Shall I have the five?
Yes, sir; thank you.
Forty-five, five, five--who says fifty?
Fifty, fifty, forty-five--going, going, gone! and sold at forty-five to Mr .-- Beg pardon; the name, sir?
Of course, certainly! And now comes the finest lot of oranges ever offered for sale in Key West.

What am I bid per hundred for them?
Who makes me an offer?
I am a perfect Job for patience, gentlemen, and willing to wait all day, if necessary, to hear what you have to say." Of course he was an auctioneer, and this was the regular fruit auction that is held on this same corner every morning of the year.

Many other things besides fruit are sold at these auctions; in fact, almost everything in Key West is bought or sold at auction; certainly all fruit is.

For an hour before the time set for the auction a man goes through the streets ringing a bell and announcing what is to be sold.
This morning he had announced a fine lot of oranges, among other things, and as Mrs.Elmer was anxious to get some, she had sent Mark and Ruth to attend the auction, with a commission to buy a hundred if the bids did not run too high.
The children had already attended several auctions as spectators, and Mark knew enough not to bid on the first lot offered.

He waited until somebody who knew more about the value of oranges than he should fix the price.