iece, y'understand, so long as he pays up on the first two, he
couldn't eat up their profits if he would bust up on 'em _mit_ the
third."

"Sure I know," Elkan said, "_aber_ I ain't going down to Egremont for
business, Mr. Scheikowitz, I'm going because it ain't so warm down
there."

"_Schmooes_, Elkan!" Scheikowitz retorted. "It wouldn't make it not one
degrees warmer in Egremont supposing you could get a couple new accounts
down there."

"B. Gans don't take it so particular about the weather," Polatkin
commented. "I bet yer he would a whole lot sooner take off his coat and
shirt and _spiel_ a little auction pinocle _mit_ Sol Klinger and Leon
Sammet and all them fellers as be giving dinners already in a tuxedo
suit to Sam Feder. I bet yer he gets a fine accommodation from the
Kosciusko Bank out of that dinner yet."

"The other people also he ain't _schencking_ no dinners to 'em for
nothing neither," Scheikowitz declared. "Every one of 'em means
something to B. Gans, I bet yer."

Elkan nodded.

"Particularly Scharley," he said.

"What d'ye mean, particularly Scharley?" Polatkin and Scheikowitz
inquired with one voice.

"Why, ain't you heard about Scharley?" Elkan asked. "It's right there in
the _Daily Cloak and Suit Journal_."

He indicated the front sheet of that newsy trade paper, where under the
heading of "Incorporations" appeared the following item:

The Scharley, Oderburg Drygoods Company, San Francisco, Cal.,
has filed articles of incorporation, giving its capital stock
as $500,000, and expects to open its new store in September
next.

"And you are talking about staying by Mrs. Kotlin's!" Scheikowitz
exclaimed in injured tones. "You should ought to be ashamed of yourself,
Elkan."

Elkan received his senior partner's upbraiding with a patient smile.

"What show do we stand against a concern like B. Gans?" he asked.

"B. Gans sells him only highgrade goods, Elkan," Scheikowitz declared.
"I bet yer the least the feller buys is for twenty thousand dollars
garments here, and a good half would be popular price lines, which if we
would get busy, we stand an elegant show there, Elkan."

"You should ought to go down there to-morrow yet," Polatkin cried,
"because the first thing you know Leon Sammet would entertain him _mit_
oitermobiles yet, and Sol Klinger gets also busy, understand me, and the
consequences is we wouldn't be in it at all."

"Next Saturday is the earliest Yetta could