News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1896-07-02

leave him there, and have it to think
of afterwards. If we can send nm
out Frisco he'll stand achance TO get
along. I've got his tools and MS
burro here to sell for him. L WahO
you to bid on 'em, not what tney 70
worth, but what it'll be wortn 10
him."
Jack stopped abruptly; he mao h
grown ardent in his speech; now ne
was not quite sure, whether he ndt
said what he meant, or the rlgn'
thing at all. His audience however,
seemed interested. u,
"Go ON Jack, you're all rlgnC'
called a voice.
"We'll go on with a bid Tor tne
shovel" said the auctioneer. 'Whol IL
make it?" r
There was a little pause. Then
meanfaced man, near the door, said
Ten cents"
Jack winched at this. To accept
ten-cent bid meant failure at the very
start.
The man who made this bid was
the proprietor of the Opera House,
who had come to promote failure
of the affair, if he could.
Before Jack ackno wledged it Toms
voice was heard:
"Speak up louder and don't be
keepin' all the fun to yourself" Tom
had heard perfectly-"was it tin dol
lars l heard? That's a good start"
"Ten dollars" repeated Jack,
blandly, with questioning glance
toward the meanfaced man. 1t was
his turn to winch. The boys were
laughing sympathetically with Jack.
Popularity was worth money to him.
He felt that he had made mistake.
eyes" he said, shortly.
"Ten, am bid twelve?' Jack was
saying.
"TweIve from the Tuesday Mine,
boys, said voice.
Twelve-twelve. Some other mine
want it at fifteen2 Fifteen Fifteen"
"Fifteen from the Lost Trail. Fiji
teen-going at fifteen to the Lost
Trail. Cone"
eff it hadn't started at ten"
thought Jack, lit never would have
brought it"
The pick came next, and with much
chatting and joking brought six dol
lars. Some drills and other imple-
ments something more.
Then Burney Scott's voice was
heard outside the door, with "Hullo!
Let us in"
The men parted a little, and he
stepped forward. He had the end Of
a rope in his hand. Then he stopped
because the rope frightened and
stopped him. Those who could see
through the door began to laugh,
"Well, why don't us come in?"
where's the rest of us?"
"Oh, yes. Come income right
along"
Don't wait!"
Burney leaned his weight back on
the rope and laughed. Burney's
laugh was always one of the infec-
tious kind. He was quite safe to put
his weight on the rope, for just over
| the doOrsil four little hanf4 tvoro well
braced against him, while a small
gray face with two bright eyes and
pair Of enormous ears, set sharp for
ward, gave not the slightest sign of
consent to the proceeding.
"Say, boys, you'll have to help me-"
said Burney, when he got his breath.
The boys were in an uproar of
hilarity. Four of them sliced the re-
luctant little burro, and, lifting her
bodily, carried her in, and set her up
on the spttee beside Jack.
Now" cried the auctioneer, as
soon as he could be heard, "some of
you that want your packs carried to
Lone Pine, here's your chance"
But the boys were in no hurry to
proceed to business. They made fun
of the burro, which was indeed an en-
tirely comical figure-a shaggy little
beast, with an immense head, tiny
feet, and an expression of irreconcilau-
BILE astonishment. They bantered
Jack. They skylarked with each
other.
Jack began to be afraid of this in.
terruption. He could do nothing,
however, but stood waiting, with his
hand on the burro beside him.
cts a tableau worth having"
called somebody. "Yes-Mary and
her little lamb" responded another.
There was general laugh; then
Burney caught the cue of the situa-
ton, and with his fine voice began to
sing
MARY had little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow.
Shouting the battle cry of freedoml"
They made a splendid chorus of it,,
and it sent the affair back into Jacks
hands again, as Burney intended.
"What am bid for the lamb" he
said, as the singing stopped.
Twenty dollars"
Now Roker's Gulch, being long
and narrow settlement, arranged its
matters of course rivalries according
ly. Upper Town and Lower Town
were always wrangling over some
thing.
Jack glanced round the room as he
repeated the bid. Then turning
toward a corner where several Upper
Town men happened to be, he said
Twenty dollars for the Lower
Town. Who bids for the Upper?
| 'HNwentv.fiva - immadia talv ra