future knew it and before the valley knew it, and was laying his plans
to be ready with pails to catch the sap when others, taken by surprise,
would be running wildly about seeking for buckets.

Then Crane and Keith arrived in Coldriver.... That day marked
Scattergood's emergence from the ranks of country merchants, though he
retained his hardware store to the last. That day marked distinctly
Scattergood's launching on a greater body of water. For forty years he
sailed it with varying success, meeting failures sometimes, scoring
victories; but interesting, characteristic in every phase--a genius in
his way and a man who never took the commonplace course when the unusual
was open to him.

"I suppose you've looked this man Baines up," said Crane to Keith when
they met in the Coldriver tavern.

"I know how much he weighs and how many teeth he's had filled," Keith
replied.

"He ought not to be so difficult to handle. He hasn't capital enough to
put this company of his through and his business experience don't amount
to much."

"For monkeying with our buzz saw," said Keith, "we ought to let him lose
a couple of fingers."

"How's this for an idea, then?" Crane said, and for fifteen minutes he
outlined his theory of how best to eliminate Scattergood Baines from
being an obstruction to the free flowage of their schemes for Coldriver
Valley.