e, Aaron," Uncle Mosha said; "but I
wouldn't lie to you anyhow. Eight thousand is the figure."

"Then all I could say is, Uncle Mosha, before you would got to go
begging on the streets yet, you would better sell that house and come to
live with me up in Port Sullivan."

Uncle Mosha shrugged once more.

"I'll tell you the truth, Aaron," he said; "I was going to suggest that
to you myself yet. So let's go right off and see this here Perlmutter
and we'll talk about Port Sullivan later."

"Not by a damsite," Aaron declared, as he rose from his chair and
grasped his uncle firmly by the arm. "You come with me and we'll sell
this house to a feller I know."

* * * * *

When Max Gershon entered the salesroom of Potash & Perlmutter that
afternoon, Abe treated the incident as though it were the arrival of an
intimate friend after an absence of many years' duration.

"How are you feeling now, Max?" he said, and then he introduced his
partner. "Mawruss," he called, "this is my friend, Mr. Max Gershon. Get
the cigars from the safe, Mawruss."

After he had relieved his visitor of his hat and coat he drew forward a
comfortable chair and literally thrust Max into it.

"Well, Max," Abe said, after the cigars had gone around, "I sure am glad
to see you. Mawruss, don't he look like his uncle, old man Baum?"

Morris regarded Max critically for a moment.

"Old man Baum was a pretty good-looking feller, Abe," he said, "but he
wasn't so tall as Mr. Gershon; otherwise they are the same identical
people."

"Never mind his looks," Max said, beaming. "If I should have only his
business ability I would be satisfied."

"He made plenty money in his time," Morris commented.

"Yes, and lost it again too," Max added; "but what's the use talking?
Money I ain't in need of exactly, y'understand."

"You need goods, Max," Abe said. "Is that it?"

"Well, I do and I don't, Abe," Max replied. "The fact is, Abe, I got a
good business down in Johnsville, but I couldn't extend it none on
account the place ain't big enough. Former times that was all cattle
country around there, and now it's all truck farms and cotton, and what
sort of business could a drygoods merchant do with cotton hands? Ain't I
right?"

Abe nodded.

"I tell you the honest truth, Abe," Max continued. "I would like to sell
out and come North. I got an idee if I would find some hustling young
feller up here which he got a good department store-