The Argosy, March 1907 — page 122: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

r ¥ 694 eo ay THE ARGOSY. on her extended foot, she made her way into the hall and thence up-stairs to a small chamber as yet uninvaded by the detestable throng. Here she sank into a well-worn easy, chair and glanced around disparaging- ly at the dingy furnishings. ‘“So tiresome,” she reflected. “I did so, want that rug, and I’m sure George would have liked the cabinet. Those people down-stairs seem to have gone crazy. No sense at all. And now lI suppose I shall have to put up with some rubbish which nobody will look at. I must buy something.” Her eyes roved about the room, and she mentally rejected in succession the various articles on which they rested. “That little oak table might do,’’ she added musingly. “ It’s awfully shabby, but I could get it polished up and put it in the drawing-room. I suppose it would cost more than the thing is worth, but I must have something.” ‘Get out of here,” said a . harsh voice, almost at her ear. Startled and indignant, Mrs. Scales wheeled around in her chair and saw, ‘standing or a table and half concealed by a curtain, a battered gilt cage contain- ing a small green parrot. Seated round-shouldered on his perch, the bird returned Mrs. Scales’s gaze with a pair of hard, unwinking eyes, and re- peated his remark even more imperi- ously. ay “Oh, you dear bird!” cried the lady. “ And wonder how beautifully you talk. I ”? 5 Her sentence was cut short by the sound of a multitude of feet tramping up the stairs, and a high-pitched voice which adjured the owners of the feet to ‘Take it easy, please, ladies and gents. Plenty of time; plenty of time.” The next minute the room was thronged by an eager crowd headed by the auction- eer and his assistant. The shabby appointments were soon knocked down at absurdly high ‘prices, even the oak table, much to Mrs. Scales’s annoyance, bringing about double its original cost, and at last the auctioneer came to the parrot. ‘Hold him up, Joe,” he said, as the assistant seized the cage, ‘and let the ladies dnd gentlemen have a good look at him. One of the finest talkers you ever heard. Bryan isn’t in it with him.” There was a hush of expectancy, like that which precedes the opening remarks of a popular monologue artist, but the parrot, ruffling his feathers in protest at the reckless manner in which the assist- ant was swaying the cage, maintained a dignified silence. “ He’s thinking what he’s going to } say,” suggested a humorist in the audi- ence. ‘Wind him up, Joe,” said another. ‘Seeing such a_ good-looking lot o’ people has took his breath away,” “How much plained the auctioneer. am I bid for him?” For the first time a lot hung fire. one seemed to want the parrot, but final- ly somebody hesitatingly bid five dollars. Mrs. Scales looked at the parrot, their eyes met, and the bird winked—an un- mistakable wink. “Six dollars,” said Mrs. Scales. ‘‘ Seven,” said the fat man, who had bid on everything which had been put up. “ Eight,” cried Mrs. Scales. The fat man bid™nine, and the bids rose slowly, a dollar at a time, the fat man acting under strong pressure from the auctioneer. CXS No ‘Come, sir,”’ said the latter, when the price rested at fifteen dollars, with Mrs. Scales in the lead, ‘‘ you don’t want to lose a bird like that for the sake of a dollar. Shall we say sixteen?” The fat man shook his head vigor- ously. “It ain’t worth it,” he said. . got a wife an’ six children already.”’ The crowd snickered, and Mrs. heaved a little sigh of relief. “ Going,” said the auctioneer, looking ‘Going at the ridiculous sum of fifteen dollars. reproachfully around him. Worth fifty if he’s worth a cent. ee I’ve Scales Go- ing—and sold to the lady in the arm- chair. Name, please?” Mrs. Scales, flushed with gratification and confusion, paid over the fifteen dol- lars, and, cage in hand, made her escape. Once = the street, she was confronted with the.problem of getting the bird home, being unwilling to entrust it to any of the expressmen who were gath- . ered like vultures on the sidewalk. mn (C 0)(0)(6) (C@) Hae) im