Chapter 51: Kidding Around

“Arthur, please!” Morton stammered as he failed to break free from the gangsters holding him down. “Show some mercy!”

“Whatever do you mean?” Arthur said with an innocent smile. “We just wanted to make sure you’re doing alright with that pesky cold of you. I assure you…”

He darkened his friendly smile.

“…this visit has nuuuuuttin whatsoever to do with you cutting a deal with those lowlife Half-Breed scums…”

“I beg you, Arthur! I was only doing what was best for my family!”

“Ohhhh,” Arthur replied with feigned realization, “is that what happened? So, what you’re saying then, is that all them favors we’ve been doing for your family over the years meant nothing; is that right?”

“That’s not—!”

Arthur snapped his fingers, silencing Morton. Arthur breathed in, giving a light shrug of his shoulders.

“Well, what’s done is done. There’s no use crying overs it now.”

He looked to Morton with a warm smile.

“Anyways, since you’re feeling under the weather and all; our boss Roxane Conkling thought we should go and `take care’ of you…”

As Arthur spoke, a gangster pulled a sinister concoction from his bag.

“No!” Morton screamed, his body flailing about as the green liquid was forced down his throat.

“See!” Arthur cackled amidst Morton’s howls. “You’re looking livelier already! And since you’re feeling so energetic,” he said, tightening his smile, “why don’t we all go ahead and have ourselves a nice leisurely stroll to the morgue…”

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Arthur gave a horrendous cough in the present, his hands clenching onto his chair for support.

“Wowzers!” Thompson shouted, “It seems Arthur is just about ready to collapse! Who would have thought that sitting would be so tiring for him!”

The crowd roared at Thompson’s remarks as Arthur growled in her direction.

This punk is turning me into a laughing stock!

He looked to Coolidge, spotting a sliver of malicious delight spread over her stoic expression.

Oh, just keep laughing wise-guy! Because by the time I’m done; you won’t have anything left to laugh about!

Arthur snapped his fingers.

“Spoils System!”

Coolidge heard another zombie rise behind her. She turned around, blindly swinging her staff…then froze stiff just before impact.

“This…” Coolidge whispered, “this is…!”

The zombie in front of Coolidge was different from the others. It was smaller, its flesh not as rotten, with pale blue eyes and scraps of sandy red hair on its scalps. It was the corpse of a young boy…a young boy just like the son Coolidge had lost all those years ago.

“Ma….ma….” the zombie spoke with a scratchy voice.

Coolidge stood still, her mind overwhelmed with a maelstrom of conflicting emotions.

“Calum,” she mumbled, “Calum…”

As she stood, another set of zombies rose up from the earth behind her. They lunged forward, biting into the backs of Coolidge’s legs.

Coolidge winced at the pain, then leapt away from zombies as she came back to her senses.

She planted her staff down, taking some of the weight off her injured feet. She stood still, catching her breath as Arthur’s horde stumbled towards her…the child zombie leading their advances.

Coolidge squeezed her weapon.

It’s just a trick…just an awful, terrible trick. I know that much…and I know what must be done…

Coolidge closed her eyes as the group approached, then swung her staff into the zombie child. The boy’s rotten head shattered on impact, splattering its brains across her clothes. Coolidge immediately followed with a swift jab to its body, smashing it into the line of zombies trailing behind hiim.

Coolidge took a deep breathe, then turned to Arthur. He smiled, taking in the expression of pure rage spread across her previously calm face.

“What’s the matter?” Arthur smirked, innocently placing a hand to his cheek. “I was only kidding around.”

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Arthur’s Flashback II. The torture scene depicted is surprisingly accurate: Levi Morton (part of the Stalwart faction of the Republican Party), accepted a nomination from President-elect James Garfield (who was not a Stalwart), after which he was pulled from his sickbed, forced to drink a concoction of quinine and brandy, and then taken to the apartment of Roscoe Conkling (the leader of the Stalwarts) which was known as “the morgue,” after which Levi quickly retracted his acceptance of the nomination. However, as far as I know Chester Arthur had no direct involvement with this incident.

It is because of the ruthlessness displayed in this flashback with Morton that Charles Arthur is given his “gangster” personality in the book, which is not historically accurate. Similarly, his gambling habit in the novel is a spinoff of this personality and not based on anything real.

Spoils System. Chester Arthur was heavily involved with “political machines,” which were organizations which very blatantly gave support and jobs to people in exchange for political favors. These organizations typically viewed themselves as forces of good who provided needed services and jobs to the community. However, as the flashback depicts, these political machines could be ruthless against their opponents.