A Christmas Auction That Fell Short—and a Mother Sent Home

The charity auction sale was concluded yesterday at 110 South Second Street, and the donations, which should have brought at least $600, only netted $158.40. Of this amount $144.39 is credited to the Bureau of Associated Charities, a committee from the bureau having bid in many of the staple articles which did not bring the market price. Mr. Bickerton, who had charge of the sale, has turned over to Agent Gilmer, of the Bureau of Associated Charities, that amount, omitting $14.50 remaining to be collected, representing every cent which the sale of the donations brought.

The sale, which was continued from Thursday, was resumed yesterday morning at 11 o'clock, and the last article was sold at 1 o'clock. On account of the dullness in the bidding goods brought but very little. Only two sacks of flour out of the twenty-seven listed brought the market price, and the rest was bid in by Mr. Gilmer for the bureau. The potatoes were also bid in by Mr. Gilmer. An $8 parlor coal stove, being sold at $1, was bid up to $3 by Mr. Gilmer, and there being no higher bid, it was knocked down to him.

Very few people, other than those who were in need of provisions and household goods and expected to get them cheap, attended the sale, and they all succeeded in getting bargains.

The board of friendly visitors did good work yesterday for the poor of the city. A committee of the board was at the rooms of the bureau all day, and over 100 families, including 300 persons, were furnished with Christmas gifts in the shape of bedding, clothing, groceries, provisions, and the children of the needy were not forgotten, for numerous packages of candies, nuts and toys were sent out during the day. Among the ladies who aided in the distribution were Mrs. W. H. H. Green, Mrs. Jacob Miller, Mrs. O. C. Genn, Mrs. D. A. Spencer, Mrs. C. L. Peterson, Mrs. Lewis, Mrs. Meein, Mrs. Winnifred R. Smith, Miss Mather, Mrs. Parker, Mrs. J. T. Ronald, Mrs. Parkhurst, Mrs. Joslin, Mrs. M. C. Culver and Miss Averst. Jerome Catlin, Rev. D. C. Garrett and Lee D. Gilmer also aided in the work.

In the course of the afternoon a thin, pale little woman with an infant in her arms called at the rooms of the board and asked for relief. She said her name was Collins and that her husband was in Kansas City. She had come to Seattle with her husband and while here her child was born. In the meantime, business not being brisk, her husband returned to Kansas City, expecting to get a situation immediately and send for his wife, but he failed. She produced letters from her husband showing that they had always lived happily together, and she also had letters from the pastor of a Congregational church in Kansas City testifying that she was a member of the church in good standing. Mr. Garrett took the infant in his arms and went with the mother to the courthouse, where her story was repeated to Fred Gasch, chairman of the board of county commissioners. Mr. Gasch did not hesitate to furnish the mother a ticket to Kansas City. Mr. Garrett then went around among his friends and in addition to raising enough money to buy her a berth in a sleeper, he made up a good purse for her, and last evening saw her off on the train on her way to meet her husband. When the train pulled out the little woman was overcome, her eyes blinded with tears as she tried to thank him.