SOMEBODY'S LOSS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1203, 11 August 1911, Page 4

SOMEBODY'S LOSS.

IS OFTEN SOMEBODY'S GAIN. "How much for this bundle? Come on now, bid up! What dy'o say Shilling— ono and six, two bob. Anymore—2s. 9d.— right, it's yours." m the hall-light of a murky old railway shed (late foundry) stood a couple of hundred of the horny-handed sons of toilmostly wharf lumpers and coal-heavers improving the shining hour in bidding lor the goods left ill railway trains during the past year. It is incomprehensible how people can lose their property with such ease as they do on tho railways. There wcro over JOO lots—a preponderance of swags, strapped or roped biankols, con-i taining old shrrts, socks, etc., boxes, portmanteaux, bags, sacks ot stuff, jars, printed matter—a rare old jumble of goods of nil kinds, some still useful (subject .to fumigation), and others which had long seen their full term of service. It eeeins incomprehensible how r man or firm could lose fivo sacks of grass seed, yet there thev were. A buyer bid 55., got them, and sold them again for .£5 12s. Gd.—a good day's work. A bundlo of clothes was put up by the auctioneer, who, with rnmili labour, squeezed Mf. fid. out of tho crowd for it. On ransacking them tho buyer found a XI note in ono of the pockets and went homo chucking with glee. A sus-picious-looking sack, bulging out with angular contents of soni<> kind, caught tlie eye of a bidder who offered 2s. Gd. On. examination ho found (hat ho had bought two sheep's heads—two old, brown, withered sheeu's heads. 13ut all" (ho buyers were not ns lucky. One offered 2s. tor a. straw basket .very much broken/ at the corners, Ho made ready to tnko tho weight of his purchase, but got a shock on finding that it weighed less than a pound, and containcd-no-"O"li, I say, there's npthing in it!" said the chagrined purchaser. "Can't help it—two bob! replied the remorseless auctioneer. "Pov up like a snort," said a grimy man of coal. "You'll get it all back next time " . , A very nice two-gallon stone jnr was otfered. l't ran up to some shillings under the influence of a peculiar expectancy. Eventually it was knocked down and handed over. The cork was drawn m breathless silence-not a drop in it. lhe buyer left the shed and dropped the jar on"the footpath and locked the bits on to the road, where it will doubtless make good road'nietal. , .■ Bundles of rugs, umbrel as, walking sticks, rolls of playbi Is lx)oks,.oro sold for a wiig, and less. Inwlly Uw auctioneer announced for; falc 082 ol drums-two truck loads. "Ally bid? shilling! Pass 'em m-Hicy don t want oil drums!"