"Oh," said Marriott, "how would one-fifth do?"
Koerner, when he grasped the idea of the percentage, was satisfied; the other lawyers who had come to see him had all demanded a contingent fee of one-third or one-half. When the long bargaining was done and explained to Mrs. Koerner, who sat watchfully by trying to follow the conversation, and when Marriott had said that he would draw up a contract for them to sign and bring it when he came again, the old man was ready to go on with his story. But before he did so he paused with his immeasurable German patience to fill his pipe, and, when he had lighted it, he began.
"Vell, Mr. Marriott, ven I gom’ on dis gountry, I go to vork for dot railroadt; I vork dere ever since--dot’s t’irty-seven year now alreadty." He paused and puffed, and slowly winked his eyes as he contemplated those thirty-seven years of toil. "I vork at first for t’irty tollar a month, den von day Mister Greene, dot’s der suberintendent in dose tays, he call me in, undt he say, ’Koerner, you can read?’ I say I read English some, undt he say, ’Vell, read dot,’ undt he handt me a telegram. Vell I read him--it say dot Greene can raise der vages of his vatchman to forty tollar a month. Vell, I handt him der telegram back undt I say, ’I could read two t’ree more like dot, Mister Greene.’ He laugh den undt he say, ’Vell, you read dot von twicet.’ Vell, I got forty tollar a month den; undt in ten year dey raise me oncet again to forty-five. That’s purty goodt, I t’ink." The old man paused in this retrospect of good fortune. "Vell," he went on, "I vork along, undt dey buildt der new shops, undt I vork like a dog getting dose t’ings moved, but after dey get all moved, he calls me in von tay, undt he say my vages vould be reduced to forty tollar a month. Vell, I gan’t help dot--I haind’t got no other chob. Den, vell, I vork along all right, but der town get bigger, an’ der roadt got bigger, an’ dere’s so many men dere at night dey don’t need me much longer. Undt Mr. Greene--he’s lost his chob, too, undt Mr. Churchill--he’s der new suberintendent--he’s cut ever’t’ing down, undt after he gom’ eferbody vork longer undt get hell besides. He cut me down to vere I vas at der first blace--t’irty tollar a month. So!"