Westlake, Donald E - Novel 25 (5 page)

 
          
 
Mister Neep said, "Take a look down the
street/'

 
          
 
So Philip took a look down the street.

 
          
 
The first thing he saw was the doorman next
door, smiling at him.
And beyond him the next doorman, also
smiling at him.
And the doorman after him, smiling, and the doorman
after him, smiling, and so on, and so on, and so on, all the way down to the
corner, where the new apartment house was being built.

 
          
 
The second thing Philip saw was a man with a
wheelbarrow, coming this way, and he was smiling.

 
          
 
And the third thing he saw was a man carrying
some boards, also coming this way, and he was smiling.
At
Philip.

           
 
The wheelbarrow man and the board man came up
the block. They stopped under the canopy and said, "Well, here we
are." The wheelbarrow man said to Philip, "I understand you need some
dirt/'

 
          
 
Philip gulped. He nodded. He said, "Yes,
sir."

 
          
 
"Well, here it is," said the
wheelbarrow man, nodding at his wheelbarrow.

 
          
 
It was perfectly true. The wheelbarrow was
full to the brim with dirt.

 
          
 
Philip looked at Mister Neep, and Mister Neep
said, "These gentlemen are from the construction crew down

 
          
 
ft
i m

at
the corner. I passed a message to them by
the Doorman Message Service."

 
          
 
Philip said, "But where am I going to put
all that dirt?"

            
"I talked to your
mother," said Mister Neep, "and everything is all arranged. You just
show these men the way to your apartment."

 
          
 
Philip could hardly believe it was true. He
showed the

men
the way to his apartment, up the elevator
and along the hall. His mother opened the door and said, "Right this
way." She led the wheelbarrow man and the board man through the apartment
and out onto the terrace. The wheelbarrow man put down his wheelbarrow and the
board man put down his boards.

 
          
 
The two men took hammers and nails out of
their pockets. In nothing flat they hammered the boards together into a wide
shallow box. Then they dumped the dirt from the wheelbarrow into the box.

 
          
 
"There you go," said the wheelbarrow
man. "All the dirt you could ask for."

 
          
 
"Boy," said Philip. "I sure
thank you."

 
          
 
"Not a bit," said the wheelbarrow
man. "Down at the corner, we've got more dirt than we know what to do
with."

 
          
 
The wheelbarrow man and the board man left.

 
          
 
Philip

looked
over the railing of the terrace, being
careful to hold on, and shouted, "Hey, Mister Neep!"

 
          
 
Mister Neep came out from under the canopy and
looked up.

 
          
 
Philip waved. "Thank you, Mister
Neep!" he shouted.

 
          
 
Mister Neep smiled and waved back.