We Can Build You (23 page)

There, in a chair, leaning back with his long legs stuck out before him, sat the Lincoln simulacrum. He was engrossed, unaware of me; he was reading the Carl Sandburg biography. Beside him on the floor rested a little cloth bag: his luggage.

“Mr. Lincoln,” I said.

Presently he glanced up, smiled at me. “Good evening, Louis.”

“What do you think of the Sandburg book?”

“I have not yet had time to form an opinion.” He marked his place in the book, closed it and put it aside. “Maury told me that you are in grave difficulty and required my presence and advice. I hope I have not arrived too lately on the scene.”

“No, you made good time. How did you like the flight from Boise?”

“I was taken with astonishment to observe the fast motion of the landscape beneath. We had hardly risen, when we were already here and landing; and the shepherdess told me that we had gone over a thousand miles.”

I was puzzled. “Oh. Stewardess.”

“Yes. Forgive my stupidity.”

“Can I pour you a drink?” I indicated the beer, but the simulacrum shook its head no.

“I would prefer to decline. Why don’t you present me with your problems, Louis, and we will see at once what is to be done.” With a sympathetic expression the simulacrum waited to hear.

I seated myself facing him. But I hesitated. After what I
had read today I wondered if I wanted to consult him after all. Not because I did not have faith in his opinions—but because my problem might stir up his own buried sorrows. My situation was too much like his own with Ann Rutledge.

“Go ahead, Louis.”

“Let me fix myself a beer, first.” With the opener I set to work on the can; I fooled with that for a time, wondering what to do.

“Perhaps I should speak, then. During my trip from Boise I had certain meditations on the situation with Mr. Barrows.” Bending, he opened his overnight bag and brought out several lined pages on which he had written in pencil. “Do you desire to put great force to bear against Mr. Barrows? So that he will of his own will send back Miss Frauenzimmer, no matter how she may feel about it?”

I nodded.

“Then,” the simulacrum said, “telephone this person.” He passed me a slip of paper; on it was a name.

SILVIA DEVORAC

I could not for the life of me place the name. I had heard it before but I couldn’t make the connection.

“Tell her,” the simulacrum went on softly, “that you would like to visit her in her home and discuss a matter of delicacy. A topic having to do with Mr. Barrows … that will be enough; she will at once invite you over.”

“What then?”

“I will accompany you. There will be no problem, I think. You need not resort to any fictitious account with her; you need only describe your relationship with Miss Frauenzimmer, that you represent her father and that you have profound emotional attachments toward the girl yourself.”

I was mystified. “Who is this Silvia Devorac?”

“She is the political antagonist of Mr. Barrows; it is she who seeks to condemn the Green Peach Hat housing which he owns and from which he derives enormous rents. She is
a socially-inclined lady, given to worthy projects.” The simulacrum passed me a handful of newspaper clippings from Seattle papers. “I obtained these through Mr. Stanton’s assistance. As you can see from them, Mrs. Devorac is tireless. And she is quite astute.”

“You mean,” I said, “that this business about Pris being under the age of consent and a mentally-ill ward of the Federal Government—”

“I mean, Louis, that Mrs. Devorac will know what to do with the information which you bring to her.”

After a moment I said, “Is it worth it?” I felt weighed down. “To do a thing like that …”

“Only God can be certain,” the simulacrum said.

“What’s your opinion?”

“Pris is the woman whom you love. Is that not the actual fact of the matter? What is there in the world more important to you? Wouldn’t you stake your life in this contest? I think you have already, and perhaps, if Maury is correct, the lives of others.”

“Hell,” I said, “love is an American cult. We take it too seriously; it’s practically a national religion.”

The simulacrum did not speak. It rocked back and forth instead.

“It’s serious to me,” I said.

“Then that is what you must consider, not whether it is properly serious to others or not. I think it would be inhuman to retire to a world of rent-values, as Mr. Barrows will do. Is it not the truth that he stands opposite you, Louis? You will succeed precisely on that point:
that to him his feeling for Miss Pris is not serious
. And is that good? Is that more moral or rational? If he felt as you do he would let Mrs. Devorac obtain her condemnation notice; he would marry Pris, and he would, in his own opinion, have obtained the better bargain. But he does not, and that sets him apart from his humanity. You would not do that; you would—and are—staking all in this. To you, the person you love matters over everything else, and I do think you are right and he wrong.”
‘Thank you,” I said. “You know, you certainly have a deep understanding of what the proper values in life are; I have to hand it to you. I’ve met a lot of people but I mean, you go right to the core of things.”

