles; while Prudy's fair hair
+rippled like a brook running over
+pebbles. Prudy's face was sunny, and
+her mouth not much larger than a
+button-hole.</p>
+
+<p>The youngest sister was named
+Alice, but the family usually called
+her Dotty, or Dotty Dimple, for she
+was about as round as a period, and
+had a cunning little dimple in each
+cheek. She had bright eyes, long
+curls, and a very short tongue; that
+is, she did not talk much. She was
+two years and a half old before she
+could be prevailed upon to say anything
+at all. Her father declared that
+Dotty thought there were people
+enough in the world to do the talking,
+and she would keep still; or perhaps
+she was tired of hearing Prudy say so
+much.</p>
+
+<p>However, she had a way of nodding
+her curly head, and shaking her plump
+little forefinger; so everybody knew
+very well what she meant. She had
+learned the use of signs from a little
+deaf and dumb boy of whom we shall
+hear more by and by; but all at once,
+when she was ready she began to talk
+with all her might, and soon made up
+for lost time.</p>
+
+<p>The other members of the family
+were only grown people: Mr. and
+Mrs. Parlin, the children's excellent
+parents; Mrs. Read, their kind Quaker
+grandmother; and the Irish servant
+girl, Norah.</p>
+
+<p>Just now Mrs. Margaret Parlin,
+their &quot;aunt Madge,&quot; was visiting them,
+and the little girls felt quite easy
+about Christmas, for they gave it all
+up to her; and when they wanted to
+know how to spend their small stock
+of money, or how much this or that
+pretty toy would cost, Prudy always
+settled it by saying, &quot;Let's go ask
+auntie: <i>she'll</i> know, for she's been
+through the Rithmetic.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Prudy spoke these words with awe.
+She thought &quot;going through the
+Rithmetic&quot; was next thing to going
+round the world.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O Auntie, I'm so glad you came,&quot;
+said Susy, &quot;for I didn't see how I was
+ever going to finish my Christmas
+presents: I go to school, you know,
+and it takes me all the rest of the time
+to slide!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The children were busy making
+wonderful things &quot;all secret;&quot; or they
+would have been secret if Prudy hadn't
+told.</p>
+
+<p>For one thing, she wondered very
+much what Susy could be doing with
+four pins stuck in a spool. She
+watched the nimble fingers as they
+passed the worsted thread over the
+pin-heads, making stitches as fast as
+Susy could wink.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It looks like a tiny snake all
+sticked through the hole in the spool,&quot;
+said Prudy, eager with curiosity.
+&quot;If you ain't a-goin' to speak, I
+don't know what I <i>shall</i> do, Susy
+Parlin!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>When poor Susy could not pretend
+any longer not to hear, she answered
+Prudy, half vexed, half laughing, &quot;O,
+dear, I s'pose you'll tease and tease till
+you find out. Won't you never say a
+word to anybody, <i>never</i>?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Never in my world,&quot; replied the
+little one, with a solemn shake of her
+head.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, it's a lamp-mat for auntie.
+It's going to be blue, and red, and all
+colors; and when it's done, mother'll
+sew it into a round, and put fringe
+on: won't it be splendid? But
+remember, you promised not to
+tell!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Now, the very next time Prudy sat
+in her auntie's lap she whispered in
+her ear,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You don't know what <i>we're</i> making
+for you, <i>all secret</i>, out of worsted,
+and <i>I</i> shan't tell!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Mittens?&quot; said aunt Madge, kissing
+Prudy's lips, which were pressed together
+over her sweet little secret like
+a pair of sugar-tongs clinching a lump
+of sugar.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Mittens? No, indeed! Better'n
+that! There'll be fringe all over it;
+it's in a round; it's to put something
+on,&mdash;to put the <i>lamp</i> on!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not a lamp-mat, of course?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, yes it is! O, there, now
+you've been and guessed all in a
+minute! Susy's gone an' told! I
+didn't s'pose she'd tell. I wouldn't
+for nothin' in my world!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Was it strange that Susy felt vexed
+when she found that her nice little
+surprise was all spoiled?</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Try to be patient,&quot; said Mrs. Parlin,
+gently. &quot;Remember how young and
+thoughtless your sister is. She never
+means any harm.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, but, mamma,&quot; replied Susy,
+&quot;she <i>keeps</i> me being patient all the
+whole time, and it's hard work.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So Susy, in her vexation, said to
+Prudy, rather sternly, &quot;You little
+naughty thing, to go and tell when
+you promised not to! You're almost
+as bad as Dotty. &quot;What makes you
+act so?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, Susy,&quot; said the child, looking
+up through her tears, &quot;have I <i>acted</i>?
+I didn't know I'd acted! If you loved
+me, you wouldn't look that way to me.
+You wrinkle up your face just like
+Nanny when she says she'll shake the
+naughty out of me, Miss Prudy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Then what could Susy do but forgive
+the sweet sister, who kissed her
+so coaxingly, and looked as innocent
+as a poor little kitty that has been
+stealing cream without knowing it
+is a sin?</p>
+
+<p>It was plain that it would not do to
+trust Prudy with secrets. Her brain
+could not hold them, any more than
+a sieve can hold water. So Mrs. Parlin
+took pity upon Susy, and allowed her
+and her cousin Florence Eastman to
+lock themselves into her chamber at
+certain hours, and work at their presents
+without interruption.</p>
+
+<p>While the little girls sat together
+busily employed with book-marks and
+pin-cushions, the time flew very
+swiftly, and they were as happy as
+bees in a honeysuckle.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Parlin said she believed nothing
+less than Christmas presents would
+ever make Susy willing to use a needle
+and thread; for she disliked sewing,
+and declared she wished the man who
+made the needles had to swallow them
+all.</p>
+
+<p>The family were to celebrate Christmas
+evening; for Mr. Parlin was away,
+and might not reach home in season
+for Christmas eve.</p>
+
+<p>For a wonder they were not to have
+a Tree, but a Santa Claus, &quot;just for a
+change.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not a truly Santa Claus, that
+comes puffin' down the chimney,&quot;
+explained Prudy, who knew very well
+it would be only cousin Percy under
+a mask and white wig.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="CHAPTER_II"></a><h2>CHAPTER II.</h2>
+
+<h3>BEFORE DAYLIGHT.</h3>
+<br />
+
+<p>On Christmas morning, at three
+o'clock, there was a great bustle and
+pattering of little feet, and buzzing of
+little voices trying to speak in whispers.
+Susy and Prudy were awake
+and astir.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Where <i>do</i> you s'pose the stockings
+are?&quot; buzzed Prudy, in a very loud
+whisper.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Right by the bed-post, Prudy Parlin;
+and if you don't take care we'll
+wake everybody up.&mdash;'Sh! 'Sh!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Mine's pinned on,&quot; said Prudy;
+&quot;and I've pricked my fingers. O
+deary me!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, of course you've waked 'em
+all now,&quot; exclaimed Susy, indignantly:
+&quot;I might have pricked my fingers to
+pieces, but I wouldn't have said a
+word.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Mr. and Mrs. Parlin, who were in
+the next room, were wide awake by
+this time; but they said nothing, only
+listened to the whispers of the children,
+which grew fainter, being smothered
+and kept down by mouthfuls of candy,
+lozenges, and peanuts.</p>
+
+<p>The little girls longed for daybreak.
+The sun, however, seemed to be in no
+haste, and it was a long while before
+there was a peep of light. Susy and
+Prudy waited, wondering whether the
+sun would really forget to show his
+face; but all the while they waited
+they were eating candy; so it was
+neither dull nor lonely. As for closing
+their eyes again, they would have
+scorned the idea. It would be a pity
+indeed to fall asleep, and lose the pleasure
+of saying &quot;Merry Christmas&quot; to
+everybody. Norah, the Irish servant,
+had said she should be up very early
+to attend High Mass: they must
+certainly waylay her on the stairs.
+How astonished she would be, when
+she supposed they were both soundly
+asleep!</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let me do it myself,&quot; said Susy:
+&quot;you stay here, Prudy, for you'll be
+sure to make a noise.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'll go on my tippy toes,&quot; pleaded
+Prudy, her mouth half filled with
+chocolate drops.</p>
+
+<p>So through their mother's room they
+stole softly, only throwing over one
+chair, and hitting Dotty's crib a little
+in their haste. Dotty made a sleepy
+sound of alarm, and Prudy could not
+help laughing, but only &quot;in her sleeve,&quot;
+that is, in her &quot;nightie&quot; sleeve, which
+she put up to her mouth to smother
+the noise.</p>
+
+<p>When they had reached the back-stairs
+Susy whispered, &quot;O, Norah is
+up and gone down. I hear her in the
+kitchen. 'Sh! 'Sh!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Susy thought there was no time to
+be lost, and she would have rushed
+down stairs, two steps at a time, but
+her little sister was exactly in the
+way.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Somebody has been and tugged
+my little chair up here,&quot; said Prudy,
+&quot;and I must tug it back again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So in the dim light the two children
+groped their way down stairs, Prudy
+going first with the chair.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, what a little snail! Hurry&mdash;can't
+you?&quot; said Susy, impatiently;
+&quot;Norah'll be gone! What's the use
+of our waking up in the night if we
+can't say Merry Christmas to anybody?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, <i>ain't</i> I a-hurryin' now?&quot; exclaimed
+Prudy, plunging forward and
+falling, chair and all, the whole length
+of the stairs.</p>
+
+<p>All the house was awake now, for
+Prudy screamed lustily. Grandma
+Read called out from the passage-way,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, little Prudence, has thee broken
+thy neck?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Parlin rushed out, too frightened
+to speak, and Mr. Parlin ran
+down stairs, and took Prudy up in his
+arms.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It was&mdash;you&mdash;did it&mdash;Susy
+Parlin,&quot; sobbed the child. &quot;I shouldn't&mdash;have&mdash;fell,
+if you&mdash;hadn't&mdash;have&mdash;screamed.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The poor little girl spoke slowly and
+with difficulty, as if she dropped a
+bucket into her full heart, and drew
+up the words one at a time.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, mother, I know it was me,&quot;
+said Susy meekly; &quot;and I was careless,
+and it was all in the dark. I'm sure
+I hope Prudy'll forgive me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, it wasn't you, neither,&quot; said
+Prudy, whose good humor was restored
+the moment Susy had made what she
+considered due confession. &quot;You
+never touched me, Susy! It was the
+<i>chair</i>; and I love you just as dearly as
+ever I did.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Prudy lay on the sofa for some
+time, looking quite pale by the gas-light,
+while her mother rubbed her
+side, and the rest of the family
+stood looking at her with anxious
+faces.</p>
+
+<p>It was quite an important occasion
+for Prudy, who always liked to be the
+centre of attraction.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, mamma,&quot; said she, closing her
+eyes languidly, &quot;when the room makes
+believe whirl round, does it <i>truly</i> whirl
+round?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The truth was, she felt faint and
+dizzy, though only for a short time.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wish,&quot; said she, &quot;it had been
+somebody else that fell down stairs,
+and not me, for I didn't go down easy!
+The <i>prongs</i> of the chair pushed right
+into my side.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But it did not appear that Prudy
+was much injured, after all. In a few
+minutes she was skipping about the
+room almost as nimbly as ever, only
+stopping to groan every now and then,
+when she happened to think of it.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is a wonder,&quot; said Mr. Parlin,
+&quot;that more children are not lamed for
+life by such accidents.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I have often thought of it,&quot; said
+aunt Madge. &quot;Some little ones seem
+to be making hair-breadth escapes
+almost every day of their lives. I believe
+Prudy would have been in her
+grave long ago, if it had not been for
+her guardian angel.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The long-expected Christmas had
+come at last, and Prudy had stumbled
+into it, as she stumbled into everything
+else. But it is an ill wind which
+blows no good to anybody; and it so
+happened that in all this confusion
+Susy was able to &quot;wish a Merry Christmas&quot;
+to Norah, and to the whole
+family besides.</p>
+
+<p>When Mrs. Parlin found that the
+children were too thoroughly awake to
+go to sleep again that morning, she
+told them they might dress themselves
+in the parlor if they would
+keep as quiet as possible, and let the
+rest of the household take another
+nap.</p>
+
+<p>It all seemed very strange and
+delightful to the little girls. It was
+like another sort of life, this new
+arrangement of stealing about the
+house in the silent hours before daybreak.
+Susy thought she should like
+to sit up all night, and sleep all day,
+if the mayor would only hush the
+streets; it would be so odd!</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, how dark the clouds are!&quot;
+said Prudy, peeping out of the window;
+&quot;it <i>fogs</i> so I can't see a single thing.
+Susy, I'm going to keep <i>at watch</i> of
+the sky. Don't you s'pose, though,
+'twill be Christmas all the same, if
+there's a snow storm?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There's been snow,&quot; said Susy,
+&quot;all in the night. Look down at the
+pavement. Don't you wish that was
+frosted cake?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, the snow came in the night, so
+not to wake us up,&quot; cried Prudy, clapping
+her hands; &quot;but it wouldn't
+have waked us, you know, even in the
+night, for it came so still.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But why don't the clouds go off?&quot;
+she added, sadly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know,&quot; replied Susy; &quot;perhaps
+they are waiting till the sun
+comes and smiles them away.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Such happy children as these were,
+as they sat peeping out of the window
+at the dull gray sky!</p>
+
+<p>They did not know that a great
+mischief was begun that morning&mdash;a
+mischief which was no larger yet
+than &quot;a midge's wing.&quot; They were
+watching the clouds for a snow storm;
+but they never dreamed of such things
+as clouds of <i>trouble</i>, which grow
+darker and darker, and which even
+the beautiful Christmas sun cannot
+&quot;smile away.&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="CHAPTER_III"></a><h2>CHAPTER III.</h2>
+
+<h3>SUSY'S CHRISTMAS.</h3>
+<br />
+
+<p>It was bright and beautiful all day,
+and then, when no one could possibly
+wait any longer, it was Christmas
+evening. The coal glowed in the
+grate with a splendid blaze: all the
+gas-burners were lighted, and so were
+everybody's eyes. If one had listened,
+one might have heard, from out of
+doors, a joyful tinkling of sleigh-bells;
+yet I fancy nobody could have told
+whether the streets were still or noisy,
+or whether the sky had a moon in it
+or not; for nobody was quiet long
+enough to notice.</p>
+
+<p>But by and by, when the right time
+had come, the folding-doors were
+opened, just like the two covers to a
+Christmas fairy book. Then, in a
+second, it was so still you might have
+heard a pin drop.</p>
+
+<p>Such a funny little old gentleman
+had arrived: his face alive with dimples,
+and smiles, and wrinkles. His
+cheeks were as red and round as winter
+apples, and where there wasn't a
+wrinkle there was a dimple; and no
+doubt there was a dimple in his chin,
+and his chin maybe was double, only
+you couldn't tell, for it was hidden
+ever so deep under a beard as white
+as a snow-drift.</p>
+
+<p>He walked along, tottering under
+the weight of a huge pack full of
+presents. He extended his small arms
+towards the audience most affectionately,
+and you could see that his antiquated
+coat-sleeves were bristling with
+toys and glistening with ornaments.
+His eyes twinkled with fun, and his
+mouth, which seemed nearly worn
+out with laughing, grew bigger every
+minute.</p>
+
+<p>It took the dear old gentleman some
+time to clear his throat; but when he
+had found his voice, which at first was
+as fine as a knitting-needle, and all of
+a tremble, he made</p>
+
+<p>THE SPEECH OF SANTA CLAUS.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How do, my darlings? How do,
+all round? Bless your little hearts,
+how do you all do? Did they tell ye
+Santa wasn't a-comin', my dears? Did
+your grandpas and grandmas say,
+'Humph! there isn't any such a person.'
+My love to the good old people.
+I know they mean all right; but tell
+them they'll have to give it up now!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>(Here Santa Claus made a low bow.
+Everybody laughed and clapped; but
+Prudy whispered, &quot;O, don't he look
+old all over? What has he done with
+his <i>teeth</i>? O, dear, has anybody pulled
+'em out?&quot;)</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, my dears,&quot; continued the old
+gentleman, encouraged by the applause,&mdash;&quot;yes,
+my dears, here I am, as
+jolly as ever! But bless your sweet
+little hearts, I've had a terrible time
+getting here! The wind has been
+blowin' me up as fierce as you please,
+and I've been shook round as if I
+wasn't of more account than a kernel
+of corn in a popper!</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, O, I've been ducked up to the
+chin in some awful deep snow-drifts,
+up there by the North Pole! This is
+the very first time the storms have
+come so heavy as to cover over the
+end of the North Pole! But this year
+they had to dig three days before they
+could find it. O, ho!</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I was a-wanderin' round all last
+night; a real shivery night, too! Got
+so <i>broke up</i>, there's nothing left of me
+but small pieces. O, hum!</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Such a time as I had in some of
+those chimneys, you haven't any idee!
+Why, if you'll believe me, over there
+in Iceland somebody forgot to clear
+out the chimney, and there I stuck
+fast, like a fish-bone in your throat;
+couldn't be picked out, couldn't be
+swallowed!</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The funniest time that was! How
+I laughed! And then the children's
+mother woke up, and, 'O, dear,' said
+she; 'hear the wind sigh down the
+chimney!' 'Only me,' says I; 'and
+I've caught you napping this time!'
+She helped me out, and when I had
+caught my breath, I climbed out the
+window; but, deary me, I shouldn't
+wonder if that very woman went to
+sleep again, and thought it was all a
+dream! Heigh-ho! that's the way
+they always treat poor Santa Claus
+nowadays.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>(Here the children laughed, and
+Susy said, &quot;I guess he must have
+bumped his nose against that chimney:
+see what a hump!&quot;)</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, O, don't you make sport of me,
+children! My nose is big, to be sure,
+but I'm going to keep it and make the
+best of it! If you love Santa as he
+loves you, you wouldn't mind the
+looks. I <i>was</i> going to change my
+coat and dickey; but then, thinks I,
+I'll come just as I am! I patted myself
+on the shoulder, and says I, 'Santa
+Claus, don't you fret if you <i>are</i> growin'
+old! You may look a little dried up,
+but your heart isn't wrinkled; O no!'
+You see father Adam and me was very
+near of an age, but somehow I never
+growed up! I always thought big
+folks did very well in their place; but
+for my part, give me the children.
+Hurrah for the children!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>(Great clapping and laughing.)</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I tell you, darlings, I haven't forgot
+a single one of you. My pockets
+are running over. I've been preparing
+presents for you ever since last fall,
+when the birds broke up housekeeping.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here's a tippet for the Prudy girl,
+and she may have it for nothing; and
+they are cheaper 'n that, if you take
+'em by the quantity.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'm a walkin' book-case. Why,
+I've brought stories and histories
+enough to set up a store! I've got
+more nuts than you can shake a hammer
+at; but I think there's more bark
+to 'em than there is bite. O, O, I find
+I can't crack 'em with my teeth, as I
+used to a hundred years ago!</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But my dear, sweet, cunning little
+hearers, I must be a-goin'. Queen Victoria,
+said she to me, said she, 'Now,
+Santa, my love, do you hurry back to
+fill my children's stockings before the
+clock strikes twelve.' Queen Vic is an
+excellent woman, and is left a poor
+widow; so I can't disappoint her, poor
+soul!</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I must be a-goin'! Would like to
+hug and kiss you all round, but can't
+stop. (Kisses his hand and bows.) A
+Merry Christmas to you all, and a
+Happy New Year.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So saying, Santa Claus suddenly
+disappeared at the hall door, dropping
+his heavy pack upon the table.</p>
+
+<p>In another minute the lively old
+gentleman was in the front parlor
+without any mask, and of course it
+was nobody but cousin Percy &quot;with
+his face off.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Then they all fell to work sorting
+out presents. Prudy seized her fur
+tippet, and put it on at once.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, how pretty I look,&quot; said she;
+&quot;just like a little cat! <i>Ain't</i> I cunning?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But nobody could pause to attend
+to Prudy, though she chatted very
+fast, without commas or periods, and
+held up to view a large wax doll which
+&quot;would be alive if it could talk.&quot;
+They all had gifts as well as Prudy,
+and wished to talk rather than to
+listen. They asked questions without
+waiting for answers, and did not mind
+interrupting one another, and talking
+all at once, like a party of school children.</p>
+
+<p>All this was hardly polite, it is true;
+but people are sometimes surprised
+out of their good manners on Christmas
+evenings, and must be forgiven
+for it, as such a good time happens
+but once a year.</p>
+
+<p>Percy broke in with an old song, and
+went through with a whole stanza of it,
+although no one listened to a word:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span>&quot;Good luck unto old Christmas,<br /></span>
+<span>And long life let us sing,<br /></span>
+<span>For he doeth more good unto the poor<br /></span>
+<span>Than many a crown&eacute;d king.&quot;<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>&quot;My beautiful books!&quot; cried aunt
+Madge; &quot;Russia morocco.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;My writing-desk,&mdash;has any one
+looked at it?&quot; said Mrs. Parlin; &quot;rose-wood,
+inlaid with brass.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;My skates!&quot; broke in Susy, at the
+top of her voice.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hush!&quot; screamed cousin Percy;
+&quot;won't anybody please notice my
+drum? If you won't look, then look
+out for a drum in each ear!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And as nobody would look or pay
+the slightest attention, they all had to
+hear &quot;Dixie&quot; pounded out in true
+martial style, till they held on to their
+ears.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Rattlety bang!&quot; went the drum.
+&quot;Tweet, tweet,&quot; whistled the little
+musical instruments which the children
+were blowing.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Have pity on us!&quot; cried aunt
+Madge; &quot;I am bewildered; my head
+is floating like a Chinese garden.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Order!&quot; shouted Mr. Parlin, laughing.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, yes, sir,&quot; said Percy, seizing
+Susy and whirling her round. &quot;Children,
+why don't you try to preserve
+order? My nerves are strung up like
+violin-strings! I've got a pound of
+headache to every ounce of brains.
+Susy Parlin, do try to keep still!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Thee needn't pretend it is all Susan,&quot;
+said grandma Read, smiling.
+&quot;Thee and little Prudence are the
+noisiest of the whole!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>In fact, they raised such a din, that
+after a while poor grandma Read
+smoothed the Quaker cap over her
+smiling face, and stole off into her
+own chamber, where she could &quot;settle
+down into quietness.&quot; Much noise
+always confused grandma Read.</p>
+
+<p>But in a very few moments, when
+the excitement began to die out, there
+was a season of overwhelming gratitude.
+Everybody had to thank everybody
+else; and Mr. Parlin, who had a
+beautiful dressing-gown to be grateful
+for, nevertheless found time to tell
+Susy, over and over again, how delighted
+he was with her book-mark,
+made, by her own fingers, of three
+wide strips of velvet ribbon; on the
+ends of which were fastened a cross,
+a star, and an anchor, of card-board.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Papa, one ribbon is to keep your
+place in the Old Testament,&quot; said
+Susy; &quot;one is to stay in the middle,
+at the births and marriages; and the
+other one is for our chapter in the
+New Testament, you know.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I think my lamp-mat is very pretty,&quot;
+said aunt Madge, kissing Susy;
+&quot;every bit as pretty as if Prudy hadn't
+'been and told.'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Prudy had bought a shawl-pin for
+her mother, a fierce little wooden soldier
+for aunt Madge, and something
+for everybody else but Susy. Not that
+she forgot Susy. O, no! but one's
+money does not always hold out, even
+at Christmas time.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why,&quot; said Mr. Parlin, &quot;what is
+this sticking fast to the sole of my
+new slipper? Molasses candy, I do
+believe.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes sir; that's for Susy,&quot; cried
+Prudy, suddenly remembering how she
+had tucked it in at the last moment,
+when she could not stop to find any
+wrapping-paper. &quot;It isn't so big as it
+was, but it's the biggest piece I had in
+this world. I saved it last night.
+Susy likes 'lasses candy, and I couldn't
+think of nothin' else.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>It was a wonder that Prudy's candy
+had not spoiled some of the nice presents.</p>
+
+<p>Susy received several pretty things;
+and though she did not talk quite so
+much as Prudy, she was just as happy.
+For one thing, she had what she had
+not dreamed was possible for a little
+girl&mdash;a bottle of otto of rose; &quot;just
+like a young lady.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This was a real delight to Susy: but
+Prudy, sniffing at it, said, coolly, &quot;O,
+ho! it smells 's if it didn't cost more'n
+a cent! 'Tisn't half so sweet as pep'mint!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Before Dotty could be put to bed,
+she had contrived to break several
+toys, all of which happened to be
+Susy's&mdash;a sugar temple, a glass pitcher,
+and a small vase.</p>
+
+<p>This was an evening long to be remembered;
+but the most remarkable
+event of all was to come.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Susy, my daughter,&quot; said Mr. Parlin,
+&quot;have you been wondering why
+you don't see a present from me?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Susy blushed. She had certainly
+expected something handsome this
+year from her father.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I haven't forgotten you, my dear;
+but the present I have chosen wouldn't
+sit very well on the shoulders of such
+a little fellow as Santa Claus.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Percy laughed. &quot;Wouldn't it have
+been a load, uncle?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hush!&quot; whispered aunt Madge;
+&quot;she isn't to know till morning.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But, papa,&quot; said Susy, her eyes
+shining with excitement, &quot;why couldn't
+you bring it in here now?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is better off out of doors. Indeed,
+to tell the truth, my child, it is
+hardly suitable for the parlor.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now, Miss Susy,&quot; said Percy, measuring
+off his words on the tips of his
+fingers, &quot;I'm authorized to tell you
+it's something you mustn't take in
+your lap, mustn't hang on a nail; if
+you do, you'll lose it. I'm sure 'twill
+please you, Susy, because it's a mute,
+and can't speak. You&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, hush talking about dumb people!
+I shouldn't think you'd make
+sport of Freddy Jackson! If <i>you</i> was
+a little <i>deaf-and-dumber</i> than you are
+now, I'd like you better!</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, dear, dear!&quot; cried she, dancing
+about the room; &quot;what can it be? I
+can't wait!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Only think; all night before I'll
+know,&quot; thought she, as she touched
+her pillow. &quot;O, Prudy, to-morrow
+morning! Only think of to-morrow
+morning I All my other presents are
+just nothing at all. Anything is <i>so</i>
+much nicer when you don't know
+what it is!&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="CHAPTER_IV"></a><h2>CHAPTER IV.</h2>
+
+<h3>SUSY'S WINGS.</h3>
+<br />
+
+<p>Susy awoke next morning very
+much surprised to find the sun so
+high. Prudy was lying beside her,
+talking to herself.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't feel very well,&quot; said the
+child; &quot;but I'm pleasant; I mean to
+be good all day.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why didn't you speak to me?&quot;
+cried Susy, springing out of bed,
+&quot;when you knew how I couldn't wait
+to see my present?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I would have woke you up, Susy,
+but I ain't well; I'm sick in my
+knees.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And Prudy limped about the room
+to show her sister how lame she was.
+But Susy was in too great a hurry to
+pay much attention to her, or to help
+her dress.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good morning, papa!&quot; she exclaimed,
+the moment she entered the
+parlor; &quot;now may I see the present?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you suppose you could wait till
+after breakfast, Susy?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Aunt Madge smiled as she looked
+at the little eager face.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I see you are going on with your
+lessons,&quot; said she.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What lessons, auntie? Why, it is
+the holidays!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Lessons in patience, my dear.
+Isn't something always happening
+which you have to be patient about?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Susy thought of Prudy's habit of
+disclosing secrets, Dotty's trying way
+of destroying playthings; and now
+this long delay about her present.
+She began to think there were a great
+many vexations in the world, and that
+she bore them remarkably well for
+such a little girl.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, thee must let patience have
+her perfect work, Susan,&quot; said grandma
+Read, after the &quot;silent blessing&quot;
+had been asked at the table.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Mayn't I go, too?&quot; said Prudy,
+when she saw her father, her auntie,
+and Susy leaving the house just after
+breakfast.</p>
+
+<p>And she went, as a matter of course;
+but the pavements were a little slippery
+from sleet; and Prudy, who was
+never a famous walker, had as much
+as she could do, even with the help of
+her father's hand, to keep from falling.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, Prudy,&quot; said Mr. Parlin,
+&quot;what ails you this morning? You
+limp so much that I believe you need
+crutches.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'm sick in my knee,&quot; replied
+Prudy, delighted to see that her lameness
+was observed. &quot;If <i>you</i> had my
+knee, and it hurt, you'd know how it
+feels!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>By this time they had reached a
+livery stable; and, to Susy's surprise,
+her father stopped short, and said to
+a man who stood by the door, &quot;Mr.
+Hill, my daughter has come to look
+at her pony.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Prudy was in a great fright at sight
+of so many horses, and needed all her
+auntie's attention; but Susy had no
+fear, and Mr. Parlin led her along to
+a stall where stood a beautiful black
+pony, as gentle-looking as a Newfoundland
+dog.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How do you like him, Susy? Stroke
+his face, and talk to him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But, O, papa, you don't mean, you
+can't mean, he's my very own! A
+whole pony all to myself!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;See what you think of his saddle,
+miss,&quot; said Mr. Hill, laughing at Susy's
+eagerness; and he led pony out, and
+threw over his back a handsome side-saddle.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, it seems as if I could just
+jump on without anybody touching
+me,&quot; cried Susy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not afraid a bit?&quot; said Mr. Hill, as
+Mr. Parlin seated Susy in the saddle,
+and gave her the reins. &quot;Ponies
+throw people, sometimes.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, but my papa would never give
+me a bad pony,&quot; answered Susy, with
+perfect confidence.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Hill laughed again. He was a
+rough man; but he thought a child's
+faith in a parent was a beautiful
+thing.</p>
+
+<p>He did not know many passages
+of Scripture, but thought he had
+read somewhere, &quot;And if he ask
+bread, will he give him a stone?&quot;
+No; fathers are glad to give their
+&quot;best gifts,&quot; and the little ones trust
+them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's like sailing in a boat,&quot; cried
+Susy, riding back and forth about the
+yard in great excitement; &quot;why, it's
+just as easy as the swing in the oilnut-tree
+at grandma Parlin's! O, papa,
+to think I should forget to thank
+you!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But perhaps Mr. Parlin regarded
+glowing cheeks and shining eyes as
+the very best of thanks.</p>
+
+<p>Prudy thought the pony a beautiful
+&quot;baby horse;&quot; wanted to ride, and
+didn't want to; was afraid, and wasn't
+afraid, and, as her father said, &quot;had
+as many minds as some politicians
+who are said to 'stand on the fence.'&quot;
+By and by, after some coaxing, the
+timid little thing consented to sit behind
+Susy, and cling round her waist,
+if her father would walk beside her to
+make sure she didn't fall off. In this
+way they went home.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I like to sit so I can hug my sister,
+while she drives the horse,&quot; said
+Prudy; &quot;besides, it hurts me to
+walk.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Parlin and aunt Madge smiled
+at the child's speeches, but gave no
+more heed to this lameness of which
+she complained, than they did to any
+of the rest of her little freaks.</p>
+
+<p>Prudy liked to be pitied for every
+small hurt; and when Susy had a
+sore throat, and wore a compress, she
+looked upon her with envy, and felt it
+almost as a personal slight that <i>her</i>
+throat could not be wrapped in a compress
+too.</p>
+
+<p>On their way they met &quot;lame
+Jessie,&quot; a little girl with crooked spine
+and very high shoulders, who hobbled
+along on crutches.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;She's lamer than me,&quot; said Prudy.
+&quot;Good morning, Jessie.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I know what I've thought of,&quot; said
+Susy, who could talk of nothing which
+was not in some way connected with
+her pony. &quot;I'm going to give that
+girl some rides. How happy she will
+be, poor little Jessie!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;When you get your sleigh,&quot; said
+Mr. Parlin.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;My sleigh, papa? How many
+more presents are coming?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is hard to tell, Susy; one gift
+makes way for another, you see.
+First comes the pony; but how can
+he live without a stable, and a groom
+to feed him? Then what is a pony
+worth without a saddle? And, as one
+does not wish always to ride pony-back,
+a sleigh is the next thing.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But, papa, you know in the
+summer!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, my dear, in the summer, if
+we all live, there must be a light carriage
+made on purpose for you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There is one thing more that pony
+needs,&quot; said aunt Madge, stroking his
+eyebrows, &quot;and that is, a name.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, I never thought of that,&quot; said
+Susy; &quot;help me find a name, auntie.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let me think. I should call him
+something good and pleasant. Think
+of something good and pleasant
+Think of something you like very
+much.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, Frosted Cake,&quot; cried Prudy:
+&quot;wouldn't that be pleasant? Susy
+loves that.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I should like to name him for the
+American Eagle,&quot; said Susy, who had
+heard some patriotic speeches from
+her cousin Percy; &quot;only you couldn't
+pet that name, could you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You might call him Don Carlos, or
+Don Pedro,&quot; suggested Mr. Parlin.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, papa; only think of Donny:
+that is like Donkey! You haven't any
+long ears, <i>have</i> you, pony? If you had,
+I'd call you Little Pitcher, for 'little
+pitchers have great ears.' That makes
+me think of Mr. Allen, auntie. How
+big his ears are, you know? <i>Is</i> it because
+his teacher pulled them so?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, call him 'Gustus,'&quot; cried Prudy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But that would soon be Gusty,&quot;
+said aunt Madge, &quot;and would sound
+too much like the east wind.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Dear me,&quot; sighed Susy; &quot;who'd
+ever think it was such hard work to
+find names?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, look,&quot; said Prudy, as they passed
+a jaded old horse; &quot;there is a pony
+just exactly like this! Only it's twice
+as big, you know, and not a <i>bit</i> such a
+color!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, there, Prudy,&quot; said Susy,
+disdainfully, &quot;I thought, when you
+began to speak, you was going to tell
+something! Why don't you wait till
+you have something to say? Please
+give me a list of names, papa.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There's Speedwell, Lightfoot, Zephyr,
+Prince, Will-o'-the-wisp&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I might call him Wispy,&quot; broke in
+Susy. &quot;Zephyr is good, only it makes
+you think of worsteds.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now, listen,&quot; said aunt Madge;
+&quot;you might call him Elephant, just
+for sport, because he is in reality so
+very little. Or, on the other hand,
+you might find the least speck of a
+name, like Firefly, or Midge.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't like any of those,&quot; replied
+Susy, still dissatisfied.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I see,&quot; said aunt Madge, laughing,
+&quot;nothing will please you but a great
+name. What say to Pegasus, a flying
+horse, which poets are said to ride?
