Little Prudy's Sister Susy

ade her going out, except for very short distances, and even then, he said, she must sit

ound, as time passed, and the disease made progress, that poor little Prudy was only too glad to lie s

thoughtful beyond her years, suffered terribly from anxiety abo

s-"O, grandma!" The words came from the depths of a troubled heart. "I may live to be real old; but I never shall

o set her heart at rest by saying that the doctor gave a great deal of hope. He could not promise

t be," sobbed poor Susy; "we can't tell what God w

ghtless. 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

I never should have thought of your saying such a queer thing as that! Why, it seems as if you a

not an angel yet; so I suppose

ke 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

s too dreadful to think about; but, even if thy little sister had died, Susan, thee would

n looked friendly once more. Susy was drinking in her grandmother's words of comfort. The look of s

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

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 f

nstead of laughing and singing half the time, she would now lie and cry f

e 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 sh

l 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 Mad

r 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 kne

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?

ers, lighted the little handled lamp, and stole softly down stairs to the pai

"would be alive if it could speak," why, down stairs went auntie again to search out

own stairs to humor Prudy's whims! Prudy could not have cou

em forth like water into the sieve of Prudy's mind, which could not hold stories any better than secret

old 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 re

fully, 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 t

rs, and almost considered it lost time when she

hter to begin to be womanly, and do long stints with her nee

; he didn't care if she grew as brown as an Indian. She was never rude or coarse,

wing seams, without animation enough to tear rents in their own dresses! If Susy loves birds, and flow

,- "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

he corn-sheller; and how, one day, her fingers were so ben

meet with accidents. She was a regular little fly-away, and would sooner cl

ok at her," as if he was sure his wife mus

as excellent and charming as Miss Margaret Parli

frown of disapproval. She gathered wild roses, and wore them in her cheeks, the very best place in the wor

in the house. Eainy days and evenings, to be sure, she made herself very happy wi

ake 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, f

r my dear little sister! I would have told her stories, and never have complained that my 'tongue ached.'

o confess one thing, which I

dy had been such a healthy, active child, that the change to perfect quiet was exceedingly tiresome. She was young, too,-too yo

"I just believe the more anybody d

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, aga

places," and the doctor must come and take off the splint. She didn'

ittle girls. "But, mamma," said Prudy, "does God love me any? I shoul

ul than usual, she would close her eyes, and

mean to. It's my k

ve been under the same trial. Her father and mother, who had the most care of her

ome. She would lie and watch the clock, for she had learned to tell the time quite well; and when the hou

, Prudy put up her little

I your dear little sister? Well, wo

heir shoulders, as if they were going to be packed into their che

rs, and hear her say, "O, what made you? Naughty, naughty old Susy! I'm goin' to die, a

conscience pricked her when she saw that the poor child was grieved; and

ow: among others, she had a fancy th

ing me Prudy, and Prudy, and Prudy. It makes

pens, unfortunately, that Prudy is your name; so I thin

ting into tears. "Prudy is all lame and sick, and I ne

s's pale cheek, and said, "Then we wi

iled wit

endid name," said she. "It is Rosy Fra

e 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 n

ttle niceties; but, no matter what pains she took, Prudy relished nothing u

r you, Prudy; made on purpose for

plague me, and I never done a thing to you! You called me Prudy, and I ain't Pru

Susy, bending over her gently, "you

with a look of meek forbearanc