— Listen Vern this is…
— Yes well Mister Gibbs’ approach has already ahm, his proscribed openings that is to say have drawn some attention to say nothing of his appearance the last time I saw him about a car loan but of course he was in no financial condition to ahm, no condition to drive that is to say whether he would be as cooperative as Dan here in terms of his ahm, of resigning…
— If you think this school board’s going to him on our knees Whiteback you…
— Yes well no of course but the possibility that firing ahm, firing anyone might reactivate this strike cloud we’ve been under since that young Mister ahm, Mister his name’s on a check right here somewhere apparently our computer issued him one for fifteen thousand dollars which of course was, must have been some more of Leroy’s handiwork that is to say they were going to question him about it before he got away but…
— Leroy? they just let him skip out?
— No well of course they were getting ready to pick him up when it was in last night’s paper I think an elderly lady who complained to police she was here from out of town looking for an office building at number one Marine Memorial Plaza…
— Nothing like that around here, just our World War Two memorial up by the firehouse being let run to rack and ruin by these freeloading pacifist…
— Yes well it must be a mistake of course the paper said she had a letterhead driving a big ahm, a LaSalle yes you don’t see those anymore trying to park it in front of the Post Office when a man answering Leroy’s description offered to help her, she got out and stood on the curb to direct him and he simply got in and ahm, and simply drove away which makes it sound like that story of ahm, that book salesman’s story who’s suing us that Leroy beckoned him right out in front of that asphalt truck might be ahm, might actually be here’s this check yes, Bast yes E Bast for the evidently the correct amount a dollar fifty-two but of course since he hasn’t returned the other one the insurance company investigators are after him now like everybody else in fact we’ve tried to reach him ourselves since no one else seems to know anything about this little Ring opera but…
— Wait if you mean the one that got up here on the school television with his filthy remarks in front of those Foundation people and lost us that whole support grant Whiteback he’s as bad as this Gibbs, that friend of this Gibbs that cut off his…
— Yes well right now the whole project seems ahm, of course we’d planned it for our Spring Arts Festival but even this pupil who was playing the part of ahm, with all the bicycle reflectors that is to say up in the nurse’s office now may still be absent unless some adoption agency comes through and of course the…
— My boy’s in that Whiteback plays Call to the Colors, really looking forward to it.
— Yes well of course whether the Spring Arts ahm, whether the new Cultural Center will be finished of course Parentucelli must be ready to blacktop where his men cleared all those woods and trees when they discovered Glancy’s ahm, Glancy that is to say but the architects have been waiting for approval on their building plans since that newspaper smear even though the money already approved in the highway bill appropriation plan for the large stabile to stand out in front is ahm, already approved yes…
— Thought I’d heard they just found a little readymade cultural center running full blast up there when they cleared away those trees Whiteback, books, music, artistic pictures on the walls, might hold your little festival there it sounds like the Major’s boy here could really lead the…
— Look Vern what the hell is he talking about Whiteback he…
— Yes well I think Vern just means that ahm, an old sort of barn studio beyond the trees there some teenagers had apparently taken over for a dope and ahm, and sex club where the police found a number of these glassine bags among the books and music torn up all over the floor and ahm, obscenities spraypainted on the walls yes but of…
— And the pictures Whiteback, I’m sure the Major’s boy would be…
— Yes well no apparently there were pictures tacked up everywhere of ahm, of women with exposed ahm, exposed I think the newspaper used the word exposing their ahm of course I understand the owners are being cited for maintaining a public nuisance but since condemnation proceedings are already ahm…
— I just want to know what Vern thinks he’s getting at with these cracks about my boy Vern if you think you…
— No offense Major, I just thought after what he’d provided the community here with on the school television he might…
— Yes well I think that’s what Mister Hyde came in to discuss and of course if…
— Yes and I don’t know what the hell the uproar’s about, I’m pressed for time but I want to clear this up before it goes any further. My boy told me he’d sent away for a film about karate and when he got it and had no way he could see it he did the logical thing didn’t he? Came in here and put it on some of the school equipment how did he know it was being broadcast all over the countryside…
— Yes well of course we ahm…
— He thought it was a film about karate and he said when he held it up to the light all he could see was a couple of tiny figures doing something how was he supposed to know they were…
— Yes well since most of our viewers ahm, from most of our calls and mail they apparently thought it was part of our new sex education program and found it quite ahm, the letter from the Senior Citizens found the whole subject handled with it’s right here somewhere, seemed to find it quite stimulating here it is yes, handled with refreshing candor…
— There, any reason to take it any further? In fact it sounds to me like my boy performed a real community service here after that smutty thing Vogel showed up with about Millie Amp shortcircuiting her shunt and said he’d just followed an outline Dan here discussed with him, if that’s…
— Yes well Vogel of course…
— And how many youngsters here saw it anyhow, just the fifth grade mostly wasn’t it?
— Yes well of course that’s how it happened to ahm, how they happened to see it over to the parochial school too yes apparently they’ve been taking Mrs ahm, taping Dan’s wife’s little enrichment lesson on silkworms and were quite ahm…
— Their own fault then isn’t it? They’ve got their own closed-circuit system over there now what do they expect…
— Yes well of course I’m sure they didn’t expect ahm, rear entry while sitting I believe Father Haight mentioned as something quite ahm, unexpected that is to say apparently that was the only ahm the only sequence he…
— A mixed couple though wasn’t it Major?
— Yes well I think Vern just means ahm…
— I know damn well what Vern means of course it was a mixed couple, nothing pansy in it at all in fact it sounds to me like my boy helped get these fifth graders off to a good healthy…
— Yes but of course some of the parents are ahm, who took an interest in silkworms that is to say are still somewhat…
— And if this is all the boy’s done Whiteback I don’t know why you even called me in, my office is pretty excited about the way I’ve handled this home ec equipment for them and I’ve got to…
— Yes well no in fact he ahm, yes well he also seems to have been collecting material that ahm, I had it right here yes that was found in his locker and could hardly be confused with ahm, with karate that is to say right under here somewhere they must yes no these are the pictures they sent us out of Mrs Joubert’s field trip but ahm, but but wait but wait if these are the pictures of her field ahm what was she Dan right over under those clippings will you see what’s under those clippings there…
— But, these…?