The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1895-10-25

no sign O1 IL, dnu tIAcu 10 explain 10
Ben how such sale was conducted.
And the people at the sale, he con-
cluded, offer to buy what is offered,
and the sheriff sells 70 tho one who
makes the highest bid"
ben asked several questions before
he left Then he walked slowly home,
and all the while, in his mind, he was
turning over q dimly defined project
which had been suggested to him by
what he had heard.
A week later Ben received the money
for his chickens three dollars and
eighty cents lie was a proud boy. and
he would have shown his satisfaction
more if il rad not been for the impend
ing troable, which made his father SO
miserable that he could not leave his
bed Zen bought some fruit for twen-
tv-ive cents. and took it home to him,
but Alr. Singer was feeling SO bad that
he ate OF it only sparingly.
On a Monday in the early part of the
next month the sheriff, in pursuance
of formal notice. arrived at the house
to make a sale 10 satisfy Mr.. Singers
creditor. Quite crowd had gathered
about the cottage, and there was not
one present who did not sympathizs
with the carpenter and his son. Ben's
father was very Ill that morning and
could not leave the bed. The sheriff
mounted a box in the yard and began
description of the goods to be sold
1t was pitiful array, after all A
few tools, lniscellaneous(a assortment
of cheap furniture, kitchen stove
with some cooking utensils and china,
and some linen and blankets. But one
item in the lot-the chickens-the
sheriff counted on as his drawing card.
Half a hundred of fine hens and mar
ketable chickens were cooped in near
by pen, and upon the value of these
the county officer dwelt at length.
Then, when he thought he had the
crowd sufficiently around, he named
starting figure in default of an actual
bid.
sixty dollars for this choice lot Of
chickens and household goods" he
cried.
There was no response. He repeated
the announcement then dropped the
figures to fifty dollars. Still no one
spoke.
The sheriff made some further re.
marks about the articles for sale and
tried again at forty dollars. But the
crowd was dumb. No one felt inclined
to buy out the crippled carpenter and
his son.
The sheriff tried again and again,
dropping the figures lower and lower,
and all the time growing more vocif-
erous in the explanation of the bar
gain which was offered He did not
specially like the job, for he had been
told about the case by some OF the VII
lage people, but he had duty to per-
form, and he knew he must get as
much out of the sale as he could.
The figures had dropped to ten dol
lars, but silence reigned, except for
defiant crow from one of the roosters
in the pen. Mr.. Singers creditor, evil
IDENTIFY, had no representative on the
ground, and even the low price named
was not taken up with.
The sheriff dropped his offer now, q
dollar at time, but apparently, in
vain. 1t looked as if the sale would
come to nothing.
Nine! Eight! Sevenl Ski Fivel
Four! Not response came from those
about
Three dollars" The sheriff was
smiling at the ridiculous offer, and was
just about to name two dollars and
one dollar in quick succession. hoping
for no reply, when boyish voice, close
at hand, answered:
81 bid three dollarsr'
The officer looked down on the
speaker and saw Ben. The boy held
up three one-dollar notes in his hand.
The sheriff smiled. More than one
man in the crowd felt like cheering the
bidder. But the officer knew he could
not accept the offer at once.
Three dollars l am bid" he an
swered. "Who bids four?"
No one spoke.
Three dollars and a-half, then?" he
said.
Every one was silent, and tho sug-
gestion of three dollars aud a-quarter,
likewise, went unanswered. Three
dollars was the one bid offered, and,
after one expostulation, the sheriff
took the offer.
Ben handed the money TO the sheriff,
who congratulated him on his pur-
chase with an earnestness he had sci.
dom felt on occasions of this kind, and
there was not one of the farmers who
did not come forward and speak
kindly word of praise and encourage.
ment to the boy.
But Ben was listening to little of al
of this; he slipped away to his father,
who could only strain the boy to him
while the tears streamed down his
face.
The chicken farm was saved, and the
chicken farm proved success A year
later, when Mr. Singer was once more
working steadily, and his rheumatism
was gone, his creditor was paid in full
the amount borrowed from him, and
the proceeds from Ben's chicken farm
did not little to make up the sum re-
quired. Inter Ocean.
THE MEDICINE HABIT.
IL n Reroruinv