"He won't hurt you," cried the child. "Come back, you naughty Fudge!"

"I do not intend he shall," said the man, reaching down and picking the dog up bodily by the scruff of his neck. "What is the matter, old fellow?" he continued, twisting the dog's head so that he could look into his eyes. "Wanted to make a meal of me?--too bad. Your little daughter, of course, Mr. Kling? A very good breed of dog, my dear young lady--just a little nervous, and that is in his favor. Now, sir, make your excuses to your mistress," and he placed the terrier in her arms.

The child lifted her face toward his in delight. Most of the men whom Fudge attacked either shrunk out of his way or replied to his attentions with a kick.

"You love dogs, don't you, sir?" she asked. Fudge was now routing his sharp nose under her chin as if in apology for his antics.

"I am afraid I do, and I am glad you do--they are sometimes the best friends one has."

"Yes," broke in Kling, "and so am I glad. Dot dog is more as a brudder to my Masie, ain't he, Beesvings? And now you run avay, dear, and play, and take Fudge vid you and say 'Good morning' to Mrs. Cleary, and maybe dot fool dog of Bobby's be home." He stooped and kissed her, caressing her cheek with his thumb and forefinger, as he pushed her toward the door, and again turned to the stranger. "And now, vot about dot chair you got in your hand?"

"Oh, the chair! I had forgotten that you had asked. Your little daughter drove everything else out of my head. Let me have a closer look." He swung it round to get a nearer view.

"The legs--that is, three of them--are Chippendale. The back is a nondescript of something--I cannot tell. Perhaps from some colonial remnant."

"Vot's it vorth?"

"Nothing, except to sit upon."

Otto laughed--a gurgling, chuckling laugh, his pudgy nose wrinkling like a rabbit's.

"Ain't dot funny!" and he rubbed his fat hands. "Dot's true. Yes, I make it myselluf--and five oders, vich vas sold out of a lot of olt furniture. I got two German men down-stairs puttin' in new legs and new backs; dey can do anyting. n.o.body but you find dot out. I guess you know 'bout dot china--I must look into dot. Maybe some mens on Fifth Avenue buy dot china--dey never come in here because dey tink dey find only olt furniture. And now about dot dressing-case. Don't you sell it. I find somebody pay more as I can give, and you pay me for my trouble. I lend you tventy--yes, I lend tventy-five dollars on it. Vill dot be enough?"

"That will be enough for a week, after I pay what I owe."

"Vell, den, ven dot is gone ve tink out someting else, don't ve? I look it all over last night. It is all right--no breaks anyvere. And dot tventy-five only last you a veek! Vy is dot? Vot board do you pay?" His interest in the visitor was increasing.

"Eight dollars with my meals, whenever my landlady is on time."

"Eight dollars! Dot voman's robbin' you. Eight dollars! She is a skin!"

"It was the best I could do," he replied simply.

"Vot does she give you?"

"A small bedroom, my coffee in the morning, and my dinner--both served in my room on a tray."

"Yes, I see; dot's it. She charge about tree dollars for de tray. I find you someting better as dot. Kitty Cleary has a room--you don't know Kitty? Vell, you ought to begin right avay. Dot's vun voman you don't ever see again. She vas in here last night, after you left, looking for her man Mike. She take you for five dollars a veek, maybe, and you get good tings to eat and you get Kitty besides, and dot is vorth more as ten dollars. She lives across de street--you can see one of her vagons--dot big vite horse is hers, and she love dot horse as much as she love her husband John and her boy Bobby, all but dot fool dog of Bobby's, she don't love him. You go over dere and tell her I sent you."

The stranger had relighted his pipe, and was watching the dealer clutching nervously at his spectacles, pushing them far up on his forehead, only to readjust them again on his nose. He had begun to detect behind the fat, round face of the thrifty shopkeeper a certain kindly quality. "And who may this remarkable lady be, this Mrs. Cleary?"

he inquired.

"She ain't no lady. She is better as a hundert ladies--she is joost a plain vomans who keeps a express office over dere--Cleary's Express. You don't know it? Vell, dot's your fault. Dot's her boy Bobby outside de door. He has been up vid his fadder to de Grand Central for some sideboards and sofas I been buyin'. You vant to look at 'em ven dey git unloaded. They joost ready to fall to pieces, and if I patch 'em up n.o.body don't buy 'em. Vot I do is to leave 'em out on de sidewalk for a veek or two and let de dirt and rain get on 'em, den somebody come along and say: 'Dot is genuine. You can see right avay how olt dot is. Dot is because de bottom is out of de sofas, and de back of de behind of de sideboard is busted. So den I get fifty dollars more for repairin' my own furniture. Ain't dot funny? And ven I send it home dey say: 'Oh, ain't dot beautiful! You ought to have seen dot ven I bought it of old Kling! You vouldn't give two dollars for it. All he did vas to sc.r.a.pe it down and revarnish it--and now it is joost as good as new.' Ain't dot funny? Vy, sometimes I have to holt on to my sides for fear dey vill split vid my laughter, and my two German mens dey stuff dere fingers in dere mouths so de customers can't hear. And all de backs new, and de legs made outer udder legs, and de handles I get across at de hardvare store! Oh, I tell you, it's funny! But you know all about it. Maybe you vunce keep a place yourself?"

