Wichita eagle., 1889-03-05

| very handsome china, Which was arranged
and ticketed ready for the sale. At the
end, remote from the door and near the
rostrum, under two glass moulds, on
| table stood their own two vases.
"There, look at that remarks the
| friend, complacently, with the gentle pat
ronage of superior knowledge. "That is
| China if you ike-worth any other ten
pieces in the room. Quite uniquer'
"Hang itr' said Mr.. Fitzroy. 81 need
not have come all this way to see those
vases. Why, they are mine"
| s'Yours. Fitzroy! like thati You have
turned humorist in your old age. Don't you
wish they WERE by Jovel You must take
care of your husband, Mrs. Fitzroy. He
works too hard"
'Thank you for the insinuation, Somer-
set. / am sane enough to know my own
property when l see it. l tell you those
vases that you think such a lot of are mine
| sent them to Christie" The tone and the
words were too earnest to be mistaken
| BY this time the bystanders had heard the
colloquy, and had gathered the import of
what was passing. The dealers swarmed
around MIR. Fitzroy like vultures upon car
rion. They took the facts and the 'sgreen-
ness" in at glance
those vases" Evil give you xix 'undred
pound for those vases" 81 viii give you
eight 'undred pound for those vases.'' ~
will give you more than any man in England
for the vases ON the table, sir'' Such were
the cries which resounded on all hands
Jew and Gentle for once had found sub
feet on which they could agree. Mr.. Fitzroy
was perfectly 0ewildered, and ran consider
able risk of being reduced to the condition
Somerset had suggested previously. The lat
ter, who was an Old hand, came to his rescue.
Don't be fool, Fitzroy. If they are
really yours, keep cool head on your
shoulders. They tell me kilograms have
been on the go all over Europe about those
vases to-day. They are worth a mint Of
money. Don't part to any of these sharks"
On the steps of the hall the barrister
would have taken twenty pounds for his
chances from that days sale with cheerful
alacrity.
Mrs. Fitzroy was looking very white. The
sudden turn affairs had taken was almost
too much for her.
Don't faint, my DEAR" remarked her
husband. The advice was needed. She felt
very like it. But voman's buttress, curios-
ity to sec the end, sustained her. If
woman were not curious, she would die
more often than she does.
The sale began. Count Mirabeau's collec-
ton was sold first. The junior partner was
the auctioneer. The Counts china was, in
deed, magnificent, and duly appreciated.
The bidding was active and the prices ade-
quate. Nevertheless, throughout there was
a restless feeling of impatience. More was
coming. The borne 6oucle was kept to the
last,
There was pause. Then, amid loud ap-
plause and great excitement, to which it
may be imagined the Fitzroys were not
wholly insensible, the two vases were placed
before Mr. WoodsA the auctioneer, in full
view of the audience When silence super
vened, Mr.. Woods said:
Gentlemen, we know next to nothing
about this china which stands before you,
and Of which you have just testified your
approval. We can not give you it's detailed
history. All we know IS that these vases
have been hidden away in country rectory
III the Midlands for forty years or more.
Any thing further back seems to be abso-
lutely uncertain. One thing, however, we
do know absolutely, the tinting is the real
Rose du Barri We thought there were
only five vases in Ell rope, the finest existing
examples of this be autiful ware. We now
know there are seven. The sixth and
seventh stand before. you, gentlemen"
Another round of, applause greeted the
conclusion of this short speech. The bid
ding began. Mr.. nd Mrs. James Fitzroy
stood in the corner unnOticed, breathless
with suppressed exc dement, No one needed
them They again played second fiddle to
their own property.
Five hundred pour IDS was the first bid for
the pair. A cheer emphasized the spirited
start. A cool thous and was, however. soon
reached. Then the, re was a pause, amid ST.
lence which could De felt and almost heard
Only three bidders were left in. Every one
understood that they were gathering up
their forces for tn e final conflict
at is against yc Il, my Lord,' the auction
eer remarked, qu city.
The hint was taken, and the bidding be-
gan again. Fifteen hundred guineas."
An unanswerable argument. The hammer
falls. The crowd cheers. The wealthiest
nobleman in Eng land is the purchaser Mr.
James Fitzroy is the weather. by 1,5OO.
Mrs. Fitzroy marks her appreciation of the
gravity of the situation and her own good
luck in true feminine fashion by promptly
fainting.
perfectly true
About the same time girl chances to die
Of starvation. Nobody need do that in En-
gland as Mr.. Scrooge, in his palmy DAYS,
before the ghosts got tampering with him.
would have taken care to point out. But
they do, occasionally, all the same. The
public resents it very naturally as bad form
One Of the weekly papers saw fit to couple
the episode Of the vases and the death of
the girl together, although the two things
were quite distinct. The effort was lyrical,
and the last couplet ran:
''Bu6 she was only common clay,
And these were Rose du Barri.'
A puff of smoke rises up into the air and
curis in graceful spiral curves to the cell
ing, where it hovers until it's dentitvis lost,
owing TO the fact of its being joined by other
emanations from the same
source.
"But you are Robert Fitzroy?" queries the
listener, who had been silent for five min
utes after the narrator of the story had
finished
''Yes,'' with another and more vigorous
puff of smoke, which may or may not have
been expressive of internal emotion, "JgGve
those eases 10 my brother. London World
a MICRIGAy grocer is willing 70 admit
that honest tea is the best policy, but when
it comes to coffee he doesn't believe in run
ming the thing in the ground.
THEY ALL WENT HOME.
a HIatR ONT pxrr-i er,r