For a moment he wriggled his toes, just as a golfer
waggles his driver preparatory to the stroke. "Um!..." he said.
"Castle," said he, presently, "works for jest two objects--makin' money
and payin' off grudges. Most gen'ally he tries to figger so's to combine
'em."
Johnnie and Mandy waited. They knew better than to interrupt
Scattergood's train of thought. Had they done so he would have uttered
no rebuke, but would have hoisted himself out of his chair and would
have waddled away up the dusty street, and neither of them would ever
hear another word of the matter.
"He knows I wouldn't sell this road without gittin' money for it.
_Therefore_ he's figgerin' on makin' a lot of money out of it, or payin'
off a doggone big grudge.... Somebody we don't know about is calc'latin'
on movin' into this valley, Johnnie. Somebody that's goin' to do a heap
of shippin'--and that means timber cuttin'.... And it must be settled or
Castle wouldn't come out and offer to buy."
Johnnie and Mandy had followed the reasoning and nodded assent.
"What timber be they goin' to cut?" Scattergood poked a chubby finger at
Johnnie, who shook his head.
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