Aunt Jane's Nieces Abroad
"
"Just what Patsy said. See here, Martha, do you imagine that any girl
who is half human could have engagements that would keep her from
Europe?"
"But the requirements of society--"
"You'll get me riled, pretty soon, Martha; and if you do you'll wish you
hadn't."
This speech frightened the woman. It wouldn't do to provoke Uncle John,
however unreasonable he happened to be. So she said, meekly:
"I've no doubt Louise will be delighted to go, and so will I."
"You!"
"Why--why--whom do you intend taking?"
"Just the three girls--Aunt Jane's three nieces. Also mine."
"But you'll want a chaperone for them."
"Why so?"
"Propriety requires it; and so does ordinary prudence. Louise, I know,
will be discreet, for it is her nature; but Patsy is such a little
flyaway and Beth so deep and demure, that without a chaperone they might
cause you a lot of trouble."
Uncle John grew red and his eyes flashed.
"A chaperone!" he cried, contemptuously; "not any in mine, Martha
Merrick. Either we young folks go alone, without any death's head to
perpetually glower at us, or we don't go at all! Three better girls
never lived, and I'll trust 'em anywhere. Besides that, we aren't going
to any of your confounded social functions; we're going on a reg'lar
picnic, and if I don't give those girls the time of their lives my name
ain't John Merrick. A chaperone, indeed!"
Mrs. Merrick held up her hands in horror.
"I'm not sure, John," she gasped, "that I ought to trust my dear child
with an uncle who disregards so openly the proprieties."
"Well, I'm sure; and the thing's settled," he said, more calmly. "Don't
worry, ma'am. I'll look after Patsy and Beth, and Louise will look after
all of us--just as she does after you--because she's so discreet. Talk
about your being a chaperone! Why, you don't dare say your soul's your
own when Louise is awake. That chaperone business is all
humbuggery--unless an old uncle like me can be a chaperone. Anyhow, I'm
the only one that's going to be appointed.
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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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