+It might be shortened to Peggy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now, auntie, you wouldn't have
+this beautiful pony called Peggy;
+you know you wouldn't! the one
+my father bought on purpose for
+me! But was there such a horse,
+truly?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, no; there is an old fable, which,
+as we say, is 'as true now as it ever
+was,' of a glorious creature with wings,
+and whoever mounts him gets a flying
+ride into the clouds. But the trouble
+is to catch him!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, I wish my pony could fly,&quot; said
+Susy, gazing dreamily at his black
+mane and sleek sides. &quot;The first
+place I'd go to would be the moon;
+and there I'd stay till I built a castle
+as big as a city. I'd come home every
+night, so mother wouldn't be frightened,
+and fly up in the morning, and&mdash;and&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;See here,&quot; said Prudy, who had
+for some time been trying to speak;
+&quot;call him <i>Wings</i>!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;So I will,&quot; answered Susy, quickly,
+&quot;and I'll make believe he flies in the
+air like a bird. Now, auntie, what do
+you think of Wings?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Odd enough, I'm sure, my dear.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, <i>I</i> like it,&quot; returned Susy,
+with a positive shake of the head.
+&quot;It's of no use to keep fussing so long
+over a name, and I feel a great deal
+easier, now I've made up my mind!
+Dear little Wings, you prick up your
+ears, and I know you like it, too. I
+wish you had a soul, so you could be
+taken to church, and christened like
+a baby.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Just here Susy was startled by a
+sudden laugh from cousin Percy, who
+had for some moments been walking
+behind the pony unobserved.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You're enough to frighten any one
+to death,&quot; she screamed, &quot;creeping
+about like a cat.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Susy had a foolish dread of being
+laughed at.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Creeping like a cat,&quot; echoed Percy,
+&quot;while you creep like a snail! What
+will you take for your pony, that can
+fly in the air like a bird, but can't
+walk on the ground any better than
+a goose?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know what you're talking
+about,&quot; said Susy, quite excited: &quot;if
+you want to see anybody ride fast, just
+look here.&quot; And she started the pony
+at full speed, regardless of Prudy, who
+was so frightened, that she seized poor
+Wings by his flowing mane, and
+called out for her sister to stop. But
+Susy dashed on at a flying pace, and
+Percy cried after her, &quot;O, Susy, cousin
+Susy, what think of your Christmas
+present? Will you remember not to
+eat it, and not to hang it on a nail?
+Susy, Susy?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>There was hardly a happier child
+living than Susy, during those delightful
+holidays. She said to herself,
+sometimes, that this was such a
+beautiful world, she couldn't think of
+a single thing that wasn't as splendid
+as it could be.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="CHAPTER_V"></a><h2>CHAPTER V.</h2>
+
+<h3>PRUDY'S TROUBLE.</h3>
+<br />
+
+<p>The happy days flew by. The Old
+Year was worn out, and the New Year
+stepped in fresh and youthful. Susy
+found her little sleigh a very comfortable
+affair; and so, I think, did &quot;lame
+Jessie.&quot; When her father found that
+Susy had really chosen for her pony
+the name of Wings, he ordered a beautiful
+picture of the Flying Horse to
+be painted on the dashboard of the
+sleigh.</p>
+
+<p>Susy was delighted with this, and
+her vivid fancy took wings at once,
+and flew away to the other end of the
+world, where her aunt Madge told her
+the fountain of Pirene was said to
+gush out of a hill-side.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Only think,&quot; said she to Flossy;
+&quot;it was a woman once, that fountain
+was; but she poured her life all out
+into tears, crying because her son was
+killed. So the fountain is made of
+tears!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Bitter and salt, then,&quot; said Florence,
+threading her needle.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, indeed; just as sweet and nice
+as any water. Pegasus loved it; and
+there was a beautiful young man, his
+name was Bel&mdash;Bel&mdash;well, I declare,
+I've forgotten,&mdash;no, 'twas Bellerophon;
+and he had a bridle, and wanted a
+horse. O, do you know this horse was
+white, with silvery wings, wild as a
+hawk; and, once in a while, he would
+fold up his wings, and trot round on
+the mountain!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Florence yawned, and waxed her
+thread.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, it was a splendid bridle, this
+man had, made of gold; and I forgot&mdash;the
+mountain the horse trotted
+round on was called Helicon. And
+the man mounted him, and went up,
+up, till they were nothing but specks
+in the sky.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A likely story,&quot; said Florence;
+&quot;there, you've told enough! I don't
+want to hear any more such nonsense.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, if you don't want to hear
+about the monster they killed, you
+needn't; that's all I can say; but the
+young man loved that horse; and he
+kissed him, too, he was so splendid!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Kiss a horse!&quot; Flossy looked very,
+much disgusted.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, I've kissed my pony a great
+many times,&quot; said Susy, bravely,
+&quot;right between his eyes; and he almost
+kisses me. He wants to say, 'I
+love you.' I can see it in his eyes.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>By this time Flossy had finished her
+doll's garment, and, putting it on the
+little thing's shoulders, held up the
+doll to be admired.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I think her opera cloak is very
+'bewitching,' don't you, Susy? It is
+trimmed with ermine, because she is
+a queen, and is going to the opera.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It looks well enough,&quot; said Susy,
+indifferently, &quot;but it isn't ermine; it's
+only white cat's fur, with black spots
+sewed on,&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Of course it isn't real ermine!&quot;
+replied Florence; &quot;but I play that it
+is, and it's just as well.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But you know all the while it's a
+make-believe. She hasn't any more
+sense than a stick of wood, either;
+and I don't see any sport in playing
+with dolls.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And I don't see any sense in fairy
+stories,&quot; retorted Flossy. &quot;Do you
+know what Percy says about you?
+He says your head is as full of airy
+notions as a dandelion top. I love
+Queen Mab as if she was my own sister,&quot;
+continued Flossy, in a pettish
+tone. &quot;You know I do, Susy. I always
+thought, if anything should
+happen to Queen Mab, and I lost her,
+I should certainly dress in mourning;
+now you needn't laugh.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, I can't help laughing, when
+anybody makes such a fuss over a
+doll,&quot; replied Susy, with a curl of the
+lip. &quot;Anything that isn't alive, and
+hasn't any sense, and don't care for
+you! I like canary birds, and babies,
+and ponies, and that's enough to
+like.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, now, that's so funny!&quot; said
+Florence, twitching the folds of Queen
+Mab's dress into place; &quot;for the very
+reason I like my doll, is because she
+<i>isn't</i> alive. I wouldn't have been you,
+Susy Parlin, when you had your last
+canary bird, and let him choke to
+death.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, no, Flossy, I didn't let him
+choke: I forgot to put any seed in
+the bottle, and he stuck his head
+in so deep, that he smothered to
+death.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know but smothering is as
+bad as choking,&quot; said Florence; &quot;and
+now your new bird will be sure to
+come to some bad end.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You're always saying hateful
+things,&quot; exclaimed Susy, a good deal
+vexed. &quot;I like Grace Clifford ten
+times as well, for she's a great deal
+more lady-like.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I suppose I can go home,&quot;
+said Florence, with a rising color;
+&quot;you're such a perfect lady that I
+can't get along with you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, dear,&quot; thought poor Susy, &quot;what
+does ail my tongue? Here this very
+morning I said in my prayer, that I
+meant to be good and patient.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Florence began to put on her cloak.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Cousin Flossy,&quot; said Susy, in a
+hesitating voice, &quot;I wish you wouldn't
+go. I didn't mean to tell that I liked
+Gracie best; but it's the real honest
+truth, and if I should take it back,
+'twould be a lie.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This was not making matters much
+better. Florence put on her hood,
+and tied it with a twitch.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But I like <i>you</i> ever so much,
+Flossy; now, you know I do. You're
+hateful sometimes; but so am I; and
+I can't tell which is the hatefulest.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Here Flossy, who was as fickle as
+the wind, laughed merrily, took off
+her hood and cloak, and danced about
+the room in high spirits.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said she, &quot;I'll stay just on
+purpose to plague you!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But good humor had been restored
+on both sides, and the little girls were
+soon talking together, as freely as if
+nothing had happened.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Just come out in the kitchen,&quot;
+said Susy, &quot;and you shall see me
+wash my bird.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, I thought birds washed
+themselves,&quot; replied Florence, following
+her cousin with some surprise.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They do, but Dandy won't; it's all
+in the world I have against Dandy;
+he isn't a cold-water bird.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Grandma Read stood by the kitchen
+table, clear-starching one of her caps&mdash;a
+piece of work which she always
+performed with her own hands. She
+moved one side to make room for
+Susy's bird-cage, but said she did not
+approve of washing canaries; she
+thought it must be a dangerous experiment.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If he needed a bath, he would take
+it himself, Susan. Little birds know
+what is best for them by instinct, thee
+may depend upon it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But my birdie gay ought to be
+clean,&quot; persisted Susy, who was often
+very positive. &quot;Mrs. Mason says so&mdash;the
+lady that gave him to me. I told
+her he wouldn't bathe, and she said
+then I must bathe him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Susy went to the range, and, dipping
+some hot water from the boiler,
+cooled it with fresh water, till she
+found, by putting in her fingers, that
+it was of a proper temperature, according
+to her own judgment. Then
+she plunged the timid little canary
+into the bowl, in spite of his fluttering.
+Such a wee young thing as he
+was too! He seemed to be afraid of
+the water, and struggled against it
+with all his small strength.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, Dandy, darling,&quot; said Susy, in
+a cooing voice, as if she were talking
+to a baby; &quot;be a little man, Dandy;
+hold up his head, and let Susy wash
+it all cleany! O, he's Susie's birdie
+gay!&mdash;What makes him roll up his
+eyes?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Take him out quick, Susan,&quot; said
+grandma Read; &quot;he will strangle.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>A few seconds more and all would
+have been over with birdie gay. He
+curled down very languidly on the
+floor of the cage, and seemed to wish
+to be let alone.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He acts so every morning when I
+bathe him,&quot; said Susy, who would not
+give up the point; &quot;but Mrs. Mason
+told me to do it! Dotty always cried
+when she was washed, till she was
+ever so old.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I think,&quot; said Mrs. Parlin, who
+had just entered the kitchen, &quot;I must
+ask Mrs. Mason if she is very sure it
+is proper to treat little birds in that
+way.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But look, mamma; here he is,
+shaking out his feathers, all bright
+and happy again. O, you cunning
+little Dandy, now we'll hang you up
+in the sun to dry. See him hop on
+one foot; that is just to make me
+laugh.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But <i>I</i> hop on one foot, too,&quot; said
+little Prudy, &quot;and you don't laugh at
+me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;This is a droll little head for fancies,&quot;
+said Mrs. Parlin, patting Prudy's
+curls, and looking at grandma Read.
+&quot;Do you know, mother, that for
+several days she has made believe she
+was lame Jessie, and has hobbled
+about whenever she could think of
+it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now you mustn't laugh,&quot; said
+Prudy, looking up with a grieved
+face; I can't never help hopping; I
+<i>have</i> to hop. My knee was so sick, I
+cried last night, and I was just as
+<i>wide-awakeful</i>!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ain't thee afraid the child has been
+hurt in some way, my daughter?&quot;
+said grandma Read.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, no, mother,&quot; said Mrs. Parlin,
+smiling, as Prudy limped out of the
+room. &quot;I have examined her knee,
+and there is nothing the matter with
+it. She is only imitating that lame
+child. You know Prudy has all sorts
+of whims. Don't you know how she
+has wanted us to call her Jessie sometimes?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, no, indeed, grandma, she
+isn't lame,&quot; said Susy, laughing.
+&quot;Sometimes she will run about the
+room as well as I do, and then, in a
+few minutes, when she thinks of it,
+she will limp and take hold of chairs.
+Mother, isn't it just the same as a
+wrong story for Prudy to act that
+way? If I did so, you'd punish me;
+now, wouldn't you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know what to think about
+it,&quot; said Mrs. Parlin, gravely. &quot;Sometimes
+I am afraid Prudy is really
+becoming naughty and deceitful. I
+thought once it was only her funny
+way of playing; but she is getting
+old enough now to know the difference
+between truth and falsehood.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>There was an anxious look on Mrs.
+Parlin's face. She was a faithful
+mother, and watched her children's
+conduct with the tenderest care.</p>
+
+<p>But this lameness of which little
+Prudy complained, was something
+more than play; it was a sad truth,
+as the family learned very soon. Instead
+of walking properly when her
+mother bade her do so, the poor child
+cried bitterly, said it hurt her, and she
+was so tired she wished they would
+let her lie on the sofa, and never get
+up. At times she seemed better; and
+when everybody thought she was quite
+well, suddenly the pain and weakness
+would come again, and she could only
+limp, or walk by catching hold of
+chairs</p>
+
+<p>At last her father called in a physician.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How long has this child been
+lame?&quot; said he.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A month or more.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The doctor looked grave. &quot;Has she
+ever had an injury, Mr. Parlin, such
+as slipping on the ice, or falling down
+stairs?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, sir,&quot; replied Mr. Parlin, &quot;I believe
+not.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not a serious injury that I know
+of,&quot; said Mrs. Parlin, passing her hand
+across her forehead, and trying to remember.
+&quot;No, I think Prudy has
+never had a <i>bad</i> fall, though she is always
+meeting with slight accidents.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, mamma,&quot; said Susy, who had
+begged to stay in the room, &quot;she did
+have a fall: don't you know, Christmas
+day, ever so long ago, how she
+went rolling down stairs with her little
+chair in her arms, and woke everybody
+up?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The doctor caught at Susy's words.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;With her little chair in her arms,
+my dear? And did she cry as if she
+was hurt?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, sir; she said the <i>prongs</i> of
+the chair stuck into her side.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It hurt me dreffully,&quot; said Prudy,
+who had until now forgotten all
+about it. &quot;Susy spoke so quick, and
+said I was a little snail; and then
+I rolled over and over, and down I
+went.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The doctor almost smiled at these
+words, lisped out in such a plaintive
+voice, as if Prudy could not think of
+that fall even now, without pitying
+herself very much.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Just let me see you stand up, little
+daughter,&quot; said he; for Prudy was
+lying on the sofa.</p>
+
+<p>But it hurt her to bear her weight
+on her feet.</p>
+
+<p>She said, &quot;One foot, the '<i>lame-knee-foot</i>,'
+came down so long, it <i>more</i> than
+touched the floor.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The doctor looked sober. The foot
+did drag indeed. The trouble was not
+in her knee, but in her hip, which had
+really been injured when she fell
+down stairs, and the &quot;prongs&quot; of the
+chair were forced against it.</p>
+
+<p>It seemed to Mrs. Parlin strange
+that Prudy had never complained of
+any pain in her side; but the doctor
+said it was very common for people to
+suffer from hip-disease, and seem to
+have only a lame knee.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hip-disease!&quot; When Mrs. Parlin
+heard these words, she grew so dizzy,
+that it was all she could do to keep
+from fainting. It came over her in a
+moment, the thought of what her little
+daughter would have to suffer&mdash;days
+and nights of pain, and perhaps
+a whole lifetime of lameness. She
+had often heard of hip-disease, and
+was aware that it is a very serious
+thing.</p>
+
+<p>Do you know, she would gladly have
+changed places with Prudy, would
+gladly have borne all the child must
+suffer, if by that means she could
+have saved her? This is the feeling
+which mothers have when any trouble
+comes upon their children; but
+the little ones, with their simple minds,
+cannot understand it.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="CHAPTER_VI"></a><h2>CHAPTER VI.</h2>
+
+<h3>ROSY FRANCES EASTMAN MARY.</h3>
+<br />
+
+<p>Prudy had enjoyed a great many
+rides in Susy's beautiful sleigh; but
+now the doctor forbade her going out,
+except for very short distances, and
+even then, he said, she must sit in her
+mother's lap. He wanted her to lie
+down nearly all the time, and keep
+very quiet.</p>
+
+<p>At first, Mrs. Parlin wondered how
+it would be possible to keep such a
+restless child quiet; but she found, as
+time passed, and the disease made
+progress, that poor little Prudy was
+only too glad to lie still. Every motion
+seemed to hurt her, and sometimes
+she cried if any one even jarred the
+sofa suddenly.</p>
+
+<p>These were dark days for everybody
+in the house. Susy, who was thoughtful
+beyond her years, suffered terribly
+from anxiety about her little sister.
+More than that, she suffered from
+remorse.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, grandma Read,&quot; said she one
+evening, as she sat looking up at the
+solemn, shining stars, with overflowing
+eyes&mdash;&quot;O, grandma!&quot; The words
+came from the depths of a troubled
+heart. &quot;I may live to be real old;
+but I never shall be happy again! I
+can't, for, if it hadn't been for me?
+Prudy would be running round the
+house as well as ever!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Read had a gentle, soothing
+voice. She could comfort Susy when
+anybody could. Now she tried to set
+her heart at rest by saying that the
+doctor gave a great deal of hope. He
+could not promise a certain cure, but he
+felt great faith in a new kind of splint
+which he was using for Prudy's hip.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, grandma, it may be, and then,
+again, it may not be,&quot; sobbed poor
+Susy; &quot;we can't tell what God will
+think best; but anyhow, it was I that
+did it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But, Susan, thee must think how
+innocent thee was of any wrong
+motive. Thee did not get angry, and
+push thy little sister, thee knows thee
+didn't, Susan! Thee was only in a
+hurry, and rather thoughtless. The
+best of us often do very foolish things,
+and cause much mischief; but thee'll
+find it isn't best to grieve over these
+mistakes. Why, my dear little Susan,
+I have lived eight years to thy one,
+and if I should sit down now and drop
+a tear for every blunder I have made,
+I don't know but I could almost make
+a fountain of myself, like that woman
+thee tells about in the fairy story.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The fountain of Pirene that Pegasus
+loved,&quot; said Susy; &quot;that was
+the name of it. Why, grandma, I
+never should have thought of your
+saying such a queer thing as that!
+Why, it seems as if you always did
+just right, and thought it all over before
+you did it. Do <i>you</i> ever do wrong?
+How funny!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Read smiled sadly. She was
+not an angel yet; so I suppose she did
+wrong once in a while.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now, grandma, I want to ask you
+one question, real sober and honest.
+You know it was so dark that morning
+in the middle of the night, when
+we were going down the back stairs?
+Now, if I'd made a great deal worse
+mistake than calling Prudy a snail,&mdash;if
+I'd pushed her real hard, and she
+had fallen faster,&mdash;O, I can't bear to
+think! I mean, if the chair-prongs
+had hit her head, grandma&mdash;and&mdash;killed
+her! What would they have
+done to <i>me</i>? I thought about it last
+night, so I couldn't go to sleep for the
+longest while! I heard the clock <i>strike</i>
+once while I was awake there in bed!
+Would they have put me in the lock-up,
+grandma, and then hung me for
+murder?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;My dear child, no, indeed! How
+came such horrible ideas in thy tender
+little brain? It is too dreadful to think
+about; but, even if thy little sister <i>had</i>
+died, Susan, thee would have been no
+more to blame than thee is now, and
+a great, great deal more to be pitied.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Susy sat for a long while gazing out
+of the window; but the stars did not
+wink so solemnly; the moon looked
+friendly once more. Susy was drinking
+in her grandmother's words of
+comfort. The look of sadness was
+disappearing from the young face, and
+smiles began to play about the corners
+of her mouth.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said she, starting up briskly,
+&quot;I'm glad I wasn't so very terribly
+wicked! I wish I'd been somewhere
+else, when I stood on those back-stairs,
+in the middle of the night; but what's
+the use? I'm not going to think any
+more about it, grandma; for if I should
+think till my head was all twisted up
+in a knot, what good would it do?
+It wouldn't help Prudy any; would it,
+grandma?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, dear,&quot; said the mild, soothing
+voice again; &quot;don't think, I beg of
+thee; but if thee wants to know what
+would do Prudence good, I will tell
+thee: try thy best to amuse her. She
+has to lie day after day and suffer.
+It is very hard for a little girl that
+loves to play, and can't read, and
+doesn't know how to pass the time;
+don't thee think so, Susan?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>It was certainly hard. Prudy's
+round rosy face began to grow pale;
+and, instead of laughing and singing
+half the time, she would now lie and
+cry from pain, or because she really
+did not know what else to do with
+herself.</p>
+
+<p>It was worst at night. Hour after
+hour, she would lie awake, and listen
+to the ticking of the clock. Susy
+thought it a pitiable case, when <i>she</i>,
+heard the clock strike <i>once</i>; but little
+Prudy heard it strike again and again.
+How strangely it pounded out the
+strokes in the night! What a dreary
+sound it was, pealing through the
+silence! The echoes answered with
+a shudder. Then, when Prudy had
+counted one, two, three, four, and the
+clock had no more to say at that time,
+it began to tick again: &quot;Prudy's sick!
+Prudy's sick! O, dear me! O, dear
+me!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Prudy could hardly believe it was
+the same clock she saw in the daytime.
+She wondered if it felt lonesome
+in the night, and had the blues;
+or what <i>could</i> ail it! The poor little
+girl wanted somebody to speak to in
+these long, long hours. She did not
+sleep with Susy, but in a new cot-bed
+of her own, in aunt Madge's room; for,
+dearly as she loved to lie close to any
+one she loved, she begged now to sleep
+alone, &quot;so nobody could hit her, or
+move her, or joggle her.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>It was a great comfort to have aunt
+Madge so near. If it had been Susy
+instead, Prudy would have had no
+company but the sound of her breathing.
+It was of no use to try to wake
+Susy in the dead of night. Pricking
+her with pins would startle her, but
+she never knew anything even after
+she was startled. All she could do
+was to stare about her, cry, and act
+very cross, and then&mdash;go to sleep
+again.</p>
+
+<p>But with aunt Madge it was quite
+different. She slept like a cat, with
+one eye open. Perhaps the reason she
+did not sleep more soundly, was, that
+she felt a care of little Prudy. No
+matter when Prudy spoke to her,
+aunt Madge always answered. She
+did not say, &quot;O, dear, you've startled
+me out of a delicious nap!&quot; She said,
+&quot;Well, darling, what do you want?&quot;
+Prudy generally wanted to know
+when it would be morning? When
+would the steamboat whistle? What
+made it stay dark so long? She
+wanted a drink of water, and <i>always</i>
+wanted a story.</p>
+
+<p>If aunt Madge had forgotten to provide
+a glass of water, she put on her
+slippers, lighted the little handled lamp,
+and stole softly down stairs to the
+pail, which Norah always pumped
+full of well-water the last thing in
+the evening.</p>
+
+<p>Or, if Prudy fancied it would console
+her to have a peep at her beautiful
+doll which &quot;would be alive if it could
+speak,&quot; why, down stairs went auntie
+again to search out the spot where
+Susy had probably left it when &quot;she
+took it to show to some children.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The many, many times that kind
+young lady crept shivering down stairs
+to humor Prudy's whims! Prudy
+could not have counted the times; and
+you may be sure aunt Madge never
+<i>would</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Then the stories, both sensible and
+silly, which Prudy teased for, and always
+got! Aunt Madge poured them
+forth like water into the <i>sieve</i> of
+Prudy's mind, which could not hold
+stories any better than secrets. No
+matter how many she told, Prudy insisted
+that she wanted &quot;one more,&quot;
+and the &quot;same one over again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>It touched Susy to the heart to see
+how much her little sister suffered,
+and she spent a great deal of time at
+first in trying to amuse her. Aunt
+Madge told stories in the night; but
+Susy told them in the daytime, till,
+as she expressed it, her &quot;tongue
+ached.&quot; She cut out paper dolls when
+she wanted to read, and played go
+visiting, or dressed rag babies, when
+she longed to be out of doors. But
+while the novelty lasted, she was quite
+a Florence Nightingale.</p>
+
+<p>Her Wednesday and Saturday after-noons
+were no longer her own. Before
+Prudy's lameness, Susy had used her
+new skates a great deal, and could
+now skim over the ice quite gracefully,
+for a little girl of her age. The
+reason she learned to skate so well,
+was because she was fearless. Most
+children tremble when they try to
+stand on the ice, and for that very
+reason are nearly sure to fall; but Susy
+did not tremble in the face of danger:
+she had a strong will of her own, and
+never expected to fail in anything she
+undertook.</p>
+
+<p>She had spent half of her short life
+out of doors, and almost considered it
+lost time when she was obliged to stay
+in the house for the rain.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Parlin kept saying it was high
+time for her eldest daughter to begin
+to be womanly, and do long stints
+with her needle: she could not sew
+as well now as she sewed two years
+ago.</p>
+
+<p>But Mr. Parlin laughed at his wife's
+anxiety, and said he loved Susy's red
+cheeks; he didn't care if she grew as
+brown as an Indian. She was never
+rude or coarse, he thought; and she
+would be womanly enough one of
+these days, he was quite sure.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Anything,&quot; said Mr. Parlin, &quot;but
+these <i>womanly</i> little girls, such as I
+have seen sitting in a row, sewing
+seams, without animation enough to
+tear rents in their own dresses! If
+Susy loves birds, and flowers, and
+snowbanks, I am thankful, and perfectly
+willing she should have plenty
+of them for playthings.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Then, when Mrs. Parlin smiled mischievously,
+and said, &quot;I should like to
+know what sort of a wild Arab you
+would make out of a little girl,&quot; Mr.
+Parlin answered triumphantly,&mdash;
+&quot;Look at my sister Margaret! I
+brought her up my own self! I always
+took her out in the woods with
+me, gunning and trouting. I taught
+her how to skate when she was a mere
+baby. I often said she was all the
+brother I had in the world! She can
+remember now how I used to wrap
+her in shawls, and prop her up on the
+woodpile, while I chopped wood.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And how you hired her to drop
+ears of corn for you into the corn-sheller;
+and how, one day, her fingers
+were so benumbed, that one of them
+was clipped off before she knew it!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, so it was, that is true; but
+only the tip of it. Active children
+will meet with accidents. She was a
+regular little fly-away, and would
+sooner climb a tree or a ladder any
+time, than walk on solid ground. <i>Now</i>
+look at her!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And Mr. Parlin repeated the words,
+&quot;Now look at her,&quot; as if he was sure
+his wife must confess that she was a
+remarkable person.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Parlin said, if Susy should ever
+become half as excellent and charming
+as Miss Margaret Parlin, she should
+be perfectly satisfied, for her part.</p>
+
+<p>Thus Susy was allowed to romp to
+her heart's content; &quot;fairly ran wild,&quot;
+as aunt Eastman declared, with a
+frown of disapproval. She gathered
+wild roses, and wore them in her
+cheeks, the very best place in the
+world for roses. She drank in sunshine
+with the fresh air of heaven,
+just as the flowers do, and thrived
+on it.</p>
+
+<p>But there was one objection to this
+out-of-doors life: Susy did not love to
+stay in the house. Eainy days and
+evenings, to be sure, she made herself
+very happy with reading, for she loved
+to read, particularly fairy books, and
+Rollo's Travels.</p>
+
+<p>But now, just as she had learned to
+skate on the basin with other little
+girls and young ladies, and could drive
+Wings anywhere and everywhere she
+pleased, it was a sore trial to give up
+these amusements for the sake of
+spending more hours with poor little
+Prudy. She was very self-denying at
+first, but it grew to be an &quot;old story.&quot;
+She found it was not only pony and
+skates she must give up, but even her
+precious reading, for Prudy was jealous
+of books, and did not like to have
+Susy touch them. She thought Susy
+was lost to her when she opened a
+book, and might as well not be in the
+house, for she never heard a word that
+anybody said.</p>
+
+<p>Now I know just what you will
+think: &quot;O, I would have given up a
+great deal more than ponies and books
+for <i>my</i> dear little sister! I would have
+told her stories, and never have complained
+that my 'tongue ached.' It
+would not have wearied me to do anything
+and everything for such a patient
+sufferer as little Prudy!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But now I shall be obliged to confess
+one thing, which I would have gladly
+concealed.</p>
+
+<p>Prudy was not always patient.
+Some sweet little children become
+almost like the angels when sickness
+is laid upon them; but Prudy had
+been such a healthy, active child, that
+the change to perfect quiet was exceedingly
+tiresome. She was young,
+too,&mdash;too young to reason about the
+uses of suffering. She only knew she
+was dreadfully afflicted, and thought
+everybody ought to amuse her.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, dear me!&quot; said Susy, sometimes,
+&quot;I just believe the more anybody
+does for Prudy, the more she
+expects.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Now this was really the case. When
+Prudy first began to lie upon the sofa,
+everybody pitied her, and tried to say
+and do funny things, in order to take
+up her attention. It was not possible
+to keep on giving so much time to
+her; but Prudy expected it. She
+would lie very pleasant and happy for
+hours at a time, counting the things
+in the room, talking to herself, or
+humming little tunes; and then,
+again, everything would go wrong.
+Her playthings would keep falling to
+the floor, and, as she could not stoop
+at all, some one must come and pick
+them up that very minute, or they
+&quot;didn't pity her a bit.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Every once in a while, she declared
+her knee was &quot;broken in seven new
+places,&quot; and the doctor must come and
+take off the splint. She didn't want
+such a hard thing &quot;right on there;&quot;
+she wanted it &quot;right off.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Her mother told her she must try
+to be patient, and be one of God's little
+girls. &quot;But, mamma,&quot; said Prudy,
+&quot;does God love me any? I should
+think, if he loved me, he'd be sorrier
+I was sick, and get me well.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Then, sometimes, when she had
+been more fretful than usual, she
+would close her eyes, and her mother
+would hear her say, in a low voice,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, God, I didn't mean to. It's my
+<i>knee</i> that's cross!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Upon the whole, I think Prudy was
+as patient as most children of her age
+would have been under the same trial.
+Her father and mother, who had the
+most care of her, did not wonder in the
+least that her poor little nerves got
+tired out sometimes.</p>
+
+<p>While Susy was at school, Prudy
+had a long time to think what she
+wanted her to do when she should
+come home. She would lie and watch
+the clock, for she had learned to tell
+the time quite well; and when the
+hour drew near for Susy to come, she
+moved her head on the pillow, and
+twisted her fingers together nervously.</p>
+
+<p>If Susy was in good season, Prudy
+put up her little mouth for a kiss, and
+said,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, how I do love you, Susy! Ain't
+I your dear little sister? Well, won't
+you make me a lady on the slate?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Susy's ladies had no necks, and
+their heads were driven down on their
+shoulders, as if they were going to be
+packed into their chests; but, such as
+they were, Prudy wanted them over
+and over again.</p>
+
+<p>But if Susy stopped to slide, or to
+play by the way, she would find little
+Prudy in tears, and hear her say, &quot;O,
+what made you? Naughty, naughty
+old Susy! I'm goin' to die, and go to
+God's house, and then you'll be sorry
+you didn't 'tend to your little sister.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Susy could never bear to hear Prudy
+talk about going to God's house. Her
+conscience pricked her when she saw
+that the poor child was grieved; and
+she resolved, every time she was late,
+that she would never be late again.</p>
+
+<p>Prudy had a great many odd fancies
+now: among others, she had a
+fancy that she did not like the name
+of Prudy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why; only think,&quot; said she, &quot;you
+keep a-calling me Prudy, and Prudy,
+and Prudy. It makes my head ache,
+to have you say Prudy so much.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But, my dear child,&quot; said Mr.
+Parlin, smiling, &quot;it happens, unfortunately,
+that Prudy is your name;
+so I think you will have to try and
+bear it as well as you can.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But I can't bear it any longer,&quot;
+said the child, bursting into tears.
+&quot;Prudy is all lame and sick, and I
+never shall walk any more while you
+call me Prudy, papa.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Parlin kissed his little daughters's
+pale cheek, and said, &quot;Then we
+will call you pet names; will that
+do?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Prudy smiled with delight.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I've thought of a real beautiful,
+splendid name,&quot; said she. &quot;It is
+Rosy Frances Eastman Mary; ain't it
+splendid?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>After this announcement, Prudy
+expected the family would be sure to
+call her Rosy Frances Eastman Mary;
+and, indeed, they were quite willing
+to please her, whenever they could
+remember the name. They all supposed
+it was a fancy she would forget
+in a day or two; but, instead of that,
+she clung to it more and more fondly.
+If any one offered her an orange, or
+roasted apple, and said, &quot;Look, Prudy;
+here is something nice for you,&quot; she
+would turn her face over to one side
+on the pillow, and make no reply. If
+she wanted a thing very much, she
+would never accept it when she was
+addressed by the obnoxious name of
+Prudy. Even when her father wanted
+to take her in his arms to rest her,
+and happened to say, &quot;Prudy, shall I
+hold you a little while?&quot; she would
+say, &quot;Who was you a-talkin' to, papa?
+There isn't any Prudy here!&quot; Then
+her father had to humble himself,
+and ask to be forgiven for being so
+forgetful.</p>
+
+<p>The child had a delicate appetite,
+and her mother tried to tempt it with
+little niceties; but, no matter what
+pains she took, Prudy relished nothing
+unless it was given to her as Rosy
+Frances, the little girl who was <i>not</i>
+Prudy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, here is a glass of lemonade for
+you, Prudy; made on purpose for
+you,&quot; Susy would say; &quot;do drink it!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, dear me, suz,&quot; cried Prudy, with
+tears falling over her cheeks; &quot;O,
+Susy, you plague me, and I never
+done a thing to you! You called me
+Prudy, and I ain't Prudy, never again!
