Aunt Janes Nieces in the Red Cross | Page 6

many phases of this
curious project; then Beth came to Mr. Merrick's side and asked
pleadingly:
"May I go with her, Uncle?"
"Great Scott!" he exclaimed, with a nervous jump. "You, Beth?"
"Yes, Uncle. I so long to be of help to those poor fellows who are being
so cruelly sacrificed; and I know I can soothe much suffering, if I have
the opportunity."
He stared at her, not knowing what to reply. This quaint little man was
so erratic himself, in his sudden resolves and eccentric actions, that he
could scarcely quarrel with his niece for imitating an example he had
frequently set. Still, he was shrewd enough to comprehend the reckless
daring of the proposition.
"Two unprotected girls in the midst of war and carnage, surrounded by
foreigners, inspired to noble sacrifice through ignorance and
inexperience, and hardly old enough to travel alone from Hoboken to
Brooklyn! Why, the thing's absurd," he said.
"Quite impractical," added Ajo, nodding wisely. "You're both too pretty,
my dears, to undertake such an adventure. Why, the wounded men
would all fall in love with their nurses and follow you back to America
in a flock; and that might put a stop to the war for lack of men to fight
it."
"Don't be silly, Ajo," said Patsy, severely. "I've decided to go with
Maud and Beth, and you know very well that the sight of my freckled
face would certainly chill any romance that might arise."
"That's nonsense, Patsy!"

"Then you consider me beautiful, Uncle John?"
"I mean it's nonsense about your going with Maud and Beth. I won't
allow it."
"Oh, Uncle! You know I can twine you around my little finger, if I
choose. So don't, for goodness' sake, start a rumpus by trying to set
your will against mine."
"Then side with me, dear. I'm quite right, I assure you."
"You're always right, Nunkie, dear," she cried, giving him a resounding
smack of a kiss on his chubby cheek as she sat on the arm of his chair,
"but I'm going with the girls, just the same, and you may as well make
up your mind to it."
Uncle John coughed. He left his chair and trotted up and down the
room a moment. Then he carefully adjusted his spectacles, took a long
look at Patsy's face, and heaved a deep sigh of resignation.
"Thank goodness, that's settled," said Patsy cheerfully.
Uncle John turned to the boy, saying dismally:
"I've done everything in my power for these girls, and now they defy
me. They've declared a thousand times they love me, and yet they'd trot
off to bandage a lot of unknown foreigners and leave me alone to worry
my heart out."
"Why don't you go along?" asked Jones. "I'm going."
"You!"
"Of course. I've a suspicion our girls have the right instinct, sir--the
tender, womanly instinct that makes us love them. At any rate, I'm
going to stand by them. It strikes me as the noblest and grandest idea a
girl ever conceived, and if anything could draw me closer to these three
young ladies, who had me pretty well snared before, it is this very
proposition."

"I don't see why," muttered Uncle John, wavering.
"I'll tell you why, sir. For themselves, they have all the good things of
life at their command. They could bask in luxury to the end of their
days, if they so desired. Yet their wonderful womanly sympathy goes
out to the helpless and suffering--the victims of the cruellest war the
world has ever known--and they promptly propose to sacrifice their
ease and brave whatever dangers may befall, that they may relieve to
some extent the pain and agony of those wounded and dying fellow
creatures."
"Foreigners," said Uncle John weakly.
"Human beings," said the boy.
Patsy marched over to Ajo and gave him a sturdy whack upon the back
that nearly knocked him over.
"The spirit of John Paul Jones still goes marching on!" she cried. "My
boy, you're the right stuff, and I'm glad I doctored you."
He smiled, looking from one to another of the three girls questioningly.
"Then I'm to go along?" he asked.
"We shall be grateful," answered Maud, after a moment's hesitation.
"This is all very sudden to me, for I had planned to go alone."
"That wouldn't do at all," asserted Uncle John briskly. "I'm astonished
and--and grieved--that my nieces should want to go with you, but
perhaps the trip will prove interesting. Tell me what steamer you want
to catch, Maud, and I'll reserve rooms for our entire party."
"No," said Jones, "don't do it, sir."
"Why not?"
"There's the Arabella. Let's use her."

"To cross the ocean?"
"She has done that before. It will assist our enterprise, I'm sure, to have
our own boat. These are troublous