Part 43 (1/2)

”Tell your man,” Morris continued, ”if he does take this old man to Steuermann I myself will pay him twenty-five dollars.”

Once more he faced the _Rav_, who had sunk again into the chair.

”Will it bring back your son to you if _Tzwee_ Kovalenko dies?” he asked.

The old man plucked at his beard.

”He was my son, my only son,” he said; ”my _Kaddish_. A good son he was.”

Mrs. Levin, still at her dishwas.h.i.+ng, raised her head and snorted impatiently.

”Yow--a good son!” she commented in English, ”A dirty, lowlife b.u.m he was. If it wouldn't be that he _ganvered_ a couple bottles wine from a store he wouldn't of been in the police office at all. He brought it on himself, mister--believe me.”

Morris nodded.

”What is _vorbei_ is _vorbei_,” he said. ”Tell your man he should bring his uncle to Steuermann and I would pay him sure twenty-five dollars cash.”

He bowed to the _Rav_ and with a final ”_Sholom alaicham!_” pa.s.sed downstairs to the street.

As he waited at the corner for a west-bound car he thought he discerned a familiar figure in the shadow of the house he had just quitted. He walked slowly up the block and Harkavy stole out of the bas.e.m.e.nt area and slunk hurriedly past him.

”Harkavy!” Morris called, but the a.s.sistant cutter only hastened his steps and it seemed to Morris that a sound like a sob was borne backward.

”What is the trouble, Harkavy?” Morris cried; but in response Harkavy broke into a run, and with a mystified shake of his head Morris commenced his tedious journey uptown.

When Morris, in company with his partner, entered the showroom at eight o'clock the following morning he had already enumerated to Abe the events of the preceding evening, not omitting his encounter with Harkavy.

”I bet yer he would be waiting for us, Mawruss,” Abe said; ”and if I ain't mistaken here he is now.”

Their visitor, however, proved to be a stranger, who bore only a slight resemblance to their former cutter.

”Mr. Perlmutter,” he said--”ain't it?”

”My name is Mr. Perlmutter,” Morris said. ”What do you want from us?”

For answer the visitor drew from his pocket a card and handed it to Morris.

”Me, I am Pincus Levin, and you are leaving this by my wife last night,”

he said; ”so I am coming to tell you I am agreeable to take Mr. Levin to Steuermann's place.”

”All right,” Morris replied. ”You can go ahead.”

Pincus Levin shuffled his feet uneasily, but made no attempt to depart.

”Well?” Morris cried.

”Sure, I know,” Pincus said; ”but if I would take uncle, Mr. Levin, to Steuermann, y' understand and then, maybe--I am only saying, Mr.

Perlmutter, you might forget the other part--ain't it?”