Sentence:  While he is at the front end selling calico to some wearisome old lady, sunbonneted and <WSD>chaffering</WSD>, a mischievous boy is very apt to be pocketing lumps of sugar for profit, or starting the faucet of a molasses barrel for fun at the other. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To haggle or barter.