Sentence:  A quarter inch this way or that for the hardbake , or the toffee , or the barley sugar , or the sardines , or the bitters , or the condensed milk , or the <WSD>stationery</WSD> , or the needles - what could it mean ? 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  paper cut to an appropriate size for writing letters; usually with matching envelopes