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 by one. Instead, he will sell the house and its contents complete to the highest bidder, starting the thing at $50,000. One-third of the purchase price must be laid down at once, but the lucky buyer will be allowed ninety days on the balance.

"Well, come on, snap into it!" bawls the auctioneer. "Who bids fifty thousand?"

"I will!" I holler, without hardly realizing what I'm saying.

A hundred necks crane and twist to look at me and Nate views me with alarm.

"Fifty-one thousand!" comes a weak voice from the crowd.

"Fifty-five thousand!" I yell. I suppose I am crazy to do this, as the bridge jumper says, but why bother with thousand dollar bids and stay there all day?

My rival wilts.

"Anybody else?" shrieks the auctioneer. "Going at fifty-five thousand—an outrage, if they ever was one! Going at fifty-five thousand. Oh, what a crime! Do I hear fifty-six thousand? No? May Heaven forgive you,—I can't! Sold at fifty-five thousand dollars!"

And I am the owner of Rags Dempster's house.

What is the idea of a fellow like me sinking $55,000, in real estate you may say. The idea is that I have just about made up my mind that I am going to spend the rest of my days and nights, too, in Drew City and when I get wed and settled down, why, naturally enough I will want a house to live in. I couldn't duplicate the Dempster castle for three times what I paid for it and