Abe and Mawruss: Being Further Adventures of Potash and Perlmutter

In Short

Set in the high-stakes garment district of early twentieth-century New York, Montague Glass’s comic novel follows cloak-and-suit partners Abe Potash and Morris Perlmutter as they navigate the volatile world of manufacturing, credit, and commerce. Bound together by shared history and mutual exasperation, the two trade rapid-fire arguments over uncooperative buyers, unreliable relatives, opportunistic competitors, and chaotic employee disputes. Beneath their endless squabbling over dollars and dining room furniture lies a deep, unspoken devotion. Through sharp dialect and rich social satire, the story captures the bustling hustle of immigrant enterprise and the resilient warmth of working-class ambition.

The Story

The daily operations of Potash & Perlmutter are defined by constant friction and razor-thin commercial margins. In their Manhattan showroom, Abe Potash and Morris Perlmutter debate everything from proper business etiquette to the trustworthiness of their fellow merchants. Abe tends to be overly impressionable, frequently taken in by smooth-talking acquaintances like the button dealer Max Linkheimer, while Morris reacts with fierce suspicion toward anyone attempting to compromise their business. Their enterprise is constantly threatened by external forces: manipulative competitors like Leon Sammet scheme to steal their client base, unstable employees abandon ship during peak production seasons, and unpredictable family obligations drain their time and capital.

When Morris impulsively posts bail for Nathan Schenkmann, a starving worker brought up the freight elevator, Linkheimer terrifies Abe by claiming the legal liability could ruin their firm. Tensions flare, but the partners inevitably reunite to face broader challenges. Business obligations frequently pull them away from the shop into awkward social arenas. Abe embarks on a disastrous transatlantic voyage to Europe alongside rival merchants, enduring seasickness, unwanted advice on fine cigars, and high-pressure dealings with French stevedores. Back home, social calls turn into financial landmines. An evening spent trying to court buyer Felix Geigermann involves enduring hours of classical violin music, only for Abe to mistakenly purchase a multi-thousand-dollar antique instrument under the belief that it is an inexpensive promotional gift.

Meanwhile, domestic affairs and business scheme intertwine constantly. Relatives like Aaron Kronberg plot to manipulate aging uncles out of real estate holdings while dragging Morris into real estate contracts and legal disputes. Romantic matchmakers attempt to lock opportunistic associates like B. Gurin into marriages of convenience, leading to comedic twists where dowries, wedding presents, and broken engagements are calculated down to the penny. Abe and Morris argue endlessly over the expense of silver bonbon dishes for newlyweds, the propriety of hiring political refugees from Russia, and the cost of bonus payments required to keep temperamental Italian garment designers from fleeing back to Europe.

Through every crisis—whether it is a customer facing bankruptcy, a line of garments stolen by a competitor, or a sudden legal summons from a noisy neighbor—the partners maintain their combustible routine. They hurl insults, exchange cynical advice on how to project wealth, and predict immediate financial ruin for one another. Yet when outside forces threaten their firm or their community, they stand shoulder to shoulder. In the end, their joint venture survives every absurdity of the garment trade, sustained by their stubborn resourcefulness and an inescapable, deeply affectioned partnership.

How It Unfolds

Trouble in the showroom Abe and Morris clash in their Manhattan office when Abe listens to the advice of button salesman Max Linkheimer, who warns that Morris’s attempt to go bail for a starving employee named Nathan Schenkmann will ruin the entire firm.

An awkward voyage Abe travels to Europe alongside rival garment manufacturers, battling seasickness and unwanted business advice on board before navigating language barriers and strict smoking bans with French officials upon landing in Cherbourg.

Deals and real estate Scheming relatives like Aaron Kronberg attempt to manipulate family property transactions, dragging Morris into complex negotiations with competitive buyers and shady lawyers over low-cost Manhattan real estate.

The costly souvenir While trying to win the favor of an influential buyer named Felix Geigermann, Abe inadvertently entangles the business in the acquisition of an expensive violin, setting off a panic over potential financial ruin.

Refugees and rooming houses The partners debate hiring political refugees from Russia and handling temperamental designers, weighing social obligation and professional optics against the bottom line during peak production seasons.

Wedding gifts and broken vows Abe and Morris quarrel over the cost of silver wedding presents for clients, while matchmakers attempt to settle local bachelors, resulting in sudden flight, reassigned dowries, and calculated divisions of engagement gifts.

The People

• Abe Potash is a senior partner in the cloak-and-suit trade who wants financial stability and quiet respectability. Easily influenced by smooth-talking acquaintances and prone to constant worrying, he frequently lectures his partner on proper business attire and decorum, though his grand plans often lead to self-inflicted headaches.
• Morris Perlmutter is Abe's hot-tempered, pragmatic business partner. He wants to protect the firm from being cheated and views the world with sharp suspicion. Despite his fiery outbursts and bluster, Morris possesses a covertly generous heart, often helping impoverished workers or taking on risky obligations that infuriate Abe.
• Leon Sammet is a fiercely aggressive rival merchant who wants to capture Potash & Perlmutter’s trade by any means necessary. He is loud, intrusive, and constantly schmoozing buyers in restaurants and on steamships.
• Max Linkheimer is a chatty button manufacturer and persistent lodge member who inserts himself into other people's affairs, dispensing unsolicited legal and financial warnings that provoke panic between the partners.
• Aaron Kronberg is a conniving, self-interested relative who schemes to manipulate his elderly uncle out of property and cash, viewing family ties solely through the lens of financial gain.

In Its Own Voice

"A philantropist ain't a schmooser, Mawruss."

Abe tries to explain the finer points of civic vocabulary to his partner during a quiet morning in their showroom.

"A feller's got to belong to eight lodges if he's in the button business, Abe, because otherwise he couldn't sell no goods at all."

Morris dismisses the genuine intentions of a business acquaintance by calculating the cold commercial logic behind his active social life.

"Nowadays, if a feller wants to make a success he must got to wear good clothes and look like a mensch, y'understand?"

Abe offers career advice to a former employee, arguing that outward appearance is essential for surviving the competitive New York trade.

What It's Really About

Beneath the comedic bickering over wholesale margins and social faux pas, the text explores the intense survival strategies of immigrant entrepreneurs striving for stability in America. It examines how cultural identity, community obligation, and raw commercial ambition intersect in urban spaces. The plot frequently questions what constitutes true value—contrasting the superficial bluffs of four-carat diamond rings and high-end suit lines against genuine human loyalty. The novel demonstrates that business relationships are rarely just transactional; they are deep networks of shared vulnerability, family duty, and unspoken affection. Ultimately, it celebrates the resilience required to build a life out of volatile circumstances.

Why Read It Today

This book will delight readers who appreciate sharp historical comedy, vibrant dialogue, and classic portraits of working-class New York life. Montague Glass captures the frantic rhythm of the garment district with crisp timing and affectionate humor, offering a vivid window into early twentieth-century urban culture. The narrative's strength lies in the rich interplay between its two leads, whose relentless banter functions as a shield against the anxieties of modern commerce.

Reading it requires adjusting to the heavy usage of period dialect, dynamic vernacular, and localized trade slang of the era's Jewish immigrant community. Furthermore, the casual cynicism regarding commercial ethics and period social dynamics reflects its original era without filter. Yet, the core dynamic of the book remains entirely modern. Anyone who has ever navigated a difficult partnership, managed a precarious small business, or argued with a loved one over trivial expenses will recognize the timeless humanity operating behind every line of dialogue.