the genius that was south fowlke

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Portrayal of Arkansas town near Texarkana has lifestyle and problems to sell electronics media supplies.

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TTM GM{TUS TT{AT 'IfAS SOUTTiI'OIIIJCE

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ahapter 1. The Future Arrlved T h e l o n g tfu ce n e l g h b o r frl ends could not hel- p bu! show pr lde l n'thel r

.t hrlv l n g ,

s n 1a l l -o o mmu n l ty.

T h ey had seen the tr ansfor matlon

fr om a poor dy i ng

t o n n t o o n e o f p ro sp e rl ty res u L t e d f r o m th e . cre a ttve usual vlslons t. of Lmal

a n d r apld g"otodh. A1l. the dynanlc ohang es had d .e slgns or dar lng goocl lntentlons to tr y the uncalled'

e n t r e p r e n e u r J a m e sR o b e r t P e a s e , o f f l c l a l l " y

noetr opo3- l s F . b y t h e d u l y i n p re sse d . a n d lmpor tant buslnessnen ln near by all the homefoLk of name d B t g T o u n . B u t h e w a s b e tter knovm as Jlnr Bob to snall- torrrn South Fcr'rllce.

TaSrlst TPow'I(e S o u t h F o w L k e t o w n s h i p w a s a b o u t t o s h o v rl t s for ai.I the orlginators best efforts
I , 4 . . '

Fage 2

Eratitude

ln a blg way, Thelr

of the air

castle-bu.lldlng

dreans cone true.

would be honored at the town-hall

meetlng, by declaring Jlm Bob The banquet vras llke always

, t , I c a n n d n r t r s e n t l n g h i - r nt.h e k e y t o t h e e i t y . k

a being helrl in the hlgh school- gymnasj-um s a doub,Ie or trlple event thls year. T h l s N e w Y e a r f s S v e w i " n g d i n g w o u l d .r i n g

celebrateil

ln the new cen-

tury as well. head.table,

The pride of the town would be properly hcnored guest at the

proclained as the loea1 busl-ness-go-getter of the finaL decade

of the century" . T i m B o b f s co u si n l ," i a l d owould be ther e of cour se, along with al l relatlves the flrst basklng in the glory of thelr favorite cousin. the

l,ir'sldo ad been h

o n e t o t a k e a d . v a n t a g eo f t , h e n e r v e n t e r p r l s e s The unlque tank water fish

that Jlm Eob had

brought to South Fowlke, urchins to sell

farng that raised sea

v to the Japanese as a dellcacy heo lndeed prospereci" rith pler-restaurant bus-

sales 1n nearby Big Town also, and the local flshtng iness really d i d * o a yo f f inmedletely as promlsed. th a t iln

That was onJ-ythe flrst

of m a n y n e w e n te rp rl se s last

Bob i,npelleil upon the town dur in g thl s o f n e w v , E y sw a s n o t e a s y a t f l r s t flow char t local pr oflts when

" d e e a d e . C o n v i n c j . n p .o l d - t l m e r s

s h o w i n g f a n cy p ro sp o cti n g b u ltetlnboar d a hardsell mcuth, llke pttch. yet Just one r*al

ln theor y fr om

llve

success story by word of

the lnnovative but rucrative

rtLj-vlng waterrt agrl-chem products yteld ten fold and now at-

v ; } r t c h u s e d .n a r l n e b i o c a t a t y s t s

to lncrease soll

get the ful L n n a n u f a c t u r e d !n so u th F cvrl ke , wer e m or e than enough to tention o f e ve ry mo n e y n a kl n g buslnesgm ' an ln tovr n.

JimSobcertainlyhadt|recltyfathersinthepatrnofhlshand.ever since he had successfully nade all his enterprl-slng cous|ns rich as sin

Tay 1or,/Sowlke from all r.ealltg the "ple-ln-the-sky" projects, Ilors, aIl

?age 3

p l - a n s t h a t h a d i n d . e e db e c o m e p r o s p e r o u s h t s t t k l s s l n g c o u s j " n s ' tw e r e t r u l y ro1l1n5; ln

en o u g h n o n ey to b e i n v'" sto rs

themselves ln other br and. new ideas w hl c h The tax rcll. base

created even more'+reelth for the ci"ty counctl to tax. of South Fcwlke vras actually thus gaining hinnatl growi-ngfaster clout

than the sumscould be spent,

the polltlcal

and support he needed for yet *qtoFvillapie on the fast ttlay

n4wer ldeas or better aims, ln thls whlstle to the qver boomlng 319 Tclvn.

