CHAPTER X
AN AUCTION SALE
Life at Dana Dene settled down into a pleasant routine that was in nosense monotony. Every day the sewing and the practising and thegardening had their appointed hours. But this left hours and hours ofplay-time, and the twins improved them all.
Phyllis and Dolly were very chummy little companions, and scarcely a daypassed without their seeing each other.
Dick and Jack Fuller were chums too, and though the twins becameacquainted with many of the other children in Heatherton, they likedthese earliest made friends best of all.
Often they went to town, for Dana Dene was about a mile out from thevillage itself. Sometimes they drove in state with the aunties, orperhaps less formally, on morning errands. Sometimes they rode on thebig spring wagon with Pat or Michael, and sometimes on pleasant days,they walked.
One delightful afternoon, the aunties had gone to sewing society, andthe twins were holding a consultation as to what would be the most funfor them to do.
“Let’s walk to town and get some soda water,” suggested Dolly.
“All right,” returned Dick; “but we needn’t walk unless we want to.Michael’s going down with the wagon. But he isn’t ready yet.”
“Well, let’s walk on, and then when he comes along we can get in, if wewant to.”
“Yes, and we can ride home, anyway.”
So after arranging with Michael to look out for them on the way, Dickand Dolly started off. They loved to walk to town, for there was so muchof interest along the way. The first part, more or less wooded, showedvarious enticing spots to sit down and rest a while.
Squirrels were apt to come round and be sociable, or birds would singlittle songs of greeting from the branches. There were always newwild-flowers, and just now the wild roses were opening, and daisies werein bloom.
And, if they were very cautious, there was always a chance of seeingfairies.
Now that Pinkie was understood, Dolly returned to her original idea offairies,—tiny, fragile beings, with wings and wands.
Dick had some doubts as to their existence, but was always on the alertto catch sight of them in the woods.
Then, after the woodsy part was passed, came the beginnings of thestreets, with houses few and far apart; and then the bridge,—always afine place to linger,—and then houses closer together, many of whichwere good stopping-places, and finally the business portion of thelittle town itself.
Here were fascinating shops, with windows delightfully full of temptingwares, also a caterer’s shop, where one could choose between cakes andice cream, or candy and soda water.
The twins were allowed fifty cents apiece each week for spending money.With this, they could do exactly as they chose, with the stipulationthat not more than ten cents in one day should be spent for edibles. Asthey conscientiously obeyed this rule, the aunts felt sure they couldnot seriously harm their digestion. And, besides, they did not buysweets every time they went to town. Sometimes it was marbles or tops orribbons for dolls.
On this particular occasion the twins felt specially rich, for they eachhad an untouched half dollar just given them by Aunt Rachel, and theyhad also a goodly portion of the previous week’s income still unspent.Not that they expected necessarily to spend it, but it seemed pleasantto have their fund with them, and if they should see anything verydesirable they might purchase it.
So they trudged along, with open minds, ready to accommodate anythingthat offered in the way of interest or pleasure.
As they reached the main street they saw a great crowd of people infront of one of the shops, and wondered what the reason might be. Comingnearer, they saw a red flag waving over the door, and Dick exclaimed:
“Why, it’s an auction! I never saw one before; come on, Dolly, let’s goin.”
So in the twins went, and soon became greatly interested in theproceedings.
They edged through the crowd, until they were quite near the auctioneer,and then they listened, spellbound, to his discourse. Never having seenan auction sale before, the manner of conducting it appealed to them,and they breathlessly watched and listened as one lot after another wassold to the bidders.
The stock was that of a clothing emporium, and consisted of ready-madesuits for both men and women.
“I’d like to buy something that way,” said Dick to his sister, “butthey’re only grown-ups’ clothes, and anyway, they cost too much. If theyput up anything small I’m going to bid.”
“Maybe they’ll have handkerchiefs or something like that,” suggestedDolly, eager also to join the game of bidding.
But there were no small articles for sale, nothing but men’s suits andladies’ costumes, so Dick and Dolly lost hope of being able to bid foranything.
They wandered round the place, meeting several people whom they knew,and who spoke pleasantly to them. But they were all grown-ups,—therewere no children there but the twins, so hand in hand they wanderedabout, always drifting back to hear the auctioneer crying out:
“Ten,—ten,—do I hear eleven?” or “Going, going—gone!”
