Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-10-19
The Auction
Sale
A Purchase That Proved
a Prize Package
By ETHEL HOLMES

people, but to a person from the coun-
try it was not only interesting, but
amusing. At least so thought Sam
Walton as he stood among the crowd
in the office of the express company,
for they were holding al auction sale
of unclaimed packages. 1t was a case
of buying sight unseen" and there
were much laughter and good natured
ridicule over the worthless purchases
that fell to the lot of some bidder who
had calculated that bulk must neces-
sarily increase the value of the hidden
contents.
There were large packages that when
opened proved to contain nothing save
printed handbills OF some long past
entertainment or bargain sale. Others
had samples Of patent medicine with
In, and in one case an eager purchaser
had paid 50 for a tiny box wrapped
In white paper that contained liver
pills. There were bundles of old cloth
ing, packages of newspapers, boxes of
cutlery, cases of samples of everything
under the sun. Occasionally there was
a real bargain, as in the case of the
man who paid 10 cents for a battered
and tightly locked suit case which
proved to contain a brand new suit Of
clothes worth a hundred times the price
he had paid for 1t. Another individual
paid a dollar for a ragged bundle that
contained dozens of pure linen hand
kerchiefs, and still another found him
self the possessor of a five pound box
of chocolates for the price of 20 cents.
Shouts of laughter followed the pull
ing out Of a box of a very dainty pair of
woman's bed slippers by a young man.
Sam Walton paused in the doorway
and watched the fun going On within.
Every time a package was opened by
its eager purchaser there was a burst
of laughter from the good natured
crowd. Sam fingered the few silver
coins in his pocket and turned to go
away. Some fortunate individual had
become the possessor Of a fine shot
gun as the result of a fifty cent bid
on a narrow burlap wrapped bundle.
1t might be that an investment of his
money would double it. 1t was a gam.
BILE.
"What am l offered for this per-
fectly good travelling bag?" sang the
auctioneer as he swung above the
crowd a rather shabby Russia leather
bag. ut is tightly locked and from its
weight must contain valuables of some
kind. You can see from the labels that
this bag has Travelled abroad, andes
cents? That's a joke, of course. l
am offered % cents. Who will make it
35? Very good, sir" and so IN.
Sam stood palpitating, his hand on
the two lone dollars in his pocket. He
was strongly tempted to enter the COM
petition for the bag. 1t was a hand
some one and showed signs Of much
travel.
zone fiftyT' sang the auctioneer.
zone seventy-iye," bid Sam Walton
hastily, and to his surprise it was
knocked down to him at that price.
To the great disappointment of his
companions in the crowd he did not at
tempt to open his purchase. He paid
the price and then made his way into
the street and turned uptown toward
his boarding place. AS he strobe on.
swinging the bag easily, he gave little
thought to it's contents. His mind had
Immediately flown to the n topic that
always lay uppermost.
That was Leona Denman.
Three years before the opening of
this story Sans father had received a
letter from an old college chum, saying
he had lost his wife in a recent rail-
road accident and he himself had been
badly injured. He realized that he
could not live many months longer.
His terrible anxiety was the fate of
his little girl. He and his wife were
without relatives, but the letter went
on to say: walton, you know how l
feel toward you. l believe you to be
absolutely trustworthy and as splendid
a friend as ever man was blessed with.
Now, I will ask of you a great favor.
Will you take my little girl into your
home and be a father to her? She has
ample means, and in my will l am con-
shutting you her sole guardian"
And so six months later Leona Den
man became a member of the Walton
household, where she soon won her
way into the hearts of all by her win
ming ways. But to Sam Walton's heart
she did the most damage of all, for he
fell violently in love with her, the tit
tie girl of the letter turning out to be
a winsome young girl of nineteen.
She was very young in her way, and
Sam, who was ten years her senior.
had felt himself too old to allow a girl
of her years to pledge herself to him.
Living in the same house, it was i'm
possible for him to keep from paying
her many attentions, and he became
much more lover-like in look and ac-
tons than he himself realized.
Leona, girl-like, had noticed it all and
was very much in love with this rather
shy, reticent man who was so honor