he's
at the house, but I've just been up there 'n' they ain't even furniture
in it.'

"'No,' says the clerk; 'the furniture was sold to a New York collector
two weeks ago. Miss Goodloe is livin' in the head trainer's house
across the road yonder. She won't have that long, I don't reckon,
though I did hear she's fixin' to buy it when the farm sells, with some
money ole Mrs. Goodloe left her.'

"I goes over to the little house the clerk points out, 'n' knocks. A
right fat nigger woman, with her sleeves rolled up, comes to the door.

"'What you want?' she says.

"'I want to see Miss Goodloe,' I says.

"'You cyant see her. She ain' seein' nobody,' says the nigger woman,
'n' starts to shut the door.

"'Wait a minute, aunty," I says. 'I got to see her--it's business,
sure-enough business.'

"'Doan you aunty me!' says she. 'Now, you take yo' bisniss with you
an' ramble! Bisniss has done sole off eve'y stick an' stone we got! I
doan want to hyar no mo' 'bout bisniss long as I live'--'n' bang goes
the door.

"I waits a minute 'n' then knocks again--nothin' doin'. I knocks fur
five minutes steady. Pretty soon here she comes, but this time she's
got a big brass-handled poker with her.

"'Ef I has to clout you ovah de haid wid dis pokah you ain' gwine to
transack no mo' bisniss fo' a tollable long time!' she says. She's mad
all right, 'n' she hollers this at me pretty loud.

"'Fore I can say anythin' a dame steps out in the hall 'n' looks at me
'n' the nigger woman 'n' the poker.

"'What's the matter, Liza?' she says to the nigger woman, 'n' her voice
is good to listen at. You don't care what she says, just so she keeps
a-sayin' it. She's got on a white dress with black fixin's on it, 'n'
she just suits her dress, 'cause her hair is dark 'n' her face is
white, 'n' she has great big eyes that put me in mind of--I don't know
what! She ain't very tall, but she makes me feel littler'n her when
she looks at me. She's twenty-four or five, mebby, but I'm a bum
guesser at a dame's age.

"'Dis pusson boun' he gwine to see you an' I boun' he ain', Miss
Sally,' says the nigger woman. The little dame comes out on the porch.

"'I am Miss Goodloe,' she says to me. 'What do you wish?'

"'I want to buy a hoss from you, ma'am,' I says to her.

"'The horses are being sold across the way at that biggest barn,' she
says.

"'Yes'm,' I says, 'I've just come from there. I--'

"'Have you been watching the sale?' sh