“Stripes are more worn than anything else in calicoes,” said she.
“Yes, but this isn’t to be worn. It’s for furniture, I think. At any rate, I want perfectly plain stuff, to match something already in use.”
“Well, I don’t think you can find it perfectly plain unless you get Turkey red.”
“What is Turkey red?” I asked.
“Turkey red is perfectly plain in calicoes,” she answered.
“Well, let me see some.”
“We haven’t any Turkey-red calico left,” she said, “but we have some very nice plain calicoes in other colors.”
“I don’t want any other color. I want stuff to match this.”
“It’s hard to match cheap calico like that,” she said. And so I left her.
I next went into a store a few doors farther up the street. When I entered I approached the “floor-walker,” and handing him my sample, said: