“Well, mess-mate,” said Uncle Hiram pleasantly, “what do you say to stopping at the next place where there is something to eat?”
“I think it would be nice to stop,” Elizabeth Ann declared promptly.
“I’m hungry, too,” announced Doris, and it was a pity her mother couldn’t hear her, for Doris had not been hungry lately.
“Guess we’ll have to coal ship, too,” said Uncle Hiram and Elizabeth Ann looked at Doris helplessly.
“I mean, we need some gas for the car,” Uncle Hiram added. “I forget you haven’t signed up with a ship before. But you’ll learn in time—you’ll learn in time.”
They came to a filling station with a nice, clean-looking restaurant attached and Uncle Hiram drove in. He helped Elizabeth Ann and Doris out and then looked at the basket in which Tony was fastened.
“How do we feed the cat?” he asked.
Elizabeth Ann had traveled with Tony before. She knew how to take care of him.
“If there is a quiet place, I can take him out of the basket,” she explained. “He likes liver and milk, but he won’t eat if there is much noise, or many people looking at him.”
“He’s a cat after my own heart,” declared Uncle Hiram. “I can’t enjoy my food if a crowd has to sit and stare at every mouthful I take. We’ll see what we can do.”