the strain that lammy had been under ever since the reading of aunt jimmy’s will had told on him in a way that only his mother understood, and after the stubborn malarial fever itself was routed, he felt, as he said, “like the bones in my legs is willer whistles,” so dinah lucky was engaged to stay with him on the morning of the long talked of auction sale. he would have preferred some one else, for dinah was a great talker, and his head still felt tired, but she was the only trustworthy person in the entire neighbourhood who for either friendship or money would consent to miss the auction.
according to the terms of the notice that had appeared in the local papers and been posted in a ten-mile circuit from milltown to northboro, the sale conducted by joel hill, auctioneer, was to be held on the fruit farm itself at ten o’clock on the morning of thursday, december the ninth, “by order of joshua lane, executor.”
[218]
when the day came, it was bitterly cold, though clear; a two-days old snow-storm followed by sleet had crusted well, and the walking and sleighing were both good, yet joshua lane was surprised when he went down to the fruit farm at nine o’clock in the morning to sweep off the porch and light a fire in the kitchen stove, which still remained on the premises for cooking chickens’ food, to see many teams already hitched to the fence, the horses well muffled in blankets. people afoot were also going toward the barn, where a hungarian, who was retained to tend the stock and act as watchman, had a room and fire which, together with what information they could extract from him, was what they sought.
as the man said, “yah! ha!” equally loud to every question, joshua thought no harm could come from that quarter, and proceeded to open the blinds of the kitchen windows and make such preparations as he could for protecting the audience from the cold.
by half-past nine the kitchen, sitting room, north parlours, all bare of furniture, and the stairs were packed with standing people, and when, at a few minutes before ten, the auctioneer and the northboro lawyer, mr. cole, who had made aunt jimmy’s will, appeared together, they had to push their way into the house.
[219]
mrs. slocum had been on hand early, of course,—she always was,—and kept dropping mysterious remarks and pursing up her lips. she began by cheapening the entire place, saying the house was not in as good repair as she had been led to think, that the wall papers were frights, and that everything needed paint, that four thousand dollars would be a high price for the property, and she didn’t know who’d buy it anyway. then the next minute she was requesting those about her not to crowd up the stairs, as they might bend the hand rail, which would be just so much out of the pocket of whoever bought the house, adding that red brussels carpet was her choice for the north room.
to the surprise of all, the two out-of-town lane brothers, jason and henry, were not there. the “all in due time” policy that had always, and would always, keep henry poor, caused them to start for the auction so late that the delay on the road caused by a broken trace detained them until nearly eleven, when they turned about and went home again so as not to be late for dinner.
after reading the description of the property and the cash terms of the sale, joel hill stood up on a soap-box that he might overlook the assembly and called out, “what am i bid, to start?”
[220]
there was complete silence for a few moments. then the door opened, and mr. brotherton, one of mr. clarke’s agents from northboro, entered, causing a flutter of speculation as to what his presence might mean and making mrs. lane’s heart thump painfully. dr. jedd and his wife, the minister and his lady, together with mrs. lane, who were occupying a bench that had been brought from the barn, and were the only people seated, looked at the stove in front of them, so that those who expected a bid from that quarter were disappointed.
joshua lane, hands behind him, leaned against the chimney front and gazed steadily at a wire that held the stove-pipe in place.
“what am i bid, to start?” repeated the auctioneer. abiram slocum, scanning the various groups with his ferret eyes, moved uneasily, moistened his lips, and, as his wife gave him a prod with her umbrella that exactly hit the “funny bone” of his elbow, jerked out, “five hundred dollars.”
“one thousand,” said a clear, distinct, but unfamiliar, voice at the back of the room. there was a unanimous turning of heads and twisting of bodies toward the bidder, who proved to be mr. cole the lawyer from northboro, who made a very impressive appearance, clad as he was in a handsome fur-lined[221] overcoat and a shiny silk hat. as he was also often employed by mr. clarke, the mystery deepened.
abiram slocum gasped as if some one had poured a pail of water over him at this unexpected competitor, and then called, “one thousand two hundred and fifty.”
“two thousand,” from the lawyer.
“two thousand and fifty,” shrieked abiram.
“why waste time with small change a cold morning like this?” called the auctioneer.
“three thousand,” said the lawyer.
“three thousand three hundred,” snapped abiram, vainly endeavouring to get out of range of the faces and gestures his wife was making at him.
“four thousand five hundred,” jumped the lawyer, beginning to button his coat and draw on his gloves, as if the end were well in sight.
abiram slocum seemed bewildered, and glancing at his wife, failed to read her signal aright, and resorted to a hoarse whispering in the middle of which she shook him off and shouted with an air of triumph, “five thousand dollars!”
mrs. lane was seen to moisten her lips nervously, and the colour in her cheeks deepened, but then by this time the wood-stove was sending forth red-hot[222] air as only a sheet-iron stove working full blast knows how.
“five thousand two hundred and fifty,” bid the lawyer. then followed an altercation between mr. and mrs. slocum. vainly the auctioneer rapped; they paid no attention, and upon the lawyer saying that any further delay would cause a withdrawal of his bid, the final “going, going, gone, at five thousand two hundred and fifty dollars” was called, and it was not until fully twenty seconds after the final bang of the hammer that the slocums came to, and abiram fairly yelled, “six—thousand—dollars!”
of course it was too late, and the fault was nobody’s but his own. he tried to protest and was actually hissed down, laurelville folk preferring to see the property go anywhere so long as mrs. slocum was not mistress of the fruit farm.
“name of buyer?” asked the auctioneer; “self or client?”
“client,” said the lawyer, slowly adjusting his eyeglasses and glancing at a slip of paper, while dead silence again prevailed, and the slocums glared forked lightning at each other and the world in general.
“the purchase is made by lauretta ann lane,[223] as guardian for her son, samuel lane, and she is prepared to deposit the price in cash, pending searching of the title and transfer of deed.”
there was a shuffle as the people, released from the strain, shifted from one numb foot to the other, and then cheers broke out, for above curiosity and all other feeling was one of joy that their kind, hard-working neighbour had in some mysterious way received what they firmly believed to be her due.
when the applause had subsided and the general handshaking ceased, lauretta ann lane pulled a large new wallet from some mysterious place in her dress, and counting out eleven clean five-hundred-dollar bills held them toward the auctioneer, saying, “i’ll trouble you for the change, please,” adding in a low yet perfectly distinct voice to an irate figure who was elbowing her way out, and meeting many obstacles in so doing, “that change ’ll come in right handy for new papers, paint, and furnishings that you said was needful, and i think a red brussels carpet would liven up that north room wonderful. that same was your choice, waren’t it, mis’is slocum?”
how it all came about the village never discovered; for whatever the lawyer knew or thought, he[224] kept it to himself and said the opposite, which is, of course, what lawyers are for.
dr. jedd was the only one who suspected in the right direction; for soon after the lanes had moved into their new home, and curiosity had subsided, he was looking on the parlour mantel-shelf for the matches, and discovered the chopped remains of the pewter tea-pot reposing in a handsome china jar that was bought in new york. but dr. jedd only chuckled as the whole thing flashed across him, and he said to himself, “surely enough, man proposes and woman disposes, and there’s a various lot of human nature in woman, especially aunt jimmy, who was a blessed, good, spunky, old fool.”
one final sensation was given the neighbourhood when it was found that, after the payment of the legacies and other charges against the estate, there was enough surplus to give the three lane brothers over three thousand dollars each, legal allotment.
