DUSKIN (11 page)

Of course she should really have stayed and done it at once. But how could she deal with Mr. Duskin while Schlessinger and Blintz stood by and grinned. That was quite impossible in spite of her confidant boast to them last night. Besides, it was not the dignified thing to dismiss a manager while anyone else was listening. She would make it quite plain to Duskin in the morning—she must by all means see him in the morning—that that was the
only
reason why she had not been final with him this afternoon; she did not wish to humiliate him before others.

Having settled so much in her mind she threw her weary young body down upon the bed and arranged herself comfortably to think of her campaign.

The pillows were downy, the box springs and mattress were all that is perfect in a bed, and the girl was very weary. Just to rest her eyes she closed them for a moment, and before she had decided whether to call in the police to aid her in the morning or to call up Delaplaine that night on long distance and have him on hand for the interview with Duskin, she had dropped fast asleep.

Sometime in the night she awoke with a start and found she was cold and the room was absolutely dark. The stir of the city had gone dead and the blackness of night was around her.

Searching around for the light, she snapped it on and looked at her watch. It was two o’clock, and she was drowned in sleep! It was no use trying to work out a campaign until she got rested. She slipped off her dress and shoes, found her nightgown, and unceremoniously got into bed, dropping straight off to sleep again with only a passing indignant memory of hard, cold, fine eyes that defied her.

Duskin had remained standing exactly where Carol left him until the temporary elevator had descended out of sight. Then he turned his gaze toward the two men who had paused on the stairway three steps below the top to stare down toward the crazy lift. They were still puffing and leaning over the elevator shaft which was just beside the stairway, their mouths open wonderingly, their brows drawn questioningly. Had they arrived too late?

“Oh, is that you, Blintz? Schlessinger? You better stop right where you are. We’ve got a lot of exposed wires around here and it isn’t safe to monkey with them. I’ve just sent someone else down and told Bill not to let any more up till we get things fixed safe again.”

Blintz drew back from the edge of the shaft sharply and let go of the wooden rail that had been nailed up temporarily until the fireproof wall should be finished.

“Live wires?” he questioned sharply, his apoplectic pink face blanching at the thought. “Hear that, Mr. Schlessinger? They’ve got live wires up there! We’d better go down. Is it all safe on the stairs, Duskin?”

“Just stand right where you are, Blintz. Nothing can harm you there. And when you hear the lift begin to come up you go down to the next floor and wait there. I’ll send Bill to take you down. That’s safer.”

“But that’s all nonsense, Duskin,” put in Schlessinger. “Can’t you tell us where to step? I’ve got to see you at once. It’s something very important I must tell you. A tip you’ll want to have.”

Schlessinger started up another step. He was not so badly winded as his stouter brother.

“Stop right where you are, Schlessinger!” said Duskin with sharp command in his voice. “I’ll not be responsible if you don’t obey orders. Sorry, Mr. Schlessinger, but you’ll have to let the tips go until another time.”

Blintz by this time was padding down the steps rapidly, keeping carefully in the middle of the stairs. Schlessinger hesitated.

“Well, then, come downstairs for a minute. I tell you it’s important.”

“Can’t possibly leave now,” said Duskin impatiently. “The lift is coming back. You better hurry! Bill,” he called down the shaft, “take these two men down and show them out past all open wires.”

“All roight, sir!” shouted Bill with a tone that had a grin in the end of it.

“But I must see you at once!” shouted Schlessinger as he turned slowly and went down the stairs.

“Call you up as soon as I can make it!” shouted Duskin cheerfully to the top of Schlessinger’s head as it disappeared down below the edge of the elevator shaft. Then turning sharply around he said, “Charlie, got that fastened? Good boy! Let’s go to the next room, and Ted, when Bill gets back tell him to lock that front door and not to let another fool in on his life! Get me?”

“Right, sir!” grinned Ted coming to life for the first time since Carol’s appearance.

The afternoon wore away.