+Call me Rosy Frances Eastman Mary,
+and I'll drink the lemonade.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You precious little sister,&quot; said
+Susy, bending over her gently, &quot;you'll
+forgive me; won't you, darling?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'll try to,&quot; replied Prudy, with a
+look of meek forbearance, as she sipped
+the lemonade.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="CHAPTER_VII"></a><h2>CHAPTER VII.</h2>
+
+<h3>LITTLE TROUBLES.</h3>
+<br />
+
+<p>Somebody said once to Susy and
+Flossy, when they were having a frolic
+in &quot;Prudy's sitting-room,&quot; up stairs,
+&quot;What happy little things! You
+don't know what trouble is, and never
+will, till you grow up!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The little girls preserved a respectful
+silence, till the lady was out of
+hearing, and then held an indignant
+discussion as to the truth of what she
+had said. It would have been a discussion,
+I mean, if they had not both
+taken the same side of the question.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How she sighed,&quot; said Susy, &quot;just
+as if she was the <i>melancholiest</i> person
+that ever was!&quot; Susy was famous
+for the use she made of adjectives,
+forming the superlatives just as it
+happened.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, just the way,&quot; responded
+Flossy. &quot;I'd like to know what ever
+happened to <i>her</i>? Pshaw! She
+laughed this afternoon, and ate apples
+fast enough!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, she thinks she must make believe
+have a dreadful time, because
+she is grown up,&quot; said Susy, scornfully.
+&quot;She's forgot she was ever a
+little girl! I've had troubles; I guess
+I have! And I know one thing, I
+shall remember 'em when I grow up,
+and not say, 'What happy little
+things!' to children. It's real hateful!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Little folks have trouble, to be sure.
+Their hearts are full of it, and running
+over, sometimes; and how can the
+largest heart that ever beat be <i>more</i>
+than full, and running over?</p>
+
+<p>Susy had daily trials. They were
+sent to her because they were good
+for her. Shadows and night-dews are
+good for flowers. If the sun had
+shone on Susy always, and she had
+never had any shadows and night
+dews, she would have <i>scorched up</i> into
+a selfish girl.</p>
+
+<p>One of her trials was Miss Dotty
+Dimple. Now, she loved Dotty dearly,
+and considered her funny all over,
+from the crown of her head to the
+soles of her little twinkling feet, which
+were squeezed into a pair of gaiters.
+Dotty loved those gaiters as if they
+were alive. She had a great contempt
+for the slippers she wore in the morning,
+but it was her &quot;darlin' gaiters,&quot;
+which she put on in the afternoon,
+and loved next to father and mother,
+and all her best friends.</p>
+
+<p>When ladies called, she stepped very
+briskly across the floor, looking down
+at her feet, and tiptoeing about, till
+the ladies smiled, and said, &quot;O, what
+sweet little boots!&quot; and then she was
+perfectly happy.</p>
+
+<p>Susy was not very wide awake in
+the morning; but Dotty was stirring
+as soon as there was a peep of light,
+and usually stole into Susy's bed to
+have a frolic. Nothing but a story
+would keep her still, and poor Susy
+often wondered which was harder, to
+be used as a football by Dotty, or to
+tell stories with her eyes shut.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, Dotty Dimple, keep still; can't
+you? There's a darling,&quot; she would
+plead, longing for another nap; &quot;<i>don't</i>
+kill me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, no; me won't kill,&quot; the little
+one would reply; &quot;'tisn't <i>pooty</i> to
+kill!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, dear, you little, cunning, darling
+plague, now hush, and let me go
+to sleep!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Then Dotty would plant both feet
+firmly on Susy's chest, and say, in her
+teasing little voice, as troublesome as
+the hum of a mosquito,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Won't you tell me 'tory&mdash;tell me a
+'tory&mdash;tell me a 'tory, Susy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, what do you want to hear?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Now, it was natural for Susy to feel
+cross when she was sleepy. It cost
+her a hard struggle to speak pleasantly,
+and when she succeeded in doing
+so, I set it down as one of her greatest
+victories over herself. The Quaker
+motto of her grandmother, &quot;Let patience
+have her perfect work,&quot; helped
+her sometimes, when she could wake
+up enough to remember it.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Tell 'bout little yellow gell,&quot; said
+the voice of the mosquito, over and
+over again.</p>
+
+<p>Susy roused herself after the third
+request, and sleepily asked if something
+else wouldn't do?</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I had a little nobby-colt.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, no, you <i>di'n't</i>, you <i>di'n't</i>;
+grandma had the nobby! Tell yellow
+gell.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O,&quot; sighed Susy, &quot;how can you
+want to hear that so many, many
+times? Well, once when I was a
+little bit of a girl&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Bout's big as me, you <i>said</i>,&quot; put in
+Dotty.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, yes, I did say so once, and I
+suppose I must tell it so every time, or
+you'll fuss! Well, I had a yellow
+dress all striped off in checks&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Di'n't it go this way?&quot; said Dotty,
+smoothing the sheet with her little
+hand, &quot;and this way?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What? What?&quot; Susy roused herself
+and rubbed her eyes. &quot;O, yes, it
+went in checks; and I was at grandma
+Parlin's, and Grace&mdash;Grace&mdash;O,
+Grace and I went into the pasture
+where there were a couple of cows, a
+gray cow and a red cow.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now you must say what <i>is</i> couple,&quot;
+says Dotty.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then what is couple?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Gray cow,&quot; answers Dotty, very
+gravely.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;So when the cows saw us coming,
+they&mdash;they&mdash;O, they threw up their
+heads, and stopped eating grass&mdash;in
+the air. I mean&mdash;threw&mdash;up&mdash;their
+heads.&quot; Susy was nearly asleep.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Up in the air?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, of course, up in the air.
+(There, I <i>will</i> wake up!) And the
+gray cow began to run towards us,
+and Grace says to me, 'O, my, she
+thinks you're a pumpkin!'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, me, because my dress was so
+yellow. I was just as afraid of the
+cow as I could be.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good cow! <i>He</i> wouldn't hurt!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, the cow was good, and didn't
+think I was a pumpkin, not the least
+speck. But I was so afraid, that
+I crept under the bars, and ran
+home.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;To grandma's house?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes; and grandma laughed.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, where was me?&quot; was the
+next question, after a pause.</p>
+
+<p>Then, when the duty of story-telling
+was performed, Susy would gladly
+have gone back to &quot;climbing the
+dream-tree;&quot; but no, she must still
+listen to Dotty, though she answered
+her questions in an absent-minded
+way, like a person &quot;hunting for a forgotten
+dream.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>One morning she was going to ride
+with her cousin Percy. It had been
+some time since she had seen Wings,
+except in the stable, where she visited
+him every day.</p>
+
+<p>But Dotty had set her heart on a
+rag-baby which Susy had promised to
+dress, and Prudy was anxious that
+Susy should play several games of
+checkers with her.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, dear,&quot; said the eldest sister, with
+the perplexed air of a mother who has
+disobedient little ones to manage.
+&quot;I think I have about as much as I
+can bear. The <i>children</i> always make
+a fuss, just as sure as I want to go
+out.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The old, impatient spirit was rising;
+that spirit which it was one of the
+duties of Susy's life to keep under
+control.</p>
+
+<p>She went into the bathing-room, and
+drank off a glass of cold water, and
+talked to herself a while, for she considered
+that the safest way.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Have I any right to be cross? Yes,
+I think I have. Here Dotty woke me
+up, right in the middle of a dream, and
+I'm sleepy this minute. Then Prudy
+is a little babyish thing, and always
+was&mdash;making a fuss if I forget to
+call her Rosy Frances! Yes, I'll be
+cross, and act just as I want to. It's
+too hard work to keep pleasant; I
+won't try.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>She walked along to the door, but,
+by that time, the better spirit was
+struggling to be heard.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now, Susy Parlin,&quot; it said, &quot;you
+little girl with a pony, and a pair of
+skates, and feet to walk on, and everything
+you want, ain't you ashamed,
+when you think of that dear little
+sister you pushed down stairs&mdash;no,
+didn't push&mdash;that poor little lame
+sister!&mdash;O, hark! there is your mother
+winding up that hard splint! How
+would you feel with such a thing on
+your hip? Go, this minute, and comfort
+Prudy!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The impatient feelings were gone
+for that time; Susy had swallowed
+them, or they had flown out of the
+window.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now Rosy Frances Eastman
+Mary,&quot; said she, &quot;if your splint is all
+fixed, I'll comb your hair.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The splint was made of hard,
+polished wood and brass. Under it
+were strips of plaster an inch wide,
+which wound round and round the
+poor wounded limb. These strips of
+plaster became loose, and there was
+a little key-hole in the splint, into
+which Mrs. Parlin put a key, and
+wound up and tightened the plaster
+every morning. This operation did
+not hurt Prudy at all.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now,&quot; said Susy, after she had
+combed Prudy's hair carefully, and
+put a net over it, until her mother
+should be ready to curl it, &quot;now we
+will have a game of checkers.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Prudy played in high glee, for Susy
+allowed her to jump all her men, and
+march triumphantly into the king-row,
+at the head of a victorious
+army.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There, now, Rosy,&quot; said Susy, gently,
+&quot;are you willing to let me go out
+riding? I can't play any more if I
+ride, for I must dress Dotty's doll, and
+feed my canary.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, well,&quot; said Prudy, considering
+the matter, &quot;I'm sick; I tell you how
+it is, I'm sick, you know; but&mdash;well,
+you may go, Susy, if you'll make up a
+story as long as a mile.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Susy really felt grateful to Prudy,
+but it was her own gentle manner
+which had charmed the sick child into
+giving her consent.</p>
+
+<p>Then Susy proceeded to dress Dotty's
+doll in a very simple fashion, with two
+holes for short sleeves, and a skirt
+with a raw edge; but she looked kind
+and pleasant while she was at work,
+and Dotty was just as well pleased as
+if it had been an elegant costume she
+was preparing. And it was really
+good enough for a poor deformed rag-baby,
+with a head shaped like a stove-pipe.</p>
+
+<p>Susy was delighted to find how well
+a little patience served her in amusing
+&quot;the children.&quot; Next, she went to
+give Dandy his morning bath. Mrs.
+Parlin still thought it a dangerous
+practice, but had not seen Mrs. Mason,
+to question her about it, and Susy was
+too obstinate in her opinion to listen
+to her mother.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I must do it,&quot; said Susy; &quot;it has
+been ever so long since Dandy was
+bathed, and I shouldn't take any comfort
+riding, mamma, if I didn't leave
+him clean.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Susy plunged the trembling canary
+into his little bathing-bowl, in some
+haste. He struggled as usual, and
+begged, with his weak, piping voice,
+to be spared such an infliction. But
+Susy was resolute.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It'll do you good, Ducky Daddles;
+we mustn't have any lazy, dirty birdies
+in this house.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Ducky Daddies rolled up his little
+eyes, and gasped for breath.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, look, mother!&quot; cried Susy,
+laughing; &quot;how funny Dandy acts!
+Do you suppose it's to make me laugh?
+O, is he fainting away?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Fainting away! My dear child,
+he is dying!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This was the sad truth. Mrs. Parlin
+fanned him, hoping to call back
+the lingering breath. But it was too
+late. One or two more throbs, and his
+frightened little heart had ceased to
+beat; his frail life had gone out as
+suddenly as a spark of fire.</p>
+
+<p>Susy was too much shocked to speak.
+She stood holding the stiffening bird
+in her hands, and gazing at it.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Parlin was very sorry for Susy,
+and had too much kindness of feeling
+to add to her distress by saying,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You know how I warned you,
+Susy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Susy was already suffering for her
+obstinacy and disregard of her mother's
+advice; and Mrs. Parlin believed
+she would lay the lesson to heart quite
+as well without more words. It was
+a bitter lesson. Susy loved dumb
+creatures dearly, and was just becoming
+very fond of Dandy.</p>
+
+<p>In the midst of her trouble, and
+while her eyes were swollen with tears,
+her cousin Percy came with Wings
+and the sleigh to give her the promised
+ride. Susy no longer cared for going
+out: it seemed to her that her heart
+was almost broken.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, cousin Indigo, what is the
+matter?&quot; said Percy; &quot;you look as if
+this world was a howling wilderness,
+and you wanted to howl too. What,
+crying over that bird? Poh! I can
+buy you a screech-owl any time, that
+will make twice the noise he could in
+his best days. Come, hurry, and put
+your things on!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Susy buried her face in her apron.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'll compose a dirge for him,&quot; said
+Percy.</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span>&quot;My bird is dead, said Susy P.,<br /></span>
+<span>My bird is dead; O, deary me!<br /></span>
+<span>He sang so sweet, te whee, te whee;<br /></span>
+<span>He sings no more; O, deary me!<br /></span>
+<span>Go hang his cage up in the tree,<br /></span>
+<span>That cage I care no more to see.<br /></span>
+<span>My bird is dead, cried Susy P.&quot;<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>These provoking words Percy
+drawled out in a sing-song voice. It
+was too much. Susy's eyes flashed
+through her tears.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You've always laughed at me,
+Percy Eastman, and plagued me about
+Freddy Jackson, and everything, and
+I've borne it like a&mdash;like a lady. But
+when you go to laughing at my poor
+little Dandy that's dead, and can't
+speak&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Susy was about to say, &quot;Can't speak
+for himself,&quot; but saw in time how
+absurdly she was talking, and stopped
+short.</p>
+
+<p>Percy laughed.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Where are you going with that
+cage?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Going to put it away, where I'll
+never see it again,&quot; sobbed poor
+Susy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Give it to me,&quot; said Percy: &quot;I'll
+take care of it for you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>If Susy's eyes had not been blinded
+by tears, she would have been surprised
+to see the real pity in Percy's
+face.</p>
+
+<p>He was a rollicking boy, full of
+merriment and bluster, and what
+tender feelings he possessed, he took
+such a wonderful amount of pains to
+conceal, that Susy never suspected he
+had any. She would have enjoyed
+her ride if she had not felt so full of
+grief. The day was beautiful. There
+had been a storm, and the trees looked
+as if they had been snowballing one
+another; but Susy had no eye for
+trees, and just then hardly cared for
+her pony.</p>
+
+<p>Percy put the cage in the sleigh,
+under the buffalo robes; and when
+they reached his own door, he carried
+the cage into the house, while Susy
+drew a sigh of relief. He offered to
+stuff Dandy, or have him stuffed; but
+Susy rejected the idea with horror.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, if Dandy was dead, he was all
+dead; she didn't want to see him
+sitting up stiff and cold, when he
+couldn't sing a speck.&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="CHAPTER_VIII"></a><h2>CHAPTER VIII.</h2>
+
+<h3>ANNIE LOVEJOY.</h3>
+<br />
+
+<p>But the day was not over yet. The
+bright sun and blue sky were doing
+what they could to make a cheerful
+time of it, but it seemed as if Susy
+fell more deeply into trouble, as the
+hours passed on.</p>
+
+<p>There are such days in everybody's
+life, when it rains small vexations
+from morning till night, and when all
+we can do is to hope for better things
+to-morrow.</p>
+
+<p>It was Wednesday; and in the
+afternoon, Flossy Eastman came over
+with a new game, and while the little
+girls, Flossy, Susy and Prudy were
+playing it, and trying their best to
+keep Dotty Dimple's prying fingers
+and long curls out of the way, in came
+Miss Annie Lovejoy.</p>
+
+<p>This was a little neighbor, who, as
+the children sometimes privately declared,
+was &quot;always 'round.&quot; Mrs.
+Parlin had her own private doubts
+about the advantages to be derived
+from her friendship, and had sometimes
+gone so far as to send her home,
+when she seemed more than usually
+in the way.</p>
+
+<p>Annie's mother lived next door, but
+all Mrs. Parlin knew of her, was what
+she could see and hear from her own
+windows; and that little was not very
+agreeable. She saw that Mrs. Love
+joy dressed in gaudy colors, and loaded
+herself with jewelry; and she could
+hear her scold her servants and children
+with a loud, shrill voice.</p>
+
+<p>The two ladies had never exchanged
+calls; but Annie, it seemed, had few
+playmates, and she clung to Susy
+with such a show of affection, that
+Mrs. Parlin could not forbid her visits,
+although she watched her closely;
+anxious, as a careful mother should
+be, to make sure she was a proper
+companion for her little daughter.
+So far she had never known her to
+say or do anything morally wrong,
+though her manners were not exactly
+those of a well-bred little girl.</p>
+
+<p>This afternoon, when the new game
+was broken up by the entrance of
+Annie, the children began the play of
+housekeeping, because Prudy could
+join in it. Susy found she enjoyed
+any amusement much more when it
+pleased the little invalid.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I will be the lady of the house,&quot;
+said Annie, promptly, &quot;because I have
+rings on my fingers, and a coral necklace.
+My name is Mrs. Piper. Prudy,&mdash;no,
+Rosy,&mdash;you shall be Mrs. Shotwell,
+come a-visiting me; because you
+can't do anything else. We'll make
+believe you've lost your husband in
+the wars. I know a Mrs. Shotwell,
+and she is always <i>taking-on</i>, and saying,
+'My poor dear husband,' under
+her handkerchief; just this way.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The children laughed at the nasal
+twang which Annie gave to the words,
+and Prudy imitated it to perfection,
+not knowing it was wrong.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, what shall I be?&quot; said Susy,
+not very well pleased that the first
+characters had been taken already.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, you shall be a hired girl, and
+wear a handkerchief on your head,
+just as our girl does; and you must
+be a little deaf, and keep saying,
+'What, ma'am?' when I speak to you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And I,&quot; said Florence, &quot;will be Mr.
+Peter Piper, the head of the family.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; returned Annie, &quot;you can
+put on a waterproof cloak, and you
+will make quite a good-looking husband;
+but I shall be the head of the
+family myself, and have things about
+as I please!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, there,&quot; cried Flossy, slipping
+her arms into the sleeves of her cloak,
+&quot;I don't know about that; I don't
+think it's very polite for you to treat
+your husband in that way.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Flossy wanted to have the control
+of family matters herself.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But I believe in 'Woman's Rights,'&quot;
+said Annie, with a toss of the head,
+&quot;and if there's anything I despise, it
+is a <i>man</i> meddling about the house.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Here little Dotty began to cause a
+disturbance, by sticking a fruit-knife
+into the edges of the &quot;what-not,&quot; and
+making a whirring noise.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wouldn't do so, Dotty,&quot; said Susy,
+going up to her; &quot;it troubles us; and,
+besides, I'm afraid it will break the
+knife.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't allow my hired girl to interfere
+with my children,&quot; said Annie,
+speaking up in the character of Mrs.
+Piper; &quot;I am mistress of the house,
+I'd have you to know! There, little
+daughter, they shan't plague her; she
+shall keep on doing mischief; so she
+shall!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Dotty needed no coaxing to keep on
+doing mischief, but hit the musical
+knife harder than ever, giving it a
+dizzy motion, like the clapper in a
+mill.</p>
+
+<p>Prudy was quite annoyed by the
+sound, but did not really know whether
+to be nervous or not, and concluded to
+express her vexation in groans: the
+groans she was giving in memory of
+the departed Mr. Shotwell, who had
+died of a &quot;cannon bullet.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;My good Mrs. Shotwell,&quot; said Mrs.
+Piper, trying to &quot;make conversation,&quot;
+&quot;I think I have got something in my
+eye: will you please tell me how it
+looks?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O,&quot; said Prudy, peeping into it,
+&quot;your eye looks very well, ma'am;
+don't you '<i>xcuse</i> it; it looks well enough
+for <i>me</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ahem!&quot; said Mrs. Piper, laughing,
+and settling her head-dress, which
+was Susy's red scarf: &quot;are your feet
+warm, Mrs. Shotwell?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Thank you, ma'am,&quot; replied Prudy,
+&quot;I don't feel 'em cold. O, dear, if your
+husband was all deaded up, I guess
+you'd cry, Mrs. Piper.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Susy and Flossy looked at each other,
+and smiled. They thought Prudy
+seemed more like herself than they
+had known her for a long time.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You must go right out of the parlor,
+Betsey,&quot; said Mrs. Piper, flourishing
+the poker; &quot;I mean you, Susy&mdash;the
+parlor isn't any place for hired girls.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ma'am?&quot; said Susy, inclining her
+head to one side, in order to hear better.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, dear! the plague of having a
+deaf girl!&quot; moaned Mrs. Piper. &quot;You
+don't know how trying it is, Mrs. Shotwell!
+That hired girl, Betsey, hears
+with her elbows, Mrs. Shotwell; I verily
+believe she does!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, no, ma'am,&quot; replied Prudy; &quot;I
+guess she doesn't hear with her elbows,
+does she? If she <i>heard</i> with her elbows,
+she wouldn't have to ask you
+over again!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This queer little speech set Mr. Piper
+and his wife, and their servant, all to
+laughing, and Betsey looked at her
+elbows, to see if they were in the right
+place.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Will you please, ma'am,&quot; said
+Prudy, &quot;ask Betsey to <i>hot</i> a flatiron?
+I've cried my handkerchief all up!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes; go right out, Betsey, and <i>hot</i>
+a flatiron,&quot; said Mrs. Piper, very hospitably.
+&quot;Go out, this instant, and
+build a fire, Betsey.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, go right out, Betsey,&quot; echoed
+Mr. Piper, who could find nothing better
+to do than to repeat his wife's
+words; for, in spite of himself, she did
+appear to be the &quot;head of the family.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It was my darlin' husband's handkerchief,&quot;
+sobbed Prudy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Rather a small one for a man,&quot;
+said Mr. Piper, laughing.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; replied Prudy, rather quick
+for a thought, &quot;my husband had a
+very small nose!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Piper tried to make more
+&quot;conversation.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, Mrs. Shotwell, you ought to be
+exceeding thankful you're a widow,
+and don't keep house! I think my
+hired girls will carry down my gray
+hairs to the grave! The last one I had
+was Irish, and very Catholic.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Prudy groaned for sympathy, and
+wiped her eyes on that corner of her
+handkerchief which was supposed to
+be not quite &quot;cried up.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, indeed, it was awful,&quot; continued
+Mrs. Piper; &quot;for she wasalways going to masses and mass-meetings;
+and there couldn't anybody
+die but they must be 'waked,' you
+know.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, I didn't know they could be
+waked up when they was dead,&quot; said
+Prudy, opening her eyes.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, but they only <i>make believe</i> you
+can wake 'em,&quot; said Mrs. Piper; &quot;of
+course it isn't true! For my part, I
+don't believe a word an Irish girl says,
+any way.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hush, my child,&quot; she continued,
+turning to Dotty, who was now
+sharpening the silver knife on the
+edges of the iron grate. &quot;Betsey, why
+in the world don't you see to that
+baby? I believe you are losing your
+mind!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That makes me think,&quot; said Prudy,
+suddenly breaking in with a new idea;
+&quot;what do you s'pose the reason is
+folks can't be waked up? What makes
+'em stay in heaven all the days, and
+nights, and years, and never come
+down here to see anybody, not a
+minute?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What an idea!&quot; said Annie. &quot;I'm
+sure I don't know.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I've been a thinkin',&quot; said
+Prudy, answering her own question,
+&quot;that when God has sended 'em up to
+the sky, they like to stay up there the
+best. It's a nicer place, a great deal
+nicer place, up to God's house.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, yes, of course,&quot; replied Annie,
+&quot;but our play&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I've been a thinkin',&quot; continued
+Prudy, &quot;that when I go up to God's
+house, I shan't wear the splint. I can
+run all over the house, and he'll be
+willing I should go up stairs, and down
+cellar, you know.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Prudy sighed. Sometimes she
+almost longed for &quot;God's house.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, let's go on with our play,&quot;
+said Annie, impatiently. &quot;It's most
+supper-time, Mrs. Shotwell. Come in,
+Betsey.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ma'am?&quot; said Betsey, appearing at
+the door, and turning up one ear, very
+much as if it were a dipper, in which
+she expected to catch the words which
+dropped from the lips of her mistress.
+&quot;Betsey, have you attended to your
+sister&mdash;to my little child, I mean?
+Then go out and make some sassafras
+cakes, and some eel-pie, and some
+squirrel-soup; and set the table in five
+minutes: do you hear?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ma'am?&quot; said the deaf servant;
+'what did you say about ginger-bread?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Susy did not like her part of the
+game; but she played it as well as she
+could, and let Annie manage everything,
+because that was what pleased
+Annie.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, how stupid Betsey is!&quot; said Mr.
+Piper, coming to the aid of his wife.
+&quot;Mrs. Piper says eel-jumbles, and sassafras-pie,
+and pound-cake; all made
+in five minutes!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Here everybody laughed, and Prudy,
+suddenly remembering her part,
+sighed, and said,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, my darlin' husband used to like
+jumble-pie! I've forgot to cry for
+ever so long!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Susy began to set the table, and
+went into the nursery for some cake
+and cookies, which were kept in an
+old tin chest, on purpose for this play
+of housekeeping, which had now been
+carried on regularly every Wednesday
+and Saturday afternoon, for some time.</p>
+
+<p>Susy opened the cake-chest, and
+found nothing in it but a few dry
+cookies: the fruit-cake was all gone.
+Who could have eaten it? Not Flossy,
+for she had a singular dislike for raisins
+and currants, and never so much
+as tasted fruit-cake. Not Prudy, for
+the poor little thing had grown so lame
+by this time, that she was unable to
+bear her weight on her feet, much less
+to walk into the nursery. Dotty could
+not be the thief. Her baby-conscience
+was rather tough and elastic, and I
+suppose she would have felt no more
+scruples about nibbling nice things,
+than an unprincipled little mouse.</p>
+
+<p>But, then Dotty couldn't reach the
+cake-chest; so she was certainly innocent.</p>
+
+<p>Then Susy remembered in a moment
+that it was Annie: Annie had run
+into the house morning and night,
+and had often said, &quot;I'm right hungry.
+I'm going to steal a piece of our cake!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So it seemed that Annie had eaten
+it <i>all</i>. Susy ran back to Prudy's sitting-room,
+where her little guests were
+seated, and said, trying not to laugh,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Please, ma'am, I just made some
+eel-jumbles and things, and a dog
+came in and stole them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very well, Betsey,&quot; said Mrs. Piper,
+serenely; &quot;make some more.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, make some more,&quot; echoed Mr.
+Piper; and added, &quot;chain up that
+dog.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But real honest true,&quot; said Susy,
+&quot;the fruit-cake <i>is</i> all gone out of the
+chest. You ate it up, you know,
+Annie; but it's no matter: we'll cut
+up some cookies, or, may be, mother'll
+let us have some oyster-crackers.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>I</i> ate up the cake!&quot; cried Annie;
+&quot;It's no such a thing; I never touched
+it!&quot; Her face flushed as she spoke.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, but you did,&quot; persisted Susy;
+&quot;I suppose you've forgotten! You
+went to the cake-chest this morning,
+and last night, and yesterday noon,
+and ever so many more times.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Annie was too angry to speak.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But it's just as well,&quot; added Susy,
+politely; &quot;you could have it as well
+as not, and perfectly welcome!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What are you talking about?&quot; cried
+Annie, indignantly; for she thought
+she saw a look of surprise and contempt
+on Flossy's face, and fancied
+that Flossy despised her because she
+had a weakness for fruit-cake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wonder if you take me for a pig,
+Susy Parlin! I heard what your
+mother said about that cake! She
+said it was too dry for her company,
+but it was too rich for little girls, and
+we must only eat a <i>teeny</i> speck at a
+time. I told my mamma, and she
+laughed, to think such mean dried-up
+cake was too rich for little girls!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Susy felt her temper rising, but her
+desire to be polite did not desert her.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It <i>was</i> rich, nice cake, Annie; but
+mother said the slices had been cut
+a great while, and it was drying up.
+Let's not talk any more about it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, but I <i>shall</i> talk more about it,&quot;
+cried Annie, still more irritated; &quot;you
+keep hinting that I tell wrong stories
+and steal cake; yes, you do! and then
+you ain't willing to let me speak!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>All this sounded like righteous indignation,
+but was only anger. Annie
+was entirely in the wrong, and knew
+it; therefore she lost her temper.</p>
+
+<p>Susy had an unusual amount of
+self-control at this time, merely because
+she had the truth on her side.
+But her dignified composure only
+vexed Annie the more.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I won't stay here to be imposed
+upon, and told that I'm a liar and a
+thief; so I won't! I'll go right home
+this very minute, and tell my mother
+just how you treat your company!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And, in spite of all Susy could say,
+Annie threw on her hood and cloak,
+and flounced out of the room; forgetting,
+in her wrath, to take off
+Susy's red scarf, which was still festooned
+about her head.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I'm glad she's gone,&quot; said
+Flossy, coolly, as the door closed with
+a slam. &quot;She's a bold thing, and my
+mother wouldn't like me to play with
+her, if she knew how she acts! She
+said 'victuals' for food, and that isn't
+<i>elegant</i>, mother says. What right had
+she to set up and say she'd be Mrs.
+Piper? So forward!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>After all, this was the grievous part
+of the whole to Flossy,&mdash;that she had
+to take an inferior part in the play.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But I'm <i>sorry</i> she's gone,&quot; said
+Susy, uneasily. &quot;I don't like to have
+her go and tell that I wasn't polite.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You <i>was</i> polite,&quot; chimed in little
+Prudy, from the sofa; &quot;a great deal
+politer'n she was! I wouldn't care, if
+I would be you, Susy. I don't wish
+Annie was dead, but I wish she was a
+duck a-sailin' on the water!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The children went back to the game
+they had been playing before Annie
+came; but the interest was quite gone.
+Their quick-tempered little guest had
+been a &quot;<i>kill-joy</i>&quot; in spite of her name.</p>
+
+<p>But the afternoon was not over yet.
+What happened next, I will tell you in
+another chapter.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="CHAPTER_IX"></a><h2>CHAPTER IX.</h2>
+
+<h3>MORAL COURAGE.</h3>
+<br />
+
+<p>Annie Lovejoy had not been gone
+fifteen minutes, when there was a
+sharp ringing of Mrs. Parlin's doorbell,
+and a little boy gave Norah the
+red scarf of Susy's, and a note for Mrs.
+Parlin.</p>
+
+<p>Norah suspected they both came
+from Mrs. Lovejoy, and she could see
+that lady from the opposite window,
+looking toward the house with a very
+defiant expression.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Parlin opened the note with
+some surprise, for she had been engaged
+with visitors in the parlor, and
+did not know what had been going on
+up stairs.</p>
+
+<p>Whatever Mrs. Lovejoy's other
+accomplishments might be, she could
+not write very elegantly. The ink
+was hardly dry, and the words were
+badly blotted, as well as incorrectly
+spelled.</p>
+
+<blockquote><p>&quot;Mrs. Parlin.</p></blockquote>
+
+<blockquote><p>&quot;Madam: If my own <i>doughter</i> is a
+<i>theif</i> and a <i>lier</i>, I beg to be informed.
+She has no <i>knowlidg</i> of the cake,
+<i>whitch</i> was so <i>dryed</i> up, a <i>begar woold</i>
+not touch it. Will Miss Susan Parlin
+come over here, and take back her
+words?</p></blockquote>
+
+<blockquote><p>&quot;SERENA LOVEJOY.&quot;</p></blockquote>
+
+<p>Mrs. Parlin was at a loss to understand
+this, for she had quite forgotten
+the fact, that the children had any
+cake to use at their play of housekeeping.
+She supposed that Susy must
+have accused Annie of prying into the
+china-closet, where the cakes and
+jellies were kept. She sent for Susy
+at once.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;My daughter,&quot; said she, in her
+usual quiet tones, &quot;did you ever have
+any reason to suppose that Annie
+Lovejoy went about meddling with
+our things, and peeping into the
+closets?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, no, mother,&quot; replied Susy,
+much surprised; &quot;she never saw the
+closets, that I know of. Why, mother,
+what do you mean?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Never ate cake, did she, without
+leave?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, now I know what you mean,
+mother! Yes'm, she ate some of that
+fruit-cake you gave us to play with;
+and when I told her of it, she got
+angry, and said she was going right
+home, and would tell her mother how
+I treated my company; but I don't
+see how you found that out!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Never mind yet how I found it
+out, my dear. I want to know if you
+are sure that Annie ate the cake?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, mother: just as certain sure
+as I can be! You know Dotty can't
+reach that high shelf in the nursery-closet,
+and I can't, without getting
+into a chair; and Prudy can't walk
+a step; and Flossy despises cake.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But,&quot; said Mrs. Parlin, smiling, &quot;I
+don't see that you have proved Annie
+to be the guilty one.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Guilty? O, I don't know as she is
+<i>guilty</i>, mamma; but she ate the cake!
+She ate it right before my face and
+eyes; but I told her it was just as
+well, she was perfectly welcome, and
+tried to be as polite as if she was a
+grown-up lady, mother. But, O, dear,
+it didn't make a speck of difference
+how much I said; for the more I said,
+the more angry she grew, and I
+couldn't make her believe I didn't
+think she was a thief and a liar!
