~Congressman,' said Abel as they met in the foyer.
'Baron,' said Henry, and they laughed and went, arm - in - arm into the dining room and sat at the comer table.
Abel chastised a waiter for serving at table when a but.ton was missing from his tunic.
'How's your wife, Abel?'
'Swell. And your's Henry?'
'Just great.'
They were both lying.
'Any news to report?'
Tes. That concession you needed in Atlanta has been taken care of,' said Henry in - a conspiratorial voice. 'Me necessary documents will be pushed through some time in the next few days. You'll be able to start building the Atlanta Baron round the first of the month.'
'We're not doing anything too illegal, are we?'
'Nothing your competitors aren't up to - that I can promise you, Abel!
Henry Osborne laughed.
'I'm glad to hear that, Henry. I dont want any trouble with the law.'
'No, no,' said Henry. 'Only you and I know all the facts!
'Good,' said Abel. 'Yoteve made yourself very useful to me over the years, Henry, and I have a little reward for your past services. How would you like to become a director of the Baron Group?'
'I'd be flattered, Abel!
'Don!t give me that. You know you've been invaluable with these state and city permits. I'd never have had the time to deal with all those politicians and bureaucrats. In any case, Henry~ they prefer to deal with a Harvard man even if he doesn't so much open doors, as simply kick them down.'
'Yoteve been very generous in return, AbeL1 'It's no more than you have earned. Now, I want you to take on an even bigger job which is close to my heart. This exerrise will also require complete secrecy, but it shouldn't take too much - of your time and it will give us a little revenge on our mutual friend from Boston, Mr.
William Kane!
The mattre dhotel arrived with two large nunp steaks, medium rare. Henry listened intently as Abel unfolded his plans for William Kane.
A few days later on 8 May 1946, Abel travelled to New York to celebrate the first anniversary of V - E day. He had laid on a dinner for over a thousand Polish veterans at the Baron Hotel and had invited General Kazimierz Sosnkowski, commander - in - chief of the Polish Forces in France after 1943, to be the guest of honour. Abel had looked forward impatiently to the event for weeks and took Florentyna, with 06 him to New York while leaving Zaphia behind in Chicago. On the night of the celebration, the banqueting room of the New York Baron looked magnificent, each of the one hundred and twenty tables decorated with the stars and stripes of America and the white and red of the Polish national flag. Huge photographs of Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, Hodges, Paderewski and Sikorski festooned the walls. Abel sat at the centre of the head table with the general ort his right and Florentyna on his left.
When General Sosnkowski rose to address the gathering, he announced that Lieutenant Colonel Rosnovski had been made a life president of the Polish Veterans' Society, in acknowledgment of the personal sacrifices he bad made for the Polish - American cause, and in particular for his generous gift of the New York Baron throughout the entire duration of the war.
Someone who had drunk a little too much shouted from the back of the roorn.
'Fhose of us who survived the Germans had to survive Abel's food as well.'
'Me thousand veterans laughed and cheered, toasted Abel in Danzig vodka and then fell silent as the general talked of the plight of post - war Poland, in the grip of Stalinist Russia, urging his fellow expatriates to be tireless in their campaign to secure the ultimate sovereignty of their native land. Abel wanted to believe that Poland would one day be free again and that he might even live to see his castle restored to him, but doubted if that was realistic after Stalin's success at the Yalta agreement.
The general went on to remind the guests that PolishAmericans had, per capita, sacrificed more lives and given more money for the war than any other single ethnic group in the United States. I... How many Americans would believe that Poland lost six million of her countrymen while Czechoslovakia only lost one hundred thousand. Some observers declare we were stupid not to surrender when we must have known we were beaten. How could a nation that staged a cavalry charge against the might of the Nazi tanks ever believe they were beaten and my friends I tell you we are not beaten now.' Every Pole in the room applauded the geneml loudly.
Abel felt sad to think that most Americans would still laugh at the thought of the Polish war effort - or, funnier still, a Polish war hero.
Ile general then waited for coinplete silence to tell an intent audience the story of how Abel had led a band of men to recover troops who had been killed or wounded at the battle of Remagen. When the general had finished his speech and sat down, the veterans stood and cheered the two men resoundingly. Florentyna felt very proud of her father.