The -Off
“Who bids?”
The auctioneer held up a child’s rocking-horse, battered and . It had belonged to some little member of the man’s family whose household property was being sold under the hammer.
He was utterly ruined. He had given up everything in the world to his creditors—house, furniture, horses, stock of goods and lands. He stood among the crowd watching the sale that was his household goods and his among a hundred strange hands.
On his arm leaned a woman heavily . “Who bids?”
The auctioneer held the rocking-horse high that it might be seen. Childish hands had torn away the ; the was twisted and worn by little fingers. The crowd was still.
The woman under the heavy and stretched out her hands.
“No, no, no!” she cried.
The man was white with emotion. The little form that once so merrily rode the old rockinghouse had drifted away into the world years ago. This was the only relic left of his happy infancy.
The auctioneer, with a moisture in his eyes, handed the rocking-horse to the man without a word. He seized it with eager hands, and he and the veiled woman hurried away.
The crowd murmured with sympathy.
The man and the woman went into an empty room and set the rocking-horse down. He took out his knife, ripped open the front of the horse, and took out a roll of bills. He counted them and said: “It’s a cold day when I fail without a rake-off. Eight thousand five hundred dollars, but that auctioneer came very near busting up the game.”