+Only think, a thief and a liar! But
+I never said those words at all,
+mother!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very well, my dear; I am sure
+you did not. It is a great comfort to
+me, Susy, that I can always rely on
+your word. You have done nothing
+wrong, and need not be unhappy;
+but Mrs. Lovejoy sends for you to go
+over and tell her just what you mean
+about the cake; are you willing to
+go?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Susy was not willing; indeed, she
+was very much frightened, and begged
+her mother to excuse her in some way
+to Mrs. Lovejoy, or, if that would not
+do, to go herself and explain the matter
+for her.</p>
+
+<p>But, as it was Susy's own affair,
+Mrs. Parlin wished to have as little to
+do with it as possible. Besides, she
+considered it a good opportunity to
+teach Susy a lesson in moral courage.</p>
+
+<p>Susy started very reluctantly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'm afraid Mrs. Lovejoy will scold
+real sharp,&quot; said she. &quot; What shall I
+do? O, mother, I didn't see Annie eat
+<i>all</i> the cake; I didn't watch. How do
+I know but she gave some crumbs to
+the cat? Can't I&mdash;can't I say, I <i>guess</i>
+the cat ate it?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Susy!&quot; said Mrs. Parlin, sternly,
+&quot;are you more afraid of displeasing
+Mrs. Lovejoy than you are of displeasing
+God? All that is required of you
+is the simple truth. Merely say to
+Annie's mother just what you have
+said to me; that you saw Annie eating
+cake several times, though there
+was no harm in it, and you did <i>not</i>
+call her either a thief or a liar. Speak
+respectfully, but decidedly; and when
+you have said all that is necessary,
+leave her politely, and come home.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Susy called up all her courage when
+she entered Mrs. Lovejoy's house, and
+saw that lady sitting very erect on a
+sofa, with a bleak face, which looked
+somehow as if a north-east wind had
+blown over it, and frozen it.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, little girl,&quot; said she, without
+waiting for ceremony, &quot;so you call
+my Annie all the bad names you can
+think of, it seems. Is that the way
+you are brought up?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I didn't call her names, ma'am;
+she ate the cake, but I was willing,&quot;
+replied Susy, calmly and respectfully,
+though she trembled from head to
+foot. There was one thought which
+sustained Susy; she was telling the
+truth, and that was just what God
+wanted her to do.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Mrs. Lovejoy, &quot;I must
+say you're a dignified little piece! Do
+you know you've done the same thing
+as to tell me I lie?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This was just the way <i>Annie</i> had
+spoken; warping innocent words, and
+making them the occasion of a quarrel.</p>
+
+<p>Susy could think of nothing which
+seemed exactly right to say to Mrs.
+Lovejoy in reply; so she wisely held
+her peace.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, miss, you've insulted my
+child, and, as if that were not enough,
+you come over here, deliberately, and
+insult <i>me</i>, in my own house!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Tears sprang to Susy's eyes, but she
+resolutely crushed them back. There
+was, in her childish mind, a certain
+sense of self-respect, which made her
+unwilling to cry in the presence of
+such a person as Mrs. Lovejoy. She
+felt instinctively that the woman was
+not a lady. Susy was too young to
+reason about the matter; but she was
+quite sure her own mother was a
+model of good manners; and never,
+never had she known her mother to
+raise her voice to such a high key, or
+speak such angry words!</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lovejoy said a great many
+things which were both severe and
+unjust; but Susy managed to keep
+up a respectful manner, as her mother
+had directed. Mrs. Lovejoy was disappointed.
+She had expected Susy
+would quail before her presence
+and make the most humble confessions.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I always knew,&quot; cried Mrs. Lovejoy,
+becoming more and more exasperated,&mdash;&quot;I
+always knew Mrs. Parlin
+held her head pretty high! She is a
+proud, stuck-up woman, your mother
+is; she has taught you to look down
+on my little girl! O, yes, I understand
+the whole story! You're a
+beautiful family for neighbors!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Poor Susy was fairly bewildered.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now you may go home as straight
+as you can go! But remember one
+thing: never, while we live in this
+city, shall my daughter Annie darken
+your doors again!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Susy walked home with downcast
+head and overflowing eyes. Her heart
+was very heavy, for she felt she had
+been disgraced for life, and could
+never be respected any more. Here
+was a trial so terrible that it caused
+the death of little Dandy to seem
+almost a trifle by comparison.</p>
+
+<p>It was strange, Susy thought, how
+people could live through such severe
+troubles as had fallen to her lot to-day.
+She was a little girl of quick and
+sensitive feelings, and a sharp word
+always wounded her more than a
+blow. How that angry woman had
+talked about her mother!</p>
+
+<p>Susy decided, upon the whole, that
+this was the sting&mdash;this was the &quot;pin
+in the lash,&quot; which had hurt her more
+than the lash. How <i>dared</i> Mrs. Lovejoy
+say a word about her own mother,
+who was certainly the best woman
+that ever lived, always excepting the
+good people in the Bible!</p>
+
+<p>By the time she entered the house,
+her indignation had risen like a blaze,
+and burned away all her tears. But
+should she tell her mother what Mrs.
+Lovejoy had said about her ownself,
+about her being &quot;stuck up,&quot; and holding
+her head pretty high? Susy could
+not decide whether she ought to tell
+her, and risk the danger of almost
+breaking her heart! But before she
+had time to decide, she had poured out
+the whole story in a torrent.</p>
+
+<p>Strange to say, Mrs. Parlin listened
+with perfect calmness, and even said,
+when Susy had finished,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very well, my dear; now you
+may go and hang up your hood and
+cloak.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But, mother,&quot; said Susy, rushing
+up stairs again, quite out of breath,
+&quot;now I've taken care of my things;
+but did you understand what I said,
+mother? Annie will never come into
+this house, never again! Her mother
+forbids it!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That is quite fortunate for me,
+Susy, as it saves me the trouble of forbidding
+it myself!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, mother, you wouldn't do
+such a thing as that! Why, mother,
+I never heard of your doing such a
+thing in my life!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I should regret the necessity very
+much, my child; but wouldn't it be
+better, on the whole, to have a little
+moral courage, and put an end to all
+intercourse between the two families,
+than to live in a constant broil?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, yes, mother, I suppose so.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Susy was beginning to feel more
+composed. She saw that her mother
+understood the whole story, yet her
+heart was far from being broken!</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What is moral courage, mother?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The courage to do right.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Did I have moral courage when I
+told Mrs. Lovejoy the truth?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, dear. It was hard for you,
+wasn't it? If it had been easy, there
+would have been no moral courage
+about it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am glad I had moral courage!&quot;
+said Susy with animation. &quot;I knew I
+did something <i>right</i>, but I didn't know
+what you called it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now,&quot; continued Mrs. Parlin, &quot;I
+have this very day been talking with
+a lady, who once lived next door to
+Mrs. Lovejoy; and she tells me enough
+about her to convince me that she is
+not a person I wish for a neighbor.
+And I have heard enough about Annie,
+too, to feel very sure she is not a safe
+companion for my little daughter.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But, mother,&quot; said Susy, &quot;you are
+not&mdash;you don't feel 'stuck up' above
+Mrs. Lovejoy?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Parlin smiled.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That is not a very proper expression,
+Susy; but I think I do not feel
+<i>stuck-up</i> above her in the least. I am
+only anxious that my little daughter
+may not be injured by bad examples.
+I don't know what sort of a little girl
+Annie might be with proper influences,
+but&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now, mamma, I don't want to
+say anything improper,&quot; said Susy,
+earnestly; &quot;but wouldn't it be the
+<i>piousest</i> for me to play with Annie,
+and try to make her go to Sabbath
+school, and be better?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Parlin did not answer at once.
+She was thinking of what she had
+said to Susy about people who are
+&quot;home missionaries,&quot; and do a great
+deal of good by a beautiful example.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If you were older, dear, it would
+be quite different. But, instead of
+improving Annie, who is a self-willed
+child, I fear you would only grow
+worse yourself. She is bold, and you
+are rather timid. She wants to lead,
+and not to follow. I fear she will set
+you bad examples.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I didn't know, mamma; but I
+thought I was almost old enough to
+set my <i>own</i> examples! I'm the oldest
+of the family.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Susy said no more about becoming
+a home-missionary to Annie; for,
+although she could not quite see the
+force of her mother's reasoning, she
+believed her mother was always right.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But what does she mean by calling
+me <i>timid</i>? She has blamed me a
+great deal for being <i>bold</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Yes, bold Susy certainly was, when
+there was a fence to climb, a pony to
+ride, or a storm to be faced; but she
+was, nevertheless, a little faint-hearted
+when people laughed at her. But
+Susy was learning every day, and this
+time it had been a lesson in moral
+courage. She did not fully understand
+her mother, however, as you
+will see by and by.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="CHAPTER_X"></a><h2>CHAPTER X.</h2>
+
+<h3>RUTHIE TURNER.</h3>
+
+<div class="pmidd">
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i10">&quot;The darkest day,<br /></span>
+<span>Wait till to-morrow, will have passed away.&quot;<br /></span>
+</div></div></div>
+<br />
+
+<p>The next morning, Susy woke with
+a faint recollection that something
+unpleasant had occurred, though she
+could not at first remember what it
+was.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But I didn't do anything wrong,&quot;
+was her second thought. &quot;Now, after
+I say my prayers, the next thing I'll
+feed&mdash;O, Dandy is dead!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;See here, Susy,&quot; said Percy, coming
+into the dining-room, just after breakfast;
+&quot;did you ever see this cage before?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now, Percy! When you know I
+want it out of my sight!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Then, in the next breath, &quot;Why,
+Percy Eastman, if here isn't your
+beautiful mocking-bird in the cage!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, Susy; and if you'll keep him,
+and be good to him, you'll do me a
+great favor.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>It was a long while before Susy
+could be persuaded that this rare bird
+was to be her &quot;ownest own.&quot; It was
+a wonderfully gifted little creature.
+Susy could but own that he was just
+as good as a canary, only a great deal
+better. &quot;The greater included the
+less.&quot; He had as sweet a voice, and a
+vast deal more compass. His powers
+of mimicry were very amusing to poor
+little Prudy, who was never tired of
+hearing him mew like a kitten, quack
+like a duck, or whistle like a schoolboy.</p>
+
+<p>Susy was still more delighted than
+Prudy. It was so comforting, too,
+to know that she was doing Percy
+&quot;a great favor,&quot; by accepting his
+beautiful present. She wondered in
+her own mind how he <i>could</i> be tired
+of such an interesting pet, and asked
+her to take it, just to get rid of it!</p>
+
+<p>About this time, Mr. Parlin bought
+for Prudy a little armed-chair, which
+rolled about the floor on wheels. This
+Prudy herself could propel with only
+the outlay of a very little strength;
+but there were days when she did not
+care to sit in it at all. Prudy seemed to
+grow worse. The doctor was hopeful,
+very hopeful; but Mrs. Parlin was
+not.</p>
+
+<p>Prudy's dimpled hands had grown
+so thin, that you could trace the winding
+path of every blue vein quite
+distinctly. Her eyes were large and
+mournful, and seemed to be always
+asking for pity. She grew quiet
+and patient&mdash;&quot;painfully patient,&quot; her
+father said. Indeed, Mr. Parlin, as
+well as his wife, feared the little
+sufferer was ripening for heaven.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Mamma,&quot; said she, one day,
+&quot;mamma, you never snip my fingers
+any nowadays do you? When I'm
+just as naughty, you never snip my
+fingers!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Parlin turned her face away.
+There were tears in her eyes, and she
+did not like to look at those little
+white fingers, which she was almost
+afraid would never have the natural,
+childish naughtiness in them any
+more.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I think sick and patient little girls
+don't need punishing,&quot; said she, after
+a while. &quot;Do you remember how
+you used to think I snipped your
+hands to 'get the naughty out?' You
+thought the naughty was all in your
+little hands!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But it wasn't, mamma,&quot; said
+Prudy, slowly and solemnly. &quot;I
+know where it was: it was in my
+<i>heart</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Who can take the naughty out
+of our hearts, dear? Do you ever
+think?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Our Father in heaven. No one
+else can. <i>He</i> knows how to snip our
+hearts, and get the naughty out.
+Sometimes he sends the earache and
+the toothache to Susy, and the&mdash;the&mdash;lameness
+to me. O, he has a great
+many ways of snipping!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Prudy was showing the angel-side
+of her nature now. Suffering was
+&quot;making her perfect.&quot; She had a
+firm belief that God knew all about it,
+and that somehow or other it was
+&quot;all right.&quot; Her mother took a great
+deal of pains to teach her this. She
+knew that no one can bear affliction
+with real cheerfulness who does not
+trust in God.</p>
+
+<p>But there was now and then a
+bright day when Prudy felt quite
+buoyant, and wanted to play. Susy
+left everything then, and tried to
+amuse her. If this lameness was
+refining little Prudy, it was also making
+Susy more patient. She could
+not look at her little sister's pale face,
+and not be touched with pity.</p>
+
+<p>One afternoon, Flossy Eastman and
+Ruthie Turner came to see Susy; and,
+as it was one of Prudy's best days,
+Mrs. Parlin said they might play
+in Prudy's sitting-room. Ruthie was
+what Susy called an &quot;old-fashioned
+little girl.&quot; She lived with a widowed
+mother, and had no brothers and sisters,
+so that she appeared much older
+than she really was. She liked to
+talk with grown people upon wise subjects,
+as if she were at least twenty-five
+years old. Susy knew that this
+was not good manners, and she longed
+to say so to Ruthie.</p>
+
+<p>Aunt Madge was in Prudy's sitting-room
+when Ruthie entered. Ruthie
+went up to her and shook hands at
+once.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I suppose it is Susy's aunt Madge,&quot;
+said she. &quot;I am delighted to see you,
+for Susy says you love little girls, and
+know lots of games.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>There was such a quiet composure
+in Ruth's manner, and she seemed to
+feel so perfectly at home in addressing
+a young lady she had never seen before,
+that Miss Parlin was quite astonished,
+as well as a little inclined to
+smile.</p>
+
+<p>Then Ruthie went on to talk about
+the war. Susy listened in mute despair,
+for she did not know anything
+about politics. Aunt Madge looked at
+Susy's face, and felt amused, for <i>Ruthie</i>
+knew nothing about politics either:
+she was as ignorant as Susy. She
+had only heard her mother and other
+ladies talking together. Ruthie answered
+all the purpose of a parrot
+hung up in a cage, for she caught and
+echoed everything that was said, not
+having much idea what it meant.</p>
+
+<p>When aunt Madge heard Ruth laboring
+away at long sentences, with
+hard words in them, she thought of
+little Dotty, as she had seen her, that
+morning, trying to tug Percy's huge
+dog up stairs in her arms.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is too much for her,&quot; thought
+aunt Madge: &quot;the dog got the upper-hand
+of Dotty, and I think the big
+words are more than a match for
+Ruth.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But Ruth did not seem to know it,
+for she persevered. She gravely asked
+aunt Madge if she approved of the
+&quot;<i>Mancimation</i> of <i>Proclapation</i>.&quot; Then
+she said she and her mamma were
+very much &quot;<i>perplexed&quot;</i> when news
+came of the last defeat. She would
+have said &quot;<i>surprised</i>&quot; only <i>surprised</i>
+was an every-day word, and not up to
+standard of elegant English.</p>
+
+<p>Ruth was not so very silly, after all.
+It was only when she tried to talk of
+matters too old for her that she made
+herself ridiculous. She was very quiet
+and industrious, and had knit several
+pairs of socks for the soldiers.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as Miss Parlin could disentangle
+herself from her conversation
+with Ruthie, she left the children to
+themselves.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let's keep school,&quot; said Prudy.
+&quot;I'll be teacher, if you want me to.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very well,&quot; replied Susy, &quot;we'll let
+her; won't we, girls? she is such a
+darling.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Prudy, with a look of
+immense satisfaction, &quot;please go, Susy,
+and ask grandma if I may have one
+of those shiny, white handkerchiefs
+she wears on her neck, and a cap, and
+play Quaker.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Grandma was very glad that Prudy
+felt well enough to play Quaker, and
+lent her as much &quot;costume&quot; as she
+needed, as well as a pair of spectacles
+without eyes, which the children often
+borrowed for their plays, fancying
+that they added to the dignity of the
+wearer.</p>
+
+<p>When Prudy was fairly equipped,
+she was a droll little Quakeress, surely,
+and grandma had to be called up from
+the kitchen to behold her with her
+own eyes. The little soft face, almost
+lost in the folds of the expansive cap,
+was every bit as solemn as if she had
+been, as aunt Madge said, &quot;a hundred
+years old, and very old for her age.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>She was really a sweet little likeness
+of grandma Read in miniature.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And their names are alike, too,&quot;
+said Susy: &quot;grandma's name is Prudence,
+and so is Prudy's.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Used to be,&quot; said Prudy, gravely.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Rosy Frances&quot; was now lifted most
+carefully into her little wheeled chair
+and no queen ever held a court with
+more dignity than she assumed as she
+smoothed into place the folds of her
+grandma's snowy kerchief, which she
+wore about her neck.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What shall we do first?&quot; said
+Flossy and Susy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Thee? thee?&quot; Prudy considered
+&quot;thee&quot; the most important word of
+all. &quot;Why, <i>thee</i> may behave; I mean,
+behave <i>thyselves</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The new teacher had not collected
+her ideas yet.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let's get our books together,&quot; said
+Susy, &quot;and then we'll all sit on the
+sofa and study.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Me, me,&quot; chimed in Dotty Dimple,
+dropping the little carriage in which
+she was wheeling her kitty; &quot;me,
+too!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, if you must, you must;
+snuggle in here between Flossy and
+me,&quot; said Susy, who was determined
+that to-day everything should go on
+pleasantly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Sixteenth class in joggerphy,&quot; said
+Miss Rosy Frances, peeping severely
+over her spectacles. &quot;Be spry quick!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The three pupils stood up in a row,
+holding their books close to their
+faces.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Thee may hold out your hands
+now, and I shall ferule thee&mdash;the
+whole school,&quot; was the stern remark
+of the young teacher, as she took off
+her spectacles to wipe the holes.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;&quot;Why, we haven't been doing anything,&quot;
+said Ruthie, affecting to cry.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, I know it; but thee'd <i>ought</i>
+to have been doing something; thee'd
+ought to have studied thy lessons.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But, teacher, we didn't have time,&quot;
+pleaded Flossy; &quot;you called us out so
+quick! Won't you forgive us!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, I will,&quot; said Rosy Frances,
+gently; &quot;I will, if thee'll speak up
+<i>'xtremely</i> loud, and fix <i>thine</i> eyes on
+thy teacher.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The pupils replied, &quot;Yes, ma'am,&quot; at
+the top of their voices.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now,&quot; said Rosy Frances, appearing
+to read from the book, &quot;where is
+the Isthmus of <i>Susy?</i>&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The scholars all laughed, and answered
+at random. They did not
+know that their teacher was trying to
+say the &quot;Isthmus of Suez.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The next question took them by surprise:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is there any man in the moon?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What a queer idea, Rosy,&quot; said
+Susy; &quot;what made you ask that?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Cause I wanted to know,&quot; replied
+the Quaker damsel. &quot;They said he
+came down when the other man was
+eatin' porridge. I should think, if he
+went back up there, and didn't have
+any wife and children, he'd be real
+lonesome!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This idea of Prudy's set the whole
+school to romancing, although it was
+in the midst of a recitation. Flossy
+said if there was a man in the moon,
+he must be a giant, or he never could
+get round over the mountains, which
+she had heard were very steep.</p>
+
+<p>Ruthie asked if there was anything
+said about his wife! Susy, who had
+read considerable poetry was sure she
+had heard something of a woman up
+there, named &quot;Cynthia;&quot; but she supposed
+it was all &quot;moonshine,&quot; or
+&quot;made up,&quot; as she expressed it. She
+said she meant to ask her aunt Madge
+to write a fairy story about it.</p>
+
+<p>Here their progress in useful knowledge
+was cut short by the disappearance
+of Dotty. Looking out of the
+window, they saw the little rogue
+driving ducks with a broomstick.
+These ducks had a home not far from
+Mrs. Parlin's, and if Dotty Dimple
+had one temptation stronger than all
+others, it was the sight of those waddling
+fowls, with their velvet heads,
+beads of eyes, and spotted feathers.
+When she saw them &quot;marshin' along,&quot;
+she was instantly seized with a desire
+either to head the company or to
+march in the rear, and set them to
+quacking. She was bareheaded, and
+Susy ran down stairs to bring her into
+the house; and that was an end of
+the school for that day. Dotty Dimple
+was something like the kettle of molasses
+which Norah was boiling, very
+sweet, but very apt to <i>boil over</i>: she
+needed watching.</p>
+
+<p>When Norah's candy was brought up
+stairs, the little girls pronounced it
+excellent.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, dear,&quot; said Flossy, &quot;I wish our
+girl was half as good as Norah! I
+don't see why Electa and Norah ain't
+more alike when they are own sisters!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What dreadful girls your mother
+always has!&quot; said Susy; &quot;it's too
+bad?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I know of a girl,&quot; said Prudy,
+&quot;one you'd like ever'n, ever so much,
+Flossy; only you can't have her.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why not?&quot; said Flossy; &quot;my
+mother would go hundreds of leagues
+to get a good girl. Why can't she
+have her?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, 'cause, she's <i>dead!</i> It's Norah's
+cousin over to Ireland.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They next played the little game of
+guessing &quot;something in this room,&quot;
+that begins with a certain letter.
+Ruthie puzzled them a long while on
+the initial S. At last she said she
+meant &quot;scrutau&quot; (escritoire or scrutoire),
+pointing towards the article
+with her finger.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, that's a <i>writing-desk</i>,&quot; said
+Susy. &quot;I don't see where you learn
+so many big worns, Ruthie.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, I take notice, and remember
+them,&quot; replied Ruthie, looking quite
+pleased. She thought Susy was praising
+her.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now let <i>me</i> tell some letters,&quot; said
+Prudy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;L.R. She lives at your house,
+Flossy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Nobody could guess.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, I should think <i>that</i> was
+easy enough,&quot; said Prudy: &quot;it's that
+girl that lives there; she takes off the
+covers of your stove with a clothes-pin:
+it's 'Lecta Rosbornd.'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The little girls explained to Prudy
+that the true initials of Electa Osborne
+would be E. O., instead of L. R.
+But Prudy did not know much about
+spelling. She <i>had</i> known most of her
+letters; but it was some time ago,
+and they had nearly all slipped out of
+her head.</p>
+
+<p>She said, often, she wished she
+could &quot;only, only read;&quot; and Susy
+offered to teach her, but Mrs. Parlin
+said it would never do till Prudy felt
+stronger.</p>
+
+<p>I will tell you now why I think
+Susy did not understand her mother
+when she said Annie was not a suitable
+playmate. In the evening, after
+Ruthie and Flossy were gone, Susy
+said to her mother,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I feel real cross with Ruthie,
+mamma: I think she puts herself forward.
+She goes into a room, and no
+matter how old the people are that
+are talking, she speaks up, and says,
+'O, yes, I know all about it.' I
+never saw such an old-fashioned little
+girl.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very well,&quot; said Mrs. Parlin; &quot;if
+<i>she</i> is rude, take care that the same
+fault does not appear in yourself,
+Susy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But, mother,&quot; said Susy, suddenly
+veering about and speaking in Ruth's
+favor, &quot;I don't know but it's proper
+to do as Ruthy does. If you know
+something, and other people don't,
+ain't it right to speak up and say
+it?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is never right for little girls to
+<i>monopolize</i> conversation, Susy; that
+is, to take the lead in it, and so
+prevent older people from talking.
+Neither is it proper to pretend to
+know more than we do, and talk of
+things beyond our knowledge.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I knew you would say so, mother.
+I just asked to hear what you would
+say. I know Ruthie is ill-mannered:
+do you think I ought to play with her
+any more?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Parlin looked at Susy in surprise.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, you know, mother, you
+wouldn't let me play with Annie
+Lovejoy. You said, 'evil communications
+corrupted good manners.'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But can't you see any difference
+in the cases, Susy? What a muddy
+little head you must wear on your
+shoulders!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not much of any,&quot; said Susy,
+trying to think; &quot;they're both <i>bold</i>;
+that's what you don't like.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Anything else, Susy?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, yes, mother; Ruthie's good, and
+Annie isn't. It was queer for me to
+forget that!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I should think it was, Susy, since
+it is the only thing of much importance,
+after all. Now, it seems to me
+you are very ready to cast off your
+friends when their manners offend
+you. How would you like it to be
+treated in the same way? Suppose
+Mrs. Turner and Ruthie should be
+talking together this very minute.
+Ruthie says, 'That Susy Parlin keeps
+her drawers in a perfect tumble; she
+isn't orderly a bit. Susy Parlin never
+knit a stitch for the soldiers in her
+life. Mother, mayn't I stop playing
+with Susy Parlin?'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Susy laughed, and looked a little
+ashamed.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, mother,&quot; said she, twisting
+the corner of her handkerchief, &quot;I
+guess I can't say anything about
+Ruthie Turner; she's a great deal
+better girl than I am, any way.&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="CHAPTER_XI"></a><h2>CHAPTER XI.</h2>
+
+<h3>SUSY'S BIRTHDAY.</h3>
+<br />
+
+<p>Days and weeks passed. The snowflakes,
+which had fallen from time to
+time, and kept themselves busy making
+a patchwork quilt for mother
+Earth, now melted away, and the
+white quilt was torn into shreds. The
+bare ground was all there was to be
+seen, except now and then a dot of
+the white coverlet. It was Spring,
+and everything began to wake up.
+The sun wasn't half so sleepy, and
+didn't walk off over the western hills
+in the middle of the afternoon to take
+a nap.</p>
+
+<p>The sleighing was gone long ago.
+The roads were dismal swamps.
+&quot;Wings&quot; would have a rest till &quot;settled
+going.&quot; Susy's skates were hung
+up in a green baize bag, to dream
+away the summer.</p>
+
+<p>The mocking-bird performed his
+daily duties of entertaining the family,
+besides learning a great many new
+songs. Susy said she tried not to set
+her heart on that bird.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'll not give him a name,&quot; she
+added, &quot;for then he'll be sure to die!
+My first canary was Bertie, and I
+named the others Berties, as fast as
+they died off. The last one was so
+yellow that I couldn't help calling him
+Dandelion; but I wish I hadn't, for
+then, perhaps, he'd have lived.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Susy had caught some whimsical
+notions about &quot;signs and wonders.&quot;
+It is strange how some intelligent
+children will believe in superstitious
+stories! But as soon as Susy's parents
+discovered that her young head
+had been stored with such worse than
+foolish ideas, they were not slow to
+teach her better.</p>
+
+<p>She had a great fright, about this
+time, concerning Freddy Jackson. He
+was one of the few children who were
+allowed to play in &quot;Prudy's sitting-room.&quot;
+He did not distract the tired
+nerves of &quot;Rosy Frances,&quot; as her cousin
+Percy and other boys did, by sudden
+shouts and loud laughing. Prudy
+had a vague feeling that he was one
+of the little ones that God thought
+best to punish by &quot;snipping his heart.&quot;
+She knew what it was to have <i>her</i>
+heart snipped, and had a sympathy
+with little Freddy.</p>
+
+<p>Susy loved Freddy, too. Perhaps
+Percy was right, when he said that
+Susy loved everything that was dumb;
+and I am not sure but her tender heart
+would have warmed to him all the
+more if he had been stone-blind, as
+well as deaf.</p>
+
+<p>Freddy had a drunken father, and a
+sad home; but, for all that, he was not
+entirely miserable. It is only the
+wicked who are miserable. The kind
+Father in heaven has so planned it
+that there is something pleasant in
+everybody's life.</p>
+
+<p>Freddy had no more idea what <i>sound</i>
+is than we have of the angels in
+heaven; but he could see, and there
+is so much to be seen! Here is a
+great, round world, full of beauty and
+wonder. It stands ready to be looked
+at. Freddy's ears must be forever shut
+out from pleasant sound; but his
+bright eyes were wide open, seeing all
+that was made to be seen.</p>
+
+<p>He loved to go to Mrs. Parlin's,
+for there he was sure to be greeted
+pleasantly; and he understood the
+language of smiles as well as anybody.</p>
+
+<p>When grandma Read saw him coming
+she would say,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now, Susan, thee'd better lay aside
+thy book, for most likely the poor little
+fellow will want to <i>talk</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And Susy did lay aside her book.
+She had learned so many lessons this
+winter in self-denial!</p>
+
+<p>These &quot;silent talks&quot; were quite droll.
+Little Dotty almost understood something
+about them; that is, when they
+used the signs: the alphabet was more
+than she could manage. When Freddy
+wanted to talk about Dotty, he made
+a sign for a dimple in each cheek. He
+smoothed his hair when he meant
+Susy, and made a waving motion over
+his head for Prudy, whose hair was
+full of ripples.</p>
+
+<p>Prudy said she had wrinkled hair,
+and she knew it; but the wrinkles
+&quot;wouldn't come out.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Grandma Read sat one evening by
+the coal-grate, holding a letter in her
+hand, and looking into the glowing
+fire with a thoughtful expression. Susy
+came and sat near her, resting one arm
+on her grandma's lap, and trying in
+various ways to attract her attention.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, grandma,&quot; said she, &quot;I've
+spoken to you three times; but I can't
+get you to answer or look at me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What does thee want, my dear? I
+will try to attend to thee.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, grandma, there are ever so
+many things I want to say, now
+mother is out of the room, and father
+hasn't got home. I must tell somebody,
+or my heart will break; and you
+know, grandma dear, I can talk to you
+so easy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Can thee? Then go on, Susy; what
+would thee like to say?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, two or three things. Have you
+noticed, grandma, that I've been just
+as sober as can be?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;For how long, Susan?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, all day; I've felt as if I couldn't
+but just live!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Grandma Read did not smile at this.
+She knew very well that such a child
+as Susy is capable of intense suffering.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, Susan, is it about thy sister
+Prudence?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, no, grandma! she's getting;
+better; isn't she?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Are thy lessons at school too hard
+for thee, Susan?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Read saw that Susy was very
+reluctant about opening her heart, although
+she had said she could talk to
+her grandmother &quot;so easy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, indeed, grandma; my lessons
+are not too hard. I'm a real good
+scholar&mdash;one of the best in school for
+my age.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This was a fact. Some people would
+have chidden Susy for it; but Mrs.
+Read reflected that the child was only
+telling the simple truth, and had no
+idea of boasting. She was not a little
+girl who would intrude such remarks
+about herself upon strangers. But
+when she and her grandma were talking
+together confidentially, she thought
+it made all the difference in the world;
+as indeed it did.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I have a great deal to trouble me,&quot;
+said Susy, and the &quot;evening-blue&quot; of
+her eyes clouded over, till there were
+signs of a shower. &quot;I thought my
+pony would make me happy as long
+as I lived; but it hasn't. One thing
+that I feel bad about is&mdash;well, it's
+turning over a new leaf. When New
+Year's comes, I'm going to do it, and
+don't; so I wait till my birthday, and
+then I don't. It seems as if I'd tried
+about a thousand New Years and
+birthdays to turn over that leaf.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Grandma smiled, but did not interrupt
+Susy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I think I should be real good,&quot; continued
+the child, &quot;if it wasn't such
+hard work. I can't be orderly, grandma&mdash;not
+much; and then Dotty upsets
+everything. Sometimes I have to
+hold my breath to keep patient.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, grandma, my birthday comes
+to-morrow, the 8th of April. I like it
+well enough; only there's one reason
+why I don't like it at all, and that is a
+Bible reason. It's so dreadful that I
+can't bear to say it to you,&quot; said Susy,
+shuddering, and lowering her voice to
+a whisper; &quot;I don't want to grow up,
+for I shall have to marry Freddy Jackson.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Grandma tried to look serious.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Who put such a foolish idea into
+thy head, child?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Cousin Percy told me last night,&quot;
+answered Susy, solemnly. &quot;How can
+you laugh when it's all in the Bible,
+grandma? I never told anybody before.
+Wait; I'll show you the verse.
+I've put a mark at the place.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Susy brought her Bible to her grandmother,
+and, opening it at the thirty-first
+chapter of Proverbs, pointed, with
+a trembling finger, to the eighth verse,
+which Mrs. Read read aloud,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Open thy mouth for the dumb in
+the cause of all such as are appointed
+to destruction.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now Percy says that's a sure sign!
+I told him, O, dear! Freddy ought to
+marry a dumb woman; that would
+be <i>properest</i>; but Percy says no&mdash;anything
+has got to 'come to pass' when
+it's <i>foreordinationed</i>!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And could thee really believe such
+foolishness, my sensible little Susan?
+Does thee suppose the good Lord ever
+meant that we should read his Bible
+as if it were a wicked dream-book?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then you don't think I shall have
+to marry Freddy Jackson,&quot; cried Susy,
+immensely relieved. &quot;I'm so glad I
+told you! I felt so sober all day, only
+nobody noticed it, and I was ashamed
+to tell!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is a good thing for thee to tell
+thy little troubles to thy older friends,
+Susan: thee'll almost always find it
+so,&quot; said grandma Read, stroking
+Susy's hair.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now, my child, I have a piece of
+news for thee, if thee is ready to hear
+it: thy cousin, Grace Clifford, has a
+little sister.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A baby sister? A real sister?
+Does mother know it?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, thy mother knows it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But how <i>could</i> you keep it to yourself
+so long?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Thee thinks good news is hard to
+keep, does thee? Well, thee shall be
+the first to tell thy father when he
+comes home.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Susy heard steps on the door-stone,
+and rushed out, with the joyful story
+on her lips. It proved to be not her
+father, but callers, who were just ringing
+the bell; and they heard Susy's
+exclamation,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, have you heard? Grace has a
+new sister, a baby sister, as true as
+you live!&quot; with the most provoking
+coolness.</p>
+
+<p>But when Mr. Parlin came, he was
+sufficiently interested in the news to
+satisfy even Susy.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="CHAPTER_XII"></a><h2>CHAPTER XII.</h2>
+
+<h3>FAREWELL.</h3>
+<br />
+
+<p>Prudy was really getting better.
+Mrs. Parlin said she should trust a
+physician more next time. The doctor
+declared that all the severe pain
+Prudy had suffered was really necessary.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Believe me, my dear madam,&quot; said
+he, &quot;when the poor child has complained
+most, she has in fact been
+making most progress towards health.
+When the sinews are 'knitting together,'
+as we call it, then the agony
+is greatest.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This was very comforting to Mrs.
