Part 26 (1/2)
”But I mean I seen you at the I.O.M.A.'s racket last night,” Milton continued, ”and you seemed to be having a pretty good time.”
Miss Levy suppressed a yawn.
”Don't mention it,” she said; ”I feel like a rag to-day. I didn't get home till four o'clock.”
This was something like friendly discourse, and Milton slackened up on his work.
”Who was that feller with the curly hair you was dancing with?” he began, when Miss Levy looked up and noted the cessation of his labour.
”Never you mind who he was, Milton,” she answered. ”You finish licking those envelopes.”
At this juncture they heard the sample-room door open and a heavy footstep sound on its carpeted floor.
”Wait here,” she hissed. ”It's a customer, and everybody's out to lunch. What's your other name, Milton?”
”Milton Zwiebel,” he replied.
Hastily she adjusted her pompadour and tripped off to the sample-room.
”Ain't none of them actors around here to-day, Miss Levy?” a ba.s.s voice asked.
”They're all out to lunch,” Miss Levy explained.
”Where's Pasinsky?” the visitor asked.
”Mr. Pasinsky's in Boston this week, Mr. Feigenbaum,” she replied.
Pasinsky was Rothman's senior drummer and was generally acknowledged a crackerjack.
”That's too bad,” Feigenbaum replied. ”Ain't Rothman coming back soon?”
”Not for half an hour,” Miss Levy answered.
”Well, I ain't got so long to wait,” Feigenbaum commented.
Suddenly Miss Levy brightened up.
”Mr. Zwiebel is in,” she announced. ”Maybe he would do.”
”Mr. Zwiebel?” Feigenbaum repeated. ”All right, _Zwiebel oder k.n.o.blauch_, it don't make no difference to me. I want to look at some of them misses' reefers.”
”Mis-ter Zwiebel,” Miss Levy called, and in response Milton entered.
”This is one of our customers, Mr. Zwiebel,” she said, ”by the name Mr.
Henry Feigenbaum.”
”How are you, Mr. Feigenbaum?” Milton said with perfect self-possession. ”What can I do for you to-day?”
He dug out one of Charles Zwiebel's Havana seconds from his waistcoat-pocket and handed it to Feigenbaum.
”It looks pretty rough,” he said, ”but you'll find it all O.K., clear Havana, wrapper, binder, and filler.”