Here the auctioneer climbed upon a big box, clapped his hands and called loudly, "Attention, attention! This sale is about to begin. We have here a collection of fine things, all in good condition. The terms of the sale are cash. Now, folks, bid up fast and talk loud when you bid so I can hear you. We have here some of the finest antique dishes in the country, also some furniture that can't be duplicated in any store to-day. We'll begin on this cherry table."
He lifted a spindle-legged table in the air and went on talking.
"Now that's a fine table to begin with! All solid cherry, no screws loose--and that's more than you can say about some people--now what's bid for this table? Fine and good as the day it came out of a good workman's shop; no scratches on it--the Brubaker people knew how to take care of furniture. Who bids? How much for it do you bid? Fifty cents--fifty, all right--make it sixty--sixty cents I'm bid. Sixty, sixty, sixty--seventy--go ahead, eighty--go on--ninety, one dollar, one dollar ten, twenty, thirty--keep on--one dollar thirty, make it forty, forty, forty, forty, I have a dollar forty for this table--all done? Going--all done--all done?"
All was said in one breathless succession of words. He paused an instant to gather fresh impetus, then resumed, "All done--any more? Gone at a dollar forty to----"
"There," whispered the preacher to Phœbe, "that's one."
"Here now," called the auctioneer, "here's a fine set of chairs. Bid on them; wink to me if you don't want to call out. My wife said she don't care how many ladies wink to me this afternoon at this sale, but after that she won't have it--now then; go ahead! Give me one of the chairs, Sam, so the people can see it--ah, ain't that a beauty! Six in all, all solid wood, too, none of your cane seats that you have to be afraid to sit in. All solid wood, and every one alike, all painted green and every one with fine hand-painted flowers on the back. Where can you beat such chairs? Don't make them any more these days, real antiques they are! Bid up now, friends; how much a piece? The six go together, it would be a shame to part them. Fifteen cents did I hear?--Say, I'm ashamed to take a bid like that! Twenty, that's a little better--thirty, thirty, forty over here? Forty cents I have, fifty, sixty, seventy, seventy-five, eighty, eighty, eighty cents I'm bid; I'm bid eighty cents--make it ninety--ninety I'm bid, make it a dollar--ninety, ninety--all done at ninety? Guess we'll let Jonas Erb have them at ninety cents a piece, and real bargains they are!"