The House That Shadows Built (1928)

CASTLE GARDEN 33 peared from the region. They sat down on the front stoop, exchanging greetings, views, and gossip. Max had a job with a furrier; was learning the trade. It was a great business with a future. Experts got salaries as high as twenty-five dollars a week. Upholstery — what kind of business was that? Thereupon, Adolph Zukor told his troubles. *‘l should say so!” replied Max Gross. “Now the fur business is easy. You start in as errand boy and our shop is full of Hungarians, so you don’t have to know English. I’ll tell you what I’ll do — you come round next Monday morning and I’ll introduce you to the Boss. His people and mine are cousins in the old country.” It was perhaps a gamble; but Adolph knew that he could not long endure sofa-covering. He reported at the upholstery shop on Monday morning only to hand in his resignation, repaired to the factory of A. A. Frankel at Mercer and Houston streets, lingered about the place until the noon hour. Then he and Max invaded the restaurant where the Boss was having luncheon and presented their application. Without a break of a day, Adolph Zukor went to work as errand boy — at four dollars a week. He swept the floor; he gathered up the leavings and trimmings; he carried messages; he made himself generally useful. As his few words of English became relatively intelligible, he passed down the work-benches at lunch time, taking orders and collecting dimes.