look at the knives. One young man bought a pearl-handled
article, and a young lady bought one which contained a lead pencil and
a button-hook.

While Matt was making these sales Andy was busy showing off the merits
of several articles of bric-a-brac which a bevy of ladies were
admiring. He told them how he had obtained them at a sacrifice sale,
and was thus enabled to sell them quite reasonable. The lady who led
the party did not wish to bid on the articles at auction, so Andy very
obligingly set a figure, and after some little haggling, the lady took
three dollars' worth of goods, to be delivered at her house on the
outskirts of the city.

By this time both of the young auctioneers were certain that they were
going to have a good day's sales.

"That circus has brought the people out," whispered Andy to Matt. "We
were very fortunate to strike here when we did. We must make the most
of the day."

"What shall I try next?" asked Matt. "I have sold four of the
knives."

"Try something small, for they won't want to carry bulky packages with
them. I see there are a lot of young fellows drifting in. You might
get out the mouth harmonicas and interest them in them. I'll show
those ladies the jewelry, and try to make some more private sales."

To this Matt agreed, and he was soon playing a lively air that caused
all of the young men and boys to gather around him.

"Any one can play if he has music in him and such an instrument as
this in his possession," he argued, after he had finished. "To show
that it is all right and in perfect tune, I will put up the one I have
been playing upon. How much am I offered?"

"Ten cents!" cried a boy standing close at hand.

"Ten cents I am offered. Ten ce----"

Matt got no farther, for at that moment a loud cry upon the street
drowned out every other sound.

"Look out for the bear! He is mad!"

"He is coming this way!"

"Scatter for your lives!"

These and a hundred other cries rent the air. Then came a crash of
window glass, and the next moment a huge brown bear leaped into the
show window, not over two yards away from where Matt was standing.

CHAPTER XV.

THE CHARMS OF MUSIC.

For the moment after the brown bear crashed through the glass and
landed in the show window of the auction store Matt was too astonished
to move.

The entrance of the great beast, which had undoubtedly escaped from
the circus men during the parade, was so totally unexpected that all
in