LITTLE SUSY'S
LITTLE SERVANTS.
BY MRS. E. PRENTISS,
AUTHOR OF "LITTLE SUSY'S SIX TEACHERS," "SIX BIRTHDAYS," "THE FLOWER OF THE FAMILY," ETC., ETC.
FIRST SERIES.
NEW YORK: ANSON D. F. RANDOLPH & COMPANY, 38 WEST TWENTY-THIRD STREET.
COPYRIGHT, 1856 AND 1883, BY Anson D. F. Randolph & Company.
CONTENTS
First Series
CHAPTER I. CHAPTER II. CHAPTER III. CHAPTER IV. CHAPTER V. CHAPTER VI. CHAPTER VII. CHAPTER VIII. CHAPTER IX. CHAPTER X.
Second Series
CHAPTER I. CHAPTER II. CHAPTER III. CHAPTER IV. CHAPTER V. CHAPTER VI. CHAPTER VII. CHAPTER VIII. CHAPTER IX.
LITTLE SUSY'S LITTLE SERVANTS.
CHAPTER I.
As Little Susy had a kind mamma to take care of her, you will, perhaps, wonder why God gave her also, a great many servants of her own. He gave her so many, that you might spend your whole life in reading about them. But I shall tell you of only a very few, and then you can ask your mamma to talk to you about the others. For the little servants Susy had, you have, too.
At first she did not know what they were for, or where they were. They did not know, either, and so they were useless. Two of them were black, and so much alike that you could not tell one from the other. Susy kept them shut up most of the time, so that nobody could see them. When her aunts and cousins came to see Susy, they would say: "I should think she might let us see them!" and would go away quite disappointed. These black servants were bright little things, and they soon learned to amuse Susy a great deal. One of the first things they did for her was to let her see the fire; and that she thought very beautiful.
Susy had another pair of twins for her servants, who knew so little what they were for, that they used to slap and scratch her face. Her mamma said she should have to tie them up if they did so. Indeed, many a little baby has had them all covered up with white rags, to keep them from doing mischief before they were old enough to know better. But though they did not know how to behave, they were very pretty, tiny little things, and when Susy's papa knelt down and took one of them on his hand, and kissed it, and wondered at it, and said what a funny wee morsel it was, why, it looked, to be sure, like a pretty rose-leaf, or any thing else soft, and pink, you can think of.
Susy had another pair of twins, that she took no notice of for some months. They did not learn how to wait upon her so soon as some of the others did. They were restless little fat things, seldom still a moment, and about all they knew was how to kick holes in blue and white socks.
Susy had still another pair of twins, not very pretty, but very useful, for without them she never could have heard her mamma sing, or her papa whistle; or the shovel and tongs fall down and make such a charming noise; nor the pussy-cat say 'mew!' nor the doggy say 'bow wow!'
She had one more little servant that she kept out of sight all the time. All it was good for at first, was to help her get a great many breakfasts, and dinners, and suppers every day. But it became good for a great deal more, after a while.
But if I go on in this way, I am afraid you will get puzzled, you are such a little creature. So if you will guess the names of these servants of Susy, I will give you three guesses. And if you do not guess right the third time, you will have to peep into the glass, when you will see most of your own; I mean those I have been talking about.
CHAPTER II.
Well! did you look at yourself in the glass? If you did, you saw in the middle of your face your black, or blue or gray servants, your two eyes. No matter what color they are; one kind is as good as another kind.
As soon as Susy found out what hers could do, she kept them very busy indeed. If she wanted to see her mamma, her eyes would not wait for her to bid them let her look at her; for they knew her thoughts as well as she knew them herself. They amused her while she lay on her mamma's lap, by showing her the bright sunshine that came in at the windows, the white curtains, and the ball of gay worsted in the work-basket. When she was turned over, her face downwards, to have her frock tied, they showed her the carpet, so as to keep her from crying. When they were tired, Susy had a soft coverlid with a beautiful fringe, that she could draw down over them, and then they could rest all night. God made this coverlid on purpose. The finest cambric handkerchief is coarser; God only can make a cover soft enough for the eye.
After Susy was washed and dressed in the morning, and had had her breakfast, her mamma would lay her down upon the bed, and spread a small blanket over her. Then the busy, bright eyes would look up to the wall, and look and look at a small spot of sunshine there, till at last they grew tired, and the soft coverlid would begin to come drooping, drooping down, and Susy would be fast asleep. Or in the midst of the dark night, if she woke up and did not know what else to do, she could look at the night-lamp that sat on the floor in the corner, and wonder what it was, and how far off.
Every thing in the world was new to Susy, and as she grew older and her eyes grew stronger, they kept showing her all sorts of pretty things, and made the time pass away very quickly indeed. How pleased Susy was the first time they showed her the sweet smile of love with which her mamma looked at her! She would have jumped for joy if she had been big enough.
But while her two eyes were so busy in doing all they could to amuse her, her two ears were not idle, and one day when she was yet a very little baby, she heard a pleasant sound of bells ringing for church, that was as sweet as music. She looked surprised, and listened, and listened, and threw up her arms and smiled. After that, if she cried when she was washed, some body would rattle the tongs and shovel, or make some such queer noise, and she would stop crying to hear it. So then I suppose her ears were very glad, and now they could help her pass her time much more pleasantly than before; for they could help her hear her mamma sing, and what sort of a sound keys make when they jingle together, and all that. Susy was astonished at every thing she heard for she never had been where there were such wonderful noises before. And when Sarah put coals on the fire, Susy would start, and perhaps think it was an earthquake unless her mamma smiled, as much as to say: "Don't be frightened, darling!"
So what with her eyes, and her ears, and her soft red tongue to get dinner with, Susy was a very happy baby, growing fatter and stronger and wiser every day.
CHAPTER III.
But one morning, when she was ten weeks old, Susy began to play with a plaything. What do you think it was? Why, her own little hand! She felt of it, lifted it up and looked at it, tasted of it, and admired it very much. A grave judge, sitting on his bench, and looking as wise as Solomon, could hardly look graver or wiser than Susy did when she first found out she had two little hands. How she turned them over, and tangled up the tiny fingers, and twisted and doubled them! Now she thought she had found out what those little things were for, that had been doing nothing but slap and scratch and grow fat. Why, they were to play with, to be sure! And she never would have to cry for them or get up to look for them, for there they were, always close by, and so nice and soft! So Susy played with her hands, and cooed to them, and told them stories in Greek, or Latin, or Dutch, nobody knows, and was quite cheery and happy.
