Every now and then old Miss Baker, who had gone below to see how things
were progressing, returned with reports of the foray.
"Mrs. Heise bought the chenille portieres. Mister Ryer made a bid for
your bed, but a man in a gray coat bid over him. It was knocked down for
three dollars and a half. The German shoe-maker on the next block
bought the stone pug dog. I saw our postman going away with a lot of the
pictures. Zerkow has come, on my word! the rags-bottles-sacks man; he's
buying lots; he bought all Doctor McTeague's gold tape and some of the
instruments. Maria's there too. That dentist on the corner took the
dental engine, and wanted to get the sign, the big gold tooth," and so
on and so on. Cruelest of all, however, at least to Trina, was when Miss
Baker herself began to buy, unable to resist a bargain. The last time
she came up she carried a bundle of the gay tidies that used to hang
over the chair backs.
"He offered them, three for a nickel," she explained to Trina, "and
I thought I'd spend just a quarter. You don't mind, now, do you, Mrs.
McTeague?"
"Why, no, of course not, Miss Baker," answered Trina, bravely.
"They'll look very pretty on some of my chairs," went on the little old
dressmaker, innocently.
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