“I’m looking for quinine, blankets, hot water, pepper tea, any old thing to warm me up!” he said. “I feel another of those confounded Arkansas chills coming on.”
Then Frank introduced his friends to Kent Spencer, and there followed a general case of introducing. The Blue Cove lads seemed a rather pleasant set of fellows, reminding Frank and his friends of the Lake Lily boys.
Browning did not stop for introductions, but hustled into the hotel, and lost no time in beginning the battle to ward off a chill. Browning’s chills were unpleasant for him, but they were the subject of much joking on the part of his comrades.
Frank had been certain that the boys would be hungry when they arrived, and he had ordered a square meal served for them all, so that the table was ready for them shortly after they appeared and washed up in their rooms.
Browning was on the bed, covered with quilts and blankets, which he had pilfered from the beds of the other fellows, gulping down quinine in huge doses and groaning dismally.
“Aren’t you coming down to get something to eat, old fellow?” asked Hodge.
“Oh, yes, I’m cuc-cuc-cuc-coming down to eat!” chattered Bruce, sarcastically. “I’d enjoy eating, wouldn’t I?”
“We’ll have something good,” grinned Rattleton. “We’ll have posen frudding—I mean frozen pudding.”
“Boo!” gasped the big fellow. “Dud—dud-don’t speak of it!”
“And ice cream—good, cold ice cream.”