a partner?' he says.
So I says to him: 'Zamp,' I says, 'here is a young feller which he is
going to get married to a young lady by the name Miss Babette Schick.'"

"She ain't so young no longer," Meiselson broke in ungallantly.

"'By the name Miss Babette Schick,'" Shimko continued, recognizing the
interruption with a malevolent glare, "'which she got, anyhow, a couple
thousand dollars,' I says; 'and for her sake and for my sake,' I says,
'if I would bring the young feller around here, would you consent to
look him over?' And he says for my sake he would consent to do it, but
we shouldn't go around there till next week."

"All right," Meiselson said; "if you are so dead anxious I should do
so, I would go around next week."

"Say, lookyhere, Meiselson," Shimko burst out angrily, "don't do me no
favours! Do you or do you not want to go into a good business? Because,
if you don't, say so, and I wouldn't bother my head further."

"Sure I do," Meiselson said.

"Then I want to tell you something," Shimko continued. "We wouldn't
wait till next week at all. With the business that feller does, delays
is dangerous. If we would wait till next week, some one offers him a
good price and buys him out, maybe. To-morrow afternoon, two o'clock,
you and me goes over to his store, understand me, and we catches him
unawares. Then you could see for yourself what a business that feller
is doing."

Meiselson shrugged.

"I am agreeable," he said.

"Because," Shimko went on, thoroughly aroused by Meiselson's apathy,
"if you're such a fool that you don't know it, Meiselson, I must got to
tell you. Wunst in a while, if a business man is going to get a feller
for partner, when he knows the feller is coming around to look the
business over, he plants phony customers round the store, and makes it
show up like it was a fine business, when in reality he is going to
bust up right away."

"So?" Meiselson commented, and Shimko glared at him ferociously.

"You don't appreciate what I am doing for you at all," Shimko cried. "I
wouldn't telephone the feller or nothing that we are coming, understand
me? We'll take him by surprise."

Meiselson shrugged.

"Go ahead and take him by surprise if you want to," he said wearily. "I
am willing."

In point of fact, Isaac Meiselson was quite content to remain in the
soap and perfumery trade, and it was only by dint of much persuasion on
Miss Babette Schick's part that he was prevailed upon to embark i