The Topeka state journal., 1919-11-26
Eoening Story
Going at Eighteen-Fifty.
BY WILL T. AMES.

fear, of many sinful deeds; but if / am
forced to sell this picture for fifteen
dollars, it will be the crowning crime
of a long and checkered career. Fiji
teen-fifteen dollars, you understand,
II hope; not fifteen hundred. Isn't
there any one in this room who can
see twenty dollars worth of drawing
in this little subject, to say nothing of
the color? No? Must 1 be a party
to the wickedness of selling this can
vas for fifteen dollars? Fifteen. Fiji
teen, first; fifteen. second; fifteen,
third and last"
"Sixteen!" The voice was small and
quavering. 1t emanated from a young
was not very well dressed. She was
pale and looked a little frightened.
Bradshaw, the auctioneer, got the
fleeting impression that the bidder had
more the appearance OF one OF the
struggling young artists who brought
their pictures to this lower Fifth ave-
nue. action room than of a purchaser.
But his business was with the bid,
which his practiced ear had not
missed.
I'm offered sixteen. sixteen-do I
hear another? SiXteen-
Eighteen
This time the voice was masculine,
hearty, confident; a new note in the
bidding. A hand. lifted easily above
several intervening heads, directed the
attention of the presiding genius to,
one whose deep tan, erect attitude and
brand-new clothes and hat stamped
him indubitably as a soldier newly dis
charged. He stood next to the wall
From his place he could see the girl
of the sixteen-dollar proffer. She
seemed to be more excited than bid
ders on lowpriced paintings non
ly are-even agitated. the soldier
thought.
Before the auctioneer could more
than acknowledge the latest offer the
girl bid again. "Eighteen"-her voice
broke and she had to begin all over
Eighteen fifty" The tall young man
could see that she was fairly tremb-
ling.
Obviously. the tall young soldier is
our hero. Just as obviously the young
woman is our heroine. Traditionally
the hero should have stopped bidding
against the heroine for a picture she
so manifestly desired. Nevertheless
the auctioneer had reached the dram
attic point of going at eighteen-fifty
when
Nineteen"
And right there the bidding stopped.
Quick to sense the state of the mar
ket, the auctioneer, after rattling thru
a. dozen words of professional patter.
wound up with a cheerful ''Sold, to
the gentleman IN the corner. The
cashier will deliver the picture to you,
SIR"
But the successful bidder did not
proceed at once to the cashiers desk.
No sooner had the word 'sold!"-
fate's seal on many tragedy-been
pronounced than the girl, looking
strangely relieved for one who appar
emily had just lost her hearts desire,
started for the door. By moving very
quickly the young man got there as
soon as she did.
Just minute, JOY he said, plac-
ing himself squarelY in front of her;
..wait till L make good with this art
mill. Then L want to shake hands
with you, and everything"
Not until this matter of fact greet
ing had Joy Ballard even glimpsed her
rival bidder. Now she. suddenly went
pale. indeed, then pink-very pink.
Mort" she gasped; Mort Eason!
Why, I-we-nobody wrote me-oh,
dear!"
All at once the girl looked little and
not very strong. With quick concern
Eason peremptorily ordered fat man
out of his chair and bestowed Joy in
it. "i'll be back in an instant" he
told her, and rushed off after his pur
chase, tiny bit of woodland done
from memory and not done badly. AL !
most at once he returned, to find JOY
somewhat recovered from the surprise
of their meeting.
Now" he annoupced, you and I
Eat they did, wisely and well. for !
the soldier bossed the proceedings. |
Eason the while studied his compan- |
ion shrewdly as he breezed thru the
tale of his more than two years in
France with the engineers. The white |
went out of joys cheeks and her eyes
sparkled. mo permanent damage"
Mortimer concluded-''but too much
risk"
And now he abruptly command |
ed, tell me what you were going to
do If the man had accepted your bid"
"Why-why, what do you mean?" |
"Stop it. JOY: you know you cant I
kid me. You're broke. You didn't
have the money. 1 can read you like
a book You were boosting the price
you made that first bid-from your
voice. And 1 knew something else, |
Joy; I knew it was your own picture
you were bidding up. That's why l
butted in. You see, 1 just happened
to drop into that place in the morning |
and I recognized the old spot back !
home and your initials in the corner |
of the canvas. That's what brought |,
me back there this afternoon. The |
man said it would be in the days sale. |
Now, you tell me just how bad a hole
you're in. Come on; TESS up"
The girl traced a whirl in the pat |
tern of the tablecloth with the dull |
end of her fork till she reached the
storm center in it's middle. Then. with |
a little, shameface6 laugh, she SUI |
rendered.
IT suppose 1 might as well. I am
broke, Mort: desperately broke. It's |
more THAI a year since I gave up all |
hope of ever making any real S Ic- |
cess. I've been fighting for the bar
est living. Lots of US send pictures to /
those auction places. They never |
bring much-but we can't eat the pic
lures. and we have to eat. The auc-
tfon people charge us 90 per cent and |
won't split whole dollars. L simply |
had to have fifteen dollars tomorrow |
my rent-or be put into the street. |
If the picture hal sold for less than
1 wouldn't have had enough. |
They didn't know me at that place. 1 |
sent the picture by a girl friend I |
took the chance of boosting it. II