The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1897-06-03
A prmoRALizrp AUCTION


} ~ bid d essay aes msle u h'isel
Fi'tses- aftsrn 81 tssr ~
'' Tres sac.l1ri uas sacl3obtus oa q
bees to stmall eros 4 Of car0uy bot.
abont hu oaatse Atd toe W.. haw
oasnoeI lb.t be bad 90 DO ttiaR wbtc
- u5ut s-ttly a.aasi tispt'i Il bad bee
+. terrible sutef-tbe So'st, t wogi
tetm, tbat the st4lii0fds h,d kaos sine
they cane 10 Iowa Crops hti beea Ilsh
B.. the pfeylous f.il, frosl sei cold westle
had Sc! 10 unsIpee,silf early, deep spo,
bad i.llen before tbe fret Of Decsmbe
apd sams Of the A. ck s'llI out j peri-I
ID in tbs remotsr Ids Far into Apri
ibe hsrce wiDtar weather ooatinuei art
psri Of tie housed stock had to b.. hiilet
% btcauss there was rot bnoush fo3drr 70
hem tll. 80 Il vent on uutil ptt thi
mijdls OF April. T en- the suo Pr dusl'
walked up as It were sad shoue witt
such intense warmth that the gtest TO y
Of snox vsBt Of 10 foods. c,ruiag de,
uueuou TO farms and buildings aIopg the
vsterccurses.
Il was shout this tjms thst Fred sDani
ford came TO the conclusion that be must
sell bis beus. Since his fathers death, a
year before. Ills fou teen year old boy
had been the man Of the house He had
uauaged the llte farm we'll. considering
bis youth; but the poor harvest season,
the bard winter loss OF stock. sHl damage
by foods had so red uced the Staniiofd's
reeourees, that Poverty scually stared
them in the face when spring came,
Something would have TO be sold 10 order
TO get 8 little ready money ior present
nsces itles What. then the cow7 No,
the family could i'll sp.t" tue mIlE upon
which they depend they depended 80
largely for daily food The two farm
horses were eq1all- iadispensible. So
Fred herolcaIy decided that bis treasured
poultry must go, ILtre were two roost
ers and thirty hone, which had been
Frad's especial pt1periy, even before hls
| fathers de-tl sui upon which be bad be
stosed a great deal Cf care $ me OF
them be had raised by bgud from downy
| chios ens and it sc med pretty hard to
have 10 part With thtm ow, just rs they |
we're getting old enough to raise brolds Of |
th,lr own. Bat there were no Der snd |
two little sister to be looked after and |
there was hardly 8 cent left 10 the old
esther purse in bis fathers cabinet
drawer
Fifteen cents am bill 70. this fnp, ist
hen, continued the boys clear ringing
voice, Think Of it-onIy fifteen cents for
ben that lays soven eggs week and al
vaNs q doubled ye!ked one for Sunday
Fred Stamford looked eagerly around
the old barn IN which the sucton was
being held He had hoped to get thirty
cents, at least, for svery hen n-iorty would
not be too much, be thought, Aud yet.
even at twenty cents spece, tii pets were
proving hardly salsble. Two had been
sold at twenty cents. but slresdy the ex
citeme was dying down and here was
the hsndsomest fowl 10 the lot sticking a.
fifteen cents! Truly, il was disc0ursging
And yet the anction must 90 or, for it
seemed to be the only way be could raise
any money at all on bis poultry, in that
thinly settled district,
Fred held up the ben persuasively, in
spite Of her squawking and Anttering and ,
enlarged eloquently upon her merits
But still the bidder OF fifteen cents re
NAMED unchslenged. am going to give p
Tou one more change, exclaimed Fred
desperately, bis voice all but drowned in
he rumble OF an approaching train on 3
he fsirosd which passed the barn not
more than ten rods away. II you don't Ct
peak inside OF iust one minute, you will
ose your chance on this splendil fowl f'
'ow | am going 10 count siIty. And he Il
numbled the numerals rapidly, raising bi, -
oca as he reach q the last hHy.eight. u
ity-nIne sixty Now does any one raise III
he bid of fifteen cenlsP ! have been bid l
fteen cents, fifteen -if ifteeu - G fteeo do
hear tweuty2 II not this fne, fat ten is p'
oinq -poi q, at fifteen cents eojrg go u
~ e
TIE gone never passed The Young auc
onesr's lips, ior Ut that moment when II u
bould have been uttered there 70 the 81
,ost itightful din outside -olankinp, ot
sshing, crashing, shrieking OF steam 90
1I shouting Of voices Then, suddeDly, t''
ls end Of the barn fsrtherest from the fo
tile knot Of terrified boy. went down as au
it had been strnck by bsttsring ram W
% in reeled great, painting. Kissing 'o'
comolive almost buried. Immediately, ke
' tie falling beams and tim'ers Of the 81
.rn roof Al
lustsntly the sir vas foil oiG1ine SPIN OF
rs, wildly Fqusvkins hens, dense clouds 10
dnst. steam aud smoke. The terrified Or
% amt2'd country boys slraok b ck, p''
Hing over each other in their frightened 'u'
.ste The end Of the barn sgsinst which 'e'
ey madlv plunged remained standing. 'p'
i, the - ol hsd sagesd 10 from the cen ~.
rioi the ridge role dogn 10 the throh J
D hissinR ltcamo otvs The latter i'm pes
ded by rubbish sbd With brakes tieh'l7 be
/. bad eoure al Isst 10 ,'sndstil snd hls
2 engineer sr1 areman we're makiop aui
sir wsv oat through the f.'lsn hasm. @
4 p'tuts toward the clearer space at and
? opposite .p' o. the hsrn Although int
le with 'rleli sod anxiety both men !
ion ihev ssv 'he bows tudilinp sgsirs' bat
h'iher pslt and heatd the Wild Iss