A SMART AUCTION SALE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1615, 21 February 1884, Page 2

A SMART AUCTION SALE.

The auctioneer was a young man eager to win his reputation. He had been praised •as a frightfully vulgar wretch, who could get him more for the property than any other auctioneer in Boston (U.S.), and he was employed with certain misgivings. As he now confronted his respectable audience he kept his hat a little aslant; he had an unlighted cigar in his left hand, which he put into his mouth from time to time and chewed upon nervously; his eyes shone with a gross, humorous twinkle, and his whole face expressed a reckless audacity. "Gentlemen," ho said, "I feel honored in being the instrument, however humble, of offering this property to your consideration-this old family mansion, rich in tradition, in the very heart of the most select quarter of Boston. You have already oxamined the house, gentlemen, from attic to cellar. You have seen that it is in perfect repair, and that it has no con-

cealments to make—' nothing extenuate, nor oiudit set down in malice,' as our colored brother says in the play, Built forty years ago, it is this day n better house than the day its foundations were laid—better than ninetenths of tho gaudy and meretricious conceptions of modem architecture. Plain, substantial, soberly elegant—these, gentlemen, are its virtues, which, like

A bold poaaantry, tluir country's pride, , When onco destroyed can never be supplie l " Gentlemen, I will not ask your attention to the eligible position of the house. You know its value, You know the character of the social surroundings, I do not appeal to strangers here. I appeal to the old Boston blood, unwilling to see dishonor cast upon the city by a sale, even in these ruinous times, of a property at less than its full value. Gentlemen, I feel that you will stand by in. this. matter, and Ihave the pleasure of opening the sale with a bid of 10,000dol, Is this so, Mr Wetherall?

The gentleman addressed in the g midst; of the laughing crowd nodded j slightly. "With a bid of 10,000dol from Mr . Wetherall," resumed the auctioneer. "Mr,Wetherall,-gentlemen, does not < want tho property, and he does not ; dream of getting it at a- sixth or j. seventh- in any other times I should . say a tenth of its value, But he does I not choose it shall be disgraced by the > offer of any ignobler sum; and, gentlemen, if Mr Wetherall had not made this bid I should have made it myself | in good faith. I am offered ten thousand—ten thousand—eleven from Mr j Wheeler. You don't want the pro- ' perty either, Mr Wheeler, but I thank you, nevertheless. Eleven, eleven, eleven—do I hear twelye? Twelve from Mr White. The W's are doing ! well, but we must mount higher yet in the alphabet. Twelve-do I hear thirteen? Five hundred! Thanks; twelve five, twelve five—thirteen—going at thirteen, at thirteen—fourteen. This is something like, gentlemen; this is very good as a genteel relaxation; fourteen has its merits as part of the joke; but, gentlemen, we must not give too much time to it, We must come down to business before long; we must, indeed,' lam willing to accept these ironical bids for tho present. Some one say twenty and let the sale begin seriously." A quick succession of small bids ran up the sum to 24,000d0k, at which point it hung, in spite, of all the devices of the auctioneer to urge it beyond, and of his saying that "If this estate goes at 1 24,000d01s I am a ruined man." Then he pretended to knock it off, and got. SOOdols more : from Mr Everton, an old,' dried up i looking man, and after more hammer- i

"stuck," Everyone to whom he turned shook his head in prompt denial, The auctioneer's countenance took on an air of deep discouragement. He threw aside his mallet and pulled down his waistcoat, "I won't sell this property at that price, I suppose there are men in this city who would do it, but I-won't, Captain Butler, I would like a word with you," He came down from his perch and retiring to a corner with the captain, talked to him in a dumb show of bitter and passionate appeal. When he again mounted to his place he woro a look of grim despair. "Well, , gentlemen, I have done my best to persuade Captain Butler to withdraw the property and stop the bloody sacrifice." The crowd 'laughed, and the auctioneer's eye twinkled. "But he feels bound by the terms of his notice to let the sale proceed. The property will be sold without reserve. Now, let us see whether you will meet him in the same magnanimous spirit." Captain Butler looked on in blank amazement while this statement was being made, as did Mr Wetherall, ' when the auctioneer, assuming that he had got a bid from that gentleman, cried out 27,'000d015, which was followed by Mr.Everton with SOOdols s more. Mr Wetherall turned shard*.

upon him and bid twenty-eight. The keen auctioneer scented their rivalry, and played upon it so'artfully that in live, minutes that property was going at 30,600d015. to Mr Everton. The auctioneer came to the third « going," after repeated warnings, paused, and leaning forward With a look of pitying incredulity upon the faces before him: " Gentlemen," he asked in an accent of soft reproach " is this Boston t" Then he stepped down and began a personal conversation with a group of gentlemen, urging them to purchase. The he turned for another word to Captain Butler in private. "Captain," he whispered, "Mr Everton is going to ouy this property. Do you think he will stand another five thousand f

Captain Butler, who seemed to bo in a kind of a daze, said: "I don't believe he will. But if you-—" "I'll get it," said tho, auctioneer briskly, and returned to his work with a sudden and startling energy, "Going at thirty thousand—go—thirtyone, thirty-one, thirty-one,, at thirtyj two, at thirty-two five, thirty-three, thirty threo—and five;'thirty-four!" He dashed off the bids with a rapid confidence that would have inspired belief in the most sceptical. Mr Wetlierall bid thirty four thousand five hunnred, and was instantly topped by Mr Evertou at thirty-five. "Thirty, five, thirty-five," cried the auctioneer, "goingat thirty-five thousand, going, going, going, and sold—given away to Mr Everton." Mr Evertori came forward with a half-frightened look and laid down the money necessary to secure his purchase, and received a provisional deed of his property. "Look here," said Captain Butler, as soon as he could get the auctioneer aside, "I didn't hear any of those bids till Wetnerall's last." The captain looked troubled and unhappy. The auctioneer laid a reassuring hand, upon his shoulder. "You haven't got a practiced ear, Captain Butler. I have. Mr Everton has got a great bargain. But it was hard working up to that final point,"