tranger."

"Why, I reckon she _is_ tol'able fair," said Haley, blowing the smoke
out of his mouth.

"Taking her down south?" said the man.

Haley nodded, and smoked on.

"Plantation hand?" said the man.

"Wal," said Haley, "I'm fillin' out an order for a plantation, and I
think I shall put her in. They telled me she was a good cook; and they
can use her for that, or set her at the cotton-picking. She's got the
right fingers for that; I looked at 'em. Sell well, either way;" and
Haley resumed his cigar.

"They won't want the young 'un on the plantation," said the man.

"I shall sell him, first chance I find," said Haley, lighting another
cigar.

"S'pose you'd be selling him tol'able cheap," said the stranger,
mounting the pile of boxes, and sitting down comfortably.

"Don't know 'bout that," said Haley; "he's a pretty smart young 'un,
straight, fat, strong; flesh as hard as a brick!"

"Very true, but then there's the bother and expense of raisin'."

"Nonsense!" said Haley; "they is raised as easy as any kind of critter
there is going; they an't a bit more trouble than pups. This yer chap
will be running all around, in a month."

"I've got a good place for raisin', and I thought of takin' in a little
more stock," said the man. "One cook lost a young 'un last week,--got
drownded in a washtub, while she was a hangin' out the clothes,--and I
reckon it would be well enough to set her to raisin' this yer."

Haley and the stranger smoked a while in silence, neither seeming
willing to broach the test question of the interview. At last the man
resumed:

"You wouldn't think of wantin' more than ten dollars for that ar chap,
seeing you _must_ get him off yer hand, any how?"

Haley shook his head, and spit impressively.

"That won't do, no ways," he said, and began his smoking again.

"Well, stranger, what will you take?"

"Well, now," said Haley, "I _could_ raise that ar chap myself, or get
him raised; he's oncommon likely and healthy, and he'd fetch a hundred
dollars, six months hence; and, in a year or two, he'd bring two
hundred, if I had him in the right spot; I shan't take a cent less nor
fifty for him now."

"O, stranger! that's rediculous, altogether," said the man.

"Fact!" said Haley, with a decisive nod of his head.

"I'll give thirty for him," said the stranger, "but not a cent more."

"Now, I'll tell ye what I will do," said Haley, spitting again, with
renewed decision. "I'll split the differ