In years the Mayor was no chicken, but in politics he had hardly
chipped his shell, so that he was still susceptible to delegations,
and sets of resolutions, and references to his solemn oath of office.
Furthermore, he had been secretly awed by Mr. Mix's eloquence; for Mr.
Mix, as spokesman of the committee, had delivered a speech which was a
brief history of both common and statutory law from the time of Solon
and Draco up to the most recent meeting of the City Council. Then, in
addition, the Mayor had been mightily impressed by the personnel of
that committee--chiefly old men, to be sure, but men of immense
dignity and considerable weight in local finance; and also, for a
counterpoise, there was Miss Starkweather. He hadn't liked the way
Miss Starkweather looked at him. She had looked at him with the same
rigid intensity with which his wife looked at a fly in the
dining-room.
As the door closed behind the last of the committee, the Mayor drew a
prodigious breath, and walked over to the window, where for several
minutes he remained in deep thought. He tried to remember Mr. Mix's
peroration:
"Thousands of years ago, Mr. Mayor, when the race of man was still
dressed in skins, and domiciled in caves, and settling its differences
with clubs and brickbats, there was no institution of law,--there was
no written language. But as civilization advanced, men found the
necessity of communicating their ideas; so that they devised a form of
speech which would enable them to exchange these ideas--such as they
were--about life, and law. And later on, it was plain that in order to
perpetuate these ideas and pass them to posterity, it was necessary to
write them down; and so there was developed a written language, and by
this method civilized men through all the ages have written down the
laws under which they are willing to live. It would be impractical for
all of us to meet together to pass our laws, and therefore we elect
representatives who make our laws for us. These laws are binding upon
all of us until they are set aside by still other legislators, still
acting for the whole people, who have chosen them as their legislative
representatives. The duty of the executive branch of our government is
to enforce those laws, whether made yesterday, or made fifty years
ago, or five hundred years ago, and written down in our law-books....
This is our third conference with you, Mr. Mayor, in regard to one of
those laws. I therefore have to inform you, in behalf of our committee
and our League, and our whole city (whose representatives in City
Council passed that law for our common good) that you stand today at
the parting of the ways. You must choose whether to uphold your sacred
oath of office, or to disregard it. And within forty-eight hours you
will have made that choice, and we shall know where our duty lies....
I thank you for your patience."
The Mayor was one of those who, without the first atom of sustaining
evidence, had long been vaguely suspicious that Mr. Mix wasn't always
as pious as he appeared in church. He had noted, too, that although
Mr. Mix's name was frequently listed on committees, yet it never
bobbed up in connection with an obscure cause, however worthy, or
among the names of unimportant citizens. He was convinced that Mr. Mix
had an ulterior motive--political, social, financial--but the worst of
it was that Mr. Mix had come with support which couldn't be
sidetracked.
The Mayor shook himself, and went over to his telephone; a few minutes
later the Chief of Police strolled in, and grinned at the disordered
semi-circle of chairs. "Been holdin' a prayer-meetin', Mr. Rowland?"
The Mayor was biting his moustache. "Sit down, Chief. I want some
advice.... Lord, I wish Barklay wasn't off on his vacation.... Why,
I've just had a threat from this Reform League."
"Threat? What kind of a threat?"
The Mayor didn't reply immediately; he continued to chew his
moustache. "You know that fool Sunday law--was passed 'way back in the
year One?"
"Sure. 147. Dead letter."
"They say it's got to be enforced."
The Chief laughed boisterously. "That's a big order."
"I know it is. The mass of the people don't want it--never did. But in
these days there isn't a Councillor _I_ know'd put a motion to repeal
it, or amend it. Probition's scared 'em. They don't know _what_ the
people want, so they're laying mighty low.... Same time, this League's
getting pretty strong. Mix, and John Starkweather's sister, and
ex-Senator Kaplan, Richards of the First National, Dr. Smillie of the
Church crowd, old man Fredericks of National Metal--know what they
handed me today?"
"Let her come."
The Mayor snorted with disgust. "Hinted if I didn't begin enforcement
day after tomorrow they'd appeal to the Governor.... Lord, I wish
Barklay was here."
The Chief grinned again. "I know what Barklay'd say."
"What?"
"Give 'em rope."
"We-ll ... that's easy enough to _say_."
"Easy to do, too."
"I can't see it. But if they go up to the Governor, with a petition to
investigate--and the state law's pretty rough--and start impeachment
proceedings--"
The Chief spat contemptuously. "Shucks, give 'em rope."
"Well--_how_?"
