Middletown transcript., 1896-04-11

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| 4 y \NlG$ teacher.
N \ lNEM Mr.. Jepso
| w HltA looked at his vii
/I IA and chuckled.
II IA W We'll" h
{ ~ said. "If mothe
wants to 60 I'll take her."
"You know very well that III not g
STEP" replied Mrs. JepsoD, sharply
Her husband laughed aloud.
"You can laugh if you want to, Ds
vid Jepson! But 1 said ten years age
when We bought that chest of drawer
at Eben Hadley's sale, that I'D neve
60 to another while | lived, and
never WILL"
"Come MAJ" said Mr.. Jepson, a littl
quizzically, "tell the teacher abou
that bureau. He wants to hear abou
it-don't you, Mr.. Hooper,
''Of course l do"
"Well, it was like this" said Mrs
Jepson, laughing little. "I alwayi
admired that chest of drawers when i
belonged to Sally Hadley, and wher
the Hadley's gave out that they were
going to sell off erything and move
out to California, l made up my minc
that I'd have that bureau. The sale
began at ten O'Clock, and there Was SC
much to sell that the bureau wasn't
put up until after the big free dinner
the Hadley's had got up.
''The bureau was put up right after
dinner. 1 thought it would go for some
thing between twenty-five and thirty
dollars, and 1 had forty dollars of my
butter and eggs money in my pocket.
Somebody started the bureau at
FIVE dollars. and the auctioneer made
all sorts of fun of he offer; and he
just pooh-poohed when some une else
raised the bid to ten dollars.
"Who'll say fifteen, just as a mere
starter2 says he, and l nodded my
head.
SNOW who'll make 1t twenty? says
he. Do hear twenty from any one?
Who says twenty-oneP
"He looked at me and l nodded, and
then he looked over to the other side
of the yard, where most of the men
were standing, and he says:
"Twenty-one, tweniy-one, twenty
one l have; do hear twenty-five?
and ladies, this bureau is
dirt cheap at fifty dollars. Do L hear a
wenty-two from a y ont? An, have
it. Twen y-two, twenty-five, who says
twenty three?
"Ie nodded to me and nnlded yes,
and then he turned 10 VIII IpY.r it Was
bidding against me aud got twent,
four, and as soon as [ npi Id that I'f
give twenty-five the other bidder raised
it to twenty-six. That made me angry,
and 1 nodded twenty-seyen, and then
the auctioneer says:
''Now who'll say thirty at single
jump? Thirty, thirty, thirty, and thirty
have!
THAT raised my dander higher than
ever, and was bound I'd have that
bureau.I looked round and Was glad pa
wasn't near to make me stop bidding,
and when the auctioneer says, Who'll
make it thir.y-live? l nodded with my
teeth shut tight together, and those
that stood near said I paled when the
otherbidder raised my bid to forty dol
lars, but | didn't give up.
81 knew I'd have to enroach on the
money I'd laid by for new black silk,
and 1 did want the black silk very
much, but l nodded yes when the auc-
tioneer asked for forty-fve dollars.
"'I'm glad that somebody in this
crowd appreciates the real value Of a
thing says he. Somebody knows that
this bureau is bargain al fifty dollars,
and fifty dollars l must have for it. All,
fifty l have; who ays fifty-fve?"
''Now the bureau wasn't worth any
fifty dollars, the way secondhand
lrniture sells, but l was bound that
wouldn't be beaten. l shut my teeth
harder than ever, and nodded fifty five.
swell, if you'll believe me, we run
that bureau up to ninety-nine dollarsl
and | said to myself, 'I'll make it an
even hundred, and then I'll stop. The
other bidder seemed to have come to
the same conclusion, for when I'd nod
ded that I'd give hundred dollars my
bid wasn't raised.
Zone hundred dollars,' said the
auctioneer, 'and sold to this lady over
here!'
81 felt so weak l could hardly walk,
but went up and paid what money
had with me. Then l started TO hunt
up pa, to tell him what I'd done
and have him take me home. l felt SO
bad. I saw him standing out by our
wagon, and when l got near saw that
he was angry enough, and didn't blame
him bit. I amt any humbleI-spir-
tied than most women, but says 1,
meek enough:
I'm sorry did it, pa, but I just
couldn't give up TO that other bidder
That other bidder!' says pa, mad
der than hornet. Do you know,
Elizy Jepson, who that other bidder
wasp
why, no; how should I?'
"'I can tell you who it was. 1t was
mel And the next time you intend to
bid for thing you better let me know
beforehand
gEyUaII r xx,,e vo1,k;GnI