40 TOM’S EXPERIENCE 
quite a crowd in attendance. The sheriff read the 
legal description of the property, recommended it 
highly from his personal knowledge, spoke especially 
of the fine new house, and then called for bids. 
‘* Fourteen hundred dollars.” sung out Bragdon. 
The sheriff dwelt on this bid for several minutes. 
“Too bad, gentlemen,” he said, “to sacrifice this 
property in this way. It is worth four thousand 
dollars if it is worth a cent. Remember it is less 
than three miles from the new railroad town of 
Kingston. Think of getting such a piece of prop- 
erty for only fourteen hundred dollars. Any man 
who buys it at two thousand dollars can double his 
money in six months. Do I hear fifteen hundred 
for it?” 
‘Fifteen hundred,’ came from the other side of 
the crowd. 
Bragdon fairly leaped from the ground, his beady 
eyes gleaming with malice, and I am pretty sure his 
tongue darted out like a serpent’s as he sate 
‘Sixteen hundred.” 
‘‘ Seventeen,” responded the other. 
‘‘ Kighteen,” again hissed Bragdon. 
‘‘ Nineteen,” came from the voice on the other 
side. 
“Two thousand,” said Bragdon in a tone that 
seemed to say, ‘there now, that takes it.” But he 
was mistaken. 
‘Twenty-one hundred,” responded the other. 
This spirited bidding had excited the crowd They 
