Part 35 (2/2)
”What d'ye mean, the first one?” he demanded. ”Ain't I in on the sick benefit also? Not alone would I draw a sick benefit, Golnik, but might I would come in for the losing-one-eye benefit, maybe, the way I am feeling now.”
”You would what?” Birsky shouted. ”You would come in for nothing, Bogin! All you would come in for is losing your job, Bogin, if you don't be careful what you are saying round here.”
At this juncture Jonas Eschenbach bustled toward them and clapped his hands loudly.
”Now, then, boys,” he called, ”the whole team should please get out on the field.”
He pointed to a tall, simian-armed operator who stood listening intently to the conversation between Golnik and Birsky.
”You, there,” Jonas said to him, ”you would play right field--and get a move on!”
The operator nodded solemnly and flipped his fingers in a deprecatory gesture.
”It don't go so quick, Mr. Eschenbach,” he said, ”because, speaking for myself and these other fellers here, Mr. Eschenbach, I would like to ask Mr. Birsky something a question.”
He paused impressively, and even Golnik ceased his moaning as the remaining members of the baseball team gathered round their spokesman.
”I would like to ask,” the operator continued, ”supposing _Gott soll huten_ I am getting also _Makkas_ in this here baseball, Mr. Birsky, which I would be losing time from the shop, Mr. Birsky, what for a sick benefit do I draw?”
Birsky grew livid with indignation.
”What for a sick benefit do you draw?” he sputtered. ”A question! You don't draw nothing for a sick benefit.” He appealed to Eschenbach, who stood close by. ”An idee, Mr. Eschenbach,” he said. ”Did y'ever hear the like we should pay a sick benefit because some one gets hurted _spieling_ from baseball already? The first thing you know, Mr.
Eschenbach, we would be called upon we should pay a benefit that a feller breaks his fingers leading two aces and the ten of trumps, or melding a round trip and a hundred aces, understand me; because, if a feller behaves like a loafer, y'understand, he could injure himself just so much in pinochle as in baseball.”
”_Schon gut_, Mr. Birsky,” the operator continued amid the approving murmurs of his fellow players, ”that's all I want to know.”
As they moved off in the direction of the West Farms subway station, Golnik's resentment, which for the time had rendered him speechless, gave way to profanity.
”So,” he cried, choking with indignation, ”I was acting like a loafer, was I? And that's how I got hurted!”
Here he contorted his face and clapped his hand to his injured shoulder in response to a slight twinge of pain; and for at least two minutes he closed his eyes and gasped heavily in a manner that suggested the agonies of death by the rack and thumbscrews.
”You will hear from me later, gentlemen,” he said at last, ”and from Bogin also, which we wouldn't take no part of your sick benefit.”
He fell back exhausted against the outstretched arm of a bearded operator; and thus supported, he seized Bogin's elbow and started to leave the lot, with the halting steps of Nathan the Wise in the last act of that sterling drama, as performed by the princ.i.p.al tragedian of the Ca.n.a.l Street Theatre.
”And you would see, Mr. Birsky,” he concluded, ”that we got plenty witnesses, which if we wouldn't get from you and Mr. Eschenbach at the very least two thousand dollars, understand me, there ain't no lawyers worth the name in this city!”
Three minutes later there remained in Adelstern's lot only two of Birsky & Zapp's employees--namely, the pitcher and the catcher of Eschenbach's team; and they were snapping the ball back and forth in a manner that caused Eschenbach's eyes to gleam with admiration.
”_Nu_, Mr. Eschenbach,” Birsky croaked at last, ”I guess we are up against it for fair, because not only we would lose our designer and shop foreman, y'understand, but them fellers would sue us sure.”
Eschenbach waved his hands airily.
”My worries!” he said. ”We would talk all about that to-morrow afternoon in your store.”
Again he seized the bat and swung it at a pebble.
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