human
You must go down and let Mr. Goldwin see you with it on,
gpt
When shall we start, Bob?
human
Are you so very hungry?
gpt
I should think I am, for I haven't had no dinner.
human
It don't make no difference, Tom, whether you did or not. You'd be starvin' all the same.
gpt
Well, I can't help it; I think it's time to eat, don't you, Herbert?
human
Yes, it is about time for dinner, replied our hero.
gpt
Are you ready to go, Bob?
human
Yes, but we won't go up to the Boss Tweed tonight,
gpt
Bob is goin' to ask us up town for a big lay out,
human
That's so, said Bob.
gpt
We will have kind of a blow out all by ourselves.
human
And shall we do the town afterwards, as the bloods say?
gpt
What does 'doing the town' mean?
human
It's goin' round and seeing the sights, replied Bob.
gpt
But come, let's be movin'. We can talk about doin' the town while we are at dinner.
human
So I say,
gpt
Gewhittaker! this is splendid, Bob. I didn't think we was coming to no such tony place as what this is,
human
Didn't I tell you it wa'n't no Jim Fisk or Boss Tweed ranch?
gpt
So you did, Bob; but you see I didn't know about them big glass--what do you call 'em?
human
Chandeliers,
gpt
Chandeliers, that's it; but ain't they stunnin', though?
human
Well, there ain't nothin' mean about 'em, I should think,
gpt
No, nor 'bout anything here, said Tom.
human
I never see so much style slung round before, did you, Herbert?
gpt
I don't know,
human
Say, Tom, don't make so much fuss about this place. 'Tain't nothin'; no, 'tain't nothin', Tom, beside some er the tony places further up town.
gpt
Do them fellers always dress up so with a swallow tail on, Bob?
human
Yes, at a swell place, like this is, they do, answered Bob.
gpt
Now that waiter he will be right back and want our orders. The first thing is soup, and there's three kinds--_potage Julienne_, _suprême_, and _consommé à la royale_. Which will you have, Herbert?
human
You may give me the _potage Julienne_,
gpt
Say 'em again, Bob; I didn't quite catch 'em before,
human
Why not have 'em all, Bob?
gpt
Well, they are all on there for us, ain't they?
human
They are on for us to take whichever one we want.
gpt
And I can't have but one?
human
No.
gpt
Well, I thought at these er--what do you call 'em?--dinners a feller had everything in the old bill, if he wanted it.
human
Well, continued Bob,
gpt
I'm waiting for your order. Which soup will you have?
human
Which you goin' to have, Bob?
gpt
I'm goin' to have the _consommé_.
human
Then I'll take the other one,
gpt
The _suprême_?
human
That's him,
gpt
Why do you prefer that?
human
Well, you see, it sounds better. That one that Bob has took I can't make no sense out of it nohow, and I don't believe it's good to eat, either--anything with a name like that.
gpt
But the name of your soup is not much better.
human
That's so, Herbert. Blamed if I know what they wants to put such stuff on fer a feller to eat fer,
gpt
Well, Tom, you may as well get used to these names, for you'll get a lot of 'em before you get through this bill,
human
Them names don't go all the way through, do they, Bob?
gpt
Yes, plumb through to the end.
human
Well, that will spoil my dinner, then, for I don't know nothing about such words.
gpt
No, I guess it won't spoil your dinner, Tom; I'll bet you will eat like a hungry tramp before we get through.
human
Maybe I will, Bob Hunter, but I'd like to know what I'm eatin' all the same,
gpt
That's all right, Tom Flannery; now don't you get off your base so sudden like. You will think you never struck a lay out like this before you get half way down the bill,
human
Well, I hope I will, that's what I say. A feller ought to get something good when he has to wade through such blamed old names as these, that don't mean nothin'.
gpt
But they do mean somethin', jest as much as what our words mean to us.
human
Do you mean to tell me, Bob Hunter, that anybody uses these words?
gpt
Of course they do, Tom. They are French words, and French folks know what they mean.
human
I was way off, Bob. I thought it was some words jest made up for this bill, 'cause you see I don't know nothin' about French.