The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1897-12-31
THEHIGHEST BIDDER

1t was at Brussels, in the auction
rooms at the orner of the streets Leo
pold and Wiertz, that the incident hap
pened. My friend was an Englishman,
but he had lived long in Ne country
and had acquired taste for the Bel
gian arts that seemed almost native,
and that made him something of col
lector. The sale at the rooms was to be
very similar to sale at Sotheby's, and
the catalogue referred to original man
uscripts and first editions and to hun
bred things loved by the curioso. My
friend was present in the hope of secur-
ing some early engravings, and I was
with him as part Of the idleness of a
holiday. We were early, and while
waiting the time of the sale we looked
together at the catalogue, and he enter
tanned me with talk of this and that
entry.
"This number should be interesting, "
he said, pointing to line on the first
page, "the love letters of Outline, our
poet of love. Keats letters, you remem
Der, were sold i'll London not long ago,
and one of your verse makers wrote a
lamenting sonnet. Outline was not Sc
great a poet as Keats, but his passion
for Jetta Teterol was as wildly spoken
as the others for Fanny Brawne. Your
verse maker was right. 1t is hard that
because a man has given part of his soul
to the world the world should want the
whole But the curious are innocent Of
modesty, and-yes, the number should
lie interesting"
"There will be a fight for the letters
you think" 1 said.
eyes, probably. Outline has some
thing of vogue just now. The womel
are discovering that he wrote as in theil
: best hours they think And indeed i
was tender, womanly muse. The lit
tie man standing by the table-hin
with the glasses, / mean-will, think
get them. He is professor at the uni
1 versity, and doubtless meditates an arti
Gle in one Of the reviews Himself with
out sentiment, he will criticise thei
sentiment. Already he has written NOR
than one unkind thing about the Gui
tine morals. The letters will give hin
yet a new text. "
For moment or two I looked at tn
professors hard, thin face and sympa
thized with the dead poet, then as tn
auctioneer mounted to his place an
commenced the days sale turned m
eyes to one and another in the room
Mostly the crowd was Of men, dealer
or chance buyers, but here and theI
were women with the usual catalogu
and pencil, and among them was on
i whose dress and manner interested m
even to curiosity. Near to Us she stood
lmpatiently buttoning and unbuttonin
glove, and l saw that she was pretty
but somewhat too well dressed an
somewhat too freely jeweled.
do you know" / asked my frienC
"who is the girl to our right?"
He looked and slightly shrugged b
VI shoulders and said: Eyes, she is Mar
e Carbara, one of the actresses at the ne
II theater. She is only a minor actres
q but you see her cloak and the brooC
p clasping it. They are all alive, the
. pretty singers and dancers, All love Il
sunshine and the butterfly life. VIII
N brings Marie here ! do not know, NJ
what makes her so angry with her GLOW
The boudoir wants picture, perhaI
That was very little for the Louis vase
st Alb, here are the Outline letters. Tbt
will fetch more"
o The auctioneer spoke of the poet al
ID Of his love for Jetta Teterol and Of /
writings to her. Again l looked aroul