William Gaddis - J R

— Listen it is it’s, look… he wiped a hand, sank back on 24–12 Oz Btls Fragile! — chance I’ve been waiting for to work on this book again I’ve finally got it, worked on it before never any reason for me to finish it anything to make me really want to do it now there is that’s why it’s, why I’ve got to really damn it… he got to a knee, reached up, — hello yes who…? Wait who is it what do you… Monsieur Bast oh, no il n’est pas là…

— Man like just say j’ai mon foo and they hang right up… the door shuddered, hung, — I mean I’ll see you man…

— Comment…? Le commissionnaire du, du mal oui? comment? C’est un pays…? Yes all right bon no offense damn it qu’est ce que vous… qui moi? Moi je suis ahm, je suis son aide oui, Monsieur Bast est parti mais je… Urgent oui mais je… de quel catalogue…? Rouge et vert, de quoi? Ray X? Don’t see one here no je ne… Que vous êtes pressé bon je le dirai au Monsieur quand il re… yes well look écoutez God damn it what do you want me to qu’est ce que vous… comment? De bonne vente oui mais you mean acheter tout…? Oui fine prix convenu mais l’inventaire tout entier…? Tout à l’instant même fine see what I can… qui moi? Je m’appelle ahm, oui je m’appelle Grynszpan oui, Monsieur Grynszpan… bon, si vous… plus tard bon pas de quoi good God…

He came down wiping a hand, caught the door tipped on its hinge and set it firm before he wet the shirt’s tail at the sink torrent and came in to the couch wiping the blue folder — try to get anything done here… sitting to open its pages and wipe at margins, pausing with — I hope every weeder… to clear his throat, — I hope every reader will, from this history, take warning, and stamp improvement on the wings of time… and his feet came up to rest on Thomas Register. — Pursued by the crippled ghost of exquisite and delicate sensibility, Frank Woolworth fled to wait… he reached, dug, came up with the nub of a pencil. — Fleeing that crippled ghost of exquisite and delicate sensibility to Lancaster Pa where his best would be good enough, Frank Woolworth secured success with a line of ten cent items to stamp his nickel’s worth of improvement on democracy even then being flushed from elsewhere in Aristotle’s lecture notes as forlorn delusion rising out of the notion that those who are equal in any respect are equal in all sounds fine doesn’t it, nothing hard about that. Roused by the steam whistle, democracy’s claims devoured technology’s no wait. Roused by the steam whistle, democracy claimed technology’s promise to banish failure to inherent vice, where in painting it survives today, and America sprang full in the face of that dead philosopher’s reproach to be always seeking after the useful does not become free and exalted souls. By the nineties the arts were already seeking refuge at Hull House dressed as, by the nineties the arts showed up disguised as therapy at Hull House seeking refuge from streets ringing with Jack London’s howling discovery of Spencer’s immutable law, Give me the fact, man! The irrefragable fact! and elsewhere their torrent catalogued as literature to trample Maggie the Girl of the Streets where John Dewey came groping for the close and intimate acquaintance got with nature at first wait. And elsewhere their torrent no. Catalogued elsewhere as literature, these… the pencil nub drew lines, an arrow detouring a tomato blot — published this ten years ago it would have been damn it have to type it over anyhow where I put those cigarettes… he rummaged. — Give me the fact man sound like I mean that’s Spencer’s law? howling discovery of Spencer’s immutable Christ anybody thinks Spencer would say give me the fact man no business reading this in the first place. Now… smoke rose. — Catalogued elsewhere as literature, these no. These, catalogued elsewhere as literature, catalogued as literature to trample made it an active verb, conspired no… smoke rose, the cigarette finally dropped into the enchiladas, his head rested back. — These…

