The Girls of Hillcrest Farm; Or, The Secret of the Rocks

by Amy Bell Marlowe

  CHAPTER XXIII

  THE VENDUE

  Lucas Pritchett drove into the yard with the two-seated buckboard aboutnine o'clock the next forenoon. And, wonders of wonders! his mother saton the front seat beside him.

  'Phemie ran out in a hurry. Lyddy was getting ready to go to the vendue.She wanted to bid in that Dutch oven--and some other things.

  "Why, Mrs. Pritchett!" exclaimed the younger Bray girl, "you are welcome!You haven't been here for an age."

  Mrs. Pritchett looked pretty grim; but 'Phemie found it was tears thatmade her eyes wink so fast.

  "I ain't never been here but onct since you gals came. And I'm ashamedof myself," said "Maw" Pritchett. "I hope you'll overlook it."

  "For goodness' sake! how you talk!" gasped 'Phemie.

  "Is it true you gals have saved that poor old critter from the farm?"demanded Mrs. Pritchett, earnestly, and letting the tears run uncheckeddown her fat cheeks.

  "Why--why----"

  "Widder Harrison, she means," grunted Lucas. "It all come out yesterdayat church. The widder told about it herself. The parson got hold of it,and he put it into his sermon. And by cracky! some of those folks thattreated ye so mean at the schoolhouse, Saturday night, feel pretty cheapafter what the parson said."

  "And if my Sairy ever says a mean word to one o' you gals--or as much as_looks_ one," cried Mother Pritchett, "big as she is an',--an', yes--_old_as she is, I'll spank her!"

  "Mrs. Pritchett! Lucas!" gasped 'Phemie. "It isn't so. You're making it upout of whole cloth. We haven't really done a thing for Mrs. Harrison----"

  "You've thought to take her in and give her a home----"

  "No, no! I am sure she will earn her living here."

  "But none of us--folks that had knowed her for years--thought to givethe poor old critter a chanst," burst out the lady. "Oh, I know Cyruswouldn't 'a' heard to our taking her; and I dunno as we could haveexactly afforded it, for me an' Sairy is amply able to do the work; butour Ladies' Aid never thought to do a thing for her--nor nobody else,"declared Mrs. Pritchett.

  "You two gals was ministerin' angels. I don't suppose we none of us reallyknowed how Mis' Harrison felt about going to the poorhouse. But we didn'tinquire none, either.

  "And here's Lyddy! My dear, I'm too fat to get down easy. I hope you'llcome and shake hands with me."

  "Why--certainly," responded Lyddy. "And I am really glad to see you, dearMrs. Pritchett."

  She had evidently overheard some, if not all, of the good lady's earnestspeech. Harris Colesworth appeared, too, and Professor Spink was rightbehind him.

  "You stopped for me, as I asked you to, Lucas?" asked the young chemist.

  "Sure, Mr. Colesworth."

  "Miss Lydia is going, too," said the young man.

  "That'll fill the bill, then, sir," said Lucas, grinning.

  "But I say!" exclaimed the professor, suddenly. "Can't you squeeze _me_in? I'm going over the hill, too."

  "Don't see how it kin be done, Professor," said Lucas.

  "But you said you thought that there'd be an extra seat----"

  "Didn't know maw was going, then," replied the unabashed Lucas.

  "And Somers has driven off to school with his old mare," exclaimed Spink.

  "I believe he has," observed Harris.

  "This is a pretty pass!" and Mr. Spink was evidently angry. "I've just_got_ to get to that vendue."

  "I'm afraid you'll have to walk--and it's advertised to begin in ha'f anhour," quoth Lucas.

  "Say! where's your other rig?" demanded the professor. "I'll hire it."

  "Dad's plowin' with the big team," said Lucas, flicking the backs of theponies with his whip, as they started, "and our old mare is lame. Gid-up!

  "That Jud Spink is gittin' jest as pop'lar 'round here as a pedlar sellin'mustard plasters in the lower regions!" observed young Pritchett, as theywhirled out of the yard.

  "Why, Lucas Pritchett! how you talk!" gasped his mother.

  The widow's auction sale--or "vendue"--brought together, as such affairsusually do in the country, more people, and aroused a deal more interest,than does a funeral.

  There was a goodly crowd before the little house, or moving idly throughthe half-dismantled lower rooms when Lucas halted the ponies to let Harrisand the ladies out.

  To Lyddy's surprise, the women present--or most of them--welcomed herwith more warmth than she had experienced in a greeting since she andher sister had first come to Hillcrest.

  But the auctioneer began to put up the household articles for sale verysoon and that relieved Lyddy of some embarrassment in meeting these folkwho so suddenly had veered toward her.

  There were only a few things the girl could afford to buy. The Dutch ovenwas the most important; and fortunately most of the farmers' wives hadstoves in their kitchens, so there was not much bidding. Lyddy had itnocked down to her for sixty cents.

