Potash Perlmutter | Page 9

reason why
Sammet Brothers should know it."
"Don't worry, Abe," said Morris; "they know they stuck us good and
plenty when they released Louis Grossman."
"Do they?" Abe rejoined. "Well, they don't know it unless you told 'em.
Louis Grossman won't tell 'em and I didn't tell 'em when I met Leon
and Barney at lunch to-day."
"What did you tell 'em!" Morris asked, somewhat alarmed.
"I told 'em, Mawruss, that the season is comparatively young yet, but
we already made from ten to twenty per cent. more sales by our new
designer. I told Leon them new styles what Louis Grossman got up for
us is selling so big we can't put 'em out fast enough."
"And what did Leon say?" Morris asked.
"He didn't say nothing," Abe replied, "but he looked like his best
customer had busted up on him. Then I showed him the order what we
got from Ike Herzog, and he started in right away to call Barney down
for going home early the day before. I tell you, Mawruss, he was all
broke up."
"I know, Abe," Morris commented, "that's all right, too, but, all the
same, we ain't got much of a laugh on them two boys, so long as Louis
Grossman loafs away upstairs drawing sixty dollars a week and five per
cent. of the profits."

"Well," Abe replied, "what are you going to do about it? Henry D.
Feldman drew up the contract, and you know, Mawruss, contracts what
Henry D. Feldman makes nobody can break."
"Can't they?" Morris cried. "Well, if Henry D. Feldman made it can't
Henry D. Feldman break it? What good is the lawyer, anyhow, what
can't get us out of the contract what he fixed up himself?"
Abe pondered over the situation for five minutes.
"You're right, Mawruss," he said at length; "I'll go and see Henry D.
Feldman the first thing to-morrow morning."
The next morning Leon Sammet sat at his roll-top desk in his private
office, while Barney went over the morning mail.
"Hallo," Barney cried, "here's a check from Horowitz & Finkelbein for
the full amount of their bill, Leon. I guess they thought better of that
return shipment they made of them bum garments that Louis Grossman
designed. They ain't made no deduction on account of it."
"Bum garments, nothing," Leon commented. "Them garments was all
right, Barney. I guess we didn't know how to treat Louis Grossman
when he worked by us. Look at the big success he's making by Potash
& Perlmutter. I bet yer they're five thousand ahead on the season's sales
already. We thought they was suckers when they paid us ten
thirty-three, thirty-three for him, but I guess the shoe pinches on the
other foot, Barney. I wish we had him back, that's all. Them four new
designs what he made for Potash & Perlmutter is tremendous successes.
What did he done for us, Barney? One garment, the Arverne Sacque,
and I bet yer them four styles will put the Arverne Sacque clean out of
business."
"Well, Leon," said Barney, "you traded him off so smart, why don't you
get him back? Why don't you see him, Leon?"
"I did see him," said Leon. "I called at his house last night."

"And what did he say?" Barney asked.
"He said he's under contract, as you know, with Potash & Perlmutter,
and that if we can get him out of it he's only too glad to come back to
us. But Henry D. Feldman drew up that contract, Barney, and you
know as well as I do, Barney, that what Henry D. Feldman draws up is
drawn up for keeps, ain't it?"
"There's loopholes in every contract, Leon," said Barney, "and a smart
lawyer like Henry D. Feldman can find 'em out quick enough. Why
don't you go right round and see Henry D. Feldman? Maybe he can fix
it so as to get Louis back here."
Leon shut down his roll-top desk and seized his hat.
"That's a good idea, Barney," he said. "I guess I'll take your advice."
It is not so much to know the law, ran Henry D. Feldman's motto,
paraphrasing a famous dictum of Judge Sharswood, as to look, act and
talk as though you knew it. To this end Mr. Feldman seldom employed
a word of one syllable, if it had a synonym of three or four syllables,
and such phrases as res gestæ, scienter, and lex fori delicti were the
very life of his conversation with clients.
"The information which you now disclose, Mr. Sammet," he said, after
Leon had made known his predicament, "is all obiter dicta."
Leon blushed. He imagined this to be somewhat harsh criticism of the
innocent statement that he thought Potash & Perlmutter could be
bluffed into releasing