Aunt Jane's Nieces Abroad
"Well, if your knowledge is better than our hearing, I suppose you do,"
retorted the Major. "But to an ignorant individual like meself the
impression conveyed was that you snored like a man that has forgotten
his manners an' gone to sleep in the prisence of a lady."
"Then no one has a better right to do that," declared Patsy, soothingly;
"and I'm sure our dear Uncle John's thoughts were just the most
beautiful dreams in the world. Tell us of them, sir, and we'll prove the
Major utterly wrong."
Even her father smiled at the girl's diplomacy, and Uncle John, who was
on the verge of unreasonable anger, beamed upon her gratefully.
"I'm going to Europe," he said.
The Major gave an involuntary start, and then turned to look at him
curiously.
"And I'm going to take Patsy along," he continued, with a mischievous
grin.
The Major frowned.
"Conthrol yourself, sir, until you are fully awake," said he. "You're
dreaming again."
Patsy swung her feet from side to side, for she was such a little thing
that the stool raised her entirely off the floor. There was a thoughtful
look on her round, freckled face, and a wistful one in her great blue
eyes as the full meaning of Uncle John's abrupt avowal became apparent.
The Major was still frowning, but a half frightened expression had
replaced the one of scornful raillery. For he, too, knew that his
eccentric brother-in-law was likely to propose any preposterous thing,
and then carry it out in spite of all opposition. But to take Patsy to
Europe would be like pulling the Major's eye teeth or amputating his
good right arm. Worse; far worse! It would mean taking the sunshine out
of her old father's sky altogether, and painting it a grim, despairing
gray.
But he resolved not to submit without a struggle.
"Sir," said he, sternly--he always called his brother-in-law "sir" when
he was in a sarcastic or reproachful mood--"I've had an idea for some
time that you were plotting mischief. You haven't looked me straight in
the eye for a week, and you've twice been late to dinner.
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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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