Read Online You Play the Black & the Red Comes Up Up by Richard Hallas - Free Book Online
Authors: Richard Hallas
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I said. "All right. I'll sell the car first chance I get. I'll never go near it. I'll sell it. Now cut out crying and wash your face and let's get out of here."
She brightened right up then.
"Big boy, you're a real sport," she said. "I'll do anything for you. You just wait and see."
She began fixing herself up right away.
"Come on, we won't never argue anymore," she said. "Let's forget it. Let's go to Hollywood and see the Passion Play. Patsy's seen it already and she says it's really elegant."
So we drove over and saw the Passion Play. I didn't think it was so hot.
Chapter Ten
SOMETHING IN THE CLIMATE
P atsy had fallen like Niagara—for this crazy idea Genter had cooked up. She said it didn't look good for her to be doing clerical work, so she'd hired a girl to type letters and things at the office, and she started going round in a white robe and beach sandals painted with gold radiator paint like Genter had outlined. Not only at home and at the office she was that way; she wore the rig all the time, on the streets and everywhere.
She stopped going out with us to the Nude Eel and around, because she sai d it would look bad for her fol lowers. I couldn't see she had any followers, but that's the way she was.
Just once in a while she would put on her regular clothes, and we'd drive toward L.A. and stop somewhere and have a party just like old times. Then she'd let out plenty, but she wouldn't drink near home.
Even Mamie started to get all goofy about these Ecanaanomics.
"It's marvelous," she said. "Patsy has it all figured out. It's the biggest thing since Sinclair."
"Yeah—and he didn't get elected," I said.
"Well, he didn't have as good a plan as Patsy," she said.
She kept talking that way, till one night the three of us went out on a party. For once the girls laid off the beer, and I could see they were cooking up something.
Finally Mamie started:
"Whyn't you become a member of Patsy's Party, big boy?" she said.
"All right," I said. "I'm a member, if that'll help."
"No, foolish," she said, "you've got to sign. Look, you sign this blank."
And Patsy really had blanks all printed up, about how the Ecanaanomic Party would bring new incomes to all and redistribute the wealth through revaluation and revolving weekly payment systems. And at the bottom where you signed it, it said you here by paid ten dollars full Member ship fees.
"Ten dollars?" I said. "For what?"
"To start the Party on," Patsy said. "Look, I have it all fig ured. There are two million people in California eligible to join. That would make twenty million dollars. Think of that!"
"I can multiply," I said. "Then what?"
"Well, lookit," said Patsy. "Each man puts in ten dollars. That's to start the Party."
"You said that already," I said. "Why should anyone give you ten bucks so's you'll have twenty millions?"
"You don't give it to Patsy. It isn't a gift, it's an invest ment," Mamie said. "Isn't it, Patsy?"
"An investment in what?" I said.
"An investment in the economic future," Patsy said. She was beginning to know all the words and she was learning the tune fast. "An investment in something that brings back a return. You invest ten dollars; in return for that the Ecanaanomic Party works to give each living person in this state a payment of five dollars the first week, and a dollar addition each week until at the end of the 46th week he's getting fifty dollars a week. Just think of that. In the first forty-six weeks you get one thousand two hundred and sixty-five dollars. That's a hundred and twenty-six times your investment."
"Yeah," I kidded, "but what a chance we take!"
"Hey, look," she said. "You'd put ten dollars on a roulette wheel which only pays you thirty-five to one. Why wouldn't you play ten dollars on the nose of the Ecanaanomic Plan, which pays off at more than a hundred and twenty-six to
She brightened right up then.
"Big boy, you're a real sport," she said. "I'll do anything for you. You just wait and see."
She began fixing herself up right away.
"Come on, we won't never argue anymore," she said. "Let's forget it. Let's go to Hollywood and see the Passion Play. Patsy's seen it already and she says it's really elegant."
So we drove over and saw the Passion Play. I didn't think it was so hot.
Chapter Ten
SOMETHING IN THE CLIMATE
P atsy had fallen like Niagara—for this crazy idea Genter had cooked up. She said it didn't look good for her to be doing clerical work, so she'd hired a girl to type letters and things at the office, and she started going round in a white robe and beach sandals painted with gold radiator paint like Genter had outlined. Not only at home and at the office she was that way; she wore the rig all the time, on the streets and everywhere.
She stopped going out with us to the Nude Eel and around, because she sai d it would look bad for her fol lowers. I couldn't see she had any followers, but that's the way she was.
Just once in a while she would put on her regular clothes, and we'd drive toward L.A. and stop somewhere and have a party just like old times. Then she'd let out plenty, but she wouldn't drink near home.
Even Mamie started to get all goofy about these Ecanaanomics.
"It's marvelous," she said. "Patsy has it all figured out. It's the biggest thing since Sinclair."
"Yeah—and he didn't get elected," I said.
"Well, he didn't have as good a plan as Patsy," she said.
She kept talking that way, till one night the three of us went out on a party. For once the girls laid off the beer, and I could see they were cooking up something.
Finally Mamie started:
"Whyn't you become a member of Patsy's Party, big boy?" she said.
"All right," I said. "I'm a member, if that'll help."
"No, foolish," she said, "you've got to sign. Look, you sign this blank."
And Patsy really had blanks all printed up, about how the Ecanaanomic Party would bring new incomes to all and redistribute the wealth through revaluation and revolving weekly payment systems. And at the bottom where you signed it, it said you here by paid ten dollars full Member ship fees.
"Ten dollars?" I said. "For what?"
"To start the Party on," Patsy said. "Look, I have it all fig ured. There are two million people in California eligible to join. That would make twenty million dollars. Think of that!"
"I can multiply," I said. "Then what?"
"Well, lookit," said Patsy. "Each man puts in ten dollars. That's to start the Party."
"You said that already," I said. "Why should anyone give you ten bucks so's you'll have twenty millions?"
"You don't give it to Patsy. It isn't a gift, it's an invest ment," Mamie said. "Isn't it, Patsy?"
"An investment in what?" I said.
"An investment in the economic future," Patsy said. She was beginning to know all the words and she was learning the tune fast. "An investment in something that brings back a return. You invest ten dollars; in return for that the Ecanaanomic Party works to give each living person in this state a payment of five dollars the first week, and a dollar addition each week until at the end of the 46th week he's getting fifty dollars a week. Just think of that. In the first forty-six weeks you get one thousand two hundred and sixty-five dollars. That's a hundred and twenty-six times your investment."
"Yeah," I kidded, "but what a chance we take!"
"Hey, look," she said. "You'd put ten dollars on a roulette wheel which only pays you thirty-five to one. Why wouldn't you play ten dollars on the nose of the Ecanaanomic Plan, which pays off at more than a hundred and twenty-six to
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