Double Trouble Part 20

On the other side!

Oh, you must somehow see the other side!

If you'd repair or clean This delicate old machine, You must have a way to see the other side!

--_The Inventor's Song in, "Bedlam."_

Messrs. Sheehan and Zalinsky, before being ushered into the Turkish room where Mr. Bra.s.sfield sat awaiting them, were told by Mr. Alvord that, should Mr. Bra.s.sfield's position on the labor question be found satisfactory to them, he would like to have their good offices in the matter of getting a fair attendance at the caucuses the next evening.

As this is always an expensive thing for the patriot who engages to do it, he, Mr. Alvord, would beg to place at their disposal funds in an amount named by him, for use in the transportation of distant and enfeebled voters and for such refreshment as might be thought necessary.

"Weh-ull," said Sheehan, "Fr th' carkuses only it may do. What say, Zalinsky?"

Mr. Zalinsky, his eyes gleaming with gratification, thought the sum named might possibly suffice.

"Good!" said Alvord. "And now come up and see the next mayor."

"What's de use?" asked Zalinsky. "Don't we know him all right? Ain't it all fixed? I want to git busy wit me end of deliverin' de goods."

"Mr. Bra.s.sfield's views on labor----" began Alvord, but Sheehan interrupted him.

"Your word goes wid us!" said he. "Ye've convinced us Bra.s.sfield's the laborin' man's frind. What say, Zalinsky?"

"So!" said Zalinsky. "Ve better git to work over in de fourt' ward."

"They didn't come up," said Alvord, returning to the Turkish room.

"The figures on that card seemed to convince 'em. Now for the saloons and their end of the vote."

"What do _they_ want?" asked Bra.s.sfield.

"Why," said Alvord, "it's the policy of the office more'n anything else they want a.s.surances on. I've sent for Fatty Pierson and his fellow members of the retail liquor dealers' a.s.sociation, and they'll be here by the time we dispose of this steak. I must be counted in on the dinner--I forgot mine."

While Alvord, greatly rejoiced at the sudden restoration of his friend to the possession of those qualities which made him so useful and reliable in all business projects, and promised so well for the future of Bellevale under his wise, conservative and liberal administration as mayor, was cozily discussing the dinner in the Turkish room at Tony's, awaiting the arrival of Mr. Fatty Pierson and his committee, there was a council of the hypnotic board of strategy at the Bellevale House.

The board consisted of Judge Blodgett, Professor Blatherwick, and Madame le Claire. The matter under consideration was how to return Bra.s.sfield to his much-to-be-desired nihility: how to recover Amidon from his relapse into occultation.

"I can never forgive myself for allowing it!" cried Madame le Claire.

"And yet, how could I help it? His clerk came running in with a telegram, or something of the sort, and Mr. Amidon rushed away with him. What would this man have thought and said, if I had subjected his employer to the treatment necessary to restore him--put him into the cataleptic state, and then into the normal, by pa.s.ses and manipulations!"

"Just now," answered the judge, "when he seems to be doing the meteor act in local politics, such an occurrence in public might be misconstrued in non-hypnotic circles, and commented on. Pa.s.ses and manipulations are not thoroughly understood in politics--except in a different sense! I guess you had to let him go. How to get him back, is the question. He's certainly off the map as Amidon: turned me down when I tried to get him up here, with the air of a bank president dealing with a check-raiser; and yet, the way he rose to the lure of getting evidence in this lawsuit of his shows that he's as sharp as ever in business. What's likely to be the result if he's allowed to go in this way, Professor?"

"Nopody gan say," said the professor. "He may go on as Bra.s.sfield for anodder fife years or more. He may vake up as Amidon to-morrow morning. Propoply he vill geep on intefinitely, aggumulating spondulix, and smas.h.i.+ng hearts, unless ve gan pinch him some vay."

"Oh, we must get him back!" said Madame le Claire. "We _must_!"

"In te interests off science," said the professor, "id vould pe tesiraple to allow him to go on as Bra.s.sfield ant note results. Ve haf alreaty optained some faluaple data in the fact of his attempt to buy the destimony of our frient the chutche, and his gontemptuous treatment of me as a con man. He didn't seem to remember us at all. Should ve not allow de gase to go on a vile? Supliminally gonsidered, it vill be great stuff!"

"No!" exclaimed the judge. "It ain't safe. He'll be running for mayor, and doing a lot of things to make him trouble when he does come to. We've got to surround him somehow; and he's a wary bird."

"Anyway," said the professor, "I should like to opsairve the result of a meeting with Clara. In his short Bra.s.sfield states he saw her, ant her only. Vill he remember her clearly, or how? How vill dis mind of his coordinate te tisgonnected views of her, with te rest of his vorld?

It ought to pe vorked out."

"Well," said the judge, "I don't owe science much. I'm against any experiments. Can't some one suggest something to do? Is it feasible to kidnap him?"

