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Now, M. Garfunkel had been a particularly strong customer of Sammet Brothers, and since Abe assumed that M. Garfunkel had dropped Sammet Brothers in favor of Potash & Perlmutter his manner toward Leon was bland and apologetic. "Well, Leon," he said, "how's business?" Leon's face wrinkled into a smile.
At once Morris plunged into a long account of the circumstances attending the giving of Mr. Lowenstein's order, including the telephone message from Garfunkel & Levy, and at its conclusion Abe grew somewhat mollified. "Well, Mawruss," he said, "we took the order and I suppose we got to ship it. When you deal with a gambler like Lowenstein you got to take a gambler's chance.
"Maybe they wouldn't sell Andrew Carnegie, but if I ain't mistaken they did sell M. Garfunkel. Everybody sold him, even Lapidus & Elenbogen. So I guess I'll telephone 'em." "Well, wait a bit, Abe," Morris cried. "My Minnie's girl Lina is here with her cousin. I brought 'em down this morning so you could talk to her yourself." "All right," Abe replied. "Tell 'em to come into the show-room."
"Well, then," M. Garfunkel concluded, "I'll give you boys a fine order, but this time it's got to be ninety days." Abe puffed hard on his cigar, and Morris loosened his collar, which had become suddenly tight. "I always paid prompt my bills. Ain't it?" M. Garfunkel asked. "Sure, Mr. Garfunkel," Abe replied. "That you did do it.
"Maybe that girl of yours, Mawruss," Abe went on as though making an innocent suggestion, "what we sell the forty-twenty-two to, maybe she got a sister or a cousin maybe, what wants a job, Mawruss." "I'll telephone my Minnie right away," Morris said, and as he turned to do so M. Garfunkel entered. Abe and Morris rushed forward to greet him.
Abe made no reply, and as he walked south toward White Street Max Lapidus, of Lapidus & Elenbogen, another and a smaller competitor, bumped into him. "Hallo, Abe," Max said. "What's that Leon Sammet was saying just now about M. Garfunkel?" "Oh, M. Garfunkel is a good customer of his," Abe replied cautiously; "so he claims." "Don't you believe it," said Max.
"Canada!" he yelled, and Lina nodded vigorously. He darted out of the show-room and ran to the telephone. In ten minutes he returned, his face bathed in perspiration. "Anna," he croaked, "you come to work by me. Yes? How much you get by that that M. Garfunkel?" "Twenty dollars a month," Anna replied. "All right, we'll pay you twenty-two," he said. "You're cheap at the price.
"Mawruss," he said, "M. Garfunkel is downstairs, and he says he will reconsider the cancelation and give it us a big order if we let him have better terms. What d'ye say, Mawruss?" Morris remained silent for a minute. "Take a chance, Abe," he said at length. "He can't bust up on us by the first bill. Can he?" "No," Abe agreed hesitatingly, "but he might, Mawruss?"
M. Garfunkel made a rapid mental calculation, while Anna left to prepare the belated breakfast. He estimated that Anna had paid a little less for her retail purchase than the price Potash & Perlmutter had quoted to him for hundred lots. "They're worth it, too," he said to himself. "Potash & Perlmutter is a couple of pretty soft suckers, to be selling goods below cost to servant-girls.
"Your Mr. Perlmutter sold us them plum-color Empires this morning, and he said they was all the thing on Fifth Avenue. Now, gents, we sell to the First Avenue trade, like what was in your store this afternoon when our Mr. Garfunkel called, and our Mr. Garfunkel seen enough already. Please cancel the order. Your Mr. Perlmutter will understand. Truly yours, The Paris. M. Garfunkel, Prop."
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