lotments. In spite of the fact that we
have over eleven hundred lots for sale at an average price of six
hundred dollars, we're not going to have enough to go around. The
receipts will be fully seven hundred thousand dollars, and our
complete disbursements, by the time we have sold out, will not amount
to over two hundred and twenty-five thousand. Of course, I don't
know--I haven't asked, and you wouldn't tell me if I did--just by what
promises you are bound, but when I close up this deal you're going to
marry me! That's flat!"

"You mustn't be too sure of anything in this world, Bobby," she warned
him, but she turned upon him a smile that made her words but idle
breath.

CHAPTER XI

BOBBY DISCOVERS AN ENEMY GREATER THAN SILAS TRIMMER

One circumstance only had occurred to give Bobby any anxiety. With the
beginning of the thaw the water in Silas Trimmer's eight acres had
begun slowly to rise, and he saw with some dismay that by far the
larger part of the great natural basin from which the surface water
had been supplied to this swamp sloped from the northern end. Not
having that expanse of one hundred and twenty acres to spread over, it
might overflow, and in considerable trepidation he sought Jimmy Platt.
That happy young gentleman only smiled.

"I calculated upon that," he informed Bobby, "and built your retaining
wall two feet higher than the normal spring level for that very
reason. It will carry all the water than can shed down from those
hills."

Relieved, Bobby went ahead with the preparations for turning the
Applerod Addition into money, and though he saw the water creeping up
steadily against the other side of his wall, he displayed no anxiety
until it had reached within three or four inches of the top. Then he
took Platt out with him to have a look at it.

"Don't you think you ought to get busy?" he inquired. "Hadn't we
better add another foot to this wall?"

"Not necessary," said Jimmy, shaking his head positively. "This has
been an unusual spring, but the wet weather is all over now, and you
can see by the water-mark where the level has gone down a half inch
since morning. All the moisture that has been trickling down here
during the past week has been from the thawing out of the frozen
hillsides, but those slopes are almost dust dry now."

"Suppose it should rain again?" insisted Bobby, still worried.

"It couldn't rain hard enough to fill up these four inches," declared
Platt with dec