"Let me suggest something," said Madame le Claire hesitatingly. "In his Bra.s.sfield state he seemed to--to like me very much. In affairs concerning--that is, affairs relating to women--he seems less wary, to use Judge Blodgett's word, than he is on other lines. Maybe I could--could induce him to come. It seems a sort of--of questionable thing to do; but----"

"Questionable!" cried the judge, "questionable! Why, not at all. We must try it. I'll risk it!"

"If ve are to gif up te itea of vorking out the gase," acquiesced the professor, "vy I agree vith the chutche."

"That is," said the girl, "like the judge, you'll 'risk it.' Very brave of you both to 'risk' so much! As for me, I must ask for time to think over my own proposal, before I undertake to entrap this prominent business man at my apartments. I'm not so sure that I'll 'risk' it.

And yet it seems the only way!"

Speaking of traps: The emissaries of the retail liquor dealers'

a.s.sociation were engaged in a trapping enterprise of their own in the Turkish room at Tony's, at this very crucial moment. Fatty Pierson, and two fellow retailers, gentlemen of smooth-shaven face, ample girth, and that peculiar physiognomy which seems fitted to no artistic setting except a background of mirrors and gla.s.ses, and a plain foreground of polished wood, were arranging for a police policy to their liking, during the Bra.s.sfield administration.

"Colonel McCorkle," said Fatty, "is a mighty good man, and, while a church member, seems to be liberal. On the other hand, you're well known to be broad in your views, and you do things"--here Fatty's arm took in the bottles and the cigars with a sweeping gesture--"that he don't. You've got property rented for saloon purposes. We know you're a good man, Mr. Bra.s.sfield, but in such matters we saloon men have learned to be careful. A police force can make our business profitable or put us all dead losers, just as they're steered by the mayor. Now, what would be your policy?"

"I should expect," said Mr. Bra.s.sfield, "to give the city a good, conservative, business administration, and to make my oath of office my guide."

"Good!" said Fatty. "But we've all heard that before. Colonel McCorkle, or the Reverend Absalom McCosh, would say _that_."

"Well," said Bra.s.sfield, "now, definitely, what do you want? Anything reasonable and not contrary to law, you have only to ask for."

I wonder if burglars, in arranging their business, stipulate that nothing "contrary to law" is to be done!

"Exactly," replied Fatty. "But now as to reasonableness: when the hour for closing comes, our customers bein' gathered for social purposes, it seems abrupt to fire 'em all out when the clock strikes. Now, when a policeman comes along after hours an' finds one of us with a roomful of customers discussin' public questions, we don't want to turn up in court next morning. See?"

"I see," said Bra.s.sfield. "My view of the function of the saloon is that it is a sort of club for those too poor to belong to the more exclusive organizations. As long as they are performing these functions in an orderly way, why inquire as to the hour?"

"That seems reasonable," said Fatty. "And about how long ought a man to have to slow up an' stop performin' functions, do you think?"

"Well," said Mr. Bra.s.sfield, "there isn't much doing in the way of business, say from two to five A. M., is there?"

"No," said Mr. Pierson, "not much. But on special occasions----?"

"I shall do the right thing," said Bra.s.sfield.

"An' you wouldn't feel obliged," queried Pierson, "to start any detectives out spyin' upon the uses we put our second stories to, or the kind of tenants we have?"

"Not at all," said Bra.s.sfield. "I shan't disturb things. Alvord can tell you that. What I want is the policy that is best for the property owners; and things as they are are good enough for me. Is that satisfactory?"

"Well, I should smile!" said Mr. Pierson. "And now, gentlemen, before we go an' begin work for the caucuses to-morrow, in the interests of our friend here, I propose a toast to Mr. Eugene Bra.s.sfield, who will be the best mayor Bellevale ever had!"

"You've got to give me a bed to-night," said Bra.s.sfield, as the last of the delegations Alvord had brought to the Turkish room retired in apparent satisfaction. "I don't care to go to my rooms--there are too many folks up there at the hotel who seem anxious to see me. And I want to be where I can talk the situation over with you."

"Glad to have you," said Alvord. "Come on, and we'll turn in. As for the situation, how can you improve it? If Conlon and Sheehan and Zalinsky can't control these caucuses, I'm mistaken. Put them along with the saloons and the others that depend on police permission for existence, and you've got a dead open-and-shut."

As they walked along the street they noticed a motley crowd emerging from a public house and moving in a body to another, seemingly under the leaders.h.i.+p of a little man with Jewish features. Alvord took Bra.s.sfield's arm and hurried him on.

"You see what Edgington's up to?" asked Bra.s.sfield. "He's got Abe Meyer out taking the crowd down the line in McCorkle's interest. I wonder if they won't turn things over somewhat."

"Turn nothing!" said Alvord. "They'll make the noise to-night; we'll have the votes to-morrow night. The boys'll rake in McCorkle's money now, and in the morning the word will be pa.s.sed that the best interests of the town require every one to boost for you. They won't know what hit 'em!"