, and
sooner or later he busts up on you; and that's the way it goes."

"You shouldn't worry yourself, Kleiman," Morris cried, turning around in
his chair. "Felix Geigermann ain't going to fail just yet a while."

"Me worry?" Kleiman retorted. "For my part, Felix Geigermann could fail
to-morrow yet; he don't owe me one cent, nor never would. I ain't
looking to sell no goods to fiddlers, Perlmutter. I am dealing only with
merchants."

"Furthermore," Morris went on, "if Felix Geigermann hears it you are
making a break like this--that he's going to fail yet, and all sorts of
crooks you are calling him, Kleiman--he would sue you in the courts for
a hundred thousand dollars yet. From a big mouth a feller could get
himself into a whole lot of trouble."

Kleiman scrambled hastily to his feet and seized his hat.

"What are you talking nonsense, Perlmutter?" he exclaimed. "I ain't said
nothing out of the way about Geigermann. You are the one what's putting
the words into my mouth already. Did you ever hear anything like it!--I
am saying Geigermann is going to fail? An idee! I never said nothing of
the kind. All I am saying is what is right here in the paper, black on
white; and if you don't believe me you could read it for yourself."

He handed the paper to Morris; and, as the latter commenced to read over
the Geigermann paragraph, Kleiman and his friends slunk hurriedly out of
the restaurant. For nearly half an hour Morris pored over the newspaper;
then he choked down the sandwich and swallowed the coffee, which by this
time was cold.

* * * * *

"Admitting I am only your partner, Mawruss," Abe began as Morris entered
the showroom a few minutes later, "don't I got to eat too? And in the
second place, Mawruss, if you got to make a hog of yourself, do it at
dinner-time at home, because when a feller takes up a whole hour having
his lunch, Mawruss, he naturally stuffs himself so full that he ain't no
good for the rest of the day."

A lump in Morris's throat, which may or may not have been the tongue
sandwich, prevented him from replying; but at last he swallowed it and,
after removing his hat and coat, he carefully unfolded the paper.

"Don't hurry out to lunch, Abe," he said. "I could save you money. I got
something to tell you which it would take away your appetite so you
wouldn't want even a cup coffee."

Abe paused with his hand on the hatrack.

"What d'ye mean?" he demanded.

"I