The auction block

'The Auction Block' by Rex Beach is 'A Novel of New York Night Life' that will be enjoyed by fans of Truman Capote's 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'. In this story, Lorelei Knight's parents are anxious to make their fortune by profiting from her beauty. So, they send her to New York to become a member of a "girl show". The over-indulgent son of a millionaire, Bob Wharton, soon falls in love with Lorelei, and when she learns her father is ill and in need of money, she marries the man for whom she has no love. Bob's father, however, cuts off his allowance, forcing him to go to work, while Lorelei's wholesomeness influences him to become a better man. Bob is doing well until Lorelei's brother leads him to temptation and he slips back into his old ways, and Lorelei begins to consider leaving New York.