i l A b o o n l n g n e w ye a r a n d an even m or e hlghl- y touted. pr osper ous new century, all l n o n e b l g b L e s s e d ,e v e n t a p p e a r t o n e t o b e t h e b e s t o n e n t o i l n r n b r a g g e d .C a l l " l e } I i l l s o n seems to be the way of llfp, to her neighbors. tow n

that can happen to cur little rtlievr ! [tg a n d n e 'r L h a t,

ar ound thl s

now that we have progressive leaders who have brought the world of tomorrow iireams here, todayrtr agreed l{a6gle Salnon ha;r;:iIy. t t ' i ' f eh ave mo re p ro g re ss than we know what to do wlth f urther laughed CaIlle rnost joyouslS'. Fot it g o o d , t o w h a t t h e o l C c l y l n g d a S t sa n d or how to m anager f

I t o u r h o r n e t o w nh a s f l n a l l y

poor n o ' l t h l n g ' r f a y s w e r e c n c e l l k e

herer't chlrped ln Addie Harlow. Just stand ar ound and' emphatlcally.

r c o o d th l n g s a ]v,'a ys co tne to thcse of us who donr t wait; hard urork gets lt ' r , , V o r k l n gl l k e only wa)'.
ino

aII

done rlghtrn

stated' Callle

the deviL at a revlval

noeetlng, tc help ourselves, ls the lt all to happen-

And Just think that my cousln Jtm Bob started
gloated lfaggie all Salmcn. kln

here," rIj'iell,

the Pease femlly

has a knaclc f or belns

at

the right

place at the best tlne boasted Callle

r a t r e nl t

cones to promotl-nE a reaLl-y good nevr ldear"

eafler to have hor say'

Ta y l o r / F o w l ke I t T h i s w h o l e to w n p a rty l s a celebr atlon

?age l+

of good. old know- hov r and

can-do rryorkbrlttle wll"Ilngness to succeed as a whole con&unlty aotlon e n t e r p r l s e r n r e v e L l e d L , f a g g i ee v e n $ o r e e l a t e d . ilf for one would not rolss tonightrs JubilantlY. banquet for anythlng in the worldr't

continued Callle

The only party hardy porson ln town to niss the ceLebration was the htgh-stepplng Fledis $eneschal. $he ivas the notorious twln si-ster of Fladis estate fir m ln South I'ow l k e.

Se n e r e Ss ! wh o o w n e d th e n e w est and. blggest r eal Sister Tledis

as she i,rasccnvenlently called by aII

the $outh Fcwlke soclal or unknown

set busybodtes vras a ntght person accordlng to gospel report t al e lftle nlles b e a r e r s w h o fre q u e n te d . the honky tonks late at nlght warehouse-buslness strlp down the road.,

on the ) fi r ael e

t h a t l e d t o g ' I a m o r o u sB l g T o w n , J u s t a f e w

Slster T'ledis alranys stayed ln the darkened shadows a r o u n d .a l l t h e b l g t i - r n es p e n d e r s , E l v l n g t h e m ln the s unl - l ght. a hot

of thn danee hal-lsr'saLtzing the eyer Slster

No o n e l n to w n re a Ily

lcnew what she l- ooked ltke

FLedis oame out only well after

dark, sutldooly appearlng ltke

desert breeze in the beer haIls. Slster Fledls, for her flllal,

The townfoLk simply referred

to her as

&o appelation not for hsr rellglous connection to har rlch brother.

attendance or nature but preferred on1-y

,slstor Fledls

t h e f e w Bl g T o w r sp e n d e rs, n ot the local re a s o n a n d a l w a ys l e ft day break.

good. old boys, for

soae c al c ul - ated

w tth the handsor oest str anger at the bar Jus t befor e $eneschal was not a corrunon came to fool i 'ng

T h e v r l n s o n e a n d s h a m e l e s sF l e d l s

s le e z y t r a n p,

th o u 6 i h , 6 s th e whole town well knew vr hen lt

arcunrl wl-th Just any ol"d' nranJ-yout-of-towner' l ed' outwllltngly T h e e a g e r b u t n a n l y h a n dsome str anger s wor e alv' iays tc the rnouth of the local tree ljned srde to the begrnning polnt or entrance

