New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-05-10
NEW-ENGLAND SKETCHES.
MRS. EWELL'S AUCTION.


ness. We had gazed eagerly ont of the windows
upon every passer-by; each carriage had been
fully examined, and the probable destination Of It's
occupants discussed exhaustively. We had moved
the stove out of the setn-r oomp and were having
a fire on the hearth. We had found saxfrage and
housatonla in the rocky pasture We were tired of
the prayer-meetings in the neghboring houses, for
the interest was falling of. and the "awakened
sinners were already beginning to backsde.
Last night Nancy Holland made us flying visit
She is what we call our pony express. she gaops
from house to house, leaving bits of news, and
never able to stay moment.
"have you heard !" she asked, standing in the
doorway, holding up an apron crowded with drip
ring cowslip green's
at is safe to say we haven't" answer.
avail. Miss Ewel. she is a gOin to hev an
ton goin to sell of everything. Ye see she is ben
a goin' behindhand ever sence Warren he died. an.
she declares sho can't and won't keep it up no
longer, she's jest goi ter sell for what she en-
git, n don't sec how any one en- blame her. l
s'pose you know tho Roreses hey bought her
houseF
"No; we don't know anything vas the compre-
hensivo reply
avail they hev; for 'leven hundred dollars cash
down. She's goin' to hire room or two. and live
snug. Says she's ben 'xtravagant. Auction to-
morrer. oharp one. Here's bill"
She took from among her greens very damp
poster folded very small
Ben advertised this two weeks. l can't stop.
You better by half co.
OF course we should go. We had never been to
| IN auction and here was an opportunity to see
| another gathering of these people who were as
much study to us as if VIC had been in foreign
country. We had seen them under convivial and
religious aspect, now here was a business phase.
The next morning while we were at breakfast
| Mrs. Holland came busting in again. announcing
| that she was going downtown of an arrant,
that she had Robert outside in the road, and as he
could not be left at home, she taking him down
| TO Mrs. Ewcs so that he might be there when the
auction began
There stood Mr.. Holland holding by the fence,
waiting inaaoly until hs wife should lead him
| further on. He dressed in painfully clean
"oyer-alls" and large coat Of that longago style
when they made the sleeves slightly drapery'
| below the elbow
Mr.. Robert Holland is not, to me, an attractive
person. His face is perfectly vacuous; he has
long, fiat opening for mouth, and in this opening
are the tobacco-stained remnants of few teeth.
| lie smilesl frequently aud broadly. with no other
effect upon his face than that of extension of the
| mouth. People who have known him for years say
| that he knew much. and that the statement
current in Ransome that he is losing his mind.
| is mere fabrication because" as Deacon Haw-
kins remarked. hows a fellor gon to lose what he
never hedW
Mrs Holland, when winter weather has abated
and spring has really opened, has a way of taking
her husband 20 this ncehbor and that and deposit
| ing him. Meanwhile she goes Off and Is not seen
| for half day; and out Of mere common humanity,
Robert has to be kept until she returns lie 10 in
orlinately fond of all kinds Of sweet cakes. and
when he is left with grnerous-handed families he is
frequently subject to fits of indigestion after such
visits
II did not strike my sister and me that the morn
ing before the auction very wise selection of
| tlmo for an iniliction of Mf. Holland upon the
| Ewclls but we had not sufficient magnanlmlty TO
| Oler to take him under care, 80 the two went
on hand in hand down the road.
Dinner IN this town s ready and eaten exactly on
| the stroke Of ~ o'clock II, for any reason you
prefer tho meal nc later hour you shiftless
being and will never prosper. ,,
| formed 90 thc prevailing ideas. How could VIC live
| here and be despisedf Consequently we had our
| dishes washed, our sink thoroughly dried and ON
| stove BACKED by quarter 70 one. In ten minutes
more VIC had our things on and were locking the
| front door.
Carriages were now going by "consid'abo fire.
| qucnt" TO the auction Thry were mostly open
| wagons with two men on seat. These men woIe
| faded dngy brown coats; they slOuched far Tor
ward they sat- they had dull faces, and they ex-
perforated often and copiously ! wonder II TINS
| to the remarkable and almost universal banlmess
| OF look I Or is that expression due solely 20
ploddng work. and the fact that in these lives
there here and there countenance that lighted
mp and one young man smiled brightly ana lifted
his hat as no saw us. He was n farmer boy with
whom we had n slight Acquaintance. Apparently
he had 70 mOle advantages than the other men
whom we saw. Perhaps there is difference IN
/ do not think il is exactly "fash'nable" for
women TO 70 to auctions here in RansOme for there
were only few besides ourselves present, and
of these put mir OF delicacy as If shrink
Ing from going about 10 look at the rows OF farming
tools the carts and ploughs and tho piles Of trash
such old barrels, broken chairs, boxes OF empty
bottles, which at first seemed 10 constitute the
entire assortment offered for sale -
The auctioneer ratified briskly He had mono Of
the palsy OF the tongue winch seems to a1iet most
OF the mon in this place. There were alr-tlght
stoves which sold at temptingly low prices. has
any ono noticed how intensely fond the average
New England woman who lives in the country ls OF
an alright stoyeT She dotes on IT. she wants
one in every room. She can ill IL with huge chunks
of hard wood shut tho drafts. and the wood Will
shoulder slowly away. Even though she may nave
the best of cook stoves IN the Kitchen she mas
mysterious longing TO smugglo pot OF beeans into
the of the air-tight stove IN the set nroOm
The women at the auction lowered Ike bees about
these stoves.
One o. them has noven in the top" said one
woman TO her friend. after long and intent survey
of tho article IN question. :" guess shh Dlu Oh
" WHY, Marian, amt ye got one in every room
whore there's a chimbleyH7 asked her companion.
"Sp0s'n hevH / want another" was the reply, |
And she had another / saw her purchase lifted |
INTO the wagon in which she and her husband had |
como to the sale and she was looking rs radlany rs
There wero feather beds heavy sHggy things. |
These are the resting places at night of the hard
working people who would think they wore poor |
indeed If thew had TO sleep on anything else. do |
not understand how the poorest here, even those |
helped by the town." always own at least one |
feather bed.
Mercy - says Mrs. Holland 81 couldn't sleep |
a wink without my feather bed"
Round and round. slowly, with hands IN pockets |
went Fhe men following the auctiOneer There |
were four COWS for SALE Before they were put u2 |
n seemed TO me that every man present came ana |
walked about these animas punched their rlDs' |
bounded them IN different parts of their bodies,
looked in thor mouths oXpectoratcd, glzed at them