Going at three--at three; going, going, and sold at three
dollars."

Several more lots sold so rapidly at three dollars that Mark had
no opportunity of making himself heard or of catching the
auctioneer's eye, until, finally, in a sort of despair he called
out "Quarter," just as another lot was about to be knocked down to
a dealer at three dollars.

"Ah!" said the auctioneer, "that is something like. It takes a
gentleman from the North to appreciate oranges at their true
value. A quarter is bid. Shall I have a half? Do I hear it? Half,
half, half; and sold at three dollars and a quarter to Mr.---what
name, please? Elder. Oh yes; good old name, and one you can live
up to more and more every day of your life. John, pick out a
hundred of the best for Mr. Elder."

The oranges selected by John were such beauties that neither Mark
nor his mother regretted the extra quarter paid for them. After
that, during the rest of their stay in Key West, whenever Mark
went near a fruit auction he was addressed politely by the
auctioneer as "Mr. Elder," and invited to examine the goods
offered for sale that day.

One day Mark and Ruth rowed out among the vessels of the sponging
fleet that had just come in from up the coast. Here they scraped
acquaintance with a weather-beaten old sponger, who sat in the
stern of one of the smallest of the boats, smoking a short pipe
and overhauling some rigging; and from him they gained much new
information concerning sponges.