The smoke drifted through planes of light from the askew blind mounting 24/One Pound H-O and Won’t Burn, Smoke or Smell, crossed the plateau of bound volumes of the Musical Courier to climb no DEPOSIT NO RETURN and fail against the arc of the clock where the long hand pursued the small, passed it, descended and was gone. He sat up abruptly — damn it get anything done in this place… and he was in past 36 Boxes 200 2-Ply — hello…? Not here no Mister Bast left this morning, who… Mister Grynszpan? not here either no, who’s… oh. Oh they did…? and they said they’d just talked to a Mister Gryn… can’t understand them at all no matter of fact Mister Piscator they ahm… No, no it’s French yes talked to them myself, I… me? Grynszpan yes I just said that because I’m up here getting some work done didn’t want to be dist… just helping Mister Bast out yes took this call from… radium? No they… oh, didn’t mention rhodium no sounded like they had a catalogue of x-ray machines red and green catalogue want to buy the whole… Ray X that was it yes red and… all outdated inventory? Didn’t even ask didn’t seem to care no I don’t think they could read the specifications either, sounded like all they could read was the prices they want immediate… discount no didn’t ask for one they just want im… in the catalogue yes everything in it I sold them everything in the catalogue complete inventory if they can get hold of it immediately, just want to know where they can… got it all warehoused where…? Fine yes I’ll tell them that, goodbye… you’re welcome yes, good… what? No, no Mister Bast mentioned it said this Leva might call but he didn’t give me any details just left here this morning in a hell of a hurry and… Yes well look I’m busy I can’t… sorry yes but look I can’t get into… who B F Leva? worst God damned moviemaker in… losing how much…? You mean your company’s looking for tax credits up in the range of… who Bast? No didn’t say anything to me about a threat to the tax loss status of your textile wait look Mister Piscator don’t go into it please, I’m working on something up here and… yes I… All right look all five studios what’s the book val… what just in carrying charges…? All right look take on the whole thing get rid of that two and a half million cash outlay in carrying charges by dumping these four smaller studios well under book value, say you sell them off at two million one bring your tax credits up around forty million just hang onto the big studio rate this Leva’s going you’ll be… problem getting hold of their stockholders list quote the book value at a hundred and sixty-eight a share real God damned point’s how active it is, stockholders probably watching these losses sitting on their look I don’t know the whole story shouldn’t be trying to… can’t no I told you I’m working on something I… help Mister Bast out yes but he didn’t say anything about a… Didn’t mention that either no he… no look I… didn’t tell me about that either damn it look Mister Piscator trying to help out but I’ve got something here I’m working on that’s… I don’t know when I’ll finish it no! Now will you… you’re welcome yes good… I will yes goodbye.

He was back in muttering, dug out a cigarette and lit it before he came down to the sofa — forty million tax credits Christ thought he was up here writing music what the hell he’s been, where was I… he picked up the folder, set the enchilada can on Moody’s — get anything done here ought to just let the God damned thing ring, consoled only by the fact that Madame Bernhardt had allowed herself to be photographed in a yellow mackintosh as ungainly as his for the jaunt, Wilde still knew no country in the world where machinery is so lovely as in America. I have always wished to believe that the line of strength and the line of beauty are one. That wish was realized when I contemplated American machinery. It was not until I had seen the waterworks at Chicago that I realized the wonders of machinery. The rise and fall of the steel rods, the symmetrical motion of great wheels is the most beautifully rhythmic thing I have ever seen. Spread broadcast, this particular aesthetic experience of Wilde’s was now leveling men’s claims to being absolutely equal since they were absolutely free, the symmetrical motions of those great wheels homogenizing their no, no wait spread broadcast, this wait. On less aesthetic levels, Wilde’s experience spread broadcast leveling no damn it leveling levels wait. In less aesthetic versions, the symmetrical motions were, motions were, no, no elsewhere. Elsewhere the symmetrical motion… he tapped ashes into the enchiladas, tapped one foot against the other on Thomas Register. — Leveling men’s claims to being absolutely equal since they were absolutely free, the symmetrical motion of, symmetrical motion of God damn it, the symmetrical motion… he sat there tapping, — where the hell did that come from… and he had the guitar by the throat, plucked it, cradled it and strummed a chord — can’t be his no whole God damned thing’s out of tune… he hunched over it trying strings, tightening keys — owner must be a deaf mute… he plucked, tried chords, loosened a key, tightened one, tried a string, a chord, a bar — thing of Granados how the hell does it go… he made a fresh start. Another. The long hand crept from NO DEPOSIT, passed the short, the second hand swept past them both to NO RETURN, reappeared and was gone — almost had it that time God damn it just try to get anything done here…