+Parlin, who thought she would not be
+discouraged so easily again; she would
+always believe that it is &quot;darkest just
+before day.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>There was really everything to hope
+for Prudy. The doctor thought that
+by the end of three months she would
+walk as well as ever. He said she
+might make the effort now, every day,
+to bear her weight on her feet. She
+tried this experiment first with her
+father and mother on each side to support
+her; but it was not many days
+before she could stand firmly on her
+right foot, and bear a little weight on
+her left one, which did not now, as
+formerly, drag, or, as she had said,
+&quot;<i>more</i> than touch the floor.&quot; By and
+by she began to scramble about on the
+carpet on all fours, partly creeping,
+partly pushing herself along.</p>
+
+<p>It was surprising how much pleasure
+Prudy took in going back to these
+ways of babyhood.</p>
+
+<p>Faint blush roses began to bloom in
+her cheeks as soon as she could take
+a little exercise and go out of doors.
+Her father bought a little carriage
+just suitable for the pony, and in this
+she rode every morning, her mother
+or Percy driving; for Mrs. Parlin
+thought it hardly safe to trust Susy
+with such a precious encumbrance as
+this dear little sister.</p>
+
+<p>She had been willing that Susy
+should manage Wings in a sleigh, but
+in a carriage the case was quite different;
+for, though in a sleigh there
+might be even more danger of overturning,
+there was not as much danger
+of getting hurt. Indeed, Susy's
+sleigh had tipped over once or twice
+in turning too sharp a corner, and
+Susy had fallen out, but had instantly
+jumped up again, laughing.</p>
+
+<p>She would have driven in her new
+carriage to Yarmouth and back again,
+or perhaps to Bath, if she had been
+permitted. She was a reckless little
+horsewoman, afraid of nothing, and
+for that very reason could not be
+trusted alone.</p>
+
+<p>But there was no difficulty in finding
+companions. Percy pretended to
+study book-keeping, but was always
+ready for a ride. Flossy was not
+steady enough to be trusted with the
+reins, but Ruth Turner was as careful
+a driver as need be; though Susy
+laughed because she held the reins in
+both hands, and looked so terrified.</p>
+
+<p>She said it did no good to talk with
+Ruth when she was driving; she never
+heard a word, for she was always
+watching to see if a carriage was coming,
+and talking to herself, to make
+sure she remembered which was her
+right hand, so she could &quot;turn to the
+right, as the law directs.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Prudy enjoyed the out-of-doors world
+once more, and felt like a bird let out
+of a cage. And so did Susy, for she
+thought she had had a dull season of
+it, and fully agreed with Prudy, who
+spoke of it as the &quot;slow winter.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But now it was the quick spring,
+the live spring. The brooks began to
+gossip; the birds poured out their
+hearts in song, and the dumb trees
+expressed their joy in leaves</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span>&quot;The bobolink, on the mullein-stalk,<br /></span>
+<span>Would rattle away like a sweet girl's talk.&quot;<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>The frogs took severe colds, but gave
+concerts a little way out of the city
+every evening. The little flowers
+peeped up from their beds, as Norah
+said, &quot;like babies asking to be took;&quot;
+and Susy took them; whenever she
+could find them, you may be sure, and
+looked joyfully into their faces. She
+could almost say,&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span>&quot;And 'tis my faith that every flower<br /></span>
+<span>Enjoys the air it breathes.&quot;<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>She said, &quot;I don't suppose they know
+much, but <i>perhaps</i> they know enough
+to have a good time: who knows?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Susy took long walks to Westbrook,
+and farther, coming home tired out,
+but loaded with precious flowers.
+There were plenty of friends to give
+them to her from their early gardens:
+broad-faced crocuses, jonquils, and
+lilies of the valley, and by and by lilacs,
+with &quot;purple spikes.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>She gathered snowdrops, &quot;the first
+pale blossoms of the unripened year,&quot;
+and May-flowers, pink and white, like
+sea-shells, or like &quot;cream-candy,&quot; as
+Prudy said. These soft little blossoms
+blushed so sweetly on the same leaf
+with such old experienced leaves!
+Susy said, &quot;it made her think of little
+bits of children who hadn't any mother,
+and lived with their grandparents.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Dotty was almost crazy with delight
+when she had a &quot;new pair o' boots,
+and a pair o' shaker,&quot; and was allowed
+to toddle about on the pavement in
+the sunshine. She had a green twig
+or a switch to flourish, and could now
+cry, &quot;Hullelo!&quot; to those waddling
+ducks, and hear them reply, &quot;Quack!
+quack!&quot; without having such a
+trembling fear that some stern Norah,
+or firm mamma, would rush out bareheaded,
+and drag her into the house,
+like a little culprit.</p>
+
+<p>It was good times for Dotty Dimple,
+and good times for the whole family.
+Spring had come, and Prudy was getting
+well. There was a great deal to
+thank God for!</p>
+
+<p>It is an evening in the last of May.
+A bit of a moon, called &quot;the new
+moon,&quot; is peeping in at the window.
+It shines over Susy's right shoulder,
+she says. Susy is reading, Prudy is
+walking slowly across the floor, and
+Dotty Dimple is whispering to her
+kitty, telling her to go down cellar,
+and catch the naughty rats while
+they are asleep. When kitty winks,
+Dotty thinks it the same as if she
+said,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I hear you, little Miss Dotty: I'm
+going.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>I think perhaps this is a good time
+to bid the three little girls good-by, or,
+as dear grandma Read would say,
+&quot;Farewell!&quot;</p>
+
+<br>
+<br>
+<hr class="full" noshade>
+<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LITTLE PRUDY'S SISTER SUSY***</p>
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+The Project Gutenberg eBook, Little Prudy's Sister Susy, by Sophie May
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: Little Prudy's Sister Susy
+
+Author: Sophie May
+
+Release Date: November 29, 2004  [eBook #14202]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LITTLE PRUDY'S SISTER SUSY***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Juliet Sutherland, Melissa Er-Raqabi, and the Project
+Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+LITTLE PRUDY'S SISTER SUSY
+
+by
+
+SOPHIE MAY
+
+New York
+Hurst & Company
+Publishers
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+TO MY LITTLE NIECE Katie Clarke
+THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU, KATIE, WITH THE LOVE OF YOUR AUNTIE.
+
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+    CHAPTER
+
+       I. KEEPING SECRETS
+      II. BEFORE DAYLIGHT
+     III. SUSY'S CHRISTMAS
+      IV. SUSY'S WINGS
+       V. PRUDY'S TROUBLE
+      VI. ROSY FRANCES EASTMAN MARY
+     VII. LITTLE TROUBLES
+    VIII. ANNIE LOVEJOY
+      IX. MORAL COURAGE
+       X. RUTHIE TURNER
+      XI. SUSY'S BIRTHDAY
+     XII. FAREWELL
+
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+
+Here is a story about the oldest of the three little Parlin girls,
+"sister Susy;" though so many things are always happening to Prudy that
+it is not possible to keep her out of the book.
+
+I hope my dear little friends will see how kind it was in God to send
+the "slow winter" and the long nights of pain to little Prudy.
+
+If trouble should come to us, let us grow gentle, and patient, and
+lovely.
+
+Little friends, be sure of one thing--our dear Father in heaven sends us
+something hard to bear only because he loves us.
+
+
+
+
+SISTER SUSY.
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+KEEPING SECRETS.
+
+
+We might begin this story of Susy Parlin on a New Year's day, only it is
+so hard to skip over Christmas. There is such a charm about Christmas!
+It makes you think at once of a fir tree shining with little candles and
+sparkling with toys, or of a droll Santa Claus with a pack full of
+presents, or of a waxen angel called the Christ-child.
+
+And it is just as well to date from the twenty-fifth of December,
+because, as "Christ was born on Christmas day," that is really the
+"Happy New Year."
+
+For a long while the three little Parlin girls had been thinking and
+dreaming of presents. Susy's wise head was like a beehive, full of
+little plans and little fancies, which were flying about like bees, and
+buzzing in everybody's ears.
+
+But it may be as well to give you a short description of the Parlin
+family.
+
+Susy's eyes were of an "evening blue," the very color of the sky in a
+summer night; good eyes, for they were as clear as a well which has the
+"truth" lying at the bottom of it. She was almost as nimble as a
+squirrel, and could face a northern snow storm like an engineer. Her
+hair was dark brown, and as smooth and straight as pine-needles; while
+Prudy's fair hair rippled like a brook running over pebbles. Prudy's
+face was sunny, and her mouth not much larger than a button-hole.
+
+The youngest sister was named Alice, but the family usually called her
+Dotty, or Dotty Dimple, for she was about as round as a period, and had
+a cunning little dimple in each cheek. She had bright eyes, long curls,
+and a very short tongue; that is, she did not talk much. She was two
+years and a half old before she could be prevailed upon to say anything
+at all. Her father declared that Dotty thought there were people enough
+in the world to do the talking, and she would keep still; or perhaps
+she was tired of hearing Prudy say so much.
+
+However, she had a way of nodding her curly head, and shaking her plump
+little forefinger; so everybody knew very well what she meant. She had
+learned the use of signs from a little deaf and dumb boy of whom we
+shall hear more by and by; but all at once, when she was ready she began
+to talk with all her might, and soon made up for lost time.
+
+The other members of the family were only grown people: Mr. and Mrs.
+Parlin, the children's excellent parents; Mrs. Read, their kind Quaker
+grandmother; and the Irish servant girl, Norah.
+
+Just now Mrs. Margaret Parlin, their "aunt Madge," was visiting them,
+and the little girls felt quite easy about Christmas, for they gave it
+all up to her; and when they wanted to know how to spend their small
+stock of money, or how much this or that pretty toy would cost, Prudy
+always settled it by saying, "Let's go ask auntie: _she'll_ know, for
+she's been through the Rithmetic."
+
+Prudy spoke these words with awe. She thought "going through the
+Rithmetic" was next thing to going round the world.
+
+"O Auntie, I'm so glad you came," said Susy, "for I didn't see how I was
+ever going to finish my Christmas presents: I go to school, you know,
+and it takes me all the rest of the time to slide!"
+
+The children were busy making wonderful things "all secret;" or they
+would have been secret if Prudy hadn't told.
+
+For one thing, she wondered very much what Susy could be doing with four
+pins stuck in a spool. She watched the nimble fingers as they passed the
+worsted thread over the pin-heads, making stitches as fast as Susy could
+wink.
+
+"It looks like a tiny snake all sticked through the hole in the spool,"
+said Prudy, eager with curiosity. "If you ain't a-goin' to speak, I
+don't know what I _shall_ do, Susy Parlin!"
+
+When poor Susy could not pretend any longer not to hear, she answered
+Prudy, half vexed, half laughing, "O, dear, I s'pose you'll tease and
+tease till you find out. Won't you never say a word to anybody,
+_never_?"
+
+"Never in my world," replied the little one, with a solemn shake of her
+head.
+
+"Well, it's a lamp-mat for auntie. It's going to be blue, and red, and
+all colors; and when it's done, mother'll sew it into a round, and put
+fringe on: won't it be splendid? But remember, you promised not to
+tell!"
+
+Now, the very next time Prudy sat in her auntie's lap she whispered in
+her ear,--
+
+"You don't know what _we're_ making for you, _all secret_, out of
+worsted, and _I_ shan't tell!"
+
+"Mittens?" said aunt Madge, kissing Prudy's lips, which were pressed
+together over her sweet little secret like a pair of sugar-tongs
+clinching a lump of sugar.
+
+"Mittens? No, indeed! Better'n that! There'll be fringe all over it;
+it's in a round; it's to put something on,--to put the _lamp_ on!"
+
+"Not a lamp-mat, of course?"
+
+"Why, yes it is! O, there, now you've been and guessed all in a minute!
+Susy's gone an' told! I didn't s'pose she'd tell. I wouldn't for nothin'
+in my world!"
+
+Was it strange that Susy felt vexed when she found that her nice little
+surprise was all spoiled?
+
+"Try to be patient," said Mrs. Parlin, gently. "Remember how young and
+thoughtless your sister is. She never means any harm."
+
+"O, but, mamma," replied Susy, "she _keeps_ me being patient all the
+whole time, and it's hard work."
+
+So Susy, in her vexation, said to Prudy, rather sternly, "You little
+naughty thing, to go and tell when you promised not to! You're almost as
+bad as Dotty. What makes you act so?"
+
+"Why, Susy," said the child, looking up through her tears, "have I
+_acted_? I didn't know I'd acted! If you loved me, you wouldn't look
+that way to me. You wrinkle up your face just like Nanny when she says
+she'll shake the naughty out of me, Miss Prudy."
+
+Then what could Susy do but forgive the sweet sister, who kissed her so
+coaxingly, and looked as innocent as a poor little kitty that has been
+stealing cream without knowing it is a sin?
+
+It was plain that it would not do to trust Prudy with secrets. Her brain
+could not hold them, any more than a sieve can hold water. So Mrs.
+Parlin took pity upon Susy, and allowed her and her cousin Florence
+Eastman to lock themselves into her chamber at certain hours, and work
+at their presents without interruption.
+
+While the little girls sat together busily employed with book-marks and
+pin-cushions, the time flew very swiftly, and they were as happy as bees
+in a honeysuckle.
+
+Mrs. Parlin said she believed nothing less than Christmas presents would
+ever make Susy willing to use a needle and thread; for she disliked
+sewing, and declared she wished the man who made the needles had to
+swallow them all.
+
+The family were to celebrate Christmas evening; for Mr. Parlin was away,
+and might not reach home in season for Christmas eve.
+
+For a wonder they were not to have a Tree, but a Santa Claus, "just for
+a change."
+
+"Not a truly Santa Claus, that comes puffin' down the chimney,"
+explained Prudy, who knew very well it would be only cousin Percy under
+a mask and white wig.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+BEFORE DAYLIGHT.
+
+
+On Christmas morning, at three o'clock, there was a great bustle and
+pattering of little feet, and buzzing of little voices trying to speak
+in whispers. Susy and Prudy were awake and astir.
+
+"Where _do_ you s'pose the stockings are?" buzzed Prudy, in a very loud
+whisper.
+
+"Right by the bed-post, Prudy Parlin; and if you don't take care we'll
+wake everybody up.--'Sh! 'Sh!"
+
+"Mine's pinned on," said Prudy; "and I've pricked my fingers. O deary
+me!"
+
+"Well, of course you've waked 'em all now," exclaimed Susy,
+indignantly: "I might have pricked my fingers to pieces, but I wouldn't
+have said a word."
+
+Mr. and Mrs. Parlin, who were in the next room, were wide awake by this
+time; but they said nothing, only listened to the whispers of the
+children, which grew fainter, being smothered and kept down by mouthfuls
+of candy, lozenges, and peanuts.
+
+The little girls longed for daybreak. The sun, however, seemed to be in
+no haste, and it was a long while before there was a peep of light. Susy
+and Prudy waited, wondering whether the sun would really forget to show
+his face; but all the while they waited they were eating candy; so it
+was neither dull nor lonely. As for closing their eyes again, they would
+have scorned the idea. It would be a pity indeed to fall asleep, and
+lose the pleasure of saying "Merry Christmas" to everybody. Norah, the
+Irish servant, had said she should be up very early to attend High Mass:
+they must certainly waylay her on the stairs. How astonished she would
+be, when she supposed they were both soundly asleep!
+
+"Let me do it myself," said Susy: "you stay here, Prudy, for you'll be
+sure to make a noise."
+
+"I'll go on my tippy toes," pleaded Prudy, her mouth half filled with
+chocolate drops.
+
+So through their mother's room they stole softly, only throwing over
+one chair, and hitting Dotty's crib a little in their haste. Dotty made
+a sleepy sound of alarm, and Prudy could not help laughing, but only "in
+her sleeve," that is, in her "nightie" sleeve, which she put up to her
+mouth to smother the noise.
+
+When they had reached the back-stairs Susy whispered, "O, Norah is up
+and gone down. I hear her in the kitchen. 'Sh! 'Sh!"
+
+Susy thought there was no time to be lost, and she would have rushed
+down stairs, two steps at a time, but her little sister was exactly in
+the way.
+
+"Somebody has been and tugged my little chair up here," said Prudy,
+"and I must tug it back again."
+
+So in the dim light the two children groped their way down stairs, Prudy
+going first with the chair.
+
+"O, what a little snail! Hurry--can't you?" said Susy, impatiently;
+"Norah'll be gone! What's the use of our waking up in the night if we
+can't say Merry Christmas to anybody?"
+
+"Well, _ain't_ I a-hurryin' now?" exclaimed Prudy, plunging forward and
+falling, chair and all, the whole length of the stairs.
+
+All the house was awake now, for Prudy screamed lustily. Grandma Read
+called out from the passage-way,--
+
+"O, little Prudence, has thee broken thy neck?"
+
+Mrs. Parlin rushed out, too frightened to speak, and Mr. Parlin ran down
+stairs, and took Prudy up in his arms.
+
+"It was--you--did it--Susy Parlin," sobbed the child. "I
+shouldn't--have--fell, if you--hadn't--have--screamed."
+
+The poor little girl spoke slowly and with difficulty, as if she dropped
+a bucket into her full heart, and drew up the words one at a time.
+
+"O, mother, I know it was me," said Susy meekly; "and I was careless,
+and it was all in the dark. I'm sure I hope Prudy'll forgive me."
+
+"No, it wasn't you, neither," said Prudy, whose good humor was restored
+the moment Susy had made what she considered due confession. "You never
+touched me, Susy! It was the _chair_; and I love you just as dearly as
+ever I did."
+
+Prudy lay on the sofa for some time, looking quite pale by the
+gas-light, while her mother rubbed her side, and the rest of the family
+stood looking at her with anxious faces.
+
+It was quite an important occasion for Prudy, who always liked to be the
+centre of attraction.
+
+"O, mamma," said she, closing her eyes languidly, "when the room makes
+believe whirl round, does it _truly_ whirl round?"
+
+The truth was, she felt faint and dizzy, though only for a short time.
+
+"I wish," said she, "it had been somebody else that fell down stairs,
+and not me, for I didn't go down easy! The _prongs_ of the chair pushed
+right into my side."
+
+But it did not appear that Prudy was much injured, after all. In a few
+minutes she was skipping about the room almost as nimbly as ever, only
+stopping to groan every now and then, when she happened to think of it.
+
+"It is a wonder," said Mr. Parlin, "that more children are not lamed for
+life by such accidents."
+
+"I have often thought of it," said aunt Madge. "Some little ones seem to
+be making hair-breadth escapes almost every day of their lives. I
+believe Prudy would have been in her grave long ago, if it had not been
+for her guardian angel."
+
+The long-expected Christmas had come at last, and Prudy had stumbled
+into it, as she stumbled into everything else. But it is an ill wind
+which blows no good to anybody; and it so happened that in all this
+confusion Susy was able to "wish a Merry Christmas" to Norah, and to the
+whole family besides.
+
+When Mrs. Parlin found that the children were too thoroughly awake to go
+to sleep again that morning, she told them they might dress themselves
+in the parlor if they would keep as quiet as possible, and let the rest
+of the household take another nap.
+
+It all seemed very strange and delightful to the little girls. It was
+like another sort of life, this new arrangement of stealing about the
+house in the silent hours before daybreak. Susy thought she should like
+to sit up all night, and sleep all day, if the mayor would only hush the
+streets; it would be so odd!
+
+"O, how dark the clouds are!" said Prudy, peeping out of the window; "it
+_fogs_ so I can't see a single thing. Susy, I'm going to keep _at watch_
+of the sky. Don't you s'pose, though, 'twill be Christmas all the same,
+if there's a snow storm?"
+
+"There's been snow," said Susy, "all in the night. Look down at the
+pavement. Don't you wish that was frosted cake?"
+
+"O, the snow came in the night, so not to wake us up," cried Prudy,
+clapping her hands; "but it wouldn't have waked us, you know, even in
+the night, for it came so still."
+
+"But why don't the clouds go off?" she added, sadly.
+
+"I don't know," replied Susy; "perhaps they are waiting till the sun
+comes and smiles them away."
+
+Such happy children as these were, as they sat peeping out of the window
+at the dull gray sky!
+
+They did not know that a great mischief was begun that morning--a
+mischief which was no larger yet than "a midge's wing." They were
+watching the clouds for a snow storm; but they never dreamed of such
+things as clouds of _trouble_, which grow darker and darker, and which
+even the beautiful Christmas sun cannot "smile away."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+SUSY'S CHRISTMAS.
+
+
+It was bright and beautiful all day, and then, when no one could
+possibly wait any longer, it was Christmas evening. The coal glowed in
+the grate with a splendid blaze: all the gas-burners were lighted, and
+so were everybody's eyes. If one had listened, one might have heard,
+from out of doors, a joyful tinkling of sleigh-bells; yet I fancy nobody
+could have told whether the streets were still or noisy, or whether the
+sky had a moon in it or not; for nobody was quiet long enough to notice.
+
+But by and by, when the right time had come, the folding-doors were
+opened, just like the two covers to a Christmas fairy book. Then, in a
+second, it was so still you might have heard a pin drop.
+
+Such a funny little old gentleman had arrived: his face alive with
+dimples, and smiles, and wrinkles. His cheeks were as red and round as
+winter apples, and where there wasn't a wrinkle there was a dimple; and
+no doubt there was a dimple in his chin, and his chin maybe was double,
+only you couldn't tell, for it was hidden ever so deep under a beard as
+white as a snow-drift.
+
+He walked along, tottering under the weight of a huge pack full of
+presents. He extended his small arms towards the audience most
+affectionately, and you could see that his antiquated coat-sleeves were
+bristling with toys and glistening with ornaments. His eyes twinkled
+with fun, and his mouth, which seemed nearly worn out with laughing,
+grew bigger every minute.
+
+It took the dear old gentleman some time to clear his throat; but when
+he had found his voice, which at first was as fine as a knitting-needle,
+and all of a tremble, he made
+
+THE SPEECH OF SANTA CLAUS.
+
+"How do, my darlings? How do, all round? Bless your little hearts, how
+do you all do? Did they tell ye Santa wasn't a-comin', my dears? Did
+your grandpas and grandmas say, 'Humph! there isn't any such a person.'
+My love to the good old people. I know they mean all right; but tell
+them they'll have to give it up now!"
+
+(Here Santa Claus made a low bow. Everybody laughed and clapped; but
+Prudy whispered, "O, don't he look old all over? What has he done with
+his _teeth_? O, dear, has anybody pulled 'em out?")
+
+"Yes, my dears," continued the old gentleman, encouraged by the
+applause,--"yes, my dears, here I am, as jolly as ever! But bless your
+sweet little hearts, I've had a terrible time getting here! The wind has
+been blowin' me up as fierce as you please, and I've been shook round
+as if I wasn't of more account than a kernel of corn in a popper!
+
+"O, O, I've been ducked up to the chin in some awful deep snow-drifts,
+up there by the North Pole! This is the very first time the storms have
+come so heavy as to cover over the end of the North Pole! But this year
+they had to dig three days before they could find it. O, ho!
+
+"I was a-wanderin' round all last night; a real shivery night, too! Got
+so _broke up_, there's nothing left of me but small pieces. O, hum!
+
+"Such a time as I had in some of those chimneys, you haven't any idee!
+Why, if you'll believe me, over there in Iceland somebody forgot to
+clear out the chimney, and there I stuck fast, like a fish-bone in your
+throat; couldn't be picked out, couldn't be swallowed!
+
+"The funniest time that was! How I laughed! And then the children's
+mother woke up, and, 'O, dear,' said she; 'hear the wind sigh down the
+chimney!' 'Only me,' says I; 'and I've caught you napping this time!'
+She helped me out, and when I had caught my breath, I climbed out the
+window; but, deary me, I shouldn't wonder if that very woman went to
+sleep again, and thought it was all a dream! Heigh-ho! that's the way
+they always treat poor Santa Claus nowadays."
+
+(Here the children laughed, and Susy said, "I guess he must have bumped
+his nose against that chimney: see what a hump!")
+
+"O, O, don't you make sport of me, children! My nose is big, to be sure,
+but I'm going to keep it and make the best of it! If you love Santa as
+he loves you, you wouldn't mind the looks. I _was_ going to change my
+coat and dickey; but then, thinks I, I'll come just as I am! I patted
+myself on the shoulder, and says I, 'Santa Claus, don't you fret if you
+_are_ growin' old! You may look a little dried up, but your heart isn't
+wrinkled; O no!' You see father Adam and me was very near of an age, but
+somehow I never growed up! I always thought big folks did very well in
+their place; but for my part, give me the children. Hurrah for the
+children!"
+
+(Great clapping and laughing.)
+
+"I tell you, darlings, I haven't forgot a single one of you. My pockets
+are running over. I've been preparing presents for you ever since last
+fall, when the birds broke up housekeeping.
+
+"Here's a tippet for the Prudy girl, and she may have it for nothing;
+and they are cheaper 'n that, if you take 'em by the quantity.
+
+"I'm a walkin' book-case. Why, I've brought stories and histories enough
+to set up a store! I've got more nuts than you can shake a hammer at;
+but I think there's more bark to 'em than there is bite. O, O, I find I
+can't crack 'em with my teeth, as I used to a hundred years ago!
+
+"But my dear, sweet, cunning little hearers, I must be a-goin'. Queen
+Victoria, said she to me, said she, 'Now, Santa, my love, do you hurry
+back to fill my children's stockings before the clock strikes twelve.'
+Queen Vic is an excellent woman, and is left a poor widow; so I can't
+disappoint her, poor soul!
+
+"I must be a-goin'! Would like to hug and kiss you all round, but can't
+stop. (Kisses his hand and bows.) A Merry Christmas to you all, and a
+Happy New Year."
+
+So saying, Santa Claus suddenly disappeared at the hall door, dropping
+his heavy pack upon the table.
+
+In another minute the lively old gentleman was in the front parlor
+without any mask, and of course it was nobody but cousin Percy "with his
+face off."
+
+Then they all fell to work sorting out presents. Prudy seized her fur
+tippet, and put it on at once.
+
+"O, how pretty I look," said she; "just like a little cat! _Ain't_ I
+cunning?"
+
+But nobody could pause to attend to Prudy, though she chatted very fast,
+without commas or periods, and held up to view a large wax doll which
+"would be alive if it could talk." They all had gifts as well as Prudy,
+and wished to talk rather than to listen. They asked questions without
+waiting for answers, and did not mind interrupting one another, and
+talking all at once, like a party of school children.
+
+All this was hardly polite, it is true; but people are sometimes
+surprised out of their good manners on Christmas evenings, and must be
+forgiven for it, as such a good time happens but once a year.
+
+Percy broke in with an old song, and went through with a whole stanza of
+it, although no one listened to a word:--
+
+    "Good luck unto old Christmas,
+      And long life let us sing,
+    For he doeth more good unto the poor
+      Than many a crowned king."
+
+"My beautiful books!" cried aunt Madge; "Russia morocco."
+
+"My writing-desk,--has any one looked at it?" said Mrs. Parlin;
+"rose-wood, inlaid with brass."
+
+"My skates!" broke in Susy, at the top of her voice.
+
+"Hush!" screamed cousin Percy; "won't anybody please notice my drum? If
+you won't look, then look out for a drum in each ear!"
+
+And as nobody would look or pay the slightest attention, they all had to
+hear "Dixie" pounded out in true martial style, till they held on to
+their ears.
+
+"Rattlety bang!" went the drum. "Tweet, tweet," whistled the little
+musical instruments which the children were blowing.
+
+"Have pity on us!" cried aunt Madge; "I am bewildered; my head is
+floating like a Chinese garden."
+
+"Order!" shouted Mr. Parlin, laughing.
+
+"O, yes, sir," said Percy, seizing Susy and whirling her round.
+"Children, why don't you try to preserve order? My nerves are strung up
+like violin-strings! I've got a pound of headache to every ounce of
+brains. Susy Parlin, do try to keep still!"
+
+"Thee needn't pretend it is all Susan," said grandma Read, smiling.
+"Thee and little Prudence are the noisiest of the whole!"
+
+In fact, they raised such a din, that after a while poor grandma Read
+smoothed the Quaker cap over her smiling face, and stole off into her
+own chamber, where she could "settle down into quietness." Much noise
+always confused grandma Read.
+
+But in a very few moments, when the excitement began to die out, there
+was a season of overwhelming gratitude. Everybody had to thank everybody
+else; and Mr. Parlin, who had a beautiful dressing-gown to be grateful
+for, nevertheless found time to tell Susy, over and over again, how
+delighted he was with her book-mark, made, by her own fingers, of three
+wide strips of velvet ribbon; on the ends of which were fastened a
+cross, a star, and an anchor, of card-board.
+
+"Papa, one ribbon is to keep your place in the Old Testament," said
+Susy; "one is to stay in the middle, at the births and marriages; and
+the other one is for our chapter in the New Testament, you know."
+
+"I think my lamp-mat is very pretty," said aunt Madge, kissing Susy;
+"every bit as pretty as if Prudy hadn't 'been and told.'"
+
+Prudy had bought a shawl-pin for her mother, a fierce little wooden
+soldier for aunt Madge, and something for everybody else but Susy. Not
+that she forgot Susy. O, no! but one's money does not always hold out,
+even at Christmas time.
+
+"Why," said Mr. Parlin, "what is this sticking fast to the sole of my
+new slipper? Molasses candy, I do believe."
+
+"Yes sir; that's for Susy," cried Prudy, suddenly remembering how she
+had tucked it in at the last moment, when she could not stop to find any
+wrapping-paper. "It isn't so big as it was, but it's the biggest piece I
+had in this world. I saved it last night. Susy likes 'lasses candy, and
+I couldn't think of nothin' else."
+
+It was a wonder that Prudy's candy had not spoiled some of the nice
+presents.
+
+Susy received several pretty things; and though she did not talk quite
+so much as Prudy, she was just as happy. For one thing, she had what she
+had not dreamed was possible for a little girl--a bottle of otto of
+rose; "just like a young lady."
+
+This was a real delight to Susy: but Prudy, sniffing at it, said,
+coolly, "O, ho! it smells 's if it didn't cost more'n a cent! 'Tisn't
+half so sweet as pep'mint!"
+
+Before Dotty could be put to bed, she had contrived to break several
+toys, all of which happened to be Susy's--a sugar temple, a glass
+pitcher, and a small vase.
+
+This was an evening long to be remembered; but the most remarkable event
+of all was to come.
+
+"Susy, my daughter," said Mr. Parlin, "have you been wondering why you
+don't see a present from me?"
+
+Susy blushed. She had certainly expected something handsome this year
+from her father.
+
+"I haven't forgotten you, my dear; but the present I have chosen
+wouldn't sit very well on the shoulders of such a little fellow as Santa
+Claus."
+
+Percy laughed. "Wouldn't it have been a load, uncle?"
+
+"Hush!" whispered aunt Madge; "she isn't to know till morning."
+
+"But, papa," said Susy, her eyes shining with excitement, "why couldn't
+you bring it in here now?"
+
+"It is better off out of doors. Indeed, to tell the truth, my child, it
+is hardly suitable for the parlor."
+
+"Now, Miss Susy," said Percy, measuring off his words on the tips of his
+fingers, "I'm authorized to tell you it's something you mustn't take in
+your lap, mustn't hang on a nail; if you do, you'll lose it. I'm sure
+'twill please you, Susy, because it's a mute, and can't speak. You--"
+
+"O, hush talking about dumb people! I shouldn't think you'd make sport
+of Freddy Jackson! If _you_ was a little _deaf-and-dumber_ than you are
+now, I'd like you better!
+
+"O, dear, dear!" cried she, dancing about the room; "what can it be? I
+can't wait!"
+
+"Only think; all night before I'll know," thought she, as she touched
+her pillow. "O, Prudy, to-morrow morning! Only think of to-morrow
+morning I All my other presents are just nothing at all. Anything is
+_so_ much nicer when you don't know what it is!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+SUSY'S WINGS.
+
+
+Susy awoke next morning very much surprised to find the sun so high.
+Prudy was lying beside her, talking to herself.
+
+"I don't feel very well," said the child; "but I'm pleasant; I mean to
+be good all day."
+
+"Why didn't you speak to me?" cried Susy, springing out of bed, "when
+you knew how I couldn't wait to see my present?"
+
+"I would have woke you up, Susy, but I ain't well; I'm sick in my
+knees."
+
+And Prudy limped about the room to show her sister how lame she was.
+But Susy was in too great a hurry to pay much attention to her, or to
+help her dress.
+
+"Good morning, papa!" she exclaimed, the moment she entered the parlor;
+"now may I see the present?"
+
+"Do you suppose you could wait till after breakfast, Susy?"
+
+Aunt Madge smiled as she looked at the little eager face.
+
+"I see you are going on with your lessons," said she.
+
+"What lessons, auntie? Why, it is the holidays!"
+
+"Lessons in patience, my dear. Isn't something always happening which
+you have to be patient about?"
+
+Susy thought of Prudy's habit of disclosing secrets, Dotty's trying way
+of destroying playthings; and now this long delay about her present. She
+began to think there were a great many vexations in the world, and that
+she bore them remarkably well for such a little girl.
+
+"Yes, thee must let patience have her perfect work, Susan," said grandma
+Read, after the "silent blessing" had been asked at the table.
+
+"Mayn't I go, too?" said Prudy, when she saw her father, her auntie, and
+Susy leaving the house just after breakfast.
+
+And she went, as a matter of course; but the pavements were a little
+slippery from sleet; and Prudy, who was never a famous walker, had as
+much as she could do, even with the help of her father's hand, to keep
+from falling.
+
+"Why, Prudy," said Mr. Parlin, "what ails you this morning? You limp so
+much that I believe you need crutches."
+
+"I'm sick in my knee," replied Prudy, delighted to see that her lameness
+was observed. "If _you_ had my knee, and it hurt, you'd know how it
+feels!"
+
+By this time they had reached a livery stable; and, to Susy's surprise,
+her father stopped short, and said to a man who stood by the door, "Mr.
+Hill, my daughter has come to look at her pony."
+
+Prudy was in a great fright at sight of so many horses, and needed all
+her auntie's attention; but Susy had no fear, and Mr. Parlin led her
+along to a stall where stood a beautiful black pony, as gentle-looking
+as a Newfoundland dog.
