The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1848-03-30

ANECDOlE.

ANECDO1E.
Some sixteen or seventeen wears ago.
when speculation was at ito heigh, in Potts.
vile, three sharpers from Philadelphia Wis.,
tied our borough, with lot Of ready made
clothing, which they intended TO exhibit Tor
sale. They called upon Captain Mills,
who was then in his prime as an auction.
eer, and was noted for his ability in that
line Of business, and employed him to sell
their goods at public sale. This duty he
perfnrmed with his customary skill and
ability, and although the clothing brough,
remarkably good prices, they chartered
considerably with the Captain concerning
his auctionecr's fees, and finally paid him
about one.half ofihe amount Of compensa.
ton 10 which no WINS justly entitled. The
Captain said but little 90 the subject, bu,
postponed the settlement OF bis account IN
til future day.
Tho dealers in clothing returned 10 Phil
adclphis, and few days afterwards return
ed to Polisvillc, with a canal boat load cf
frame timber, which they asserted compos.
ed the frames Of eight dwelling houses,
ready prepared for immediate erection,
with shingle roofs, &c. The frames were
unloaded It Mount Carbon, and Captain
Mills was again employed by tho quondam
clothes men, to sell them at auction. The
minimum price for which the frames were
10 he struck oil, was fixed a. seven hundred
dollars, and Ii was agreed that the compen-
AM nj kn
five dollars. The day Of sale arrived, tho
captain invited his friends TO attend, aud
such was the demand for houses, thst when
the hour Of sale arrived, nm anxious crowd
OF bidders vas in attendance. The auc.
tioneer was the last ono to reach the ground
he mounted the stand, and commenced
tho sale in his usual spirited manner, and
in very few minutes the building Ind
reached the stipulated minimum Of sevon
hundred dollars for the lot.
At this point tho avnricc Of one Of the
owners wns excited, and his meanness pre-.
vailed over his small share oil manliness.
tie reflected that the bidders were already
in attendance, TINT ut least the seven bun.
drcd dollars were certainly secured, and
that il he could succeed in depriving the
auc,ioncer Of his commission, twenty five
dollnrs would be sHved. He interrupted
the sale and addressed the capt air:
Sir, your services ns m auctionecr a,
this salc are not required. You were not
upon the ground nj tho appointed hour, sir.
We ARE from Philadelphia, sir, where pune
tuality In required of business men, and we
shalI not pay you cent, sir, because you
were not punctual 10 the hour. You mav
stop your CRYING, sir, md We will conclude
this salo ourselves
VERY we'll, SIR replied the Captnin. md
turning to the crowd Of his acqunintances
and friends who mnde up the bidders, he
quietly remarked:-sGentle,ncn, YOU nrc
released from your bids. Az m nnctionecr
employed aud paid, feel bound to do the
best ] can Tor my employers, but 10 this
case ] am glad ~ find myself relieved from
that responsibility, and in situation tina,
enables me To tell the truth. This frame
timber 10 not what you mny have supposed
IA eood loe ofnew stuff, properly prepared
hut il 10 made up of frumes Of old stables,
sheds. &C., dressed over, snd you will find
by actual measurement TINT there nro no
two pieces that can be properly fitted 70.
Retl,er.'
The Captain left his stand aud moussed
his h"rse, while hlnnk aston,shment md
dismny marked the counlenances Of the
hiticn deslers in timber. One 0f the cnr-
pen,crs present pulled rule from his peck
ct, and eoon demonstrated the truth Of the
statement Of the candid amctioneer. A
tho Captain rude I'd. the crowd 10 man
followed hin, and after lying Cor months
without n purchaser being obtained, the
whole Int nf timber was finally sold far less
than twenty dollars. Il was hauled 10 the
upper part of our borough, where row Of
cellars had bsen prepared, and the purcha-
ser attempted 10 pus the frames together,
but utterly lsiled, and the timber was scat.
tered and destroyed 10 the grent erntiiica-
ton of the fully rcvenged auctioneer, and
the utter discontinue Of tho Philadslphia
spectators 10 resdv -made dwelling houses.
Ponsoills Emporium.
REFINED PnErRY.-A distinguished lii
erary gentleman 10 At present Engaged SUBJ
jccting to : refining process, some popular
EcRlish soaoS, in order to render them s..
foe "ReOtoel encjety." Herr u q eoecimen