CHAPTER I
LITTLE SUSY'S SIX BIRTHDAYS.
CHAPTER I.
THE FIRST BIRTHDAY.
"TLirtie Susy is a year old to-day," said her mamma, "and I must give her a birthday kiss !"
So she kissed the sweet red lips of the darling baby.
Now Susy had never kissed anybody in her life.
She did not know how.
But I suppose she thought it was high time to begin, now that she was a whole year old; so she doubled up her lips and gave her mamma the funniest little bit of a kiss you can imagine.
Her mamma was pleased, and Susy was pleased herself; and I dare say she thought she was doing something great, as she saw everybody laughing.
Pretty soon her papa came in, and then baby doubled up her lips, and gave him a little bit of a kiss, too.
LITTLE SUSY'S SIX BIRTHDAYS.
Now all this was early in the morning, and Susy was in her nightgown.
But her mamma washed and dressed her very nicely, and put on her red frock and clean white apron, and those tiny shoes that looked as if they were made for a doll; and then Susy had some breakfast—good bread and milk.
After this, she slipped down from her mamma's lap, to play with a string of spools that lay on the floor.
She played with them a great while, but then she grew tired of sitting upon the floor.
So she threw down her spools ard got up, as if she thought of taking a walk. But she did not walk; she only stood there, smiling at her mamma.
She was afraid to try to walk.
She thought she should fall if she tried to walk.
Then her mamma took up a box of seals and held them out toward Susy; and when Susy saw them she wanted them so very much that she forgot all about her fear of falling, and ran to her mamma as fast as she could.
Oh, how glad she felt that she had walked a few steps!
And how glad her mamma was, too!
And how she kissed her dear baby, while the little thing
LITTLE SUSY'S SIX BIRTHDAYS.
played with the pretty seals, rattling them about and laughing so!
By and by a lady called to see Susy's mamma.
She had a great black dog with her, bigger than Susy—oh, a great deal bigger!
He would come in, though the lady was ashamed to see him trot into the parlor, and tried to coax him out.
Susy liked the dog.
She was not afraid of him.
He put his cold nose on her face and hands, and that made her laugh.
This lady had brought something for Susy.
What do you think it was?
Why, a large doll, almost as large as Susy herself !
When Susy saw it, she langhed and held out her arms, and said, " Baby, baby!"
She loved this baby dearly.
Somehody taught her to call it Peggy.
That isnot a very pretty name, is it ?
Another Jady—indeed, I may as well tell you who it was—her grandmamma—sent her a little silver fork.
The baby is all worn out now, and hasn't any head at all.
But the fork is as good as ever, and Susy uses it at dinner and at breakfast still.
As soon as it began to grow dark her mamma took Susy in her lap and sang to her that sweet
LITTLE SUSY'S SIX BIRTHDAYS.
little song which Aunt Lizzy had given her.
Aunt Lizzy heard it in Germany, and she liked it so well when she heard it sung to German babies that she thought she would translate it for her little nieces and nephews at home.
Here it is:
** Mother, now tell, Why do you love your baby so well ?
The mother said, 'Oh!
And do you not know ?
Sweet and happy it lies, It frets not, nor cries ; And is full of its glee As the bird on the tree.
It smiles on my breast As it goes to its nest ; And it wakes in its bliss With a smile and a kiss ; And that is the reason I love it so well;
How dearly, how dearly, I never can tell.'
** Baby, now tell, Why do you love your mother so well ?
The baby said, 'Oh!
And do you not know?
She keeps me from harm,
LITTLE SUSY'S SIX BIRTHDAYS.
Holds me soft on her arm; And if I am ill, Watches over me still ; Gives me good things to eat, And kisses so sweet ; And is kindest to me Of all that I see; And that is the reason I love her so well ;
How dearly, how dearly, I never can tell.'"
By this time Susy began to feel tired and sleepy ; so her mamma undressed her, and she was put into her warm nest, and was soon fast asleep.
I suppose thousands of little girls and boys spent this day very much as Susy did.
It was their first birthday, too.
But do you suppose Susy's papa and mamma would have given her away to take one of those other babies instead?
No, I am sure not.