“Frightened by what?” demanded Luke.
“I dunno. All I know is that Dot and Tess and me was playin’ hide and coop at the end of the garden an’ Hop Wong comes slidin’ along—you know how funny he walks.”
“What did he say?” asked Ruth.
“Oh, he talked so funnily Dot and I had to laugh!” put in Tess.
“You shouldn’t laugh at the poor man. Think how silly you would sound trying to talk Chinese,” chided Ruth.
“I can almost talk it. Anyhow, I can say words that sound like it,” declared Sammy. “Want to hear me?” he asked hopefully.
“Tell us what Hop Wong said,” suggested Luke.
“Oh, he just gibbered away,” reported Sammy. “And all I could make out was that he wants to talk to Ruth. He said for me to come and tell her to come down where he was at the end of the garden.”
“He said,” giggled Tess, “‘Tell Missie Luth I wanna spleak her muchy qulick!’” And Tess gave such a good imitation of the funny talk of Hop Wong that even Luke laughed.
“Well, I’ll go see what he wants,” said Ruth. “I imagine it must be something about his laundry business. Once before he came to me. It was when the man who owns his shop was going to raise the rent to a prohibitive figure. I went to see Mr. Howbridge about it, and he was able to arrange matters so poor Hop Wong didn’t have to pay so much. Ever since then Hop thinks I regulate the universe, I guess.”