"I should never stir from this here chair, Mr. Polatkin," Markulies
protested, "and my mother also, which I am sending her to
Kalvaria--regular like clockwork--ten dollars a month, she should
never walk so far from here _bis_ that door, if that _ganef_ didn't
come in here last night and make away with the garments!"

"_Koosh!_" Polatkin bellowed, and made a threatening gesture toward
Markulies just as Scheikowitz stepped forward.

"That'll do, Polatkin," he said. "If the feller lies we could easy prove
it--ain't it? In the first place, where is Elkan?"

"He must of been sick this morning on account he ain't here yet,"
Polatkin said.

"_Schon gut_," Scheikowitz rejoined; "if he ain't here he ain't here,
_verstehst du_, _aber_ he is boarding with Mrs. Feinermann, which her
husband is Kupferberg Brothers' foreman--ain't it?"

Polatkin nodded and Scheikowitz turned to Markulies.

"Markulies," he said, "do me the favour and stop that! You are making me
dizzy the way you are acting. Furthermore, Markulies, you should put on
right away your hat and run over to Kupferberg Brothers' and say to Mr.
B. Kupferberg you are coming from Polatkin & Scheikowitz, and ask him is
he agreeable he should let Marx Feinermann come over and see us--and if
he wants to know what for tell him we want to get from him a
recommendation for a feller which is working for us."

He turned to his partner as Markulies started for the stairway.

"And a helluva recommendation we would get from him, too, I bet yer!" he
added. "Wasserbauer tells me Elkan was in his place yesterday, and,
though he don't watch every bit of food a customer puts into his mouth,
understand me, he says that he eats dill pickles one right after the
other; and then, Polatkin, the young feller gets right up and walks
right out of the place without giving any order even. Wasserbauer says
he knows it was Elkan because one day I am sending him over to look for
you there. Wasserbauer asks him the simple question what he wants you
for, and right away Elkan acts fresh to him like anything."

"He done right to act fresh," Polatkin said as they walked back to the
showroom. "What is it Wasserbauer's business what you want me for?"

"But how comes a young feller like him to be eating at Wasserbauer's?"
Scheikowitz continued. "Where does he get the money from he should eat
there?"

"The fact is"--said Flaxberg, who up to this point had remained a silent
listener to the entire contro