Four lawn chairs/chew toys for large dogs went our to our curb Sunday morning. I did the hauling, and I also made signs for them, just so there was no mistaking that the row of gnawed-on furniture was there for the taking.

I could have just written “free” and left it at that. But no.

Each chair got its own sign. Folks approaching our yard from one direction read this —

free.
free…
free?
free! (or best offer)

— while anyone coming from the other direction would have read the scene differently:

free! (or best offer)
free?
free…
free.

My wife rolled her eyes in a “why-can’t-anything-be-simple?” sort of way, and even I acknowledged the possibility that folks interested in the chairs might feel more confused than lucky.

But last night, about 36 hours after I set the chairs out, I realized they weren’t there anymore. Someone claimed them — and got my two shortest stories in the bargain.