CHAPTER V

SUPPER AT DELMONICO'S INTERRUPTED


The two D Bar Lazy R punchers ate supper at Delmonico's. The restaurant
was owned by Wong Chung. A Cantonese celestial did the cooking and
another waited on table. The price of a meal was twenty-five cents,
regardless of what one ordered.

Hop Lee, the waiter, grinned at the frolicsome youths with the serenity
of a world-old wisdom.

"Bleef steak, plork chop, lamb chop, hlam'neggs, clorn bleef hash,
Splanish stew," he chanted, reciting the bill of fare.

"Yes," murmured Bob.

The waiter said his piece again.

"Listens good to me," agreed Dave. "Lead it to us."

"You takee two--bleef steak and hlam'neggs, mebbe," suggested Hop
helpfully.

"Tha's right. Two orders of everything on the me-an-you, Charlie."

Hop did not argue with them. He never argued with a customer. If they
stormed at him he took refuge in a suddenly acquired lack of
understanding of English. If they called him Charlie or John or One Lung,