"That's not bad at all," said Ben laughing. "Did you mean that for a hint, and do you think I'd buy peanuts and keep them all to myself?"
"Oh, no." Edna was shocked that he should think she really intended a hint. "I just had to make up something and that was the best I could do."
"Oh, dear, I can't get my last line," complained Dorothy. "I've tried and tried and I can't find a rhyme for Barker and Parker. This as far as I can get:
There was a young man named Barker
Who stayed at the Hotel Parker
And ate lots of rolls
And drank from the bowls—
I had to say bowls to make it rhyme, though I really meant cups, and there I am stuck."
Here Ben came to her rescue.
[178] "And drank from the bowls
Until his complexion grew darker,"
he added to the amusement of the girls.
They kept up the limericks for some time, though Dorothy found it such hard work that she finally refused to try any more, and Ben looking at his watch decided it was time to go into the dining-car for dinner. This was a new experience and made a pleasant break in the monotony of the journey. By the time the meal was finished they were so near their own station that the rest of the way seemed nothing at all. At the station they had to change cars or else make the trip by the trolley.
"Which shall we do?" asked Ben.