is way, madam," she said as she swung her skirts round noisily.

"One moment," Elkan interrupted, for again he had been totally eclipsed
by Mrs. Feinermann's bulky figure. "You ain't heard what my wife wants
yet."

"Your wife!" Miss Holzmeyer exclaimed.

"Sure, my wife," Elkan replied calmly. "This is my wife if it's all the
same to you and you ain't got no objections."

He gazed steadily at Miss Holzmeyer, who began to find her definite
methods of salesmanship growing less definite, until she blushed
vividly.

"Not at all," she said. "Step this way, please."

"Yes, Miss Holzmeyer," Elkan went on without moving, "as I was telling
you, you ain't found out yet what my wife wants, on account a dress
could be from twenty dollars the garment up to a hundred and fifty."

"We have dresses here as high as three hundred!" Miss Holzmeyer snapped.
She had discerned that she was beginning to be embarrassed in the
presence of this self-possessed benedick of youthful appearance, and she
resented it accordingly.

"I ain't doubting it for a minute," Elkan replied. "New York is full of
suckers, Miss Holzmeyer; but me and my wife is looking for something
from twenty-two-fifty to twenty-eight dollars, Miss Holzmeyer."

Miss Holzmeyer's temper mounted with each repetition of her surname, and
her final "Step this way, please!" was uttered in tones fairly tremulous
with rage.

Elkan obeyed so leisurely that by the time Mrs. Feinermann and he had
reached the rear of the showroom Miss Holzmeyer had hung three dresses
on the back of a chair.

"H'allow me," Elkan said as he took the topmost gown by the shoulders
and held it up in front of him. He shook out the folds and for more than
five minutes examined it closely.

"I didn't want to see nothing for seventeen-fifty," he announced at
last--"especially from last year's style."

"What do you mean?" Miss Holzmeyer cried angrily. "That dress is marked
twenty-eight dollars and it just came in last week. It's a very smart
model indeed."

"The model I don't know nothing about," Elkan replied, "but the salesman
must of been pretty smart to stuck you folks like that."

He subjected another gown to a careful scrutiny while Miss Holzmeyer
sought the showcases for more garments.

"Now, this one here," he said, "is better value. How much you are asking
for this one, please?"

Miss Holzmeyer glanced at the price ticket.

"Twenty-eight dollars," she replied, with an indignant glare.