aughed at Lars, who at that time looked
like a mere stripling, and told him he did not want a small boy who
had not even been confirmed. Whereupon Lars promptly informed Carl
Carlson that he had not only been confirmed but had also performed
military service. He begged so eagerly to be allowed to wield the
hammer that the senator finally gave way to him.

"We may as well let you try your hand at it for a while," he said.
"I dare say it can't go any worse than it has gone so far."

Lars promptly stepped into Joens's place. He took up an old butter
tub to offer it--hesitated and just stood there looking at it,
turning the tub up and down, tapping on its bottom and sides.
Apparently surprised not to find any flaws in it, he presently
offered the lot in a reluctant tone of voice, as if distressed at
having to sell so valuable an article. For his part, he would
rather that no bids be made, he said. It would be lucky for the
owner if no one discovered what a precious butter tub this was, for
then he could keep it.

And now, when bid followed bid, everybody noticed how disappointed
Lars looked. It was all very well so long as the bids were so low
as to be beneath his notice; but when they began to mount higher
and higher, his face became distorted from chagrin. He seemed to be
making a great sacrifice when he finally decided to knock down the
sour old butter tub.

After that he turned his attention to the water buckets, the cowls,
and washtubs. Lars Gunnarson seemed somewhat less reluctant when it
came to disposing of the older ones, which he sold without indulging
in overmuch sighing; but the newer lots he did not want to offer at
all. "They are far too good to give away," he remarked to the
owner. "They've been used so little that you could easily sell them
for new at the fair."

The auction hunters had no notion as to why they kept shouting more
and more eagerly. Lars Gunnarson showed much distress for every
fresh bid; it could never have been to please him they were
bidding. Somehow they had come to regard the things he offered as
of real worth. It suddenly occurred to them that one thing or
another was needed at home and here were veritable bargains, which
they were not buying now just for the fun of it, as had been the
case when Joens of Kisterud did the auctioning.

After this master stroke Lars Gunnarson was in great demand at all
auctions. There was never any merriment at the sales after he had
begun to wield