He was through to QUICK QUAKER — yes hello? to who…? Bast look God damn it Mister Bast isn’t here what do you… what? from Mister Bast? I’ll accept it yes operator where… Bast? Where the… look no Akron’s in Ohio not Indiana middle of the night what the hell are you doing in… No no it’s all right damned good thing you called I’ve been… what? Yes I’m listening what… nobody named Crawley no but I’ve had… wait you forgot to tell who what…? Want the tape sent right down to him when it’s finished fine, what tape… All right I will yes be sure to, listen I’ve had this Pis… no no this Piscator of yours had him on and off the phone here all day says your company’s stock’s being hurt by pressure on some big loans they’ve got out against some government R and D contracts with this Ray-X division rumor there’s a… Whole point look I don’t know somebody called this morning sold them the whole inven… No I, Grynszpan yes Grynszpan stopped by just helping out said he’d sold their whole outdated inventory to… what I’m trying to tell you no idea what it is just said inventory, Piscator says may take some pressure off this Ray-X some Senate subcommittee starting a feasibility study looking into cost overruns on these contracts has your boss trying to head off rumors these lenders may force his stock into a voting trust protect their old loans and these new ones he just… Well damn it Bast I don’t know that’s what I’m asking, maybe trying to get in under the wire with this Erebus deal pick up their tax loss offset rumors some textile mill losing its loss carryover if it goes out of production town takes over for a park and speed… Eagle yes said there was some class suit shaping up over the way your boss converted his preferred to common to get control look Bast if you can just tell me… hasn’t called here at all no Piscator says he’s been calling the press reading them statements on these oil and gas leases you’re securing on some Indian res… Well damn it Bast I wouldn’t have either thought you were just sitting up here writing music can you tell me what the hell is… explain it all someday fine meanwhile how the hell shall I… Bast damn it look how the hell can I use my own judgment if I don’t even know the… I’m not angry at you no damn it look you’re welcome but can you… my work? Been on it up here all day yes going fine going pretty well I… of plastic what? Hardly hear you… wait get to whose funeral at noon, Bast…? She’s not here no wait get to whose… I will yes but damn it wait she… what? Wait wait what bus is leaving, Bast? Bast…? Good, Christ! He came down, a film can followed to crack open on the floor and send the roll merrily unfurling before him, came to grief at H-O where he sank for a moment — get it done Christ could have cleared up that whole first part tonight… and he reached under the dark of the punctured shade, made the sofa and pulled the blanket up, crooked an arm over his head against the torrents beyond and, nearer, the trickle of
— treasured heirlooms, many were from the finest…
Light came finally separating the blind as though cautious what it might disturb, broadened as though emboldened where nothing moved but the second hand spanning the arc alone till the long hand rose from NO DEPOSIT and, after repeated tries, came up dragging the short behind.
— to let earnings on your idle cash go down the drain when you can convert it to…
He came up on one elbow — who the, who is it!
— Got a delivery…
— Just wait a minute… he came fighting the blanket, got the door opened — stuff from downtown? Just bring it in and, here close the tub cover just pile it here.
— What you talking about pile it there.
— What the hell’s the problem just bring it in and pile it here… he clattered the tub cover down passing, — busy with some work I can’t stop to…
— Take a look out your window there.
— What that truck? Biggest damned truck I ever, look who’s this for.
— Mister Bast J R Corp whole fucking truckload here’s your invoice, shipment three five nine seven…
— That’s absurd here let me, look you can’t bring a hundred thousand plastic flowers up here good God, what…
— What I’m telling you, so where do you want them.
