“Yes,” says I.
“To fool the fish,” says Catty. “Bait.... That’s the way The Proprietor of the Earth there looks to me.”
“You’re talkin’ through your hat,” says I. “He looks jest like pictures of bankers in story-books.”
“Hain’t read many story-books,” says he. “Let’s be moggin’ back,”
We walked back, though we could have rode on the seat with Pazzy Bills if we had wanted to. Pazzy always lets the kids ride with him. On our way we stopped at the hotel, being kind of curious about The Proprietor. There was quite a few men on the hotel porch and in the office, talking about the man that jest came, and looking at the register to find out his name. His name was Arthur Peabody Kinderhook, of New York City.
The hotel clerk was looking kind of flabbergasted.
“Yes, sir,” he was saying. “That there man he walked right up to the desk and he says, says he ‘Gimme your best suite with a bath.’
“‘Sweet’? says I.
“‘Suite,’ says he. ‘Bedroom, parlor, dressin’-room, bath.’
“‘You want the whole kaboodle of them rooms?’ says I. ‘All for yourself?’