Aunt Jane's Nieces Abroad
Next morning Patsy reminded him that instead of going down town he must
personally notify Louise Merrick of the proposed trip; so he took a
cross-town line and arrived at the Merrick's home at nine o'clock.
Mrs. Merrick was in a morning wrapper, sipping her coffee in an upper
room. But she could not deny herself to Uncle John, her dead husband's
brother and her only daughter's benefactor (which meant indirectly her
own benefactor), so she ordered the maid to show him up at once.
"Louise is still sweetly sleeping," she said, "and won't waken for hours
yet."
"Is anything wrong with her?" he asked, anxiously.
"Oh, dear, no! but everyone does not get up with the milkman, as you do,
John; and the dear child was at the opera last night, which made her
late in getting home."
"Doesn't the opera let out before midnight, the same as the theatres?"
he asked.
"I believe so; but there is the supper, afterward, you know."
"Ah, yes," he returned, thoughtfully. "I've always noticed that the
opera makes folks desperately hungry, for they flock to the restaurants
as soon as they can get away. Singular, isn't it?"
"Why, I never thought of it in that light."
"But Louise is well?"
"Quite well, thank you."
"That's a great relief, for I'm going to take her to Europe with me next
week," he said.
Mrs. Merrick was so astonished that she nearly dropped her coffee-cup
and could make no better reply than to stare blankly at her
brother-in-law.
"We sail Tuesday," continued Uncle John, "and you must have my niece
ready in time and deliver her on board the 'Princess Irene' at Hoboken
at nine o'clock, sharp."
"But John--John!" gasped Mrs. Merrick, feebly, "it will take a month, at
least, to make her gowns, and--"
"Stuff and rubbish!" he growled. "That shows, Martha, how little you
know about European trips. No one makes gowns to go abroad with; you buy
'em in Paris to bring home."
"Ah, yes; to be sure," she muttered. "Perhaps, then, it can be done, if
Louise, has no other engagements.
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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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