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Main > Fairy tale > All authors > Frank Baum > Fairy tale "Aunt Jane's Nieces Abroad"

Aunt Jane's Nieces Abroad

The girls were

enthusiastic over cathedrals, and allowed none to escape a visit. For a

time Uncle John had borne up bravely, but the day of rebellion was soon

coming.

"No cathedrals in Venice, I hope?" he had said on their arrival.

"Oh, yes, dear; the loveliest one in the world! St. Mark's is here, you

know."

"But no St. Paul's or St. Peter's?"

"No, Uncle. There's the Saluta, and the--"

"Never mind. We'll do that first one, and then quit. What they build so

many churches for I can't imagine. Nobody goes to 'em but tourists, that

I can see."

He developed a streak of extravagance in Venice, and purchased Venetian

lace and Venetian glassware to such an extent that the nieces had to

assure him they were all supplied with enough to last them and their

friends for all time to come. Major Doyle had asked for a meerschaum

pipe and a Florentine leather pocket book; so Uncle John made a

collection of thirty-seven pipes of all shapes and sizes, and bought so

many pocketbooks that Patsy declared her father could use a different

one every day in the month.

"But they're handy things to have," said her uncle, "and we may not get

to Europe again in a hurry."

This was his excuse for purchasing many things, and it was only by

reminding him of the duty he would have to pay in New York that the

girls could induce him to desist.

This customs tax worried the old gentleman at times. Before this trip he

had always believed in a protective tariff, but now he referred to the

United States customs as a species of brigandage worse than that of Il

Duca himself.

They stopped at Milan to visit the great cathedral, and then raced

through Switzerland and made a dash from Luzerne to Paris.

"Thank heaven," said Uncle John, "there are no cathedrals in gay Paree,

at any rate."

"Oh, yes there are," they assured him. "We must see Notre Dame, anyway;

and there are a dozen other famous cathedrals."

Here is where Uncle John balked.

"See here, my dears," he announced, "Not a cathedral will I visit from

this time on!

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