, 1925-03-25
CHAPTER IV-Continued

Sellna's cheeks matched her gown.
Her eyes were wide and dark with the
effort she vas making to force back
the hot haze threatening them. Why
had she mounted this wretched soap
box! Why had she come to this hid
eous party! Why had she come to
Blgh Prairiel Whyl
Miss Selma Peake, that's who.
Miss Selma Peake!"
A hundred balloon faces pulled by n
single cord turned toward her as she
stood there on the box for all to see.
They swan toward her. She put up q
hand to push them back.
"What'm | bid! What'm l bid /,
What'm l bid for this here lovely little
toothful, gents! Start her up :"
Five :" piped up old Johannes
Ambuul, with n smoker. The titterlng
crowd broke into n guffaw. Selma was
conscious of II little sick feeling at the
pit of her stomach. Through the haze
she saw the widows face. no longer
sulky, but smiling nOw. She saw
Roelf's dear dark head. His lace was
set, like a mans. He was coming
toward her, or trying to, but the crowd
wedged HIM in, small as he was among
those great bodies. She lost sight Of
him. How hot 1t was! how hot. =.
As arm at her waist. Someone had
mounted the little box and stood teeter-
Ing there beside her, pressed against
her slightly, reassuringly. Pervus De
Jong. Her head was on n level with
the doorway, on the soap box, for all
High Prairie 70 see.
Five cents I'm bid for this lovely
little mouthful put up by the school
teachers own fair hands. Five cents !,
Five"
zone dollarl" Pervus DeJong.
The balloon faces were suddenly
p%unctured with holes. High Prairie's
Jaw dropped with establishment. Its
mouth stood open.
There was nothing plain about Selma
now Her dark head was held high,
and his fair n beside 1t made n vivid
foil. The purchase OF the ~wine-colored
cashmere was at las. justified.
"And ten !" cackled old Johannes
Ainbuul, his rheumy eyes on Selma.
Art and human spltefulness struggled
'ieibis iA hhoA'is III Auhh JOINS
face-and art won. The auctIoneer
t%riumphed over the man. The term
"crowd psychology was unknown
TO him. but he was artist enough
to sense that some curious magic
process, working through this room
full OF people, had transformed
the little white box, from II thing
despised and ridiculed, into nm object
OF beauty, OF value, OF infinite desir-
ability. He now eyed II in u cntalepsy
Of admiration.
"One-ten I'm bid for this box nil
tied with n ribbon to match the gown
OF the girl who brought II. Gents. you
get the ribbon, the lunch. and the girl
And only one-ten bid for all that.
Gentsl Gentsl Remember. II mint
only "A lunch-lt's n picture. 1t pleases
the eye. DO | hear one"
give bits !" Bnrend DeRoo. OF Low
P%ralrle, in the lists. A strnpplng young
Dutchman. the Brom Bones Of the dis.
trlct. lie drove to the Haymnrket
with his load Of produce md played
cards all night on the wagon under the
gas torches while the street girls of
the neighborhood assalled him in vain.
Six feet three, his red fnce shone now
like n harvest moon above the crowd
A merry, mlschleyous eye that lnughed
at Pcrvus DeJong and his dollar bid.
"Dollar md a halfl" A high clear
volcc-a boys voice. Roelf.
"oh, no T. said Selma aloud. But
she was unhenrd in the gnbble. Roelf
had once confded TO her TINT he had
saved three dollars INT fifty cents in
he last three years. Five dollars