s," he said; "but with me, Gans, so long as a salesman could sell
goods I don't take it so particular when it comes right down to the
expense account."

"Oh, if they sell goods, Potash," Gans agreed, "then that's something
else again. But the way business is to-day, Potash, salesmen don't sell
goods no more. Former times a salesman wasn't considered a salesman
unless he could sell a customer goods what the customer didn't want; but
nowadays it don't make no difference what kind of salesman you hire it,
Potash, the goods is got to sell themselves, otherwise the salesman
can't do no business. Ain't it?"

"But take a salesman like Marks Pasinsky, for instance," Abe said.
"There's a feller what can sell goods. Ain't it?"

B. Gans looked up sharply.

"Did Marks Pasinsky send you here?" he asked.

"Well, he give you as a reference," Abe replied.

"All right," B. Gans continued. "You tell Marks Pasinsky from me
that I says he's a good salesman and that why he left me was by
mutual consent."

"Sure," Abe said, "but I wanted to ask you more about Pasinsky. You see,
Pasinsky wants to come to work by us as salesman, and I want to find out
a few things about him first."

"Well, I'm just telling you, ain't I?" Gans replied. "I said Marks
Pasinsky was a good salesman and the reason why he left me was by mutual
consent; and you tell Pasinsky that that's what I said it, and if you'll
excuse me I got business to attend to."

He turned away and fairly ran toward the rear of the loft, while Abe,
now thoroughly mystified, returned to his place of business.

"Well, Abe," Morris cried as his partner entered. "What for a reference
did you get it from B. Gans?"

"The reference is all right, Mawruss," Abe replied. "B. Gans says that
Pasinsky is a good salesman and that the reason he left was by mutual
consent."

"Mutual consent?" Morris exclaimed. "What kind of reasons is that for
firing a feller?"

"Gans didn't fire him, Mawruss," Abe said. "He left by mutual consent."

"I know, Abe," Morris rejoined, "but when a feller quits by mutual
consent you know as well as I do, Abe, what that means. It means that
if I should say to Jake, the shipping clerk, 'Jake, you are a rotten
shipping clerk and I don't want you no more, and if you don't get right
out of here I will kick you out,' and then Jake says to me, 'In that
case you could take your dirty job and give it to some poor sucker what
wants it more as I do,' then Jake quits by mu