The Washington bee., 1893-01-14
WHAT CURED HIM.
AN AuCTlONEER'S PATHETIC Ex-
PERiENCE.

Some Facts Cleaned by a Reporter Who
Was demonstrating Fun Over a
Cradie-Ihe Baby WAS Gone, and the
Empty Cradle Brought a Big Price.
There was resting spell with the
autioneer, and the Free Press reporter
standing 10y his box looked at him.
Gone q inquired tie reporter, as
the auctioneer sat down, tired.
We'll, I've been going all the morn.
ing, and ought to be, y responded the
auctioneer
You ought to be a funny man, a
great American humoriSt, or something
of that sort, suggested the reporter.
Josh Billings was one, and he got
his start at the block said the auc-
tioneer, refectively, land some auction
GERS are given to that sort of thing yet.
I was that way myself when first be-
gan, but had an experience that cured
me of the habit before it had fixed it.
self permanently.
The reporter turned face full of in
terrogation points on the auctioneer,
and he kept on:
Il was called on once to sell by auc.
ton lot of household furniture, be-
longing to man and his wife who had
been married four or five years. All
knew about it was that death some.
where necessitated their removal from
my town, and as they had no money,
they were compelled to sell their effects
to get enough to move on. Well, ]
was having picnic in my young, fool
ish way, guying and bantering,
and making various brilliant and witty
side remarks on the articles as
they came under the hammer, so to
speak, though | don't remember ever
having used a hammer, or seen an.
other auctioneer use one. After l had
disposed of lot of stuff a cradle was
put mp. There were several young me-
of my acquaintance in the crowd, and
/ smiled at them as turned the cradle
round and began to rock it, hummine
a lullaby as l did so. Empty is the
cradle, baby's gone, I said, and wa
going on to say something else to get &
laugh, when [ happened to look dowlr
into the face of a woman close to the
platform [ was standing on. She was
dressed in faded black, evidently given
her by some woman larger than SHE
was, and there was a. look in her eyes
and tension of the lines across he,
forehead and pitiful weakness about
her quivering lips that made me stop,
She stood close to the platform, ant
the crowd was all at her back, so they
had not noticed her. She didn't speak
but as stopped, she looked up at me
with the tears starting, and lifting he,
hands in mute appeal of remonstranct
no words could describe, she gave {;
great sob of agony and turned away.
I'll didn't know was all l could
stammer in apology. And I didn',
know that it was her baby's cradle
was selling, and because the cradle was
empty her heart was broken, and she
could no longer live in the house that
the baby had left.
The auctioneer was feeling his story
visibly.
No, my boy" he went on, Il didn'I
know, nor did the crowd, but they al
did pretty soon, and [ told them story
that had no fun in it for any heart
there, but it took just the same, and
got one hundred and fifty dollars TO,
that cradle before [ was done with it,
and then gave it back to the poor young
mother in the faded black. dress
The auctioneer remounted the block
and the reporter, blowing his nose vi
ciously, ambled off after some news.