The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-06-12

the bid? Genuine ormolu and bronze,
and fit for a ducal drawing ROOM.
He looked from face to face, and
poised his little mallet tentatively.
Ten shillins," he repeated. His tone
was that of a protesting incredulity.
He might have been a convicted inno-
cent hearing himself sentenced to ten
years penal servitude. One longed al
most to assure this good man that he
was only being made the victim of a
hoax. Then he essayed humor, the hu-
NOR of the rostrum, that, like that of
the bench. sounds such a depressingly
blank cartridge in the report.
why, the weights alone are worth
the money! Take 'em off my mind,
gentlemen. Come, say sovereign.
Won't anyone go an advance on 10
shillin's? It's without reserve, gentle
men. There's no call for this extreme
modesty."
He conned the blank faces once more,
and shrugged his shoulders as if to re-
pudiate all responsibility in so senseless
a fiasco. The little hammer in his hand
rose slowly like that of clock about
to strike-lingered on the fall in a quick
inspiration.
Take him on. Charley whispered a
neighbor broker to the other. Hes
fly
"One pound"
zone pound ten," said the stranger.
Two pounds"
Two pounds one"
There was a murmur of protest. The
auctioneer bent over his desk courte-
ously.
The conditions of SALE he said,
above co. no advance under shil-
Inns"
Two pound ten, then" said the
stranger
The languid room awoke to sense Of
the humor of the situation.
Three pounds" said the broker.
The stranger looked around defiant
ly. IT'S what l want" he said, It'll
suit my show. and l mean to have it."
There were cries of "Orderi Order"
and the room echoed with a ripple of
laughter over this facetious admission.
-Four pound" said the stranger, i'm
movably.
1T goes against my conscience"
thought George George. Ito profit by
this victimizing of a fool
He waited while they ran the fool up
from Sc to e10, and there. frightened,
perhaps, by the magnitude of the issue,
they let the joke lapse, and chuckled
themselves hoarse over the richness of
the climax.
Ten pounds for frame of Indifferent
old metal, 1t was an exhibition of
tenacity all upon the insensate side.
The stranger seemed neither elated
nor depressed by the result. He went
and stood by his property until he could
pay for and remove it, indifferently. the
cynosure of all eyes that humored their
own derision of him a little covertly,
in that they were conscious of a GER
tain turbulence in the expression of
those under the unspeakable hat brim.
The bidding. after this momentary
effervescence of excitement, fell to
more dismal level of ineffectiveness
than it had suffered hitherto. Very
soon the person most interested in it
tired of the reiteration of lame con-
illusions and returned to his work,
more impressed than ever with the
vanity of impulsive optimism. He
busted himself over his cases and other
matters for an hour or two, losing in
occupation all but the shadowy men,
DRY of his Disappointment. then went
home for the cup of tea that is the
solace TO much heroic desperation He
had no living quarters at the hospital.
but his dull lodgings were near at hand,
and for them he made with a new dis
taste for their meanness, that was half
humor, half chagrin. His tiny sitting
room was Tapped in darkness. for the
fire was sunk to a mere belated spark.
and the gas was turned down in the in
siderable chandelier. With his fingers
on the cock, George George dwelt a
moment in retrospection on the queer
little episode of the afternoon.
WELL" he thought, lit is f10 of
at least. in my pocket"
His hand moved-the room leapt into
light and there before him on the
hearth rug were standing-man and