is. Not only he wouldn't fire you, Louis, but I bet yer he
gives you a raise even."

Louis nodded despairingly.

"A couple of kidders like you and Mr. Maikafer ain't got no regards for
nobody," he said. "Maybe it is a joke for you and Mr. Maikafer that I
get fired, Mr. Feinsilver, but for me not, I could assure you."

"I ain't kidding you, Louis," Simon declared. "Keep a good face on you,
Louis, and don't let on I said something to you. But you could take it
from me, Louis, comes three o'clock this afternoon you should go to the
boss and say you are ready to quit. Then the boss says no, you should
stay."

"Yow! He would say that!" Louis said bitterly.

"Surest thing you know, Louis," Simon rejoined solemnly. "Me and Max
will fix it sure. And after the boss says you should stay you tell him
no, you guess you wouldn't. Tell him you know lots of people would hire
you right away at two dollars a week more, and I bet yer he would be
crazy to make you stay; and if he wouldn't pay you the two dollars a
week more I would, so sure I am he would give it to you."

It was then that Trinkmann returned to the cashier's desk, and Louis
moved slowly away just as the telephone bell rang sharply. Trinkmann
jerked the receiver from the hook and delivered himself of an explosive
"Hallo."

"Hallo," said a bass voice; "is this Mr. Trinkmann?"

"Yep," Trinkmann replied.

"I would like to speak a few words something to a waiter which is
working for you, by the name Louis Berkfield," the voice continued.

Instantly Trinkmann's mind reverted to Maikafer's parting words.

"Who is it wants to talk with him?" he asked.

"It don't make no difference," said the voice, "because he wouldn't
recognize my name at all."

"No?" Trinkmann retorted. "Well, maybe he would and maybe he wouldn't,
Mr. Ringentaub; but people which they got the gall to ring up my
waiters and steal 'em away from me in business hours yet, Mr.
Ringentaub, all I could say is that it ain't surprising they busted up
in Brownsville. Furthermore, Mr. Ringentaub, if you think you could
hire one of them stores acrosst the street and open up a _gemuetlicher_
place with Louis for a waiter, y'understand, go ahead and try, but you
couldn't do it over _my_ 'phone."

He hung up the receiver so forcibly that the impact threw down eight
boxes of the finest cigars.

"Louis," he shouted, and in response Louis approached from the back of
the restaurant.

"I am here, Mr. Trinkmann,