the little place
and groped about in an untidy heap of shoes of all kinds and sizes until
he found several pairs that he thought might fit. These he brought out
and put them in front of his customer. But in spite of his bleary eyes,
the man caught sight of some patches on the uppers of one pair, and
pushed them away from him.

"Give me something better than that. I can pay for it. I don't have to
wear patched shoes," he grunted.

Goldstamm didn't like the looks of the man, but he felt that he had
better be careful and not make him angry. "Have patience, sir, I'll find
you something better," he said gently, tossing the heap about again, but
now keeping his face turned towards his customer.

"I want a coat also and a warm pair of trousers," said the stranger in a
rough voice. He bent down to loosen the shabby boot from his right
foot, and as he did so something fell out of the pocket of his coat. An
unconscious motion of his own raised foot struck this small object and
tossed it into the middle of the heap of shoes close by Goldstamm's
hand. The old man reached out after it and caught it. It was just an
ordinary brown leather pocketbook, of medium size, old and shabby, like
a thousand others. But the eyes of the little old man widened as if in
terror, his face turned pale and his hands trembled. For he had seen,
hanging from one side of this worn brown leather pocketbook, the end of
a yellow thread, the loosened end of the thread with which one side of
the purse was mended. The thread told David Goldstamm who it was that
had come into his shop.

He regained his control with a desperate effort of the will. It took him
but a few seconds to do so, and, thanks to his partial intoxication,
the customer had not noticed the shopkeeper's start of alarm. But he
appeared anxious and impatient to regain possession of his purse.

"Haven't you found it yet?" he exclaimed.

Goldstamm hastened to give it back. The tramp put the purse in his
pocket with a sigh of relief. Goldstamm had regained his calm and his
mind was working eagerly. He put several pairs of shoes before his
customer, with the remark: "You must try them on. We'll find something
to suit you. And meanwhile I will bring in several pairs of trousers
from those outside. I have some fine coats to show you too."

Goldstamm went out to the door, almost colliding there with his
assistant who was coming in with his arm full of garments. The old man
motioned to the boy, wh