Ta-rr1s3/Sowlke

Page 5 $he q',ricrl;r Sot then all hot anci brothered enough to sit she suddenly kicked up her

loversr right

Iane.

there on the rnar end of thelr

own car vtrile

hteh heeLs and then ran off

to her own automoblle, Leavlng them holding her m ono-

lac y b l a c k p a n ti e s l 'rl th a u n lcor n head. ln r ed dlagonal to the scar l et

g r a m a s t h e o n l y a r o u s l n g c o n q u e s t o r m e m e n t oo f t h e s e d u c t l v e s o i r e e t h e t never went any fwther tease, only, exciting than tiils. She was thus a class act back seat strlp enough to falL for her brand of safe sex jollles by

for every nan Jack who was hot to trot routlne.

but tantalizlng

Thls was her wltty

antics and her b*st fun fllled pulling a fast

stvle of g*ttlng

her:nlrthful

one over on the traveling

selesaen playboys.

Her humor as a

pra n r ; s t e r wa s b a se d . o n e vn rX gulllble She played this t h e y w e r e Go 6 r s e l ft ularlty eater,

inants folIy.

h a r m l e g s J o k e o n a 1 l t h e S , o o d - l o o k l n g d u d . e sw h o t h o u g h t to w o men on the bar soene. Thls kind of r eg ul ar J oc -

was what galned Stster Fledls

the locaL reputatlon

of belng a man vlsltoxsr he v tas

h e r h u r n o r o u gt o u c h n o t m u c h b e l n g a p p r e c l a t e d b y f i - r s t - t l m e the sam e guy 6ven l f

Ne e d l e s s t o sa y sh e w a s n e ve r seen twlce wlth

bra v e e n o u gh to co me b a ck fo r nor e of the sam e panty r ald fanous Bubba TownRoadhouse. 0r for that an y w h e r e i n p u b l l c fact,

spr ee at the l nn e v e r l , v s ss e e n

Slster Fledls

e ve n w i th her ovunbr other

because of her unm entl onabLe

oonduct at the honky tonlcs. Fladls seneschal dld not ever mentlon hls ob l l v l o u s to her za n y re p u ta tlon sister. He acted unaware or l l o di r ec t

but never seened.asher nedelther .

ma c o n m e n t r , , ;a s d e b y h tm th a t he even had. a slso a b r o a d t h e fa ct th a t th e y w e r e slbllng kln.

she was the one w ho nol s ed

Hear say vr tasthe only oonneetl on

thattlnkedthetwdgomeatall.Naturally,brothertr.ladlswentabouthlsowl} gara honor banquets alone. He was prlvate business and attended atr the town investhobnobbrng connectlons for all the one of the sponsors and blg nonie,i

Ta,v lor./Fowlke nent oapltaL b e i -n g ma d .ei n S outh Fowlke 6:r owth lndustr y. all t,h e p roflteer lng

P age 6 He put together

t h e f i n a n c i n p ; fo r to tol.rn.

Jlm Bo b br ought deals that hor nebo;r councll got the left over cr um s w fi l c h gl ad

Th e l o e a l

b a n ke rs and city

we r e p r e t t y

a o o d p l e ki n 6 5 s o r blg deaLs to them, but they wer e actual }y

to be personally assoeiated wlth the cLever real- estate broker Flad.ts Seneschal beeause they rea3.Iy wanted to Set close enough lnto t o m e e t o r re ve l w l th th e l Il -- r eputeil $ h e v u a st h e ta l k ml l e s . the famlly clrcle F Ledl s .

shr ewd.yet flar nbouyant Slster

o f th e to w n , enr r led or censur ed. by ever y busybody for about $lster Fledls. l tl o one ev er The

T h e y a t1 w a n te d to know ever ythlng

learned anythlng more than the barroon shenigans themselves rFvealed. twj-n Seneschals were very private about their overlap lnto any public ha d c o m e o n th e e o a tta l l s the outsklrts talk abcut fannlty llfe. personal llves,

whloh did not

fhe boisterous Slster Fledls to the bar hopplng dl v es on for al l her beer mu61 to

o f her br other !' ladls

o f S o u th F o w l ke as she bLabbed lnto

hear late at nlght; rfBut f real}y canl€here ln rnydadr s genesrfr snickered Sister Fledls ln tune tc the party reveL