Half past four came and the carpenters on the tenth floor folded their aprons and locked their tool chests and filed downstairs. More carpenters came whistling down from the eleventh floor, pausing to say good-night respectfully to the boss’s back as they passed. Duskin answered with a cheery good-night, without stopping his work or turning his head.

The sun dropped lower and sent long shafts of red and amber across the walls where they worked, but still they went on with grim, set faces. Six o’clock struck and a gang of five blue-eyed, sandy-haired Scotchmen came up and looked gravely into the room which Duskin and his men had just reached in their round of the eleventh floor.

“We’ve done the tenth, Dusky,” said one who seemed to be the boss of the crew. “We’re goin’ out to get a bite of grub and then we’ll come back and tackle the ninth.”

“Good work, Roddy!” said Duskin rising from the floor for a keen look at the men. “How’d you find it down there? Pretty rotten?”

“Worse’n rotten. A mess! If you was ta ask me I’d say those birds never touched a ‘lectric wire before in their sweet lives. Didn’t even know how ta fake it. Top floors are the wor-rrst. They didn’t dare put over some of their tricks where they’d be noticed. Better stop an hour, Dusky, and come with us. You’ve been at it all day!”

“All day!” sneered Charlie. “Better say all night! He come up here straight from the midnight owl train and never went out since. Had Bill bring him up some coffee and a sandwich at noon and that’s all.”

“Aw shut up, Charlie,” said Duskin, turning a weary smile on his assistant. “I’m no martyr. If I get this done in time for that inspector tomorrow morning I’ll eat a meal that’ll put you all to shame. You forget I attended a banquet last night, worse luck. If I hadn’t had to I’d have had more done before you all got here this morning.”

“Aw, cut that out! We’ll make it, Dusky” said the blue-eyed one. “Come on out’n eat. There’s a whole night before us ain’t touched yet!”

Duskin turned sharply back to his wires.

“I’m not leaving this building till this wiring is done!” he said in the tone they all knew. “This happened when my back was turned, and I’ve got to camp on the job now till it’s over. I can’t run any more risks. Charlie, you and Ted and Pete go on with the rest. I’m staying here. You can bring me a snack when you come back, but I’m staying here!”

“Come on then, boys! Don’t let’s waste time arguing,” said Roddy. “Come on, Charlie!”

“You fellas go. I’m not leaving the boss alone in the shack,” said Charlie. “There’s liable to be enemies around. Ted, you and Pete go with Roddy’s gang.”

“We’re waiting till Roddy gets back,” said Ted doggedly, and went on twisting wires.

“What’s the matter with Roddy bringing back enough for the gang?” said Pete. “I can’t be bothered stopping. There’s my thermos bottle over there. It’ll hold three cups, and Ted’s got one.”

“Okay,” said Roddy cheerfully, picking up the bottles and departing.

“That’s nonsense!” said Duskin sharply. “And anyhow, Bill’s here. Bill is staying here all the time now.”

“Good boy! But Bill’s only one. Can’t tell how many little birdies might come round. Anyhow we’re sticking. Ain’t we, Ted?”

“Sure thing!” said Ted solemnly.

“You said it!” echoed Pete, hauling a coil of insulated wire across to his location.

“Boys, I appreciate this,” said Duskin gravely, “more than words can tell!”

“We ain’t got done appreciatin’ what you done for us over in France, Dusky,” said Charlie in a very low tone and then immediately broke into boisterous song. From that the work went steadily on.

Forty minutes later Roddy’s gang returned with steaming coffee in a big coffee pot, sandwiches, hot hard-boiled eggs, and two big pies. The rest knocked off and made a hearty meal, encouraged by the voices of song and whistling that came up the elevator shaft. They knew the other gang was doing the next floor.

Roddy slipped up to get some insulating tubes and volunteered a bit of comfort.

“Took a look on my way down, Dusky. Guess they didn’t get to do much monkeying below the ninth. It may not take us so long after all.”