"Why, _enforce_ the damn' law--just once. Spike Mix's guns--he's only
doin' this on a bluff. Guess he wants the reform vote for Council, or
somethin'. Keep it under our bonnets, and send out a squad of
patrolman Sunday afternoon to raid every theatre in town. Bat 'em over
the head before they know it. I wouldn't even tell my own men 'till I
lined 'em up and give 'em their orders. Then listen for the public to
holler."
The Mayor had broken into a high-pitched laugh; he stopped abruptly.
"How many people'd there be in all the houses put together?"
"Six thousand. Five of 'em at the movies."
"They'd start a riot!"
"Oh, I wouldn't pinch the audiences; just the managers, and bust up
the shows. _Then_ you'd find out if the people want that law or not.
We say they don't, but how do we know? Let's find out."
The Mayor sat down at his desk, and began to chuckle. "Chief, that's a
bully idea--but what'd happen on Monday?"
"Happen? When, five, six thousand voters got put out in the street and
their Sunday afternoon spoiled? Fellows with girls--Pa takin' the
family out for a treat--factory hands? They'd be a howlin' mob in the
Council chamber on Monday mornin'; that's what'd happen. And _one_
damn fool law'd be fixed so's the Police Department'd know how to
handle it."
"It's passing the buck!" murmured the Mayor, ecstatically. "It's
passing the buck right to the people, by George!"
"Sure. Do we go ahead with it? Want anybody tipped off?"
The Mayor was hugging his knees ecstatically. "No, we'll make a clean
sweep. No favourites. The bigger haul the better. All the boys'll
understand. Keep it dead under your hat. We'll talk over the details
tomorrow." Chuckling, he leaned back and opened his arms wide, his
fists closed. "Rope!" he said. "Rope! Chief, we'll give 'em a
hawser!"
* * * * *
On Saturday evening, Henry gave a special invitation performance, to
which only his personal friends and Anna's were bidden, and if he had
cherished any lingering doubt of his place in society, it must have
been removed that night. His friends didn't know the details of the
Starkweather trust fund, but they knew that Henry's future was lashed
to his success with the Orpheum, and they came to help tie the knot.
Naturally, since the auditorium was filled with young people who had
grown up together, and with a few older people who had helped to bring
them up, there was plenty of informality--indeed, a large part of it
had been scheduled and rehearsed in advance. Henry didn't have to ask
any questions; he knew that Bob Standish was responsible.
With Anna beside him, he had stood for thirty minutes in the foyer,
to receive his guests, and as smile after smile encouraged him, and he
heard the steady stream of sincere good-wishes, Henry began to grow
curiously warm in the region of his heart, and curiously weak in the
knees. Anna moved closer to him.
"I told you so," she whispered. "I told you so. Everybody loves you."
"It isn't me," he whispered back, with ungrammatical fervour. "It's
you."
They stood together, then, at the rear of the house, to watch the
high-jinks going on in front. Standish had ousted the three-piece
orchestra, and taken over the piano; two other volunteers had flanked
him, and the revelry began with a favourite ditty to proclaim that all
reports to the contrary notwithstanding, Henry was style all the
while, all the while.
Then, suddenly, there were loud shouts for Henry and Anna, and they
were seized and dragged to the top of the centre aisle. Standish swung
into the Mendelssohn Wedding March, and through a haze of rose-leaf
confetti and paper streamers, the two Devereuxs were forced down to
the orchestra-pit. The house was on its feet to them, and Anna,
half-laughing, half-crying with happiness, was sorting confetti out of
her hair when Standish clambered up on the stage, and waved for
silence.
"Listen, everybody.... Old Hank Devereux and wife tried to save the
price of a caterer, last spring, and they got away with it. Alas,
Hank's a jealous bird, and he was afraid somebody'd kiss the bride.
Furthermore, Anna didn't want to get any wedding presents, because
they clutter up the house so. And when most of your friends live in
the same town, it's hard to get rid of the stuff you don't want. So
they buncoed us out of a party. Well, so far we've given 'em
Mendelssohn and confetti. Any lady or gent who now desires to kiss the
bride, please rise and come forward.... Hey, there! This isn't any
Sinn Fein sociable! Ceremony's postponed!... And finally, dearly
beloved brethren and sistren, we come to the subject of wedding
gifts." He turned to look down at the Devereuxs, and some of the
levity went out of his voice. "We thought we'd bring you a little
something for good-luck, old man. It's from all of us. Hope you like
it. If you don't, you can swap it for a few tons of coal.... There she
comes!"
It was a magnificent silver tea-service, borne down the aisle by the
two men who, next to Standish, were Henry's best friends.
