Aunt Jane's Nieces
It had been a little hard to
return so large a check, but the girl's policy was not to appear
before Aunt Jane as a poor relation, but rather as a young lady fitted
by social education and position to become a gracious mistress of
Elmhurst. This she believed would give her a powerful advantage over
all competitors.
Whether she was right or not in this surmise it is certain that she
rose several points in Aunt Jane's estimation during this interview,
and when she was dismissed it was so graciously that she told herself
the money her little plot had cost had been well expended.
Afterward Elizabeth was summoned to attend her aunt.
"I want to be amused. Can you read aloud?" said the invalid.
"Not very well, I'm afraid. But I'll be glad to try," answered Beth.
"What do you like?"
"Select your own book," said Aunt Jane, pointing to a heap of volumes
beside her.
The girl hesitated. Louise would doubtless have chosen a romance, or
some light tale sure to interest for the hour, and so amuse the old
lady. But Beth erroneously judged that the aged and infirm love sober
and scholarly books, and picked out a treatise that proved ineffably
dull and tedious.
Aunt Jane sniffed, and then smiled slyly and proceeded to settle
herself for a nap. If the girl was a fool, let her be properly
punished.
Beth read for an hour, uncertain whether her aunt were intensely
interested or really asleep. At the end of that dreadful period old
Misery entered and aroused the sleeper without ceremony.
"What's the matter?" asked Aunt Jane, querrulously, for she resented
being disturbed.
"There's a man to see you, Miss."
"Send him about his business!"
"But--"
"I won't see him, I tell you!"
"But he says he's your brother, Miss."
"Who?"
"Your brother."
Miss Jane stared as if bewildered.
"Your brother John, Miss."
The invalid sank back upon her cushions with a sigh of resignation.
"I thought he was dead, long ago; but if he's alive I suppose I'll
have to see him," she said. "Elizabeth, leave the room.
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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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