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139 pages

English

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The follow-up to the smash hit Aunt Jane's Nieces, Aunt Jane's Nieces Abroad is the second in the series of ten novels that Wizard of Oz creator L. Frank Baum penned for young adults at the dawn of the twentieth century. This entry follows the travels of wacky baron John Merrick as he takes his three nieces on a grand tour of Europe.

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Children's

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Publié par	The Floating Press
Date de parution	01 juin 2011
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781775453390
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0134€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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AUNT JANE'S NIECES ABROAD
* * *
L. FRANK BAUM

*
Aunt Jane's Nieces Abroad First published in 1906 ISBN 978-1-775453-39-0 © 2011 The Floating Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike. Visit www.thefloatingpress.com
Contents
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Prefatory Chapter I - The Doyles Are Astonished Chapter II - Uncle John Makes Plans Chapter III - "All Ashore" Chapter IV - Some New Acquaintances, and a Warning Chapter V - Vesuvius Rampant Chapter VI - Under a Cloud Chapter VII - A Friend in Need Chapter VIII - Across the Bay Chapter IX - Count Ferralti Chapter X - The Road to Amalfi Chapter XI - The Eagle Screams Chapter XII - Moving On Chapter XIII - Il Duca Chapter XIV - Uncle John Disappears Chapter XV - Days of Anxiety Chapter XVI - Tato Chapter XVII - The Hidden Valley Chapter XVIII - Guests of the Brigand Chapter XIX - A Difficult Position Chapter XX - Uncle John Plays Eavesdropper Chapter XXI - The Pit Chapter XXII - News at Last Chapter XXIII - Beth Begins to Plot Chapter XXIV - Patsy's New Friend Chapter XXV - Turning the Tables Chapter XXVI - The Count Unmasks Chapter XXVII - Tato is Adopted Chapter XXVIII - Dreams and Dress-Making Chapter XXIX - Tato Wins Chapter XXX - A Way to Forget Chapter XXXI - Safe Home
Prefatory
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The author is pleased to be able to present a sequel to "Aunt Jane'sNieces," the book which was received with so much favor last year. Yetit is not necessary one should have read the first book to fullyunderstand the present volume, the characters being taken to entirelynew scenes.
The various foreign localities are accurately described, so that thosewho have visited them will recognize them at once, while those who havenot been so fortunate may acquire a clear conception of them. It was mygood fortune to be an eye witness of the recent great eruption ofVesuvius.
Lest I be accused of undue sensationalism in relating the somewhatdramatic Sicilian incident, I will assure my reader that the story doesnot exaggerate present conditions in various parts of the island. Infact, Il Duca and Tato are drawn from life, although they did not havetheir mountain lair so near to Taormina as I have ventured to locateit. Except that I have adapted their clever system of brigandage to theexigencies of this story, their history is truly related. Many who havetravelled somewhat outside the beaten tracks in Sicily will franklyvouch for this statement.
Italy is doing its best to suppress the Mafia and to eliminatebrigandage from the beautiful islands it controls, but so few of theinhabitants are Italians or in sympathy with the government that thework of reformation is necessarily slow. Americans, especially, mustexercise caution in travelling in any part of Sicily; yet with propercare not to tempt the irresponsible natives, they are as safe in Sicilyas they are at home.
Aunt Jane's nieces are shown to be as frankly adventurous as the averageclear headed American girl, but their experiences amid the environmentsof an ancient and still primitive civilization are in no wiseextraordinary.
Edith Van Dyne (L. Frank Baum.)
Chapter I - The Doyles Are Astonished
*
It was Sunday afternoon in Miss Patricia Doyle's pretty flat at 3708Willing Square. In the small drawing room Patricia—or Patsy, as shepreferred to be called—was seated at the piano softly playing the one"piece" the music teacher had succeeded in drilling into her flightyhead by virtue of much patience and perseverance. In a thick cushionedmorris-chair reclined the motionless form of Uncle John, a chubby littleman in a gray suit, whose features were temporarily eclipsed by thenewspaper that was spread carefully over them. Occasionally a gasp or asnore from beneath the paper suggested that the little man was"snoozing" as he sometimes gravely called it, instead of listening tothe music.
