ll right,' said Anita. 'And now that matter is settled.'

"The prophecies of the weather were correct. The next day, Wednesday, it
rained, and it also rained on Thursday and Friday; but on Saturday it
looked as if it might clear in the afternoon.

"'I am not going to-day,' said Anita. 'I have been working very hard
lately, and to-morrow I will take a good rest, and we will start in on
Monday.'

"Baxter was very glad of the four days of delay occasioned by the stormy
weather, and said that without working on Sunday he could finish
everything to his satisfaction. I went down to the cot the next day to
see how he was getting on; but Anita asked me no questions, and I asked
none of her. I had never known her to be so continuously occupied. As I
stood with Baxter in front of the cottage, where there was a fine view
of the surrounding country, I asked him how much land he had thought it
desirable to purchase.

"'Over there,' he said, 'I bought just beyond that range of trees, about
half a mile, I should say. But to the west a little more, just skirting
the highroad. To the north I bought to the river, which is three
quarters of a mile. But over there to the south I included that stretch
of forest-land which extends to the foot-hills of the mountains; the
line must be about a mile from here.'

"'That is a very large tract,' said I. 'How did you manage to buy it so
quickly?'

"'I had nine real-estate agents here on Thursday morning,' he replied,
'and the sales were all consummated this morning. They all went to work
at once, each on a separate owner. We bought for cash, and no one knew
his neighbor was selling.'

"I laughed, and asked him how he was going to keep this big estate
private for our use. 'We want to wander free, you know, anywhere and
everywhere.'

"'That is what I thought,' said he, 'and that is why I took in such a
variety of scenery. Nobody will interfere with you. There will be no
inhabited house on the place except your own, and I am putting up a
fence of chicken-yard wire around the whole estate. There is nothing
like chicken-yard wire. It is six feet high and very difficult to climb
over, and it is also troublesome to cut.'

"I exclaimed in amazement: 'That will take a long time!'

"'I have contracted to have it done by Saturday morning,' replied
Baxter. 'The train with the wire fence and posts is scheduled to arrive
here at eleven o'clock to-night, and work will begin immediately. Paulo
Montani,