| Show WHAT CURED HIM th the empty C ci ulle 11 appealed to the auctioneers heart there was a resting spell with the auctioneer and the new reporter standing by liis box looked at him inquired the reporter as the auction auctioneer ter sat down ired well ell ive been all the morning and I 1 ought to be responded the auctioneer you ought to be ba a funny man a great american humorist or something of that sort suggested the reporter jash josh billings was one and he got his start at the block said the auctioneer reflectively and so some me auctioneers auctioneer are given to that sort of thing yet I 1 was that way myself when when I 1 first began but I 1 had an experience peri ence that cured me of that habit before it had fixed itself permanently 11 the reporter turned a face full of Inter interrogation rog ga tion points on the auctioneer and he kept on 1 Iwa I was called on once to sell bell by auction a lot of household f belong belonging ng to a man and his vi a who eena had been married four or five years all I 1 knew about it was wag that a death somewhere necessitated their removal from and as they had no money they were compelled to sell their effects to get enough to move on well I 1 was wa having shaving a picnic in laa U 11 manre 1 r alln n V and witty side remarks on the articles as they came under the ham hamor hammer or so BO to speak though I 1 dont remember ever having used a hammer or seen any other auctioneer uso use one af after ter I 1 had disposed ofa lot of stuff a cradle wa put up there were several young nen men of my acquaintance in the crowd and I 1 smiled at them as I 1 turned the cradle round and beg began a n to rock it humming bumming a lullaby as I 1 did so empty is the cradle babas gone I 1 said and was waa going on to say 0 a laugh when I 1 happened to look down into the face of a woman close to the platform I 1 was standing on she was dressed in faded hack black evidently i given her by some woman larger than she was and there was a leolf lookin in her eyes and a tension of the lines across hei hee forehead and a pitiful weakness heakne 9 about her quivering lips that made me stop she stood close clos a to the platform and the crowd was all at her back so they had bad not noticed her she sha speak but blit as I 1 stopped she looked up at me with the tears starting and lilting lifting her hands in a mute muta remonstrance no words could describe she gave a great sob of agony and turned away 1 I I 1 know was all I 1 could stammer in apology and I 1 know that it was her babas cradle I 1 was selling and because the cradle was empty her heart was broken and she could no longer live in the house that the baby babi had left the auctioneer was story visibly no my boy he went on 1 I know nor did the crowd but they all did pretty soon and I 1 told them IL a story that had no fun in it for any heart there but it took just t the h same and I 1 got for that cradle crad a before I 1 was done with it and then gave it back to the poor young mother in the faded black dress the auctioneer re mounted the block and tho the reporter blowing hiti hid nose viciously ambled off after som news detroit free frea press |
