tion?" Marks asked cautiously.

"Well, no, I ain't seen it, but I heard it on good authority, Mr.
Marks," he said, and allowed himself two bars' rest, as the musicians
say, for the phrase to sink in.

"Yes, Mr. Marks, on good authority I heard it that Potash pays five
hundred dollars for a two-weeks' option at forty-seven thousand five
hundred dollars."

"Forty-seven thousand five hundred dollars?" Marks said with a rising
inflection.

"Forty-seven thousand five hundred," Morris replied blandly, "and I
guess he got a pretty cheap house, too."

"Well, I ain't got the same opinion what you got," Marks retorted. "I
got an opinion, Mr. Perlmutter, that your partner pays a thousand
dollars too much for his house."

"Is that so?" Morris replied, and then and there began a three-hours'
session which terminated when they struck a bargain at forty-seven
thousand dollars. Ten minutes later Marks left with a written memorandum
of the terms of sale on his person while Morris pocketed a similar
memorandum and fifty dollars earnest money.

The next morning an executory contract of sale was signed in Henry D.
Feldman's office, and precisely two weeks later Mr. Marks took title to
Morris' property which, after deducting all expenditures, netted its
builder a profit of almost two thousand dollars. This sum Morris
deposited to the credit of the firm account of Potash & Perlmutter, and
hardly had the certified check been dispatched to the Kosciusko Bank
when the door opened and Rashkin and Ferdy Rothschild burst into the
show-room.

"Bloodsucker!" Rashkin cried, shaking his fist under Abe's nose. "What
for you didn't take up your option?"

Abe stepped back hurriedly and put a sample table between himself and B.
Rashkin.

"Must I take it up the option?" he said calmly. "Couldn't I let you keep
it the four hundred dollars if I wanted to?"

Rashkin looked at Ferdy Rothschild.

"That's a fine murderer for you. What?" he exclaimed.

"Him, I ain't surprised about," Ferdy Rothschild replied, "but when a
feller should do his own wife's brother out of a commission of four
hundred and sixty-five dollars, Rashkin, what a heart he must have it.
Like a piece of steel."

"Don't talk that way, Ferdy," Morris commented, without emotion. "You
make me feel bad. I got lots of consideration for you, Ferdy, after the
way you treated me already. Yes, Ferdy, I think a whole lot of you,
Ferdy. You could come to me with your tongue hanging out