relations is just so good as
looking for trouble. You could never depend on relations that they are
going to keep on buying goods from you, Polatkin. The least little thing
happens between relations, understand me, and they are getting right
away enemies for life; while, if it was just between friends, Polatkin,
one friend makes for the other a blue eye, understand me, and in two
weeks' time they are just so good friends as ever. So, even if
Appenweier & Murray wouldn't fire him, y'understand, Klugfels would have
dumped this young feller on us anyway."

As he spoke he looked through the office door toward the showroom,
where Harry Flaxberg sat with his feet cocked up on a sample table
midway in the perusal of the sporting page.

"Flaxberg," Scheikowitz cried, "what are we showing here
anyway--garments _oder_ shoes? You are ruining our sample tables the way
you are acting!"

Flaxberg replaced his feet on the floor and put down his paper.

"It's time some one ruined them tables on you, Mr. Scheikowitz," he
said. "With the junk fixtures you got it here I'm ashamed to bring a
customer into the place at all."

"That's all right," Scheikowitz retorted; "for all the customers you are
bringing in here, Flaxberg, we needn't got no fixtures at all. Come
inside the office--my partner wants to speak to you a few words
something."

Flaxberg rose leisurely to his feet and, carefully shaking each leg in
turn to restore the unwrinkled perfection of his trousers, walked toward
the office.

"Tell me, Flaxberg," Polatkin cried as he entered, "what are you going
to do about this here account of Appenweier & Murray's?"

"What am I going to do about it?" Flaxberg repeated. "Why, what could I
do about it? Every salesman is liable to lose one account, Mr.
Polatkin."

"Sure, I know," Polatkin answered; "but most every other salesman is got
some other accounts to fall back on. Whereas if a salesman is just got
one account, Flaxberg, and he loses it, understand me, then he ain't a
salesman no longer, Flaxberg. Right away he becomes only a loafer,
Flaxberg, and the best thing he could do, understand me, is to go and
find a job somewheres else."

"Not when he's got a contract, Mr. Polatkin," Flaxberg retorted
promptly. "And specially a contract which the boss fixes up
himself--ain't it?"

Scheikowitz nodded and scowled savagely at his partner.

"Listen here to me, Flaxberg," Polatkin cried. "Do you mean to told me
that, even if a s