al.

Again Sparrer grinned and shook his head. He was beginning to enjoy the
situation. This was a method of barter he was accustomed to, the method
of the lower East Side. He began to feel at home.

"Five dollar!" The Indian pulled off a mitten and held up the hand with
the fingers spread.

Once more Sparrer shook his head. "Youse can't buy it," said he
decidedly as if to end the parley. "An' youse can't put nothin' across
on me," he added. "It's worth a lot of dough an' Oi'm wise to it. Youse
better run along." He shifted his rifle to a handier position by way of
a hint.

The Indian, who had gradually advanced, stopped. His face changed
completely. There was no longer any attempt to hide the greed in the
beady eyes. He was no fool, and he saw the uselessness of trying to
dissemble further. He meant to have that skin by fair means or foul, by
fair means if possible, for he was keen enough to realize that thus he
would avoid possible unpleasant consequences in the future. This
youngster knew more than he had supposed he did, but he might not be
proof against the temptation of ready money. Pulling off his other
mitten he held up both hands, closed his fingers, opened them again,
closed them and then opened those of one hand.

"Twenty-five dollar!" he exclaimed.

That was a larger sum than Sparrer had ever possessed at one time in all
his life and to have that in hand at once was a temptation. There was no
denying the fact. The skin might be worth all that he had heard and then
again it might not. He was too wise in the ways of the world to be
ignorant of the fact that fabulous tales are built around comparatively
modest facts. Undoubtedly the skin was valuable. The fact that the
Indian was so eager to get it was proof of this. But as for its being
worth any such sum as two thousand, or even one thousand, that seemed
absurd. He glanced down at the black form at his feet and his
imagination couldn't conceive of any one paying even a hundred dollars
for such a little bit of fur. Why, even when stretched it would be but a
fraction of the size of the great bearskin back at the cabin and that
was worth only fifteen dollars, and for his part he would much rather
have the latter. He looked up to find the black beady eyes of the
Indian fixed upon him as if they read his very thoughts. The man had
been quick to perceive his hesitation and now began to speak again.

"White boy staying at trappers' camp. Fox no belong to whi