operty what I just bought, and I understand he tried to sell the
property for the feller what I bought it from."

Abe took the option from his breast pocket and opened it on his knee,
while Mr. Marks glanced at it furtively, not unnoticed by Abe, who aided
his companion's inspection by spreading out the paper until its contents
were plainly visible.

"Why!" Mr. Marks cried. "Why, that is the house what this here
Rothschild said he would sell it me."

Abe looked up sharply.

"You don't say so?" he said. "How could he sell you that house when I
got this here option on it this morning for forty-eight thousand
dollars?"

"Forty-eight thousand dollars!" Mr. Marks exclaimed. "Why, he says I
could buy it for forty-six thousand dollars."

Abe laughed with forced politeness.

"Well, if you could of got it for forty-six thousand you should of took
it," he said. "I want forty-nine thousand for it."

It was now Mr. Marks' turn to laugh.

"You couldn't get forty-nine thousand for that house," he said, "if the
window-panes was diamonds already."

"No?" Abe retorted. "Well, then, I'll keep it, Mister----"

"Marks," suggested Mr. Marks.

"Marks," Abe went on. "I'll keep it, Mr. Marks, until I can get it, so
sure as my name is Abe Potash."

"Of Potash & Perlmutter?" Mr. Marks asked.

"That's my name," Abe said.

"Why, then, your partner owns yet the house next door!" Mr. Marks cried.

"That ain't no news to me, Mr. Marks," Abe said. "In fact, he built that
house, Mr. Marks, and I got so tired hearing about the way that house
rents and how much money he is going to get out of it that I bought the
place next door myself."

"But ain't that a funny thing that one partner should build a house and
the other partner shouldn't have nothing to do with it?" Mr. Marks
commented.

"We was partners in cloaks, Mr. Marks, not in houses," Abe explained.
"And I had my chance to go in with him and I was a big fool I didn't
took it."

Mr. Marks rose to his feet.

"Well, all I can say is," he rejoined, "if I got it a partner and we was
to consider a proposition of building, Mr. Potash, we would go it
together, not separate."

"Yes, Mr. Marks," Abe agreed, "if you had it a partner, Mr. Marks, that
would be something else again, but the partner what _I_ got it, Mr.
Marks, you got no idee what an independent feller that is. I can assure
you, Mr. Marks, that feller don't let me know nothing what he is doing
outside of our business.