New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-08-25
4 FRENCH AUCTION.
Incidents IN a Sale at a Chateau IN
Country Village.
Limours, August 10

Limours August 10.
In companv of a few friends from New YORK
4h -,,+er I'm course of an automobile trip
oI,spced tn arrive at a country village not IdI
from Paris where an auction sale was solhs Oh
at a cornfnrtab bic and picturesque chateau Inc
methods of the auctioneer and of the rurai pun
chasers caused no little amusement Ior oU
MARTY The sale arranged to beslh at
o,clock on Sunday afternoon. so as 10 give
everybody a chance to be present ana III 'iI0
burning August sunshine the peasants H
their way across fields and through orchafoS ~
the ancient well timbered park of which the late
Mile de Couty had been so proud Net'les
ward high had sprung up all over the turn sur
s,,, +ne chateau the gravel walks were
,o,,o-ad with moss and even the facade OF tiie
t,,;eeance mansion had assumed a dilapldateo
,s,act in the months that had elapsed between
,to death of the proprietress and the sale OF her
effects
On both sides of the drive. near the entrance
-. IT, house we're strewn large pieces OF FUR
nitura here were high presses of po1sheo wal
nh, wood. heavy bedsteads of the same "oou' d
fir,,re of the Madonna in plaster nnder sla'
case placed on Empire sec'arie' t'i
,,,o,7,o,- OF tables and chairs The "huissier IN
, banana hat seated himself we'll in view al d
,,++,e deal table. his wooden hammer lying oe-
=, a., s,+o,eI in which the money would he
- d q sbeaf Of papers for notes under
r.; band The auctioneer had come down from
pis and so had three four Jew furniture
,7o.,ors easily distinguished from the peasants
who crowded in front OF the strip OF wire netting
HASTILY nailed 10 wooden posts to hedge III 'ile
officials. .
Tho reasants had come from far and near 10
soa tho sale Some wore fiat linen caps With d
black peak over their eyes, ana a Clean' w.
ironed blue srnock covering their persons A
f.cas we're burned nearly black by the sum- ana
tbeir dark sparkling eyes cleaned out OIL OeiI
1,-rinLled faces with an expression OF shre"u
+,,f,,1rees There were the proprfetors or all
~, inns within a radius of five or six miles,
7ssed In black of all sorts. watch chains across
tbeir nortIy persons, and shabby pocketooohS
s+,,ffad with French banknotes safely tuckeu
into their breast pockets; there was lhe s"i
chase with his high domed and peaked oIo" II
velvet CAP with forester's horn e1lpfoiuei
-, the front; his face resembled the badgers ne
snends some of his time in stalking, anu HIS
,,,,- a,,es had the air of watching small objects
AT q great distance. He was further ois'iii-
p,,ished by total lack of humor
There were comedy country women IN uiei'
- White NET caps. with nuted frills framing
their pleasant, withered faces; there were
nth 1,oung children by their side, dressed IN
;. ,. white frocks and yellow boots ana
s+ocI,ings The Younger generation wore mats
,beir mothers were bareheaded and their grand
,,o+,ars wore caps One very aged peasant
,-oroan leaning on a stick. with malicious
face and an evil eye. CROPPED her way out Oh INC
house with cardboard box under her arm Je"
orslv Rugged to her bosom When chaHeheeu
Inv the auctioneer to show what IT was she was
abstractfng from the property she grudghslY
lifted the lid and raised bottle 10 Vle"' ihuii-
Ming churlishlv. cit is mine; shall bury it In
the cemetery of Pere La Chaise," and they let
her mass. carrying with her the heart OF her
,o+e roistress's favorite dog carefully preserved
in snirits for burial Some chairs. some
standing on the nettles. which emitted a strong
nungent smell, the population of pretty LiInouiS
waited for the auctioneer to begin business.
A. first the lots presented little interest ana
the bidding was languid. rising by TWO cents at
\ time cut il short, monsieur; cut II SHOT,
said the old aubergiste of Marcoussls, VINO hao
his eye on a table with two flaps OF poiSHeo
,,-alrr+ Like most of the others present, he had
known the chateau and its late owner al ms
life. and there was a strong feeling in the place
thar everything In the auction ought TO go
cheap. The auctioneer. of course. had his own
commission in view and there for the
afternoon: he could not be expected to curtail
the proceedings for the convenience Of Renaud
Of Marcoussis. Still. protest from time to time
did no harm. So the housewives In the front
row had it all their own way with glass bot
ties niles of plates and other housekeeping
relics IAN those for two francs! cried tiny
how. perched on the shoulder OF his father and
following with open eyes and mouth the doings
of the first auction sale which he had attended
But it is very, very cheap" At which express
sion of opinion the fat auctioneer unbent so far
as TO smile.
Then large wooden crucifx was held up to
view and a bid of 80 cents made. Some
body offered a further franc, and dealer from
Paris made it 81. Then came a pause The
auctioneer looked anxious. LimOurs is too near
70 the capitaI TO have any religious convictions
left in these days as the parish priest in charge
of the handsome sixteenth century church could
have testified, had ne been present Let him
have IT monsieur" cried voice in the crowd
with the local accent. KNOCK Il down TO him:
a lew sold him. let the Jew buy him." and the
irreverent sally raised a laugh in which, with
some confusion of countenance, the dealer
handed over mis- money and name and the cru
cifix was laid aside Piece by piece the furni-
ture of the old house was put no and knocked
down. and at each transaction the huissier
Glanced round the audience with air of mild
eu,nrise saving as he peered out from under
the brjm of his Panama hat. Shall we let 1t
go at that price? Does no one regret! once,
twice. thrice" and down came the mallet The
unsophistcated peasants gave their addresses as
I.imours BouIay, etc, appearing to think that
indication amply sufficient Are there no
streets in these places?' said the auctioneer,
handing out change and making rapid calcula-
tons of his own 10 per cent on each article sold,
while the one-armed porter and his assistant
carried off the prizes TO place behind the bushes
until finally they should be removed by their