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

Aunt Jane's Nieces at Millville

Merrick that any from the

little world around them dared intrude upon the dwellers at the

Wegg farm.

Although the agent had been late in starting from Millville and Nick

Thorne's sorrel mare had walked every step of the way, Peggy was obliged

to wait in the yard a good half hour for the "nabob" to finish his

breakfast. During that time he tried to decide which of the two

statements of accounts that he had prepared he was most justified in

presenting. He had learned from the liveryman at the Junction that Mr.

Merrick had paid five dollars for a trip that was usually made for two,

and also that the extravagant man had paid seventy-five cents more to

Lucky Todd, the hotel keeper, than his bill came to. The knowledge of

such reckless expenditures had fortified little McNutt in "marking up"

the account of the money he had received, and instead of charging two

dollars a day for his own services, as he had at first intended, he put

them down at three dollars a day--and made the days stretch as much as

possible. Also he charged a round commission on the wages of Lon Taft

and Ned Long, and doubled the liveryman's bill for hauling the goods

over from the Junction. Ethel Thompson had refused to accept any payment

for what she had done, but Peggy bravely charged it up at good round

figures. When the bill was made out and figured up it left him a

magnificent surplus for his private account; but at the last his heart

failed him, and he made out another bill more modest in its extortions.

He had brought them both along, though, one in each pocket, vacillating

between them as he thought first of the Merrick millions and then of the

righteous anger he might incur. By the time Uncle John came out to him,

smiling and cordial, he had not thoroughly made up his mind which

account to present.

"I must thank you for carrying out my orders so intelligently," began

the millionaire. "Without your assistance I might have found things in

bad shape, I fear."

McNutt was reassured. The nabob would stand for bill No.

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