Part 3 (2/2)
”After all these years a feller should do a thing like that to me!” he moaned.
Linkheimer smiled with satisfaction, and he was about to instance a striking and wholly imaginary case of one partner ruining another by giving a bail bond when the door leading to the cutting room in the rear opened and Morris Perlmutter appeared. As his eyes rested on Linkheimer they blazed with anger, and for once Morris seemed to possess a certain dignity.
”Out,” he commanded; ”out from _mein_ store, you dawg, you!”
As he rushed on the startled b.u.t.ton dealer, Abe grabbed his coat-tails and pulled him back.
”Say, what are we here, Mawruss,” he cried, ”a theaytre?”
”Let him alone, Abe,” Linkheimer counselled in a rather shaky voice.
”I'm pretty nearly twenty years older than he is, but I guess I could cope with him.”
”You wouldn't cope with n.o.body around here,” Abe replied. ”If youse two want to cope you should go out on the sidewalk.”
”Never mind,” Morris broke in, his valour now quite evaporated; ”I'll fix him yet.”
”Another thing, Mawruss,” Abe interrupted; ”why don't you come in the front way like a man.”
”I come in which way I please, Abe,” Morris rejoined. ”And furthermore, Abe, when I got with me a poor skeleton of a feller like Nathan Schenkmann, Abe, I don't take him up the front elevator. I would be ashamed for our compet.i.tors that they should think we let our work-people starve. The feller actually fainted on me as we was coming up the freight elevator.”
”As you was coming up the freight elevator?” Abe repeated. ”Do you mean to tell me you got the nerve to actually bring this feller into _mein_ place yet?”
”Do I got to get your permission, Abe, I should bring who I want to into my own place?” Morris rejoined.
”Then all I got to say is you should take him right out again,” Abe said. ”I wouldn't have no _ganevim_ in my place. Once and for all, Mawruss, I am telling you I wouldn't stand for your nonsense. You are giving our stock as a bail for this feller, and if he runs away on us, the sheriff comes in and----”
”Who says I give our stock as a bail for this feller?” Morris demanded.
”I got a surety company bond, Abe, because Feldman says I shouldn't go on no bail bonds, and I give the surety company my personal check for a thousand dollars which they will return when the case is over. That's what I done it to keep this here Schenkmann out of jail, Abe, and if it would be necessary to get this here Linkheimer into jail, Abe, I would have another check for a thousand dollars for keeps.”
Abe grew somewhat abashed at this disclosure. He looked at Linkheimer and then at Morris, but before he could think of something to say the elevator door opened and Jake stepped out. It was perhaps the first time in all their acquaintance with Jake that Abe and Morris had seen him with his face washed. Moreover, a clean collar served further to conceal his ident.i.ty, and at first Abe did not recognize his former s.h.i.+pping clerk.
”Hallo, Mr. Potas.h.!.+” Jake said.
”I'll be with you in one moment, Mister--er,” Abe began. ”Just take a--why, that's Jake, ain't it?”
Here he saw a chance for a conversational diversion and he jumped excitedly to his feet.
”What's the matter, Jake?” he asked. ”You want your old job back?”
”It don't go so quick as all that, Mr. Potash,” Jake answered. ”I got a good business, Mr. Potash. I carry a fine line of cigars, candy, and stationery, and already I got an offer of twenty-five dollars more as I paid for the business. But I wouldn't take it. Why should I? I took in a lot money yesterday, and only this morning, Mr. Potash, a feller comes in my place and--why, there's the feller now!”
”Feller! What d'ye mean--feller?” Abe cried indignantly. ”That ain't no feller. That's Mr. Max Linkheimer.”
”Sure, I know!” Jake explained. ”He's the feller I mean. Half an hour ago I was in his place, and they says there he comes up here. You was in _mein_ store this morning, Mr. Linkheimer, ain't that right, and you bought from me a package of all-tobacco cigarettes?”
”_Nu, nu_, Jake,” Morris broke in. ”Make an end. You are interrupting us here.”
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