+
+"How do you like him, Susy? Stroke his face, and talk to him."
+
+"But, O, papa, you don't mean, you can't mean, he's my very own! A whole
+pony all to myself!"
+
+"See what you think of his saddle, miss," said Mr. Hill, laughing at
+Susy's eagerness; and he led pony out, and threw over his back a
+handsome side-saddle.
+
+"Why, it seems as if I could just jump on without anybody touching me,"
+cried Susy.
+
+"Not afraid a bit?" said Mr. Hill, as Mr. Parlin seated Susy in the
+saddle, and gave her the reins. "Ponies throw people, sometimes."
+
+"O, but my papa would never give me a bad pony," answered Susy, with
+perfect confidence.
+
+Mr. Hill laughed again. He was a rough man; but he thought a child's
+faith in a parent was a beautiful thing.
+
+He did not know many passages of Scripture, but thought he had read
+somewhere, "And if he ask bread, will he give him a stone?" No; fathers
+are glad to give their "best gifts," and the little ones trust them.
+
+"It's like sailing in a boat," cried Susy, riding back and forth about
+the yard in great excitement; "why, it's just as easy as the swing in
+the oilnut-tree at grandma Parlin's! O, papa, to think I should forget
+to thank you!"
+
+But perhaps Mr. Parlin regarded glowing cheeks and shining eyes as the
+very best of thanks.
+
+Prudy thought the pony a beautiful "baby horse;" wanted to ride, and
+didn't want to; was afraid, and wasn't afraid, and, as her father said,
+"had as many minds as some politicians who are said to 'stand on the
+fence.'" By and by, after some coaxing, the timid little thing consented
+to sit behind Susy, and cling round her waist, if her father would walk
+beside her to make sure she didn't fall off. In this way they went
+home.
+
+"I like to sit so I can hug my sister, while she drives the horse," said
+Prudy; "besides, it hurts me to walk."
+
+Mr. Parlin and aunt Madge smiled at the child's speeches, but gave no
+more heed to this lameness of which she complained, than they did to any
+of the rest of her little freaks.
+
+Prudy liked to be pitied for every small hurt; and when Susy had a sore
+throat, and wore a compress, she looked upon her with envy, and felt it
+almost as a personal slight that _her_ throat could not be wrapped in a
+compress too.
+
+On their way they met "lame Jessie," a little girl with crooked spine
+and very high shoulders, who hobbled along on crutches.
+
+"She's lamer than me," said Prudy. "Good morning, Jessie."
+
+"I know what I've thought of," said Susy, who could talk of nothing
+which was not in some way connected with her pony. "I'm going to give
+that girl some rides. How happy she will be, poor little Jessie!"
+
+"When you get your sleigh," said Mr. Parlin.
+
+"My sleigh, papa? How many more presents are coming?"
+
+"It is hard to tell, Susy; one gift makes way for another, you see.
+First comes the pony; but how can he live without a stable, and a groom
+to feed him? Then what is a pony worth without a saddle? And, as one
+does not wish always to ride pony-back, a sleigh is the next thing."
+
+"But, papa, you know in the summer!"
+
+"Yes, my dear, in the summer, if we all live, there must be a light
+carriage made on purpose for you."
+
+"There is one thing more that pony needs," said aunt Madge, stroking his
+eyebrows, "and that is, a name."
+
+"O, I never thought of that," said Susy; "help me find a name, auntie."
+
+"Let me think. I should call him something good and pleasant. Think of
+something good and pleasant Think of something you like very much."
+
+"O, Frosted Cake," cried Prudy: "wouldn't that be pleasant? Susy loves
+that."
+
+"I should like to name him for the American Eagle," said Susy, who had
+heard some patriotic speeches from her cousin Percy; "only you couldn't
+pet that name, could you?"
+
+"You might call him Don Carlos, or Don Pedro," suggested Mr. Parlin.
+
+"No, papa; only think of Donny: that is like Donkey! You haven't any
+long ears, _have_ you, pony? If you had, I'd call you Little Pitcher,
+for 'little pitchers have great ears.' That makes me think of Mr. Allen,
+auntie. How big his ears are, you know? _Is_ it because his teacher
+pulled them so?"
+
+"O, call him 'Gustus,'" cried Prudy.
+
+"But that would soon be Gusty," said aunt Madge, "and would sound too
+much like the east wind."
+
+"Dear me," sighed Susy; "who'd ever think it was such hard work to find
+names?"
+
+"O, look," said Prudy, as they passed a jaded old horse; "there is a
+pony just exactly like this! Only it's twice as big, you know, and not a
+_bit_ such a color!"
+
+"Well, there, Prudy," said Susy, disdainfully, "I thought, when you
+began to speak, you was going to tell something! Why don't you wait till
+you have something to say? Please give me a list of names, papa."
+
+"There's Speedwell, Lightfoot, Zephyr, Prince, Will-o'-the-wisp--"
+
+"I might call him Wispy," broke in Susy. "Zephyr is good, only it makes
+you think of worsteds."
+
+"Now, listen," said aunt Madge; "you might call him Elephant, just for
+sport, because he is in reality so very little. Or, on the other hand,
+you might find the least speck of a name, like Firefly, or Midge."
+
+"I don't like any of those," replied Susy, still dissatisfied.
+
+"I see," said aunt Madge, laughing, "nothing will please you but a great
+name. What say to Pegasus, a flying horse, which poets are said to ride?
+It might be shortened to Peggy."
+
+"Now, auntie, you wouldn't have this beautiful pony called Peggy; you
+know you wouldn't! the one my father bought on purpose for me! But was
+there such a horse, truly?"
+
+"O, no; there is an old fable, which, as we say, is 'as true now as it
+ever was,' of a glorious creature with wings, and whoever mounts him
+gets a flying ride into the clouds. But the trouble is to catch him!"
+
+"O, I wish my pony could fly," said Susy, gazing dreamily at his black
+mane and sleek sides. "The first place I'd go to would be the moon; and
+there I'd stay till I built a castle as big as a city. I'd come home
+every night, so mother wouldn't be frightened, and fly up in the
+morning, and--and--"
+
+"See here," said Prudy, who had for some time been trying to speak;
+"call him _Wings_!"
+
+"So I will," answered Susy, quickly, "and I'll make believe he flies in
+the air like a bird. Now, auntie, what do you think of Wings?"
+
+"Odd enough, I'm sure, my dear."
+
+"Well, _I_ like it," returned Susy, with a positive shake of the head.
+"It's of no use to keep fussing so long over a name, and I feel a great
+deal easier, now I've made up my mind! Dear little Wings, you prick up
+your ears, and I know you like it, too. I wish you had a soul, so you
+could be taken to church, and christened like a baby."
+
+Just here Susy was startled by a sudden laugh from cousin Percy, who
+had for some moments been walking behind the pony unobserved.
+
+"You're enough to frighten any one to death," she screamed, "creeping
+about like a cat."
+
+Susy had a foolish dread of being laughed at.
+
+"Creeping like a cat," echoed Percy, "while you creep like a snail! What
+will you take for your pony, that can fly in the air like a bird, but
+can't walk on the ground any better than a goose?"
+
+"I don't know what you're talking about," said Susy, quite excited: "if
+you want to see anybody ride fast, just look here." And she started the
+pony at full speed, regardless of Prudy, who was so frightened, that she
+seized poor Wings by his flowing mane, and called out for her sister to
+stop. But Susy dashed on at a flying pace, and Percy cried after her,
+"O, Susy, cousin Susy, what think of your Christmas present? Will you
+remember not to eat it, and not to hang it on a nail? Susy, Susy?"
+
+There was hardly a happier child living than Susy, during those
+delightful holidays. She said to herself, sometimes, that this was such
+a beautiful world, she couldn't think of a single thing that wasn't as
+splendid as it could be.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+PRUDY'S TROUBLE.
+
+
+The happy days flew by. The Old Year was worn out, and the New Year
+stepped in fresh and youthful. Susy found her little sleigh a very
+comfortable affair; and so, I think, did "lame Jessie." When her father
+found that Susy had really chosen for her pony the name of Wings, he
+ordered a beautiful picture of the Flying Horse to be painted on the
+dashboard of the sleigh.
+
+Susy was delighted with this, and her vivid fancy took wings at once,
+and flew away to the other end of the world, where her aunt Madge told
+her the fountain of Pirene was said to gush out of a hill-side.
+
+"Only think," said she to Flossy; "it was a woman once, that fountain
+was; but she poured her life all out into tears, crying because her son
+was killed. So the fountain is made of tears!"
+
+"Bitter and salt, then," said Florence, threading her needle.
+
+"No, indeed; just as sweet and nice as any water. Pegasus loved it; and
+there was a beautiful young man, his name was Bel--Bel--well, I declare,
+I've forgotten,--no, 'twas Bellerophon; and he had a bridle, and wanted
+a horse. O, do you know this horse was white, with silvery wings, wild
+as a hawk; and, once in a while, he would fold up his wings, and trot
+round on the mountain!"
+
+Florence yawned, and waxed her thread.
+
+"O, it was a splendid bridle, this man had, made of gold; and I
+forgot--the mountain the horse trotted round on was called Helicon. And
+the man mounted him, and went up, up, till they were nothing but specks
+in the sky."
+
+"A likely story," said Florence; "there, you've told enough! I don't
+want to hear any more such nonsense."
+
+"Well, if you don't want to hear about the monster they killed, you
+needn't; that's all I can say; but the young man loved that horse; and
+he kissed him, too, he was so splendid!"
+
+"Kiss a horse!" Flossy looked very, much disgusted.
+
+"Why, I've kissed my pony a great many times," said Susy, bravely,
+"right between his eyes; and he almost kisses me. He wants to say, 'I
+love you.' I can see it in his eyes."
+
+By this time Flossy had finished her doll's garment, and, putting it on
+the little thing's shoulders, held up the doll to be admired.
+
+"I think her opera cloak is very 'bewitching,' don't you, Susy? It is
+trimmed with ermine, because she is a queen, and is going to the opera."
+
+"It looks well enough," said Susy, indifferently, "but it isn't ermine;
+it's only white cat's fur, with black spots sewed on,"
+
+"Of course it isn't real ermine!" replied Florence; "but I play that it
+is, and it's just as well."
+
+"But you know all the while it's a make-believe. She hasn't any more
+sense than a stick of wood, either; and I don't see any sport in playing
+with dolls."
+
+"And I don't see any sense in fairy stories," retorted Flossy. "Do you
+know what Percy says about you? He says your head is as full of airy
+notions as a dandelion top. I love Queen Mab as if she was my own
+sister," continued Flossy, in a pettish tone. "You know I do, Susy. I
+always thought, if anything should happen to Queen Mab, and I lost her,
+I should certainly dress in mourning; now you needn't laugh."
+
+"O, I can't help laughing, when anybody makes such a fuss over a doll,"
+replied Susy, with a curl of the lip. "Anything that isn't alive, and
+hasn't any sense, and don't care for you! I like canary birds, and
+babies, and ponies, and that's enough to like."
+
+"Well, now, that's so funny!" said Florence, twitching the folds of
+Queen Mab's dress into place; "for the very reason I like my doll, is
+because she _isn't_ alive. I wouldn't have been you, Susy Parlin, when
+you had your last canary bird, and let him choke to death."
+
+"O, no, Flossy, I didn't let him choke: I forgot to put any seed in the
+bottle, and he stuck his head in so deep, that he smothered to death."
+
+"I don't know but smothering is as bad as choking," said Florence; "and
+now your new bird will be sure to come to some bad end."
+
+"You're always saying hateful things," exclaimed Susy, a good deal
+vexed. "I like Grace Clifford ten times as well, for she's a great deal
+more lady-like."
+
+"Well, I suppose I can go home," said Florence, with a rising color;
+"you're such a perfect lady that I can't get along with you."
+
+"O, dear," thought poor Susy, "what does ail my tongue? Here this very
+morning I said in my prayer, that I meant to be good and patient."
+
+Florence began to put on her cloak.
+
+"Cousin Flossy," said Susy, in a hesitating voice, "I wish you wouldn't
+go. I didn't mean to tell that I liked Gracie best; but it's the real
+honest truth, and if I should take it back, 'twould be a lie."
+
+This was not making matters much better. Florence put on her hood, and
+tied it with a twitch.
+
+"But I like _you_ ever so much, Flossy; now, you know I do. You're
+hateful sometimes; but so am I; and I can't tell which is the
+hatefulest."
+
+Here Flossy, who was as fickle as the wind, laughed merrily, took off
+her hood and cloak, and danced about the room in high spirits.
+
+"Yes," said she, "I'll stay just on purpose to plague you!"
+
+But good humor had been restored on both sides, and the little girls
+were soon talking together, as freely as if nothing had happened.
+
+"Just come out in the kitchen," said Susy, "and you shall see me wash my
+bird."
+
+"Why, I thought birds washed themselves," replied Florence, following
+her cousin with some surprise.
+
+"They do, but Dandy won't; it's all in the world I have against Dandy;
+he isn't a cold-water bird."
+
+Grandma Read stood by the kitchen table, clear-starching one of her
+caps--a piece of work which she always performed with her own hands.
+She moved one side to make room for Susy's bird-cage, but said she did
+not approve of washing canaries; she thought it must be a dangerous
+experiment.
+
+"If he needed a bath, he would take it himself, Susan. Little birds know
+what is best for them by instinct, thee may depend upon it."
+
+"But my birdie gay ought to be clean," persisted Susy, who was often
+very positive. "Mrs. Mason says so--the lady that gave him to me. I told
+her he wouldn't bathe, and she said then I must bathe him."
+
+Susy went to the range, and, dipping some hot water from the boiler,
+cooled it with fresh water, till she found, by putting in her fingers,
+that it was of a proper temperature, according to her own judgment. Then
+she plunged the timid little canary into the bowl, in spite of his
+fluttering. Such a wee young thing as he was too! He seemed to be afraid
+of the water, and struggled against it with all his small strength.
+
+"O, Dandy, darling," said Susy, in a cooing voice, as if she were
+talking to a baby; "be a little man, Dandy; hold up his head, and let
+Susy wash it all cleany! O, he's Susie's birdie gay!--What makes him
+roll up his eyes?"
+
+"Take him out quick, Susan," said grandma Read; "he will strangle."
+
+A few seconds more and all would have been over with birdie gay. He
+curled down very languidly on the floor of the cage, and seemed to wish
+to be let alone.
+
+"He acts so every morning when I bathe him," said Susy, who would not
+give up the point; "but Mrs. Mason told me to do it! Dotty always cried
+when she was washed, till she was ever so old."
+
+"I think," said Mrs. Parlin, who had just entered the kitchen, "I must
+ask Mrs. Mason if she is very sure it is proper to treat little birds in
+that way."
+
+"But look, mamma; here he is, shaking out his feathers, all bright and
+happy again. O, you cunning little Dandy, now we'll hang you up in the
+sun to dry. See him hop on one foot; that is just to make me laugh."
+
+"But _I_ hop on one foot, too," said little Prudy, "and you don't laugh
+at me."
+
+"This is a droll little head for fancies," said Mrs. Parlin, patting
+Prudy's curls, and looking at grandma Read. "Do you know, mother, that
+for several days she has made believe she was lame Jessie, and has
+hobbled about whenever she could think of it."
+
+"Now you mustn't laugh," said Prudy, looking up with a grieved face; I
+can't never help hopping; I _have_ to hop. My knee was so sick, I cried
+last night, and I was just as _wide-awakeful_!"
+
+"Ain't thee afraid the child has been hurt in some way, my daughter?"
+said grandma Read.
+
+"O, no, mother," said Mrs. Parlin, smiling, as Prudy limped out of the
+room. "I have examined her knee, and there is nothing the matter with
+it. She is only imitating that lame child. You know Prudy has all sorts
+of whims. Don't you know how she has wanted us to call her Jessie
+sometimes?"
+
+"Why, no, indeed, grandma, she isn't lame," said Susy, laughing.
+"Sometimes she will run about the room as well as I do, and then, in a
+few minutes, when she thinks of it, she will limp and take hold of
+chairs. Mother, isn't it just the same as a wrong story for Prudy to act
+that way? If I did so, you'd punish me; now, wouldn't you?"
+
+"I don't know what to think about it," said Mrs. Parlin, gravely.
+"Sometimes I am afraid Prudy is really becoming naughty and deceitful. I
+thought once it was only her funny way of playing; but she is getting
+old enough now to know the difference between truth and falsehood."
+
+There was an anxious look on Mrs. Parlin's face. She was a faithful
+mother, and watched her children's conduct with the tenderest care.
+
+But this lameness of which little Prudy complained, was something more
+than play; it was a sad truth, as the family learned very soon. Instead
+of walking properly when her mother bade her do so, the poor child cried
+bitterly, said it hurt her, and she was so tired she wished they would
+let her lie on the sofa, and never get up. At times she seemed better;
+and when everybody thought she was quite well, suddenly the pain and
+weakness would come again, and she could only limp, or walk by catching
+hold of chairs.
+
+At last her father called in a physician.
+
+"How long has this child been lame?" said he.
+
+"A month or more."
+
+The doctor looked grave. "Has she ever had an injury, Mr. Parlin, such
+as slipping on the ice, or falling down stairs?"
+
+"No, sir," replied Mr. Parlin, "I believe not."
+
+"Not a serious injury that I know of," said Mrs. Parlin, passing her
+hand across her forehead, and trying to remember. "No, I think Prudy has
+never had a _bad_ fall, though she is always meeting with slight
+accidents."
+
+"O, mamma," said Susy, who had begged to stay in the room, "she did have
+a fall: don't you know, Christmas day, ever so long ago, how she went
+rolling down stairs with her little chair in her arms, and woke
+everybody up?"
+
+The doctor caught at Susy's words.
+
+"With her little chair in her arms, my dear? And did she cry as if she
+was hurt?"
+
+"Yes, sir; she said the _prongs_ of the chair stuck into her side."
+
+"It hurt me dreffully," said Prudy, who had until now forgotten all
+about it. "Susy spoke so quick, and said I was a little snail; and then
+I rolled over and over, and down I went."
+
+The doctor almost smiled at these words, lisped out in such a plaintive
+voice, as if Prudy could not think of that fall even now, without
+pitying herself very much.
+
+"Just let me see you stand up, little daughter," said he; for Prudy was
+lying on the sofa.
+
+But it hurt her to bear her weight on her feet.
+
+She said, "One foot, the '_lame-knee-foot_,' came down so long, it
+_more_ than touched the floor."
+
+The doctor looked sober. The foot did drag indeed. The trouble was not
+in her knee, but in her hip, which had really been injured when she fell
+down stairs, and the "prongs" of the chair were forced against it.
+
+It seemed to Mrs. Parlin strange that Prudy had never complained of any
+pain in her side; but the doctor said it was very common for people to
+suffer from hip-disease, and seem to have only a lame knee.
+
+"Hip-disease!" When Mrs. Parlin heard these words, she grew so dizzy,
+that it was all she could do to keep from fainting. It came over her in
+a moment, the thought of what her little daughter would have to
+suffer--days and nights of pain, and perhaps a whole lifetime of
+lameness. She had often heard of hip-disease, and was aware that it is a
+very serious thing.
+
+Do you know, she would gladly have changed places with Prudy, would
+gladly have borne all the child must suffer, if by that means she could
+have saved her? This is the feeling which mothers have when any trouble
+comes upon their children; but the little ones, with their simple minds,
+cannot understand it.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+ROSY FRANCES EASTMAN MARY.
+
+
+Prudy had enjoyed a great many rides in Susy's beautiful sleigh; but now
+the doctor forbade her going out, except for very short distances, and
+even then, he said, she must sit in her mother's lap. He wanted her to
+lie down nearly all the time, and keep very quiet.
+
+At first, Mrs. Parlin wondered how it would be possible to keep such a
+restless child quiet; but she found, as time passed, and the disease
+made progress, that poor little Prudy was only too glad to lie still.
+Every motion seemed to hurt her, and sometimes she cried if any one
+even jarred the sofa suddenly.
+
+These were dark days for everybody in the house. Susy, who was
+thoughtful beyond her years, suffered terribly from anxiety about her
+little sister. More than that, she suffered from remorse.
+
+"O, grandma Read," said she one evening, as she sat looking up at the
+solemn, shining stars, with overflowing eyes--"O, grandma!" The words
+came from the depths of a troubled heart. "I may live to be real old;
+but I never shall be happy again! I can't, for, if it hadn't been for
+me? Prudy would be running round the house as well as ever!"
+
+Mrs. Read had a gentle, soothing voice. She could comfort Susy when
+anybody could. Now she tried to set her heart at rest by saying that the
+doctor gave a great deal of hope. He could not promise a certain cure,
+but he felt great faith in a new kind of splint which he was using for
+Prudy's hip.
+
+"O, grandma, it may be, and then, again, it may not be," sobbed poor
+Susy; "we can't tell what God will think best; but anyhow, it was I that
+did it."
+
+"But, Susan, thee must think how innocent thee was of any wrong motive.
+Thee did not get angry, and push thy little sister, thee knows thee
+didn't, Susan! Thee was only in a hurry, and rather thoughtless. The
+best of us often do very foolish things, and cause much mischief; but
+thee'll find it isn't best to grieve over these mistakes. Why, my dear
+little Susan, I have lived eight years to thy one, and if I should sit
+down now and drop a tear for every blunder I have made, I don't know but
+I could almost make a fountain of myself, like that woman thee tells
+about in the fairy story."
+
+"The fountain of Pirene that Pegasus loved," said Susy; "that was the
+name of it. Why, grandma, I never should have thought of your saying
+such a queer thing as that! Why, it seems as if you always did just
+right, and thought it all over before you did it. Do _you_ ever do
+wrong? How funny!"
+
+Mrs. Read smiled sadly. She was not an angel yet; so I suppose she did
+wrong once in a while.
+
+"Now, grandma, I want to ask you one question, real sober and honest.
+You know it was so dark that morning in the middle of the night, when we
+were going down the back stairs? Now, if I'd made a great deal worse
+mistake than calling Prudy a snail,--if I'd pushed her real hard, and
+she had fallen faster,--O, I can't bear to think! I mean, if the
+chair-prongs had hit her head, grandma--and--killed her! What would they
+have done to _me_? I thought about it last night, so I couldn't go to
+sleep for the longest while! I heard the clock _strike_ once while I was
+awake there in bed! Would they have put me in the lock-up, grandma, and
+then hung me for murder?"
+
+"My dear child, no, indeed! How came such horrible ideas in thy tender
+little brain? It is too dreadful to think about; but, even if thy little
+sister _had_ died, Susan, thee would have been no more to blame than
+thee is now, and a great, great deal more to be pitied."
+
+Susy sat for a long while gazing out of the window; but the stars did
+not wink so solemnly; the moon looked friendly once more. Susy was
+drinking in her grandmother's words of comfort. The look of sadness was
+disappearing from the young face, and smiles began to play about the
+corners of her mouth.
+
+"Well," said she, starting up briskly, "I'm glad I wasn't so very
+terribly wicked! I wish I'd been somewhere else, when I stood on those
+back-stairs, in the middle of the night; but what's the use? I'm not
+going to think any more about it, grandma; for if I should think till my
+head was all twisted up in a knot, what good would it do? It wouldn't
+help Prudy any; would it, grandma?"
+
+"No, dear," said the mild, soothing voice again; "don't think, I beg of
+thee; but if thee wants to know what would do Prudence good, I will tell
+thee: try thy best to amuse her. She has to lie day after day and
+suffer. It is very hard for a little girl that loves to play, and can't
+read, and doesn't know how to pass the time; don't thee think so,
+Susan?"
+
+It was certainly hard. Prudy's round rosy face began to grow pale; and,
+instead of laughing and singing half the time, she would now lie and cry
+from pain, or because she really did not know what else to do with
+herself.
+
+It was worst at night. Hour after hour, she would lie awake, and listen
+to the ticking of the clock. Susy thought it a pitiable case, when
+_she_, heard the clock strike _once_; but little Prudy heard it strike
+again and again. How strangely it pounded out the strokes in the night!
+What a dreary sound it was, pealing through the silence! The echoes
+answered with a shudder. Then, when Prudy had counted one, two, three,
+four, and the clock had no more to say at that time, it began to tick
+again: "Prudy's sick! Prudy's sick! O, dear me! O, dear me!"
+
+Prudy could hardly believe it was the same clock she saw in the daytime.
+She wondered if it felt lonesome in the night, and had the blues; or
+what _could_ ail it! The poor little girl wanted somebody to speak to in
+these long, long hours. She did not sleep with Susy, but in a new
+cot-bed of her own, in aunt Madge's room; for, dearly as she loved to
+lie close to any one she loved, she begged now to sleep alone, "so
+nobody could hit her, or move her, or joggle her."
+
+It was a great comfort to have aunt Madge so near. If it had been Susy
+instead, Prudy would have had no company but the sound of her breathing.
+It was of no use to try to wake Susy in the dead of night. Pricking her
+with pins would startle her, but she never knew anything even after she
+was startled. All she could do was to stare about her, cry, and act very
+cross, and then--go to sleep again.
+
+But with aunt Madge it was quite different. She slept like a cat, with
+one eye open. Perhaps the reason she did not sleep more soundly, was,
+that she felt a care of little Prudy. No matter when Prudy spoke to her,
+aunt Madge always answered. She did not say, "O, dear, you've startled
+me out of a delicious nap!" She said, "Well, darling, what do you want?"
+Prudy generally wanted to know when it would be morning? When would the
+steamboat whistle? What made it stay dark so long? She wanted a drink of
+water, and _always_ wanted a story.
+
+If aunt Madge had forgotten to provide a glass of water, she put on her
+slippers, lighted the little handled lamp, and stole softly down stairs
+to the pail, which Norah always pumped full of well-water the last thing
+in the evening.
+
+Or, if Prudy fancied it would console her to have a peep at her
+beautiful doll which "would be alive if it could speak," why, down
+stairs went auntie again to search out the spot where Susy had probably
+left it when "she took it to show to some children."
+
+The many, many times that kind young lady crept shivering down stairs to
+humor Prudy's whims! Prudy could not have counted the times; and you may
+be sure aunt Madge never _would_.
+
+Then the stories, both sensible and silly, which Prudy teased for, and
+always got! Aunt Madge poured them forth like water into the _sieve_ of
+Prudy's mind, which could not hold stories any better than secrets. No
+matter how many she told, Prudy insisted that she wanted "one more," and
+the "same one over again."
+
+It touched Susy to the heart to see how much her little sister
+suffered, and she spent a great deal of time at first in trying to amuse
+her. Aunt Madge told stories in the night; but Susy told them in the
+daytime, till, as she expressed it, her "tongue ached." She cut out
+paper dolls when she wanted to read, and played go visiting, or dressed
+rag babies, when she longed to be out of doors. But while the novelty
+lasted, she was quite a Florence Nightingale.
+
+Her Wednesday and Saturday after-noons were no longer her own. Before
+Prudy's lameness, Susy had used her new skates a great deal, and could
+now skim over the ice quite gracefully, for a little girl of her age.
+The reason she learned to skate so well, was because she was fearless.
+Most children tremble when they try to stand on the ice, and for that
+very reason are nearly sure to fall; but Susy did not tremble in the
+face of danger: she had a strong will of her own, and never expected to
+fail in anything she undertook.
+
+She had spent half of her short life out of doors, and almost considered
+it lost time when she was obliged to stay in the house for the rain.
+
+Mrs. Parlin kept saying it was high time for her eldest daughter to
+begin to be womanly, and do long stints with her needle: she could not
+sew as well now as she sewed two years ago.
+
+But Mr. Parlin laughed at his wife's anxiety, and said he loved Susy's
+red cheeks; he didn't care if she grew as brown as an Indian. She was
+never rude or coarse, he thought; and she would be womanly enough one of
+these days, he was quite sure.
+
+"Anything," said Mr. Parlin, "but these _womanly_ little girls, such as
+I have seen sitting in a row, sewing seams, without animation enough to
+tear rents in their own dresses! If Susy loves birds, and flowers, and
+snowbanks, I am thankful, and perfectly willing she should have plenty
+of them for playthings."
+
+Then, when Mrs. Parlin smiled mischievously, and said, "I should like to
+know what sort of a wild Arab you would make out of a little girl," Mr.
+Parlin answered triumphantly,--"Look at my sister Margaret! I brought
+her up my own self! I always took her out in the woods with me, gunning
+and trouting. I taught her how to skate when she was a mere baby. I
+often said she was all the brother I had in the world! She can remember
+now how I used to wrap her in shawls, and prop her up on the woodpile,
+while I chopped wood."
+
+"And how you hired her to drop ears of corn for you into the
+corn-sheller; and how, one day, her fingers were so benumbed, that one
+of them was clipped off before she knew it!"
+
+"Well, so it was, that is true; but only the tip of it. Active children
+will meet with accidents. She was a regular little fly-away, and would
+sooner climb a tree or a ladder any time, than walk on solid ground.
+_Now_ look at her!"
+
+And Mr. Parlin repeated the words, "Now look at her," as if he was sure
+his wife must confess that she was a remarkable person.
+
+Mrs. Parlin said, if Susy should ever become half as excellent and
+charming as Miss Margaret Parlin, she should be perfectly satisfied, for
+her part.
+
+Thus Susy was allowed to romp to her heart's content; "fairly ran wild,"
+as aunt Eastman declared, with a frown of disapproval. She gathered wild
+roses, and wore them in her cheeks, the very best place in the world
+for roses. She drank in sunshine with the fresh air of heaven, just as
+the flowers do, and thrived on it.
+
+But there was one objection to this out-of-doors life: Susy did not love
+to stay in the house. Ainu days and evenings, to be sure, she made
+herself very happy with reading, for she loved to read, particularly
+fairy books, and Rollo's Travels.
+
+But now, just as she had learned to skate on the basin with other little
+girls and young ladies, and could drive Wings anywhere and everywhere
+she pleased, it was a sore trial to give up these amusements for the
+sake of spending more hours with poor little Prudy. She was very
+self-denying at first, but it grew to be an "old story." She found it
+was not only pony and skates she must give up, but even her precious
+reading, for Prudy was jealous of books, and did not like to have Susy
+touch them. She thought Susy was lost to her when she opened a book, and
+might as well not be in the house, for she never heard a word that
+anybody said.
+
+Now I know just what you will think: "O, I would have given up a great
+deal more than ponies and books for _my_ dear little sister! I would
+have told her stories, and never have complained that my 'tongue ached.'
+It would not have wearied me to do anything and everything for such a
+patient sufferer as little Prudy!"
+
+But now I shall be obliged to confess one thing, which I would have
+gladly concealed.
+
+Prudy was not always patient. Some sweet little children become almost
+like the angels when sickness is laid upon them; but Prudy had been such
+a healthy, active child, that the change to perfect quiet was
+exceedingly tiresome. She was young, too,--too young to reason about the
+uses of suffering. She only knew she was dreadfully afflicted, and
+thought everybody ought to amuse her.
+
+"O, dear me!" said Susy, sometimes, "I just believe the more anybody
+does for Prudy, the more she expects."
+
+Now this was really the case. When Prudy first began to lie upon the
+sofa, everybody pitied her, and tried to say and do funny things, in
+order to take up her attention. It was not possible to keep on giving so
+much time to her; but Prudy expected it. She would lie very pleasant and
+happy for hours at a time, counting the things in the room, talking to
+herself, or humming little tunes; and then, again, everything would go
+wrong. Her playthings would keep falling to the floor, and, as she could
+not stoop at all, some one must come and pick them up that very minute,
+or they "didn't pity her a bit."
+
+Every once in a while, she declared her knee was "broken in seven new
+places," and the doctor must come and take off the splint. She didn't
+want such a hard thing "right on there;" she wanted it "right off."
+
+Her mother told her she must try to be patient, and be one of God's
+little girls. "But, mamma," said Prudy, "does God love me any? I should
+think, if he loved me, he'd be sorrier I was sick, and get me well."
+
+Then, sometimes, when she had been more fretful than usual, she would
+close her eyes, and her mother would hear her say, in a low voice,--
+
+"O, God, I didn't mean to. It's my _knee_ that's cross!"
+
+Upon the whole, I think Prudy was as patient as most children of her age
+would have been under the same trial. Her father and mother, who had the
+most care of her, did not wonder in the least that her poor little
+nerves got tired out sometimes.
+
+While Susy was at school, Prudy had a long time to think what she wanted
+her to do when she should come home. She would lie and watch the clock,
+for she had learned to tell the time quite well; and when the hour drew
+near for Susy to come, she moved her head on the pillow, and twisted her
+fingers together nervously.
+
+If Susy was in good season, Prudy put up her little mouth for a kiss,
+and said,--
+
+"O, how I do love you, Susy! Ain't I your dear little sister? Well,
+won't you make me a lady on the slate?"
+
+Susy's ladies had no necks, and their heads were driven down on their
+shoulders, as if they were going to be packed into their chests; but,
+such as they were, Prudy wanted them over and over again.
+
+But if Susy stopped to slide, or to play by the way, she would find
+little Prudy in tears, and hear her say, "O, what made you? Naughty,
+naughty old Susy! I'm goin' to die, and go to God's house, and then
+you'll be sorry you didn't 'tend to your little sister."
+
+Susy could never bear to hear Prudy talk about going to God's house. Her
+conscience pricked her when she saw that the poor child was grieved; and
+she resolved, every time she was late, that she would never be late
+again.
+
+Prudy had a great many odd fancies now: among others, she had a fancy
+that she did not like the name of Prudy.
+
+"Why; only think," said she, "you keep a-calling me Prudy, and Prudy,
+and Prudy. It makes my head ache, to have you say Prudy so much."
+
+"But, my dear child," said Mr. Parlin, smiling, "it happens,
+unfortunately, that Prudy is your name; so I think you will have to try
+and bear it as well as you can."
+
+"But I can't bear it any longer," said the child, bursting into tears.
