. Honestly, Birsky, such a
mean lot of salespeople which I got it in Cordova, y'understand, you
wouldn't believe at all. They are all the time at doggerheads with me."

"It's the same thing with us here, Mr. Feigenbaum," Birsky said. "Why,
would you believe it, Mr. Feigenbaum, just before you come in,
understand me, Golnik is trying to hold us up we should donate five
hundred dollars for an employees' mutual benefit society!"

Henry Feigenbaum pursed his lips as he listened to Birsky.

"I hope," he said in harsh tones, "you turned 'em down, Birsky."

Birsky nodded.

"I bet yer I did," he replied fervently, "like a shot already."

"Because," Feigenbaum continued, "if any concern which I am dealing
with starts any such foolishness as that, Birsky, I wouldn't buy from
them a dollar's worth more goods so long as I live--and that's all
there is to it."

"We ain't got no such idee in our head at all," Zapp assured him almost
tearfully. "Why, if you would hear the way we jumped on Golnik for
suggesting it even, you wouldn't think the feller would work for us any
more."

"I'm glad to know it," Feigenbaum said. "Us business men has got to
stick together, Zapp, and keep charity where it belongs, understand me;
otherwise we wouldn't know whether we are running businesses _oder_
hospitals _mit_ lodgeroom annexes, the way them employees' aid
societies is springing up."

He rose to his feet and took off his hat and coat, preparatory to going
over Birsky & Zapp's sample line.

"What we want in towns like Bridgetown and Cordova is less charities
and more asphalt pavements," he declared. "Every time a feller comes in
the store, Birsky, I couldn't tell whether he is a collector for a
hospital _oder_ a wagon shop. My delivery system costs me a fortune for
repairs already, the pavements is so rotten."

Zapp clucked his tongue sympathetically.

"If it ain't one thing it's another," he said; "so, if you're ready to
look over the rest of our line, Mr. Feigenbaum, I could assure you the
first operator which he is going into a mutual aid society here gets
fired on the spot, Mr. Feigenbaum. We would start showing you these
here washable poplins, which is genuine bargains at one seventy-five
apiece."

* * * * *

When Louis Birsky seated himself in Hammersmith's restaurant at one
o'clock that afternoon his appetite had been sharpened by a
two-thousand dollar order from Henry Feigenbaum, wh