“No chance,” says the clerk. “Kinderhook don’t let nobody into those rooms, and he sets by and keeps his eye on the chambermaid when she’s makin’ the beds.” “Well,” says Catty, “if we can’t we can’t. Much obleeged. Let us know the minute we kin move in.” “I sure will,” says the clerk, and we went out, slow, but tickled. Catty had found out just what we wanted to know and nobody in the world could have told he had been trying to find out. We knew now just where Kinderhook’s rooms were, and that was something. But, after all, when you come to think of it, it wasn’t such a lot, after all. There’s a heap of difference between knowing bees has a hive in a certain tree and gittin’ the honey out of it without gittin’ stung. When we got out on the porch there was Captain Winton and Mr. Wade talking to Kinderhook, and we stood where we could sort of hear what they was saying. “Apparently,” says Captain Winton, “you have been persuaded to part with quite a little of your stock, Mr. Kinderhook.” “Why, yes,” says he. “I’ve got about all the money a man can reasonably use, and it looked as if I ought to give the people here a chance to make some, too. I didn’t intend to sell a share, but I’ve got to like this town and the people and I’d like to help them and have them for partners, as it were.” “Does you credit,” says Captain Winton, “and I’m sure the town is much obliged. It will mean quite a little money.” “Quite a little,” says Kinderhook. “Some of us have been talking it over,” says Captain Winton, “and we’ve dropped in to make a sort of proposition to you. You understand we mean no reflection upon you, no criticism whatever, but inasmuch as this town is going to invest a great deal of money on your bare word, as it were, we feel, before we hand over the cash, that we ought to be assured of the efficiency of your churn.” Kinderhook looked at him a minute and then smiled as pleased as could be. “Why, certainly you should be,” says he. “What we think you should do is to give a public demonstration of your churn.” “By all means,” says Mr. Kinderhook. “And the folks rather think that no money should be paid over to you until they know the churn will work.” “They’re perfectly right,” says Mr. Kinderhook. “So here’s what our proposition is. The folks will pay the money into the bank, and you will deposit the stock with the bank. Then you give a demonstration of the churn, and the minute a committee says the churn will do what you say it will the bank will deliver the stock to the purchasers and the money to you.” “I should have proposed exactly that if you hadn’t. I should have done so before, but I didn’t come here to sell stock, you understand. The people were so eager to buy—” “Of course,” says Captain Winton. “When will you be ready to give your demonstration?” “Whenever you gentlemen notify me you are ready. You must give me a day or so to make preparations, because when I demonstrate this churn I want to do it to a turn.”