“You don't! It means the town's decided to buy that strip of land of yours. Definitely decided, practically speakin'. Now what'll you sell it to us for?”
I put down the valve plug. “Captain,” said I, “that land is not for sale.”
“Not for SALE? What do you mean by that?”
“I mean that I have decided not to sell it, for the present, at least. Neither to Colton nor any one else.”
He could not believe it. Of course I would not sell it to Colton. Colton was a stuck-up, selfish city aristocrat who thought all creation ought to belong to him. But the town was different. Did I realize that it was the town I lived in that was asking to buy now? The town of which I was a citizen? Think of what the town had done for me.
“Very well,” I answered. “I'm willing to think. What has it done for me?”
It had—it had—well, it had done a whole lot. As a citizen of that town I owed it a—a—
“Look here, Captain Dean,” I interrupted, “there's no use in our arguing the matter. I have decided not to sell.”
“Don't talk so foolish. Course you'll sell if you get money enough.”
“So Colton said, but I shan't.”