n," Feinsilver
said, "and if you did got 'em I would wait for Louis anyway."

He closed the discussion by spearing half a dill pickle with a fork and
inserting it endwise in his mouth. Hardly had the metal tines touched
his lips, however, than he hastily disgorged the pickle and uttered a
resounding "T'phoo-ee!"

"What are you trying to do here to me, Trinkmann?" he demanded. "Poison
me?"

He dipped his napkin into the glass of water that stood on the table
and performed an elaborate prophylaxis about his mouth and teeth.

"What d'ye mean, poison you?" Trinkmann cried.

"Why, there is something here on the fork," Simon declared.

"Let me see," Trinkmann said, advancing to the table; "might it be some
Bismarck herring, maybe."

"Bismarck herring ain't poison," Feinsilver said, examining the fork
closely. "Bismarck herring never harmed nobody, Trinkmann; but this
here fork has got poison onto it."

He turned it over in his hand and sniffed at it suspiciously.

"Why, bless my soul," he roared. "Somebody has been cleaning it with
polishing powder."

"Well, suppose they did?" Trinkmann said calmly.

"Suppose they did!" Simon exclaimed. "Why, don't you know you should
never clean with polishing powder something which it could touch a
person's lips? A friend of mine, by the name Lambdan, once puts his
cigar onto an ashtray which they are cleaning it with this powder, and
the widder sues in the courts the feller that runs the restaurant for
ten thousand dollars yet. From just putting the cigar in his mouth he
gets some of the powder on his tongue, Trinkmann, and in two hours,
understand me, he turned black all over. It ruined the restaurant
man--a decent, respectable feller by the name Lubliner. His mother was
Max Maikafer's cousin."

Trinkmann grew pale and started for the kitchen.

"Albert," he said huskily, "take from the tables the ashtrays and the
forks and tell that pantryman he should wash 'em off right away in
boiling water."

He followed Albert, and after he had seen that his instructions were
obeyed he returned to the desk. In the meantime Simon had engaged Louis
in earnest conversation.

"Louis," Simon said, "I am just seeing Max Maikafer, and he says you
shouldn't worry, because you wouldn't lose your job at all."

"No?" Louis replied. "What for I wouldn't? I am going to get fired this
afternoon sure, three o'clock."

"Never mind," Simon declared, "you shouldn't let him make you no
bluffs, Lou