itch? No water, indeed!"

"It is nobody's fault but the city's," explained Uncle Si. "The pipe
is all laid and nothing remains but for the city to make the connection
with the main in the street. You see _we_ can't tap the main; that is
for the city to do."

"Then why does n't the city do it?" I asked.

Uncle Si shrugged his shoulders.

"The city _ought_ to do a good many things it _does n't_ do," said he.
"They promised to have that main tapped at eight o'clock last Monday
morning, and here it is ten o'clock Thursday morning and not a drop of
water on the place! There is n't any use kicking, for those
politicians down at the City Hall do things their own way and take
their own time doing 'em!"

I saw that argument with Uncle Si meant simply a waste of time, so I
determined to go down-town to the City Hall myself to see whether no
eloquence or indignation of my own would move the derelict officers to
a performance of their duty. On the train I fell in with Mr. Leet, who
was on his way to his place of business. He had not seen me since our
purchase of the Schmittheimer property, and he took this first occasion
to congratulate me upon what he called one of those bargains which
occur at rare intervals in a century. Finding me in a felicitous mood,
Mr. Leet went on to say that the property we already possessed would be
enhanced in value an hundred-fold and would be rendered marketable
instantaneously by the further acquisition of the twenty-five feet
adjoining it upon the north.

"Yes," said I, "Mr. Doller spoke to me about that twenty-five-foot
strip some time ago."

"Aha, so Doller has been approaching you, has he?" said Mr. Leet,
softly. "Well, Doller is very cunning--very cunning, indeed. But he
has nothing to do with the _north_ strip. _He_ owns the twenty-five
feet to the _south_ of your property, the piece fronting on Sandpile
Terrace, and a very malarious location it is, too. I pledge you my
word, Mr. Baker, I have seen mosquitos hovering over that Doller strip
at night as big as bats!"

I could neither deny nor affirm the truth of this assertion.

"My twenty-five-foot strip to the north," continued Mr. Leet, "is high
and dry and sightly. The view it commands of the Water Works is
indescribably fine. You are surely practical enough to see, Mr. Baker,
that by purchasing that strip and throwing it in with yours you will
have a subdivision fronting upon Dandelion Place which would offer
unparal