enade deck.

"Why, hallo, Abe!" cried a bronzed and bulky figure. "I ain't seen you
for almost a week."

"No?" Abe murmured. "Well, if you would wanted to seen me, Leon, you
knew where you could find me: just below the pantry my stateroom was,
inside. A dawg shouldn't got to live in such a place."

At this juncture Salzman appeared to summon his employer to a game of
auction pinocle in the smoking room, and as Abe started to make a feeble
promenade around the deckhouse he encountered Moe Griesman. After Moe
had taken Abe's hand in a limp clasp he nodded in the direction of the
smoking room.

"What d'ye think of them two suckers?" he croaked. "They ain't missed a
meal since they came aboard."

"What could you expect from a couple of tough propositions like that?"
Abe replied. "Was you sick, Moe?"

"Sick!" Griesman exclaimed. "I give you my word, Abe, last Thursday
night I was so sick that I commenced to figure out already how much I
would of saved in premiums if my insurings policies would be straight
life instead of endowment. No, Abe; this here business of going to Paris
for your styles ain't what it's cracked up to be. Always up to now I got
fine weather crossing, but the way the water has been the last six days,
Abe, I am beginning to think I could get just so good idees of the
season's models right in New York."

"D'ye know, Moe," said Abe, "I'm starting to feel hungry? I wish that
feller with the _shofar_ would come."

Hardly had he spoken when the ship's bugler announced luncheon, but it
was some minutes before Moe could summon up sufficient courage to go
below to the dining saloon, and when they entered they found Leon Sammet
and Hymie Salzman had nearly concluded their meal.

"Steward," Leon shouted as Moe sat down next to him, "bring me a nice
piece of Camembert cheese."

"One moment, Leon," Griesman interrupted; "if you bring that stuff under
my nose here I would never buy from you a dollar's worth more goods so
long as I live!"

"The feller goes too far, Abe," he said, after Leon had cancelled the
order and departed to drink his coffee in the smoking room. "The feller
goes too far. Yesterday afternoon I was sitting on deck, and the way I
felt, Abe, my worst enemy wouldn't got to feel it. Do you believe me,
Abe, that feller got the nerve to offer me a cigar yet! It pretty near
finished me up. He only done it out of spite, Abe, but I fooled him. I
took the cigar and I got it in my pocket right now