— I don’t want them look take them back where they came from or, wait drive around the block while I call…
— Came from Hong Kong take me an hour to get that fucking rig around the fucking block what do you…
— Good great take two hours ride around the block go back to Hong Kong look God damn it don’t give me… he caught the door, left it hanging till he was back from the dim recess of plumbing in the hall examining a square of tissue in the light — business is very good where the hell this came from, can’t be Bast must be Bast… it dropped crumpled, — God damned morning half gone not even a chance to get started here…
He came in with a red cup floating a teabag, set it beside the red cup submersing a teabag on Moody’s — run right through it today Christ got to get it done, another day like yesterday and I, where those matches… he drew the enchilada can in reach — where was I, where John Dewey came groping wait, damn it, well God damn it missed a whole page… He picked them apart — groping for the pages stuck together with this God damned cheese, close and intimate acquaintance got with nature broke off in the middle of this Dewey quote didn’t even notice it, intimate acquaintance got with nature at first hand, with real things and materials, with the actual processes of their manipulation, and the knowledge of their social necessities and uses most awkward writer in the God damned language, break off in the middle of one of his clumsy God damned sentences don’t even notice it. Now. In a Cambridge house where William James was busy pasting up a collage of what worked into a philosophy, E L Thorndike emerged from actual processes of manipulation in the cellar with his book Animal Intelligence to lay foundations for modern public school testing in terms got from nature at first hand in the intelligent behavior of chickens, terms irrefragable enough to be measured and compared as time and motion were currently being strait-jacketed by F W Taylor in a Bethlehem steel plant, to be sorted and evaluated as readily as the nickel and dime items on Frank Woolworth’s expanding counters, ingredients of the tangible world Mary Baker Eddy was profitably demonstrating could be classified and organized in unruffled confidence that it did not exist while, as profitably confident it did, the shoe machinery trust was showing such organization to be as vital to the prospects of the shoe machinery industry as shoe machinery itself. Disappointed with Niagara there, follows beautifully reads God damned well out loud too…
Foot tapped foot on Thomas Register as he dug for matches, — follows so God damned well though how can I leave out a whole page never miss it, skipped a whole God damned page never even missed it probably ought to take it right out speed up the Christ… his feet came down — start thinking that way be nothing left of it but the God damned title right back where I started… He came forward, picked up the roll of film — end up reduce the title to a God damned period give an intelligent reader the essence of the whole God damned thing… he stretched an arm’s length of film up to the light — incredible, look at this German footage think they staged the whole God damned war for their combat photographers… and another arm’s length of film came up, another, it rose in coils at his feet — Huertgen Forest must be Schramm’s didn’t know he, damn it just let the God damned thing ring try to get anything done here no… he was up, — might be…
Film trailed him through in a tangle caught on his foot mounting 24–12 Oz Btls Fragile! — hello…? Mister Bast no he’s… who? Leva? Not the B F Leva…? he settled back. — Quite an honor Mister Lev… right number yes Mister Leva Mister Bast said you might… this morning’s paper haven’t seen it no, anything interesting…? Erebus yes of course Mister Leva, all America knows your… Ad offering sixty dollars a share? Why no, thought I’d suggested eighty-five or ninety Mister Leva they must have… my idea yes just helping out here I… pardon? Why of course I do, all America knows the name B F Leva Mister Leva, whole world… joke no certainly not Mister Leva, whole thing’s on the… Sorry you’re taking it this way Mister Leva we thought you’d be delighted, all America knows your reputation for cheap… no no I meant cheap ideas Mister Leva, wouldn’t think of implying… pardon? the tub…? Oh you have a picturephone too…? No, no you just happened to catch me on location here Mister Leva, making a little film ourselves story about an Estonian refugee family, father’s a blind diamond cutter daughter’s just lost her… oh you did? Yes, yes I see your fat face up there now always wondered Mister Leva, are you German? Hungarian…? No no didn’t mean that no just the general level of vulgar stupidity you… Don’t know why you’d say that Mister Leva really thought we were helping you out, got a lot of confidence in your… Sixty dollars a share yes look Mister Leva afraid you’re putting the wrong interpretation on the whole… confidence yes real God damned vote of confidence Mister Leva, company’s looking for a good solid dependable long-term tax loss proposition really confident you’ll always find the sleaziest best seller pay the highest price for it and keep on turning out big budget money losing flops consistent tasteless stupidity God damned valuable asset B F all very complimentary, don’t find too many real professionals like you around any… pardon? Didn’t think you’d take it this way B F, after all it isn’t if you win or lose it’s how you played the game isn’t it, thought you’d… What I mean yes B F yes we’re playing dirty, don’t mind if I call you B F? Always thought of you that way connotation in England you probably… no bloody fucker, thought you’d… pardon? Oh, it’s Grynszpan yes, g r y… that nobody ever talked to you like this? Well now you… come out there to work for you? God damned kind of you B F but… working on something here I have to finish up yes… yes any time B F any time… He came down kicking free of the coils of film — day’s really getting off to a good, what was that somebody out there? Who’s out there… he got the door on the sound of footsteps down the dark stairs, the mail still settling at his feet — God damned coward come back here…!