Bet and Shirley decided to frame some of the prints in the narrow gilt
frames that Colonel Baxter had purchased for them. And in a few
minutes they had them in the window.

"Let's go outside and see what it looks like!" exclaimed Bet excitedly.

The girls walked up and down in front of the store.

"Let's pretend we're just walking by on our way down town. Would it
attract your eye?" asked Shirley, seriously.

"Not exactly attract," laughed Bet. "I should say it _hits_ the eye.
You can't pass up that orange window."

The girls placed their window display very carefully, putting only a
few prints in so that they would show up.

"What we should have is a pretty vase or a vanity box or something of
that sort to put in with these prints."

It looked to the girls as if old Peter had come to stay. As Shirley
was going through her prints, he noticed the picture of the queen's fan
and became quite excited. "That's an antique, isn't it?" he asked.

"Yes, it is a fan that belongs to my father," answered Bet, annoyed at
the old man for interrupting their work.

"Let's see the fan," he begged, as if the girls had refused.

"We haven't got it here; it belongs to Colonel Baxter," Shirley
answered.

But the old man didn't seem to believe them, for he poked his way into
every corner of the shop, and in the dark-room he made a careful
search, much to the amusement of the girls.

Then he sat down near Shirley and Bet as they framed more art prints.

"Now what's them for?" he asked. "Them pictures of birds?"

"Oh we expect to sell them to someone. Don't you think they're pretty?"

"Maybe," said old Pete. "That is somebody might like them. It's funny
what people will buy."

But Peter Gruff was restless. He had hoped to find the fan and as he
saw another print he picked it up and studied it carefully.

"Where did Colonel Baxter get the fan?" he asked.

"I don't know," answered Bet. "He has it, that's all I know."

Old Peter arose and once more started in a search of the rooms,
unwilling to believe that the fan was not hidden in the shop. Wherever
the girls wanted to work they stumbled into him.

At last Kit had an idea. "See this lovely picture, Mr. Gruff. It's
only five dollars. Don't you think you'd like to buy it?"

The old man stammered, "No, no!" but Kit interrupted:

"And even if you don't want it for yourself, it would make a splendid
Christmas present for some of your friends."

"Pay five d