SUSANNAH; OR, THE THREE GUARDIANS. Introduction to the History-Susannah's Recollections of her Family -Description of her uncle and aunt Warner, and their maid Mrs. Judy Griffin-Their notions of Diet and Guardianship-And how Susannah spent her time until the Decease of her Aunt. I AM now an elderly woman, and can look back on the days of my childhood and youth with that coolness of observation which enables me to form something like a true estimate of the different errors into which the various guardians of my early days fell, in their management of me; and also to feel the value of that good conduct and prudence in the last of my instructresses whereby I was redeemed, humanly speaking, from the consequences of these errors. It is said that nothing is more difficult to poor sinful human nature than to observe that moderation and equality of conduct in the management of their affairs, wherein true wisdom alone is to be found. Mankind is always running into excesses; and I remember being much struck by a remark of an elderly man who had been a great observer through life. The remark was no other than this: that he had never intimately known a single individual who managed his money concerns with any thing like perfect judgment and prudence; or any one person who did not tend either towards meanness or extravagance, or occasionally fall into both of these errors. If, therefore, in this single point, which is entirely of a secular nature, man with all his boasted wisdom and prudence is found, when closely examined, to be so generally deficient, how can we wonder when we find his frequent and total failures in more difficult and nicer points: but not to detain my reader longer with the result of my observations on the tendency of mankind, and even the best of them, to depart from moderation, even on occasions where there is an evident desire to do well, I shall proceed to relate my little history. I was born of creditable parents, who dying when I was about four years of age, left me under the charge of three guardians, two of whom were my uncles by marrying my father's sisters, and the third the husband of my mother's sister. I have no recollection of my mother, who died some time before my father; but of my last dear parent I have some faint remembrance, although the circumstances of his death and the time of his ceasing to be with me, are blotted from my memory. A few years ago, however, when I visited the place in which he lived and where I was born, I seemed to recollect the trees and fields which surrounded the house, as one recollects things seen only in a dream. Yet with these remembrances my father's image was so closely connected, that I fancied a thousand circumstances belonging to him, all of a tender and pleasing nature! Neither do I know to this moment whether these images which arose before my mind on that occasion were wholly the effect of fancy, or the result of things which really happened, and had left their faint and indistinct traces on my memory; but be this as it may, the first circumstance which I can distinctly recollect, was finding myself living under the care of my mother's sister above mentioned, in a small country town, the name of which is of little importance to my history, and subjected at times to the care of an elderly servant, for whom I had no great relish. My uncle Dr. Warner was a physician, and my aunt was a grave, sensible, and conscientious woman, and generally supposed to be one of the persons in the world most proper to have the care of children; and as she had no family of her own, I have no doubt that every one thought I was a most fortunate little girl to have fallen into such able hands. My aunt's house was the perfection of old fashioned neatness. I fancy, even now, that I can see the iron gates and railings which enclosed the little court so neatly paved, and weeded so carefully, which extended itself before the front of the house; and I have cause also to recollect the bright and shining floor of oak in the dining-parlour, by reason of the many bumps and tumbles, together with |