“It’s the best the market will allow me to offer.” “Market’s crowded, eh?” “Badly.” “With bowls in special?” says Mark. “Yes,” says Dwight. “Um!... Good mornin’, Mr. Dwight. I don’t calc’late we kin do any b-b-business.” “Why not? What’s wrong with that offer?” “It hain’t fair,” says Mark. “What——” “And _you_ hain’t fair,” says Mark, “and I calc’late, jedgin’ from what you’ve tried to do to-day, that you hain’t n-never been fair with Mr. Bugg.” “What do you mean, young man? Are you charging me with sharp practice?” “I’m sayin’,” says Mark, in the gentle way he has when somebody’s done something to make him think they’re cheating him—“I’m sayin’ that you’ve known Silas perty well, and you’ve made perty good m-money off him. You’ve come over here a g-g-good many times, makin’ b’lieve you was doin’ a favor, when you was actually payin’ him a lot less than he could git for his goods if he had known what he was d-doin’.” “Now, Mark—” says Silas, in that frightened way of his. “Young man—” began Dwight again. But Mark interrupted. “I’ve took the t-t-trouble to study the market, Mr. Dwight. I know that bowls is s-s-scarce and in demand. I know what p-prices is b-bein’ paid, and you’re offerin’ about half of ’em, makin’ b’lieve you’re doin’ a favor. You come figgerin’ you could t-take advantage of Silas, and that wasn’t a very large-sized kind of a thing for a man to do, was it? You took advantage. There’s folks would say it wasn’t h-honest.” “Look here, now——” “So,” says Mark, “I guess we don’t want to t-t-trade with you—not in any circumstances.” “Why not, I’d like to know?” “Because,” says Mark, still speaking courteous and gentle-like, “it don’t n-n-never pay to do business with a man you don’t t-trust.” “Now, Mark——” says Silas again. Mark didn’t pay any attention. “Here’s what the market p-prices of bowls is,” says he, and he told Dwight just what every size was bringing. “That’s a f-f-fair price, too. I know what our cost is, and that g-g-gives us jest a decent profit. But I wouldn’t sell to you, Mr. Dwight, if you was to offer twice that. I jest don’t want to have any dealin’s with you at all. Good mornin’.” He turned away and went into the office, and Dwight and Silas and the rest of us stood looking after him with our mouths open. Silas he stepped from one foot to the other and fussed with his nose and looked like he wished he could crawl in some place and hide. Dwight looked mad and embarrassed and red in the face, like anybody does when he gets caught at something. “What’s that kid got to do with your mill?” says he to Silas. “He’s the boss,” Silas says. “Do you believe the nonsense he’s been telling you?” “Wa-al,” says Silas, looking more scairt than ever, “I’ll tell you how it is. I’ve never knowed that boy to say somethin’ that wasn’t so. He don’t never make no statements he hain’t prepared to back up, and he knows more about business than I ever calc’late to know.... Yes, I figger what he says was so.”