CHAPTER XI
LITTLE SUSY'S SIX TEACHERS.
CHAPTER XI.
Ir was cold, wintry weather when Susy was taken sick, but it was beginning to be spring when she was well enough to go out of doors.
Her papa would not trust any one else to take her, the first time she rode out.
He put her, on a pillow, into her little carriage, and drew her round the square.
By the time they got back to the house again Susy was so tired that she wanted to go in.
But the next day she rode round the square twice, and her papa carried her in his arms up and down the yard beside.
As she lay with her head on his shoulder, she often said: "Do I tire you, dear papa ?"
And then he would laugh and say she didn't weigh so much as a little kitten, and he could earry a big kitten all day.
"Papa!" said Susy at last, "mamma says Mr.
Pain has made me a pretty long visit."
"Yes, it was pretty long."
LITTLE SUSY'S SIX TEACHERS.
"Don't you hope he never will come again, papa 2"
"T don't know.
He has taught my little Susy so many good lessons that I shall want him to come and teach me, next news."
Susy thought this very funny.
"Why, what could he teach you, papa?"
Don't you know everything ?"
"Oh! he might teach me to think of other people more than of myself.
If my papa were carrying me about he might put it into my head to ask him every now and then: "Don't I tire you 2"
"Papa, you are a funny man," said Susy.
"You are almost as funny as mamma."
"I'm a pretty good horse, I think," said her papa.
"See how [ can trot."
Susy laughed, and looked up to the nursery window to see if Robbie were in sight.
Yes, there was his little smiling face close to the glass.
"Oh, papa! put me down now; please, papa!
And give Robbie a ride.
Robbie has got four big teeth coming, and he doesn't feel nice at all."
LITTLE SUSY'S SIX TEACHERS.
Her papa kissed her and carried her upstairs, and she sat in Robbie's chair and looked down into the yard, and saw her papa be a horse and trot up and down with the merry little fellow on his back.
She felt very happy indeed, because she had given him so much pleasure.
But she was tired, and her head ached a little.
"My headache aches," said she to nurse.
"J should think it would with that thick hood on this warm day.
You are nothing but a big bundle.
Come!
[ll take off your things, and you shall sit in my lap, and ['ll—let me see; what shall I do? oh! Tl tell you about Robbie."
"What about him 2" asked Susy.
"Why, how he behaved when you were sick.
Don't you think he wouldn't eat anything at first.
He would go and get your chair ready for you and climb up into his; and then he would sit waiting for you to come.
His dinner would get as cold asa stone before he would touch it. One day he slipped into your mamma's room and tried to pull you out of your crib, and when he found you took no notice of him, he
LITTLE SUSY'S SIX TEACHERS.
eame back and got the hearth-brush and tried to get you up by pushing it through the bars."
"JT suppose he thought I was a ball," said Susy.
"JT dare say he did," said nurse.
"For he always gets his ball from under the sofa with the hearth-brush."
"Can't you think of something else ?" asked Susy.
"Why, yes," said nurse, "I was going to ask you if you wouldn't like to come back and get your dinner and supper with him, he grieves so for you."
"On my little table ?"
¢ Yes."
"With my new cups and saucers?, He would break my new cups and saucers all to pieces."
"Well, it's no matter.
I only thought as he is such a little dear, and his teeth tease him so——"
"Such a sweet little darling !" said Mrs. Love.
"That you would like to come back and eat with him," said nurse.
"Well, I will," said Susy.
"Vl come back
LITTLE SUSY'S SIX TEACHERS.
to supper.
And Tl let him pour out tea, and Vl let him sit on my cushion."
"You see he is such a little fellow," said Mrs.
Love.
"And so good and gentle!
And he loves you so dearly !"
So Susy told her mamma she was going to eat with Robbie now, and for answer she got a sweet kiss.
It was not long before Susy became strong enough to go with her mamma into the country, where she stayed all summer, and grew quite plump and rosy.
Robbie and Mrs. Love, and Miss Joy and Mr. Ought and the angel Faith went too, but they were not sure whether Mr.
Pain went or not.
Susy said she saw his rod in his mamma's trunk, but she might have been mistaken, you know.