  Mrs. Harrison seemed very sad to see some of her things go, and Lyddybelieved that every article that the widow seemed particularly anxiousabout, young Harris Colesworth bid in.

  At least, he bought a bureau, a worktable, an old rocking chair withstuffed back and cushion, and last of all an old, age-darkened, birdseyemaple desk, which seemed shaky and half-ready to fall to pieces.

  "That article ought to bring ye in a forchune, Mr. Colesworth,"declared the auctioneer, cheerfully. "That's where they say Bob hid hisforchune--yessir!"

  "And it looks--from the back of it--that worms had got inter theforchune," chuckled one of the farmers, as the wood-worm dust rattled outof the old contraption when Harris and Lucas carried it out and set itdown with the other articles Harris had bought.

  "So you got it; did you, young man?" snarled a voice behind the twoyouths, and there stood Professor Spink.

  He was much heated, his boots and trousers were muddy, and his frockcoat had a bad, three-cornered tear in it. Evidently he had come acrosslots--and he had hurried.

  "Why--were you interested in that old desk I bought in?" asked Harris witha grin.

  "I'll give ye a dollar for your bargain," blurted out the professor.

  "I tell you honest, I didn't pay but two dollars for it," replied Harris.

  "I'll double it--give you four."

  "No. I guess I'll keep it."

  "Five," snapped the breakfast food magnate.

  "No, sir," responded Harris, turning away.

  "Good work! keep it up!" Lyddy heard Lucas whisper to the other youth. "Ibet I kin tell jest what dad told him. Dad's jest close-mouthed enoughto make the professor fidgetty. He begins to believe it all now."

  "Shut up!" warned Harris.

  The next moment the anxious professor was at him again.

  "I want that desk, Colesworth. I'll give you ten dollars for it--fifteen!"

  "Say," said Harris, in apparent disgust, "I'll tell you the truth; Ibought that desk--and these other things--to give back to old Mrs.Harrison. She seemed to set store by them."

  "Ha!"

  "Now, the desk is hers. If she wants to sell it for twenty-fivedollars----"

  "You hush up! I'll make my own bargain with her," growled the professor.

  "No you won't, by jove!" exclaimed the city youth. "If you want the deskyou'll pay all its worth. Hey! Mrs. Harrison!"

  The widow approached, wonderingly.

  "I made up my mind," said Harris, hurriedly, "that I'd give you thesethings here. You might like to have them in your room at Hillcrest."

  "Thank you, young man!" returned the widow, flushing. "I don't know whatmakes you young folks so kind to me----"

  "Hold on! there's something else," interrupted Harris. "Now, ProfessorSpink here wants to buy that desk."

  "And I'll give ye a good price for it, Widder," said Spink. "I want it toremember Bob by. I'll give you----"

  "He's already offered me twenty-five dollars for it----"

  "No, I ain't!" exclaimed Spink.

  "Oh, then, you don't want it, after all," returned Harris, coolly. "Ithought you did."

&nbs
p; "Well! suppose I do offer you twenty-five for it, Mis' Harrison?"exclaimed Spink, evidently greatly spurred by desire, yet curbed by hisown natural penuriousness.

  "Take my advice and bid him up, Mrs. Harrison," said Harris, with a wink."He knows more about this old desk than he ought to, it seems to me."

  "For the land's sake----" began the widow; but Spink burst forth in a rage:

  "I'll make ye a last offer for it--you can take it or leave it." He drewforth a wad of bills and peeled off several into the widow's hand.

  "There's fifty dollars. Is the desk mine?" he fairly yelled.

  The vociferous speech of the professor drew people from the auction. Theygathered around. Harris nodded to the old lady, and her hand clamped uponthe bills.

  "Remember, this is Mrs. Harrison's own money," said young Colesworth,evenly. "The desk was bought at auction for two dollars."

  "Well, is it mine?" demanded Spink.

  "It is yours, Jud Spink," replied the old lady, stuffing the money intoher handbag.

  "Gimme that hatchet!" cried the professor, seizing the implement from aman who stood by. He attacked the old desk in a fury.

  "Oh! that's too bad!" gasped Mrs. Harrison. "I _did_ want the old thing."

  Spink grinned at them. "I'll make you both sicker than you be!" hesnarled. "Out o' the way!"

  He banged the desk two or three more clips--and out fell a secret panelin the back of it.

  "By cracky! money--real money!" yelled Lucas Pritchett. "Oh, Mr. Harris!we done it now!"

  For from the shallow opening behind the panel there were scattered uponthe ground several packets of apparently brand-new, if somewhat discoloredbanknotes.

  Professor Spink dropped the axe and picked up the packages eagerly. Otherscrowded around. They ran them over quickly.

  "Five thousand dollars--if there's a cent!" gasped somebody, in an awedwhisper.

  "An' she sold it for fifty dollars," said Lucas, almost in tears.