"Some day," said Scattergood, "I'm a-goin' to marry you off. Calculate I got the girl in my eye now." "I hope," Johnnie said, "that you'll be--er--very happy." "Guess we'll manage so-so.... Now about them options, Johnnie. You make tracks for the city and sort of edge up to Crane and Keith. Might start by showin' 'em a deed for a mill site down across from theirs at the railroad. Then you might start askin' questions like you was lookin' for information. Guess that'll git up their curiosity some. Then you kin spring your options on 'em.... When you've done that, come off and leave 'em sweatin'. And don't mention me. I hain't in this deal a-tall." But before Johnnie could get to Crane and Keith, Crane and Keith came to Scattergood. "You've got some kind of a proposition in mind," said Keith, who did the talking because he could keep his temper better than Crane. "What do you want?" "Make me an offer," said Scattergood. "We'll buy your provision company--and give you a decent profit." "Don't sound enticin'," said Scattergood, reaching down and loosening his shoe. It was too cold to omit the wearing of heavy woolen socks, so he could not twiddle his toes with perfect freedom, but he could twiddle them some, and that helped his mental processes. "Well, what do you want?" "I'll sell the provision company's stock of provisions--and nothin' more.... At a profit. You got to buy, 'cause you can't make arrangements to git in grub before I bring on a famine for you.... And I got the grub stored in warehouses. That's part of it. Second, I'll _lease_ you my river for three years. You wasn't calc'latin' to pay for the use of it. So you be obleeged to pay in advance. I figgered my profits on drivin' at about two thousand this year. Give you a three-year lease for five thousand. I hain't no hog.... Yes or no." There was a brief conference. "Yes," was the answer. "Cash," said Scattergood. "You'll have to come to the city for it," Keith said, which Scattergood was not unwilling to do. He returned with a certified check for twenty-six thousand five hundred and twenty-four dollars and nineteen cents, of which five thousand was rental of his river, and four thousand and odd dollars were his profits on his provisions. Not a bad profit from a dust-throwing project! Meantime Johnnie paid his visit to Crane and Keith, and came home to report. "It hit them between wind and water," he said. "Uh-huh!... What did you judge they had in mind?" "They wanted to buy me out.... Of course I wouldn't sell. My clients wanted that timber, and were going to work to build their mill.... The last they said was that they were coming up to see me." "Uh-huh! When they come, you mention about that strip of fifteen thousand acres you couldn't buy, eh? Let on you couldn't get it." Johnnie held Scattergood as he was going out. "I want to account for that five thousand dollars you placed in my name." "Go ahead. I hain't perventin' you."