Part 32 (2/2)
Finkman nodded sulkily.
”I will if I got the time, Mr. Eschenbach,” he said; ”_aber_ don't rely on me too much.”
A malicious smile spread itself over Birsky's face as he started to leave.
”Me and my partner is going to feel terrible disappointed if you don't show up, Finkman,” he declared; and with this parting shot he hurried back to his place of business.
”Say, Barney,” he said after he had removed his hat, ”ain't it surprising what a back number a feller like Charles Finkman is?”
”We should be such back numbers as Finkman & Maisener, Louis,” Barney commented dryly, ”with a rating two hundred thousand to three hundred thousand, first credit.”
”Even so,” Louis commented, ”the feller surprises me--he is such an iggeramus. Actually, Barney, he says he never knew that a single garment manufacturer in the city of New York is got in his shop one of them there mutual aid affairs. 'Why, Mr. Finkman,' I says, 'we ourselves got such a mutual aid society,' I says; and right away Eschenbach says he would come round here to-morrow morning and see how the thing works. So you should tell Kanef he should fix over them racks to show up well them changeable taffetas. Also, Barney, you should tell Kanef to put them serges and the other stickers back of the piece goods; and----”
At this point Barney raised a protesting hand.
”One moment, Louis,” he cried. ”What d'ye mean Eschenbach comes to-morrow?”
”Why, Eschenbach is interested in our mutual aid society; and----”
”Our mutual aid society!” Barney cried. ”What are you talking about, our mutual aid society?”
”Well, then, Golnik's mutual aid society,” Louis continued.
”Golnik's mutual aid society!” exclaimed Zapp. ”Golnik ain't got no mutual aid society no more, Birsky. I told him after you are gone to lunch, Birsky, that if him _oder_ anybody else round here even so much as mentions such a thing to us again we would fire 'em right out of here, contracts _oder_ no contracts.”
Birsky sat down in a chair and gazed mournfully at his partner.
”You told him that, Zapp?” he said.
”I certainly did,” Zapp replied. ”What do you think I would tell him after the way Feigenbaum takes on so?”
Birsky nodded his head slowly.
”That's the way it goes, Zapp,” he said. ”I am sitting there in Hammersmith's half an hour already, scheming how we should get Eschenbach round here so he should look over our line--which I didn't hardly eat nothing at all, understand me--and you go to work and knock away the ground from under my toes already!”
”What d'ye mean, I am knocking away the ground from under your toes?”
Zapp cried indignantly. ”What has Golnik's mutual aid society got to do _mit_ your toes, Birsky--_oder_ Eschenbach, neither?”
”It's got a whole lot to do with it,” Birsky declared. ”It's got everything to do with it; in fact, Barney, if it wouldn't be that I am telling Eschenbach we got a mutual aid society here he wouldn't come round here at all.”
”That's all right,” Zapp said. ”He ain't in the mutual aid society business--he's in the drygoods business, Louis; and so soon as we showed him them changeable taffetas at eight dollars he would quick forget all about mutual aid societies.”
Birsky shook his head emphatically.
”That's where you make a big mistake, Barney,” he replied; and forthwith he unfolded to Zapp a circ.u.mstantial narrative of his encounter with Eschenbach and Finkman at Hammersmith's cafe.
”So you see, Barney,” he continued, ”if we are ever going to do business _mit_ Eschenbach, understand me, for a start the mutual aid society is everything and the changeable taffetas don't figure at all.”
”But I thought you are saying this morning you wouldn't want to do business _mit_ Eschenbach,” Zapp protested.
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