— No but see that’s earnings before taxes that’s the whole thing, I mean didn’t you read this part Bast? See because like if you can put it all together and write off all these here losses of Eagle against all these profits of like this here brewery then you get to keep them, I mean like otherwise you get screwed out of everything by these taxes like these two old brothers see they had all these profits which they didn’t collect them on account of this here tax so now when they do collect them they’d have this tremendous tax which is this undistributed profits tax, see? See so now they’re scared if one of them dies the other would really get screwed, but if they just sell the whole thing then all they have to pay is this here capital gains tax which is only like a half of a half, I mean don’t you even remember this part hey?
— No.
— But how come because holy, I mean this is the whole…
— Because I didn’t read it, I didn’t read any of it. I didn’t even open it. Now if you’ll just…
— But, but holy, but I mean how come you didn’t even open it?
— Because when I came back from that trip last night there was mail everywhere letters, magazines, books I haven’t even…
— Wait what about one from X–L Lithograph Company, I mean was there this letter from…
— I told you I don’t know! I don’t know what any of it is I, do you think I came in and sat right down over that pile of trash in the middle of look, a friend of mine had just had an accident when I came in if I’d been there, if I’d been there when he…
— No but holy shit Bast this is serious, I mean like I’m sorry about your friend and all but holy shit this is like five million dollars and I mean where I’m paying your expenses for like this here trip and helping you out so you can…
— I did what I said I’d do didn’t I! I went up there and settled this thing to help you out just this once didn’t I?
— Okay sure but…
— Like this trash I took in and showed Mister Crawley to help you out just this once didn’t I?
— No but you said you had to go see him anyway and besides, I mean I paid half your train and subway and all or you couldn’t even have went in and…
— All right yes but just because something’s gone wrong every time I’ve come out for that school check so I could pay you back the ten dollars from that field trip you…
— Okay but like is it my fault if they keep screwing up your check and all? And I mean like I’m advancing you these expenses like this here whole fifty dollars to help out for your…
— All right! Look that’s all I want to get straightened out here, I’ve got exactly ninety-four cents that money wasn’t to help out for my anything, it was expenses for this trip, I’ve got them all written down I mean I’m the one who’s been doing everything while you sit here picking your nose talking about five million dollars now…
— No but holy, I mean listen I’m the one that has to figure things up and like make these here decisions with these risks and all like I mean I barely made it boy, getting this here stockholder suit money in this one account to borrow against in this here other one to get all these forks shipped to pay for all these here bonds which I’d already sent away for them where these here brokers start…
— That’s what I’m talking about! You send away for this, send away for that, you send away for a lawyer you get into one mess and ask me to help you out just this once and while I’m up there trying to straighten it out you’re sending away for a brewery and I don’t know what, I’m trying to get you out of trouble and you’re just making it bigger with all this, this paper, these numbers on paper and this nonsense about leasebacks and depreciated whatever it is, you ask me to help you out just this once and…
— But what am I suppose to do! his foot came to the floor and he got the other one free of the radiator, — I mean who asked them for their lousy mills? All I did was buy these bonds for this here investment and mind my own business and then they turn around and dump all these wrecked up buildings and people and stuff on me and what do they expect me to do, build them a park? I mean holy shit… he ripped a paper towel down and worked it at his nose, — I have this here investment which I have to protect it don’t I? And I mean you’re so sorry for all these old people with this here stock they got in exchange for their bonds which they’d bought them for this investment just like I did so what about them? I mean this broker says convert my preferred stock to common and buy more common so I can do something to protect my thing there let them have the preferred because all chey give a shit about is will they get their dividends anyway, so like how are they going to get them if we just keep paying everybody to play softball and sing Stout Hearted Men and then some smartass comes along and screws us with a stockholder’s suit, I mean holy shit Bast… He took the paper towel away from his nose and stared into it, — I mean I’m just trying to protect their investment too, you know?
— But it has to stop somewhere! can’t you understand that? Can’t you just let your mail order lawyer straighten out this Eagle Mills without talking about buying breweries and…
— No but that’s the thing! he wadded the towel and dropped it. — You can’t… and he kicked it toward the radiator, — I mean like when we went on that field trip where that Diamond Cable Company the president of it said if you’re playing you might as well play to win but you can’t just might as well, he came on skating the towel wad across the floor, gave it a slap shot with his instep. — You can’t just play to play because the rules are only for if you’re playing to win which that’s the only rules there are.
— All right then look. I said I’d help you out just this once and I did, now you can go ahead with this Mister Piscator you’ve got. You and Mister Piscator can get out there and play to win.
— No but I can’t just go out there and meet him hey!
— Out where…
— Out by the Egyptian stuff see we had in school where they have this Egyptian tomb and all here so I told Piscator you’re like real interested in Egypt and I thought after we went over all this Eagle stuff from your trip you could just bump into him there like, see and then you and him could go up to the office and, and what’s the matter hey. Hey Bast?
— What.
— Well see I thought if you’ll help me out again just this once till things get going like with Piscator and wait wait don’t get mad hey because see like I’ve only talked to him on the telephone which that doesn’t work so good because when I stuff this handkerchief in it to make me sound bigger he says he can’t hardly understand me, so see like I wrote all this stuff down… he had the attaché case open and snapped down a flap in its cover where pages of coarse composition paper lay filled margin to margin in thick lead pencil. — See it won’t take you long because it’s just all these little things only you have to have a lawyer to do them, like if we want to open a business account at the bank he has to get us this here business certificate off the state of New York, and then this here is I was thinking of if we want to get incorporated on the side like what do we have to do. See and then here’s this stuff about this X–L Lithograph thing we were just talking about see we can figure out these expenses now and like how much you still owe me and if you still need more for expenses ahead of time if you can help me out again just this once? I mean like all I’ve done for you like getting to take this trip and staying at this here hotel and this banquet you went to and all those softball games and getting your picture in the paper and all…
— No no stop, stop I…
— And like this here attaché case I got you with these gold initials on and that neat alarm clock and I mean I go get all these here business cards printed up for you and I call up that Virginia and fix it up where you get her to take telephone calls at that cafet…