The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1895-09-02

father sat In the doorway of the cottage
Ben noticed a couple of tears trickie uo"h
his fathers face. He jumped up ana th'ew
his arms around his fathers neck. ne was
frightened and he did not understand 'us'
what was the matter.
Presently Mr.. Singer unclasped the BOY
hand and looked him in the face Ben he
said, I'm afraid were In Tor haru ''Ae'
yet"
What do you mean, dad?' asked BE.
''The house is only rented" said Mr.. Singer
slowly. "they can't take that, but they can
take all our furniture and everything else.
why they belong to us!' exclaimed BEN
$50 they do, Ser, but the law gives an
other man the right to sell them and take
the money they bring If we owe him money
and can't pay IL.
And we owe somebody money? thought
DR.. James was pad?
so he was. But there is some one else
to whom 1 owe money-a man Dor
rowed from when your mother was
sicL owed him n hundred dollars. He
has what they call my note maven
been able to pay him, and now he says ne
must have it. He is entitled TO IL rsht on
and will get much of 1t as possipie ny
selling what we have. He was here 10 see
me about the matter the other day, anu
tried TO get him to wait But he says
he's tired of waiting. and the sheriff IL come
and sell us out"
Ben had a fairly good idea now OF the
situation. He tried to comfort his father'
but il was of little avail. Mr.. singer Ielt
his helplessness and the disgrace keenly'
and did not know what would become oil
them Ben worried over what he had heard
all night long, but he could find no way out
of their difficulty.
The next day he took ten of his biggest
chickens to the village store. He had
already arranged with Mr.. Bassett TO nave
them sent to a commission merchant at
Waynesboro and sold. After he had dellV-
cred the chickens and Mr.. Bassett had
promised him the money for them as quick
ly as possible, the idea struck the boy of
asking the storekeeper about a sherin
sale The thing puzzled him bit yet, ami
ne INDUCED a faint hope that, if he knew
just how it was done, he might be aple
to hit on a way out of 1t. MIR. Bassett,
he said, chow does sheriff sell you out
Perhaps the storekeeper had an idea OF
the trouble. But if ne did he gave no
sign of it and tried to explain to Ben how
such a sale was conducted. And the peo-
Die at the sale" he concluded, offer TO buy
what is offered and the sheriff sells to the
one who makes the highest bid?"
Ben asked several questions before ne
left Then he walked slowly home, and
all the while. in his mind. he was turning
over a dimly defined project which had
been suggested to him by what he had
heard.
a week later Ben received the money for
his chickens-s3 so. lie was a proud boy,
and he would nave SHOWN MS satisfaction
more If il had not been for the impending
trouble, which made his father so miserable
that he could not leave his bed. Ben
bought some fruit for quarter Of a dol
lar and took il home to him, but Mr.. Sng-
CT was feeling so badly that he ate of 1t
only sparingly,
on a Monday in the early part of the
next month the sheriff, in pursuance OF
formal notice arrivd lat the house 10
make a sale to satisfy Mr. Singers cred
itor Quite a crowd had gathered about
the cottage, and there was not one OF
th9se present kt TR9n soh linen and
ing utensils and Sen ite anu in the i0.f bs
Slaa6s Ha ,sc Ranerss q fa9ps5
and psn and the a, yp length
"s Sc ssqsn i5s6 Sss' he sT Sa the