—Same way that driveling Frenchman got into her pants, what are you doing about that.
—Done it. What’s the latest quote on Nobili, Beaton.
—It opened at thirteen and a half sir, I haven’t checked the . . .
—Tell Crawley start picking it up again at twelve, probably sold it short himself at about that, hear from Amy tell her we settled her lulu for her shouldn’t have any more problems with him.
—Yes sir but she, didn’t she get in touch with you sir?
—Been in the hospital damn it Beaton what do you . . .
—Yes sir I gave her that number, she’d apparently met Mister Crawley in the Metropolitan Art Museum and learned of this pressure being brought on Mister Joubert and became quite distraught . . .
—Must have been the Natural History Museum Beaton what the devil would Crawley want in the Metropolitan.
—Wherever it was she was quite frantic sir, alarmed at the way Mister Joubert might react to being pressed to the . . .
—Not a damn thing he can do to her now is there?
—No sir but her concern for Francis was extremely . . .
—Don’t see what he can do there either, day she brought her class in here we tied up both those foundations so he couldn’t touch either one of them with a ten foot pole, forgot the little lesson I gave you that day Beaton?
—No sir but right now I think her fears concerning Francis are what really . . .
—Better not forget it either, come up with another half-baked proposition like that when she comes in to sign this final set of papers on those two foundations we’ll all go to the poorhouse and that fourth dividend, you keep your eye on the date hear me?
—Yes sir it’s, excuse me. Hello . . .?
—That’s Stamper I told them to send him right in.
—It’s Mister Cutler in Washington sir. Yes, hello? Dick?
—What’s he doing down there.
—Yes just a minute. He went down to settle the details of this Endo Appliance divestiture with the Justice Department sir but apparently some question’s just come up regarding . . .
—Here give me that . . . Cutler? What the devil’s the problem down there . . . Yes I damn well am out of the hospital, spent another day there we’d all be out of business. What the devil’s going on, this Endo nonsense should have been cleared up a month ago . . . Took title to the patents didn’t we? Without them nothing left but a damn shell, last year’s inventory and some lamebrain salesmen I know that, so does the Justice Department whole damn point . . . The what . . .? Hasn’t mentioned it no but . . . Well you tell them this whole damn thing was settled two months ago, they agreed not to give us any problem on this Diamond tender if we tied the can to the Endo outfit and that’s . . . what do you mean some question . . . Course I saw the newspapers . . . Well you tell Frank Black I, wait damn it tell him myself. Beaton? Here, get me Frank Black.
—Yes sir . . .
—Put in a call to Monty too, damn nonsense about withdrawing this tender . . .
—Yes sir . . . Miss Bulcke? Yes get Frank Black please and then . . . yes and then put in a call to Mister Moncrieff . . .
—One newspaper headline they’re ready to close shop, Beaton what the devil’s this about irregularities in the Endo inventory.
—Yes I was going to mention that sir, apparently Mister Davidoff was making gifts from the inventory to . . .
—Just what the devil do you mean making gifts, to who.
—To various schools and institutions apparently sir, he . . .
—What in hell was he doing that for!
—I believe he felt it could be used to bring the attention of the press to the company’s . . .
—The press! Bring the attention of the Justice Department the SEC and every damn leftwing politician looking for a headline, nothing left to that Endo outfit but its damn inventory he’s giving away with one hand while we’re complying with this Justice Department ruling to sell the company with the other, already jeopardized the Diamond tender with this damn fool news story tell me what in hell he thinks he’s been doing?
—In his rather inflated notion of improving the corporate image he appears to have . . .
—This keeps up by God there won’t be anything left but the damn image, who the devil gave him this kind of authority.
—In Mister Moncrieff’s absence sir I believe he had the impression that he, in his own phrase that he was running the store.
—Running the, by God anybody ever run a store by giving away everything in it? Get him in here Beaton, see what else he’s given away. And get Crawley, Frank Wiles, whoever’s handling this Endo divestiture, find a buyer at any damn price they can get and just write off the rest, get rid of the whole thing and anybody connected with handing out its inventory before this whole deal with the Justice Department blows up in our faces. Get him in here, see what else he’s given away damn it Zona just be quiet . . .
—But he’s no longer with us sir he . . .
—Gives away the whole damn company and then quits? Where the devil is he.
—I understand he’s joined a public relations agency sir but his departure was hardly . . .
—Lucky to get out of here with his hat and his ass and I want him arrested too Beaton. When he interfered with my workmen removing my painting to take to my house he went out of here ass over teakettle John, and Beaton I want him arrested.
—Yes ma’am if there were any possible grounds I’d be . . .
—You’re a lawyer think of some grounds, do I have to do all your work for you? He arranged that purchase in direct violation of my contract with that ape of a painter and if that doesn’t make him an accessory I don’t know what does, Beaton if you can’t have them both arrested and tried for conspiracy to defraud and sent to prison you’d better get off the pot because you’re not doing anything on it and the next thing I . . .
—Yes ma’am excuse me, hello . . .? Yes sir just a moment he’s right here. It’s Mister . . .