Seneschal, belng absurdly gidd.y, dellberateLy, Late nlght drtnklng

c lowd" at Bubba Town Roadhouse. slps like a reaL lady but flt-ln corne-onllne wlth us guzzlers

Hyou swlg dellcete

Iike a good trooperr,r wEs the frequ*nt at the snoke-flIIed barroon sc€Rer

f r c n a h a n d s o m es t r a n g e r '

?'I am feelin5r nc patn or I would not be able to stand the slghts thls

of

l o u s y b a r s c e n e, f f b e v r a i l e C t h e e l e g a n t 1 l ' d r e s s e d S l s t e r F l e c l i s . fyou are the rnost flucey drqssod lady ln thcse parts, fistmrtt ahvays

ad d . r e s s e d t h e o u t o f to w n rn an r nost obser vantly. n r i , I h atd c yo u me & n fl o o sgJ?n wi t h b a i t e d . b re a ti t a s $ i ste r lnqulr ed' the feigned beer slur r e d pur r ed' her own subtle v ol c e

Fledls

encour agem ent'

Tarrr 1ot /l'owtke

PaEe 7 scrrnding voice I ev?r heard, brsldes, being oorunended

ttYou have the beerlest I,lucSJ, whloh ls a flnely t he u n s u s p e ctl n 6 fl a tte re r "f Sls t e r chat,

vromanr'r ftrrther d.ressed but hand"some fronn out- of- tclr n. dth ny lcotch bottled

am Just belng oBr tonight, I'ledis

voice,rr flutterecl l dl ,e

l n h e r sa su a t but coy vtay r vj- th nen who tooic the tim e for

o r d a : : . e i lt o m e e t h e r p l e r c i n g tlpsy enough. lt tcnlghtr"

gaze, meant to charn the pants off any-

cne getting

r r Y o ua - . " ec e r t a l n l y t ow n r u h o i l l d n o t re a l l ze web belng eaught ln thls

ccntlnued the ever questlng nan about ln the olntnent of t he s pl nnl ng

th a t he was the fly

ntghtspot sane of belng ltr

Lnstead cf her. But Sl s ter l n the w ee

T h l s w a s th e u su a l o rd e r of thtngs F le d t s ho u r s .

at Bubba Town Roadhouse,

a p p ea re d . o p e n l y o n L y when the beer hall- vr as - eaek6- d,late, Sh e n e ve r co mp e te rl w lth her br other for any attentlon

vr lthl n the

ccnrmunlty, avoiding problens wlth thp hlgh society blgvrlgs ln town, and never had a run-ln with the law, havlng no booked record. They led separate llves, S l s t e r F l - e d l s J u s t s e e m e dt o g o l n t o h l d i n g

connected onLy by reputaticn.

when her brother Fladts was naklng the rounds about townl he dlC not drlnk, b e i n g a p r u d e to h e r ccn tra sted wa s n e a r l y nig h t lr nnoilest v' r ays. The Bubba Town honl c y tonk hour s of the tovm banquet, only pas t m l dlqet golng' a1L the

e n p ty d u rl n 6 th e ear ly

d i d t he rtw l te h l n g h o u r" r eally

b L,leanrvhlle aok st the honor banquet and NewYearr s celebratlon, hrgh-toned-Iadies year wlth

of south Fowlke socrar soene gentry crass rang out the ord sociallzin8 for the sake of better buglness was the

songand danee. T h e frl e n d l y

n o r n a l t h l n g.

networ klng wonder s of the gala pagea nt enhanc ed as usual ln $outh TowLko flnsn the er lge of to w n w oul r l

s o c l a l b t n d t n g b u s l n e s s c o n t a c t s e n d "c o n t r a c t s ancial s r o wth . T h e e xp a n sl o n of the r eflner les

gro'wth of the past deoade; gasollne agreeably eontinue the rapld' economle

T a y l o r / F o w l ke f mad.e rorn potatoes vtoulrl continue to flll be r g e r w c u l d co n ti n u e a s C F i 0anr i hls an c e s t r y , a llv e r ea l L y a huge market need.

