Nine o'clock
Long before nine o'clock the yard was full of teams and the house of people . Among them all , however , there was no sign of the bent old man and the erect little old woman , the owners of the property to be sold . John and Mrs. John were not a little disturbed -- they had lost their father and mother . Nine o'clock came , and with it began the strident call of the auctioneer . Men laughed and joked over their bids , and women looked on and gossiped , adding a bid of their own now and then . Everywhere was the son of the house , and things went through with a rush . Upstairs , in the darkest corner of the attic -- which had been cleared of goods -- sat , hand in hand on an old packing-box , a little old man and a little old woman who winced and shrank together every time the `` Going , going , gone ! ''