"It's not the money, Sam. What's twenty dollars more or less on a business trip, and New-Year's Eve at that? But it's the principle of the thing. I hate to be made a good thing of!" "Twenty bucks!" "Yes, and like he was doing me a favor, that Louis Slups kyin the box-office who used to take tickets in our Olympic at home. Somebody at the last minute let go of his reservation or we couldn't have got a table." "Twenty bucks, and we got to feel honored yet that they let us sit at a table to buy a dinner! But say, Herm, it's a great sight, ain't it?" "There's only one little old New York! Got to hand it to this town--they're a gang of cut-throats, but they do things up brown. A little of it goes a long ways, but I always say a trip to New York isn't complete without a night at the Moncrieff Roof. You sit here, Sam, facing the stage." "No, you! An old bachelor has got the right to sit closer to a girl-show than a married man." They drew up before a small table edging a shining area of reserved floor space and only once removed from the burnt-orange curtains. "A-ha!" exuded Mr. Samuel Kahn, his rather strongly aquiline face lifted in profile. "A-ha!" exuded Mr. Loeb, smiling out of eyes ten years younger. "What'll you have, Sam?" "Say, what's the difference? I'll take a cheese sandwich and a glass of beer." "Now cut that! Maybe I squealed about the twenty bucks, but that don't make me out a short skate. This isn't Cherokee Garden at home, man. I'm going to blow my brother-in-law to New-Year's Eve in my own way, or know the reason why not. Here, waiter, a pint of extra dry and a layout of sandwiches." "If you can stand it, I guess I can!" "It's not on the firm, either, Sam; it's on me!" "For the price of to-night ma and Etta would hang themselves, ain't it?" "Say, we only live once. I always tell ma she can't take it with her when she goes. Anyways, for the discount we got on those Adler sport skirts, we can afford to celebrate." "Say, Herman, I wish I had a dime for every dollar that is spent up here to-night. Look at the women! I guess American men don't make queens out of their wives!" "For every wife who's up here to-night I wouldn't take the trouble to collect the dimes," said Mr. Loeb, with cunning distinction. "I guess that ain't all wrong, neither. It isn't such a pleasure to be away from your family New-Year's Eve, but I can assure you I'd rather have Etta having her celebration with ma and grandma, and maybe the Bambergers over at the house, than up here where even a married woman can blush to be." "Take it from me, old man, a flannel petticoat in the family is worth all the ballet skirts on this roof put together." "I bought ma and Etta each one of them handbags to-day at Lauer's for nine dollars. What they don't know about the price won't hurt them. Two for nine I'll tell them." "To this day ma believes that five-hundred-dollar bar pin I brought her two years ago from Pittsburgh cost fifty at auction."