Abe and Mawruss: Being Further Adventures of Potash and PerlmutterGlass, Montague
General
Abe and Mawruss: Being Further Adventures of Potash and Perlmutter
Glass, Montague
Clothing trade -- New York (State) -- New York -- Fiction; Jews -- New York (State) -- New York -- Fiction
"I meant it good," Morris protested. "I done it for the best. It says in
the Talmud, Abe, that we are commanded to promote marriages."
Abe waggled his head solemnly.
"This is the first time I hear it, that you are a Talmudist, Mawruss!"
he said.
A month passed, and Miss Cohen continued to apply herself to her daily
task at Potash & Perlmutter's books.
"I don't understand it, Mawruss," Abe said one morning. "Why don't that
girl quit her job? She must have all sorts of things to do--clothes to
buy and furniture to pick out, ain't it?"
Perlmutter shrugged his shoulders.
"I spoke to her about it," he replied, "and she says so long as we're so
busy here, she guesses she will stay on the job as long as she can. She
says her mommer and her sister can do all the shopping for her."
"You see, Mawruss, what a mistake you make," Abe commented with a sigh.
"That's a fine girl, that Miss Cohen!"
Morris nodded gloomily. He began to realize that he had made a mistake,
after all. Only that morning Mrs. Perlmutter had demanded twenty dollars
with which to make over her best frock for Miss Cohen's wedding.
"Sure, she's a fine girl," he agreed; "but you got to admit yourself,
Abe, that a growing business like ours needs a hustling young man for a
bookkeeper."
"That's all right, too, Mawruss," said Abe; "but you also got to admit
that what a growing business like ours needs most of all, Mawruss, is
customers; and so far what I see, we don't gain any customers by this.
Also, my wife has got to make a new dress for the wedding. She told me
so this morning."
Morris made no reply. He was growing heartily sick of this business of
firing Miss Cohen, and consoled himself with the thought that the
wedding was fast approaching, and that they would be rid of her for
good.
At length the wedding-day arrived. Miss Cohen left Potash & Perlmutter's
at four o'clock, for the ceremony was set for half-past seven in the
evening. Her parting with her employers was an embarrassing one for all
three. Abe handed her a check for twenty-five dollars, with the firm's
blessing, and Morris shook her hand in comparative silence. He had done
and suffered much for that moment of leave-taking; and further than
wishing her a long and happy married life, he said nothing. As for Abe,
the squandering of twenty-five dollars, without hope of return,
temporarily exhausted his capacity for emotion.
"Good luck to you, Miss Cohen," he said. "Hope we see you again soon."
"Oh, sure!" Miss Cohen replied cheerfully. "You'll be at the wedding
to-night?"
Abe nodded--they all nodded--and then, with a final handshake all
around, Miss Cohen departed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account