"Can I get a bite to eat anywhere before I go to bed?" he asked.
"There's an all-night lunchroom on the corner above."
"Thank you. I'll get something, for I have had no supper. I came in on a train and went to sleep. I don't even know what place this is," Ralph went on.
"Don't, eh? This is Jersey City."
Jersey City! Could it be possible! Then he had indeed taken a long trip.
Ralph knew that Jersey City lay just across the river from New York. A short ride would take him into the great metropolis. Despite the fact that he wished himself safe at home, the thought of seeing New York filled him with pleasure.
"I must send word to mother that I am safe and tell her all of what has happened, and then spend a day or two in New York before I go back," he said to himself. "I may not get the chance of seeing the city again for a long time."
Ralph found the all-night lunchroom without much trouble, and entering, he sat down at one of the numerous tables. He was a well-read boy, and therefore did not appear as "green" as he might otherwise have done.
A waiter soon came to serve him.
"What will you have?" he asked.