only got it in your head."
Noblestone felt keenly the doubtfulness of Zudrowsky's compliment, but
for a lack of a suitable rejoinder he contented himself by nodding
gravely.
"So I wouldn't want him to tie up with a feller like Potash, what gets
done up so easy for ten thousand dollars," Zudrowsky went on. "What I
would like, Noblestone, is that Harry should go as partners together
with some decent, respectable feller which got it good experience in the
cloak business and wouldn't be careless with my five thousand dollars. I
needn't to tell you, Noblestone, if I would let Harry get his hands on
it, I might as well kiss myself good-by with that five thousand
dollars."
Noblestone waggled his head from side to side and made inarticulate
expressions of sympathy through his nose.
"How could you marry off your daughter to a _schafskopf_ like
Federmann?" he asked.
"It was a love match, Noblestone," Zudrowsky explained. "She falls in
love with him, and he falls in love with her. So naturally he ain't no
business man, y'understand, because you know as well as I do,
Noblestone, a business man ain't got no time to fool away on such
nonsense."
"Sure, I know," Noblestone agreed. "But what makes Federmann so dumb?
He's been in the cloak and suit business all his life, ain't he?"
"What's that got to do with it?" Zudrowsky exclaimed. "Cohen and me got
these here fixtures for fifteen years already, and you could more expect
them tables and racks they should know the cloak and suit business as
Harry Federmann. They ain't neither of 'em got no brains, Noblestone,
and that's what I want you to get for Harry,--some young feller with
brains, even though he ain't worth much money."
"Believe me, Mr. Zudrowsky," Noblestone replied. "It ain't such an easy
matter these times to find a young feller with brains what ain't got no
money, Mr. Zudrowsky, and such young fellers don't need no partners
neither. And, anyhow, Mr. Zudrowsky, what is five thousand dollars for
an inducement to a business man? When I would go around and tell my
clients I got a young feller with five thousand dollars what wants to go
in the cloak and suit business, they laugh at me. In the cloak and suit
business five thousand dollars goes no ways."
"Five thousand ain't much if you are going to open up as a new beginner,
Noblestone," Zudrowsky replied, "but if you got a going concern,
y'understand, five thousand dollars is always five thousand dollars.
There'
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