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��The Doctor's Granddaughter.
��roads, — for there had been a rain, and it had cleared off warm, — they rode up to a great two-story doul)le-in-width house. Joel Heard lived here with his youngest son : two of his boys were in the army with John Pendexter.
The old man was very glad to see Susanna with her grandfather ; and, to show how welcome they were, he filled the wide-mouthed fire-place full of wood, and drew the kitchen chairs close to the brick hearth. "Well, Joel," said the doctor. " How are your eyes to-day? Joseph said that you were pretty bad off this morning." — "Yes," answered Joel, "I tell ye they smart awfully. I can't look out door at all without their runnin' water." With a merry look the old man said to Susanna, " I guess I shall have to have my eyes pulled'^ While the doctor and his patient were talking, Joseph's wife came in from the barn with some hens' eggs in her woollen tire. She put them in a basket standing on the black case of drawers by the window, and then came along to the hearth. She said, "How d'ye do to-day, Miss Susanna? I'm glad to see ye out. Oh dear, what a dirty hearth ! Father always makes sich a clutter when he puts on wood ; " and she brushed vigorously with the speckled turkey's vving, until every chip and spill was lodged between the huge iron fire- dogs. When she had pulled out the ungainly oven-stopper, and tossed the wing into the oven, she said to Susanna, " Has John Pendexter heard of his mother's death? I s'pose he'll feel or- ful when he hears how sick she was." — " I have written him," said Susanna, " but it will be some time before he will get it." — "Joseph got a letter from Oliver last week, and he said as how John wa'nt very well. I guess they have had a tough time this winter, and it has
��told on 'em all," said Joseph's wife. " I hope that the army will be more comfortable now the spring is at hand," said Susanna. " The British have been living in Philadelphia, and having all they needed ; while our poor boys have suffered every thing." — " Well, Susan- na, shall we go ? I have got to be at a parish meeting to-night, and we must be off," said the doctor. " Come up agin, Susanna : I hain't had no chance to talk with ye this time," said the poor old man. " I thank you," said Susanna, " and I hope your eyes will be better soon, so that you can come down to meeting." — "Thank ye, thank ye. I hope so."
When Susanna and her grandfather got home, the letter had gone, and the ride had done her good ; but the little word dropped by Joseph Heard's wife troubled her. She went into the great room where she and John had stood so many months before, and tried to feel that all would be well. She could hardly realize that she was the same girl who used to be so blithe and gay, and she wondered if she had left all her happiness behind her. . Her love for John Pendexter had been so strong, that at times it had been almost a pain. She had tried to live in the future, had borrowed trouble : now things had changed, — she dreaded to know the
future.
CHAPTER IV.
The spring had come, and grown into summer. All the evening in the soft twilight Susanna had been sitting in the front-door. She was looking back over the past few months. She had had so much to be thankful for. John was well, and her grandfather declared " that he was never better in his life." Bluff, the great yellow house-dog, was lying at her feet ; and she stooped to pat his broad
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