you the mortgage you must got to
make not a will but a deed which you deed the house to the Bella
Hirshkind Home, keeping for yourself all the income from the house for
your life, because otherwise if a man makes a will he could always make
another will, _aber_ once you give a deed it is fixed _und fertig_."

This ultimatum was the result of a conference between Belz and his
counsel the previous evening, and he had timed its announcement to the
moment when he deemed his victim to be sufficiently intimidated.
Nevertheless, the shock of its disclosure spurred the drooping Rudnik
to a fresh outburst.

"What!" he shouted. "I should drive myself out of my house for a lot of
widders!"

"_Koosh!_" Schindelberger bellowed. "They ain't all widders. Two of 'em
is old maids, Rudnik, and even if they would be all widders you must
got to do as Mr. Belz says, otherwise you would drive yourself out of
your house anyway. Because in these times not only you couldn't raise
no new second mortgage on the house, but if Lesengeld and Belz
forecloses on you the house would hardly bring in auction the amount of
the first mortgage even."

Rudnik sat back in his chair and plucked at his scant gray beard. He
recognized the force of Schindelberger's argument and deemed it the
part of discretion to temporize with his mortgagees.

"Why didn't you told me there is a couple old maids up there?" he said
to Schindelberger. "Old maids is horses of another colour; so come on,
Mr. Schindelberger, do me the favour and go up with me so I could
anyhow see the Home first."

He slid out of his chair and smiled at Schindelberger, who stared
frigidly in return.

"You got a big idee of yourself, Rudnik, I must say," he commented.
"What do you think, I ain't got nothing better to do as escort you up
to the Bella Hirshkind Home?"

"Rudnik is right, Schindelberger," Lesengeld said; "you should ought to
show him the Home before he leaves his house to it."

"I would show him nothing," Schindelberger cried. "Here is my card to
give to the superintendent, and all he is got to do is to go up on the
subway from the bridge. Get off at Bronix Park and take a Mount Vernon
car to Ammerman Avenue. Then you walk six blocks east and follow the
New Haven tracks toward the trestle. The Home is the first house you
come to. You couldn't miss it."

Rudnik took the card and started for the door, while Belz nodded sadly
at his partner.

"And you are kicking I am cranky ye