—Here give me that. Hello . . .? Yes it is damn it put him on. Monty? What the devil’s going on down there, just had a call from Cutler says Frank Black recommended withdrawing this tender offer for Diamond, had everything settled with Justice on this Endo divestiture and now he says you’re afraid they . . . No just heard about it from Beaton, sounds like damn nonsense maybe gave a few stoves away but that don’t . . . came down there to see you? What the devil did he think he could . . . No just a damn nuisance, no reason to . . . Broos said what . . .? Well that’s damn foolishness, call more attention to Typhon withdrawing this tender now than just letting things ride and the sooner we . . . threatened to what . . .? What the devil’s that got to do with it, not a damn thing wrong with that smelter contract whole thing was negotiated signed sealed and delivered before you left the company, get some leftwing politician in there threatens to try to lower the cobalt stockpile requirements not a damn thing to do with the government’s contractual obligation to Typhon to buy every damn ounce of . . . Well what the devil’s Broos doing on the Armed Services Committee, no damned reason he can’t step in there and . . . Because management services are management services cost plus contract or any other kind, charge the government or anybody else for management services what’s so damn . . . No damn it if Typhon wants to hire management services on this contract from Pythian whose damn business is . . . Monty damn it I know a plant can’t be declared surplus and sold until it’s built but why in hell we should hold up this Diamond Cable tender until . . . Don’t see why that should call anybody’s attention to anything, Pythian’s interest in Typhon is nobody’s damn business, got Blaufìnger coming in here this morning and that whole situation in Gandia should be cleared up in a week or two, had Nowunda up thereon the platform when Box gave the groundbreaking speech and Doctor Dé declared the secession of Uaso province same night, Nowunda sending in troops but there’s not a damn thing he . . . No, talked to him on the phone, won’t see us intervening to support that re
d regime of Nowunda with all the . . . what . . .? Yes worked so damn well even got peace groups wearing signs keep out of Gandia and Africa for Africans smashed a window down at the bank this morning, why the devil they always pick the bank about time we . . . No and I don’t want to, got Blaufinger coming in here this morning let him get together with Frank Black on it, said something about small arms surplus shipment from Bonn and I don’t want to know any more about it . . . What the devil we got Frank Black for highest paid damn lawyer in Washington . . . yes got a call in to him now, one more thing Stamper’s going to steam in here any minute want to know whether we’re still in this pipeline deal with him or not, still got that bunch of damn Indians camping out right in the middle of the . . . well you know Stamper he don’t want easements he wants title free and clear, damn reservation spread out right in the middle of the . . . I told him that but this damn Senate Concurrent Resolution twenty-six disavowing termination’s nothing but a damn resolution is it? not a damn law is it? That damn sheep state senator down there making all the . . . well get Broos on to him, I’ll get Broos onto him. Beaton? Here, get hold of Broos for me.
—Yes sir excuse me, hello . . .? Thank you, yes I’ll . . .
—Here give me that.
—I’m sorry sir they say Mister Black just left for a meeting at the White . . .
—And Beaton while you’re at it I want to know what you found out about that carload of . . .
—Zona damn it will you just let him . . .
—Yes ma’am excuse me a moment Governor regarding that Indian reservation lying directly in the . . .
—Beaton I said I want to know what you’ve done about that carload of niggers that parks right in front of my door on Beekman Place, I told you to report a stolen car a week ago and they were there yesterday big as life while you sit here with your . . .
—Zona damn it told him to get Broos on the phone Beaton what the devil you waiting for.
—Yes sir excuse me ma’am hello Miss Bulcke? Yes will you try to reach Senator Broos for the Governor please, we did trace the license ma’am but the car appears to belong to the United Nations Trade Commission from Malwi which has only one car it had not reported stolen, and since that is a DPL parking space reserved for cars bearing . . .
—Don’t tell me it’s a DPL parking space Beaton I paid good money to have it made a DPL parking space so Nick could pull in to the curb and I wouldn’t have to wade through an acre of dogshit to get to my own front door, and if you think I believe stories about something called Malwi you . . .
—No but ma’am apparently it is a small emerging country in . . .
—Little country right there east of Gandia Zona about the size of Stamper’s place, get all the labor for the mines there so damn poor’ll work for peanuts, now Beaton what’s this about . . .
—If you think I’m going to keep dancing around piles of dogshit to get to my own front door you’d better . . .
—Damn it Zona try to find some way to accommodate you now just be quiet, Beaton what’s . . .
—Yes excuse me sir, hello . . .? Oh yes he’s right here sir just a minute . . .
—Here give me that. Broos? got Stamper steaming in here any minute called to find out what you . . . who? No damn it I’m not holding the phone to my bad ear haven’t got a bad ear, what the devil you think I’ve been in the hospital for this time got two damn inner ear transplants, where . . . Work fine damn it did not think you sounded like Broos, just put a call in to him find out about that gang of Indians squatting in your way up there should have cleared them out twenty years ago, knew the eighty-third Congress couldn’t last forever same way they cleaned up the Klamaths and the Menomi, who? Who, Beaton . . .? No Beaton’s sitting right here hasn’t said a damn thing to me about it he . . . What in hell you still down there for board meeting thought you wanted to clear up JMI and these Dallas mortgages . . . No, no didn’t know that no, what kind of tissue damage . . . In beer? know you do but it sounds like damn foolishness, got Handler putting me back in next week myself wants to implant a damn heart pacer things keep up this way I . . . if Beaton’s what . . .? Hasn’t said a damn thing about that either so damn busy running errands for Zona . . . sitting right here yes . . .
