grandpa looked at him then , an eyebrow raised ironically , as if expecting the boy to ask for an explanation , but banning only smiled , delighted by this-he knew what a chemise was , all right , because a chemise was sometimes what his mother wore all day long when his father was out on the road , selling ( he sold appliances , mostly , but a little insurance when he could-he had a franchise from a company called amalgamated life and property of america ) .