Jerk
66 Roll-on alternative
67 Had a big mouth
DOWN
1 A question of motive
2 Break ground?
3 Docs’ bloc
4 Long essay
5 Baguette or challah
6 Lutzes and Salchows
7 Annina in “Der Rosenkavalier”
8 Manhandle
9 Industrial show
10 Tripoli’s locale
11 Broadcast booth sign
12 Something extra
13 Set for the BBC
21 “What’s ___ problem?”
22 Ring stone
23 “Doonesbury” square
24 Eat away
25 Bandleader Shaw
28 Spacious
29 Small bills
30 Farming prefix
32 Off-Broadway award
33 Baguette or challah
34 Animal behavior expert
35 Mistake
36 U. of Maryland athletes
37 Thus far
43 In stitches
44 Unknown John or Jane
46 How “I did it”
47 Mrs. Oop
48 City on the Po
49 Fine-tune
50 Battleground
51 Hot alcoholic drink
53 Poverty metaphor
54 Lawman Wyatt
55 Sound from a fan
59 “Winnie-the-Pooh” baby
60 Part of “snafu”
61 End-of-proof letters
H ARVEY B EERBAUM WAS so excited he nearly spilled his double skim mocha latte. “We have a bid! Can you believe it! You already have a bid!”
Though pleased, Cora was somewhat less astounded. After all, that’s why they’d auctioned the damn thing. “Who is it?”
Harvey’s eyes widened. “Why, I have no idea. But he’s bid a hundred dollars.”
“He?”
“Or she. Whoever it is has bid twenty-five dollars a chair.”
“You don’t know who it is?”
“Not yet. When he or she gets the final bid, I’ll find out his or her name.”
“If you say
he or she
every time, I’ll strangle you.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“I want you to wait out here while I get my coffee. Then I’ll be in a much better mood.”
“You don’t want me to go in with you?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because you can’t stop talking, and I don’t want you spreading this around.”
“I can talk about something else.”
“I can’t. Sit down. Relax. It’s a nice morning.”
Harvey reluctantly sat on the bench in front of the window.
Cora sighed. That was the problem with letting people like Harvey do you a favor. You had to talk to them. At least she didn’t have to marry him.
Cora went into the bakeshop and ordered a cappuccino and an apricot scone. Life immediately looked better. She found Harvey sitting on the bench outside.
“That looks good,” Harvey said. “What is it?”
“An apricot scone.”
“Oh. I’m having a chocolate croissant. But that scone looks awfully good.”
“Oh. Did you want a bite?”
“No. I’m just showing you I can talk about something else.”
“You don’t have to now,” Cora said.
“I know. I was just showing you I could.”
“I’m impressed. What about the chairs?”
“You have a bid of a hundred dollars.”
“That’s the only bid?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Why
of course
?”
“That was the asking bid.”
“I thought you were going to start at twenty bucks apiece.”
“I looked at some other chairs. Twenty-five seemed more in line.”
Cora kept the smile plastered on her face, but inwardly she groaned. Harvey was such a fussy little noodge. Why’d she ever get involved with him? “You have no idea who this is?”
“No.” Harvey reached in his vest pocket, took out a small, fastidiously folded piece of paper. “I have the e-mail address. If you want to write to him. Or her.”
“I swear to God, Harvey, one more
him or her
and you’ll bleed from the nose.”
“It’s [email protected]. That’s not much help. It could be anyone. If you want to write this person, you can. Otherwise, I won’t know their name until the bidding closes.”
“When is that?”
“Next Tuesday night.”
“Oh, hell,” Cora said. “So, for all we know, this could be someone who just wants cheap chairs.”
“Right. There’s no way to tell unless someone else bids.”
“What are the odds of that?”
