Jed Dean's mysterious conversation at the post-office was beginning to
lose some of its mystery.

"Well?" asked Colton, impatiently. Then, without waiting longer, he
added:

"By the way, before you name a figure, answer me one more question. That
road--or lane, or whatever it is--that is yours, too? Doesn't belong to
the town?"

The light was growing more brilliant. I could see breakers ahead.

"No," I replied, slowly. "It is a private way. It belongs to me."

"Good! Well, what's that land of yours worth by the acre?"

I shook my head. "I scarcely know," I said. "I've never figured it that
way."

"I don't care how you figure it. Here, let's get down to a business
proposition. I want to buy a strip of that land from the Lower
Road--that's what you call the one above here, isn't it?--to the beach.
The strip I want is about three hundred feet wide, for a guess. It
extends from my fence to the other side of that grove by the bluff. What
will you sell it for?"

The breakers were close aboard. However, I dodged them momentarily.

"Why do you want to buy?" I asked.