Well, they held the auction in the public square,
along towards the end of the afternoon, and it strung
along, and strung along, and the old man he was on
hand and looking his level pisonest, up there longside
of the auctioneer, and chipping in a little Scripture
now and then, or a little goody-goody saying of some
kind, and the duke he was around goo-gooing for sympathy
all he knowed how, and just spreading himself generly.
But by and by the thing dragged through, and everything
was sold —everything but a little old trifling
lot in the graveyard. So they’d got to
work that off—I never see such a girafft
as the king was for wanting to swallow everything.
Well, whilst they was at it a steamboat landed, and
in about two minutes up comes a crowd a-whooping and
yelling and laughing and carrying on, and singing
out:
“Here’s your opposition line! here’s
your two sets o’ heirs to old Peter Wilks—and
you pays your money and you takes your choice!”
They was fetching a very nice-looking old gentleman
along, and a nice-looking younger one, with his right
arm in a sling. And, my souls, how the people
yelled and laughed, and kept it up. But I didn’t
see no joke about it, and I judged it would strain
the duke and the king some to see any. I reckoned
they’d turn pale. But no, nary a pale did
they turn. The duke he never let on he suspicioned
what was up, but just went a goo-gooing around, happy
and satisfied, like a jug that’s googling out
buttermilk; and as for the king, he just gazed and
gazed down sorrowful on them new-comers like it give
him the stomach-ache in his very heart to think there
could be such frauds and rascals in the world.
Oh, he done it admirable. Lots of the principal
people gethered around the king, to let him see they
was on his side. That old gentleman that had
just come looked all puzzled to death. Pretty
soon he begun to speak, and I see straight off he
pronounced like an Englishman—not the
king’s way, though the king’s was
pretty good for an imitation. I can’t give
the old gent’s words, nor I can’t imitate
him; but he turned around to the crowd, and says,
about like this:
“This is a surprise to me which I wasn’t
looking for; and I’ll acknowledge, candid and
frank, I ain’t very well fixed to meet it and
answer it; for my brother and me has had misfortunes;
he’s broke his arm, and our baggage got put
off at a town above here last night in the night by
a mistake. I am Peter Wilks’ brother Harvey,
and this is his brother William, which can’t
hear nor speak—and can’t even make
signs to amount to much, now’t he’s only
got one hand to work them with. We are who we
say we are; and in a day or two, when I get the baggage,
I can prove it. But up till then I won’t
say nothing more, but go to the hotel and wait.”
So him and the new dummy started off; and the king
he laughs, and blethers out:
