See?"
Mr. Marks looked at Abe and broke into a laugh.
"That's a fine lowlife for you," he said. "That feller tells me I should
be here at three o'clock sharp and he fools away my time like this."
Abe nodded.
"What could you expect from a feller like that?" Abe commenced, and then
broke off suddenly--"but excuse me. He may be a friend of yours."
"_Gott soll hueten_," Mr. Marks replied piously. "All I got to do with
him is that he brings me a proposition I should buy a piece of property
which he got it to sell."
"That's a funny thing," Abe said. "I came here myself about a piece of
property what I just bought, and I understand he tried to sell the
property for the feller what I bought it from."
Abe took the option from his breast pocket and opened it on his knee,
while Mr. Marks glanced at it furtively, not unnoticed by Abe, who aided
his companion's inspection by spreading out the paper until its contents
were plainly visible.
"Why!" Mr. Marks cried. "Why, that is the house what this here
Rothschild said he would sell it me."
Abe looked up sharply.
"You don't say so?" he said. "How could he sell you that house when I
got this here option on it this morning for forty-eight thousand
dollars?"
"Forty-eight thousand dollars!" Mr. Marks exclaimed. "Why, he says I
could buy it for forty-six thousand dollars."
Abe laughed with forced politeness.
"Well, if you could of got it for forty-six thousand you should of took
it," he said.
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