Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1915-11-09

nod of his head In the direction Of the
tailor shop, lees a-craze. He just for
sing-a dat way every morning.
Then Annibale would take battered
guitar from the corner and raise q
stornello popolare in his thin Sicilfan
falsetto until the next customer az
rived.
simultaneously Ginsburg would turn
to his assistant and spit out on the
ground form Of biblical profanity.
.Tphooee," he would exclaim, dot
gentle makes me sick"
Nevertheless Annibale entertained
wholesome respect for Morris. When
they stood, each at his open door on
summer evenings, Annibale eyed not
without envy the bulge In Ginsburgs
left hand trousers pocket he knew
that It evidenced q roll Of bills as big
around as a hickory branch and that
the outer wrapper was yellow, for ever
and anon Morris pulled 1t from his
pocket and counted 1t slowly over,
drawing each bill toward him twixt
loving thumb and finger.
The operation finished, he returned
It to its hiding place and scratched his
struggling beard, calmly awaiting the
inevitable question from Annibale
Many times he had gone through the
program, and not once had the ques-
ton failed Of utterance.
"s-a-a-y." Annibale remarked, you
20 reech a man, 30 much mon, I just
for like know what's a matter you no
get shaveaT
Morris shrugged and smiled.
"You ask me ah question" he replied
with the Talmudical singsong inhec-
ton, ''vot Is doch ah foolish question"
he tapped Annibale playfully on the
chest. "You tell me-" he concluded,
'und I'll tell you" And with another
shrug he re-entered his store.
"Es a-craze," Annibale calculated to
himself and sought the consolation OF
his battered guitar.
Or perhaps the colloquy took another
form.
"I lust for like know" Annibale
would say as the roll was thrust back
into Ginsburgs pocket "how much a
mon you got7'
"Ah million, l amt got IT," Morris
would reply, "aber I amt eggs-ect-ly
| Aa 1,,undorofoDH ~
Then he would turn to Annfbale, and
by the movements Of his ragged beard
It could be deduced that he smiled.
Friends is friends" he would say
oracularly, "und good friends is also
| friends. Aber money-dot's der best
est friend, und don't you forget It"
The aphorism invariably left poor
Annibale without retort 1t struck
home, for the tovial Lomonte was 80
enmeshed In the installment system
that his financial survival was week
" wonder even to himself.
His store fixtures, the diamond on
his flngcr-a fine canary cOlored stone,
almost fawless-the very clothes on
his back, were purchased and owed for
on the weekly payment plan, while the
mere thought Of the first Of the month,
with its rent and gas bill, bathed him
IN psrspiration.
10 bis poverty stricken Imagination,
Qinsburg, with his roll Of bills and bis
undivided one-twentieth interest In an
adjacent tenement represented the
very pinnacle Of financial soundness.
In Palermo, this humble tailor might
be a veritable prince he reflected; a
veritable prime In Palermo-the bare
utterance Of the name impelled him
toward his guitar. Soon bis falsetto
was uplifted In temporary forgetful
ness Of his plight
"Ogni sera di soto al milo balcona"
he vailed, and rolled bis eyes, while
Ginsburg, on the other side Of the par
titon, emitted succession Of "phoo-
ees" TO the bolts Of woolen that lined
the walls Of his store.
Had his neighbor been visible to An
nibale through the scantling party wall,
the sight might have afforded him
more solace than his song; for this
was no opulent landlord that laborious-
ly scrawled figures on the back Of an
envelope.
Th4 eNnseskiR q % undivided one.