+"Prudy is all lame and sick, and I never shall walk any more while you
+call me Prudy, papa."
+
+Mr. Parlin kissed his little daughters's pale cheek, and said, "Then we
+will call you pet names; will that do?"
+
+Prudy smiled with delight.
+
+"I've thought of a real beautiful, splendid name," said she. "It is Rosy
+Frances Eastman Mary; ain't it splendid?"
+
+After this announcement, Prudy expected the family would be sure to call
+her Rosy Frances Eastman Mary; and, indeed, they were quite willing to
+please her, whenever they could remember the name. They all supposed it
+was a fancy she would forget in a day or two; but, instead of that, she
+clung to it more and more fondly. If any one offered her an orange, or
+roasted apple, and said, "Look, Prudy; here is something nice for you,"
+she would turn her face over to one side on the pillow, and make no
+reply. If she wanted a thing very much, she would never accept it when
+she was addressed by the obnoxious name of Prudy. Even when her father
+wanted to take her in his arms to rest her, and happened to say, "Prudy,
+shall I hold you a little while?" she would say, "Who was you a-talkin'
+to, papa? There isn't any Prudy here!" Then her father had to humble
+himself, and ask to be forgiven for being so forgetful.
+
+The child had a delicate appetite, and her mother tried to tempt it with
+little niceties; but, no matter what pains she took, Prudy relished
+nothing unless it was given to her as Rosy Frances, the little girl who
+was _not_ Prudy.
+
+"O, here is a glass of lemonade for you, Prudy; made on purpose for
+you," Susy would say; "do drink it!"
+
+"O, dear me, suz," cried Prudy, with tears falling over her cheeks; "O,
+Susy, you plague me, and I never done a thing to you! You called me
+Prudy, and I ain't Prudy, never again! Call me Rosy Frances Eastman
+Mary, and I'll drink the lemonade."
+
+"You precious little sister," said Susy, bending over her gently,
+"you'll forgive me; won't you, darling?"
+
+"I'll try to," replied Prudy, with a look of meek forbearance, as she
+sipped the lemonade.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+LITTLE TROUBLES.
+
+
+Somebody said once to Susy and Flossy, when they were having a frolic in
+"Prudy's sitting-room," up stairs, "What happy little things! You don't
+know what trouble is, and never will, till you grow up!"
+
+The little girls preserved a respectful silence, till the lady was out
+of hearing, and then held an indignant discussion as to the truth of
+what she had said. It would have been a discussion, I mean, if they had
+not both taken the same side of the question.
+
+"How she sighed," said Susy, "just as if she was the _melancholiest_
+person that ever was!" Susy was famous for the use she made of
+adjectives, forming the superlatives just as it happened.
+
+"Yes, just the way," responded Flossy. "I'd like to know what ever
+happened to _her_? Pshaw! She laughed this afternoon, and ate apples
+fast enough!"
+
+"O, she thinks she must make believe have a dreadful time, because she
+is grown up," said Susy, scornfully. "She's forgot she was ever a little
+girl! I've had troubles; I guess I have! And I know one thing, I shall
+remember 'em when I grow up, and not say, 'What happy little things!'
+to children. It's real hateful!"
+
+Little folks have trouble, to be sure. Their hearts are full of it, and
+running over, sometimes; and how can the largest heart that ever beat be
+_more_ than full, and running over?
+
+Susy had daily trials. They were sent to her because they were good for
+her. Shadows and night-dews are good for flowers. If the sun had shone
+on Susy always, and she had never had any shadows and night dews, she
+would have _scorched up_ into a selfish girl.
+
+One of her trials was Miss Dotty Dimple. Now, she loved Dotty dearly,
+and considered her funny all over, from the crown of her head to the
+soles of her little twinkling feet, which were squeezed into a pair of
+gaiters. Dotty loved those gaiters as if they were alive. She had a
+great contempt for the slippers she wore in the morning, but it was her
+"darlin' gaiters," which she put on in the afternoon, and loved next to
+father and mother, and all her best friends.
+
+When ladies called, she stepped very briskly across the floor, looking
+down at her feet, and tiptoeing about, till the ladies smiled, and said,
+"O, what sweet little boots!" and then she was perfectly happy.
+
+Susy was not very wide awake in the morning; but Dotty was stirring as
+soon as there was a peep of light, and usually stole into Susy's bed to
+have a frolic. Nothing but a story would keep her still, and poor Susy
+often wondered which was harder, to be used as a football by Dotty, or
+to tell stories with her eyes shut.
+
+"O, Dotty Dimple, keep still; can't you? There's a darling," she would
+plead, longing for another nap; "_don't_ kill me."
+
+"No, no; me won't kill," the little one would reply; "'tisn't _pooty_ to
+kill!"
+
+"O, dear, you little, cunning, darling plague, now hush, and let me go
+to sleep!"
+
+Then Dotty would plant both feet firmly on Susy's chest, and say, in her
+teasing little voice, as troublesome as the hum of a mosquito,--
+
+"Won't you tell me 'tory--tell me a 'tory--tell me a 'tory, Susy."
+
+"Well, what do you want to hear?"
+
+Now, it was natural for Susy to feel cross when she was sleepy. It cost
+her a hard struggle to speak pleasantly, and when she succeeded in doing
+so, I set it down as one of her greatest victories over herself. The
+Quaker motto of her grandmother, "Let patience have her perfect work,"
+helped her sometimes, when she could wake up enough to remember it.
+
+"Tell 'bout little yellow gell," said the voice of the mosquito, over
+and over again.
+
+Susy roused herself after the third request, and sleepily asked if
+something else wouldn't do?
+
+"I had a little nobby-colt."
+
+"No, no, you _di'n't_, you _di'n't_; grandma had the nobby! Tell yellow
+gell."
+
+"O," sighed Susy, "how can you want to hear that so many, many times?
+Well, once when I was a little bit of a girl--"
+
+"'Bout's big as me, you _said_," put in Dotty.
+
+"O, yes, I did say so once, and I suppose I must tell it so every time,
+or you'll fuss! Well, I had a yellow dress all striped off in checks--"
+
+"Di'n't it go this way?" said Dotty, smoothing the sheet with her little
+hand, "and this way?"
+
+"What? What?" Susy roused herself and rubbed her eyes. "O, yes, it went
+in checks; and I was at grandma Parlin's, and Grace--Grace--O, Grace and
+I went into the pasture where there were a couple of cows, a gray cow
+and a red cow."
+
+"Now you must say what _is_ couple," says Dotty.
+
+"Then what is couple?"
+
+"Gray cow," answers Dotty, very gravely.
+
+"So when the cows saw us coming, they--they--O, they threw up their
+heads, and stopped eating grass--in the air. I mean--threw--up--their
+heads." Susy was nearly asleep.
+
+"Up in the air?"
+
+"Yes, of course, up in the air. (There, I _will_ wake up!) And the gray
+cow began to run towards us, and Grace says to me, 'O, my, she thinks
+you're a pumpkin!'"
+
+"You?"
+
+"Yes, me, because my dress was so yellow. I was just as afraid of the
+cow as I could be."
+
+"Good cow! _He_ wouldn't hurt!"
+
+"No, the cow was good, and didn't think I was a pumpkin, not the least
+speck. But I was so afraid, that I crept under the bars, and ran home."
+
+"To grandma's house?"
+
+"Yes; and grandma laughed."
+
+"Well, where was me?" was the next question, after a pause.
+
+Then, when the duty of story-telling was performed, Susy would gladly
+have gone back to "climbing the dream-tree;" but no, she must still
+listen to Dotty, though she answered her questions in an absent-minded
+way, like a person "hunting for a forgotten dream."
+
+One morning she was going to ride with her cousin Percy. It had been
+some time since she had seen Wings, except in the stable, where she
+visited him every day.
+
+But Dotty had set her heart on a rag-baby which Susy had promised to
+dress, and Prudy was anxious that Susy should play several games of
+checkers with her.
+
+"O, dear," said the eldest sister, with the perplexed air of a mother
+who has disobedient little ones to manage. "I think I have about as much
+as I can bear. The _children_ always make a fuss, just as sure as I
+want to go out."
+
+The old, impatient spirit was rising; that spirit which it was one of
+the duties of Susy's life to keep under control.
+
+She went into the bathing-room, and drank off a glass of cold water, and
+talked to herself a while, for she considered that the safest way.
+
+"Have I any right to be cross? Yes, I think I have. Here Dotty woke me
+up, right in the middle of a dream, and I'm sleepy this minute. Then
+Prudy is a little babyish thing, and always was--making a fuss if I
+forget to call her Rosy Frances! Yes, I'll be cross, and act just as I
+want to. It's too hard work to keep pleasant; I won't try."
+
+She walked along to the door, but, by that time, the better spirit was
+struggling to be heard.
+
+"Now, Susy Parlin," it said, "you little girl with a pony, and a pair of
+skates, and feet to walk on, and everything you want, ain't you ashamed,
+when you think of that dear little sister you pushed down stairs--no,
+didn't push--that poor little lame sister!--O, hark! there is your
+mother winding up that hard splint! How would you feel with such a thing
+on your hip? Go, this minute, and comfort Prudy!"
+
+The impatient feelings were gone for that time; Susy had swallowed
+them, or they had flown out of the window.
+
+"Now Rosy Frances Eastman Mary," said she, "if your splint is all fixed,
+I'll comb your hair."
+
+The splint was made of hard, polished wood and brass. Under it were
+strips of plaster an inch wide, which wound round and round the poor
+wounded limb. These strips of plaster became loose, and there was a
+little key-hole in the splint, into which Mrs. Parlin put a key, and
+wound up and tightened the plaster every morning. This operation did not
+hurt Prudy at all.
+
+"Now," said Susy, after she had combed Prudy's hair carefully, and put a
+net over it, until her mother should be ready to curl it, "now we will
+have a game of checkers."
+
+Prudy played in high glee, for Susy allowed her to jump all her men, and
+march triumphantly into the king-row, at the head of a victorious army.
+
+"There, now, Rosy," said Susy, gently, "are you willing to let me go out
+riding? I can't play any more if I ride, for I must dress Dotty's doll,
+and feed my canary."
+
+"O, well," said Prudy, considering the matter, "I'm sick; I tell you how
+it is, I'm sick, you know; but--well, you may go, Susy, if you'll make
+up a story as long as a mile."
+
+Susy really felt grateful to Prudy, but it was her own gentle manner
+which had charmed the sick child into giving her consent.
+
+Then Susy proceeded to dress Dotty's doll in a very simple fashion, with
+two holes for short sleeves, and a skirt with a raw edge; but she looked
+kind and pleasant while she was at work, and Dotty was just as well
+pleased as if it had been an elegant costume she was preparing. And it
+was really good enough for a poor deformed rag-baby, with a head shaped
+like a stove-pipe.
+
+Susy was delighted to find how well a little patience served her in
+amusing "the children." Next, she went to give Dandy his morning bath.
+Mrs. Parlin still thought it a dangerous practice, but had not seen Mrs.
+Mason, to question her about it, and Susy was too obstinate in her
+opinion to listen to her mother.
+
+"I must do it," said Susy; "it has been ever so long since Dandy was
+bathed, and I shouldn't take any comfort riding, mamma, if I didn't
+leave him clean."
+
+Susy plunged the trembling canary into his little bathing-bowl, in some
+haste. He struggled as usual, and begged, with his weak, piping voice,
+to be spared such an infliction. But Susy was resolute.
+
+"It'll do you good, Ducky Daddles; we mustn't have any lazy, dirty
+birdies in this house."
+
+Ducky Daddies rolled up his little eyes, and gasped for breath.
+
+"O, look, mother!" cried Susy, laughing; "how funny Dandy acts! Do you
+suppose it's to make me laugh? O, is he fainting away?"
+
+"Fainting away! My dear child, he is dying!"
+
+This was the sad truth. Mrs. Parlin fanned him, hoping to call back the
+lingering breath. But it was too late. One or two more throbs, and his
+frightened little heart had ceased to beat; his frail life had gone out
+as suddenly as a spark of fire.
+
+Susy was too much shocked to speak. She stood holding the stiffening
+bird in her hands, and gazing at it.
+
+Mrs. Parlin was very sorry for Susy, and had too much kindness of
+feeling to add to her distress by saying,--
+
+"You know how I warned you, Susy."
+
+Susy was already suffering for her obstinacy and disregard of her
+mother's advice; and Mrs. Parlin believed she would lay the lesson to
+heart quite as well without more words. It was a bitter lesson. Susy
+loved dumb creatures dearly, and was just becoming very fond of Dandy.
+
+In the midst of her trouble, and while her eyes were swollen with tears,
+her cousin Percy came with Wings and the sleigh to give her the promised
+ride. Susy no longer cared for going out: it seemed to her that her
+heart was almost broken.
+
+"Well, cousin Indigo, what is the matter?" said Percy; "you look as if
+this world was a howling wilderness, and you wanted to howl too. What,
+crying over that bird? Poh! I can buy you a screech-owl any time, that
+will make twice the noise he could in his best days. Come, hurry, and
+put your things on!"
+
+Susy buried her face in her apron.
+
+"I'll compose a dirge for him," said Percy.
+
+    "My bird is dead, said Susy P.,
+    My bird is dead; O, deary me!
+    He sang so sweet, te whee, te whee;
+    He sings no more; O, deary me!
+    Go hang his cage up in the tree,
+    That cage I care no more to see.
+    My bird is dead, cried Susy P."
+
+These provoking words Percy drawled out in a sing-song voice. It was
+too much. Susy's eyes flashed through her tears.
+
+"You've always laughed at me, Percy Eastman, and plagued me about Freddy
+Jackson, and everything, and I've borne it like a--like a lady. But when
+you go to laughing at my poor little Dandy that's dead, and can't
+speak--"
+
+Susy was about to say, "Can't speak for himself," but saw in time how
+absurdly she was talking, and stopped short.
+
+Percy laughed.
+
+"Where are you going with that cage?"
+
+"Going to put it away, where I'll never see it again," sobbed poor Susy.
+
+"Give it to me," said Percy: "I'll take care of it for you."
+
+If Susy's eyes had not been blinded by tears, she would have been
+surprised to see the real pity in Percy's face.
+
+He was a rollicking boy, full of merriment and bluster, and what tender
+feelings he possessed, he took such a wonderful amount of pains to
+conceal, that Susy never suspected he had any. She would have enjoyed
+her ride if she had not felt so full of grief. The day was beautiful.
+There had been a storm, and the trees looked as if they had been
+snowballing one another; but Susy had no eye for trees, and just then
+hardly cared for her pony.
+
+Percy put the cage in the sleigh, under the buffalo robes; and when
+they reached his own door, he carried the cage into the house, while
+Susy drew a sigh of relief. He offered to stuff Dandy, or have him
+stuffed; but Susy rejected the idea with horror.
+
+"No, if Dandy was dead, he was all dead; she didn't want to see him
+sitting up stiff and cold, when he couldn't sing a speck."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+ANNIE LOVEJOY.
+
+
+But the day was not over yet. The bright sun and blue sky were doing
+what they could to make a cheerful time of it, but it seemed as if Susy
+fell more deeply into trouble, as the hours passed on.
+
+There are such days in everybody's life, when it rains small vexations
+from morning till night, and when all we can do is to hope for better
+things to-morrow.
+
+It was Wednesday; and in the afternoon, Flossy Eastman came over with a
+new game, and while the little girls, Flossy, Susy and Prudy were
+playing it, and trying their best to keep Dotty Dimple's prying fingers
+and long curls out of the way, in came Miss Annie Lovejoy.
+
+This was a little neighbor, who, as the children sometimes privately
+declared, was "always 'round." Mrs. Parlin had her own private doubts
+about the advantages to be derived from her friendship, and had
+sometimes gone so far as to send her home, when she seemed more than
+usually in the way.
+
+Annie's mother lived next door, but all Mrs. Parlin knew of her, was
+what she could see and hear from her own windows; and that little was
+not very agreeable. She saw that Mrs. Love joy dressed in gaudy colors,
+and loaded herself with jewelry; and she could hear her scold her
+servants and children with a loud, shrill voice.
+
+The two ladies had never exchanged calls; but Annie, it seemed, had few
+playmates, and she clung to Susy with such a show of affection, that Mrs.
+Parlin could not forbid her visits, although she watched her closely;
+anxious, as a careful mother should be, to make sure she was a proper
+companion for her little daughter. So far she had never known her to say
+or do anything morally wrong, though her manners were not exactly those
+of a well-bred little girl.
+
+This afternoon, when the new game was broken up by the entrance of
+Annie, the children began the play of housekeeping, because Prudy could
+join in it. Susy found she enjoyed any amusement much more when it
+pleased the little invalid.
+
+"I will be the lady of the house," said Annie, promptly, "because I have
+rings on my fingers, and a coral necklace. My name is Mrs. Piper.
+Prudy,--no, Rosy,--you shall be Mrs. Shotwell, come a-visiting me;
+because you can't do anything else. We'll make believe you've lost your
+husband in the wars. I know a Mrs. Shotwell, and she is always
+_taking-on_, and saying, 'My poor dear husband,' under her handkerchief;
+just this way."
+
+The children laughed at the nasal twang which Annie gave to the words,
+and Prudy imitated it to perfection, not knowing it was wrong.
+
+"Well, what shall I be?" said Susy, not very well pleased that the first
+characters had been taken already.
+
+"O, you shall be a hired girl, and wear a handkerchief on your head,
+just as our girl does; and you must be a little deaf, and keep saying,
+'What, ma'am?' when I speak to you."
+
+"And I," said Florence, "will be Mr. Peter Piper, the head of the
+family."
+
+"Yes," returned Annie, "you can put on a waterproof cloak, and you will
+make quite a good-looking husband; but I shall be the head of the family
+myself, and have things about as I please!"
+
+"Well, there," cried Flossy, slipping her arms into the sleeves of her
+cloak, "I don't know about that; I don't think it's very polite for you
+to treat your husband in that way."
+
+Flossy wanted to have the control of family matters herself.
+
+"But I believe in 'Woman's Rights,'" said Annie, with a toss of the
+head, "and if there's anything I despise, it is a _man_ meddling about
+the house."
+
+Here little Dotty began to cause a disturbance, by sticking a
+fruit-knife into the edges of the "what-not," and making a whirring
+noise.
+
+"I wouldn't do so, Dotty," said Susy, going up to her; "it troubles us;
+and, besides, I'm afraid it will break the knife."
+
+"I don't allow my hired girl to interfere with my children," said
+Annie, speaking up in the character of Mrs. Piper; "I am mistress of the
+house, I'd have you to know! There, little daughter, they shan't plague
+her; she shall keep on doing mischief; so she shall!"
+
+Dotty needed no coaxing to keep on doing mischief, but hit the musical
+knife harder than ever, giving it a dizzy motion, like the clapper in a
+mill.
+
+Prudy was quite annoyed by the sound, but did not really know whether to
+be nervous or not, and concluded to express her vexation in groans: the
+groans she was giving in memory of the departed Mr. Shotwell, who had
+died of a "cannon bullet."
+
+"My good Mrs. Shotwell," said Mrs. Piper, trying to "make
+conversation," "I think I have got something in my eye: will you please
+tell me how it looks?"
+
+"O," said Prudy, peeping into it, "your eye looks very well, ma'am;
+don't you '_xcuse_ it; it looks well enough for _me_."
+
+"Ahem!" said Mrs. Piper, laughing, and settling her head-dress, which
+was Susy's red scarf: "are your feet warm, Mrs. Shotwell?"
+
+"Thank you, ma'am," replied Prudy, "I don't feel 'em cold. O, dear, if
+your husband was all deaded up, I guess you'd cry, Mrs. Piper."
+
+Susy and Flossy looked at each other, and smiled. They thought Prudy
+seemed more like herself than they had known her for a long time.
+
+"You must go right out of the parlor, Betsey," said Mrs. Piper,
+flourishing the poker; "I mean you, Susy--the parlor isn't any place for
+hired girls."
+
+"Ma'am?" said Susy, inclining her head to one side, in order to hear
+better.
+
+"O, dear! the plague of having a deaf girl!" moaned Mrs. Piper. "You
+don't know how trying it is, Mrs. Shotwell! That hired girl, Betsey,
+hears with her elbows, Mrs. Shotwell; I verily believe she does!"
+
+"O, no, ma'am," replied Prudy; "I guess she doesn't hear with her
+elbows, does she? If she _heard_ with her elbows, she wouldn't have to
+ask you over again!"
+
+This queer little speech set Mr. Piper and his wife, and their servant,
+all to laughing, and Betsey looked at her elbows, to see if they were in
+the right place.
+
+"Will you please, ma'am," said Prudy, "ask Betsey to _hot_ a flatiron?
+I've cried my handkerchief all up!"
+
+"Yes; go right out, Betsey, and _hot_ a flatiron," said Mrs. Piper, very
+hospitably. "Go out, this instant, and build a fire, Betsey."
+
+"Yes, go right out, Betsey," echoed Mr. Piper, who could find nothing
+better to do than to repeat his wife's words; for, in spite of himself,
+she did appear to be the "head of the family."
+
+"It was my darlin' husband's handkerchief," sobbed Prudy.
+
+"Rather a small one for a man," said Mr. Piper, laughing.
+
+"Well," replied Prudy, rather quick for a thought, "my husband had a
+very small nose!"
+
+Mrs. Piper tried to make more "conversation."
+
+"O, Mrs. Shotwell, you ought to be exceeding thankful you're a widow,
+and don't keep house! I think my hired girls will carry down my gray
+hairs to the grave! The last one I had was Irish, and very Catholic."
+
+Prudy groaned for sympathy, and wiped her eyes on that corner of her
+handkerchief which was supposed to be not quite "cried up."
+
+"Yes, indeed, it was awful," continued Mrs. Piper; "for she was always
+going to masses and mass-meetings; and there couldn't anybody die but
+they must be 'waked,' you know."
+
+"Why, I didn't know they could be waked up when they was dead," said
+Prudy, opening her eyes.
+
+"O, but they only _make believe_ you can wake 'em," said Mrs. Piper; "of
+course it isn't true! For my part, I don't believe a word an Irish girl
+says, any way."
+
+"Hush, my child," she continued, turning to Dotty, who was now
+sharpening the silver knife on the edges of the iron grate. "Betsey, why
+in the world don't you see to that baby? I believe you are losing your
+mind!"
+
+"That makes me think," said Prudy, suddenly breaking in with a new
+idea; "what do you s'pose the reason is folks can't be waked up? What
+makes 'em stay in heaven all the days, and nights, and years, and never
+come down here to see anybody, not a minute?"
+
+"What an idea!" said Annie. "I'm sure I don't know."
+
+"Well, I've been a thinkin'," said Prudy, answering her own question,
+"that when God has sended 'em up to the sky, they like to stay up there
+the best. It's a nicer place, a great deal nicer place, up to God's
+house."
+
+"O, yes, of course," replied Annie, "but our play--"
+
+"I've been a thinkin'," continued Prudy, "that when I go up to God's
+house, I shan't wear the splint. I can run all over the house, and he'll
+be willing I should go up stairs, and down cellar, you know."
+
+Prudy sighed. Sometimes she almost longed for "God's house."
+
+"Well, let's go on with our play," said Annie, impatiently. "It's most
+supper-time, Mrs. Shotwell. Come in, Betsey."
+
+"Ma'am?" said Betsey, appearing at the door, and turning up one ear,
+very much as if it were a dipper, in which she expected to catch the
+words which dropped from the lips of her mistress. "Betsey, have you
+attended to your sister--to my little child, I mean? Then go out and
+make some sassafras cakes, and some eel-pie, and some squirrel-soup;
+and set the table in five minutes: do you hear?"
+
+"Ma'am?" said the deaf servant; "what did you say about ginger-bread?"
+
+Susy did not like her part of the game; but she played it as well as she
+could, and let Annie manage everything, because that was what pleased
+Annie.
+
+"O, how stupid Betsey is!" said Mr. Piper, coming to the aid of his
+wife. "Mrs. Piper says eel-jumbles, and sassafras-pie, and pound-cake;
+all made in five minutes!"
+
+Here everybody laughed, and Prudy, suddenly remembering her part,
+sighed, and said,--
+
+"O, my darlin' husband used to like jumble-pie! I've forgot to cry for
+ever so long!"
+
+Susy began to set the table, and went into the nursery for some cake and
+cookies, which were kept in an old tin chest, on purpose for this play
+of housekeeping, which had now been carried on regularly every Wednesday
+and Saturday afternoon, for some time.
+
+Susy opened the cake-chest, and found nothing in it but a few dry
+cookies: the fruit-cake was all gone. Who could have eaten it? Not
+Flossy, for she had a singular dislike for raisins and currants, and
+never so much as tasted fruit-cake. Not Prudy, for the poor little thing
+had grown so lame by this time, that she was unable to bear her weight
+on her feet, much less to walk into the nursery. Dotty could not be the
+thief. Her baby-conscience was rather tough and elastic, and I suppose
+she would have felt no more scruples about nibbling nice things, than an
+unprincipled little mouse.
+
+But, then Dotty couldn't reach the cake-chest; so she was certainly
+innocent.
+
+Then Susy remembered in a moment that it was Annie: Annie had run into
+the house morning and night, and had often said, "I'm right hungry. I'm
+going to steal a piece of our cake!"
+
+So it seemed that Annie had eaten it _all_. Susy ran back to Prudy's
+sitting-room, where her little guests were seated, and said, trying not
+to laugh,--
+
+"Please, ma'am, I just made some eel-jumbles and things, and a dog came
+in and stole them."
+
+"Very well, Betsey," said Mrs. Piper, serenely; "make some more."
+
+"Yes, make some more," echoed Mr. Piper; and added, "chain up that dog."
+
+"But real honest true," said Susy, "the fruit-cake _is_ all gone out of
+the chest. You ate it up, you know, Annie; but it's no matter: we'll cut
+up some cookies, or, may be, mother'll let us have some
+oyster-crackers."
+
+"_I_ ate up the cake!" cried Annie; "It's no such a thing; I never
+touched it!" Her face flushed as she spoke.
+
+"O, but you did," persisted Susy; "I suppose you've forgotten! You went
+to the cake-chest this morning, and last night, and yesterday noon, and
+ever so many more times."
+
+Annie was too angry to speak.
+
+"But it's just as well," added Susy, politely; "you could have it as
+well as not, and perfectly welcome!"
+
+"What are you talking about?" cried Annie, indignantly; for she thought
+she saw a look of surprise and contempt on Flossy's face, and fancied
+that Flossy despised her because she had a weakness for fruit-cake.
+
+"I wonder if you take me for a pig, Susy Parlin! I heard what your
+mother said about that cake! She said it was too dry for her company,
+but it was too rich for little girls, and we must only eat a _teeny_
+speck at a time. I told my mamma, and she laughed, to think such mean
+dried-up cake was too rich for little girls!"
+
+Susy felt her temper rising, but her desire to be polite did not desert
+her.
+
+"It _was_ rich, nice cake, Annie; but mother said the slices had been
+cut a great while, and it was drying up. Let's not talk any more about
+it."
+
+"O, but I _shall_ talk more about it," cried Annie, still more
+irritated; "you keep hinting that I tell wrong stories and steal cake;
+yes, you do! and then you ain't willing to let me speak!"
+
+All this sounded like righteous indignation, but was only anger. Annie
+was entirely in the wrong, and knew it; therefore she lost her temper.
+
+Susy had an unusual amount of self-control at this time, merely because
+she had the truth on her side. But her dignified composure only vexed
+Annie the more.
+
+"I won't stay here to be imposed upon, and told that I'm a liar and a
+thief; so I won't! I'll go right home this very minute, and tell my
+mother just how you treat your company!"
+
+And, in spite of all Susy could say, Annie threw on her hood and cloak,
+and flounced out of the room; forgetting, in her wrath, to take off
+Susy's red scarf, which was still festooned about her head.
+
+"Well, I'm glad she's gone," said Flossy, coolly, as the door closed
+with a slam. "She's a bold thing, and my mother wouldn't like me to play
+with her, if she knew how she acts! She said 'victuals' for food, and
+that isn't _elegant_, mother says. What right had she to set up and say
+she'd be Mrs. Piper? So forward!"
+
+After all, this was the grievous part of the whole to Flossy,--that she
+had to take an inferior part in the play.
+
+"But I'm _sorry_ she's gone," said Susy, uneasily. "I don't like to have
+her go and tell that I wasn't polite."
+
+"You _was_ polite," chimed in little Prudy, from the sofa; "a great deal
+politer'n she was! I wouldn't care, if I would be you, Susy. I don't
+wish Annie was dead, but I wish she was a duck a-sailin' on the water!"
+
+The children went back to the game they had been playing before Annie
+came; but the interest was quite gone. Their quick-tempered little
+guest had been a "_kill-joy_" in spite of her name.
+
+But the afternoon was not over yet. What happened next, I will tell you
+in another chapter.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+MORAL COURAGE.
+
+
+Annie Lovejoy had not been gone fifteen minutes, when there was a sharp
+ringing of Mrs. Parlin's doorbell, and a little boy gave Norah the red
+scarf of Susy's, and a note for Mrs. Parlin.
+
+Norah suspected they both came from Mrs. Lovejoy, and she could see that
+lady from the opposite window, looking toward the house with a very
+defiant expression.
+
+Mrs. Parlin opened the note with some surprise, for she had been
+engaged with visitors in the parlor, and did not know what had been
+going on up stairs.
+
+Whatever Mrs. Lovejoy's other accomplishments might be, she could not
+write very elegantly. The ink was hardly dry, and the words were badly
+blotted, as well as incorrectly spelled.
+
+    "Mrs. Parlin.
+
+     "Madam: If my own _doughter_ is a _theif_ and a _lier_, I beg to be
+     informed. She has no _knowlidg_ of the cake, _whitch_ was so
+     _dryed_ up, a _begar woold_ not touch it. Will Miss Susan Parlin
+     come over here, and take back her words?
+
+    "SERENA LOVEJOY."
+
+Mrs. Parlin was at a loss to understand this, for she had quite
+forgotten the fact, that the children had any cake to use at their play
+of housekeeping. She supposed that Susy must have accused Annie of
+prying into the china-closet, where the cakes and jellies were kept. She
+sent for Susy at once.
+
+"My daughter," said she, in her usual quiet tones, "did you ever have
+any reason to suppose that Annie Lovejoy went about meddling with our
+things, and peeping into the closets?"
+
+"Why, no, mother," replied Susy, much surprised; "she never saw the
+closets, that I know of. Why, mother, what do you mean?"
+
+"Never ate cake, did she, without leave?"
+
+"O, now I know what you mean, mother! Yes'm, she ate some of that
+fruit-cake you gave us to play with; and when I told her of it, she got
+angry, and said she was going right home, and would tell her mother how
+I treated my company; but I don't see how you found that out!"
+
+"Never mind yet how I found it out, my dear. I want to know if you are
+sure that Annie ate the cake?"
+
+"Yes, mother: just as certain sure as I can be! You know Dotty can't
+reach that high shelf in the nursery-closet, and I can't, without
+getting into a chair; and Prudy can't walk a step; and Flossy despises
+cake."
+
+"But," said Mrs. Parlin, smiling, "I don't see that you have proved
+Annie to be the guilty one."
+
+"Guilty? O, I don't know as she is _guilty_, mamma; but she ate the
+cake! She ate it right before my face and eyes; but I told her it was
+just as well, she was perfectly welcome, and tried to be as polite as if
+she was a grown-up lady, mother. But, O, dear, it didn't make a speck of
+difference how much I said; for the more I said, the more angry she
+grew, and I couldn't make her believe I didn't think she was a thief and
+a liar! Only think, a thief and a liar! But I never said those words at
+all, mother!"
+
+"Very well, my dear; I am sure you did not. It is a great comfort to
+me, Susy, that I can always rely on your word. You have done nothing
+wrong, and need not be unhappy; but Mrs. Lovejoy sends for you to go
+over and tell her just what you mean about the cake; are you willing to
+go?"
+
+Susy was not willing; indeed, she was very much frightened, and begged
+her mother to excuse her in some way to Mrs. Lovejoy, or, if that would
+not do, to go herself and explain the matter for her.
+
+But, as it was Susy's own affair, Mrs. Parlin wished to have as little
+to do with it as possible. Besides, she considered it a good opportunity
+to teach Susy a lesson in moral courage.
+
+Susy started very reluctantly.
+
+"I'm afraid Mrs. Lovejoy will scold real sharp," said she. "What shall I
+do? O, mother, I didn't see Annie eat _all_ the cake; I didn't watch.
+How do I know but she gave some crumbs to the cat? Can't I--can't I say,
+I _guess_ the cat ate it?"
+
+"Susy!" said Mrs. Parlin, sternly, "are you more afraid of displeasing
+Mrs. Lovejoy than you are of displeasing God? All that is required of
+you is the simple truth. Merely say to Annie's mother just what you have
+said to me; that you saw Annie eating cake several times, though there
+was no harm in it, and you did _not_ call her either a thief or a liar.
+Speak respectfully, but decidedly; and when you have said all that is
+necessary, leave her politely, and come home."
+
+Susy called up all her courage when she entered Mrs. Lovejoy's house,
+and saw that lady sitting very erect on a sofa, with a bleak face, which
+looked somehow as if a north-east wind had blown over it, and frozen it.
+
+"Well, little girl," said she, without waiting for ceremony, "so you
+call my Annie all the bad names you can think of, it seems. Is that the
+way you are brought up?"
+
+"I didn't call her names, ma'am; she ate the cake, but I was willing,"
+replied Susy, calmly and respectfully, though she trembled from head to
+foot. There was one thought which sustained Susy; she was telling the
+truth, and that was just what God wanted her to do.
+
+"Well," said Mrs. Lovejoy, "I must say you're a dignified little piece!
+Do you know you've done the same thing as to tell me I lie?"
+
+This was just the way _Annie_ had spoken; warping innocent words, and
+making them the occasion of a quarrel.