They listened carefully to his phraseology, for they well knew “auction”would be one of their favourite games in the near future, and Dickwanted to learn the lingo, so that he could play auctioneer after themost approved fashion. At last the sale was about over, and the audiencebegan to go away. Only a few men remained, and the fixtures of the shopwere then put up. Office furniture, show-cases and such things were soldquickly, and then was put up a lot of wax tailors’ dummies. These waxfigures, both men and women, were so comical that Dick and Dolly laughedaloud to see them put up for sale. It was almost like selling people.But the man who bought them didn’t seem to think it funny at all. He bidthem in, like any other merchandise, but he refused to take one of them,saying it was too badly damaged.
This unfortunate one was a wax-faced lady whose cheek was badly dentedand marred, thus making her undesirable as a window attraction. She wascarelessly set aside, and the twins looked at her with curiosity.
“Dick,” whispered Dolly, “I’d love to have her! She’d be more fun than abig doll. Do you s’pose we could get her?”
“I dunno. It would be fun! We could rig her up, and set her up in theplayground. How much money have you?”
“Just seventy-seven cents.”
“And I have eighty-six. Let’s ask the man.”
So Dick stepped up to the auctioneer, and said:
“Could you auction up that other wax lady, sir?”
“That one, kid? Why, she’s no good.”
“Not for a shopman, I know, but—if she didn’t cost so much, we’d liketo have her.”
“You would! Well, you’re two pretty nice little children, suppose I giveher to you?”
Dick hesitated. It seemed too great a favour, and beside he wanted thefun of bidding.
“Well, you see,” he said, “I think we’d rather pay, if it isn’t toomuch, because,—you see,—we want to do that calling out.”
“Oho! You want the real auctioneering game, do you? Well, I’ll have herput up.”
The auctioneer was a jolly, good-natured man, and as his task was aboutover, he felt inclined to humour the children.
“Here,” he called to his assistant, “put up that golden-haired goddess.”
Appreciating the situation, the man set the wax dummy upon the platform.
“Here you are!” cried the auctioneer. “What am I bid for this lovelylady? Though slightly marred in the face, she has a good heart, and iswarranted good-tempered and kind. What am I bid?”
Dick hesitated; now that the time had come he felt suddenly shy, andfelt uncertain how much to offer.
“Ten cents!” came a voice from another part of the room. Then Dick feltthat he was really in the business at last, and he called out sturdily:
“Fifteen!”
“Fifteen,” echoed the auctioneer. “Fifteen! do I hear any more? Onlyfifteen cents for this be
autiful work of art?”
“Twenty!” called the other voice, and for some reason the auctioneerscowled.
“Twenty!” he cried; “twenty? Do I hear twenty-five?”
“Twenty-five!” cried Dick, his face all aglow with the excitement of themoment.
“Twenty-five!” sang out the auctioneer. “Twenty-five! Is there anotherbid?”
But the menacing face he turned toward the other bidder must havesilenced him, for he said no more.
“Twenty-five!” went on the auctioneer, quite gaily now. “Twenty-five!That seems too cheap for this Prize Beauty. Twenty-five! Is that all?”
It _did_ seem too cheap, and Dick suddenly felt that it ought to bringmore. Besides, the auctioneer’s voice was persuasive, and so, still inthe spirit of the game, Dick cried out, “Thirty!”
The auctioneer suddenly choked, and the man in the back of the roomburst into shouts of laughter, but Dick didn’t mind now. With shiningeyes, he awaited the auctioneer’s next move, and seeing this, thesmiling gentleman went on:
“Thirty! Thirty cents for this Darling Dame. She looks like that! Do Ihear any more? Thirty—going—going——”
“Thirty-five!” said Dolly, timidly, but in clear tones.
Dick looked at her admiringly. Dolly _was_ a trump. He was glad she hada part in the great game too.
“Thirty-five!” called the auctioneer, red in the face, but preservinghis gravity. “Thirty-five!”
“Forty!” cried Dick.
“Forty-five!” said Dolly.
“Fifty!” yelled Dick, smiling at his sister.
“Fifty-five,” she cried, smiling back.
“Stop!” cried the auctioneer, “you two mustn’t bid against each other!”
“Why not?” asked Dick. “We have the money. We’ve more ’n a dollar ’n’ ahalf, together.”
“Yes, but one of you can buy this thing if you really want it. So stopbidding, and take it for fifty cents.”
“All right,” agreed Dick, “we’ll each pay twenty-five.”
This plan suited Dolly, and the money was paid at once.
“You have to take your goods with you, you know,” said the auctioneer,not unkindly, as he watched the two delighted children.
“Yes, we will,” said Dolly. “Michael’s outside somewhere, with the bigwagon. He’ll take us all home.”
“You stay here with the lady, Dolly,” said Dick, “and I’ll run out andhunt Michael.”
