Potash Perlmutter | Page 3

inducement to a business man? When I would go around
and tell my clients I got a young feller with five thousand dollars what
wants to go in the cloak and suit business, they laugh at me. In the
cloak and suit business five thousand dollars goes no ways."
"Five thousand ain't much if you are going to open up as a new
beginner, Noblestone," Zudrowsky replied, "but if you got a going
concern, y'understand, five thousand dollars is always five thousand
dollars. There's lots of business men what is short of money all the time,
Noblestone. Couldn't you find it maybe a young feller which is already
established in business, y'understand, and what needs doch a little
money?"
Noblestone slapped his thigh.
"I got it!" he said. "I'll go around and see Sam Feder of the Kosciusko
Bank."
Half an hour later Noblestone sat in the first vice-president's office at
the Kosciusko Bank, and requested that executive officer to favor him
with the names of a few good business men, who would appreciate a
partner with five thousand dollars.
"I'll tell you the truth, Noblestone," Mr. Feder said, "we turn down so
many people here every day, that it's a pretty hard thing for me to
remember any particular name. Most of 'em is good for nothing, either
for your purpose or for ours, Noblestone. The idee they got about
business is that they should sell goods at any price. In figuring the cost
of the output, they reckon labor, so much; material, so much; and they
don't take no account of rent, light, power, insurance and so forth. The
consequence is, they lose money all the time; and they put their
competitors in bad too, because they make 'em meet their fool prices.
The whole trade is cut up by them fellers and sooner as recommend one
for a partner for your client, I'd advise him to take his money and play

the ponies with it."
At this juncture a boy entered and handed Mr. Feder a card.
"Tell him to come right in," Feder said, and then he turned to
Noblestone. "You got to excuse me for a few minutes, Noblestone, and
I'll see you just as soon as I get through."
As Noblestone left the first vice-president's office, he encountered
Feder's visitor, who wore an air of furtive apprehension characteristic
of a man making his initial visit to a pawn shop. Noblestone waited on
the bench outside for perhaps ten minutes, when Mr. Feder's visitor
emerged, a trifle red in the face.
"That's my terms, Mr. Perlmutter," Feder said.
"Well, if I would got to accept such a proposition like that, Mr. Feder,"
the visitor declared, "I would sooner bust up first. That's all I got to
say."
He jammed his hat down on his head and made for the door.
"Now, Mr. Noblestone, I am ready for you," Feder cried, but his
summons fell on deaf ears, for Noblestone was in quick pursuit of the
vanishing Perlmutter. Noblestone overtook him at the corner and
touched his elbow.
"How do you do, Mr. Perlmutter!" he exclaimed.
Perlmutter stopped short and wheeled around.
"Huh?" he said.
"This is Mr. Sol Perlmutter, ain't it?" Noblestone asked.
"No, it ain't," Perlmutter replied. "My name is Morris Perlmutter, and
the pair of real gold eye-glasses which you just picked up and would let
me have as a bargain for fifty cents, ain't no use to me neither."

"I ain't picked up no eye-glasses," Noblestone said.
"No?" Morris Perlmutter rejoined. "Well, I don't want to buy no blue
white diamond ring neither, y'understand, so if it's all the same to you I
got business to attend to."
"So do I," Noblestone went on, "and this is what it is. Also my name is
there too."
He showed Morris a card, which read as follows:
______________________________________________________ | | |
TELEPHONE CONNECTION REAL ESTATE & INSURANCE | | IN
ALL ITS BRANCHES | | | | PHILIP NOBLESTONE | | BUSINESS
BROKER | | | | G E T A | | P A R T N E R | | | | 594 EAST HOUSTON
STREET NEW YORK |
|______________________________________________________|
"Don't discount them good accounts, Mr. Perlmutter," he added, "it
ain't necessary."
"Who told you I want to discount some accounts?" Morris asked.
"If I see a feller in a dentist's chair," Noblestone answered, "I don't need
to be told he's got the toothache already."
After this Morris was easily persuaded to accept Noblestone's invitation
to drink a cup of coffee, and they retired immediately to a neighboring
bakery and lunch room.
"Yes, Mr. Noblestone," Morris said, consulting the card. "I give you
right about Feder. That feller is worser as a dentist. He's a bloodsucker.
Fifteen hundred dollars gilt-edged accounts I offer him