Part 28 (2/2)
Tom looked disappointed, even sad.
”Well,” continued Bob, ”I'm waiting for your order. Which soup will you have?”
”Which you goin' to have, Bob?”
”I'm goin' to have the _consomme_.”
”Then I'll take the other one,” said Tom.
”The _supreme_?”
”That's him,” replied Tom.
”Why do you prefer that?” laughed Herbert.
”Well, you see, it sounds better. That one that Bob has took I can't make no sense out of it nohow, and I don't believe it's good to eat, either--anything with a name like that.”
[Ill.u.s.tration: THE GREAT BANQUET.]
”But the name of your soup is not much better.”
”That's so, Herbert. Blamed if I know what they wants to put such stuff on fer a feller to eat fer,” said Tom, with an air of disgust.
”Well, Tom, you may as well get used to these names, for you'll get a lot of 'em before you get through this bill,” said Bob, laughing.
”Them names don't go all the way through, do they, Bob?” asked Tom, alarmed.
”Yes, plumb through to the end.”
”Well, that will spoil my dinner, then, for I don't know nothing about such words.”
”No, I guess it won't spoil your dinner, Tom; I'll bet you will eat like a hungry tramp before we get through.”
”Maybe I will, Bob Hunter, but I'd like to know what I'm eatin' all the same,” replied Tom, somewhat indignant. He did not like to be compared to a hungry tramp.
”That's all right, Tom Flannery; now don't you get off your base so sudden like. You will think you never struck a lay out like this before you get half way down the bill,” said Bob, trying to restore good feeling.
”Well, I hope I will, that's what I say. A feller ought to get something good when he has to wade through such blamed old names as these, that don't mean nothin'.”
”But they do mean somethin', jest as much as what our words mean to us.”
”Do you mean to tell me, Bob Hunter, that anybody uses these words?”
”Of course they do, Tom. They are French words, and French folks know what they mean.”
Tom thought for a moment; then he said:
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