ied; "but Gussarow says
that of course he don't know nothing about the other material men, but
when he sends the bill to you he also sends the same bill to Rashkin,
and when you send him a check for your bill, Ferdy Rothschild gets five
per cent. Also Rashkin sends Gussarow a check for his bill with five
per cent. discount, and Ferdy Rothschild _schmiers_ Rashkin a
twenty-dollar note, and that's the way it goes."

Morris sat down in the nearest chair and blinked helplessly at Abe.

"What do you think for a couple of crooks like that, Abe?" he croaked.

"What do I think, Mawruss?" Abe repeated. "I think that one of 'em is a
brother-in-law, Mawruss, and the other is a real estater, Mawruss, and
that's a bad combination."

"But I could make 'em arrested, Abe?" Morris declared, "and, by jimminy,
I will do it, too."

Abe shrugged.

"You couldn't do that, Mawruss," he said, "because in the first place,
Mawruss, your Minnie wouldn't stand for it; and in the second place,
them two fellers would fix up a fine story between 'em and the judge
would let 'em go. And then, Mawruss, they would turn around and go to
work and sue you for false arresting; and the first thing you know,
Mawruss, it would stand you in a couple of thousand dollars more."

Morris nodded sadly.

"I believe you're right, Abe," he murmured.

"Sure, I'm right, Mawruss," Abe said; "and also, Mawruss, while I
wouldn't want to say nothing to make you feel worse already, I got to
say, Mawruss, that if you would believe I was right six months ago yet,
you wouldn't got to believe I was right now."

Morris nodded again. He was thoroughly crushed, and he looked so
appealingly at his partner that Abe was unable to withhold his comfort
and advice.

"Lookyhere, Mawruss," he said, "a feller's got to make a mistake
sometimes. Ain't it? And if he didn't get stuck for a couple of thousand
dollars oncet in a while he wouldn't know the value of his money. Ain't
it? But as this thing stands now, Mawruss, I got an idee you ain't stuck
so bad as what you think."

"No?" Morris said. "Why ain't I, Abe?"

"Well, Mawruss, I'll tell you," Abe began, with no clear conception of
how he would finish. "You know me, Mawruss; I ain't a feller what's got
a whole lot to say for myself, but I ain't got such bad judgment,
neither, Mawruss."

"I seen fellers with worser judgment as you, Abe," Morris said.

Abe could not forbear a stare of astonishment at this grudging
admission.