CHAPTER CXXX
RUTH COMES TO DINNER
"HOW do you like this kind of meat, Ruth?" asked Bob. "It is a little invention of Bettina's own. I call it a symphony and no 'mis-steak.'"
"It is an economy, not a symphony," said Bettina, "but if it leads you to make such dreadful puns as that, I'll wish I had fed you something else for dinner."
"To me," said Ruth, "this dish is a delicacy and a despair. How can you think of things like this? I know I never could do it in the wide world!"
"I can't compose symphonies or poems," said Bettina, "so I express myself in this way. And most of my music is played in a simple key. It is difficult to think of a variety of inexpensive meat dishes, and sometimes I have to invent them in order to keep within my allowance, and still vary my menus. Creamed onions are economical and healthful, too, so you see that my whole dinner is inexpensive."
"And also delicious," said Ruth. "I don't see how you manage to keep cooked onions from having a strong smell, and to keep the house so free from the odor."
"O that someone would patent
That someone would patent and sell
An onion with an onion taste
And with a violet smell,"
quoted Bob.