IRST SALE

Order was being brought out of chaos in the Rummage rooms, where twenty
ladies were working industriously, sorting, pricing, and marking the
multitudinous articles heaped upon the counters. Not only District No.
5, but the village had emptied itself, glad to be rid of the
accumulations of years. Nearly every room was occupied, and the
committees were showing great skill in assigning things to the different
departments. The antiques had a niche by themselves; the quill wheel,
the warming-pan, the foot-stove, the brass kettle with Peter's
boot-jack, and many more articles of a similar character were placed
together. Jack's sister had responded quickly, and a large box had
arrived with articles curious and new, which elicited cries of delight
from the ladies in charge, who marked them at a ridiculously low price,
less even, in some instances, than had been paid for them, and labelled
their corner "The New York Store."

Scarcely was this completed when the drayman arrived from Crompton Place
with the doll house and the two trunks, the last of which were pounced
upon first, as Ruby Ann had reported what was in them. Her description,
however, had fallen far short of the reality, and the ladies held their
breath, as one after another of the beautiful gowns was taken out for
exhibition. Few had ever seen anything just like them. Homer Smith had
prided himself upon being a connoisseur in ladies' costumes and had
directed all of Amy's, taking care that there was no sham about them.
Everything was real, from the fabric itself to the lace which trimmed
it, and which alone had cost him hundreds of dollars. And now they were
at a Rummage Sale, and the managers did not know what to do with them.
It was scarcely possible that any one would buy them, and it would be
greatly out of place to exhibit them in the dry-goods department with
Mrs. Biggs's brown and white spotted gown which she had contributed
rather unwillingly, insisting that it should not be sold for less than a
dollar. Ruby Ann suggested that they be carefully folded in boxes and
laid away by themselves for inspection by any one who had a thought of
buying them. If they did not sell, and probably they would not, they
were to be returned either to Amy or to the Colonel,--the latter most
likely, as Amy had expressed so strong a desire to be rid of them. Her
suggestion was acted upon, and the dresses laid aside, and the attention
of the managers turned to the doll