Suzanna Stirs the Fire

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Suzanna Stirs the Fire

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Suzanna Stirs the Fire, by Emily Calvin Blake This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: Suzanna Stirs the Fire
Author: Emily Calvin Blake
Release Date: June 4, 2006 [EBook #18499]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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SUZANNA STIRS THE FIRE
[Illustration: "I've come to you, Mrs. Reynolds, to stay. I've adopted myself out to you" [Page 83]]
Suzanna Stirs the Fire
BY
Emily Calvin Blake
Author of "Marcia of the Little Home," etc.

Illustrations by F. V. Poole
[Illustration]
CHICAGO
A. C. McCLURG & CO.
1915
Copyright
A. C. McClurg & Co. 1915
Published September, 1915
Copyrighted in Great Britain

W. F. HALL PRINTING COMPANY, CHICAGO

CONTENTS
BOOK I
CHAPTER PAGE
I The Tucked-In Day 3
II The Only Child 27
III With Father in the Attic 40
IV The New Dress 55
V Suzanna Comes to a Decision 69
VI Suzanna Makes her Entry 82
VII Regrets 88
VIII Suzanna Meets a Character 99
IX A Leaf Missing from the Bible 119
X A Picnic in the Woods 132
BOOK II
XI The Indian Drill 161
XII Drusilla's Reminiscences 172
XIII Mrs. Graham Woods Bartlett 185
XIV The Stray Dog 197
XV A Lent Mother 215
XVI Suzanna Aids Cupid 221
XVII A Simple Wedding 236
XVIII The Eagle Man Visits the Attic 253
XIX Suzanna Puts a Request 265
XX Drusilla Sets Out on a Journey 278
XXI Mr. Bartlett Sees the Machine 292
BOOK III
XXII Happy Days 307
XXIII To the Seashore 320
XXIV The Seashore 329
XXV Last Days 341
XXVI Suzanna and her Father 345

ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
"I've come to you, Mrs. Reynolds, to stay. I've adopted myself out to you" Frontispiece
The prettiest old lady she had ever seen 14
Very carefully he looked at the mended place 116
"We thought you might like a dog," began Suzanna 206

BOOK I

SUZANNA STIRS THE FIRE
CHAPTER I
THE TUCKED-IN DAY
Maizie wanted to sleep a little longer, but though the clock had but just chimed six Suzanna was up and had drawn the window curtain letting in a flood of sunshine. Maizie lay watching her sister, her gray eyes still blurred with sleep; not wide and interested as a little later they would be. Her soft little features expressing her na?ve personality seemed unsubtle, yet of contours so lovely in this period just after babyhood that one longed to cuddle her.
Suzanna stood a long time at the window, so long indeed that Maizie feared she was lost to all materialities. Suzanna, wonderful one, who could strike from dull stuff magic dreams; who could vivify and gloriously color the little things of life; who could into the simplest happenings read thrilling interpretations! What bliss to accompany her upon her wanderings, and what sadness to be forgotten!
Indeed Suzanna seemed oblivious. Certainly in spirit she was absent and at last Maizie could bear the silence no longer.
"Suzanna!" she cried.
Then Suzanna turned. She did not speak, however, but placed a warning finger upon her lips. Then she went swiftly to the closet and took down her best white dress. She laid it tenderly on the back of a chair till she had found in the lowest bureau drawer her white stockings and slippers, then she brushed and combed her hair, confined it lightly with a length of ribbon, washed her hands and face in the little bowl which stood in one corner near the window and leisurely donned the white dress.
Maizie sat straight up in bed watching in amazement. At last Suzanna glanced over at her little wistful sister, then in stately fashion advanced toward the bed, till close to Maizie she paused. Tall and slender she stood, with eyes amber-colored, eyes which turned to black in moments of deep emotion. Her brown hair touched with copper sprang back from her brow in waving grace; her delicate features called for small attention, excepting her mouth which was softly curved, eager of speech, grave, mutinous, the most expressive part of an expressive face.
Suzanna danced through life, sang her way to the hearts of others, left her touch wherever she went; yet, beneath the lightness, philosophies of life formed themselves intuitively, one after another, truer perhaps in their findings than those which filtered through the pure intellect of the grown-up.
At length she spoke to Maizie. "You mustn't say anything to me, Maizie, unless I ask you a question," she commanded, "because I'm a princess who lives in a crystal palace in a wonderful country with oceans and mountains."
Maizie did not reply; what could she say? Simply she stared as Suzanna moved gracefully about the room with the slow movements she considered fitting a princess.
At last she returned to the bed. She began: "Maizie, I wish you to rise, dress thyself, then