Billy noticed that Cohen seemed morose, and
heard him exclaim something that sounded like "Goniff!" under his
breath, as Price turned away from him after a brief chat.
For Little Arcady the appalling wonder was still to dawn. Load after
load of the despised furniture went into freight-cars, until the home of
Miss Caroline was only comfortably furnished. This was sensational
enough--that the things should be thought worth shipping about the
country with freights so high.
But after a few weeks came tales that atrophied belief--tales
corroborated by a printed catalogue and by certain deposits of money in
our bank to the account of Miss Caroline. That six wretched chairs,
plain to ugliness, had sold for three hundred dollars spread
consternation. The plain old sideboard for a hundred and ten dollars
only fed the flames. But there had been sold what the catalogue
described as "A Colonial sofa with carved dolphin arms, winged claw
feet, and carved back" for two hundred and ten dollars, and after that
the emotions aroused in Little Arcady were difficult to classify. Upon
that very sofa most of the ladies of Little Arcady had sat to pity Miss
Caroline for being "lumbered" with it.
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