Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1898-08-26
SHE CRIED BUT KEPT BIDDllSo.
Pretty Lillian Blair Completes at Auction
for FInery Barlllas Bought Her.

Pretty Lillian Blair Completes at Auction
for TInery Barlllas Bought Her.
Pretty Lillian Blair, who not long
ago was the charmer and the best he
loved Of that gay old heart breaker,
Don Manuel Barillas, reappeared III
public yesterday in curious role.
There was public sale Of unclaimed
merchandise at the appraisers build
ing. The auction developed nothing
unusual until lot II, consisting, accord
ing to the catalogue, Of "one case con-
tanning two ladies' silk suits, complete,
three ladies' wool suits, complete, three
ladies silk hats, one straw hat, one
bonnet, foreign value $404.36; home
value, $650.S6," went under the ham,
mer. Then stylish young woman bid
$40 through her broker,W. Ford Thorn
as. The regular crowd Of brokers AMI
spectators took a hand and ran the
price up to $25, when, realizing that
they were bidding against young
woman, all dropped out save James
Feore, head janitor Of the Appraisers
building. AS the bids piled up dol
lar and two dollars at a time the habi-
tues of the place began to ask who the
lady was. 1t took little inquiry 10
identify her as Lillian Blair, and soon
it became known that she was trying
to bid in some of the finery ordered for
her from Paris by Barillas and left
unclaimed in the custom house Tor
more than a year. Then the little
crowd became deeply interested. jan
itor Feore grinned as he bid and bid
again, and Miss Blair grew excited and
hysterical. She overbid herself, bid
against her own price, and cried, but
stuck to it. While the tears rolled
down her cheeks and though trembling
with excitement, she kept on until Fe-
ore bid 5000, and then, raising him 81,
drove him out of the game. Amid the
cheers and handclappings of the spec
tators, the lot was knocked down to the
fearful but plucky young woman.
Broker Thomas is indignant at what he
terms the ungallant action Of Feore in
bidding against a lady, and says he
will refer the matter to the secretary
of the treasury, claiming that 1t is con-
trary to law and custom for federal
employees to bid at such sales. Janitor
! Feore expressed sorrow that any act
of his should cause lady to weep. He
acknowledged that 1t had been his habit
to compete at these sales, for, as he
expressed it, he would "buy brass
Nffo ! For
sale and he had the money. Members
of the Blair family, now living quietly
in a cottage far out on Pine street, said
last evening that these costumes were
ordered by Barillas when he was Law
ishing all he could bestow on the pretty
Lillian. 1t appears that they were to
have arrived from Europe about the
time he did, but all the trouble came,
and so the boxes have been unclaimed
for a year. Emily Blair said: I'VE
had no money to get these expensive
dresses out, and in fact, had given up
all thought of getting them until no.
tice was sent that they were to be sold
today at auction. My sister went, hop
ing that she might get them for $50, or
at the most $75, but when she had OPP
position she kept bidding, though she
had no money to redeem them at that
high figure. We work, and have no
such surplus. What my sister will
do 1 know not. She still has some
handsome jewels. and she is consider
ing whether or not she will sell them to
get these gowns. l suppose If she fails
they will have to go over until the next
auction time.-San Francisco Chron-
icle.