—Nothing silly I’m just checking your dressing.
—Check a little further you may get a surprise.
—No now Mister Duncan let’s act our age . . .
—Just want to get fixed up and get back to Zanesville, crank me down a little will you . . .? came from the tumult of newspaper, and she drew the door behind her on—here’s a nice one, Bast? you awake? Here’s a politician who pushed a girl out an office window he says she told him she could fly . . .
And down the corridor,—there’s a call for you on two I think it’s that same lawyer . . .
—Hello Mister Coen . . .? Sure he’s much better this eve . . . no he sleeps a lot but he seems much more . . . no, no he didn’t have any visitors yet but he’s got this real character in there with him now, they really . . . tomorrow? Sure, you . . . you bet Mister Coen yes see you tomorrow then . . .
Through bull’s eye doors from the lull of an elevator, down those greens lost to the morning sun already failed elsewhere for the decline of afternoon’s—excuse me nurse, I’m looking for . . .
—You the man to fix the diathermy? It’s right in . . .
—No no I, I’ve come to see a patient is Miss Wad . . .
—It’s not visiting time, Miss Waddams . . .?
—Oh hi Mister Coen you finally made it, he’s down this way. So how’s your other patients.
—Ijust stopped at intensive care yes they, his condition’s unchanged of course they don’t dare operate but . . .
—I know they really hang on sometimes don’t they there’s no . . .
—Yes well how is Mister Bast, has he . . .
—Oh he’s fine he ought to be out in a couple of days, he woke up this morning he wanted fifty sharp pencils he’s been in here drawing pictures all day no right in here, wait till you meet his friend . . .
—across supermarket counters today following what was explained as an unfortunate lapse in inventory control by a spokesman for the Triangle Paper same son of a bitches who got me out of the wallpaper business how do you like that . . .
—Mister Bast . . .?
—Intended for eventual distribution to novelty and mail order houses, sixteen thousand cases of toilet tissue appearing on supermarket shelves in many parts of the nation are the novelty roll variety, so called because alternate sheets bearing ribald messages . . .
—Mister Bast look you have a visitor!
—We’ve got a case of that they sent us in Zanesville you know what the message is?
—Mister Bast? I’m glad to see you recovered, you look . . .
—Who are you.
—It’s your friend Mister Coen.
—It’s your friend Mister Cohen Bast maybe he brought your pencils, you know what the message is on these . . .
—Yes you probably don’t remember our drive in together Mister Bast, I must say I’m greatly relieved to see you up and, what is this you’re doing . . .
—He’s writing a piece for the unaccompanied cello because all they’ll give him is a crayon, he said he has to finish something before he dies.
—Silly he’s not going to die, now let Mis . . .
—Well then give him his fifty pencils, how do you know who’s going to die Waddles you give him this drawing paper and one purple crayon all he can write is something for one instrument, give him his fifty sharp pencils he can probably write us a whole concert and bring me some more newspapers . . .!
—Mister Bast? You may not recall my telling you about Mrs Angel, your cousin Stella? She’s still, still somewhat uncommunicative I saw her downtown last evening where I believe I mentioned she might go for observa . . .
—Before you sit down Cohen reach across him in that night table and just hand me that urinal?
—Why why, yes excuse me Mister Bast no go ahead with what you’re doing just let me, there. Now. About your aunts Mister Bast I’ve been making every effort to learn what became of them, it occurred to me they might even have returned to Indiana? Recalling their devotion to their local newspaper out there fortunately I remembered the name of it and placed an ad urging them to get in touch with us, I’ve also renewed my efforts to reach their attorney out there a Mister Lemp? Their position seems to have assumed particular urgency since . . .
—Mind putting this back Cohen? careful . . .! just got the cuff you won’t even notice it when it dries, listen to this one . . .
—Excuse me Mister Bast if I might borrow that washcloth yes now, yes in looking into the complications implicit in Mister Angel’s present condition and possibly also that of his wife as affecting your aunts’ position with regard to settlement of the estate and attempting to verify their original holding in the family company, I learned that they appear to have had the bulk of their securities in a discretionary account where they have already suffered substantial losses through unsound investment decisions on their part, and since what stock remained was being held by this broker in a street name, in all likelihood it was included in the collateral he put up for very substantial loans he now appears unable to . . .
—Listen to this here’s a couple of wetbacks one of them got a new Cadillac for five dollars, the other one’s got an eighty foot yacht for ten how do you like that.
—To, I assume you’ve, Mister Bast? I assume you’ve had no word from the, from your father?
—I can help you out on that one Cohen.
—Pardon?
—Is that it? Cohen? with an h? You a lawyer Cohen?
—Why why yes, yes that’s . . .
—Try this one on tell me if I can sue the city, walking down the street here a chippy came up she said she’d fix me up right there in the doorway for five dollars all I had was a ten, you know what she said? She said she’d go upstairs and get her sister to change it for me I’m not that dumb, I said I’d go up with her, hallway up there black as your hat and wham! That’s what I’m doing here, ruptured spleen three broken ribs a torn . . .
