William Gaddis - J R

— I thought he was fixing me…

— Mister Duncan I quite understand yes, but at this point I believe you might better join the rest of the gentlemen on the sofa and let me call you when I find an opening to approach Mister Davidoff in terms of, of fixing you up as you…

— Thought that was somebody at the door Virginia if it’s those Indian boys tell them to sit tight and get that gang over on the sofa off the firewater…

— It wasn’t them Mister Davidoff it was just Mister…

— Oh and Virginia that call I’m putting through to what happened to that call to Senator…

— But that Mister Hyde’s still waiting on the telephone for…

— Trying to reach me while Hyde holds up the line better close that door behind you Beamish let them get back down to business in there just wanted Duncan here to get an eyeful of what was behind that spread in Monday’s where’s Duncan…

— I suggested he join the group on the sofa until we are able to concentrate more directly on his…

— Don’t worry about it few things I didn’t want to get into in front of him, gave him the three dollar tour to hang on till you or Nonny check out Skinner’s option the Boss wants to be sure Duncan’s really out of the ballgame dirty looking little man wouldn’t have picked him as the publisher of T S…

— But Mister Davidoff that is exactly the problem which…

— Don’t worry about it the only way Skinner and this gal can hold onto it think they’ll come up with the purchase price out of some lawsuit you saw his eye and that smile of hers car wreck asking a million each, by the time that’s settled the parent company will have called his loan and picked up the option had to take on his management contract to get it he’s about as much use as a spare what’s this box here Virginia, be lucky to get out with his hat and…

— That Indian suit they delivered the one you told me to rent for Mister…

— Chief Indian chief, better check it out before he takes it with him can’t have him get up there looking like the last of the here just get it off the desk, hello? Hyde? just hold on a minute no sit down Beamish, didn’t want to get into this in front of Duncan there the Boss saw that piece in Forbes on this collision course we’re running on these mineral interests wants to move fast got this topflight salesman I brought along from Diamond on that Endo divestiture on his way out there with, Hyde…? Haven’t shown up here yet no had them paged down at the bar but… no if you’re driving better leave without them we’ll get them loaded on the company plane with Mister… what? Six cents a mile companywide yes straight from the Boss not his fault if you drive a Cadillac he… time to get rid of what smell in your car… Because this whole Endo shipment’s on its way out there right now, gets there ahead of you and you’ll have them tearing open the crates won’t know a toaster from a hair dryer be lifting the tops of the washing machines to climb on them and… To hold it off till the last minute with your PR cameras set up when the presentation’s ready to… No before the pageant starts he makes the presentation they follow up with their ceremony make him an honorary… not the Boss no he can’t make it been out of the country just called in last night he’s… Sending his exec out in his place try to smooth their feathers yes… Bast yes don’t think you’ve met him he’s… what? Young yes but it couldn’t be the same one this one’s been with the Boss since… Don’t worry about it I’d handle it myself but the Boss wants me here on deck for brush fires shouldn’t be any problems the whole thing’s… No worked the whole thing up in our shop historical pageant got in a topflight name scriptwriter to help them work up some pride in their history had to do it all himself asked them and they drew a blank, yakked about the Great Spirit warning them the white man would try to take away their language had to get all his background info from the papers and go from there has them sign a treaty for one reservation they’re herded off it middle of winter across country barefoot and bottled up in the one they’re on out there now, brought in a little famine rapes cholera to jazz up the scenario try to get some togetherness going for them, work up some tribal spirit to get them off their butts and defend this happy hunting ground with these gas and mineral leases they’re squatting on find the whole thing in these press releases should be waiting for you when you get out there, want to get them right to the press boys the night before so they can… Don’t worry about it that’s what they’re paid for I’d send some of our agency boys out to hold your hand but they’re all parceled out on… No waiting for final script delivery now don’t worry about it just let this Charley Yellow Brook hand out the parts he’s been… afraid of what? What would… no what would they go after you for they… No most of them never seen one had to have Abercrombie’s send out some top archery types to show them how, even had to throw in some topflight canoeists so they’d know which end of the paddle to put in the… No it’s Brook Yellow Brook not stream, Charley Yellow Brook and his… must have seen a first speech draft joke the Boss came up with about a book called The Yellow Stream by I P Daily thought it might break the ice but… get the same feeling myself sometimes I just tie up my… your what? Oh your boy want to take your boy along why not, might see something he… what America’s all about? Show him what we have to protect yes might get him into some pictures want them taken before the action starts hand carried put right on a plane got a couple of photographers from the local papers and a UP stringer doubling as PR for us get them on the wire oh and Hyde before they start shooting Mister Bast ask him to take off his hearing aid, want some good shots of him and the Senator get the Brook brothers in there any local color all those feathers going that hearing aid might look… haven’t briefed him on it no he’s been wrapped up on another project pretty worn down not much of a fireball to start with he may need a little prodding to get into the spirit of… don’t worry about it goodbye oh and Hyde…? Hung up on me, ties up the phone for twenty minutes and hangs up on me wanted him to check out these appliance invoices at the other end make sure the Boss been at you on that yet Beamish? writing off these appliances at retail?

— No, the entire transaction is one with which I…

— Saw that Wall Street Journal crack didn’t you about Typhon International tying the can to Endo in that agreement to divest nothing but backdated inventory whole thing happened before I came on deck here probably one of Crawley’s stunts, only reason the Boss could give for taking it on according to Bast was because it was cheap didn’t know what to do with it till I thought of this gang of Indians give them the whole kit and kaboodle get them on our side of the fence on these leases and write off the cost but you know how the Boss thinks every loss a profit, wants the tax write-off at retail like those dated drugs in the Nobili…

— I would have to review the figures Mister Davidoff but while we have the matter under discussion there are aspects of this enterprise I find frankly disturbing. You may well regard me as old-fashioned but I find posing as benefactors to these Indians simply in order to take advantage of their rights to possible mineral or gas deposits on their lands quite as distasteful as advertising chewing gum and…

— We don’t do it first Beamish somebody else will, got them under the gun now with a move to pull their wigwams right out from under them be lucky to get off the reservation with their hats and their asses, spring this historical pageant to pull them together follow up on the publicity get their claims established and they can sink their teeth in this royalty arrangement with the Alsaka subsidiary put a little wampum under their belts for a rainy day see this Forbes’ piece Showdown at Broken Bow? Probably got it all from Crawley on the phone again yesterday about these Alberta and Western sites said he’d talked to you on these mining claims…