Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1905-09-14
At the Old
Horse Sale
By Sara
Beaumont Kennedy
Copyright, 1908, bu sara Beaumont Ken

tive command, which, perhaps, was the
reason why she walked directly under
the auctioneers red flag into tte ex-
press office, already thronged with A4la,
curious buyers.
Il never was at anything more e&
citing than dry goods bargain sakss
This will be positively like Monp
Carlo"
"Our uncle Will disapprove"-
"Of course he will He disapproves
Of most things | do since you took up
the role Of social mentor for the fam
lily. That year abroad spoiled you,
Adolphus. You have never been en-
durable since you took to patent up
pers and monocle. Now, Nick would
have brought me in here without a
word OF remonstrance and lent me
every penny out Of his pocket If l
needed 1t to bid with-Ient me even his
car fare and walked home uncom-
plainingly and carried my parcels"
IF he had not happened to see an
old woman or lame eat to help over
the crossing, in which case, very likely,
he would have laid the parcels down
and quite forgotten to pick them up"
Perhaps, for Nick is bit absent
minded, but he Is perfectly adorable
when II comes to giving girl her own
way"
My brother is happy in winning
your good opinion. 1t is my mlsfor-
tune
mo, it's your fault; you are so
frightfully conventional. Dear me,
what curious people"
'+They are the drift from the street
None of our set ever
There, the auctioneer Is beginning
again. 1t Will be perfectly delightful
to buy something and not have the
least Idea what it is-so weird and
Mysterious
"Nellie, surely you are not going to
bid out loud in this crowd"
'I certainly am. There Is no harm in
IL, and | am sick to death of the right
angle rules by which you and uncle
measure my life. Wonder what that
woman found In her parcels2 There
goes up a bandbox. l shall bid on
that"
Nellie, don'tr' he first commanded,
then entreated vehemently, but she
was as a deaf adder that stoppeth her
ears.
Fifty cents" she called, in answer
to the auctioneer's challenge, at the
same time stepping upon an empty box
by the wall, so that she was in plain
view Of the whole crowd.
Seventy y-flve cents" screamed
feminine voice across the hall.
Zone dollar" flashed back Nellie her
color rising. her eyes shining, for her
Cousins voice came up TO her in agi-
tated whispers.
"One fifty" came from her opponent.
Two dollars" cried Nellie, pushing
Adolphus' hand from her sleeve.
Three dollars" shrieked the other
woman. nervously counting the change
In her purse. No one else was bid
ding. the entire crowd having centered
Its attention on the nervous woman
and the ''swel" girl, and there were
cheers and counter cheers rs the bids
rose dollar by dollar until at last the
coveted box was knocked down to Mel
lie
She was still laughing ana flushed
with her triumph when they emerged
from the door over which few the red
flag, but Adolphus felt misera BILE and
compromised, and this feeling was not
abated when he saw the astonishment
in the eyes of Miss Curtis. whose Ian
dau happened at that moment to pass,
for Miss Curtis was the personifca-
ton of rigid conventionality. He count
ed the meeting as one more misfortune
In an unlucky day.
Eellie's excitement waned as they
walked and by the time they entered
her uncle's gate she was strangely ST.
lent Adolphus evidently took this for
a hopeful sign, FOR presently he cleared
his throat, adjusted his monocle and
began:
"Nellie, we must talk seriously. The
time has come
mo, IL hasn't come" she said, In
terrupting him good naturedly, 80 stop
right there. | don't know whether
this is a lecture or proposal Of mar
riage-your private talks with me VI
brate between these two subjects
but / am in no mood for either. For
heavens sake Adolphus, throw that
glass away. hate to be spied at like
that"
With a reproachful sigh he removed
the offending glass and said: "Nick not
only lectured you yesterday; he posi-
lively scolded you, and
And deserved It, but / answered
him back spltefully. like the little beast
I am, and he-he hasn't even noticed
me since" She turned her head so
that he did not see the quiver of her
red lips, the passionate protest of her
eyes.
All their set knew that her dicta-
torial old uncle intended she should
marry Adolphus, who satisfied his so
ciaI ambitions, while Nick, who cared
nothing for society, smoked a pipe and
forgot to have his trousers creased,
was q thorn In the old mans side
Between these two were constant dis
agreements. which Nellie had hitherto
managed to make up, but yesterday
there had been quarrel Of unusua!
violence. and there was even some talk
Of Nicks leaving the house. 1t was
Of this she had been thinking as she
followed her purchase home.
"Adolphus," she said as they mount
Ell the steps, cant you do something
anything to patch mp this new quar-
rel between Nick and uncle? 1t isn't
Nick's fault that he is-that he was
was born different from you and un-
Gle"
II quite agree with my uncle about
this Summing business. 4 man In
Hicks position owes something toto
appearances"
Stuff she scoffed and ran by him
into fha hOusp