“Discouragingly!” said Boast, as he seated himself on the table in front of Vance. “Discouragingly! Why, didn’t I tell you the Town Company would ruin Waterville? I was away only two weeks visiting, as you know, at Gold Bluff, but while I was gone they inflated prices of property; made promises right and left that were quite impossible for them to fulfill. The newspapers all over the country are denouncing them, and the result of it is that Waterville is dead! I say dead, and I mean dead, and all on account of the Town Company.” “Do you suppose,” asked Vance, “that you could possibly’ sell my twenty-five lots?” Boast looked absently’ out of the window and said, “I might sell them in time by putting them on my special bargain list.” “At what price?” Vance ventured to ask. “Let me see,” said Boast, “you paid $2,500 for them, did you not?” “Yes,” replied Vance. “Oh, well,” said Boast, “I might be able to get $500 for them, but it would be a pretty green sort of a tenderfoot that I could load them on at even that price. But what’s the use,” said he, facing around toward Vance [156] and still sitting on the table, “what’s the use of losing your nerve? Within one or two years Waterville will be all right. She can’t be kept down. She has natural resources; the richest farm lands in the world; the greatest water power of any inland city in the United States; marvelous veins of coal; inexhaustible quarries of rock; unsurpassed forests of timber; and abundance of water for irrigating purposes. 8164 Why, dang it, old fellow,” said he, slapping Vance on the shoulder, “Waterville s all right. All you’ve got to do is to hold on to your nerve and your lots, and you will come out on top.” “That’s all very well,” replied Vance, “but the ray of hope you hold out is too far away to be very satisfactory at the present time.” “Every tenderfoot,” replied Boast, “needs a certain amount of experience in order to acclimate him to this western country. Your experience is just now beginning. After a little Colonel Bonifield will strike it rich on Gray Rocks, Waterville will also come out of the kinks, and there you are, a rich man. By the way, the Colonel must be pretty well along toward the 400 foot level, Waterville will also come out of the kinks, and there you are, a rich man. By the way, the Colonel must be pretty well along toward the 400 foot level, is he not:” “I believe he is making very satisfactory progress,” replied Vance. “If the old man should strike it rich,” said Boast, “I would not mind connecting myself with his family. Of course, I am not so hard to please as you New York fellows.” He looked archly at Vance and smiled wickedly as he made this remark. Vance was indignant at the cold-blooded insinuation of Boast, and replied: [157] “While you may have no objections, I don’t doubt you will meet some pretty knotty ones before you succeed in winning Miss Bonifield.”