“Well, if no one bids in the next twenty-four hours, I’d say they were poor. On some items, of course, people wait, try to put in a bid at the last minute. That’s on more expensive items, which generate more
66 Roll-on alternative
67 Had a big mouth
DOWN
1 A question of motive
2 Break ground?
3 Docs’ bloc
4 Long essay
5 Baguette or challah
6 Lutzes and Salchows
7 Annina in “Der Rosenkavalier”
8 Manhandle
9 Industrial show
10 Tripoli’s locale
11 Broadcast booth sign
12 Something extra
13 Set for the BBC
21 “What’s ___ problem?”
22 Ring stone
23 “Doonesbury” square
24 Eat away
25 Bandleader Shaw
28 Spacious
29 Small bills
30 Farming prefix
32 Off-Broadway award
33 Baguette or challah
34 Animal behavior expert
35 Mistake
36 U. of Maryland athletes
37 Thus far
43 In stitches
44 Unknown John or Jane
46 How “I did it”
47 Mrs. Oop
48 City on the Po
49 Fine-tune
50 Battleground
51 Hot alcoholic drink
53 Poverty metaphor
54 Lawman Wyatt
55 Sound from a fan
59 “Winnie-the-Pooh” baby
60 Part of “snafu”
61 End-of-proof letters
H ARVEY B EERBAUM WAS so excited he nearly spilled his double skim mocha latte. “We have a bid! Can you believe it! You already have a bid!”
Though pleased, Cora was somewhat less astounded. After all, that’s why they’d auctioned the damn thing. “Who is it?”
Harvey’s eyes widened. “Why, I have no idea. But he’s bid a hundred dollars.”
“He?”
“Or she. Whoever it is has bid twenty-five dollars a chair.”
“You don’t know who it is?”
“Not yet. When he or she gets the final bid, I’ll find out his or her name.”
“If you say
he or she
every time, I’ll strangle you.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“I want you to wait out here while I get my coffee. Then I’ll be in a much better mood.”
“You don’t want me to go in with you?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because you can’t stop talking, and I don’t want you spreading this around.”
“I can talk about something else.”
“I can’t. Sit down. Relax. It’s a nice morning.”
Harvey reluctantly sat on the bench in front of the window.
Cora sighed. That was the problem with letting people like Harvey do you a favor. You had to talk to them. At least she didn’t have to marry him.
Cora went into the bakeshop and ordered a cappuccino and an apricot scone. Life immediately looked better. She found Harvey sitting on the bench outside.
“That looks good,” Harvey said. “What is it?”
“An apricot scone.”
“Oh. I’m having a chocolate croissant. But that scone looks awfully good.”
“Oh. Did you want a bite?”
“No. I’m just showing you I can talk about something else.”
“You don’t have to now,” Cora said.
“I know. I was just showing you I could.”
“I’m impressed. What about the chairs?”
“You have a bid of a hundred dollars.”
“That’s the only bid?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Why
of course
?”
“That was the asking bid.”
“I thought you were going to start at twenty bucks apiece.”
“I looked at some other chairs. Twenty-five seemed more in line.”
Cora kept the smile plastered on her face, but inwardly she groaned. Harvey was such a fussy little noodge. Why’d she ever get involved with him? “You have no idea who this is?”
“No.” Harvey reached in his vest pocket, took out a small, fastidiously folded piece of paper. “I have the e-mail address. If you want to write to him. Or her.”
“I swear to God, Harvey, one more
him or her
and you’ll bleed from the nose.”
“It’s [email protected]. That’s not much help. It could be anyone. If you want to write this person, you can. Otherwise, I won’t know their name until the bidding closes.”
“When is that?”
“Next Tuesday night.”
“Oh, hell,” Cora said. “So, for all we know, this could be someone who just wants cheap chairs.”
“Right. There’s no way to tell unless someone else bids.”
“What are the odds of that?”
“Well, if no one bids in the next twenty-four hours, I’d say they were poor. On some items, of course, people wait, try to put in a bid at the last minute. That’s on more expensive items, which generate more
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