Linenas and Things. ha ha ---------------------------- The company had been slated to go up for auction today, but the Wall Street Journal reports the auction was canceled because no bidder stepped forward to compete with a group of liquidators who offered about $475.5 million to shut Linens 'n Things down. The paper reports the country’s largest housewares retailer is likely to liquidate its holdings by the end of the year. It’s been a slow road toward closure for the Clifton, N.J.-based company. Linens ‘n Things had 589 stores when it filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May.