Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1910-03-31

over It, loud and pointed, while the
Smalls would pipe all hands to unload
sarcasm, and the same vicy vercy
when twas t'other way about. Twas
interesting and instructive to listen to
and amused the populace on rainy
days, so Peter Z. said.
Adoniram Rogers had been mighty
source around the Old Home sense the
davenport deal. But n morning he
showed up unexpected. A boarder had
dug up an antique s~omewheres in the
shape of a derelict plate Inc was dis
playing it proud on the piazza.
Adoniram grunted. "Huh" says he.
"'Tain't nothing but a blue dish. I've
got a whole closet full of them"
"What? yells everybody. and then,
"Will you sell 'em?"
Sell 'em." says Rogers. looking
round surprised. "Why, 1 never see
nothing 1 wouldn't sell if I got money
enough for it."
Everybody wanted to get Adoniram
n side and talk with him, and every
body else was determined they should
not. Wherever he moved the IAN
tiquers' moved with him. Rogers got
scared.
"Look here" says he, staring sort of
wild like at the boarders. "What ails
you folks? Are you crazyY
Well, he might have made a good
deal worse guess thar that. l don't
know how 'twould have ended if
Peter T.. Brown, cool and sassy as ever,
hadn't come on deck just then and
took command.
"See here, Rogers" he says; 'let's
understand this thing. Have you got a
set Of dishes like that?"
Adoniram looked at him. evil l
get Jailed if 1 say yes?" he
Maybe you will if you DON'T says
Peter. "Now, then, ladies and gentle
men, this is something we're all inter
ested in, and 1 think everybody ought
to have a fair show. Rogers will bring
those dishes down here tomorrer, and
We'll put EN- on exhibition in the no.
tel parlor. Next day We'll have an
auction and sell 'em to the highest
cash bidder And, provided there's no
objection, I'll sacrifice my reputation
and be a~uctioneer.'
So twas agreed to have the auction.
Next day Adoniram heaves alongside
with the dishes in a truck wagon, and
they was strung out on the tables in
the parlor. And such a paving over
and gabbling you never heard. The
"antiquers' handled 'em and admired
'Qm and n'intn1 To fho fhrno 1o1oo -,
the back of each dish, the same being
proof Of age, and got more covetous
every minute. But the joy was lin
tied.
Milo and Eddie was the most wor-
ried Of all, because each of 'em had
been commissioned by their command
ing officers lot to let t'other family
win.
That auction raj the biggest thing
that ever happened at the Old Home.
We had it on the lawn out back Of the
billiard room, and folks came from
Harniss and Orham and the land
knows where. The sheds and Darn
was filled with carriages, and we
served thirty-two extra dinners at a
dollar a feed. The dishes was piled
on a table, and Peter T. done his auc-
tioneer preaching from a kind Of pull
pit made out Of two cracker boxes and
a tea chest.
But there want any real bidding ex-
cept from the Smalls and Thompsons.
A few Of the boarders and some Of the
out of towners took a shy long at first,
but their bids vas only ground bait.
Milo and Eddie, backed by the dow
ager and the duchess, done the real
fishing.
The price went up and up. Peter
T. whooped and pounded and all but
shed tears. If he'd been burying a
competition hotel keeper he couldn't
have hove more soul into his work.
Twas, Fifty! Do I hear sixty? Six
ty do I hear? Fifty dollars! Think of
it.! Why, friends, this amt a church
pound party. Look at them dishes!
Look at 'em! Why. the pinfeathers
OF those blue dicky birds in the cor
ners are worth more n that for mat
tress stuffing. Do I hear sixty? Sixty
I'm bid. Who says s%eventy?"
Milo said it, and Eddie was back at
him afore he could shake the reefs
out Of the last syllable. She went up
to a hundred, then to Il hundred and
thirty-two, and with every raise Ado
hiram Rogers smile heightened out.
And just then two things happened.
One was that a servant girl come run
ming from the Old Home House to tell
the duchess and Irene DEAR that
some swell friends Of theirs from the
hotel at Harniss had driven over to
call and was waiting for 'em in the
parlor. The female Smalls went in.
though they want joyful over it.
They give Eddie his sailing orders
afore they went too.
The other thing that happened was
Bill Saltmarsh's arriving in port. Bill
is an "antiquer" for revenue only. He
runs an antique store over at Ostable.
and the prices he charges are enough
to convict him without hearing the
evidence. I knew he'd come.
Saltmarsh mods to Peter T. and picks