Free BUtterfield 8 by John O'Hara

put in a portable bar, ping-pong table, a few posters from the French Line—”
    “Oh, I want those. Can you get them?”
    “I think so. I never like to ask them for anything, because I have my private opinion of the whole French Line crowd, but that’s a mere detail. Anyway, what I want to point out is that I was one of the first to see what an important adjunct to the home a game room can be. I’d like to show you some things I’ve done out in the Manhasset section. The Whitney neighborhood, you know.”
    “Oh, did you do the Jock Whitney estate too?”
    “No, I didn’t do that, but in that section I’ve—two years ago I had eleven thousand dollars to spend on one game room out that way.”
    “But that was two years ago,” said Mr. Kahan. “Whose house was that?”
    “Weh-hell, I, uh, it isn’t exactly ethical to give names and figures, Mr. Kahan. You understand that. Anyway, you see my point about not trying to chisel a few dollars in such an important feature of the home. For instance, you’ll want a large open fireplace, you said. Well, that’s going to cost you money now. You see, not to be too technical about it, we’ve gone ahead without making any provision for fireplaces on that side of the house, the side where it would have to be if you wanted it in the game room. And, you have the right idea about it. There
should be
an open fireplace there.
    “You see, Mr. Kahan, I want this house to be right. I’ll be frank with you. A lot of us architects just can’t take it, and a lot of fellows I know are pretty darn pessimistic about the future. Naturally we’ve been hit pretty hard, some of us, but I personally can’t complain. So far this year I’ve done well over a half a million dollars’ worth of business—”
    “Net?”
    “Oh, no. Not net. I’m a residence architect, Mr. Kahan. But that stacks up pretty well beside what I’ve been doing the last three years. I had my best year oddly enough last year, Mr. Kahan.”
    “No kidding.”
    “Oh, yes. I had a lot of work in Palm Beach. And so far this year I’ve had a very good, a very satisfactory year. But next year, I’m a little afraid of next year. Not because people haven’t got the money, but because they’re afraid to spend it. There’s an awful lot of hoarding going on. I know a man who is turning everything he can into gold. Gold notes when he can’t get the actual bullion. Well, that isn’t so good. The general spirit of alarm and unrest, and next year being a Presidential year, but I’ve got my overhead, I’ve got my expenses, Presidential year or no Presidential year. So far I haven’t had to lay off a single draftsman and I don’t want to have to do it, but great heavens, if people are going to take their money out of industry and let it lie gathering dust in safe deposit vaults, or in secret vaults in their own homes, the general effect is going to be pretty bad.
    “Now with a house like this, people will see this house and they can’t help being enchanted with it, and it’s been my experience that a house like yours, Mr. Kahan, with a page or two of photographs in
Town and Country
and
Country Life
and
Spur
, people who might be tempted to hoard their money—”
    “You mean pictures of this house in
Town and Country
?”
    “Naturally,” said Farley. “You don’t suppose I’d let this house go without—unless you’d rather not. Of course if you’d—”
    “Oh, no. Not me. I’m in favor of that. Don’t tell Mrs. Kahan, though. It’d make a nice surprise for her.”
    “Certainly. Women like that. And women are mighty important in these things. As I was saying, I’m counting on people seeing this house, and your friends and neighbors coming in—that’s one reason why I’d like to see you have a good game room, when you entertain informally, people will see what a really fine house you have, and they’ll want to know who did the house. It’s good business for me to do a good job for you any time, Mr.