“That’s good!” said Duskin, flashing a look of appreciation at him across the room. “Hope you’re right!”

That was all that broke the monotony of tense, steady labor until a little after midnight when Bill came up in the so-called elevator and brought a consignment of soup, rolls, and coffee with two custard pies. Roddy’s gang came up and they had fifteen minutes of relaxation, where coffee and dry sayings were passed around liberally, and low, contented laughter went around; they were all boys together. Duskin in overalls, drinking coffee out of a tin cup with the rest was as much at home here as he had been the evening before in the banquet hall in his dinner coat. If Carol could have seen him she would have been still more perplexed.

The last crumb of piecrust devoured, the last drop of coffee drained, and the gang departed to their various locations.

The night wore on. In her quiet hotel the weary representative of the Fawcett Construction Company lay in her soft bed and slept, and dreamed of how she would fire the boss the next day.

When morning dawned the men were still at work drifting down to the lower floors, silently now, for there were footsteps along the early streets, and no whistling might come from the big unfinished building for chance workmen to hear and gossip about.

The men bore no sign of their night’s vigil but the light of victory in their eyes. But the boss turned a white face toward them all at last. There were dark circles under his eyes, the eyes that carried the light of another hindrance overcome, another difficulty surmounted, as he said, “Well, fellows, we’ve done it! You’ve helped me to beat the dirty crooks again. I couldn’t have pulled it off without you. Now beat it over to the hotel. Get a wash and a meal and then sleep all day. I’ll see you at half past four if it’s possible, and we’ll plan what’s next. You’ve put real heart into me.”

They hesitated as they turned toward the lift.

Charlie said, “What about the dame? Anything to her chatter?”

A shadow flitted across the tired face of the boss.

“No, Charlie, just another small explosion. It’s annoying, but this too shall pass!” He ended with a grin. “I’ll settle her when I get time. She really doesn’t know what she’s talking about, you know.”

So they passed out into the sunlight and Duskin went to a little corner in the cellar to wash his face and take on the similitude of a manager before the morning arrival of the carpenter crews. No one must suspect that the work had been going on all night.

Carol was awakened by the ringing of the telephone close to her ear. For a moment she thought she was back home in the office and reached out in what she thought was the direction of her desk telephone. But her hand coming in sharp contact with the headboard of her bed brought her to her senses, and she sat up and looked around her.

Perceiving that it was morning and her room phone was ringing, she answered it, conscious of quick alarm. If Duskin had come to talk with her what should she say? She had fallen asleep before she had decided anything.

She answered the telephone tremulously, “Yes?”

“Mr. Schlessinger is calling to see Miss Berkley,” came the voice over the wire.

Panic clutched at her heart. Schlessinger again! What should she do? How had he found out where she was? Wasn’t there any way at all of getting away from those two men?

She hesitated so long that the clerk in the office gave the message over again.

“Mr. Schlessinger wishes to see Miss Berkley as soon as convenient.”

Carol spoke. She was surprised that her voice sounded cool and even.

“It will be impossible for me to see anyone this morning. I have some writing to do, which must get off in the first mail, and a conference following. Say to Mr. Schlessinger that I will not be at liberty until”—she paused, wildly trying to think some way out of the situation—“at least until five o’clock,” she finished desperately, and wondered how she was going to work her program out to fit this.

But the voice on the wire was persistent.

“Mr. Schlessinger wishes to speak to you.”

Carol drew a quick breath of excitement. She would not talk to that man. Not now anyway.

“I have no time just now. Mr. Schlessinger will have to excuse me. I must go at once or I will be too late for my appointment.” She hung up the receiver and looked around the room guiltily as though she expected the old fox to send up a search warrant for her arrest.

“Now,” she said to herself, “I shall have to do something at once. I shall have to make some plan! I simply can’t meet that man until I have some definite way out of this thing. I know he is going to try to worm something out of me and put me into a corner where my very silence will tell what I would rather die than breathe. He is like that I’m sure. He has no limitations, no refinements!”