—If that’s Charley I’ll tell his doctors where he got his tissue damage.
—Sends his regards Zona says if you’ve taken off a hundred pounds since he saw you he’ll introduce you to some of his friends.
—Tell him if that showgirl he just married bent over and spread her cheeks his doctors could all . . .
—Into what? What the devil’d you want him looking into that for, sold at around forty back before the war hasn’t been traded for years, last I heard deficits running over half a million whole damn thing was . . . Way their tax liens were piling up don’t see how they even held onto a few rights of way, ought to pick the whole thing up for a plugged nickel I’ll get Beaton going on it . . . Said what? by God anybody knows about these damn mining claims you should not worth the paper they’re written on, hasn’t said a damn thing to me about any development company either damn busy running errands for . . . No hell get Broos on it do a little logrolling with that old what’s his name sheep state senator been in since McKinley came right around last time on that damn waste dumping bill must have something to . . . Write the whole thing off don’t be a damn fool think the bank finances a consortium like this expects it to be written off? Just want to hold off on any merger talk till this Diamond tender’s straightened out calling Crawley now to withdraw it until . . . want him to call you where . . .? No what the devil you burning them down for . . . No sitting right here hasn’t said a damn thing about any movie film no . . . no be at the bank later call me there, here Beaton and don’t take any more calls till you straighten things out here, Stamper says you cleared up his damn Indian tribe why the devil didn’t you tell me.
—Yes sir I’ve been, I believe we’ll have no difficulty proving that this particular Indian reservation is not really a reservation as per treaty, appar . . .
—What the devil they all doing camping out there then.
—Yes sir apparently they were removed to this present site around the turn of the century from their original reservation further to the east where substantial deposits of limestone and gypsum had attracted the attention of the cement industry. Our sources say that any claims they might have had through any treaty involving that earlier reservation can be proved without validity regarding these lands they now occupy and that any attempt they might make to obstruct the . . .
—Point is Stamper don’t just want easements through there Beaton says he could come in hind tit on the whole deal unless he owns drilling rights and all the rest of it lock stock and barrel and with us banking it can’t take any damn chance.
—Of course sir once the treaty matter is determined and the lands recovered by the government their outright purchase can be arranged immediately through the Bureau of . . .
—Get onto it then don’t dawdle like you have with this damn Alberta and Western Stamper told you to look into, on their last legs twenty years ago should have had the whole thing signed sealed and delivered for him by now, Zona where the devil you going, don’t want that meeting to start till Blaufinger shows up.
—Do I need your permission to go take a . . .
—Sit still Beaton she can get there herself get back to business here.
—Yes sir I’ve looked into this for Mister Stamper and it appears that just recently this Alberta and Western Power Company was victimized in a scheme of pyramided debenture issues and falsely optimistic earnings forecasts in preparation for merger with this so called Ace Development Company which had of course been set up by the same operators. They had already doubled its ten cent issuing price in a simple buy-back scheme and evidently planned the merger with Alberta . . .
—By God Beaton how many damn millions already tied up in that pipeline deal Stamper sitting on those tar shale deposits up there and you’re
talking penny stock frauds? Stick them in jail and get on with things.
—Yes sir I understand the SEC has brought mail fraud charges against one of the principals, a Mister Wall, and the man who posed as underwriter is being sought. The problem seems to be in dealing with the interests that bought heavily into both sides of the scheme, the debentures and the development company stock, with the obvious intention of seizing what assets there are when the scheme collapsed, these scattered power company sites and rights of way and the extensive mineral exploration claims that are causing Mister Stamper to . . .
—Well damn it who are they, what the devil’s all this . . .
—A report I was putting together from our various sources I thought you might want to review whenever . . .
—Damn it Beaton haven’t got time to go through this mess, this the people we’re talking about?
—One of them yes sir, this appeared in an upstate newspaper during their takeover of an ailing textile firm called Eagle . . .
—Couple of blacks, are they?
—No I think not sir that, I believe that’s simply the poor quality of the photocopy, the one on the left there, a Mister . . .
—Yes Bast damn it I can read Beaton, what the devil’d you get all this trash together for, nickel and dime takeover of a broken down mill only damn thing it’s good for’s a tax umbrella.
—Yes sir they appear to have made immediate use of its pension fund to acquire a midwestern brewery with very favorable earnings and an attractive undistributed dividends situation, more recently they snapped up a producer of matchbooks whose financial position appears considerably less secure and any long-range plan in their expansion program is somewhat difficult to . . .
—Only damn plan sounds like grab whatever they can get their damn hands on, what else they picked up.
—These are the only completed acquisitions according to our sources sir although a new nursing home issue just rose considerably on rumors of a merger, and we understand they’re showing considerable interest in a company called Ray-X which manufactures a variety of battery driven and transistorized . . .