“Oh, it’s all right. I’ll get through. We didn’t ’low to spend less’n that for dinner, so we’re solid.”
Then the party waited anxiously to see how much chowder they were to receive for the large amount of money expended; and when it was finally brought Bill Foss exclaimed, even before the waiter had left the table:—
“I’ll tell you, fellers, this is growin’ too rich for my blood! Twenty-five cents apiece for them little bowls of chowder, when I can get all I can carry away for five cents, up to the Jim Fisk saloon, kinder looks hard.”
“Well, don’t say anything about it now, Billy. We’ve got inter the scrape, an’ might jest as well enjoy ourselves. There ain’t much of it, I know; but perhaps it’s awful nice,” and Bob set a good example to his friends by attacking his portion without delay.
During the next ten minutes the pleasure-seekers did not indulge in any extended conversation.
The time was fully occupied in trying to extract the value of their money from the food before them, and they had no opportunity for anything else.
It was not until the last crumb had disappeared that Bill Foss asked, as he pushed his chair back a few inches to show that he was perfectly at ease:—
“Well, fellers, now we’ve filled up, whater we goin’ to do?”
“Come outside,” Bob replied; and as the party gained the board-walk he added, “The rest of you stay here while I talk to Tom a minute.”
“They’re goin’ to count up the cash,” Bill Foss whispered as the two stepped behind a candy booth, and Sadie said to Josiah:—