Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-07-20
AN AUCTION SALE.

There were stir and excitement in the village of Two Hills. Granny Lemons s mite of possessions was to be put up at auction.
 Granny Lemons daughter had died owing money and owning furniture. It was only right to the dead woman that the slur of debt should be removed from | her name.
 Justice was bound to be hard on Granny and the baby. There was not a doubt in the mind of the villagers that Granny and the baby would have to be l dispatched to the county penthouse. ! One by one the effects of the late Mary Ann were knocked down to the neighbors. The last article sold was a broom which was nearly all handle. It | was knocked down to a broad shouldered man, who had put upon it the tremen- dous bid of 20 cents. Mary Ann Lemon was his gal once, 7" said an old inhabitant of Two Hills
 Shed best heap "a took him." said some one else. He'd "a kept her com fOrtable behind the blacksmith shop" The auctioneer had entered the cot tage to make sure that all the furniture had been put up at the sale Everything was gone. Only for granny and the baby the little room was empty. The old woman sat upon the steps leading to the door above. She was hold ing the baby ill her arms. | The auctioncer was not considered an | odd man, but he was a man of impulse, big and bold when the impulse took hold | of him. He hcsitated a moment, look ! ing at the old woman and the baby. | Then he went forward suddenly and ! picked the baby out of the old woman s arms.
 ''I'v" got an idee, granny" The auctioncer stepped to the door after ut tering these consolatory words and mounted the table, which had already been sold, with the baby clinging fast to his neck
 NOW here's fine piece O ware, 7" he called out loudly. This baby s a-gunno save its old granny from the | pOor's house, that's what it's a-gunnO do. Who'll put q big bid on a rosy checked. hearty baby: Say. what'll you bid:" The people did not comprehend There was silence i'll the crowd.
 I'm not i'll fer acccptin little bid, |" roared the auctionecr. II don't want nO offcrin of dollars or cents, l want hundreds O dollars. Some people would hand out a power O money fer a baby like this'n- Ain't there nobody i'll Two Hills what's hungcrin fer q baby:''
 Five hundred dollars"' called a voice in the crowd
 The villagers turned with one accord and stared at the blacksmith. What did Sam Winters want with baby! He hadn't any wife to look after it.
 The GrOccr's wife pulled her husband by the arm and whispered, What d We give fer a baby like that. John:''
 Make it $7O0.' said the grocer seven hundred dUllars." shouted the auciionccr. Seven hundred dollars fcl to pervide fer old mammy all her life. No wonder she's a-laughin at you. The Lemons, as q rule, Is long lived. Make it thousand Come, who'll make it a thOusand:"
 One thousand dUllarsr' said the blacksmith
 ''One thousand dollars! Coin, goin, goin for $l.OOO. She's worth more'1 $l,0OO. She'll give body more'n Sl, 900 wuth of satisfaction. Look at hel now. YOu've skeercd her. She's a: purity when she cries as when sh, laughs. ''
 The little maid was puckering up he face; the tears were filling her grea dark eyes She put up her little fa fists and hid her eyes as the auctionee again turned her to the crowd. At this moment q carriage that wa ! 1tv livcricd footman sprang to the door, an, the great people of Two Hills came pil ing out.
 ''Ycs, it is trne," cried the younl lady, with pretty. excited fSc. The, are actually selling haby! Tom, loo at the baby
 ''Goin. goin, goin. for $l, tn prettieSt baby in Two Hills, the none ] to keep its old grandmother from tn pOorhouse!'
 Eleven hundred v cried the youn = lady, waving her black glovcd han
 frant;cally.
 The blacksmith bid as high as $l, 5OO
 the rich lady made it $l, ,600, and tn , man turned and walked away. Gone to Mrs. Eustice at $I, GOO,
 said the auctionecr. making q fine bow but looking as if he didn't know wha to do with the baby
 But the great lady ran up to the auc tioneer and received her property in he n arms
 2 G'anny's baby went through awonder d full transformation during the followin \ week, and the people in Two Hills talk II ed about the luck" that had befallel = both Mary Ann's offspring and Grann ! Lemon.
 But Granny Lemons spirits had no
 risen with the knowledge that she Wa
 not to go to the poorhouse Indeed i n was suspected that Granny Lemo 1t hardly realized the blessing that had b.
 fallen her. Since the day of the sale sh
 had been growing apathetic and feeble
 One day when g'anny's baby pointe
 ar him from the carriage window th - blacksmith left his job of shoeing an
 retired to the interior of the shop.
 You couldn't "a done fer her as she
 be done fer, Sam," said the old ma
 whose horse he had left half shod "Yc
 couldn't "a made a fine lady out O her.
 ''No, I couldn't "a done that. " sai l. Sam.
 - During the summer the news spres |, through the village that g'anny's bal y was getting kind of cross and peevis
 and that the great lady had said to tl . nurse that it was a mistake for a pers' to to adopt a child
 Two months later it was declar
 positively that Mrs. Eustice was goil
 to Europe with her husband and h s' great aunt; that g'anny's baby lay : in the big house: that Mrs. Eustice h J told the doctor she never could forgi
 herself for adopting the child.
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