The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1912-04-23
The Mahogany
Dresser
The Story Of the Other
Bidder
BY CLARISSA MACKIE

( ny OAANlOOA NlAONlL 3
xo>o<o%o%o~o<~o~o<o~o~o~oS
Mrs. Ames reread the advertisement
with eagerness:
For Sale. = Solid mahogany dresser,
French plate mirror, almost new, sacri-
hce for cash.
Then followed an address in Fourth
avenue.
tom, dear, that's the very thing we
want. Why, I've been looking every
where for bargain in dressers for the
spare room. Suppose l meet you In
town tomorrow and go and see the
thing together"
Couldn't possibly tomorrow, Susan"
returned her husband, with decision
Besides, one can usually buy those
things as cheap in the furniture store,
and get 'em brand new too"
But, Tom. one really can get splen-
did bargains in furniture" persisted
Susan tearfully. Mrs. Smith bought
that lovely Sheraton chair for only So,
and when it was all done over it was
like new"
HUM observed Mr. Ames absently
as he consulted memorandum book.
"Tom Ames, don't believe you
heard word said" cried Susan.
"M-m-m-h'm!" mumbled Tom, glanc-
ing doubtfully at the penciled figures
he was creating in the book. 1--we got
to go and telephone to Jones. There's
some mistake about this contract"
And he hurried from the room. and a
minute later his aggrieved wife heard
him talking vigorously to his partner.
81 know what l will dor she de-
clared suddenly. There's that $35
that Uncle Bob sent me on my birth
day-horrid custom for him to send
me a dollar for every year of my life.
He ought to forget 1.-THE age, mean.
and not the money. l wish he'd just
average it up and call it $50 instead
of sending such a grewsome reminder
that I'm growing older every day.
"Pn take my $35 and HE me to the
Fourth avenue shop and buy that
dresser for myself. and if there is any
money over I'll buy a rocking chair
to go with it, Now, Mr.. Tom Ames,
just watch your clever wife obtain a
bargainp'
Much to Mrs. Ames' surprise. when
she arrived in town the next day and
reached the Fourth avenue address it
proved to be a large secondhand store
crowd of people there. and Susan push
ed herself with difficulty to the rear of
the shop. for she felt sudden embar-
rassment at being an active partici-
pant in a real auction. She had ac-
companied her husband several times
on such occasions merely for the
amusement of watching the crowds
and the bargains they obtained. but
there was a fascination about it that
appealed to her, and she felt rather
gleeful as she clutched the bag con
tanning the $50 that marked the years
of her last birthday.
The auctioneer was little dark man
with bright dark eyes that darted here
and there with the same lightning ra-
pidity that his pointing finger few and
his rafting tongue accompanied
Susan watched with fascinated eyes
as one article after another was put
up and as promptly. metaphorically
knocked down" again. Lamps ana
vases. chairs and tables. davenport
and sundry other articles were disposed
Of WI there came a murmured re
quest ON the front of the store for
the mahogany dresser.
Susan Ames stiffened to attention
Somebody else wanted that dresser rs
well as herself. She gripped the mon
ey tightly and set her teeth. If So
counted for anything she would Own
it. She had seen it as she entered the
store and admired its fine lines and
the richness of its dulled surface. II
must be a bargain indeed. even if one
had to pay $50 for it.
AS the bidding commenced Susan
shrank back little. glad to partly eff
face herself behind large teakwooi
screen. The other bidder was on the
outer fringe of the crowd and spoke In
little short banks that Susan took diS
like to at once.
"Horrid old thing-I don't believe +
wants it GtSall." she murmured to he
self after she had feebly piped "Thr
dollarsr to be instantly followed
the other bidder yelning "FourP'
"Five" cried Mrs. Ames
"Sixw barked the man.
Seven
"Ninew
"TwelveI' shrilled Mrs Ames Oh
stinately.
The crowd laughed at the feminin
manner of bargaining. but SuSa
Ames was beyond caring now. lie
them laugh if they wanted to. She VIZ
bound to have that mahogany dressel
and she continued her bidding dolla
by dollar now and later by fifty cen
raises.
When 1t reached 500 a man standing
next to her ventured a word Of ad
vice
ut Isn't worth cent more, madam,
he protested. ITS only veneered-and
badly done at that"
Susan only glared Indignantly at him
and continued her reckless bidding
She was Convinced that the other bid
der was merely trying to get the dress
er away from her, actuated by what
strange spirit of malevolence she did
not question herself
This matter of bidding was a highly
exciting pastime. but she could not
suppress a feeling of regret that 1t was
going-up-up-beyond $25, Swimming
the edge Of thirty-lapping over to thir-
ty-one, two. thirty-three, thirty-four-
Thirty -fvel" cried Susan Ames tear
fully.
"Thirty-sixg' yelped the other bid
der
Susan was crushed completely. She
was at the end Of her resources. She
hated the other man, who had the ma
hogany dresser knocked down to him
at the preposterous price of $3.50. She
shrank back behind the screen and af-
fected to look at some dingy oil paint
ings, while she furtively wiped heI
eyes. She heard little hustle Of con
fusion as the successful bidder went W
and paid for the dresser, and she heard
the auctioneer's merry quips as he
pocketed the money.
The crowd shifted and changed ev
cry little while, and the people who hat
witnessed Susan's embarrassment ha(
either disappeared or forgotten her
Probably they were quite accustomed
to witnessing disappointed purchaser
in the auction rooms.
After awhile Susan lost her interes
- o,,o&Innoa,.in1 Moth