The Carousel Read Online Free PDF Page A

wife,” said Oliver. “Never mind. I know my son’s a high-stepper and I forgive him. Right, Ian?”
    “ ‘High-stepper.’ Define it for me, Father, I don’t know what you mean,” said Ian, rejecting the pleasantry.
    “Just another one of my archaic expressions. In my grandfather’s time it referred to carriage horses, the lively trotters, and lively men, high livers, were called high-steppers, too.”
    “Sinners. You make me feel like a criminal.”
    “I don’t understand what’s happening here,” Oliver complained. “We were all in good spirits at table, and suddenly we’re quarreling. I don’t like that in this house.” He was still smoothing the dog’s head. “Even Napoleon’s upset. He’s not used to it. Are you, Nappy?”
    “My fault, Father. I’m the one who began it. I should have known that Dan and I would lock horns over the subject. I did know it. The fact is—might as well come out with everything, now that we’ve gone this far—I’ve had a rough couple of days. I had a call from Amanda while you were away, Dan, and let me tell you, your sister in ten minutes can rob a man of a year’s life. Two nights’ sleep at any rate.”
    “My sister? Why didn’t you tell me? I’ve been home for two days.”
    “Because I didn’t want to bring up troubles before Father’s birthday. Now I’ve gone and done it anyway. I’m sorry.”
    “What made her phone you?”
    “She asked for you, not knowing you were away. So they connected her with me.”
    “What did she want?”
    “First, the usual list of complaints. She has no seat on the board because she’s a woman. I told her, as she’s been told often enough before, that being a woman has nothing to do with it. But you can’t deal with these strident feminist types. No wonder she’s had two divorces.”
    Dan corrected him. “Only one.”
    “Well, anyhow, she doesn’t know a thing about this business and never will as long as she lives three thousand miles away. She’s getting a hefty income from her quarter share of the stock, so what more does she want? Oh, she says it’s not fair that we three men make so much more than she does. Salary, I said. For heaven’s sake, a child cansee that. We work eight days out of seven, don’t we? Well, then she wants us to buy her out so she can have a lump sum for investment.”
    “Buy her out?” Dan was incredulous.
    “Yes, yes. And listen to this. If we don’t, she’ll sell her shares to the highest bidder. She’s already talked to investment bankers about doing an evaluation of her shares.” Ian spoke rapidly, with mounting excitement. “I’m sorry to say it. I’ve said all along and to deaf ears, but it’s the truth, we should have had, our lawyers told us to have, an agreement to keep this a family-held company, to prevent a loose cannon like Amanda from doing just what she wants to do now, sell out. A takeover, with God-knows-who coming in here and holding the balance of votes. Yes, we should have had it, but Amanda didn’t want it, and we all caved in. I can’t help saying it again, Father, that woman’s nothing but trouble, good for nothing except to collect her money and put us under a third degree every time to make sure we haven’t cheated her out of a nickel. And now she wants a fortune for some damn-fool project, to boot.”
    “For homeless girls,” Dan said. “I remember her saying something about that a while ago.”
    “She wanted to talk my head off about it, but I wouldn’t let her. To tell the truth, I’m starting to think she’s crazy.”
    “No.” Dan made quiet correction. “I’ll admit she can be difficult, complicated, and confusing. But she isn’t crazy. I don’t believe in using thatword lightly. And a project on behalf of desperate girls is hardly—”
    “Desperate? We’ll be the desperate ones if she carries out her threat to sue.”
    “She’s threatened?”
    “Yes, if we don’t buy her shares,” Ian said, impatient now. “What