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They arrived as the railway was on the point of running its first train. McKettrick brought them in person. He burst upon Scattergood as Scattergood sat in front of his hardware store, and began to storm. "What's this? What's this?" he roared. "What's that railroad doing up the easterly side of our timber? It's waste money, lost money. It'll have to be rebuilt.
Twenty-two thousand two hundred and fifty dollars were paid by McKettrick for land that had cost Scattergood exactly three thousand six hundred dollars. Scattergood believed in always paying for services rendered, so Wangen and each of the four ostensible landowners were given a hundred dollars. Net profit to Scattergood, eighteen thousand one hundred and fifty dollars.
McKettrick vanished from the region and did not appear again except for flying visits to his rising plant at Tupper Falls. He never inspected so much as a foot of the new railroad back into the Goodhue tract and this, Scattergood very correctly took to be suspicious. The work was left utterly in Scattergood's hands, with no check upon him and no inspection.
"It cost the three of 'em less 'n three thousand dollars for the three passels," said Scattergood. "Prices have gone up," said Wangen. "Give them two hundred dollars profit apiece," said McKettrick. "Consid'able difference between givin' it and their takin' it," said Scattergood. "I agree with that," said Wangen.
The Seaboard will sue the new railroad for damages for failure to have the tracks into the cuttings on time. I guess when we begin collecting judgments by levying on the new road, there won't be much of it left. The Seaboard will come pretty close to owning it." "And you and I will be frozen out, eh?" said Scattergood. McKettrick purred and smiled. "Exactly," he said.
And control hain't that wuth a figger?" "Fifteen," said Castle. "Sixteen." "Seventeen five hundred." "That's enough," said Scattergood. "I got a leetle grudge ag'in' McKettrick for havin' bad manners, and for regardin' me as somethin' to pick and eat. It'll hurt him some to have you control this road, Castle, so you git it, at seventeen thousand five hunderd.
Sounds that way, don't it?... And I got that two per cent.... Do I hear any suggestions?" Castle stood up and bowed. "I take off my hat to you, Baines.... I bid ten thousand." "Eleven," choked McKettrick. "This here road's goin' to be mighty profitable. Contract with the Seaboard folks makes it look like it would pay eighteen, twenty per cent on the investment, maybe more.
Which transaction gave Scattergood another profit on the whole affair of nineteen thousand six hundred dollars this time a capitalization of the spite of man toward man. It will be seen that McKettrick owned 49 per cent of the stock, Castle, 49 per cent, and Scattergood, 2 per cent. He was now in a position to await developments.
Especial when you come to consider that McKettrick and Castle is flyin' at each other's throats. It's a situation, Johnnie, that man owes a duty to himself to take advantage of." Scattergood went back to his hardware store and seated himself on the piazza. Presently a team drove up from down the valley and a tall, gaunt individual, with hair of the color of a dead leaf, alighted.
"Now, Wangen, you and me has done consid'able business," said Scattergood, "and you hain't goin' to hold up a friend of mine." "If it was a personal thing, Mr. Baines; but I've got to do my best for my clients." "What's your proposition?" "Five thousand dollars apiece for the three strips." "It's an outrage," roared McKettrick. "I'll never be robbed like that."
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