Anna was utterly speechless, and Henry was coughing diligently. The
service was placed on the piano; Henry touched the cool smoothness of
a cream-jug, and tried to crystallize his thought into coherence.
The applause had died away; the house was quiet, expectant. From the
rear, a man's voice said: "It isn't like a golf championship trophy,
old man--you don't have to win it three times--it's all yours."
In the shriek of laughter which followed, Henry, with Anna in tow,
fled to shelter. "Lights!" said Henry. Abruptly, the auditorium was
dim. And with Anna holding tight to his fingers, he sat down in the
furthest corner, and trembled.
For the next two hours, Standish, who was on one of his periodical
fits of comedy, stuck to his piano, and dominated the evening. He
played grotesquely inappropriate melodies, he commanded singing, once
he stopped the show and with the assistance of a dozen recruits put on
the burlesque of an amateur night at a music-hall. He made the
occasion a historical event, and when at last it was over, and the
guests were filing out to the lobby, he came to Henry and held out his
hand.
"Big-time, Henry, big-time," he said. "See? They're all with you."
Henry cleared his throat. "You're a peach, Bob. You got it up."
"Oh, it wasn't anything." Standish's cloak of comedy had fallen away;
he looked as lazy, and as innocent and childlike as ever. "Before I
go--I had a letter today from one of the big movie circuit crowd.
They'll pay you thirty-seven thousand five hundred cash for the
Orpheum. I've got a certified check for a thousand to bind the
bargain. Want it?"
Henry didn't even glance at it. "Put it back in your pocket, Bob. I
wouldn't sell it for ten times that--not after tonight."
His friend smiled very faintly. "It's a good price, if you care to get
out from under. Between you and me, I think it's more than the
Orpheum's worth."
"Don't want it," said Henry gruffly.
Standish gazed with vast innocence at Anna. "Third and last chance,
Henry. Otherwise, I'll mail it back tonight. Just a few hours from now
this place, right where we're standing, 'll look like a sardine-can
come to life, and you'll be taking in money hand over fist, and you'll
be branded forever as--"
"Oh, shut up," said Henry, affectionately.
* * * * *
Through the jostling, good-natured crowd which blocked the sidewalk in
front of the Orpheum Theatre, that Sunday at two o'clock, a policeman
in uniform pushed his way to the ticket-booth. "Where's the manager?"
The ticket-seller bobbed her head backwards. "First door on the
left."
The policeman stalked through the lobby, and found the door; knocked
belligerently, and stepped inside. "You the manager? Well, there
ain't goin' to be no show today, see?"
Henry jumped to his feet. "What's that?"
"You heard what I said. No show. Close up your theatre and call it a
day."
Henry turned, for moral support, to his wife: she had already hurried
to his side. "What's all this, Mr. Officer?" she asked, unsteadily.
"It's police orders; that's what it is, young lady."
She seized Henry's hand. "But--but when we've--why, you don't really
_mean_ it, do you?"
He dug into his pocket, and produced a tattered, dog-eared pamphlet,
folded open at one of the early pages. He read aloud, slowly:
"'Whosoever shall fail in the strict observance o' the Lord's Day by
any unseemly act, speech, or carriage, or whosoever shall engage in
any manner o' diversion or profane occupation for profit--'"
Anna, holding tight to Henry's hand, knew that argument was futile,
but she was a woman, and she had a husband to defend. Her heart was
leaden, but her voice was stout with indignation.
"But Mr. Policeman! Do you know who I am? I'm Judge Barklay's
daughter. _I_ know all about that ordinance. Nobody's ever--"
He held up his hand in warning. "That's _all_ right, young lady. If
you're his daughter, you oughter keep on the right side o' the law. It
won't do you no good to bicker about it neither--you go in there an'
tell your audience to get their money back, an' go on home."
Henry picked up his cigarette. He had no craving to smoke, but he
didn't want Anna to see that his lips were trembling. "Well," he said,
"there goes the old ball-game. And we've sold every seat in the house,
and thrown away three hundred dollar's worth of souvenirs, and the
sidewalk's full of people waiting for the second show.... Knockout Mix
beats Battling Devereux in the first round." He did his best to smile,
but the results were poor. "And when we held off three days just so we
could start on Sunday with a grand smash!"
"Get a move on, young feller. If the show begins, you're pinched, see?
You go in there and do what I told you."
From within there was a sudden rattle of applause. Anna gripped
her husband's arm. "It's ... it's begun already," she said,
breathlessly.
The policeman stepped forward. "You heard me tell you to stop it,
didn't you? What are you tryin' to do--play horse with me? Now you go
in there an' _stop_ it, and then you come along with me an' explain it
to the Judge. See? Now, get a wiggle on."