The Chinese Parrot (Charlie Chan Detective Series) — page 141: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

= oe with very wet neighborhood all about. Moisture hangs in air all time, rain called liquid sunshine, breath of ocean pretty damp. Here I climb round to other side of picture. Air is dry like last year's newspaper." "They tell me you can love this country if you try.” Chan shrugged. "For my part, I reserve my efforts in that line for other locality. Very much impressed by desert, thank you, but will move on at earliest opportunity.” "Here, too," Eden laughed. "Comes the night, and I long for lights about me that are bright. A little restaurant on O'Farrell Street, a few good fellows, a bottle of mineral water on the table. Human companionship, if it's not asking too much.” "Natural you feel that way," Chan agreed. "Youth is in your heart like a song. Because of you I am hoping we can soon leave Madden's ranch." "Well, what do you think? What are we going to do now?" "Watch and wait. Youth, I am thinking, does not like that business. But it must be. Speaking personally for myself, I am not having one happy fine time either. Act of cooking food not precisely my idea of merry vacation.” "Well, Charlie, I can stick it if you can," Eden said. 141 comiicboeoe S CO