Call from the Commerce Bank
The next day, no sooner had Wilbur knocked over his morning quota of pencils (and a cup of coffee too this time), than the telephone rang.
"Carol!" shouted Wilbur, falling backward on his chair.
"Here let me answer it" said Mister Ed, while Wilbur picked himself up.
"Hello, Wilbur Post's office" said Mister Ed.
"Hello" said a rather aggravated voice. "This is Milburn Drysdale, President of the Commerce Bank of Beverley Hills. Is Wilbur Post in?"
"Yes. But I'm just another client . . . Flood's my name."
"What, is your first name Elmer?" joked Mr. Dysdale.
"F-L-O-O-D, Flood," replied Mister Ed irritably. "I'm building an addition to my house."
"Bully for you," snapped Mr. Drysdale. "My bank's new skyscraper needs Mr. Post's immediate attention!"
"Never mind Ed," said Wilbur, taking the telephone. "Hello, who is it?"
"It's Milburn Drysdale," Mr. Drysdale repeated shortly. "I need you to come over immediately. Seems as if theirs been a snag with our new office building."
"What's wrong?" asked Wilbur.
"There's been a mess with the building department. The Clampetts . . . er, somebody built a barn of a bank on the site of our new skyscraper. Before we could remove it, the Beverley Hills building inspector condemned it and demanded to see our plans for the new high rise. I managed to book a meeting with the mayor and the building committee so we can straighten this out."
"When's the meeting?" asked Wilbur.
"One hour" said Mr. Drysdale. "Oh, make sure you bring your plans and all your notes!"
"I can't . . . I'm having a baby any day . . . hour . . . or minute!" said Wilbur frantically.
"You?" said Mr. Drysdale, in the curious tone of voice people use when they have one eyebrow raised.
"My wife!" Wilbur clarified.
"So, let her call a cab, or an ambulance" scoffed Mr. Drysdale. "If we don't straighten this out, the project will be delayed for years while the bank gets new permits and untangles a mile of Beverly Hills red tape. If it comes to that, you can rest assured that you won't be the architect."
"I'll see what I can do," said Wilbur noncommittal.
"I'll see you in my office in about an hour!" said Mr. Drysdale.
About one-half hour later
. . .
"I'll take care of Carol," Addison told Wilbur, as he helped Carol out of the Posts' Studebaker. "She'll be perfectly alright here. Carol . . . would you like a hot water bottle, an ice pack?"
"I'll take care of Carol, Addison doll" Kay said. "Now you give Addison Carol's suitcase and we'll have a good time going over baby names until you come back."
"I thought we already settled on the, admittedly not very original, but highly serviceable names of Roger or Kay junior."
"Oh, it never hurts to go over the Big Book of Baby Names again," said Kay.
"It'll be fun, Roger," said Carol.
"Why Kay bought that book I'll never know," Addison told Wilbur as their wives went inside the Addison's home. "All the worthwhile names are the common ones in everyday use. Kay has started to grow alarmingly fond of boy's names like Xavier, Wolfgang and Ransom."
"Ransom?" laughed Wilbur, as he returned to his car. "I'd never name my son anything that brought to mind an Oldsmobile. It's Studebakers for me!"
Wilbur drove off.
"Studebaker Addison," mused Addison. "At any rate, it would be better than Xavier or Wolfgang."
Note:
Mr. Drysdale is a character from the Beverley Hillbillies. In one episode of the Beverley Hillbillies, the Clampetts mistake a ground breaking ceremony for a "bank raising" and build a barn-like bank during the night for Drysdale after everyone else leaves.
Granny (of the Beverley Hillbillies) appears in one episode of Mister Ed, offering to give Wilbur Post some of her spring tonic.
Studebaker sponsored Mister Ed, and Wilbur Post, of course, drives one. Ransom Olds founded Oldsmobile. No offence meant to Oldsmobiles - Too bad both makes are gone! When I was a kid my father drove a comfortable Oldsmobile Cutlass.