The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1925-03-13
CHAPTER Iv-Continued


Selina's cheeks matched her gown.
Her eyes We're wide and dark with the
effort she was 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
High Prairie. Why! -.
Miss Selma Peake, that's who.
Miss Selma Peake!"
A hundred balloon faces pulled by a
single cord turned toward her as she
stood there on the box for ali to see.
They swan toward her. She put up
hand to push them back.
"'What'm bid What'm / bid
What'm bid for this here lovely little
toothful, gents! Start her up"
Five cents! plped up old Johannes
Ambuul, with q smoker. The tittering
crowd broke into guffaw. Selma was
conscious of 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
>Roeif's dear dark head. His face was
set, like 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 it was! how hot. :.
An arm Mt 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 level with
the doorway. on the soap box, for all
High Prairie 70 see.
'.F'ive cents I'm bid for this lovely
little mouthful put up by the school
teachers own fair hands. Five cents !
Five"
"One dollar" Pervus DeJong.
The balloon faces were suddenly
punctured with holes. High Prairies
jaw dropped with establishment. Its
mouth stood open.
There was nothing plain about Selma
now. Her dark head was held high.
and his fair one beside it made vivid
foil The purchase of the wine-cOlored
cashmere was at last justified.
Sand ten!" cackled old Johannes
AInbuul, his rheumy eyes on Selma.
Art and human spitefulness struggled
visibly for mastery in Adam Ooms
face-and art won. The auctioneer
triumphed 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 thing
despised and ridiculed, into an object
of beauty, of value, of infinite desir-
ability He now eyed 1t in catalepsy
of admiration.
"One-ten I'm bid for this box all
tied with ribbon to match the gown
of the girl who brought it. Gents, you
get the ribbon, the lunch, and the girl
And only one-ten bid for all that.
Gents. Gents! Remember, it amt
only lunch-it's picture. 1t pleases
the eye. Do hear one"
give bitsr' Barend DeRoo, of Low
Prairie, in the lists. A strapping young
Dutchman. the Brom Bones of the dis
trict. He drove to the Haymarket
with his load Of produce and played
cards all night on the wagon under the
gas torches while the street girls of
the neighborhood assailed him in vain.
Six feet three, his red face shone now
like harvest moon above the crowd.
A merry. mischievous eye that laughed
at Pervus DeJong and his dollar bid.
"Dollar and half" A high clear
voice-a boys voice. Roelf.
"Oh, no." said Selma aloud. But
she was unheard in the gabble. Roelf
had once; conflded to her that he had
saved three dollars and fifty cents in
the last three years. Five dollars