—Frankly I doubt if you would have any success in attempting to sue the city Mis . . .
—Duncan Isadore Duncan, maybe you heard of my . . .
—The name sounds familiar yes but I’m afraid I . . .
—Just want to get fixed up and get back to Zanesville.
—I see yes I, I can hardly blame you and now, Mister Bast? Yes what was I, Mrs Angel yes, as I assumed the results of the paraffin test proved negative as of course so did the prints when they dusted the weapon an old octagonal barrel twenty-two, a sort of relic of Mister Angel’s boyhood I believe. Of course I had had no doubt that the wound was self inflicted, I don’t know whether you were aware of the growing despondency that had overtaken him lately but for a man of his fiercely independent nature seeing the comp . . .
—A man in the paper shot himself performed a perfect lobotomy, you read about that one Cohen? Held the gun up to his temple and fired put it down and walked away, the bullet went right through his head performed a perfect lo . . .
—That’s very interesting Mister Duncan yes but I, I wonder if you would excuse us we have some rather important . . .
—Just put the gun down and walked away he didn’t even know what he’d done, left him a little simple minded but I guess but that’s better than being . . .
—No go on with what you’re doing Mister Bast I’ll simply try to keep my voice down, for a man of his background and temperament of course seeing the family company he’d worked so hard to build forced to go public in order to satisfy these estate taxes he took it all quite personally, especially these recent developments you may be unaware of? You, you do hear me Mister Bast? Yes, at any rate in what now proves to have been a futile attempt to forestall the halt in production and layoff that followed the, following the accident, I had undertaken negotiations for the sale of a roughly twenty percent interest in the company in order to satisfy these tax claims as a way of sidestepping going public in the full sense which Mister Angel found so disturbing. Unfortunately as these negotiations progressed he became even mor
e alarmed at what he saw as the threat of a takeover through the direct sale of this minority interest to the large diversified corporation which had already in effect . . .
—Can’t quite hear you over there Cohen.
—No well I, don’t let us disturb you please we . . .
—Sound like the same son of a bitches that got me out of the wallpaper business.
—I see yes, what was I, in effect yes since they had in effect already gained what might be called a toehold with a five percent interest which had come into their hands as security for a loan to a person named Skinner setting him up in a publishing enterprise which he lost when he failed to meet his option . . .
—This the same Skinner that took out the girl to supper Cohen?
—Please I haven’t the slightest . . .
—Took her out to dinner at quarter of ten it was up her something like that, purple lipstick on her teeth is that the one?
—I have no idea I, the man I mentioned I understand received a modest settlement on his management contract and has embarked on a new enterprise in fact, Mister Bast, since the personnel layoffs which occurred would naturally arouse your concern, you may be pleased to learn that some chance remark I made during the negotiations regarding the availability of two rather personable young ladies from Mister Angel’s office appears to have led him to employ them in this new enterprise where their natural talents are apparently being given full . . .
—Quarter of nine it was in her the supper, something like that Cohen I can’t remember . . .
—I see yes that, that may be just as well now as I, this five percent Mister Bast yes apparently it came into this Skinner person’s hands through the former wife of a former employee who turned it over to her in a divorce settlement all of which may be somewhat beside the point, while its value at the time of transfer in the region of a hundred twenty thousand dollars clearly reflects the company’s remarkable growth in the comparatively brief interim since he received the original stock when it was probably worth a mere seven or eight thousand, any long-term tax obligation perhaps twenty-five or thirty thousand dollars he may have incurred on the increment has nothing to do with the company itself of course. In fact the issue is not even the stock’s current value which under present circumstances is probably severely open to question, but rather that of controlling interests in the light of recent, pardon? Mister Bast? No I, I thought you spoke, you can hear me? Since I am still unclear on whether you intend to exert any claim yourself? Because you see if the law . . .
—Why break the law to get all we can if we can get it all legally.
—Please not so loudly no, no I have no inten . . .
—Got you there hasn’t he Cohen.
—Mister Duncan please, we . . .
—Change the law after he breaks it and where does that leave him, listen to this. National Commission will propose legal private use of marijuana, how do you like that. There is increasing evidence that we are approaching a situation similar to that at the time the Volstead Act was repealed wrote Doctor James Carey, a professor of criminology at the University of Cal . . .
—Please Mister Duncan please, this has nothing to do with . . .
—That’s all right Cohen you didn’t let me finish, the recommendation does not amount to full decriminalization because persons who use marijuana could still go to jail for such actions as growing it, giving it to friends, transporting it or smoking it in public how do you like that. Studies have shown . . .
—Mister Duncan please! What I am attempting to discuss with Mister Bast has nothing whatever to do with mari . . .
—Just depends whose ox is gored is that it Cohen? The conservative majority has insisted that criminal penalties be retained for the simple sale of the drug, that is sales between friends and others not in the business of trafficking drugs keep the world safe for Seagram Distillers National Tobacco Company and those son of a bitches that got me out of the wallpaper business is that it Cohen? How do you like this, in Houston a young civil rights activist is serving a thirty-year sentence for giving marijuana cigarettes to an undercov . . .
