[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
The Party can afford it and it's an easy price to pay for elimination of friction at headquarters."
I had myself under full control by now. "It's none of my business. Why should I mind, if that is what
Mi. Bonforte wants?"
I caught just a flicker of a glance from Dak to Clifton. I added, "That is what Mr. B. wants? Isn't it,
Rog?"
Dak said harshly, "Tell him, Rog."
Rog said slowly, "Dak and I whipped this up ourselves. We think it is for the best."
"Then Mr. Bonforte did not approve it? You asked him, surely?"
"No, we didn't."
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"Why not?"
"Chief, this is not the sort of thing to bother him with. He's a tired, old, sick man. I have not been
worrying him with anything less than major policy decisions-which this isn't. It is a district we command
no matterwho stands for it."
"Then why ask my opinion about it at all?"
"Well, we felt you should know-and know why. We think you ought to approve it."
"Me? You're asking me for a decision as if I were Mr. Bonforte. I'm not." I tapped the desk in his
nervous gesture. "Either this decision is at his level, and you should ask him-or it's not, and you should
never have asked me."
Rog chewed his cigar,then said, "All right, I'm not asking you."
"No!"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean 'NoV You did ask me; therefore there is doubt in your mind. So if you expect me to present
that name to the committee- as 1/I were Bonforte-then go in and ask him."
They both sat and said nothing. Finally Dak sighed and said, "Tell the rest, Rog. Or I will."
I waited.Clifton took his cigar out of his mouth and said, "Chief, Mi. Bonforte had a stroke four days
ago. He's in no shape to be disturbed."
I held still, and recited to myself all of "the cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces," and so forth.
When I was back in shape I said, "How is his mind?"
"His mind seems clear enough, but he is terribly tired. That week as a prisoner was more of an ordeal
than we realized. The stroke left him in a coma for twenty-four hours. He's out of it now, but the left side
of his face is paralyzed and his entire left side is partly out of service."
"Uh, what does Dr. Capek say?"
"He thinks that as the clot clears up, you'll never be able to tell the difference. But he'll have to take it
easier than he used to. But,Chief , right now he is ill. We'll just have to carry on through the balance of
the campaign without him."
I felt a ghost of the lost feeling I had had when my father died. I had never seenBonforte, I had had
nothing from him but a few scrawled corrections on typescript. But I leaned on him all the way. The fact
that he was in that room next door had made the whole thing possible.
I took a long breath, let it out, and said, "Okay, Rog. We'll have to."
"Yes, Chief."He stood up. "We've got to get over to that meeting.How about that?" He nodded
toward the safe-districts list.
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"Oh." I tried to think. Maybe it was possible that Bonforte would reward Bill with the privilege of
calling himself "the Honorable," just to keep him happy. He wasn't small about such things; he did not
bind the mouths of the kinewho tread the grain. In one of his essays on politics he had said, "I am not an
intellectual man. If I have any special talent, it lies in picking men of ability and letting them work."
"How long has Bill been with him?" I asked suddenly.
"Eh? About four years.A llttle over."
Bonforte evidently had liked his work. "That's past one general election, isn't it? Why didn't he make
him an Assemblyman then?"
"Why, I don't know. The matter never came up."
"When was Penny put in?"
"About three years ago.A by-election."
"There's your answer, Rog."
"I don't follow you."
"Bonforte could have made Bill a Grand Assemblyman at any time. He didn't choose to. Change that
nomination to a 'resigner.' Then if Mr. Bonforte wants Bill to have it, he can arrange a byelection for him
later-when he's feeling himself."
Cliftonshowed no expression. He simply picked up the list and said, "Very well, Chief."
Later that same day Bill quit. I suppose Rog had to tell him that his arm-twisting had not worked. But [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl freetocraft.keep.pl
The Party can afford it and it's an easy price to pay for elimination of friction at headquarters."
I had myself under full control by now. "It's none of my business. Why should I mind, if that is what
Mi. Bonforte wants?"
I caught just a flicker of a glance from Dak to Clifton. I added, "That is what Mr. B. wants? Isn't it,
Rog?"
Dak said harshly, "Tell him, Rog."
Rog said slowly, "Dak and I whipped this up ourselves. We think it is for the best."
"Then Mr. Bonforte did not approve it? You asked him, surely?"
"No, we didn't."
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"Why not?"
"Chief, this is not the sort of thing to bother him with. He's a tired, old, sick man. I have not been
worrying him with anything less than major policy decisions-which this isn't. It is a district we command
no matterwho stands for it."
"Then why ask my opinion about it at all?"
"Well, we felt you should know-and know why. We think you ought to approve it."
"Me? You're asking me for a decision as if I were Mr. Bonforte. I'm not." I tapped the desk in his
nervous gesture. "Either this decision is at his level, and you should ask him-or it's not, and you should
never have asked me."
Rog chewed his cigar,then said, "All right, I'm not asking you."
"No!"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean 'NoV You did ask me; therefore there is doubt in your mind. So if you expect me to present
that name to the committee- as 1/I were Bonforte-then go in and ask him."
They both sat and said nothing. Finally Dak sighed and said, "Tell the rest, Rog. Or I will."
I waited.Clifton took his cigar out of his mouth and said, "Chief, Mi. Bonforte had a stroke four days
ago. He's in no shape to be disturbed."
I held still, and recited to myself all of "the cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces," and so forth.
When I was back in shape I said, "How is his mind?"
"His mind seems clear enough, but he is terribly tired. That week as a prisoner was more of an ordeal
than we realized. The stroke left him in a coma for twenty-four hours. He's out of it now, but the left side
of his face is paralyzed and his entire left side is partly out of service."
"Uh, what does Dr. Capek say?"
"He thinks that as the clot clears up, you'll never be able to tell the difference. But he'll have to take it
easier than he used to. But,Chief , right now he is ill. We'll just have to carry on through the balance of
the campaign without him."
I felt a ghost of the lost feeling I had had when my father died. I had never seenBonforte, I had had
nothing from him but a few scrawled corrections on typescript. But I leaned on him all the way. The fact
that he was in that room next door had made the whole thing possible.
I took a long breath, let it out, and said, "Okay, Rog. We'll have to."
"Yes, Chief."He stood up. "We've got to get over to that meeting.How about that?" He nodded
toward the safe-districts list.
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"Oh." I tried to think. Maybe it was possible that Bonforte would reward Bill with the privilege of
calling himself "the Honorable," just to keep him happy. He wasn't small about such things; he did not
bind the mouths of the kinewho tread the grain. In one of his essays on politics he had said, "I am not an
intellectual man. If I have any special talent, it lies in picking men of ability and letting them work."
"How long has Bill been with him?" I asked suddenly.
"Eh? About four years.A llttle over."
Bonforte evidently had liked his work. "That's past one general election, isn't it? Why didn't he make
him an Assemblyman then?"
"Why, I don't know. The matter never came up."
"When was Penny put in?"
"About three years ago.A by-election."
"There's your answer, Rog."
"I don't follow you."
"Bonforte could have made Bill a Grand Assemblyman at any time. He didn't choose to. Change that
nomination to a 'resigner.' Then if Mr. Bonforte wants Bill to have it, he can arrange a byelection for him
later-when he's feeling himself."
Cliftonshowed no expression. He simply picked up the list and said, "Very well, Chief."
Later that same day Bill quit. I suppose Rog had to tell him that his arm-twisting had not worked. But [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]