The President strangled a cough. "Have you, Mr. Hoover, bought any
butter lately?"
J. Edgar Hoover couldn't say anything. It wasn't his fault.
I flicked a glance at General Hayes. "How much does it cost the Army
for an antiaircraft gun?" I looked at one of the admirals. "And how
much goes down the drain when you launch a battleship? Or even a PT
boat?"
The President took over. "Rest assured, Mr. Miller. Your wife's
pension is quadrupled, effective immediately." He swung his chair to
face Hoover; "Cash will be transferred tomorrow to the Bureau from the
State Department's special fund. You'll see to that?" to the Old Man.
So that was what he did for a living. That State Department is a good
lifetime job, I understand.
* * * * *
That took a load from my mind, but not all. I spoke to Hoover
directly.
"How is my ... widow?"
As tense and as bad as I felt just then, I was sorry for him.
"Quite well, Mr. Miller. Quite well, considering. It came as a blow to
her, naturally--"
"What about the house?" I asked him. "Is she keeping up the payments?"
He had to admit that he didn't know. The President told him to finish
the payments, pay for the house. Over and above the pension? Over and
above the pension. And I was to get a regular monthly report on how
she was getting along.
"Excuse me, Mr. President. I'd rather not get a regular monthly
report, or any word at all, unless she--unless anything happens to
her."
"No report at all, Pete?" That surprised, him, and he eyed me over the
top of his bifocals.
"She's still young, Mr. President," I said, "and she's just as pretty
as the day we got married. I don't think I'd want to know if ... she
got married again."
The quiet was thick enough to slice. If they talked about Helen any
more I was going to throw something. The President saw how I felt.
"Now, Mr. Miller--Pete. Let's get back to business. You were
saying--?"
Yes, I had an idea. "Put me on an island somewhere, the further away
the better. I wouldn't like being around things without being able to
be in the middle. Better put me where I can't weaken, where I can't
sneak out a window or swim back." Everyone was listening. "Keep the
uniforms away from me, out of sight." The Brass didn't like that, but
they heard me out. "Feed me a case of beer once in a while and a few
magazines and some books and right boys to play euchre. I guess that's
all I want."