Major Doyle sat opposite, stiffly erect, with his admiring eyes fullupon Patsy. At times he drummed upon the arms of his chair in unisonwith the music, nodding his grizzled head to mark the time as well as toemphasize his evident approbation. Patsy had played this same piece fromstart to finish seven times since dinner, because it was the only oneshe knew; but the Major could have listened to it seven hundred timeswithout the flicker of an eyelash. It was not that he admired so muchthe "piece" the girl was playing as the girl who was playing the"piece." His pride in Patsy was unbounded. That she should havesucceeded at all in mastering that imposing looking instrument—makingit actually "play chunes"—was surely a thing to wonder at. But then,Patsy could do anything, if she but tried.
Suddenly Uncle John gave a dreadful snort and sat bolt upright, gazingat his companions with a startled look that melted into one of benigncomplacency as he observed his surroundings and realized where he was.The interruption gave Patsy an opportunity to stop playing the tune. Sheswung around on the stool and looked with amusement at her newlyawakened uncle.
"You've been asleep," she said.
"No, indeed; quite a mistake," replied the little man, seriously. "I'veonly been thinking."
"An' such beaut chiful thoughts," observed the Major, testily, for heresented the interruption of his Sunday afternoon treat. "You thought'em aloud, sir, and the sound of it was a bad imithation of a bullfrogin a marsh. You'll have to give up eating the salad, sir."
"Bah! don't I know?" asked Uncle John, indignantly.
"Well, if your knowledge is better than our hearing, I suppose you do,"retorted the Major. "But to an ignorant individual like meself theimpression conveyed was that you snored like a man that has forgottenhis 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 mostbeautiful dreams in the world. Tell us of them, sir, and we'll prove theMajor utterly wrong."
Even her father smiled at the girl's diplomacy, and Uncle John, who wason 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 himcuriously.
"And I'm going to take Patsy along," he continued, with a mischievousgrin.
The Major frowned.
"Conthrol yourself, sir, until you are fully awake," said he. "You'redreaming again."
Patsy swung her feet from side to side, for she was such a little thingthat the stool raised her entirely off the floor. There was a thoughtfullook on her round, freckled face, and a wistful one in her great blueeyes as the full meaning of Uncle John's abrupt avowal became apparent.
The Major was still frowning, but a half frightened expression hadreplaced the one of scornful raillery. For he, too, knew that hiseccentric brother-in-law was likely to propose any preposterous thing,and then carry it out in spite of all opposition. But to take Patsy toEurope would be like pulling the Major's eye teeth or amputating hisgood right arm. Worse; far worse! It would mean taking the sunshine outof her old father's sky altogether, and painting it a grim, despairinggray.
But he resolved not to submit without a struggle.
"Sir," said he, sternly—he always called his brother-in-law "sir" whenhe was in a sarcastic or reproachful mood—"I've had an idea for sometime that you were plotting mischief. You haven't looked me straight inthe eye for a week, and you've twice been late to dinner. I will ask youto explain to us, sir, the brutal suggestion you have just advanced."
Uncle John laughed. In the days when Major Doyle had thought him a poorman and in need of a helping hand, the grizzled old Irishman had been astender toward him as a woman and studiously avoided any speech orepithet that by chance might injure the feelings of his dead wife'sonly brother. But the Major's invariable courtesy to the poor orunfortunate was no longer in evidence when he found that John Merrickwas a multi-millionaire with a strongly defined habit of doing good toothers and striving in obscure and unconventional ways to make everybodyaround him happy. His affection for the little man increased mightily,but his respectful attitude promptly changed, and a chance to reprove ordiscomfit his absurdly rich brother-in-law was one of his mostsatisfactory diversions. Uncle John appreciated this, and holding thedignified Major in loving regard was glad to cross swords with him nowand then to add variety to their pleasant relations.
"It's this way, Major Doyle," he now remarked, coolly. "I've beenworried to death, lately, over business matters; and I need a change."
"Phoo! All your business is attended to by Isham, Marvin & Co. You've noworry at all. Why, we've just made you a quarter of a million in C.H. &D's."
The "we" is explained by stating that the Major held an importantposition in the great banking house—a position Mr. Merrick had securedfor him some months previously.
"That's it!" said Uncle John. "You've made me a quarter of a millionthat I don't want. The C.H. & D. stocks were going to pieces when Ibought them, and I had reason to hope I'd lose a good round sum on them.But the confounded luck turned, and the result is an accumulation of allthis dreadful money. So, my dear Major, before I'm tempted to dosome-other foolish thing I've determined to run away, where businesscan't follow me, and where by industry and perseverance I can scattersome of my ill-gotten gains."
The Major smiled grimly.
"That's Europe, right enough," he said. "And