Little Prudys Sister Susy | Page 9

auntie, you wouldn't have this beautiful pony called Peggy; you
know you wouldn't! the one my father bought on purpose for me! But
was there such a horse, truly?"
"O, no; there is an old fable, which, as we say, is 'as true now as it ever
was,' of a glorious creature with wings, and whoever mounts him gets a
flying ride into the clouds. But the trouble is to catch him!"
"O, I wish my pony could fly," said Susy, gazing dreamily at his black
mane and sleek sides. "The first place I'd go to would be the moon; and
there I'd stay till I built a castle as big as a city. I'd come home every
night, so mother wouldn't be frightened, and fly up in the morning,
and--and--"
"See here," said Prudy, who had for some time been trying to speak;
"call him Wings!"
"So I will," answered Susy, quickly, "and I'll make believe he flies in
the air like a bird. Now, auntie, what do you think of Wings?"
"Odd enough, I'm sure, my dear."
"Well, I like it," returned Susy, with a positive shake of the head. "It's
of no use to keep fussing so long over a name, and I feel a great deal
easier, now I've made up my mind! Dear little Wings, you prick up
your ears, and I know you like it, too. I wish you had a soul, so you
could be taken to church, and christened like a baby."
Just here Susy was startled by a sudden laugh from cousin Percy, who
had for some moments been walking behind the pony unobserved.
"You're enough to frighten any one to death," she screamed, "creeping

about like a cat."
Susy had a foolish dread of being laughed at.
"Creeping like a cat," echoed Percy, "while you creep like a snail!
What will you take for your pony, that can fly in the air like a bird, but
can't walk on the ground any better than a goose?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," said Susy, quite excited: "if
you want to see anybody ride fast, just look here." And she started the
pony at full speed, regardless of Prudy, who was so frightened, that she
seized poor Wings by his flowing mane, and called out for her sister to
stop. But Susy dashed on at a flying pace, and Percy cried after her, "O,
Susy, cousin Susy, what think of your Christmas present? Will you
remember not to eat it, and not to hang it on a nail? Susy, Susy?"
There was hardly a happier child living than Susy, during those
delightful holidays. She said to herself, sometimes, that this was such a
beautiful world, she couldn't think of a single thing that wasn't as
splendid as it could be.
CHAPTER V.
PRUDY'S TROUBLE.
The happy days flew by. The Old Year was worn out, and the New
Year stepped in fresh and youthful. Susy found her little sleigh a very
comfortable affair; and so, I think, did "lame Jessie." When her father
found that Susy had really chosen for her pony the name of Wings, he
ordered a beautiful picture of the Flying Horse to be painted on the
dashboard of the sleigh.
Susy was delighted with this, and her vivid fancy took wings at once,
and flew away to the other end of the world, where her aunt Madge told
her the fountain of Pirene was said to gush out of a hill-side.
"Only think," said she to Flossy; "it was a woman once, that fountain
was; but she poured her life all out into tears, crying because her son

was killed. So the fountain is made of tears!"
"Bitter and salt, then," said Florence, threading her needle.
"No, indeed; just as sweet and nice as any water. Pegasus loved it; and
there was a beautiful young man, his name was Bel--Bel--well, I
declare, I've forgotten,--no, 'twas Bellerophon; and he had a bridle, and
wanted a horse. O, do you know this horse was white, with silvery
wings, wild as a hawk; and, once in a while, he would fold up his wings,
and trot round on the mountain!"
Florence yawned, and waxed her thread.
"O, it was a splendid bridle, this man had, made of gold; and I
forgot--the mountain the horse trotted round on was called Helicon.
And the man mounted him, and went up, up, till they were nothing but
specks in the sky."
"A likely story," said Florence; "there, you've told enough! I don't want
to hear any more such nonsense."
"Well, if you don't want to hear about the monster they killed, you
needn't; that's all I can say; but the young man loved that horse; and he
kissed him, too, he was so splendid!"