—Mister Duncan! I hold no brief whatever for the special interests you mention, I am here simply to discuss a rather grave and complex family matter with Mister Bast and I must ask you to find some other source of entertain . . .
—Want to discuss a family matter Cohen I’ll tell you what my wife did, I put part of the business in her name just for the tax angle when I wanted to get out she wouldn’t let me how do you like that. Nothing she wants nothing she hasn’t got, fourteen years of it I built her a house so big she still carries her handbag from one room to the next one she won’t even give me a divorce, she turned me in to the IRS for ten percent had me followed by detectives got herself a Jew lawyer how would you like to handle it for me.
—No no thank you no, no I’m certain there’s nothing I . . .
—Always heard the only way to fight a Jew lawyer’s to get another Jew lawyer I’ve been trying to get out of the wallpaper business for fourteen years, you know what I finally did? Ran up the biggest bill we could with our paper supplier and just left it lie there till a company took them over and offered to write it off as a downpayment, said they’d take the rest out of profits son of a bitches finally got me out of the wallpaper business, how do you like that.
—It’s very interesting yes clearly you have no need for a Jewish attorney, now . . .
—Tell you what I just read about here this wetback who bought a new Cadillac for five dollars, one of these Texas millionaires died he left the proceeds of the sale of his Cadillac and the yacht to some chip, what do you want now Waddles.
—We’re going for a ride Mister Duncan, they want to take your picture up at x-ray, let me get the chair closer here let’s get our feet out and . . .
—I’ll try to make it quick Cohen, don’t . . .
—No no please don’t hurry back on my account Mis . . .
—Mister Duncan!
—Told you I had a surprise for you didn’t I Waddles? Don’t go away Cohen, something else I wanted to ask you . . .
—Yes thank, heavens. Now Mister Bast perhaps we can concen, what is it you need more paper it’s right down here let me, there, yes I’m sure you can follow what I’m saying while you continue with that you see Mister Bast under the circumstances, you appear to be the only family member available and, and competent to discuss this matter and in light of your own real or possible interest in its outcome I’m sure you can help me to clarify some of its aspects, I’ll try to be brief. As you may or may not have been aware, an element of mistrust appeared to have developed before Mister Angel’s accident between him and his wife your cousin Stella concerning the controlling interest in General Roll. What gave rise to this growing mistrust on both hands of course I have no way of knowing, though I may say that from my frequently close contact with Mister Angel and certainly in light of this recent unhappy event, assuming my interpretation to be the correct one, his was motivated immeasurably less by anything resembling what might perhaps in another instance be construed simply as greed, considering the rather substantial sums of money involved, than by the very understandable fear in a man of his, his ah . . .
—background and temper . . .
—Background and yes, yes you are following me then . . .
—No I’m just listening.
—Yes that’s what I, I see yes at any rate having drawn up Mister Angel’s will in which I am named executor while of course I am not at liberty under the circumstances to divulge its contents whatever its provisions, even were his wife your cousin Stella to be excluded, we are all aware of her incontestable claim as his wife to a portion of his estate which after taxes should amount to approximately eighteen percent of the company, her share of which combined with the half of her father’s estate to which she is clearly entitled giving her altogether about eighteen and one half percent as opposed to the twenty-five percent now controlled by this conglomerate and t
he twenty-seven controlled by your aunts and their brother James, your father I mean to say if such indeed proves to be the case, in which event of course her claim your cousin Stella’s to her father’s estate in its entirety combined with her minimum portion of that of her husband assuming his failure to survive would secure her . . .
—Who’s Mister Duncan here.
—What? pardon? Oh, oh he’s not here Miss no I believe he went to be x-rayed he . . .
—Tell him to call the office about his insurance will he be right back?
—I sincerely trust not but of course I’m in no position to . . .
—Just tell him to call the office about this health plan he’s got before supper all right? He’ll be back by then?
—I would have no doubt yes now the, Mister Bast? Yes, now this question of the, of Mister Angel yes where, what was I . . .
—of his amusing failure to survive you said . . .
—His yes which would of course secure her control with roughly thirty-one percent barring a surprise from other quarters, by which I refer of course to your own status in the matter regarding which I have been making every conceivable effort to reach you for what seems an eternity and which would, of course, assume substantially more complex proportions should it prove in turn related to the intentions of the conglomerate I have just spoken of as these become clarified by the parties to its reorganization with the wealth of possibilities for protracted litigation its rather spectacular dissolution will undoubtedly present, to say nothing of the effect already apparent on the market insofar as this unprecedented downturn which shows no indication of reversing itself, most especially in terms of the overwhelming loss of confidence that has led to the headlong flight of the small investor, is ascribed by growing numbers of market analysts to the events stemming from this particular corporate situation which has filled the papers this past week as I take it under the circumstances you may well have been unaware? Mister Bast? I, I thought you spoke . . .?