till they are five hundred years old already I wouldn't take a cent
less for 'em as fifty dollars."

Max turned inquiringly to Mrs. Lubliner; and, during the short pause
that followed, the agonized voice of Louis Dishkes came once more from
the back room.

"What could I do?" he said to Mrs. Ringentaub. "I want to be square
_mit_ everybody, and I must got to act quick on account that sucker
Sammet will close me up sure."

"_Ai, tzuris!_" Mrs. Ringentaub moaned; at which her husband coughed
noisily and Elkan moved nearer to the partition.

"Would you go as high as fifty dollars, Mrs. Lubliner?" Max asked, and
Yetta nodded.

"All right, Mr. Ringentaub," Max concluded; "we'll take 'em at fifty
dollars."

"And you wouldn't regret it neither," Ringentaub replied. "I'll make you
out a bill right away."

He darted into the rear room and slammed the partition door behind him.

"_Koosh_, Dishkes!" he hissed. "Ain't you got no sense at all--blabbing
out your business in front of all them strangers?"

It was at this juncture that Elkan rapped on the door.

"Excuse me, Mr. Ringentaub," he said, "but I ain't no stranger to Mr.
Dishkes--not by four hundred dollars already."

He opened the door as he spoke, and Dishkes, who was sitting at a table
with his head bowed on his hands, looked up mournfully.

"_Nu_, Mr. Lubliner!" he said. "You are after me, too, ain't it?"

Elkan shook his head.

"Not only I ain't after you, Dishkes," he said, "but I didn't even know
you was in trouble until just now."

"And you never would of known," Ringentaub added, "if he ain't been such
a _dummer Ochs_ and listened to people's advice. He got a good chance to
sell out, and he wouldn't took it."

"Sure, I know," Elkan said, "to an auction house; the idee being to run
away _mit_ the proceeds and leave his creditors in the lurches!"

Dishkes again buried his head in his hands, while Ringentaub blushed
guiltily.

"That may be all right in the antic business, Mr. Ringentaub," Elkan
went on, "but in the garment business we ain't two hundred and fifty
years behind the times exactly. We got associations of manufacturers and
we got good lawyers, too, understand me; and we get right after crooks
like Sammet, just the same as some of us helps out retailers that want
to be decent, like Dishkes here."

Louis Dishkes raised his head suddenly.

"Then you heard the whole thing?" he cried; and Elkan nodded.

"I heard enough, Dishkes," he said