"Do you mean to told me, Mawruss," he said, "that you are fooling away your time going on the court because somebody upstairs sings a little something last night?" "Sings a little something!" Morris cried. "Why, that Italiener hollers Paliatzki till you would think he commits a murder up there." "Suppose he did, Mawruss, ain't we got no business to go down here? Here we are rushed to death already, and you are fooling away your----" "Don't say that again, Abe," Morris broke in. "I guess I could take off a couple hours if I want to." "Sure," Abe replied ironically, "and Henry takes off a couple of hours this lunchtime. He just told me so, Mawruss. He takes off a couple hours on account he is going downtown to draw some money out of the bank and buy his ticket." "Buy his ticket!" Morris gasped. "That's right," Abe continued, with forced calmness, "because, Mawruss, they wouldn't let no one travel on a steamer without buying a ticket. People what runs steamers is very funny that way, Mawruss." Morris grew pale as he removed his coat and hat. "What's he buying a steamer ticket for?" he asked. "He didn't tell me exactly, Mawruss," Abe went on, "but I got a sort of an idee he's going back to Italy, Mawruss, and next time, Mawruss, when we hire a designer, understand me, I would do it myself. Also, Mawruss, I would hire a designer which, if he goes back to the old country, y'understand, they would right away take him for a soldier, and then, Mawruss, we wouldn't got to be left without a designer just in the middle of the busy season." "Did you talk to him, Abe?" Morris inquired timidly. "Maybe we could jolly him into staying." Abe nodded again. "Maybe you could jolly a duck not to swim in the water, Mawruss," he cried bitterly. "That's all right, Abe," Morris retorted. "A duck ain't got no use for a couple of hundred dollars bonus." "A couple of hundred dollars bonus!" Abe yelled. "Do you mean to say you would offer that Italiener a bonus?" "Sure; why not?" Morris asked. "Ain't he a good designer, Abe?" "I don't care if he was the best designer in the world, Mawruss," Abe replied firmly. "Before I would give him a couple hundred dollars bonus, understand me, he could go to Italy and a whole lot farther too." "Suit yourself," Morris said, as he commenced to examine the morning's mail. He was midway in the assortment of the firm's sample line when Abe approached him half an hour later. "Mawruss," he said, "do me the favour. You speak to the feller and see what you can do. After all, a couple hundred dollars wouldn't break us." "I'm satisfied," Morris replied, and he walked immediately to the cutting room. "What's the matter, Henry, I hear you are leaving us?" he began. Henry straightened up from the layer of cloth that was spread before him on the cutting table and passed one hand through his bushy black hair.