Result.—The company applaud loudly, and is thoroughly mystified.
The Auction Game
This is a most fascinating resource for a wet wintry afternoon, and its preparations are interesting enough to keep a whole houseful of young folk occupied and amused. A large piece of cardboard is cut into twenty-five squares, and on each is pasted a picture of some article taken from advertisements in old newspapers, magazines, or catalogues. The pictures are numbered, and on the back a price in keeping with the article is written.
The more variety there is among the stock for sale the better. It may contain anything from a thoroughbred Persian to a set of ninepins, and the prices may be copied from the catalogues, &c.
When this is done, a mint of paper or cardboard money is manufactured. The range of coin corresponds to the prices of the articles. Should the most expensive of these be marked $500, the paper money must include that amount. Upon each disc of cardboard is written its value.
The guests having arrived, the capital is divided among them in equal portions. If there has been no time to manufacture the coin, imitation money can be purchased quite cheaply, and this lends a greater reality to the game.
The first thing is to secure an auctioneer amongst the party, who possesses a ready flow of language, and is not troubled by shyness. An amiable uncle, or other grown-up relative, will do capitally.
The auctioneer stands on a chair or stool, and cries out the article before him, treating it as if it were real.
He is provided with a hammer, and the company begin an eager bidding for the thing that takes their fancy.
The players, as may be expected, are as anxious as people in a real auction to obtain what they covet at the lowest price possible.