The simulacrum reached out and patted me on the shoulder. “I think there is a bond between us, Louis. You and I have much in common.”

“I know,” I said. “We’re alike.”

We were both deeply moved.

For some time the Lincoln simulacrum coached me as to exactly what I should say on the phone to Mrs. Silvia Devorac. I practiced it again and again, but a dreadful foreboding filled me.

However, at last I was ready. I got her number from the Seattle phone book and dialed. Presently a melodious, cultivated, middle-aged type of woman’s voice said in my ear:

“Yes?”

“Mrs. Devorac? I’m sorry to bother you. I’m interested in Green Peach Hat and your project to have it torn down. My name is Louis Rosen and I’m from Ontario, Oregon.”

“I had no idea our committee had attracted notice that far away.”

“What I was wondering is, can I drop over with my attorney for a few minutes to your house and chat with you?”

“Your attorney! Oh goodness, is anything wrong?”

“There is something wrong,” I said, “but not with your committee. It has to do—” I glanced at the simulacrum; it nodded yes to me. “Well,” I said heavily, “it has to do with Sam K. Barrows.”

“I see.”

“I know Mr. Barrows through an unfortunate business association which I had with him in Ontario. I thought possibly you could give me some assistance.”

“You do have an attorney, you say … I don’t know what I could do for you that he can’t.” Mrs. Devorac’s voice was measured and firm. “But you’re welcome to drop by if we can keep it down to, say, half an hour; I have guests expected at eight.”

Thanking her, I rang off.

The Lincoln said, “That was satisfactorily done, Louis.” It rose to its feet. “We shall go at once, by cab.” It started toward the door.

“Wait,” I said.

At the door it glanced back at me.

“I can’t do it.”

“Then,” the simulacrum said, “let us go for a walk instead.” It held the door open for me. “Let us enjoy the night air, it smells of mountains.”

Together the two of us walked up the dark sidewalk.

“What do you think will become of Miss Pris?” the simulacrum asked.

“She’ll be okay. She’ll stay with Barrows; he’ll give her everything she wants out of life.”

At a service station the simulacrum halted. “You will have to call Mrs. Devorac back to tell her we are not coming.” There was an outdoor public phone booth.

Shutting myself in the booth I dialed Mrs. Devorac’s number once more. I felt even worse than I had earlier; I could hardly get my finger into the proper slots.

“Yes?” the courteous voice came in my ear.

“This is Mr. Rosen again. I’m sorry but I’m afraid I don’t have my facts completely in order yet, Mrs. Devorac.”

“And you want to put off seeing me until a later time?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s perfectly all right. Any time that’s convenient for
you. Mr. Rosen, before you ring off—have you ever been to Green Peach Hat?”

“Naw.”

“It is quite bad.”

“I’m not surprised.”

“Please try to visit it.”

“Okay, I will,” I told her.

She rang off. I stood holding the receiver and then at last I hung it up and walked out of the phone booth.

The Lincoln was nowhere in sight.

Has he gone off? I asked myself. Am I alone, now? I peered into the darkness of the Seattle night.

The simulacrum sat inside the building of the service station, in a chair opposite the boy in the white uniform; rocking the chair back and forth it chatted amiably. I opened the door. “Let’s go,” I said. The simulacrum said goodnight to the boy and together the two of us walked on in silence.

“Why not drop by and visit Miss Pris?” the simulacrum said.

“Oh no,” I said, horrified. “There may be a flight back to Boise tonight; if so we should take it.”

“She frightens you. In any case we would not find her and Mr. Barrows home; they no doubt are out enjoying themselves in the public eye. The lad in the fuel station tells me that world-famous people of the entertainment arts, some even from Europe, appear in Seattle and perform. I believe he said that Earl Grant is here now. Is he esteemed?”

“Very.”

