e girls laughed at this frank statement of _sense_, and Lemuel turned
to see who had appreciated his speech. When he saw the city people Abner
had mentioned, he felt warmed all through, for he felt sure he would earn
some commissions that day.

"Our first number is in th' kitchen. Ab, kin we get in thar, er had we
better hold the stuff out here?" asked Lemuel.

"I can't hold up the kitchen stove, kin I?" asked Abner, in an injured
tone.

The people laughed heartily, Mrs. Fabian's party joining more
appreciatively than anyone.

"All right," answered the auctioneer, in a matter-of-fact voice. "We'll
try to crowd in. But don't anyone what don't want to bid on kitchen
stuff, come and use the room from others!"

It seemed that his very warning acted contrariwise for, to the girls, it
looked as if everyone on the premises tried to crowd into that small
room. Being first on the ground, they fared best for place. Mrs. Fabian
mounted the steps leading to the attic and advised the girls to get up on
the table, chairs, or other solid objects, to be able to look over the
heads of the crowd.

"Now, Ab, what you got first?" asked the auctioneer.

Abner had his little book of items, and finding the table the first
number inventoried, he called out: "Deal table and contents!"

Now Polly stood on the table, and all the covers had been thrown upon it,
also, so when Abner shouted out "table and contents" Lemuel laughed
loudly.

"Say, one of them contents is a mighty pooty gal, I kin tell yuh! I'll
begin bidding myself, on such a bargain!"

The country-folks laughed wildly at such a fine joke, and Polly, eager to
own the other valuable contents, smiled with them and nodded her head at
the salesman. He was not aware that she meant she would bid, for his
customers always shouted forth their bids. Then a man asked: "What sort
of contents is thar?"

Abner pushed his way through the crowd to open the drawer in the table
and enumerate the small ware mentioned as "contents," when he saw, to his
surprise, that there was a heap of covers on the table.

He picked them up and stared at them in dumbfounded amazement, then said:
"Say, Lem, here's them old bed-quilts we had sech a job huntin' up. Whar
the heck'd they come from, I'm sure I dunno!"

"You got 'em, eh? Well, they ain't listed, so sell 'em fust. I'll mark
them an 'A' lot. Who wants to bid on a ole bed-spread?" called Lemuel.

Had the women-folk known of bedding to be sold in