JR (96 page)

it's like Mister Brisboy trying to keep score with what is it now Virginia?

—It's this man at the door he …

—If it's that soldier boy give him a copy of that feature on Frigicom you'll want to give that a onceover before it goes out Beamish oh and Virginia that memo from the Boss I told you to run through the typewriter better give him two copies and give one to Beamish here where is it.

—I just started it Mister Davidoff but this man at the door has this big package for Mister Bast he says it's this golf practice set which…

—See what I mean Beamish the piano's one thing but setting up a

golf course in the middle of Virginia just give him the headquarters office address uptown let them lay it out up there it's where Mister Bast spends most of his time, the Boss has him all tied up on this foundation music grant project why he wants me here on deck for these brush fires the shape he's in I don't think Mister Bast can handle

them, I showed him this big Alsaka Development story and he just drew a blank standing here like that hearing aid was tuned in on outer space looks like he's lost twenty pounds squaring up this music project before he leaves tomorrow for Virginia call Piscator see if he's got the all clear on this company logo, the Boss wants it painted on the tail of the company plane before Mister Bast flies out to that Wonder funeral tomorrow may have told you Beamish, he's stopping off there on the way to this Indian pageant we've worked up to wait if you've got Piscator on the phone I'd better, who?

—It's…

—If it's Mister Ten-forty tell him to get up here before we lose Mooneyham, may want to get in on this yourself Brisboy our personnel man's coming in to put the division heads over there through their paces some kind of decision making session the Boss had him work up who is it Virginia?

—It's the hotel manager's office they're calling Mister Bast…

—Tell them we expect him any minute he, here give me that, hello…

? No this is Mister Davidoff what… Not to Mister Bast no you're billing this suite to Pomerance Associates and we're billing the client that's all you … what? What do you mean General Haight's suite you're not billing that to us or to J R Corp either no he … he's on the board of directors yes but when we took this suite over and moved him up the hall your PR boys took him on as a guest of the hotel for the mileage you could get out of having a retired three star… Three no three moved up a grade on retirement he … I didn't tell your PR boys he was in charge of commissaries over there because they didn't ask me now what… No I don't know how long he's going to stay here no but before you pull that you'd better tie up your … yes goodbye somebody at the door there Virginia did you get out that file for Mister Brisboy here?

—Excuse me Mister Davidoff before we go further, this is not Mister Brisboy but Mister Duncan, and I believe he …

—Duncan?

—Mister Duncan, yes. In connection with the Triangle Products acquisition I believe Mister Duncan had been led to understand his firm was an object of interest to the parent company in light of its indebtedness to Triangle, however…

—Don't worry about it Mister Duncan, Beamish here gets his signals crossed sometimes but everything's under Virginia get Skinner out of the bedroom, show you the dummy he's laying out in there Duncan you'll get a real look at who's at the door…

—Some man that says he plays the bass flute with a little mustache

he…

—One thing we really need right now tell him to try the grand ballroom and tell Skinner to bring out that woman really topflight track record in curriculum management Duncan one look at what she's got spread out in there and you'll see what that big story we got in Monday's Times was all about somebody on the phone?

—Mister Davidoff before we go further, I believe some confusion has occurred between this Mister Duncan's firm, with its reputation as a leading producer of wallpaper…

—Wallpaper like his dry humor don't you Duncan oh Virginia if it's those two Indian boys calling tell them to stay right where they are send somebody right out to get them, lose them now and the Boss will really who is it …

—It's some magazine they…

—Tell them I'm in a meeting and get Skinner out here with wait give it to me, hello … ? No he's not who… statement he gave you on the phone what statement he … Wait you called him where last night he's been out of town since… Mister Bast isn't here either no he works out of uptown operations headquarters we're just camped out here handling their corporate PR till the lease is signed on that building at Madison and … because right now I'm probably closer to this acquisition picture than Mister Bast is that's why, got the lawyer who set up the Triangle deal sitting right in front of me now what… Well who said Mister Bast wasn't still executive officer of the parent company trouble with you press boys listen to each other's rumors instead of… what? Because he's been busy on this foundation grant don't even read the releases we send you Virginia get a copy of the press release on this J R Foundation grant to encourage symphonic… what? Well what did you call about then … Rumor that's what I just said about you boys listening to… point eight million this year who wouldn't grab the tax loss but there's no plan to liquidate no, the magazine's being acquired to round out this whole vertical integration picture wood pulp source through paper manufacture with the Triangle deal into this field growing faster than defense getting the publishing end under one roof and any sales of Her magazine's fixed assets are leasebacks or duplication with the Duncan facilities got Duncan himself right here in front of me taking over his whole line, prestige backlist new titles in the trade end pulling together a children's encyclopedia expanding the whole textbook operation and this revamped women's mag laying out the new dummy right now a

whole new concept in… changing the title to She yes that's all I can tell you a whole new concept in … saw that too yes if Time magazine thinks we're going to lose our shirt on it they… Because those boys still think à la nineteenth century just ask them how much it costs them to get one subscription one new subscription just one new sub… what?

