“Sing Lung, this is Miss Carew, and this is Miss Willis. They are staying at the 8 X 8,� explained Roy.
“Glad to see you.â€� The cook smiled and extended his two clasped hands in the oriental welcome. “You velly pletty—almost pletty like Belle Ada,â€� and he grinned widely. To his mind few girls had reached Belle’s perfection of beauty.
“Thanks,� Nell answered, blushing a little. It was a new experience to be complimented with a reservation in favor of another’s beauty.
“Sing Lung, tell the ladies what you give the punchers for mess,� Mr. Manley said, with a wink to the cook.
“Mice,� Sing Lung declared, nodding his head. “Little white mice, velly tendle; bleckfast, dinna, suppa! Yep! Me catchee! You like I makie you mice stew? Maybe mice flied?�
“Heavens, no!� Ethel said, with a shudder. “Mr. Manley, I think that’s terrible! Do the men really like to eat mice?�
Belle and Roy could hold in no longer. They exploded into a hearty laugh. Nell and Ethel saw the joke immediately, and could not refrain from laughing too.
“I think you’re mean to tease us,� Ethel exclaimed, pouting in mock anger. “We are awfully green, aren’t we? I might have known you were only fooling!�
“Never mind,� Belle consoled the Eastern girls. “If you stay out here long enough, you’ll be a real Westerner. Then you can go back to New York and ride a horse down Broadway.�
At this moment Teddy returned with a black box.