§ 9
Peter found that he was something of a personality in this hospital.
He was the "star" witness in the sensational Goober case, about which
the whole city, and in fact the whole country was talking. It was known
that he had "turned State's"; but just what he knew and what he had told
was a mighty secret, and Peter "held his mouth" and looked portentous,
and enjoyed thrills of self-importance.
But meantime there was no reason why he should not
listen to others talk; no reason why he should not inform
himself fully about this case, so that in future he might be able to
take care of himself. He listened to what "Old Man" Doobman had to say,
and to what Jan Christian, his Swedish assistant had to say, and to what
Gerald Leslie, the "coke" fiend, had to say. All these, and others, had
friends on the outside, people who were "in the know." Some told one
thing, and others told exactly the opposite; but Peter put this and that
together, and used his own intrigue-sharpened wits upon it, and before
long he was satisfied that he had got the facts.
Jim Goober was a prominent labor leader. He had organized the
employees of the Traction Trust, and had called and led a tremendous
strike. Also he had called building strikes, and some people said he had
used dynamite upon uncompleted buildings, and made a joke of it. Anyhow,
the business men of the city wanted to put him where he could no longer
trouble them; and when some maniac unknown had flung a dynamite bomb
into the path of the Preparedness parade, the big fellows of the city
had decided that now was the opportunity they were seeking. Guffey, the
man who had taken charge of Peter, was head of the secret service of the
Traction Trust, and the big fellows had put him in complete charge. They
wanted action, and would take no chances with the graft-ridden and
incompetent police of the city. They had Goober in jail, with his wife
and three of his gang, and thru the newspapers of the city they were
carrying on a propaganda to prepare the public for the hanging of all
five.
And that was all right, of course; Jim Goober was only a name to
Peter, and of less importance than a single one of Peter's meals. Peter
understood what Guffey had done,
and his only grudge was because Guffey had not had the sense to tell him
his story at the beginning, instead of first nearly twisting his arm
off. However, Peter reflected, no doubt Guffey had meant to teach him a
lesson, to make sure of him. Peter had learned the lesson, and his
purpose now was to make this clear to Guffey and to Doobman.
"Hold your mouth," Guffey had said, and Peter never once said a
word about the Goober case. But, of course, he talked about other
matters. A fellow could not go around like a mummy all day long, and it
was Peter's weakness that he liked to tell about his exploits, the
clever devices by which he had outwitted his last "Old Man." So to
Gerald Leslie, the "coke" fiend, he told the story of Pericles Priam,
and how many thousands of dollars he had helped to wheedle out of the
public, and how twice he and Pericles bad been arrested for swindling.
Also he told about the Temple of Jimjambo, and all the strange and
incredible things that had gone on there. Pashtian el Kalandra, who
called himself the Chief Magistrian of Eleutherinian Exoticism, gave
himself out to his followers to be eighty years of age, but as a matter
of fact he was less than forty. He was supposed to be a Persian prince,
but had been born in a small town in Indiana, and had begun life as a
grocer-boy. He was supposed to live upon a handful of fruit, but every
day it had been Peter's job to assist in the preparation of a large
beef-steak or a roast chicken. These were "for sacrificial purposes," so
the prophet explained to his attendants; and Peter would get the remains
of the sacrificial beef-steaks and chickens, and would sacrificially
devour them behind the pantry door. That had been one of his private
grafts, which he got in
return for keeping secret from the prophet some of the
stealings of Tushbar Akrogas, the major-domo.
A wonderful place had been this Temple of Jimjambo. There were
mystic altars with seven veils before them, and thru these the Chief
Magistrian would appear, clad in a long cream-colored robe with gold and
purple borders, and with pink embroidered slippers and symbolic
head-dress. His lectures and religious rites had been attended by
hundreds — many of them rich society women, who came rolling up to the
temple in their limousines. Also there had been a school, where children
had been initiated into the mystic rites of the cult. The prophet would
take these children into his private apartments, and there were awful
rumors — which had ended in the raiding of the temple by the police, and
the flight of the prophet, and likewise of the majordomo, and of Peter
Gudge, his scullion and confederate.
Also, Peter thought it was fun to tell Gerald Leslie about his
adventures with the Holy Rollers, into whose church he had drifted
during his search for a job. Peter had taken up with this sect, and
learned the art of "talking in tongues," and how to fall over the back
of your chair in convulsions of celestial glory. Peter had gained the
confidence of the Rev. Gamaliel Lunk, and had been secretly employed by
him to carry on a propaganda among the congregation to obtain a raise in
salary for the underpaid convulsionist. But certain things which Peter
had learned had caused him to go over to the faction of Shoemaker
Smithers, who was trying to persuade the congregation that he could roll
harder and faster than the Rev. Gamaliel. Peter had only held this
latter job a few days before he had been fired for stealing the fried
doughnut.
