The Mississippi Creole. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1841-1851, 1848-04-01
From The Crescent.

FromHe Crescent.
Sketches of the sidewalks and Levees.
Hih Giinpes into MeNe0 Orleans Bar (rooms).
PETER FUNK ESQ.
YOU'RE a gentleman Of leisure about Orl-
cans may be, stranger, and l~ounging -
street. You hear the musical sound OF the
Z" human voice d%ivine,'' crying out "ive-n-a-a'
only going at twenty-five dollars and-n-a-f
for this elegant gold watch and chain, in prime
running order just sent in to be sold by gen
Ncnaan tearing torn, and only iye-n-a-f, and
must be sold: iye-n-a-T! Did I.hear you say
six sirE" Perhaps you drop in, and if you are
not careful how you look at the musical auc-
]tioneer he will accept of your look for a wink
and, according to the philosophy Of the auc-
ton room, q wink passes for a bid, and you
find yourselti in nominal possession Of Gan elc-
giant gold watch and chain, in primo running
order, just sent in to be sold by a gentleman
leaving town. before you are well aware Of
what you are about. S. take care how you
look when you are in the patent auction shops.
There stands the auctioneer in all the serious
earnesIness OF q man begging for his life, and
with Voice and looks and gestures, seems like
one speaking sober truth, and =" nothing else.'
Only half a dozen individuals comprise his att
dience, and these half a dozen are Peter Funk
and his corps de reserve. Peter looks some
what stouterH to-day than he'was yesterday,
and has exchanged his cloth cloak and cap
fora blanket coOt and chapeau blaac, and his
whiskers have shared the fate Of " the
last rose Of su~mmer"-that is to say, they have
evaPorated-droPPed oG;they are aoae t Are:-
t~us-gone!
Yes, that's Funk and. his five interesting as
s%ociates in business" companions of This tolls,
his feelings and his Game"-Peter the LIST, Pc
ter the I'd, Peter the 3D., Peter the 4th and Pc
ter the 5th-ho himself being no other than
Peter the great, or the groo! Peter" Peter
Funk, Esq.
Now, stranger, take care what you're about
YOU'RE the only bona ido customer-if Gus
toner you choose to call yourself-that has en-
tered the portals of the auction shop as yet
and Peter Funk Primus and Peter Funk seoul
dus have done all this bidding that make the
cryer keep up such a hubbaboo. Well, you
don't know Of this fact, and you think ga
mans a man for a'.that," and you don't UNI
derStand the secret of Peter.Funk and his as
sociates, or the service they're engaged in,
and you only see a Gnelookidg watch, " ust
sent in to be sold by a gentleman leaving
town." and going dog cheap. You nod your
head, and straightway the countenance Of the
crycr brightens up, and his voice grows even
more vociferOus than before, He's sota bid
"a real bid-and the first and only one. He
lacks on five dollars more and now he's heard
goin it in fine style: Thirty, thirty, thirty,
thirty, thirty-only going at thirty dollars for
a splendid elegant gold lever, with seventeen
pairs Of extra jewels, lately imported, and
now must DO sold"
He cries at this rate perhaps ten minutes.
occasionally casting a glance at the passers-by
to see if any more gTeeneys can be tolled IN
Peter Funk takes the watch inhis hand and
examines it atteniiyely, and with very sig
%nificant look, as though his judgment was per-
fcctly satisfied, he says deliberately, " Thirty
fye!'
"Against you, sir,' cries Mr.. Auctioncer,
and forthwith sets off with unusual volubility,
crying out one rotundo, "thirty-fye, thirty
fyo--only going at thirty-fye~
Thiry-ive dollars for such an elegant gold
watch is certainly as cheap as dirt-they ask
eighty.fye or ninety at the stores -and as
these thoughts %revolve in your mind, think you
might make five and twenty dollars as well as
not, as there are plenty Of boys up in your
country who would jump at the bargain-and
you nod again, the auctioneer having in the
meanwhile directed the whole force Of his
artillery at you, and launched forth IN
such a rigmarole Of praise Of said time-pieco
you. couldn't well resist his very passion
ate appeal.
:. Forty dollarsm is quickly caught up
Only going at forty dollars!-lorty! forty!
forty! !" and now the eryer turns to Pc
the interesting Peter, whose turn for sert-
ne delbfretiion has again come, He again ex-
the watch turns it over and over again
md, as he hands il to the cryer, says, in a very
but decided tone Of voice, "forty-fve3'
BY this lime oneo two other l%oungers like
dropped in, and monsieaF cryer
applies himself with exceeding earneslness in
anding tic watch, as never, sure, watch was /