e, Mawruss."

Morris shrugged his shoulders and was about to make a reassuring answer
when the door opened and two men entered.

One of them was Samuel Feder, vice-president of the Kosciusko Bank, and
the other was Louis Feinholz, proprietor of the Longchamps Store.

"Well, Abe," Feder cried, "what's this I hear about the fire?"

"Come into the office, Mr. Feder," Abe cried, while Morris greeted
Feinholz. "Morris will be through soon."

"Say, Mawruss," Feinholz said. "What's the matter with you boys? Here I
got to come downtown about them capes, and my whole store's full of
people. Why didn't you ship them capes back to me like I told you?"

"Look a-here, Feinholz," Morris exclaimed in tones sufficiently loud for
Feder to overhear, "what d'ye take us for, anyhow? Greenhorns? Do you
think you can write us a dirty letter like that and then come down and
get them capes just for the asking?"

"Ain't you getting touchy all of a sudden, Mawruss?" Feinholz cried
excitedly. "You had no business to deliver them goods in such rotten
weather. You know as well as I do that I couldn't use them goods till
fine weather sets in, and now I want 'em, and I want 'em bad."

"Is that so?" Morris replied. "Why, I thought them garments was no good,
Feinholz. I thought them capes wasn't up to sample."

"What are you talking about?" Feinholz shouted. "Them goods was all
right and the sample's all right, too. All I want now is you should
ship 'em right away. I can sell the lot this afternoon if you only get
'em up to my store in time."

Morris waved his hand deprecatingly.

"S'enough, Feinholz," he said; "you got as much show of getting them
goods as though you never ordered 'em."

"Why not?" Feinholz cried.

"Because them goods got burned up on our freight elevator this morning,"
Morris replied.

"What!" Feinholz gasped.

"That's what I said," Morris concluded; "and if you excuse me I got some
business to attend to."

Feinholz turned and almost staggered from the store, while Morris joined
his partner and Sam Feder in the firm's office. Feder had overheard the
entire conversation and greeted Morris with a smile.

"Well, Mawruss," he said, "it serves that sucker right. A feller what
confesses right up and down that the goods was all right and then he
fires them back at you just because the weather was rotten ought to be
sued yet."

"What do we care?" Abe replied. "We got 'em insured, and so long as we
get our money out of