"I'd like to meet Mr. West," said Louise, casting a shrewd look at her cousins. For here was another clue unearthed.
"He's in his store now." remarked McNutt, "Last buildin' on the left. Ye can't miss it."
"Thank you. Good morning, sir."
"Can't use any buttermilk er Dutch cheese?"
"No, thank you."
McNutt stared after them disconsolately. These girls represented so much money that ought to be in his pockets, and they were, moreover, "innercent as turtle doves"; but he could think of no way to pluck their golden quills or even to arrest their flight.
"Well, let 'em go," he muttered. "This thing ain't ended yit."
CHAPTER XIII.
BOB WEST, HARDWARE DEALER.
A few steps down the little street brought the girls to the hardware store, quite the most imposing building in town. They crossed the broad platform on which stood samples of heavy farm machinery and entered a well-stocked room where many articles of hardware and house furnishings were neatly and systematically arranged.