Potash Perlmutter | Page 9

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 gest?, 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 Louis Grossman.
"Imprimis," Mr. Feldman went on, "I have not been consulted by Mr. Grossman about what he desires done in the matter, but, speaking _ex cathedra_, I am of the opinion that some method might be devised for rescinding the contract."
"You mean we can get Potash & Perlmutter to release him?"
"Precisely," said Mr. Feldman, "and in a very elementary and efficacious fashion."
"Well, I ain't prepared to pay so much money at once," said Leon.
Now, when it came to money matters, Henry D. Feldman's language could be colloquial to the point of slang.
"What's biting you now?" he said. "I ain't going to charge you too much. Leave it to me, and if I deliver the goods it will cost you two hundred and fifty dollars."
Leon sighed heavily, but he intended getting Louis back at all costs, not, however, to exceed ten thirty-three, thirty-three.
"Well, I ain't kicking none if you can manage it," he replied. "Tell us how to go about it."
Straightway Mr. Feldman unfolded a scheme which, stripped of its technical phraseology, was simplicity itself. He rightly conjectured that the most burdensome feature of the contract, so far as Potash & Perlmutter were concerned, was the five per cent. share of the profits that fell to Louis Grossman each week. He therefore suggested that Louis approach Abe Potash and request that,