William Gaddis - J R

— Five. Cash payment in full to all general unsecured claimants whose allowable claims aggregate one hundred dol…

— Beaton! Zona belching over here can’t hear a damn…

— lars or less yes sir, or who choose to reduce their claims to this amount the action against Mister Bast is an insider suit sir, rising from his sale of parent company stock at the…

— Damn insider suit Monty old stunt he pulled on the bank put up his stock as collateral forced us to sell it for him before the damn bottom fell out to get around his option terms, how the devil Crawley let him exercise the damn option before it matured class action is it Beaton?

— The issuance of yes sir both this and the suit against the company’s president are class actions brought by the same plaintiff, since the mill properties were deeded over for a public park and speedway resentment has grown over the rising welfare burden in the town of Union…

— Didn’t ask for a tour of the damn place Beaton just answer my questions after this hear me? Monty? Didn’t tell you to quit reading did I Beaton?

— No sir issuance of eight hundred thousand shares of common stock to be distributed ratably to all other generally unsecured…

— Don’t look like it no both class actions probably throw them right out, price of stamps don’t sound like anybody can raise the damn postage run around notify all the potential claimants under this Eisen ruling first decent decision the damn Court’s handed down since FDR packed his damn what’s that Beaton?

— The arrangement is conditioned upon approval by the company’s shareholders of a one for twenty-four reverse split of the shares of common stock presently outstan…

— Cut that make it one for twenty, trying to make a market in it at a half get this damn thing back on my ear, what’s that Monty…? No what damn good would… get’s him barred from trading that’s all, don’t serve any damn purpose to… Well by God no, just make it look worse for the whole damn business community that’s why damn it! SEC’s civil complaint put the whole damn thing into the hands of a receiver didn’t it? had this Bast and this J R what’s his damn name barred from running any publicly owned companies didn’t it? harshest penalty the damn SEC can ask for isn’t it? Can’t bring criminal charges by God Monty push this too far get every damn fool who ever lost a nickel in the market writing his damn congressman to… No but by God that’s what the whole damn thing’s all about! Civil complaints nothing but these damn lawyers having lunch fight over a few damn prepositions but by God push Congress too far like walking in a damn hencoop at night wake them all up, start cackling about criminal provisions pass a damn law before they know it only damn face you’ll see in the Union Club be some black with a tray, already got these two barred from trading on any major exchange haven’t they? do any damn good to add one more to the pile? Federal damn prisons already beginning to look like the damn Harvard Business School inside blacks running loose in the streets cutting throats but every damn paper you pick up’s somebody in a Brooks suit on his way to Leavenouch! By…

— Please you’re overexciting the patient he’s going up in a few minutes, if this shot doesn’t quiet him they…

— Get that damn phone back here! Monty? damn babying let go of me there, fifty other damn companies to worry about play nursemaid to this outfit taking too much of my damn time thought you could take on this recapitalization program when you get up here may have your hands full with Typhon ought to get right over there see where Pythian stands on the… don’t know maybe Cutler could handle it, litigation coming in corporate structure like something a damn monkey put together think he’d be… haven’t no not since they… not a damn word from her no got her picture on one of this outfit’s magazines here damned if I can… hasn’t mentioned it no, Beaton?

— Management appreciates your patience during this most trying and difficult period sincerely yours yes sir.

— Talked to Emily since they got back?

— Yes sir. In fact sir, I think you should prepare yoursel…

— Says he’s talked to her just need some more time to come around she… Know that damn it but she’s got the boy back don’t she? Didn’t think she’d be so damn mean about it either maybe Cutler can talk some damn sense to her now they’re settled… only damn reason she wouldn’t come in sign those powers when she took off for Geneva just had to prove she Beaton! damn phone ringing there have to tell you to pick it up? maybe’s Broos, Monty…?

— Yes sir but it’s the room phone I, hello…?

— Know she’s Freddie’s damn guardian on this well as you do Monty, anything went wrong no signature on these powers have the other trustees by the short hair give her leverage to control both foundations everything in them any damn reason something should go wrong…?

— Then you’re at the Maine end Colonel yes, what… They have? When do you ex…

— Planned to miss three dividends in the first place didn’t we? No damn voting rights on it unless we miss the fourth one, pay that everything’s under control got Beaton here keeping an eye on the… who Freddie? Any word on Freddie Beaton?

— You mean the actual reconstituting hasn’t even excuse me, no sir Mrs Cutler is placing ads in the pap…

— Still out loose Monty no Wiles thought he saw him in Tripler’s elevator while back with Emily must have been wrong, Beaton says she’s got ads in the pap… must have got it from the doorman when she moved that drunk into their old place up on Seventy… Joubert no don’t know she… don’t know must have paid him off, damn lulu need it for lawyers job in a Swiss bank there dipped in the cash drawer bought back into Nobili when this outfit ran it up to nineteen turned right around wiped it out with their own Far East market nothing left but what…?

— Lost in transmission but that’s prepos…

— Same damn fool yes got the bit in his teeth there tried to give them away too, launched a big drug donation dates running out thought they’d deduct at retail, IRS disallows it lets them write off at cost under eighty thousand wholesale value damn near two million, drugs show up in every black market in the Pacific dates expire damn druggists returning them hand over fist get the wholesale price back nothing left of the company but this happy pill Zona’s on lose that patent suit all they’ve got’s this damn green aspirin FDA’s got them up on not worth… Depends what Broos comes up with Beaton standing here gossiping on the damn phone trying to reach him on… what, called Broos…?

— But he’s, but by train…?

— Must be that White some damn face was it? Whitefoot? Idiot we sent down there get him out of that damn bank when we took over stuck him in the FCC what’s he… same little wop he was mixed up with was on the state banking committee just pushed this girl out a… Ask Broos when I get him try to straighten it out yes…

— No not unless something positive develops Colonel goodbye, thank you for…

— Hang this damn thing up Beaton think I want to lie here listen to it whistle? Who the devil was that.

— Yes sir that was a call from the…

— What about that stockholder letter didn’t hear a damn thing about selling off that tobacco outfit.

— Yes sir that was deleted upon representation by the attorney for a Mrs Schramm that majority interest in Ritz Tobacco had not been conveyed in the acquisition of Triangle Paper in which she also had an interest as legatee, and while their earnings forecast based on the introduction of two new cigarette brands Ace and Mary Jane with extremely high promotion budgets is astronomical the company’s past record hardly justif…