The Opelousas courier., 1891-07-11

brown paper bundle tied with red tape.
The red tape had been supplid to Betty
Morley for the purpose.
"Now, gentlemen said the auction
eer. ssdon't be afraid to bid on this be-
cause there's so much red tape about it.
Appearances are sometimes deceitful;
and Judging by its weight, l should say
there was enough in it to feed the heav-i'
lest two people in the room. What DO
you say, Joe Gump3 Whatll you givefo
Joe Gump was six feet two, and
weighed about two hundred and fifty
pounds.
"A nickel" responded Joe, good-na-
turediy.
"Ten ~cents!" called Percy Drake.
tsFifteen!" said Ben Tyndal.
Clinton nudged Mark.
tsGo in for it," he said. ~ happen
to know something about that parcel,
and if l had not been after this, I'd take
it in, sure. It's going cheap, too. Folks
seem afraid of it because 'tisn't fancy
more fools they. Look here, boys, not
so fast! Give Mark a chance"
Harvey Ballard had just offered TWEEN
ty cents.
1.-TWO bits!" said Mark, half-fright-
ened at his W voice. There was no
opposing bid!
The boys in the plot were squeezing
their lips together hard in their effort to
suppress their laughter. Mark had fallen
into the plot more readily than they ex-
pected.
As Mark took the clumsy parcel in
his hands, the tape slipped, and n cor
ner of the stiff paper fell away, disclos-
ing to the curious crowd a yellow
pumpkin reposing IN a tin platter
bordered with parsley leaves!
Mark turned deadly pale. It wa a
cruel hoax, planned by those boys, whom
he had been silly enough to trust. He
had a mad impulse to turn and hurl the
pumpkin 40 their heads; but Miss Carlisle
was looking at him.
The color surged back to his face,
and tearing the wrapper entirely away,
he strobe back to his seat, holding aloft
his yellow prize with a forced laugh.
1.-THE necktie!'' shouted some one
from the crowd.
eyes, the necktiel Show III who
likes raw pumpkin"
Miss Carlisle left her seat and came
toward them. The crowd fell back a
little. She did not speak to Mark. but
stood near. It was enough. 1t kept up
his fast-failing courage.
Mark raised the pumpkin from the
plate. No tie was there.
Percy and his companions began
to feel uneasy. Had Betty been too
stupid to put her necktie into the
pumpkin.
"Hello, Mark! your pumpkins cracked
clean across" said some ole.
Mark looked. It was not a crack, but
a cut. A piece had been taken from the
top to form a lid, and SO nicely adjusted
as not readily to be seen. He
took hold of the stem and lifted the
cover.
A shout went up from the crowd.
The pumpkin had been followed out,
lined with tissue paper and packed full
of lunch; and on the very top, resting
on a folded japanese napkin, lay a
dainty necktie of fringed white sikh
ttThe school-teacher2" 1.-THE school
teacher!"
The crowd took up the cry, and sent
it echoing about the room.
None but Clinton's feIlow-conspira-
tors saw how pale he turned when Miss
Carlisle's tie was found in the pumpkin,
so absorbed was every one in Marks
unexpected turn of fortune. Yes-one
other saw it, and saw the look of rage
that crossed his face, and the conster-
nation of his companions when Betty
Morley's green cambria duplicate bow
was found inside his costly purchase.
Miss Carlisle saw, and stood close by his
side when he cast the green tie to the
floor, saying, 'sI'll never do il, never!
I'm going home!"
sGentlemen don't break their bar
gains, = she said, quietly. every gen.
tleman who purchased here tonight,
accepted, in SO doing, the conditiAs of
the sale. Take my advice, Clinton, and
make the best of what you think a poor
bargain"
She moved away to join Mark, aud
help him unpack the pumpkin.
1t was a goodly store that this homely
fruit yielded; Delicate sandwiches tied
with blue ribbon, slices of cake, oranges,
bananas and luscious grapes. Mark sat
like one in a beautiful dream, listening
to Miss Carlisle's cherry talk, and feel
ing sorry from the bottom of his heart.
for poor Clinton, who, in an obscure
corner, was laying slices of corned beef,
gingerbread and pumpkin pie before
the delighted Betty, but tasting nothing
himself.
In the very bottom of his basket Clin-
ton found q card, upon which was writ
ten, in a hand welI-known to SwalevilIe
youth:
1.-THE best laid schemes O. mice and
men gang aft a-gley. "-Youth's Com
pon6on.