Abe grabbed the policy, which bore on its reverse side the list of directors headed by the name of that distinguished statesman and Cabinet minister, the Rt.  Hon. Earl of Warrington.

“J.  Blaustein would fix it for us,” Abe replied.

“J.  Blaustein,” Morris jeered.  “I suppose, Abe, him and the rutt honn Earl of Warrington drinks coffee together every afternoon when J. Blaustein makes a trip to Manchester, England.  Ain’t it?  No, Abe, you are up against a poor proposition, and I hope you ain’t paid for that policy, Abe.”

“J.  Blaustein ain’t in no hurry,” Abe said.  “We never pay him inside of sixty days, anyway.”

“Well, we ain’t going to pay him for that policy inside of sixty days or six hundred and sixty days, neither, Abe.  We’re going to fire that policy back on him, Abe, because I got it here a policy for ten thousand dollars which Rudy Feinholz just brought it me, Abe, and we are insured in a good American company, Abe, the Farmers and Ranchers’ Insurance Company, of Arizona.”

Abe shrugged his shoulders.

“Why should we insure it a stock of cloaks and suits by farmers and ranchers, Mawruss?” he asked.

“Ain’t it better we should insure our goods by farmers and ranchers as by somebody what we don’t know what he does for a living, like the rutt honn Earl of Warrington?” Morris retorted.

“But when it comes right down to it, Mawruss,” Abe said, “how are we better off, supposing we got to go all the way to Arizona to collect our money?”

“That’s what I told it young Feinholz,” Morris replied, “and he says supposing we should, so to speak, have a fire, he guarantees it we would collect our money every cent of it right here in New York.  And anyhow, Abe, any objections what you got to this here Farmers and Ranchers’ policy wouldn’t be no use anyhow.”

“No?” Abe said.  “Why not?”

“Because I just sent it Rudy Feinholz a check for the premium,” Morris said, and walked out of the show-room before Abe could enunciate all the profanity that rose to his lips.

Louis Feinholz’s order was shipped the following week, and with it went the cape for his show window.  Abe himself superintended the packing, for business was dull in the firm’s show-room.  A particularly warm March had given way to a frigid, rainy April, and now that the promise of an early spring had failed of fulfillment cancelations were coming in thick and fast.  Hence, Abe took rather a pessimistic view of things.

“I bet yer Feinholz will have yet some kicks about them goods, Mawruss,” he said.  “When I come down Feinholz’s street this morning, Mawruss, it looked like Johnstown after the flood.  I bet yer Feinholz ain’t making enough in that store just now to pay electric-light bills.”

“I don’t know about that, Abe,” said Morris.  “Louis carries a mighty attractive line in his winders.  Them small Fifth Avenue stores ain’t got nothing on him when it comes to the line of sample garments he carries in his show winders, Abe.”