Western Kansas world., 1917-01-06

from makes a profit on the transac-
don?" Zapp asked.
Makes a profit ~ Birsky said. 81
should say they do"
"Then that is the first time that I
hear such a thing" Zapp cried. BE
cause when someone tells me down
at the store that there is collector
outside wants to see me, it don't make
no difference if the collector is collect
ing for a bank, a hospital, the cloth
sponger, a home or the landlord, 1 give
my bookkeeper instructions she should
say I just went over to Newark
''Well, pictures is different Birsky
continued. "a feller which collects
pictures like B. Altman sometimes
pays enormous prices. Take for ex-
ample Mr.. Widener Selfg, the Philadel-
phia millionaire, and he is paying for
a picture of mill one half million
dollars
what kind OF mill?' Zapp asked.
whats the difference what kind of
a mill?" Birsky said Il believe it
was a flour MILL
"a flour mill he pays half a million
for it's picture - Zapp said. ''Why for
a quarter of the money plenty people
would have been glad to sell him
rolling mill. and throw in dozen pic
lures free"
"And yet you say Max Maikafer
should make from LIS boy a button
hole maker" Birsky continued. Take
that picture painter which turned out
the mill, understand, and if he gets
only one order when he's a new begin
ner, understand me, business could be
bad with him for the rest of his life"
You may be right, Birsky," Zapp
said, "but I don't believe a picture
painter gets anywheres near the retail
price of his goods, because the profit
to the retailer must got to be enor-
nous, otherwise he couldn't live at all.
A retailer which handles them Mill
pictures runs an awful risk, Birsky.
It's the same like he would be carry
ing a line of steam yachts. If he's
only got two on hand, he's overstocked
bad already"
"Sure I know Birsky said, ''but
such a retailer also stocks q line of
medium priced pictures too. For every
Mill picture he sells, 1 bet yer he gets
rid of dozen Horse Shows or An
geluses.''
'Of course, if the feller carries An
gelus pictures as a side line, that's
something else again, Birsky," Zapp
said. There's big money in player
pianos, Birsky, because while IN FORM
er times people wouldn't take a piano
as a gift on account of giving their
children music lessons to get the use
out of it, nowadays they could pay a
large price for a player piano and
send their girls to business college,
and still save money on it. Conse-
quently the demand for player pianos
is enormous. particularly as here just
lately they've got 'em working by cleo
tricity which could run for ten cents
the kilowatt hour some of the heaviest
things that Paderewski gets off at $5,-
600 a concert"
Birsky shrugged his shoulders again.
''What you understand from art,
ZappI" he exclaimed. "a Schwarzer
from the Cannibal Islands which
don't even wear athaletic underwear,
knows more about fur overcoats than
You do of pictures, Zapp."
Listen, Birsky," Zapp retorted, 'if
them millionaires which is buying
these here high priced pictures knows
as much about their art investments
as the public does about fur over
coats, you could take it from me.
Birsky. when them millionaires' heirs
comes to settle up the estate, Birsky,
they'll find that instead of a five hun
dred thousand-dollar Mill. the old man