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146 some good spot. Where would be the best place for me to locate, do you think?"

The hotel-keeper thought for a moment.

"Well, most of the folks come around here and over across the way to the general stores. But I reckon the store-keepers won't like you around much."

"They never do—but I can't help that. I've got to make a living as well as they."

"That's true. Tell you what you might do. There's the old paint-shop next door. You can use that for an auction place if you are a mind to be liberal for the use of it," said the hotel-keeper.

As soon as he had finished Matt went out and inspected the old paint-shop. He found it would do very well for his purpose, and on returning offered the hotel-keeper a good pocket-knife for its use for the following day. This offer was at once accepted, and Matt set to work without delay to get the place into shape.

By nightfall he was ready for business. In the meantime, he had sent a couple of small boys around to all the houses in the neighborhood to notify the folks of the sale, and as a consequence, by eight o'clock he had the shop quite comfortably filled.

Without waiting to see if Andy might return on