ppearance from the home of Mrs.
Tomlinson's. Every conceivable object ever used in the house was brought
out and placed in the front rooms. Women and children sat about on
various sorts of seats, waiting for the sale to begin. As most of the
assembly were neighbors and acquainted with each other, the entrance of
Mrs. Fabian and her girls caused quite a surprise.

Audible whispers of "Who air they?" and "Where did they come from?" or
"What d'ye s'pose they come to bid on?" were heard on all sides as the
strangers passed through the "settin' room."

The moment Mrs. Fabian's party left the clerk, outside, he hurried over
to the automobile where Carl sat enjoying a quiet smoke.

"Howde," began Abner Clark, the clerk.

Carl removed his pipe and nodded nonchalantly.

"Do you-all hail from about these parts?" asked Abner.

"I should say _not_!" declared Carl, emphatically.

"From whar abouts are you?" continued the clerk.

"New York City--and that's some town, let me tell you."

"Yeh--so I've heran say. How did yeh get to come here to this vendue?"
persisted Abner.

"_I_ don't know--I'm only the chauffeur. Why don't you ask the ladies if
you are so anxious to know?" Carl was growing angry.

"All right--no harm meant," replied Abner, soothingly, as he turned away.

Carl resumed his pipe, and Abner strolled over to the group of men
sitting on wheel-barrows, ploughs, chicken-coops, etc. With a furtive
look over his shoulder, to make sure the city driver was not listening,
Abner began to explain to his interested friends who the strangers were.

But he had not quite ended his tale before an old buggy drove up and the
auctioneer got out. He glanced over the assembled farmers with an
appraising eye, and then carefully hitched the old nag to a tree. This
done, he broke off a great chunk of tobacco from a cake kept in a blue
paper, and popped it into his mouth.

Abner walked over to the white-washed fence to greet his superior. "How's
the kid?" were his first words.

"All right, now. He diden' swaller the pin, after all. The doctor found
it down inside his shirt, an' it cost me a dollar besides all that good
mustard and eppicac, fer nuthin'!"

"Well, well!" sympathized Abner, not knowing what would be best to say in
such a delicate case.

"Did yuh keep all the folks about when I sent word over?" continued the
auctioneer.

"Shure! An' we've got some swell city buyers, this time."

"City! You don't mean anyone fro