ve reason for
calling me a hog."

"Oh, no, I wouldn't, Leon," Abe protested. "I told you I know he's a
valuable man, so I want you should name a price."

"_I_ should name a price!" Leon cried. "Why, Abe, I'm surprised at you.
If I go to a man to sell something what I like to get rid of it, and he
don't want, then I name the price. But if a man comes to me to buy
something what I want to keep, and what he's got to have, Abe, then _he_
names the price. Ain't it?"

Abe looked critically at the end of his smoldering cigar.

"Well, Leon," he said at length, "if I must name a price, I suppose I
must. Now I know you will think me crazy, Leon, but I want to get a good
designer bad, Leon, and so I say"--here he paused to note the
effect--"_five hundred dollars_."

Leon held out his hand.

"I guess you got to excuse me, Abe," he said. "I'd like it first rate to
stay here and visit with you all morning but I got work to do, and so I
hope you'll excuse me."

"Seven hundred and fifty," Abe said.

"Fifteen hundred dollars," Leon replied quite firmly.

For twenty minutes Abe's figure rose and Leon's fell until they finally
met at ten hundred thirty-three, thirty-three.

"He's worth it, Abe, believe me," said Leon, as they shook hands on the
bargain. "And now let's fix it up right away."

Half an hour later, Abe, Louis Grossman and Leon Sammet entered the
spacious law offices of Henry D. Feldman, who bears the same advisory
relation to the cloak and suit trade as Judge Gary did to the steel and
iron business.

The drawing of the necessary papers occupied the better part of the day
and it was not until three o'clock in the afternoon that the transaction
was complete. By its terms Sammet Brothers in consideration of $1,033.33
paid by Potash & Perlmutter, released Louis Grossman from his contract,
and Louis entered into a new agreement with Potash & Perlmutter at an
advance of a thousand a year over the compensation paid him by Sammet
Brothers. In addition he was to receive from Potash & Perlmutter five
per cent. of the profits of their business, payable weekly, the
arrangement to be in force for one year, during which time neither
employer nor employee could be rid one of the other save by mutual
consent.

"It comes high, Mawruss," Abe said to his partner, after he had returned
to the store, "but I guess Louis's worth it."

"I hope so," Morris replied. "Now we can make up some of them Arverne
Sacques."

"No, Mawruss,