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Ninety Days Inside The Empire: A Novel by William Appleman Williams

Into the Dining Room

Page 68

"I'd be happy, but I'm sure it has been changed a lot. It's a mixed-up place to live in."

Case began by explaining that the huge floor to ceiling closet running down the wall next to the front door had originally been a great staircase to the second floor. "You look careful and you can see where somebody patched-in the hardwood flooring."

They disappeared into the kitchen as Run-Run was easing the tensions of his earlier encounter with Hugh and Elizabeth Lee. He got them talking about managing the department store up in what they kept calling Nigger Town. Cat watched them as he listened halfway to Lette and Rozanne discuss the kind of things that ought to be in the paper. It was one of his ways of getting a fix on people, and he noticed immediately that Elizabeth was an active member of the conversation, and that she used his last name as his first.

"Lee, we don't have that much freedom in ordering stock. We make our suggestions, Lieutenant Reis, but the downtown whites make the final decisions. And...."

Cat was struck by their vigorous, almost aggressive style. He imagined that he could see the energy and racial pride zipping and crackling along the surface of their muscles, tendons and sinews.

-- I wonder if they think Run-Run ought to be showing more dedication to what they assume is his Cause?

He broke away to take orders for drinks. That prompted the others to straggle into the kitchen behind him where they ended their own talk to listen to Case explaining more of the house to Susan.

"This was one of the grand houses back when it was built, but it sure got cut-up bad after the son gambled and whored his daddy's money away."

Rozanne stepped on his toe. "Albert, you talkin' too loose in front of strangers."

He laughed and kissed her cheek. "Now, Roz, these ain't strangers no more. Anyhow, it's all true."

Lette had fitted the description of the son into other stories she'd heard in her meanderings.

"Then this has got to be the Warrener place. The old man was a big one . . ."

"That's right, Lette. Actually it was the granddaddy who started it goin', even though he didn't build this one. He was busy makin' money, lived down in the first hotel. His son did this one for his son. You used to be able to see the bay from the second floor of this house. That's why they did most of their livin' up there. Big sittin-dinin room clear across the water side."

That clicked for Susan. "That's why we grabbed it even though the rent's really too much for us. I mean, we can't see the bay, but it's only two blocks down to the Seaview bus line where Cat can get to the base and I can go downtown."

Case beamed and turned to Cat.

"You got a figurin' lady, Lieutenant. When I was workin' on this place -well, mostly shovellin' dirt and pushin' barrows of cement- we used to walk down there to eat our lunch.

"Grandfather Warrener owned straight down to the cliff and at least a block on each side. He was big -very big- even started one of the first banks."

He stopped, turned aside and thumped the wall that cut into the kitchen space.

"This a bathroom, Susan?"

"Yes."

"Well, that used to be a pantry with a dumb waiter that sent the food up to the dining room."

Susan pointed to an open door. "But the dining room's right here," and she led the way into the space which seemed undecided whether to be a room or a space-wasting hallway.

Case waved his hands and shook his head. "They sure did mess with it . . . Most of all this down here except the kitchen, which was about twice the size you got, was the son's business rooms." He looked into what was now the bedroom and slapped his thigh. "That used to be his reading room and the family way to the garden. Had big French doors."

Questions poured out of everyone.