The sun., 1894-12-26
HIS WIFE rs HAPPY NOW.
Found an Interest .. Life In . Fifth Avenue
Auction Room.

| MY wife," said Mr.. Scrymgeour, "has at last
| found something with which to busy herself
continuously. have long urged upon her thc
| necessity of having something to occupy her
| mind besides the mere discharge of social
duties. which are wearisome at best. The bane
of many women is ennui, which causes them To
take up all sorts OF ridiculous fads, as you know.
"Latterly have noticed a change in my wife.
Her former listlessness is gone, and she seems
to take moro interest In what Is going on about
her. even saw her reading the paper one day
last week. This change naturally pleased me,
and questioned her in order to find out what
| had brought 1t about. Though somewhat re-
luctant at first. she finally owned up. Her con-
fession ran somewhat AS follows;
"'You have heard of Smithkin's auction
rooms on Fifth avenue. haven't your Nor
Well they're just lovely. They sell the most
beautiful things at absurdly low prices. They
all belong TO wealthy people, you know, who
have been unfortunate and have TO let them go
for a song. The real values marked on them
IN plain figures so that you can always tell how
high You can bid and still get bargain.
UngermNn a few weeks ago. She was quite
used 10 it, and bid on lots OF things but stopped
put up a delightful oak bookcase With
and little hs Ee cuies @sr0r a hs middle
the DOCKS go, you know. thought IL would be
just the thing for Ned's room, SO bid on il. IL
was started at s., and bid Sl5.a5 right away
DO you think that was too muCh2 Any way,
got II for that, and IL really worth SAL the
auctionrer said. | gave him S. for "A deposit
and told him would send Tor IL the next day
but when l came 10 see IL near by was afraid
II wouldn't fit into Ned's room after all so /
took piece of string aud measured il.
When ! got home found II was really too
large, and then ! tried all the other rooms
There wasn't a place in the entire HAT large
enough except in the paTlOr, and II wouldn't
match the furniture In there at all. Besides, we
couidii spare the piano, could we, dearl
The auettonecr was awfuly nice about II
when J explained it TO him, and said | could
nave them put Il up again and sell II 10 some one
else. IL they didn't bid high enough. could buy
II IN. and II would only cost per cent. for the
commission
"'They had an auction the next Friday and Il
was raining hard, but had 10 90, because was
AFRAID some one would buy II for less than paid
u wasn't there. Hardly anybOdy went that
day, and bid IL in for $3.50. The Commission
was Sl.5n, and Just added that 10 the Sl5 20
II go for les than SlG75.
have hten going back ever since. and two
or three times they almost reached my price.
S9ms days when ! go they don't get around To
the bnnkCGse, and then | have 10 go back the
mex day. I'm going to-day. My commissions
81 90 now, hut rs really worth SAL. you knOS,
80 thrrc'b plenty Of time yet. Nov. do call a cab
tnr me- beeause it's almost time for the sale 70
bcFip'
10 E' lu those sale but do know IL dOes her a
MnTbl Of gu'Id "a nave An Interest Ia something.
W hen her Investment gets 80 large that Il Ia
gins a. HnTTy her / shall srnd Fly bOyk eepeT up
70 bld pal for that boukcAs and give it 20 him
Tor = Aew Years present"