er at the hotel, said something one day
about a son of his who wanted to write beautiful music, and Mr. Bartlett
said right before me: 'John, let me help that boy of yours. This little
girl's father has shown me the beauty of doing good for others.'"

The inventor did not speak. He sat, his arms about his wife and child,
and in his eyes the radiance of new inspiration, new purpose.

At last his wife spoke. "Richard, could success as you planned it, have
meant more, and wouldn't it have brushed some of the butterfly dust
away?"

He took the thought, pondered it, and his wife went on. "There's the
joy of striving, of waking fresh every day to hope. Can attainment,
after all, give any greater joy?"

"Perhaps not," he murmured.

"So, dear," she went on, "think of what has been done, not of what you
wished for. Think what you've done for our children. You took them with
you into your land of dreams, letting them share with you as far as you
might, that thrill which comes to the creator."

"And, daddy," finished Suzanna, "if The Machine had gone away to stay,
we couldn't have any more beautiful Saturday afternoons in the attic
with you."

They remained then all very still. Peter cried out a little in his
sleep. His mother, alert at once, listened, then relaxed when the cry
did not come again, and then Suzanna asked, "Are you still very, very
sad, daddy?"

And he answered, "The sadness has gone, Suzanna. Come another Saturday,
I shall take up the work again--and some day--"

"Some day all the world will say my father is a great man," ended
Suzanna, an unfaltering faith written upon her face.

And so her love, like an essence, flowed out and healed his spirit.

* * * * *

Transcriber's Notes:

Page 11, 'rythmic' changed to "rhythmic" (rhythmic noises)

Page 120, "base ball" changed to "baseball". (to mend a baseball)

Page 125, "Reyonlds'" changed to "Reynolds'". (Reynolds' gate.)

Page 249, hyphen added to "every-day" to match rest of text.(the real
every-day life)

Page 290, "white clad" changed to "white-clad" to match usage. (The
white-clad nurse)

Page 347, "cobble stones" changed to "cobble-stones" to fit rest of
text. (out on the cobble-stones)

Page 363, "wistaria" changed to "wisteria" (wistera gown)

End of Project Gutenberg's Suzanna Stirs the Fire, by Emily Calvin Blake

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SUZANNA STIRS THE FIRE ***

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