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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 listened carefully. They had been trying to study Italian

from a small book Beth had bought entitled "Italian in Three Weeks

without a Master," but not a word the driver of the carriage said seemed

to have occurred in the vocabulary of the book. He repeated "Vesuvio"

many times, however, with scornful, angry or imploring intonations, and

Louise finally said:

"He thinks you want to go to the volcano, Uncle. The hotel is the

Vesuve, not the Vesuvius."

"What's the difference?"

"I don't know."

"All right; you girls just hop in, and leave the rest to me."

He tumbled them all into the vehicle, bag and baggage, and then said

sternly to the driver:

"Ho-tel Ve-suve--Ve-suve--ho-tel Ve-suve! Drive there darned quick, or

I'll break your confounded neck."

The carriage started. It plowed its way jerkily through the dust-laden

streets and finally stopped at an imposing looking structure. The day

was growing darker, and an electric lamp burned before the entrance.

But no one came out to receive them.

Uncle John climbed out and read the sign. "Hotel du Vesuve." It was the

establishment he had been advised to stop at while in Naples. He

compared the sign with a card which he drew from his pocket, and knew

that he had made no mistake.

Entering the spacious lobby, he found it deserted. In the office a man

was hastily making a package of some books and papers and did not

respond or even look up when spoken to. At the concierge's desk a big,

whiskered man sat staring straight ahead of him with a look of abject

terror in his eyes.

"Good morning," said Uncle John. "Fine day, isn't it?"

"Did you hear it?" whispered the concierge, as a dull boom, like that of

a distant cannon, made the windows rattle in their casements.

"Of course," replied Mr. Merrick, carelessly. "Old Vesuve seems on a

rampage. But never mind that now. We've just come from America, where

the mountains are more polite, and we're going to stop at your hotel."

The concierge's eyes wandered from the man to the three girls who had

entered and grouped themselves behind him.

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