Miss
Samantha Mayfield live here?' And I says: 'It's Samantha Mayfield
you're talkin' to.' And she says: 'I'm Mrs. Van Arnheim. I beg your
pardon for calling so early, but--have you any old furniture?' And I
says; 'Old furniture? Why, I haven't got anything but old furniture.'
And they both smiled real pleasant, and the young girl said: 'Oh, please
let us look at it! I do love old furniture.' And I says: 'Walk right in,
and look all you please. Furniture never was hurt by bein' looked at.'

"Well, they both walked in and looked around, and for a minute neither
one of 'em spoke; and then the young girl drew a long breath, and says
she: 'Did you _ever_ see _anything_ so _perfectly gorgeous_?'

"And she rushed up to Great-grandfather Stearns's secretary like she was
goin' to hug it, and says she: 'Heppelwhite! Genuine Heppelwhite! Look
at those lovely panes of glass!' And then she flew over to that old
bow-legged chair that stood yonder, and says she: 'Chippendale! Upon my
word! Was there ever anything as exquisite as those legs!'

"And she peeped into the dining-room and give a little scream, and
called her mother to come and see that old battered-up thing that
great-aunt Matildy used to keep her china and glass in, and she called
it 'a real Sheraton cabinet', and she went on over 'the grain of the
wood' and the 'color of the wood' till you'd 'a' thought that old press
was somethin' that'd come straight down from heaven. The lady didn't say
much, but she looked mighty pleased, and she went around touchin' things
with the tips of her fingers and examinin' the legs and arms and backs
of things to see if they were in good repair. Pretty soon she turned
around to me and says sort o' wishful and hesitatin': 'I suppose there's
no use asking you if you'd sell any of this furniture, Miss Mayfield.'
And I says: 'What makes you suppose that?' And she says: 'Because people
are always very much attached to their old family furniture, and even if
they don't care for it and are not using it, I find they don't care to
let any one else have it.' And I says: 'Well, there's nothin' of the dog
in the manger about me, ma'am, and I'm not attached to my old furniture;
it's been attached to me, and I'd be thankful to anybody that would help
me get loose from it.'

"She laughed real hearty, and the young girl says: 'How perfectly
lovely!' And then we went through the parlor and the hall and the
dining-room, they pickin' out the furniture they