when he ran the Up-to-Date Store in
Seattle. Ain't that so, Mr. Berkowitz?"

The smaller man nodded in an embarrassed fashion, while Frank Walsh grew
red and white by turns and looked first at Abe and then at the others in
blank amazement.

"But," Abe went on, "you got to excuse me, Mister--Mister----"

"Small," said the larger man, whereat Morris fairly staggered.

"Mister Small," Abe continued. "You got to excuse me. I don't remember
your name. Won't you come inside?"

"Hold on!" Frank Walsh cried. "These gentlemen are going to lunch with
_me_."

Small turned and fixed Walsh with a glare. "I am going to do what I
please, Mr. Walsh," he said coldly. "If I want to go to lunch I go to
lunch; if I don't that's something else again."

"Oh, I've got lots of time," Walsh explained. "I was just reminding
you, that's all. Wasserbauer's got a few good specialties on his
bill-of-fare that don't improve with waiting."

"All right," Mr. Small said. "If that's the case go ahead and have your
lunch. I won't detain you none."

He put his hand on Abe's shoulder, and the little procession passed into
the store with Abe and Mr. Small in the van, while Frank Walsh
constituted a solitary rear-guard. He sat disconsolately on a pile of
piece goods as the four others went into the show-room.

"Sit down, Mr. Small," Abe said genially. "Mr. Berkowitz, take that easy
chair."

Then Morris produced the "gilt-edged" cigars from the safe, and they all
lit up.

"First thing, Mr. Small," Abe went on, "I should like to know where I
seen you before. Of course, I know you're running a big business in
Walla Walla, Washington, and certainly, too, I know your _face_."

"Sure you know my face, Abe," Mr. Small replied. "But my _name_ ain't
familiar. The last time you seen my face, Abe, was some twenty years
since."

"Twenty years is a long time," Abe commented. "I seen lots of trade in
twenty years."

"Trade you seen it, yes," Mr. Small said, "but I wasn't trade."

He paused and looked straight at Abe. "Think, Abe," he said. "When did
you seen me last?"

Abe gazed at him earnestly and then shook his head. "I give it up," he
said.

"Well, Abe," Mr. Small murmured, "the last time you seen me I went out
to buy ten dollars' worth of schnapps."

"What!" Abe cried.

"But that afternoon there was a sure-thing mare going to start over to
Guttenberg just as I happened to be passing Butch Thompson's old place,
and I no more than got the te