Page I

lrlctor

$hau-

son Gleeson as for em.an. Thel r Ger m an

b e i n g Qu a ker wlth Anlsh r oots fr om ?ennsylvania D tr tc h, k ept ' T ar r r ' t h e t eu to n l c te ch n o ro g y acoom pllsfunents usec dur ing lnfor ld

T h e c l d G e r r a a nl n g e n u i t y ' w a s b e l n g p u t b a c k l n t o u s e b y t h e S h a u b e r g e r kln whose fanrtly secrets would flnally country. Tire nepotism of hirtng agaln oone tc the aid of thelr adopted

t only famlly as managemenkept the secret withln the farolly. But the rich.

forrnul-a safe and aLso kept the hlgh salaries Irish

potatoe gasollne fuel manufacture also made the local farners for twenty mlllion

A contract

acres cultlvated. ln a four states area lndeed u s e o f c o r n t o p r o d . u c eg r a l n The

s p r e a d .t h e p r o s p e r l t y

around.. The addlttcnal

a l c o h o l g a s a d . d e i lt o e v e n n o r € w e a l t h f o r t h e n e l E h b o r l d g f a r n e r s o

I o c a l r n a r k e t sh a re h a i l a l re a d ,y gr own tr enr end"ously befor e Jlm Bob foundei t & national Iocatlon, off e r e d fcr ehain of service statlons ona stop'place for all se11ln6 all klnds of gasollne at the sarae lslands

dlfferent

klnds of petroS-: dlfferent gasohol ,

p u m p s fo r

e a ch typ e of fueL,

one set of punps for

one gr oup

potatoe gas, another for natural fuel, to satlsfy

gas and then of course nornal petroccmpany lobblsts. T h l s n e v rn a t l o n a l up wl-th $e6 soy to

fosslt

the regular oil

chaln of f:as stations B ll l u p s . r ,

was naoed Blllups,

using the slogao rtfill'

T h i s n e w co mP a n y naae was taken fr om Jlm Robr s d"addyBl l Ly tn hts day. ;16 Bobrs father had lnltlated'

who was a town celebrlty b e a n u s e a s l n k fo r use tn farn tractors

p rl n tl n g

fuel Ivr esses and' even mad' ea soy bean o11

on the old. pease prantatr-cn. That had be6n celebrlty

en o u g h l n th e o l d d a ys fo r a ny oar lr Thesemoderntlroessouthtr'owlketownoelebratlonsprovlded'l.dealsetabout new pollcles that the eommunlty tings for conpany partles, to banter The new coapanles wero now maklng policy naklng' could feel a close part as

T a y L o r / F o w t ke

Page 9

South FcwLke the hub of the unlverse or so Jin tsob and al-l hls kln thcught. AII the hard-wcrking poor fol-ks were now gettlng ou t n u c h c h n n g e i n th e l r p ro f i t s f ac t o r y co rununity l- tfestyLe. big rlch bank accounts vrith-

The ldeas that nail e the huge Blg Town wher e nos t c f the

w e re l mp l -e n e n te d l n near by metr opolts l r o rke rs p re fe rre d to llve anyway.

The small tcwn atm ospher e of at al l . tr 'l ec l l s .

So u t h F o w 1 ke l va s th u sl y

b e l n g pr sser ved and on) - y slowly ehanglng tf

T h e c h a n g e s w e re mo st e vld.ent ln the ad.d.ltlon of newcomerSl s ter She had arrlved blg tlme deal-s. lat ln town alnmt as an afterthought

wlth her brother Fladlsf s nll-l mater-

She was fodcler for the gosslps ln town or grlst ano evlL ln llfeo Sister fLedls

for aLl thet was sinful

ldas a gooil €x-

ample for everything bad ln thts None of the reputed storles g ra p e v l n e l l n g o furlateil

world, to hear tel-L fron the busybodios. They lgnored the even aor e l nFLedls

bothered the SeneschaLtwj-ns. own br azan way.

