the kind what
wears diamonds. I leave that to sports like Hymie Kotzen."

Nevertheless, he placed the ring on the third finger of his left hand,
with the stone turned in, and carefully wrapping up the pin in
tissue-paper he placed it in his waistcoat pocket. The next day was
Wednesday, and he screwed the pin into his shirt-front underneath a
four-in-hand scarf. On Thursday he wore the ring with the stone exposed,
and on Friday he discarded the four-in-hand scarf for a bow tie and
shamelessly flaunted both ring and pin.

"Mawruss," Abe commented on Saturday, "must you stick out your little
finger when you smoke it a cigar?"

"Habits what I was born with, Abe," Morris replied. "I can't help it
none."

"Maybe you was born with a diamond ring on your little finger. What?"
Abe jeered.

Morris glared at his partner.

"If you think that I enjoy it wearing that ring, Abe," he declared, "you
are much mistaken. You got us to take these here diamonds, Abe, and if
they got stole on us, Abe, we are not only out the thousand dollars, but
we would also got to pay it so much more as Hymie Kotzen would sue us
for in the courts. I got to wear this here ring, Abe, and that's all
there is to it."

He walked away to the rear of the store with the air of a martyr, while
Abe gazed after him in silent admiration.

Two weeks sped quickly by, during which Morris safeguarded the diamonds
with the utmost zest and enjoyment, and at length the settling day
arrived. Morris was superintending the unpacking of piece goods in the
cutting-room when Abe darted upstairs.

"Mawruss," he hissed, "Hymie Kotzen is downstairs."

By a feat of legerdemain that a conjurer might have envied, Morris
transferred the pin and ring to his waistcoat pocket and followed Abe to
the show-room.

"Well, Hymie," Morris cried, "we thought you would be prompt on the day.
Ain't it?"

Hymie smiled a sickly smirk in which there was as little mirth as there
was friendliness.

"You got another think coming," Hymie replied.

"What d'ye mean?" Morris exclaimed.

"I'm up against it, boys," Hymie explained. "I expected to get it a
check for two thousand from Heller, Blumenkrohn this morning."

"And didn't it come?" Abe asked.

"Sure it come," Hymie replied, "but it was only sixteen hundred and
twenty dollars. They claim it three hundred and eighty dollars for
shortage in delivery, so I returned 'em the check."

"You returned 'em the check, Hymie?" Morris cried.