+
+Susy could think of nothing which seemed exactly right to say to Mrs.
+Lovejoy in reply; so she wisely held her peace.
+
+"Yes, miss, you've insulted my child, and, as if that were not enough,
+you come over here, deliberately, and insult _me_, in my own house!"
+
+Tears sprang to Susy's eyes, but she resolutely crushed them back.
+There was, in her childish mind, a certain sense of self-respect, which
+made her unwilling to cry in the presence of such a person as Mrs.
+Lovejoy. She felt instinctively that the woman was not a lady. Susy was
+too young to reason about the matter; but she was quite sure her own
+mother was a model of good manners; and never, never had she known her
+mother to raise her voice to such a high key, or speak such angry words!
+
+Mrs. Lovejoy said a great many things which were both severe and unjust;
+but Susy managed to keep up a respectful manner, as her mother had
+directed. Mrs. Lovejoy was disappointed. She had expected Susy would
+quail before her presence and make the most humble confessions.
+
+"I always knew," cried Mrs. Lovejoy, becoming more and more
+exasperated,--"I always knew Mrs. Parlin held her head pretty high! She
+is a proud, stuck-up woman, your mother is; she has taught you to look
+down on my little girl! O, yes, I understand the whole story! You're a
+beautiful family for neighbors!"
+
+Poor Susy was fairly bewildered.
+
+"Now you may go home as straight as you can go! But remember one thing:
+never, while we live in this city, shall my daughter Annie darken your
+doors again!"
+
+Susy walked home with downcast head and overflowing eyes. Her heart was
+very heavy, for she felt she had been disgraced for life, and could
+never be respected any more. Here was a trial so terrible that it caused
+the death of little Dandy to seem almost a trifle by comparison.
+
+It was strange, Susy thought, how people could live through such severe
+troubles as had fallen to her lot to-day. She was a little girl of quick
+and sensitive feelings, and a sharp word always wounded her more than a
+blow. How that angry woman had talked about her mother!
+
+Susy decided, upon the whole, that this was the sting--this was the "pin
+in the lash," which had hurt her more than the lash. How _dared_ Mrs.
+Lovejoy say a word about her own mother, who was certainly the best
+woman that ever lived, always excepting the good people in the Bible!
+
+By the time she entered the house, her indignation had risen like a
+blaze, and burned away all her tears. But should she tell her mother
+what Mrs. Lovejoy had said about her ownself, about her being "stuck
+up," and holding her head pretty high? Susy could not decide whether she
+ought to tell her, and risk the danger of almost breaking her heart! But
+before she had time to decide, she had poured out the whole story in a
+torrent.
+
+Strange to say, Mrs. Parlin listened with perfect calmness, and even
+said, when Susy had finished,--
+
+"Very well, my dear; now you may go and hang up your hood and cloak."
+
+"But, mother," said Susy, rushing up stairs again, quite out of breath,
+"now I've taken care of my things; but did you understand what I said,
+mother? Annie will never come into this house, never again! Her mother
+forbids it!"
+
+"That is quite fortunate for me, Susy, as it saves me the trouble of
+forbidding it myself!"
+
+"Why, mother, you wouldn't do such a thing as that! Why, mother, I never
+heard of your doing such a thing in my life!"
+
+"I should regret the necessity very much, my child; but wouldn't it be
+better, on the whole, to have a little moral courage, and put an end to
+all intercourse between the two families, than to live in a constant
+broil?"
+
+"Why, yes, mother, I suppose so."
+
+Susy was beginning to feel more composed. She saw that her mother
+understood the whole story, yet her heart was far from being broken!
+
+"What is moral courage, mother?"
+
+"The courage to do right."
+
+"Did I have moral courage when I told Mrs. Lovejoy the truth?"
+
+"Yes, dear. It was hard for you, wasn't it? If it had been easy, there
+would have been no moral courage about it."
+
+"I am glad I had moral courage!" said Susy with animation. "I knew I did
+something _right_, but I didn't know what you called it."
+
+"Now," continued Mrs. Parlin, "I have this very day been talking with a
+lady, who once lived next door to Mrs. Lovejoy; and she tells me enough
+about her to convince me that she is not a person I wish for a neighbor.
+And I have heard enough about Annie, too, to feel very sure she is not a
+safe companion for my little daughter."
+
+"But, mother," said Susy, "you are not--you don't feel 'stuck up' above
+Mrs. Lovejoy?"
+
+Mrs. Parlin smiled.
+
+"That is not a very proper expression, Susy; but I think I do not feel
+_stuck-up_ above her in the least. I am only anxious that my little
+daughter may not be injured by bad examples. I don't know what sort of a
+little girl Annie might be with proper influences, but--"
+
+"Now, mamma, I don't want to say anything improper," said Susy,
+earnestly; "but wouldn't it be the _piousest_ for me to play with Annie,
+and try to make her go to Sabbath school, and be better?"
+
+Mrs. Parlin did not answer at once. She was thinking of what she had
+said to Susy about people who are "home missionaries," and do a great
+deal of good by a beautiful example.
+
+"If you were older, dear, it would be quite different. But, instead of
+improving Annie, who is a self-willed child, I fear you would only grow
+worse yourself. She is bold, and you are rather timid. She wants to
+lead, and not to follow. I fear she will set you bad examples."
+
+"I didn't know, mamma; but I thought I was almost old enough to set my
+_own_ examples! I'm the oldest of the family."
+
+Susy said no more about becoming a home-missionary to Annie; for,
+although she could not quite see the force of her mother's reasoning,
+she believed her mother was always right.
+
+"But what does she mean by calling me _timid_? She has blamed me a great
+deal for being _bold_."
+
+Yes, bold Susy certainly was, when there was a fence to climb, a pony to
+ride, or a storm to be faced; but she was, nevertheless, a little
+faint-hearted when people laughed at her. But Susy was learning every
+day, and this time it had been a lesson in moral courage. She did not
+fully understand her mother, however, as you will see by and by.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+RUTHIE TURNER.
+
+                  "The darkest day,
+    Wait till to-morrow, will have passed away."
+
+
+The next morning, Susy woke with a faint recollection that something
+unpleasant had occurred, though she could not at first remember what it
+was.
+
+"But I didn't do anything wrong," was her second thought. "Now, after I
+say my prayers, the next thing I'll feed--O, Dandy is dead!"
+
+"See here, Susy," said Percy, coming into the dining-room, just after
+breakfast; "did you ever see this cage before?"
+
+"Now, Percy! When you know I want it out of my sight!"
+
+Then, in the next breath, "Why, Percy Eastman, if here isn't your
+beautiful mocking-bird in the cage!"
+
+"Yes, Susy; and if you'll keep him, and be good to him, you'll do me a
+great favor."
+
+It was a long while before Susy could be persuaded that this rare bird
+was to be her "ownest own." It was a wonderfully gifted little creature.
+Susy could but own that he was just as good as a canary, only a great
+deal better. "The greater included the less." He had as sweet a voice,
+and a vast deal more compass. His powers of mimicry were very amusing to
+poor little Prudy, who was never tired of hearing him mew like a kitten,
+quack like a duck, or whistle like a schoolboy.
+
+Susy was still more delighted than Prudy. It was so comforting, too, to
+know that she was doing Percy "a great favor," by accepting his
+beautiful present. She wondered in her own mind how he _could_ be tired
+of such an interesting pet, and asked her to take it, just to get rid of
+it!
+
+About this time, Mr. Parlin bought for Prudy a little armed-chair, which
+rolled about the floor on wheels. This Prudy herself could propel with
+only the outlay of a very little strength; but there were days when she
+did not care to sit in it at all. Prudy seemed to grow worse. The doctor
+was hopeful, very hopeful; but Mrs. Parlin was not.
+
+Prudy's dimpled hands had grown so thin, that you could trace the
+winding path of every blue vein quite distinctly. Her eyes were large
+and mournful, and seemed to be always asking for pity. She grew quiet
+and patient--"painfully patient," her father said. Indeed, Mr. Parlin,
+as well as his wife, feared the little sufferer was ripening for heaven.
+
+"Mamma," said she, one day, "mamma, you never snip my fingers any
+nowadays do you? When I'm just as naughty, you never snip my fingers!"
+
+Mrs. Parlin turned her face away. There were tears in her eyes, and she
+did not like to look at those little white fingers, which she was almost
+afraid would never have the natural, childish naughtiness in them any
+more.
+
+"I think sick and patient little girls don't need punishing," said she,
+after a while. "Do you remember how you used to think I snipped your
+hands to 'get the naughty out?' You thought the naughty was all in your
+little hands!"
+
+"But it wasn't, mamma," said Prudy, slowly and solemnly. "I know where
+it was: it was in my _heart_."
+
+"Who can take the naughty out of our hearts, dear? Do you ever think?"
+
+"Our Father in heaven. No one else can. _He_ knows how to snip our
+hearts, and get the naughty out. Sometimes he sends the earache and the
+toothache to Susy, and the--the--lameness to me. O, he has a great many
+ways of snipping!"
+
+Prudy was showing the angel-side of her nature now. Suffering was
+"making her perfect." She had a firm belief that God knew all about it,
+and that somehow or other it was "all right." Her mother took a great
+deal of pains to teach her this. She knew that no one can bear
+affliction with real cheerfulness who does not trust in God.
+
+But there was now and then a bright day when Prudy felt quite buoyant,
+and wanted to play. Susy left everything then, and tried to amuse her.
+If this lameness was refining little Prudy, it was also making Susy more
+patient. She could not look at her little sister's pale face, and not be
+touched with pity.
+
+One afternoon, Flossy Eastman and Ruthie Turner came to see Susy; and,
+as it was one of Prudy's best days, Mrs. Parlin said they might play in
+Prudy's sitting-room. Ruthie was what Susy called an "old-fashioned
+little girl." She lived with a widowed mother, and had no brothers and
+sisters, so that she appeared much older than she really was. She liked
+to talk with grown people upon wise subjects, as if she were at least
+twenty-five years old. Susy knew that this was not good manners, and she
+longed to say so to Ruthie.
+
+Aunt Madge was in Prudy's sitting-room when Ruthie entered. Ruthie went
+up to her and shook hands at once.
+
+"I suppose it is Susy's aunt Madge," said she. "I am delighted to see
+you, for Susy says you love little girls, and know lots of games."
+
+There was such a quiet composure in Ruth's manner, and she seemed to
+feel so perfectly at home in addressing a young lady she had never seen
+before, that Miss Parlin was quite astonished, as well as a little
+inclined to smile.
+
+Then Ruthie went on to talk about the war. Susy listened in mute
+despair, for she did not know anything about politics. Aunt Madge looked
+at Susy's face, and felt amused, for _Ruthie_ knew nothing about
+politics either: she was as ignorant as Susy. She had only heard her
+mother and other ladies talking together. Ruthie answered all the
+purpose of a parrot hung up in a cage, for she caught and echoed
+everything that was said, not having much idea what it meant.
+
+When aunt Madge heard Ruth laboring away at long sentences, with hard
+words in them, she thought of little Dotty, as she had seen her, that
+morning, trying to tug Percy's huge dog up stairs in her arms.
+
+"It is too much for her," thought aunt Madge: "the dog got the
+upper-hand of Dotty, and I think the big words are more than a match for
+Ruth."
+
+But Ruth did not seem to know it, for she persevered. She gravely asked
+aunt Madge if she approved of the "_Mancimation_ of _Proclapation_."
+Then she said she and her mamma were very much "_perplexed"_ when news
+came of the last defeat. She would have said "_surprised_" only
+_surprised_ was an every-day word, and not up to standard of elegant
+English.
+
+Ruth was not so very silly, after all. It was only when she tried to
+talk of matters too old for her that she made herself ridiculous. She
+was very quiet and industrious, and had knit several pairs of socks for
+the soldiers.
+
+As soon as Miss Parlin could disentangle herself from her conversation
+with Ruthie, she left the children to themselves.
+
+"Let's keep school," said Prudy. "I'll be teacher, if you want me to."
+
+"Very well," replied Susy, "we'll let her; won't we, girls? she is such
+a darling."
+
+"Well," said Prudy, with a look of immense satisfaction, "please go,
+Susy, and ask grandma if I may have one of those shiny, white
+handkerchiefs she wears on her neck, and a cap, and play Quaker."
+
+Grandma was very glad that Prudy felt well enough to play Quaker, and
+lent her as much "costume" as she needed, as well as a pair of
+spectacles without eyes, which the children often borrowed for their
+plays, fancying that they added to the dignity of the wearer.
+
+When Prudy was fairly equipped, she was a droll little Quakeress,
+surely, and grandma had to be called up from the kitchen to behold her
+with her own eyes. The little soft face, almost lost in the folds of the
+expansive cap, was every bit as solemn as if she had been, as aunt Madge
+said, "a hundred years old, and very old for her age."
+
+She was really a sweet little likeness of grandma Read in miniature.
+
+"And their names are alike, too," said Susy: "grandma's name is
+Prudence, and so is Prudy's."
+
+"Used to be," said Prudy, gravely.
+
+"Rosy Frances" was now lifted most carefully into her little wheeled
+chair and no queen ever held a court with more dignity than she assumed
+as she smoothed into place the folds of her grandma's snowy kerchief,
+which she wore about her neck.
+
+"What shall we do first?" said Flossy and Susy.
+
+"Thee? thee?" Prudy considered "thee" the most important word of all.
+"Why, _thee_ may behave; I mean, behave _thyselves_."
+
+The new teacher had not collected her ideas yet.
+
+"Let's get our books together," said Susy, "and then we'll all sit on
+the sofa and study."
+
+"Me, me," chimed in Dotty Dimple, dropping the little carriage in which
+she was wheeling her kitty; "me, too!"
+
+"Well, if you must, you must; snuggle in here between Flossy and me,"
+said Susy, who was determined that to-day everything should go on
+pleasantly.
+
+"Sixteenth class in joggerphy," said Miss Rosy Frances, peeping severely
+over her spectacles. "Be spry quick!"
+
+The three pupils stood up in a row, holding their books close to their
+faces.
+
+"Thee may hold out your hands now, and I shall ferule thee--the whole
+school," was the stern remark of the young teacher, as she took off her
+spectacles to wipe the holes.
+
+"Why, we haven't been doing anything," said Ruthie, affecting to cry.
+
+"No, I know it; but thee'd _ought_ to have been doing something; thee'd
+ought to have studied thy lessons."
+
+"But, teacher, we didn't have time," pleaded Flossy; "you called us out
+so quick! Won't you forgive us!"
+
+"Yes, I will," said Rosy Frances, gently; "I will, if thee'll speak up
+_'xtremely_ loud, and fix _thine_ eyes on thy teacher."
+
+The pupils replied, "Yes, ma'am," at the top of their voices.
+
+"Now," said Rosy Frances, appearing to read from the book, "where is the
+Isthmus of _Susy?_"
+
+The scholars all laughed, and answered at random. They did not know that
+their teacher was trying to say the "Isthmus of Suez."
+
+The next question took them by surprise:--
+
+"Is there any man in the moon?"
+
+"What a queer idea, Rosy," said Susy; "what made you ask that?"
+
+"'Cause I wanted to know," replied the Quaker damsel. "They said he
+came down when the other man was eatin' porridge. I should think, if he
+went back up there, and didn't have any wife and children, he'd be real
+lonesome!"
+
+This idea of Prudy's set the whole school to romancing, although it was
+in the midst of a recitation. Flossy said if there was a man in the
+moon, he must be a giant, or he never could get round over the
+mountains, which she had heard were very steep.
+
+Ruthie asked if there was anything said about his wife! Susy, who had
+read considerable poetry was sure she had heard something of a woman up
+there, named "Cynthia;" but she supposed it was all "moonshine," or
+"made up," as she expressed it. She said she meant to ask her aunt
+Madge to write a fairy story about it.
+
+Here their progress in useful knowledge was cut short by the
+disappearance of Dotty. Looking out of the window, they saw the little
+rogue driving ducks with a broomstick. These ducks had a home not far
+from Mrs. Parlin's, and if Dotty Dimple had one temptation stronger than
+all others, it was the sight of those waddling fowls, with their velvet
+heads, beads of eyes, and spotted feathers. When she saw them "marshin'
+along," she was instantly seized with a desire either to head the
+company or to march in the rear, and set them to quacking. She was
+bareheaded, and Susy ran down stairs to bring her into the house; and
+that was an end of the school for that day. Dotty Dimple was something
+like the kettle of molasses which Norah was boiling, very sweet, but
+very apt to _boil over_: she needed watching.
+
+When Norah's candy was brought up stairs, the little girls pronounced it
+excellent.
+
+"O, dear," said Flossy, "I wish our girl was half as good as Norah! I
+don't see why Electa and Norah ain't more alike when they are own
+sisters!"
+
+"What dreadful girls your mother always has!" said Susy; "it's too bad?"
+
+"I know of a girl," said Prudy, "one you'd like ever'n, ever so much,
+Flossy; only you can't have her."
+
+"Why not?" said Flossy; "my mother would go hundreds of leagues to get a
+good girl. Why can't she have her?"
+
+"O, 'cause, she's _dead!_ It's Norah's cousin over to Ireland."
+
+They next played the little game of guessing "something in this room,"
+that begins with a certain letter. Ruthie puzzled them a long while on
+the initial S. At last she said she meant "scrutau" (escritoire or
+scrutoire), pointing towards the article with her finger.
+
+"Why, that's a _writing-desk_," said Susy. "I don't see where you learn
+so many big worns, Ruthie."
+
+"O, I take notice, and remember them," replied Ruthie, looking quite
+pleased. She thought Susy was praising her.
+
+"Now let _me_ tell some letters," said Prudy.
+
+"L.R. She lives at your house, Flossy."
+
+Nobody could guess.
+
+"Why, I should think _that_ was easy enough," said Prudy: "it's that
+girl that lives there; she takes off the covers of your stove with a
+clothes-pin: it's 'Lecta Rosbornd.'"
+
+The little girls explained to Prudy that the true initials of Electa
+Osborne would be E.O., instead of L.R. But Prudy did not know much about
+spelling. She _had_ known most of her letters; but it was some time ago,
+and they had nearly all slipped out of her head.
+
+She said, often, she wished she could "only, only read;" and Susy
+offered to teach her, but Mrs. Parlin said it would never do till Prudy
+felt stronger.
+
+I will tell you now why I think Susy did not understand her mother when
+she said Annie was not a suitable playmate. In the evening, after Ruthie
+and Flossy were gone, Susy said to her mother,--
+
+"I feel real cross with Ruthie, mamma: I think she puts herself forward.
+She goes into a room, and no matter how old the people are that are
+talking, she speaks up, and says, 'O, yes, I know all about it.' I never
+saw such an old-fashioned little girl."
+
+"Very well," said Mrs. Parlin; "if _she_ is rude, take care that the
+same fault does not appear in yourself, Susy."
+
+"But, mother," said Susy, suddenly veering about and speaking in Ruth's
+favor, "I don't know but it's proper to do as Ruthy does. If you know
+something, and other people don't, ain't it right to speak up and say
+it?"
+
+"It is never right for little girls to _monopolize_ conversation, Susy;
+that is, to take the lead in it, and so prevent older people from
+talking. Neither is it proper to pretend to know more than we do, and
+talk of things beyond our knowledge."
+
+"I knew you would say so, mother. I just asked to hear what you would
+say. I know Ruthie is ill-mannered: do you think I ought to play with
+her any more?"
+
+Mrs. Parlin looked at Susy in surprise.
+
+"Why, you know, mother, you wouldn't let me play with Annie Lovejoy. You
+said, 'evil communications corrupted good manners.'"
+
+"But can't you see any difference in the cases, Susy? What a muddy
+little head you must wear on your shoulders!"
+
+"Not much of any," said Susy, trying to think; "they're both _bold_;
+that's what you don't like."
+
+"Anything else, Susy?"
+
+"O, yes, mother; Ruthie's good, and Annie isn't. It was queer for me to
+forget that!"
+
+"I should think it was, Susy, since it is the only thing of much
+importance, after all. Now, it seems to me you are very ready to cast
+off your friends when their manners offend you. How would you like it to
+be treated in the same way? Suppose Mrs. Turner and Ruthie should be
+talking together this very minute. Ruthie says, 'That Susy Parlin keeps
+her drawers in a perfect tumble; she isn't orderly a bit. Susy Parlin
+never knit a stitch for the soldiers in her life. Mother, mayn't I stop
+playing with Susy Parlin?'"
+
+Susy laughed, and looked a little ashamed.
+
+"Well, mother," said she, twisting the corner of her handkerchief, "I
+guess I can't say anything about Ruthie Turner; she's a great deal
+better girl than I am, any way."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+SUSY'S BIRTHDAY.
+
+
+Days and weeks passed. The snowflakes, which had fallen from time to
+time, and kept themselves busy making a patchwork quilt for mother
+Earth, now melted away, and the white quilt was torn into shreds. The
+bare ground was all there was to be seen, except now and then a dot of
+the white coverlet. It was Spring, and everything began to wake up. The
+sun wasn't half so sleepy, and didn't walk off over the western hills in
+the middle of the afternoon to take a nap.
+
+The sleighing was gone long ago. The roads were dismal swamps. "Wings"
+would have a rest till "settled going." Susy's skates were hung up in a
+green baize bag, to dream away the summer.
+
+The mocking-bird performed his daily duties of entertaining the family,
+besides learning a great many new songs. Susy said she tried not to set
+her heart on that bird.
+
+"I'll not give him a name," she added, "for then he'll be sure to die!
+My first canary was Bertie, and I named the others Berties, as fast as
+they died off. The last one was so yellow that I couldn't help calling
+him Dandelion; but I wish I hadn't, for then, perhaps, he'd have lived."
+
+Susy had caught some whimsical notions about "signs and wonders." It is
+strange how some intelligent children will believe in superstitious
+stories! But as soon as Susy's parents discovered that her young head
+had been stored with such worse than foolish ideas, they were not slow
+to teach her better.
+
+She had a great fright, about this time, concerning Freddy Jackson. He
+was one of the few children who were allowed to play in "Prudy's
+sitting-room." He did not distract the tired nerves of "Rosy Frances,"
+as her cousin Percy and other boys did, by sudden shouts and loud
+laughing. Prudy had a vague feeling that he was one of the little ones
+that God thought best to punish by "snipping his heart." She knew what
+it was to have _her_ heart snipped, and had a sympathy with little
+Freddy.
+
+Susy loved Freddy, too. Perhaps Percy was right, when he said that Susy
+loved everything that was dumb; and I am not sure but her tender heart
+would have warmed to him all the more if he had been stone-blind, as
+well as deaf.
+
+Freddy had a drunken father, and a sad home; but, for all that, he was
+not entirely miserable. It is only the wicked who are miserable. The
+kind Father in heaven has so planned it that there is something pleasant
+in everybody's life.
+
+Freddy had no more idea what _sound_ is than we have of the angels in
+heaven; but he could see, and there is so much to be seen! Here is a
+great, round world, full of beauty and wonder. It stands ready to be
+looked at. Freddy's ears must be forever shut out from pleasant sound;
+but his bright eyes were wide open, seeing all that was made to be
+seen.
+
+He loved to go to Mrs. Parlin's, for there he was sure to be greeted
+pleasantly; and he understood the language of smiles as well as anybody.
+
+When grandma Read saw him coming she would say,--
+
+"Now, Susan, thee'd better lay aside thy book, for most likely the poor
+little fellow will want to _talk_."
+
+And Susy did lay aside her book. She had learned so many lessons this
+winter in self-denial!
+
+These "silent talks" were quite droll. Little Dotty almost understood
+something about them; that is, when they used the signs: the alphabet
+was more than she could manage. When Freddy wanted to talk about Dotty,
+he made a sign for a dimple in each cheek. He smoothed his hair when he
+meant Susy, and made a waving motion over his head for Prudy, whose hair
+was full of ripples.
+
+Prudy said she had wrinkled hair, and she knew it; but the wrinkles
+"wouldn't come out."
+
+Grandma Read sat one evening by the coal-grate, holding a letter in her
+hand, and looking into the glowing fire with a thoughtful expression.
+Susy came and sat near her, resting one arm on her grandma's lap, and
+trying in various ways to attract her attention.
+
+"Why, grandma," said she, "I've spoken to you three times; but I can't
+get you to answer or look at me."
+
+"What does thee want, my dear? I will try to attend to thee."
+
+"O, grandma, there are ever so many things I want to say, now mother is
+out of the room, and father hasn't got home. I must tell somebody, or my
+heart will break; and you know, grandma dear, I can talk to you so
+easy."
+
+"Can thee? Then go on, Susy; what would thee like to say?"
+
+"O, two or three things. Have you noticed, grandma, that I've been just
+as sober as can be?"
+
+"For how long, Susan?"
+
+"O, all day; I've felt as if I couldn't but just live!"
+
+Grandma Read did not smile at this. She knew very well that such a child
+as Susy is capable of intense suffering.
+
+"Well, Susan, is it about thy sister Prudence?"
+
+"O, no, grandma! she's getting; better; isn't she?"
+
+"Are thy lessons at school too hard for thee, Susan?"
+
+Mrs. Read saw that Susy was very reluctant about opening her heart,
+although she had said she could talk to her grandmother "so easy."
+
+"No, indeed, grandma; my lessons are not too hard. I'm a real good
+scholar--one of the best in school for my age."
+
+This was a fact. Some people would have chidden Susy for it; but Mrs.
+Read reflected that the child was only telling the simple truth, and had
+no idea of boasting. She was not a little girl who would intrude such
+remarks about herself upon strangers. But when she and her grandma were
+talking together confidentially, she thought it made all the difference
+in the world; as indeed it did.
+
+"I have a great deal to trouble me," said Susy, and the "evening-blue"
+of her eyes clouded over, till there were signs of a shower. "I thought
+my pony would make me happy as long as I lived; but it hasn't. One thing
+that I feel bad about is--well, it's turning over a new leaf. When New
+Year's comes, I'm going to do it, and don't; so I wait till my birthday,
+and then I don't. It seems as if I'd tried about a thousand New Years
+and birthdays to turn over that leaf."
+
+Grandma smiled, but did not interrupt Susy.
+
+"I think I should be real good," continued the child, "if it wasn't such
+hard work. I can't be orderly, grandma--not much; and then Dotty upsets
+everything. Sometimes I have to hold my breath to keep patient.
+
+"Well, grandma, my birthday comes to-morrow, the 8th of April. I like
+it well enough; only there's one reason why I don't like it at all, and
+that is a Bible reason. It's so dreadful that I can't bear to say it to
+you," said Susy, shuddering, and lowering her voice to a whisper; "I
+don't want to grow up, for I shall have to marry Freddy Jackson."
+
+Grandma tried to look serious.
+
+"Who put such a foolish idea into thy head, child?"
+
+"Cousin Percy told me last night," answered Susy, solemnly. "How can you
+laugh when it's all in the Bible, grandma? I never told anybody before.
+Wait; I'll show you the verse. I've put a mark at the place."
+
+Susy brought her Bible to her grandmother, and, opening it at the
+thirty-first chapter of Proverbs, pointed, with a trembling finger, to
+the eighth verse, which Mrs. Read read aloud,--
+
+"Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed
+to destruction."
+
+"Now Percy says that's a sure sign! I told him, O, dear! Freddy ought to
+marry a dumb woman; that would be _properest_; but Percy says
+no--anything has got to 'come to pass' when it's _foreordinationed_!"
+
+"And could thee really believe such foolishness, my sensible little
+Susan? Does thee suppose the good Lord ever meant that we should read
+his Bible as if it were a wicked dream-book?"
+
+"Then you don't think I shall have to marry Freddy Jackson," cried Susy,
+immensely relieved. "I'm so glad I told you! I felt so sober all day,
+only nobody noticed it, and I was ashamed to tell!"
+
+"It is a good thing for thee to tell thy little troubles to thy older
+friends, Susan: thee'll almost always find it so," said grandma Read,
+stroking Susy's hair.
+
+"Now, my child, I have a piece of news for thee, if thee is ready to
+hear it: thy cousin, Grace Clifford, has a little sister."
+
+"A baby sister? A real sister? Does mother know it?"
+
+"Yes, thy mother knows it."
+
+"But how _could_ you keep it to yourself so long?"
+
+"Thee thinks good news is hard to keep, does thee? Well, thee shall be
+the first to tell thy father when he comes home."
+
+Susy heard steps on the door-stone, and rushed out, with the joyful
+story on her lips. It proved to be not her father, but callers, who were
+just ringing the bell; and they heard Susy's exclamation,--
+
+"O, have you heard? Grace has a new sister, a baby sister, as true as
+you live!" with the most provoking coolness.
+
+But when Mr. Parlin came, he was sufficiently interested in the news to
+satisfy even Susy.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+FAREWELL.
+
+
+Prudy was really getting better. Mrs. Parlin said she should trust a
+physician more next time. The doctor declared that all the severe pain
+Prudy had suffered was really necessary.
+
+"Believe me, my dear madam," said he, "when the poor child has
+complained most, she has in fact been making most progress towards
+health. When the sinews are 'knitting together,' as we call it, then the
+agony is greatest."
+
+This was very comforting to Mrs. Parlin, who thought she would not be
+discouraged so easily again; she would always believe that it is
+"darkest just before day."
+
+There was really everything to hope for Prudy. The doctor thought that
+by the end of three months she would walk as well as ever. He said she
+might make the effort now, every day, to bear her weight on her feet.
+She tried this experiment first with her father and mother on each side
+to support her; but it was not many days before she could stand firmly
+on her right foot, and bear a little weight on her left one, which did
+not now, as formerly, drag, or, as she had said, "_more_ than touch the
+floor." By and by she began to scramble about on the carpet on all
+fours, partly creeping, partly pushing herself along.
+
+It was surprising how much pleasure Prudy took in going back to these
+ways of babyhood.
+
+Faint blush roses began to bloom in her cheeks as soon as she could take
+a little exercise and go out of doors. Her father bought a little
+carriage just suitable for the pony, and in this she rode every morning,
+her mother or Percy driving; for Mrs. Parlin thought it hardly safe to
+trust Susy with such a precious encumbrance as this dear little sister.
+
+She had been willing that Susy should manage Wings in a sleigh, but in a
+carriage the case was quite different; for, though in a sleigh there
+might be even more danger of overturning, there was not as much danger
+of getting hurt. Indeed, Susy's sleigh had tipped over once or twice in
+turning too sharp a corner, and Susy had fallen out, but had instantly
+jumped up again, laughing.
+
+She would have driven in her new carriage to Yarmouth and back again, or
+perhaps to Bath, if she had been permitted. She was a reckless little
+horsewoman, afraid of nothing, and for that very reason could not be
+trusted alone.
+
+But there was no difficulty in finding companions. Percy pretended to
+study book-keeping, but was always ready for a ride. Flossy was not
+steady enough to be trusted with the reins, but Ruth Turner was as
+careful a driver as need be; though Susy laughed because she held the
+reins in both hands, and looked so terrified.
+
+She said it did no good to talk with Ruth when she was driving; she
+never heard a word, for she was always watching to see if a carriage
+was coming, and talking to herself, to make sure she remembered which
+was her right hand, so she could "turn to the right, as the law
+directs."
+
+Prudy enjoyed the out-of-doors world once more, and felt like a bird let
+out of a cage. And so did Susy, for she thought she had had a dull
+season of it, and fully agreed with Prudy, who spoke of it as the "slow
+winter."
+
+But now it was the quick spring, the live spring. The brooks began to
+gossip; the birds poured out their hearts in song, and the dumb trees
+expressed their joy in leaves.
+
+    "The bobolink, on the mullein-stalk,
+    Would rattle away like a sweet girl's talk."
+
+The frogs took severe colds, but gave concerts a little way out of the
+city every evening. The little flowers peeped up from their beds, as
+Norah said, "like babies asking to be took;" and Susy took them;
+whenever she could find them, you may be sure, and looked joyfully into
+their faces. She could almost say,--
+
+    "And 'tis my faith that every flower
+      Enjoys the air it breathes."
+
+She said, "I don't suppose they know much, but _perhaps_ they know
+enough to have a good time: who knows?"
+
+Susy took long walks to Westbrook, and farther, coming home tired out,
+but loaded with precious flowers. There were plenty of friends to give
+them to her from their early gardens: broad-faced crocuses, jonquils,
+and lilies of the valley, and by and by lilacs, with "purple spikes."
+
+She gathered snowdrops, "the first pale blossoms of the unripened
+year," and May-flowers, pink and white, like sea-shells, or like
+"cream-candy," as Prudy said. These soft little blossoms blushed so
+sweetly on the same leaf with such old experienced leaves! Susy said,
+"it made her think of little bits of children who hadn't any mother, and
+lived with their grandparents."
+
+Dotty was almost crazy with delight when she had a "new pair o' boots,
+and a pair o' shaker," and was allowed to toddle about on the pavement
+in the sunshine. She had a green twig or a switch to flourish, and could
+now cry, "Hullelo!" to those waddling ducks, and hear them reply,
+"Quack! quack!" without having such a trembling fear that some stern
+Norah, or firm mamma, would rush out bareheaded, and drag her into the
+house, like a little culprit.
+
+It was good times for Dotty Dimple, and good times for the whole family.
+Spring had come, and Prudy was getting well. There was a great deal to
+thank God for!
+
+It is an evening in the last of May. A bit of a moon, called "the new
+moon," is peeping in at the window. It shines over Susy's right
+shoulder, she says. Susy is reading, Prudy is walking slowly across the
+floor, and Dotty Dimple is whispering to her kitty, telling her to go
+down cellar, and catch the naughty rats while they are asleep. When
+kitty winks, Dotty thinks it the same as if she said,--
+
+"I hear you, little Miss Dotty: I'm going."
+
+I think perhaps this is a good time to bid the three little girls
+good-by, or, as dear grandma Read would say, "Farewell!"
+
+
+
+***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LITTLE PRUDY'S SISTER SUSY***
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