Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-05-25
AUCTION SALES.
BY KATE THORN.

matter how high toned and intel
lectual man or woman may be,
the prospect Of getting something
Tor less than it - worth is always
alluring. And people generally
haye an idea that an auction offers
such an opportunity.
Household furniture, We have
noticed, generally draws a large
crowd. Every one Of them individ-
ualiy and collectively, it question.
ed will tell you that they would
not have any of the old stuff in the
house, they only came to see what
there was and after the sale be-
gins they will be as mad as March
hares if you should bid against
them on a three legged iron pot or
rickety old rocking-chair, and
they will pay twice what a new
article would cost at a dealers
rather than let you have it.
1t is as good as play tow atch
women at an auction. There are
several classes of them who fire.
quent auction.roOms.
First, there is the lady of wealth
who is looking for rare things, and
antique uric brac. She will pass
the plush sofas and modern cherry
chamber sets by without a glance,
and hunt up the cracked china
pitchers, and the pewter plates,
and the spider legged tables, and
the flag buttoned chairs, and the
brass warming-pans, and she will
pay an unheard of price for what.
ever strikes her fancy in that line.
Then there is the class of house
keepers of limited means who want
carpets for their sitting rooms, or
rocking.chair for their parlor, and
can hardly afford the price of a
new article. And they will look
closely for moth eaten places, and
submit the merchandise TO the
scrutiny and Judgment Of the half.
dozen friends who have come with
them, and who are supposed to be
experts in a small way, and they
will look daggers at any other
party who examines the article in
question, and they will be cross
and unhappy if it goes to some one
else, even if the price paid IS be-
yond all sense and reason, as il
a often is.
Then there is the class who dc
not come to buy, but to pass the
time away, look the house over
and see what things go for. They
get as close as possible to the auc
tioneer, talk and laugh together
comment on goods, prowl over the
house, tramp down the flower beds
in the yard, and make themselves
nuisances generally.
The average American woman
is always after rocking chairs.
The farmers wife bankers after
bureaus.
The Irish woman buys feather
beds.
The German woman buys tin
ware.
Men in general buy things tha
they don't know what to do will
after they get them.
Everybody wants to buy some
thing some one else has bought
and will pay bonus for the bar
gain.
Nobody is satisfied except th'
auctiopeer, who is sure of his per
centage any way. The sellers fee
that they have sacrificed thei
goods for nothing, and the buyers
fancy they have paid more thar
they ought.
Some things purchased as souDt
turn out to be cracked, and ther
there is thunder III the air.
All the buyers declare they will
never go to another auction, and
they keep their word until the
next one is advertised, and theI
on will find them all there; and
though they will tell you that they
were passing by and Just dropped
in, you know, and they know, tina
thew Wonld not have missed beinI
Drekent for ANYTHING.