rgolius. Max made a specialty of amputation cases. He was accustomed
to cashing missing arms and legs at a thousand dollars apiece for the
victims of rolling-mill and railway accidents, and when the sympathetic
jury brought in their generous verdict Max paid the expert witnesses and
pocketed the net proceeds. These rarely fell below five thousand
dollars.

"Sit down, Hymie. Glad to see you, Mr. Potash," Max said, stroking a
small gray mustache with a five-carat diamond ring. "What can I do for
_you_?"

"I got some goods belonging to Mr. Potash what a fellow called
Lowenstein in Galveston, Texas, shipped me," said Hymie, "and Mr.
Potash wants to get 'em back."

"Replevin, hey?" Max said. "That's a little out of my line, but I guess
I can fix you up." He rang for a stenographer. "Take this down," he said
to her, and turned to Abe Potash. "Now, tell us the facts."

Abe recounted the tale Mr. Lowenstein had related to Morris Perlmutter,
by which Lowenstein made it appear that he was completely out of stock.
Next, Hyman Margolius produced Siegmund Lowenstein's letter which
declared that Lowenstein was disposing of the Empire cloaks because he
was overstocked.

"S'enough," Max declared. "Tell, Mr. Weinschenck to work it up into an
affidavit," he continued to the stenographer, "and bring us in a jurat."

A moment later she returned with a sheet of legal cap, on the top of
which was typewritten: "Sworn to before me this first day of April,
1904."

"Sign opposite the brace," said Max, pushing the paper at Abe, and Abe
scrawled his name where indicated.

"Now, hold up your right hand," said Max, and Abe obeyed.

"Do you solemnly swear that the affidavit subscribed by you is true?"
Max went on.

"What affidavit?" Abe asked.

"Why, the one Weinschenck is going to draw when he comes back from
lunch, of course," Max replied.

"Sure it's true," said Abe.

"All right," Max concluded briskly.

"Now give me a check for fifty dollars for my fees, five dollars for a
surety company bond, and five dollars sheriff's fees, and I'll get out a
replevin order on the strength of that affidavit in half an hour, and
have a deputy around to the store at three o'clock to transfer the goods
from Hymie to you."

"Sixty dollars is pretty high for a little thing like that, ain't it,
Max?" said Hymie.

"High?" Max cried indignantly. "High? Why, if you wasn't a lodge brother
of mine, Hymie, I wouldn't have stirred a hand for less than