"So when I saw that he really meant it and wanted the dish I wrapped the old pewter dish in a paper and he gave me half a dollar for it. When I told Lizzie about it she laughed good and said the city folks must be dumb if they want pewter dishes when you can buy such nice ones for ten cents. Yes, Eph, that's the fellow's going to auctioneer. He's a good one, you bet; he keeps things lively all the time. All his folks is good talkers. Lizzie says his mom can talk the legs off an iron pot. But then he needs a good tongue in this business; it takes a lot of wind to be an auctioneer, specially at a big sale like this. He says it's going to be a wonderful sale, that he ain't had one like it for years. There's things here belonged to the family for three generations, been handed down and handed down and now to-day it'll get scattered all over Lancaster County, mebbe further. This saving up things and not using 'em is all nonsense. I tell Lizzie we'll use what we got and get new when it's worn out and not let a lot back for the young ones to fight over or other people to buy." Here the auctioneer climbed upon a big box, clapped his hands and called loudly, "Attention, attention! This sale is about to begin. We have here a collection of fine things, all in good condition. The terms of the sale are cash. Now, folks, bid up fast and talk loud when you bid so I can hear you. We have here some of the finest antique dishes in the country, also some furniture that can't be duplicated in any store to-day. We'll begin on this cherry table." He lifted a spindle-legged table in the air and went on talking. "Now that's a fine table to begin with! All solid cherry, no screws loose--and that's more than you can say about some people--now what's bid for this table? Fine and good as the day it came out of a good workman's shop; no scratches on it--the Brubaker people knew how to take care of furniture. Who bids? How much for it do you bid? Fifty cents--fifty, all right--make it sixty--sixty cents I'm bid. Sixty, sixty, sixty--seventy--go ahead, eighty--go on--ninety, one dollar, one dollar ten, twenty, thirty--keep on--one dollar thirty, make it forty, forty, forty, forty, I have a dollar forty for this table--all done? Going--all done--all done?" All was said in one breathless succession of words. He paused an instant to gather fresh impetus, then resumed, "All done--any more? Gone at a dollar forty to----" "Lizzie Brubaker." "Sold to Lizzie Brubaker." "There," whispered the preacher to Phœbe, "that's one." She smiled and nodded her head.