“Go on,” said the auctioneer, “I’ll look after Miss Dolly and her newfriend both.”
The auctioneer had children of his own, and was greatly interested inhis two young customers.
“What do you want of this affair?” he asked Dolly, after Dick had gone.
“To play with,” she returned. “I know we can dress her up and have lotsof fun with her.”
“Perhaps I can find you some clothes for her here,” he offered; “sheought to have a hat and shawl.”
“Oh, never mind,” said Dolly, easily; “we’ll take her home, and I thinkAunt Rachel’s clothes will fit her. If not, we’ll try Hannah’s.”
The wax lady was simply robed in a drab muslin slip, whose plainnesscontrasted strangely with the bright pink of her complexion, the largemop of yellow hair, and the waxen forearms—except for her head, neck,and forearms the lady was a sort of wire frame, more or less bent.
But Dolly saw wondrous possibilities, and cared not at all that herladyship was so imperfectly arrayed at present.
Dick soon returned, and announced that Michael was outside in the wagon.
The auctioneer’s obliging assistant carried the wax lady to the door,and then the twins took it.
“The saints preserve us!” cried Michael; “whativer have ye rascallybabies been up to now?”
“We’ve bought a lady, Michael,” explained Dolly, “and we want to takeher home.”
“Well, if so be as she’s your lady, home with us she must go.”
Michael climbed down from his seat, and assisted the “lady” into thewagon.
“It’s lyin’ down in the wagon she must ride,” he said. “I’ll have nowaxen image a-settin’ up on the seat, an’ me, like as not, arristed ferkid-nappin’ her! In she goes, and covered up wid these potaty-sacksshe’ll be, till yez gets her home.”
“All right,” said Dolly, gleefully, “I don’t care. Put her in back, ifyou want to. But be careful, don’t muss up her hair too much!”
At last the “lady” was arranged, and Dick and Dolly clambered up to theseat beside Michael, and home they went.
“You see,” Dolly confided to Michael, who was her devoted adorer, “wewent to an auction, and we bought the lady.”
“An auction! Yez childher! My soul! what will yez be afther doin’ next?”
“It isn’t hard to go to an auction,” said Dick, meditatively. “You justfind what you want to buy; and then you see how much money you’ve got,and then you bid till you get up to it.”
“Yis, that’s a foine way!” said Michael, appreciatively. “An’ yez chosethe wax scarecrow, did yez? Well, give it to me fer my cornfield, it’llbe foine to kape the burrds off!”
“You bad Michael,” said Dolly. “You’re just teasing us. Scarecrow! Why,she’s my new doll. I’m going to call her,—what shall we call her,Dick?”
“Lady Eliza Dusenbury,” said Dick, promptly, for he was always quick atchoosing names. “And I say, Dolly, let’s rig her up, hat and all, youknow, and stand her up in front of the front door, and ring the bell,and then hide, and see what Hannah’ll do!”
“All right; don’t you tell, Michael.”
“No, Miss Dolly, I’ll not tell.”
“And you help us, Michael, to get her out and get her fixed up, willyou?”
“Yis, I’ll help yez, ye good-fer-nothin’ shcamps.”
When Michael indulged in calling them names, the twins knew he was verygood-natured indeed, so they anticipated great fun.
When they reached Dana Dene, the two children jumped down from the wagonand ran into the house. It was easy enough to get in unnoticed, and theywent straight to Aunt Rachel’s room for clothing for the new friend.
Dolly selected a pretty street suit of dark-blue pongee, made with acoat and skirt. She found also a white waist, and a blue hat trimmedwith cornflowers. This was really enough, but she added a veil and asmall shopping bag. With these things, the twins hurried to the barn,where Michael had the Lady Eliza waiting for them in the carriage house.
Dolly dressed her, and it was surprising how distinguished she looked inAunt Rachel’s costume. It seemed a very good fit, and the flower-trimmedhat was most becoming to the frizzled yellow hair.
On account of the scar on her cheek, Dolly put on the thin lace veil,which really added to her modish effect. Her arms, which were movable,were adjusted at an elegant angle, and the shopping bag was hung on herleft wrist.
Pat had been taken into confidence, and when all was ready the childrenran ahead to make sure that the coast was clear.
Discovering that Hannah and Delia were both in the back part of thehouse, they signalled to Michael, and he and Pat assisted Lady Eliza tothe front door. Then Dolly adjusted her hands, and in the right one,which was extended, she placed a visiting card, taken at random from thebasket in the hall. Then Michael and Pat went away, Dolly hid in somenearby bushes, and Dick, after a loud ring at the doorbell, flew, tojoin Dolly in her hiding-place.