nded.

"Rolls is all out," she said. "I'll have to give you white bread."

"All right," Abe replied.

"Did you say Swiss cheese or store cheese?" she inquired mildly.

"Tongue!" Abe and B. Rashkin roared with one voice.

"Well, don't get mad about it," the waitress cried, as she whisked away
toward the coffee urns.

"I'll tell you the truth, Mr. Potash," B. Rashkin continued. "I give
that house to a number of real estaters, already, and I'm considering a
good offer from a feller what Ferdy Rothschild brings me. The feller
makes me a fine offer, Mr. Potash, only he wants me to take back a
second mortgage of five thousand dollars; and I told Ferdy Rothschild if
he could get his customer to make it all cash above a second mortgage of
three thousand dollars I would consider it. Ferdy says he expects his
customer in to see him this afternoon, already, and he will let me know
before I go home to-night."

In this rare instance B. Rashkin was undergoing the novel experience of
speaking the truth only slightly modified, for that very morning Ferdy
Rothschild had produced a purchaser who was willing to pay forty-six
thousand dollars for Rashkin's house. This deal the purchaser proposed
to consummate by taking the property subject to a first mortgage of
thirty-three thousand dollars, by executing a second mortgage of seven
thousand dollars, and by paying the six thousand balance of the purchase
price in cash.

B. Rashkin had told Ferdy that if the customer would agree to pay eight
thousand five hundred dollars in cash and to reduce the second mortgage
proportionately, the deal would be closed; and Ferdy had promised to let
him know during the afternoon.

"Lookyhere, Rashkin," Abe said at length, "what's the use beating bushes
around? You know as well as I do that me and my partner don't get along
well together, and I would like to teach that sucker a lesson that he
shouldn't monkey no more with real estate, y'understand. I'll tell you
right now, Rashkin, I would be willing to lose maybe a couple hundred
dollars if I could get that house from you and sell it to the feller
what makes the offer to Mawruss Perlmutter."

"You and Perlmutter must be pretty good friends together," Rashkin
commented. "But, anyhow, I am perfectly willing to help you all I can,
because when a feller practically calls you a bloodsucker and a
horse-thief, Mr. Potash, naturally you don't feel too friendly toward
him. But one thing I _got_ to say, M