I seen Sol Klinger in the subway this morning, and he
says that last Saturday morning already James Burke was in their place
and picked out enough goods to stock the biggest suit department in the
country. Sol says Burke went to Philadelphia yesterday to meet Sidney
Small, the president of the concern, and they're coming over to Klinger
& Klein's this morning and close the deal."
Morris sat down and lit a cigar. "Yes, Abe, that's the way it goes," he
said bitterly. "You sit here and tell me a long story about your wife's
relations, and the first thing you know, Abe, I miss the train and Frank
Walsh takes away my trade. What do I care about your wife's relations,
Abe?"
"That's what I told you, Mawruss. Wife's relations don't do nobody no
good," Abe replied.
"Jokes!" Morris exclaimed as he moved off to the rear of the store.
"Jokes he is making it, and two thousand dollars thrown into the
street."
For the rest of the morning Morris sulked in the cutting-room upstairs,
while Abe busied himself in assorting his samples for a forthcoming New
England trip. At twelve o'clock a customer came in, and when he left at
half-past twelve Abe escorted him to the store door and lingered there a
few minutes to get a breath of fresh air. As he was about to reenter the
store he discerned the corpulent figure of Frank Walsh making his way
down the opposite sidewalk toward Wasserbauer's Cafe. With him were two
other men, one of them about as big as Frank himself, the other a
slight, dark person.
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