he make a go of it, Abe?"

"Well, Mawruss, it was the same trouble with him like with some other
people, I know," Abe replied significantly. "He was a good manufacturer
but a poor salesman; and you know as well as I do, Mawruss, any fool
could make up an article, Mawruss, but it takes a feller with judgment
to sell it."

CHAPTER XVII

"Did the sponger send up them doctors yet?" said Morris with a far-away
look in his bloodshot eyes, as he entered his place of business at half
past seven one morning in March.

"Doctors?" Abe repeated. "What are you talking about--doctors?"

Morris snapped his fingers impatiently.

"Doctors! Hear me talk!" he cried. "I meant kerseys."

"Listen here, Mawruss," Abe suggested. "What's the use you monkeying
with business to-day? Why don't you go home?"

"Me, I don't take things so particular, Abe," Morris replied. "Time
enough when I got to go home, then I will go home."

"You could do what you please, Mawruss," Abe declared. "We ain't so busy
now that you couldn't be spared, y'understand. With spring weather like
we got it now, Mawruss, we could better sell arctic overshoes and
raincoats as try to get rid of our line already. I tell you the truth,
Mawruss, I ain't seen business so _schlecht_ since way before the
Spanish War already."

"We could always find _something_ to do, Abe," said Morris. "Why don't
you tell Miss Cohen to get out them statements which you was talking
about?"

"That's a good idee, Mawruss," Abe agreed. "Half the time we don't know
where we are at at all. Big concerns get out what they call a balancing
sheet every day yet, and we are lucky if we do it oncet a year already.
How long do you think it would take her to finish 'em up, Mawruss?"

The far-away look returned to Morris' eyes as he replied. "I am waiting
for a telephone every minute, Abe," he said.

Abe stared indignantly at his partner, then he took a cigar out of his
waistcoat pocket and handed it to Morris.

"Go and sit down and smoke this, Mawruss," he said. "Leon Sammet gives
it to me in the subway this morning, and if it's anything like them
souvenirs which he hands it out to his customers, it'll make you forget
your troubles, Mawruss. The last time I smoked one, I couldn't remember
nothing for a week."

Morris carefully cut off the end of Abe's gift with a penknife, but when
he struck a match the telephone bell rang sharply. Immediately he threw
the cigar and the lighted match to t