“The lad said they generally appear but one night and then fly on. Since Mr. Grant is here tonight I would suppose he was not here last night, and so possibly Mr. Barrows and Miss Pris are attending his performance.”

“He sings,” I said, “and very well.”

“Do we have enough money to go?”

“Yes.”

“Why not, then?”

I gestured. Why not? “I don’t want to,” I said.

The simulacrum said softly, “I journeyed a great distance to be of assistance to you, Louis. I think in exchange you should do me a favor; I would enjoy hearing Mr. Grant rendering the songs of the day. Would you be obliging enough to accompany me?”

“You’re deliberately putting me on the spot.”

“I want you to visit the place where you will most likely see Mr. Barrows and Miss Pris.”

Evidently I had no choice. “All right, we’ll go.” I began to look up and down the street for a taxi, feeling bitter.

An enormous crowd had turned out to hear the legendary Earl Grant; we were barely able to squeeze in. However, there was no sign of Pris and Sam Barrows. We seated ourselves at the bar, ordered drinks, and watched from there. They probably won’t show up, I said to myself. I felt a little better. One chance in a thousand …

“He sings beautifully,” the simulacrum said, between numbers.

“Yeah.”

“The Negro has music in his bones.”

I glanced at it. Was it being sarcastic? That banal remark, that cliche—but it had a serious expression on its face. In its time, perhaps, the remark had not meant what it did now. So many years had gone by.

“I recall,” the simulacrum said, “my trips to New Orleans when a boy. I first experienced the Negro and his pitiable condition, then. It was in, I believe, 1826. I was astonished at the Spanish nature of that city; it was totally different from the America I had grown up in.”

“That was when Dentón Offcutt engaged you? That peddler?”

“You are well-apprised of my early life.” It seemed puzzled at my knowledge.

“Hell,” I said, “I looked it up. In 1835 Ann Rutledge died. In 1841—” I broke off. Why had I mentioned that? I could have kicked myself around the block. The simulacrum’s face, even in the gloom of the bar, showed pain and deep, pervasive shock. “I’m sorry,” I said.

Meantime, thank god, Grant had begun another number. It was a mild, sorrowful blues, however. Feeling increasingly nervous, I waved the bartender over and ordered myself a double Scotch.

Broodingly, the simulacrum sat hunched over, its legs drawn up so that it could place its feet on the rungs of the barstool. After Earl Grant had finished singing it remained silent, as if unaware of its surroundings. Its face was blank and downcast.

“I’m sorry to have depressed you,” I said to it; I was beginning to worry about it.

“It is not your fault; these moods come upon me. I am, do you know, grossly superstitious. Is that a fault? In any case I cannot prevent it; it is a part of me.” Its words emerged haltingly, as if with vast effort; as if, I thought, it could hardly find the energy in it to speak.

“Have another drink,” I said, and then I discovered that it had not touched its first and only drink.

The simulacrum mutely shook its head no.

“Listen,” I said, “let’s get out of here and on the rocket flight; let’s get back to Boise.” I jumped from my stool.
“Come on.”

The simulacrum remained where it was.

“Don’t get so down in the dumps. I should have realized—blues singing affects everyone that way.”

“It is not the colored man’s singing,” the simulacrum said. “It is my own self. Don’t blame him for it, Louis, nor yourself. On the flight here I saw down onto the wild forests and thought to myself of my early days and the travels of my family and especially of the death of my mother and our trip to Illinois by oxen.”

“For chrissakes, this place is too gloomy; let’s take a cab to the Sea-Tac Airport and—” I broke off.

Pris and Sam had entered the room; a waitress was showing them to a reserved table.

Seeing them the simulacrum smiled. “Well, Louis, I should have heeded you. Now it is too late, I fear.”

I stood rigid by my barstool.

In a low voice in my ear the Lincoln simulacrum said, “Louis, you must climb back up on your stool.”

Nodding, I clumsily got back up. Pris—she glowed. Stunning in one of the new Total Glimpse dresses … her hair had been cut much shorter and brushed back and she wore a peculiar eyeshadow which made her eyes seem huge and black. Barrows, with his pool-ball shaved head and jovial, jerky manner, appeared the same as always; business-like and brisk, grinning, he accepted the menu and began ordering.

“She is astonishingly lovely,” the simulacrum said to me.