Polly's suspicions were louder, her temper became uncertain; once or twice she forgot herself and used language calculated to cause a breach of the peace.

You know, Mr. Sunshine, your laid-back, look-at-the-bright-side, the-glass-is-half-full malarkey is starting to come across as very condescending, especially since I know that your life-is-just-a-bowl-of-cherries spiel is as phony as a three-dollar bill.

The menagerie for sale at this auction included two black puggles with hernias, a French bulldog with one ear, a 3-month old Yorkshire terrier with only one testicle and a badly bow-legged bulldog.

Steele nodded and settled on the chesterfield. He regarded Betty seriously, her notebook poised on the table beside her as she reclined in her chair. … I remember, Betty acknowledged, and went on shorthanding.