r AN UNFORTUNATE WINK. 59 



own legs as well. His tail having been cut short in 

 youth, and retrimmed in old age, the outfit made but 

 a sorry figure going up the street. The Professor 

 said it suggested the idea of some fossil vertabra, with 

 a paint brush attached to its end, running away with 

 a geological student. 



After the return and cries for more bids, Muggs 

 must have winked at the auctioneer possibly, to 

 slyly telegraph him the fact that in "Hengland" 

 they were up to such games. At least the auctioneer 

 so declared, and advancing the price one dollar in 

 accordance therewith, finally knocked the brute down 

 to him. Then the British wrath bubbled and boiled. 

 The auctioneer was inexorable. Muggs had winked, 

 and that was an advanced bid, according to com- 

 mercial custom the land over. Articles were often 

 sold simply by the vibration of an eyelash, and not 



a word uttered. 



\ 



The Professor remarked that in law winks would 

 doubtless be accepted as evidence. It was a recog- 

 nized principle of the statutes that he who winked at 

 a matter acquiesced in it, and indeed such signals 

 were often more expressive than words. Sachem 

 sustained this point, and added further that he had 

 known many a man's head broken on account of an 

 injudicious wink. 



The crowd, with almost unanimous voice, pro- 

 nounced the auctioneer right and Muggs wrong. 



"Me take the brute!" exclaimed the indignant 

 Briton; "why he can 'ardly stand up long enough to 

 be knocked down. Except in France, he could be 

 put to no earthly use whatever. 'Is kne^s knock to- 



