o that noon had
departed for his home in western Pennsylvania. Hence Louis attacked a
dish of _gefuellte Rinderbrust_ with so much ardour that he failed to
notice the presence at an adjoining table of Jonas Eschenbach, the
philanthropic drygoods merchant; and it was not until Louis had sopped
up the last drop of gravy and leaned back in voluptuous contemplation
of ordering his dessert that the strident tones of Charles Finkman,
senior member of Finkman & Maisener, attracted his attention.

"Why, how do you do, Mr. Eschenbach?" Finkman cried. "What brings you
to New York?"

"I got to do some additional spring buying the same like every other
drygoods merchant," Eschenbach replied. "You've no idee what elegant
weather we got it out on the Lakes this spring. Spring styles was
selling like hot cakes in March already; and our store employees'
association held a picnic the first Sunday in April which we beat the
tar out of a nine from a furniture factory--five to four in a
ten-inning game."

"Is that a fact?" Finkman said. "_Aber_ how does it come that you are
lunching alone, Mr. Eschenbach?"

"Adelstern was coming with me," Eschenbach replied, "but at the last
minute he had to attend the weekly luncheon of his cutting staff. It's
wonderful the way that feller has got his workpeople organized, Mr.
Finkman! He's a very enlightened merchant, with a lot of very fine
idees for the welfare of his employees. And you can well believe it,
Mr. Finkman, goods made under such ideel conditions are very attractive
to me. I've been a customer of Adelstern's for many years now; and
sometimes, if he ain't got exactly what I am looking for, I take the
next best thing from him. I believe in encouraging idees like
Adelstern's--especially when he is got a very nifty little ball team in
his society, too."

If there was one quality above all others upon which Charles Finkman
prided himself it was his philanthropy; and as a philanthropist he
yielded precedence to nobody. Indeed, his name graced the title pages
of as many institutional reports as there were orphan asylums,
hospitals, and homes appurtenant to his religious community within the
boundaries of Greater New York; for both he and his partner had long
since discovered that as an advertising medium the annual report of a
hospital is superior to an entire year's issue of a trade journal, and
the cost is distinctly lower. The idea that philanthropy among one's
own employees could promot