Suzanna Stirs the Fire

nce, but she met with no reproof. She had anticipated none, for surely an Onl

ore, and his early presence had been requested by his employer, Job

octer, while the other children gazed

took her place; then, "Will you remind

ie," said Mrs.

us speak to he

er," said Suzanna ad

ntless words rushed to her lips, but she had been bidden to silence, and she feared, should she speak to Suzanna, dire results would f

waited p

and of mercy, Mother," Suzanna began l

e family boasting an Only

d since Bridget is away, perhaps you will be kind e

all hand and touched her sister. "I'll h

nna, and together the

he shook pillows and carefully she smoothed sheets, while Maizie, with a r

l this morning?" as

d off guard. "She didn't have a

aid Suzanna. "You belong to an e

ter a time, "she's not

ers?" pursued Suzanna in an int

ill her r?le satisfactorily. "We have a

, "that I'm an Only Child. This morning I was ve

up, Suzanna Proct

o her natural tone: "If you forget again, Maizie, I can't even be a friend of yours." She continued after a pause, reassumin

, rather worn Sunday shoes with patent l

dress and bracelets and buckles, but you know you

s conciliatory tone, and so finding the silence

ool with me this a

nd play with some of the other girls today, and, remembe

egan to

I am going off to see Drusilla," with which

her, mother," she called loudly, "I don'

cross now. "I wish, Suzanna," she said, "that you would learn

aused, the light dying from her eyes. She looked at her mother and her mother, unco

sily follow all your imaginings; and I have enough to d

eyes flashed. Waves of emotion swept through her. Emotions she could not expr

s. Procter, "and stay there till I

the window and sat down. She was flaming under a bitter sense of injustice.

the yard with Peter; her mother singing the baby to sleep, and still S

for her. But even of this she was not sure. Then she s

peeped cautiously in, and then on tiptoes approached Suzanna.

l stained her cheek. "You can just go downstairs and eat up e

t sister. Downstairs she returned to

quickly about in fear of her disloyalty. She had once thought that mothers were perfect, rare beings removed worlds from other mere mortals. Hadn't she, when a very small girl of four, been quite unable to co

he tears started to her eyes. It was as though on this second tucked-in day an epoch had come mar

. So she went quietly to the top of the

ng the stairs. She sat straight and gazed out of the window. She knew

ed down into the mutinous little face. She had come intending to s

u going to speak to m

ought that her very own mother had been unjustly irritable

me when I was a princess. Today you were cross because Maizie couldn't understand, and she never understands. You

e looked helplessly at Suzanna. The eyes lifted to hers lacked the wonted expression of perfect belief, of passionate admiration. That this first litt

spered. "Mother is sometimes tired,

s to her mother's. All her reticence was gone. This mother who enfold

ter a few moments, "mother sometimes has a g

ys be good to you and when I'm grown up I'll buy you silk dr

using the baby as he sat in his high chair. She looked around as

asked Mrs. Proct

keep in character, and a princess, she felt, was rather secretive and alo

alked, and at last came to a little house with a garden," she said, "and there was an ol

ite hair, and curls on each side

said

and she's a little-" Mrs. Procter hesitated beli

mother?" asked S

rocter. "For instance, there are tim

were going to use, moth

such a person is cal

tle strange, to

" said Mrs. Procter, "and Mrs

think that an old lady, especially if she's lonely and if she grieves for her king wh

id Mrs. Procter, turning

and he liked to sit in the sun. He thought he was a nice, gentle, Maltese cat, and when he wasn't busy meowing he was awful sweet to the children, and played wi

him stay at home. I know the girl whose grandfather he was. Her name's Mary Holmes

sday recess day," said Maizie ba

nce came to see her, and I like old Joe, the vegetable man, who made whistles for us last summer.

, "that old people are very much like the young in the

everybody who has an old lady or an old gentleman living with them that if th

zie, puzzled. "I don't kn

le silver chain which binds him to everyone else, but especially, I

he chain?"

es as you move, and it's given to everybody

er chain that ties you to me and to Peter and the baby and to daddy

e face with the gray eyes and straight fine hair that would lie flat to the little head, and a big love flooded her. She went swiftly to the little sister a

our little sister, with a silver cha

n't think after all that it's