Aunt Jane's Nieces
"Bah! a pipe," said Patsy. "And Bull Durham is only five cents a bag,
and a bag ought to last a week. And every Saturday night, sir, you
shall have a cigar after dinner, with the Major. It's it our regular
practice."
"Thank you, Patsy," said Uncle John, meekly, and gathered up his
forty-two cents.
"You've now a home, and a manager, sir, with money in the bank of
Patsy & Company, Limited," announced the Major. "You ought to be very
contented, sir."
"I am," replied Uncle John.
CHAPTER XXV
UNCLE JOHN ACTS QUEERLY.
When Patsy and the Major had both departed for work on Monday morning
Uncle John boarded a car and rode downtown also. He might have
accompanied them part of the way, but feared Patsey might think him
extravagant if she found him so soon breaking into the working fund of
forty-two cents, which she charged him to be careful of.
He seemed to be in no hurry, for it was early yet, and few of the
lower Broadway establishments were open. To pass the time he turned
into a small restaurant and had coffee and a plate of cakes, in spite
of the fact that Patsy had so recently prepared coffee over the
sheet-iron stove and brought some hot buns from a near-by bakery. He
was not especially hungry; but in sipping the coffee and nibbling the
cakes he passed the best part of an hour.
He smiled when he paid out twenty-five cents of his slender store for
the refreshment. With five cents for car-fare he had now but twelve
cents left of the forty-two Patsy had given him! Talk about the
Major's extravagance: it could not be compared to Uncle John's.
Another hour was spent in looking in at the shop windows. Then,
suddenly noting the time. Uncle John started down the street at a
swinging pace, and presently paused before a building upon which was
a sign, reading: "Isham, Marvin & Co., Bankers and Brokers." A
prosperous looking place, it seemed, with a host of clerks busily
working in the various departments. Uncle John walked in, although the
uniformed official at the door eyed him suspiciously.
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In a village there lived two men who had the self-same name. Both were named Claus. But one of them owned four horses, and the other owned only one horse; so to distinguish between them people called the man who had four horses Big Claus, and the man who had only one horse Little Claus. Now I'll tell you what happened to these two, for this is a true story.
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