"Take banana. T'ree fo' five centa," urged the black eyed girl, with large ear rings, who had supplied his wants.
Ralph eyed the pendulous fruit dubiously. He had never seen anything like it before.
"Looks some like skinned sweet taters," he said to himself. "Are they good?" he queried aloud.
"Verra goot; go nice wiz shinger braad."
"All right. Give me three," and he parted with another five cents, then bit into the fruit without more ado.
The girl tried in vain to smother her laughter.
"Zat nota ze way. You peel um—so." She accompanied her words by stripping the skin from one. "Now; be ready fo' eat."
Ralph turned away with his relish for new delicacies embittered by another reminder of his worldly deficiencies.
"I never know'd before how ignorant we mountain folks are. Even that foreign girl as can hardly talk at all, laughed at my way of doing." He dropped the bananas into the paper bag holding the gingerbread, and frowned heavily. Then he set his lips firmly together. "I will not let 'em down me this way. I'll learn their ways or die a trying."
After enunciating this resolve, he felt better. Presently he sat down on a door step at the entrance to an alley and ate his lunch with a better appetite.