Presently the first interest day arrived, with not even a hope of being able to meet the required payment at a future date.  Bondholders—­dummies, just as Scattergood’s contractor was a dummy—­met.  Their deliberations were brief.  Foreclose with all promptitude was their word, and foreclose they did.  With the result that legal notices were published to the effect that on the sixteenth day of June the dam, booms, cribbing, improvements, charter, contracts, and property of whatsoever nature belonging to the Coldriver Dam and Boom Company were to be sold at public auction on the steps of the county courthouse.  Scattergood had lost his river....

“Terms of the sale are cash with the bid,” said Crane to Keith.  “I saw to that.”

“Good.  Wasn’t necessary, I guess.  There hasn’t been even a wriggle out of Baines.”

“Won’t be.  We’ll have to send somebody up to bid it in.  It’s just taking money out of one pocket to put it into the other, but we’ve got to go through the motions.”

“Anyhow, let’s get credit for grabbing a bargain,” said Keith.  “Bid her in cheap.  No use taking a big wad of money out of circulation even for a few days.”

“Ten thousand’ll be enough.  Say ten thousand six hundred, just to make it sound better.  Have to have two bidders there.”

“Sure,” agreed Keith.  “I guess this’ll teach our fat dreamer of dreams not to get in the way of the cars.”

Scattergood’s stock had gone down in Coldriver.  True, his hardware store was thriving.  In the two years his stock had increased from what his seven hundred and fifty dollars, with credit added, would buy, to an inventory of better than five thousand dollars, free of debt.  It is true also that with the last winter coming on he had looked about for a chance to keep his small surplus at work for him, and his eyes had fallen upon the item of firewood.  In Coldriver were a matter of sixty houses and a hotel, all of which derived their heat from hardwood chunks, and cooked their meals on range fires with sixteen-inch split wood.  The houses were mostly of that large, comfortable, country variety which could not be kept warm with one fire.  Scattergood figured they would burn on an average of fifteen cords of wood.

Now stove wood, to be really useful, must have seasoned a year.  It is not pleasant to build fires with green wood.  Appreciating this, Scattergood ambled about the countryside and bought up every available stick of wood at prices of the day—­and under, for he was a good buyer.  He secured a matter of a thousand cords—­and then waited hopefully.

It was a small transaction, promising no great profits, but Scattergood Baines was never, even when a rich man, one to scorn a small deal....  Within sixty days he turned over his corner in wood, realizing a profit of something over four hundred dollars....  This is merely to illustrate how Scattergood’s capital grew.

On June 16th Scattergood drove to the county seat.  He now owned a horse, and a buggy whose seat he more than comfortably filled.  In the county seat Scattergood was not unknown, for various county officers had been helped to their place by his growing influence in his town—­notably the sheriff.