Who said anything about paper clothes … no we've got the division head from Eagle Mills here I'll check it out call us later Virginia? Get

Mister Hopper over there out of that melon long enough to see if he's getting into paper clothes heard anything on that one Beamish?

—No but I believe…

—Don't blame you believe anything I hear myself about paper the way they're stripping those power company rights of way and mining claims right down through Virginia I told you to get Skinner out here with those figures the Boss wants on paper consumption rising triple the rate of the GNP for Mister Bast's talk to the security analyst boys, has us bring in a top drawer speech writer on it and then reads them these statements over the phone must be where this Business Week interview came from, Triangle Products acquired for an undisclosed price rumor places substantially below book value refers to him as shrewd downstate interests when it was Beamish here who got the nut down to four million five put Piscator's nose a little out of joint thinks maybe you're trying to crowd him out…

—I? Good heavens I hardly…

—Probably where the Boss got the idea you were putting something over on him listing this Her magazine's two hundred odd thousand account receivable as a Triangle asset with point eight million in operating losses already this year so he's knocked it off your four million five, three million of that covered by the Eagle pension plan sale back to the employees and X-L selling at twenty-nine with its own paper source handing over fifty thousand shares of X-L common

market value over a million four gives you a little margin over this million three balance wants your approval on these figures for the press.

—It is cutting things a bit thin, and I believe we must still review the status of …

—This Ritz Bright Leaf outfit don't worry about it, just tell your principals the Boss is sitting tight on it as a tax loss while this USDA experimental program gets off the ground still labeled secret but he wants me to discuss trade names with you as soon as it's checked out with Senator Virginia where's that call we're putting through to Senator him on the phone there?

—No it's the room service did somebody order kippers?

—Probably Mooneyham over there keeping his thirst up, doctor trying to get him off it sends him to five movies a day he's seen so

many dirty movies he's gone right back to Virginia tell him you want his glass for a refill and get some coffee into him before Mister Ten-forty shows up, call him that because we got him through some computer management service working on a book on measurement Skinner

wants for his spring list Virginia? Tell Skinner to bring that trade list out with him putting through his paper order now reminds me Beamish the Boss said anything to you about recycling that back inventory at Triangle?

—No but I believe…

—Must plan to sell it off novelty rolls and all then his last memo he

wants that big water tower painted to look like a giant roll of toilet paper even did it himself with orange crayon on an aerial view we'd sent him wanted to make sure there were no legal objections.

—No but I believe the residents in the immediate area of the Triangle plant would hardly welcome the spectacle of a giant roll of …

—Don't worry about it then one thing I don't argue with those pieces of lined paper handwritten one end to the other comes in here I just tie up my pantslegs he wants solutions not problems…

—Mister Davidoff excuse me sir but that is why Mister Duncan is here. In the haste attending the parent company's eagerness to resolve the status of his firm in the course of acquiring Triangle Products, some confusion appears to have occurred between…

—May speed things up to get Skinner out here for a rundown the way these legal boys make twenty words do the work of one get Beamish here going with his whereifs and whereases been here talking for twenty minutes and we're still right over this way Mister Duncan oh and Skinner don't have to introduce you to your old head of sales do I Duncan let him give you a runthrough and I'll fill in the gaps.

—Gosh…

—Brought Skinner on board when I left Diamond Beamish, he had a management contract offer from the bank Duncan here set up as trustee tied in with a token hundred thousand dollar option to buy and all Skinner can come up with is joint tenancy in a piece of a three or four million dollar company out here in Long Island City having some reorganization problems got their lawyer coming in later to show you his figures, this woman Skinner just married picked up five percent of it in her divorce settlement putting that up as security for this J R Corp loan to pick up the option and meet the full purchase price out of future earnings probably what's on Duncan's mind here…

—I just want to get fixed up and get back to …

—Yes Mister Davidoff please, we must interrupt this and get back to…

—Don't worry about it, see what it's like running the store with nobody on deck to put out these brush fires Time spread says we'll lose our shirt see why Duncan here's worried about future earnings wants a look at the, where's that trade list comments from your topflight name critics and all, noses a little out of joint when they trip over topflight talent but that's par for the course call this wallpaper Beamish?

—I confess the titles are quite catchy ones indeed Mister Davidoff, however we…

—Still working one up for this new book on measurement by our Mister Ten-forty went right out and picked up a new suit with his hundred dollar advance and these Haight memoirs, Skinner brought in a topflight name writer to get the General off Virginia try to reach Mister Gall, promised us a new Western himself called The Blood in the Red White and Blue as soon as his play goes into production may have to pull him off the General to give the Boss a hand on this full length bio he wants to bring out, thinks his own success story may rub off on the company and vice versa when he takes the jump into public life sharp eye for a deal but he can use some help on his spelling Virginia? Get hold of Mister Gall? He ought to be in here by now with that Indian pageant script and call the desk, find out if they've seen those two Indian boys better look in the bar tell them to page the Brook brothers oh and Skinner bring out one of your standard author's