The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-12-24

read the name aloud. Then paused The
price, which should have been printed
5000, really appeared 5000 A period
] cut off two ciphers at the right. It made
D the appraised price $50 instead Of 5000.
Il think she might like that" 1 said,
! reading the name again, while Mr.. Ryder
| followed me in a paper he had taken
| from his pocket" but she won't get it at
that price. 1t cost hundred times that,
| and"
"a hundred times that2 Are you GER
tain7"
Positively 1 bought it myself"
He gazed sharply at me and seemed to
/ commune introspectiyely with mis- other
self. l fancied his thoughts running
/ something like this: He bought it,
/ What does the youngster meant Would
! a man let mere boy bargain for what
no accounting for what heavy dealer
/ will dol"
And then-mind, I don't claim the
| slightest power as a mind reader-he
| opened his mouth and spoke:
| We'll, well; there's no accounting for
what heavy dealer will do!'' he said.
MIR. Ryder soon took his leave. l did
not see him again until l saw him in the
roomiwhere the sale took place.
For two hours there was little interest
in the sale for me. The average prices
was running trihe ahead of the APP
praised rates, but not enough to make
any great difference likely in the proba-
BILE totals. At the end of the time men
toned, they put up and sold Wyndham
| Woods, the family residence. Storm &
Steele had agreed to buy it and rent it to
me afterward at q rate that should sim
ply cover interest, insurance, taxes and
necessary expenses, with the privilege of
purchase at the price paid, if L should
ever be able TO avail myself of it. They
| bought it, with its contents, as it stood,
just as they had agreed to do. But
ragged inwardly at the way in which the
price was forced up. ] was determined
| my mother should not leave her home If I
could help it. And Storm & Steele stood
| by me like the good friends they were
| Bus Wyndham Woods sold at good per
cent. of advance on its actual original
cost. 1t was the only piece of property
| that had sold in that way that morning
1t seemed, someway as though luck were
against me.
Jerry Brinlzler the man who had
fought hard for the possession of the
| homestead and man l knew as a most
shrewd dealer in real estate, went over
to the auctioneer and whispered few
words in his ear. The auctioneer nodded
pleasantly.
~ will now offer valuable tract of
pine land, ;" he said, situated near Lake
Superior" He proceeded to give a brief
description of it, and to speak of its APP
praised value, etc. l say he did
that, for he did it in connection with ev-
cry piece of property offered when was
in the room, and | have it on unquestioned
authority that he did it with this piece
while was absent At any rate, hur-
ried from the room, found Mr.. Ryder,
who had stepped out for a few moments
and got back with him just as the auc
tioneer put the question: How much
gentlemen, for this fine tract of pine
land?" You said a hundred times the ap
praised value2" Ryder had asked me al
the door. si", Docs
"a hundred times" I had said hur.
riedly, as we went in.
The auctioneer paused. Then he looked
at Brinkler, who had asked to have the
land sold at that particular time. I knew
it, am half inclined to think that my
good friend, George Ryder, knew it too.
"How much, gentlemen"
twenty-five thousand dollars" inter
rupted Jerry Brinkler.
Zone hundred thousand" snapped
Ryde, before Brinkler had quite finished
, ''And five," retorted Bringler, economi
cal in his use of words-and in his in
tended expenditure of money.
1.-TWO hundred thousand" said Mr.. Ry
der slowly and crisply.
"And one,'' said Brinkler, hesitatingly
, l could not speak. l could scarcely
breathe. What did it mean2 What coulC
it meanl l wedged my way through the
crowd, while the auctioneer waited.
got to Ryder's side. He looked up, wher
1 touched him on the arm.
"You-you are sure2'' he asked. "Yol
have made no mistaken"
, II am sure" gasped, "sure of what
said, but-but-"
"Going, gentlemen, at s201, 900. Ar,
you all done2 Going at two hundred an(
one. Shall we call it two? Going at twt
hundred and one. Going once. Coins
twice. Going-going--at S201 ,000-for thu
third and last time-and-'
"Three hundred thousand dollars,
said Ryder, his voice little more than
whisper, but sounding preternaturall,
! loud in the death-like stiffness that filled
the place.
Z And then, spurred to it by the sight o
the communication had had with Ryder
= or heated TO the temper of the gambler
7 self-surrender by the surroundings, Brink
I Ter made the first heavy raise of bid III
had made in the wholesale.
-Four hundred thousand dollars" h.
: said.
caught roughly at Ryder He al
roughly shook me off. The craze of thu
y gamester was upon him-upon him al
Y upon Brinkler. Let them alone, and NJ
one dared guess where this thing woulc
} end.
!, "a half Million" he said nonchalantly
/ But he was very white, and his limb!
9 trembled like those of man with the
= ague.
t "Ten thousand more" said Brinkler.
Y Some one brushed against Ryder.
t folded newspaper fell from the outside
pocket Of his coat. got a glimpse of i
{ as it fell, and terrible suspicion flashed
J through my mind-a dreadful doubt tina
almost killed me. / mechanically put forth
my hand. Some one picked up and handed
, Ryder's copy of the Times to me. The
: Times, mind you, not the Courier.
, Twenty thousand-" he said, just as
found the list and the price of the lane
, as given there. Correctly given, God hell
me and forgive mel And, as 100 times
, 5000 is 100000, so surely had George
, Ryder made this fight with the under
standing that that wretched piece of pine
the description of which he had never
seen nor heard, had cost half million
But why consider him or his motives
; He opened his mouth to bid-Heaven anC
Jerry Blinker alone knew how much H,
looked at my agonized face. Hehesitated
as though doubtful whether my fear wa!
, genuine or assumed Then, convinced
, that something was wrong, he gave the
battle to his foe.
That let's me out" he said, suavely; &C