A dollar ? Did I hear anyone mean enough to bid a dollar ? No , sir , babies do n't come as cheap as that , especially the curly-headed brand . '' The crowd laughed again . Pa Sloane , by way of keeping on the joke , cried , `` Four dollars ! '' Everybody looked at him . The impression flashed through the crowd that Pa was in earnest , and meant thus to signify his intention of giving the baby a home . He was well-to-do , and his only son was grown up and married . `` Six , '' cried out John Clarke from the other side of the yard . John Clarke lived at White Sands and he and his wife were childless . That bid of John Clarke 's was Pa 's undoing . Pa Sloane could not have an enemy ; but a rival he had , and that rival was John Clarke . Everywhere at auctions John Clarke was wont to bid against Pa. . At the last auction he had outbid Pa in everything , not having the fear of his wife before his eyes . Pa 's fighting blood was up in a moment ; he forgot Ma Sloane ; he forgot what he was bidding for ; he forgot everything except a determination that John Clarke should not be victor again . `` Ten , '' he called shrilly . `` Fifteen , '' shouted Clarke . `` Twenty , '' vociferated Pa. . `` Twenty-five , '' bellowed Clarke . `` Thirty , '' shrieked Pa. .
He nearly bust a blood-vessel XXXXX his shrieking , but he had won .
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