end of the great, splendid room, and seated them at a round table that
seemed as well furnished as even Mrs. Foster's own. They all imitated
Ford in hanging their hats on the appointed pegs before sitting down.

"Now, boys, what shall we have?" he said, as he gazed learnedly up and
down the printed bill of fare. "Speak up, Joe, Fuz, what's your
weakness?"

Every boy of them was willing to let Ford do his best with that part of
the dinner; and he was hard at work deciding what soup and fish he had
better pick out, when the tall waiter who had bustled forward to receive
the coming "order," bent over his shoulder, and pointed to Dick Lee,
inquiring,--

"Beg pardon, sah! Is dis young colored gen'l-man of youah party? It's
'gainst de rules ob de establishment, sah."

Dab Kinzer felt his face flush fiery red; and he was on the point of
saying something, he hardly knew what, when Ford looked calmly up into
the mahogany face of the mulatto waiter, with,--

"You refer to my friend from Africa? We'll talk about that after dinner.
Gumbo soup and Spanish mackerel if you please. Sharp, now!"

"But, sah"--

"Don't be afflicted, my friend. He's as white as anybody, except on
Fridays: this is his black day. Hurry up the soup and fish."

Joe and Fuz were looking as if they were dreadfully ashamed of