THE HISTORY OP THH HEN FBVBE. 27 



He said, in that insinuating and delicate manner so 

 peculiar to the habits of gentlemen who possess what 

 another wishes to buy of them, — "I did not intend, my 



dear Mr. B , to part with these magnificent specimens at 



any figure whatever. I assure you I had much rather 

 retain them ; for they are very fine, as you would say, 

 could you see them. If, however, you are disposed to pay 

 my price, I shall let you have them. I really shall regret 

 their absence from my yard, however. Try and make up 

 your mind to be satisfied with something else — won't you ? 

 These fowls I must keep, if possible," &c. &c. 



Now, Asa knew very w'ell, if he had charged me two 

 hundred (instead of twenty) dollars for those grey fowls, I 

 should have taken them from him. Of course I sent for 

 them at once; and, within ten days, they were in my 

 poultry-house, a new wonder for the hundreds who called 

 to see my "superb " and " extraordinary " fowls. 



A competitor turned up, a few months after this, a noto- 

 rious breeder in P , who, though a respectable man, 



otherwise, never knew a hen from a stove-pipe, but who had 

 more money at that time than I had, and who, in the hen- 

 trade, possessed the impudence of the devil, without the 

 accompanying graces to carry out his object. 



This man chanced, while in Pennsylvania, to hear Asa 

 speak of me, and at once he stepped in to "head me " in 

 that quarter. He bought all the "6rrey Chittagongs" that 



