Aunt Jane's Nieces Out West
He was
just in time to see the Stanton girls drive away in their automobile,
accompanied by their Aunt Jane.
"The motion picture stars must be late to-day," said the boy, looking
after them.
"They are," answered Patsy, standing beside him at the window; "but Maud
says this happens to be one of their days of leisure. No picture is to be
taken and they have only to rehearse a new play. But it's a busy life,
seems to me, and it would really prove hard work if the girls didn't
enjoy it so much."
"Yes," said he, "it's a fascinating profession. I understand, and nothing
can be called _work_ that is interesting. When we are obliged to do
something that we do not like to do, it becomes 'work.' Otherwise, what
is usually called 'work' is mere play, for it furnishes its quota of
amusement."
He was quite unconscious of any impending misfortune and when Beth and
Louise joined Patsy in thanking him for his pretty gifts of the pearls he
flushed with pleasure. Evidently their expressions of delight were very
grateful to his ears.
Said Uncle John, in a casual way: "Those are remarkably fine pearls, to
have come from such an island as Sangoa."
"But we find much better ones there, I assure you," replied the boy. "I
have many in my room of much greater value, but did not dare ask you to
accept them as gifts."
"Do many pearls come from Sangoa, then?" asked Arthur.
"That is our one industry," answered the young man. "Many years ago my
father discovered the pearl fisheries. It was after he had purchased the
island, but he recognized the value of the pearls and brought a colony of
people from America to settle at Sangoa and devote their time to pearl
fishing. Once or twice every year we send a ship to market with a
consignment of pearls to our agent, and--to be quite frank with you--that
is why I am now able to build the picture theatres I have contracted for,
as well as the film factory."
"I see," said Uncle John. "But tell me this, please: Why is Sangoa so
little known, or rather, so quite unknown?
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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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