.

As Louis laid down the paper he beckoned to the waiter. "Never mind
that _Kalbfleisch_," he croaked. "Bring me only a tongue sandwich and a
cup coffee. I got to get right back to my store."

By a quarter to six that afternoon the atmosphere of Birsky & Zapp's
office had been sufficiently cleared to permit a relatively calm
discussion of Eschenbach's perfidy.

"That's a _Rosher_ for you--that Eschenbach!" Birsky exclaimed for the
hundredth time. "And mind you, right the way through, that crook knew
he wasn't going to give us no orders yet!

"But," he cried, "we got the crook dead to rights!"

"What d'ye mean, we got him dead to rights?" Zapp inquired listlessly.

"Don't you remember," Birsky went on, "when he hits the _Schlag_ there
yesterday, which injured Golnik and Bogin, he says to us he seen it all
the time where they was standing and he was meaning to hit 'em with the
ball?"

Zapp nodded.

"And don't you remember," Birsky continued, "I says to him did he done
it on purpose, and he said sure he did?"

Zapp nodded again and his listlessness began to disappear.

"Certainly, I remember," he said excitedly, "and he also says to us we
shouldn't think it was an accident at all."

Birsky jumped to his feet to summon the stenographer.

"Then what's the use talking?" he cried. "We would right away write a
letter to Golnik and Bogin they should come down here to-morrow and we
will help 'em out."

"_Aber_ don't you think, if we would say we would help 'em out,
understand me, they would go to work and get an idee maybe we are going
to pay 'em a sick benefit yet?"

"Sick benefit nothing!" Birsky said. "With the sick benefit we are
through already; and if it wouldn't be that the bank is closed,
understand me, I would right away go over to the Kosciusko Bank and
transfer back that five hundred dollars, which I wouldn't take no
chances, even if Feldman did say that without the 'as' the 'Treasurer'
don't go at all."

"Do it to-morrow morning first thing," Zapp advised; "and write Golnik
and Bogin they should come down here at eleven o'clock, y'understand;
so that when they get here, understand me, we could show 'em if they
are going to make a claim against the mutual aid society, Birsky, they
are up against it for fair."

When the two partners arrived at their place of business the following
morning at eight o'clock, however, their plans for the dissolution of
the mutual aid society were temporarily forgotten