“On your way here?”
“Yes.”
“Well, well! What are these suburban roads coming to, Amos?” cried the woman, quite aghast. “It soon will not be safe to venture even into one’s front yard.”
“I believe you,” said Badger, with a wheezy growl. “I do hope, Mr. Carter, that you’ll accomplish something. What do you intend doing toward rounding up these scoundrels?”
Nick laughed and shook his head.
“That is a difficult question for me to answer at present,” said he. “I must first discover some clue with which to start, some thread that is strong enough to follow, and which possibly may lead to the identification of the knaves and where they are located.”
“Have you any such clue at present?” inquired Mrs. Badger, with a smile and glance well calculated to invite a frank rejoinder.
“Not the slightest.”
“That’s too bad.”
“Stay,” added Nick, as if with an afterthought. “I believe I have something that may prove of advantage.”