ulted."

"Which is not at all surprising, considering the circumstances," Matt
retorted. "If you cannot use her yourself you mustn't expect other
people to be over-enthusiastic about owning her. However, I think I
can find business for her, and I've come to buy her myself. You seem to
think a lot of your time, so I'll conserve it for you. I'm the principal
in this deal, and if you really want to get rid of her we'll do business
in two minutes."

"Three hundred thousand dollars," MacCandless answered promptly.

"Listen," said Matt Peasley. "I have fifty thousand dollars of my own
in bank this minute, but I will have to raise two hundred and fifty
thousand more before I can afford to buy your vessel, even if we agree
on that price, which does not seem probable. I'll give you two hundred
and fifty thousand dollars for the steamer Narcissus; but when you turn
her over to me I want a ship, not a piece of floating junk. You'll
have to ship a new crank shaft, rewind the main motor, renew the Manila
lines, overhaul the standing rigging, retube the condensers and dock her
before handing her over to me. She's as foul as any hulk in Rotten Row."

"Why, that will cost in the neighborhood of forty thousand
dollars--nearer fifty!" MacCandless declared.

"I know. But for three hundred thousand dollars I can go to Sweden,
build a smaller vessel than the Narcissus, have her right up to date,
with two-thousand-horsepower oil-burning motors in her; and the saving
in space due to motor installation, with oil tanks instead of coal
bunkers, will enable me to carry fully as much cargo as the Narcissus.
Also, I'll burn six tons of crude oil a day to your forty tons of coal a
day in the Narcissus. I'll employ eight men less in my crew, and have a
cleaner, faster and better ship. The motor ship is the freighter of the
future, and you know it. Your Narcissus is out of date, and I'm only
offering you two hundred and fifty thousand dollars because I can use
her right away."

"Young man," said MacCandless, "you talk like a person that means
business, but you overlook the fact that this company is neither
bankrupt nor silly. The directors will, I feel assured, agree to do all
the work you specify, but the price must be three hundred thousand. That
will leave us two hundred and fifty thousand dollars net."

"I'll split the difference with you."

MacCandless shook his head.

"Well, that ends our argument," Matt answered pleasantly, and took u