To the Junkyard
Sommerville was down to the Saturday night auction in Seville, Ohio, and had been bidding on some furniture that evidently had all come from the estate of some newly deceased individual. He had successfully bid on a dresser, a nightstand, and a massive dining room table.
When the auction moved off to other things, in which he had no interest, Sommerville, took the opportunity to examine the pieces he was to buy. All three had been carried back next to the Coffee Stand in the far corner of the room where everyone - as at all auctions - eventually congregates.
Sommerville examined the nightstand and the dining room table, but there was nothing exceptional about them. Stock pieces. Good furniture.
But the dresser was different. As soon as he opened the top drawer, Sommerville discovered that the dresser was still full of the decedent's clothes. They had cleared out the furniture so fast from that poor guy's house that nobody had even thought to check the contents of the dresser.
And right there in the top drawer was a wallet. Sommerville checked it, but it was empty. But in his pocket he had 5 crisp new $100 bills, and so he surrepticiously pulled them out and stuffed them in the wallet and looked around to make sure that nobody had seen.
Then he closed the drawer and opened the next one down. Pulling out a pair of pants, Sommerville held them up and remarked to nobody in particular, but in a very loud voice, "Hey! This dresser is full of stuff."
And so for the next few minutes, he pulled article after article of clothes out of the dresser and before long everyone around the Coffee Stand was watching his antics. He was giving away shirts and pants and handkerchiefs, and one fellow even took all of the underwears. By the time he got around to the top drawer, he had acquired quite an audience.
When he said "HEY! There's a WALLET here!" and held it for all to see, a hush fell over those who were watching, but one clever soul shouted out, "See if there's any money in it."
Then Sommerville opened the wallet and brought forth the 5 brand new C notes and held those up on display and everyone was stunned by his amazing good luck.
So Sommerville savored the moment and then looked at the guy running the Coffee Stand and said in a clear, ringing voice, "Coffee's on me."
They still remember Sommerville down in Seville. I've been to that auction and every once in a while one of the old timers back by the Coffee Stand will tell the story about the feller who found the pile of money inside the dresser - $1000 to $100,000 depending - and how he bought coffee for everyone.
I never told the them the real story. Don't you either.
c 1996 Air Cooled Volkswagen Junkyard of Richfield, Ohio
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