He unclipped the top sheet on his clipboard and looked around at the crowd.

“The county board has set the opening bid at twenty thousand dollars,” Dobbs called out.

“Who’ll give me twenty?”

Vance raised one hand without looking up from his clipboard.

“Twenty thousand from Mr.

Vance,” Dobbs yelled.

“Do I hear twenty-one?”

“Twenty-one,” a farmer in a red seed cap called from three steps down.