"No, never."

"VOT!"

"No, I have never been in your line of trade."

"Vell, how do you know so much?"

"I know very little, but I have always enjoyed such things."

"Vell, dot's more funny yet. You vould make a lot of money if you did.

Ven you get someting for nudding you know it--I don't. You see dem--vot you call 'em--Spodes--and dot tureen, dot--"

"Lowestoft?" suggested the stranger, adjusting the mouthpiece of his pipe.

"Yes, dot Lowestoft. If you come in yesterday and say, 'Have you any olt cups and saucers and olt soup tureens?' I say: 'Yes--help yourselluf.

Take your pick for tventy-five cents each for de cups and saucers.' You see, I pay nudding and I get nudding. Dot give me an idea! How vould you like to go round de store vid me and pick out de good vuns? Dot von't take you long--vait a minute--I give you dat money."

"I should not be of the slightest value, and if you are loaning me the twenty-five dollars on any other basis than the worth of the dressing-case, I would rather not take it."

"Oh, I have finished vid de loan. Vot I say I say." He thrust his hand into a side pocket, from which he drew a flat wallet. "And dere is de money. I give you a receipt for de case."

"No, I do not want any receipt. I am quite willing you should keep it until I can either pay this back or you can loan me some more on it."

"Vell, den, I don't vant no receipt for de money. Here comes a customer.

Don't you go yet. I know her. She comes most every day. She only vants to look around. Such a lot of peoples only vants to look around.

Dey don't know vat dey vant and you never have it. No, it ain't no customer--it's Bobby."

The door was burst open, and a boy in a blue jumper, his cap thrust so far back on his head that it was a wonder it didn't fall off, cried out:

"Say! One of the sideboards is stuck on the iron railing and we can't get it furrards or back. Them two weiss-beers ye got down-stairs can't lift nothin' but full mugs. Send somebody to help." And the door went to with a bang.

Kling was about to call for a.s.sistance when Hans--one of the maligned--shuffled in from the rear of the store, carrying a wooden image very much in want of repair.

"Oh, dots awful good you brought dot! Set it here on dis chair--now you go avay and help vid dem sideboards. See here vunce, mister. You see, dey vas makin' de altar over new, and one of de mens come to me last week and he says: 'Mister Kling, come vid me and buy vot ve don't vant.

De school is too small, and some of de children got no place to sit down in. Ve got to sell sometings, and maybe now ve don't vant dem images.'

And so I buy dem two and some olt vestments dat my Masie make so good as new, vid patches. Now, vot can I do vid dis--?"

Again the door was burst open, shutting off all possibility for conversation. Bobby's voice had now reached the volume of a fog-horn.

"What do ye take us fur out here--lobsters? Dad and I can't wait all day. He's got to go down to Lafayette Place for a trunk."

Kling looked at his companion, as if to see what effect the talk had had upon him, and broke out into a suffocating chuckle. "Dot's vot it is all day long--don't you yonder I go crazy? First it is sideboards and den it is vooden saints. Here you, Bobby! Come inside vunce! I vant to ask you sometings."

"Say the rest, Skeesicks," returned the boy, eying the stranger.

"Has your mudder got empty dot room yet?"

"Yep--the shyster got to swearin', and the mother wouldn't stand for it and she fired him. We ain't keepin' no house o' refuge nor no station parlor fer b.u.ms. Holy Moses! look at the guy that's been robbin' a church! And see the nose on him all busted! Have ye started them mugs?"

Kling cleared the air with his fat hands as the boy made for the door, and turned to his visitor once more. "Dot boy make me deaf vid his noise like a fire-engine! Now, vunce more. Vat shall I do vid dis image?"

"I give it up," observed the stranger, pa.s.sing his hand over the head and down its side. "I am not very much on saints--wooden ones, I mean.

He seems a good deal out of place here. Why buy such things at all, and why sell them? But that, of course, is not your point of view. I would send it back to the good father, if I were you, and have him put it behind the altar if he is ashamed to put it in front. Holy things belong to holy places. But I am already taking up too much of your time. Thank you very much for the money. It comes at an opportune moment. I shall come in once in a while to see you and, if you are willing, to talk to you."

"But you don't say nudding about Kitty's room. Vait till--oh, dere you are, you darlin' girl! You mind de store, Masie. Now you come vid me and I show you de finest vomans you never see in your whole life!"