a n d Ju st vre nt thetr

And that

the goodfolk lnto trylrg or.preylng

to ilo something legal to stop Slster

vrlth her fltngs honky tonko

R hablts on the blg spenders at Bubba Tovvn oadhouse

T h e m a tro n g o f S o u th F o wlke took char gle of keeplng the town m or aLs abov e re p r o a c h . T h e p u re o f h e a rt l"ead.er s wer e m ember s of or ganlzatlons that took

charge cfficlal-Iy;

t h e l , a d i e s A t d S o c l e t y r v a s o n e s u c h t o r r y ns o c l a L c l u b a s

garden cLubs well as Sunilay $chool C1ass organtzatlons from each church. The anC geneal-oglcaI soclebles also provl,ted more power-seats of the establishnent pl anwh o r u l e d t h e so cl e ta l l ma g e of South !' owlke. All the hlgfi- toned- l - ad'1es ned to snub slster FLedLs and then give her a publtc tongue l"ashlng when she herselfo But Slster Ttedls never went

did speak to them or d.are to d'efend

fhls behavlor the low llfers" anywhere except the bart to be seen by onL5r be than alr the boozlngr so reputed to p a t t e r n n e t t l e d t h e g o o d "r a d l e s m o r e d.o n e b y t h e l n fa mo u s S l ste r Fled' ls' Fledis dld all her ihopplng

slster T h e g o o d .l a d l e s w e r e l n c e n s e d t h a t

tayLor /Fowlke ln dlstant Blg fown, rather than ln thelr dear l-lttle wor lCl. vlllage,

Fage I0

for the bar-

{ra l n s e a s c n h u n tl n g g ro u n d s of the fashlonable f m a l d . sa t B u b b a T o w n R o a d . h o u s e u l l y sleazy wardrobe. flttlng

0n1y the b ar r oor n Fledlsrs

knew the extent of $lster

No one respectabl"e ln South Fowlke haC ever seen her h e r w l l d g a r b , u n J . e s st h e y t h c m s e l - v o s r f , [ a s e m a t r o n s uuluss- got off thelr hl gh- hor s e drlnklng

around ln all

of t h e t o w n mo ra l s o r ke e p e rs of the famlly

of self-esteem and.went personally to confront her in the devllrs fsuntaln or watarlng-hole-fron-helL

a s t h e R o a d h o u s ee s t a b l i s h m o n t w a s a l s o own satlsfactlon" laugh at the

called. by the good people of South Fowlke, tc seek thelr

Slster I'l-erlls was seemlnly havlng the best tlme and the last

sociaL standlng expense of the hlgh-toneC-Ladles of the town, slmply by avctdlng them. fennale soclal envy" Thls battle cf the unnet wlts i^Es Just between the glrlsr about a

enmlty so ende,nlc. Not much was ever sald publlcally Just bided thelr as Slster tfune for a face-to-faoe Fled.ls was also calleC. soclal gathering, fnsults,

T h e f f o o d ,l a d i e s

ecnfrontatlon

wlth the lady-of-the-evenlng Rach lady inadeplans for

Just the rtght

to get thelr though ever

own verbal claws or ethlcaL dlgs lnto Slster Fledls. so Lady-llke, hd to quletty sufflce

t h e m o m e n ta b o u t c o n s u n a t l n g t h e s l n f u l

B u b b a T o w n R o a d h o u s ec o n f r o n t a t l o n Slster

slnce no one cculd get the notorlous

Fledls to attend any of the soclals held ln a1l, of South Fowlke.

any Slster Fl_edts malntalned her prlvacy and never tras ln attendance at soclaL club assembl-age or events at any church revlval churoh revlvals all usualty neetlngs. place to get 8;oodpubllc

provldeC the best tlme and' ideal

a really the ccnmunlty hldden slns mentloned by nsme, to flet

down to the r nour ner t s re n d . e r l n g o f re n o rse w h e n th e glnnor s cane r nar chlng Thrs was a free pubrlc shovl bench to confess anc beg eternal forgrveness. congreater than all expectatlons when the nct tc be mlssed and worthy of

,tTogsTqluTsenslle;ifle1l11uu1possgJp6lu€1T.tTI[oi{.}.BJEJ.IBIATenlTrTds JoJ{peo.raBEmEE,v\lJaAuoollJ|auqcE€snqlBuBs6au{JBBJos'ralroceqq,lsulebe 'esnoqBBou ulloJ; Bq'qng pezluuF.ro eJer{ sJoTpTos uBT?sTJqCJo oJB€c atoq'',i V sB r{c ns f q , r e e u se cu l d T n Ju T s o rtrxdllelcedse ' p1.r oareqx Jo f111e' r ow TTA9 s ql r

'pexBTnwloJ sEit{ gSTCJOXA lOds Ordxuo lq8TJ BoxuTouu€ oJajvrEJOTJIEITlefu'r; 01 paTJ.Isc os 1o8 seulxauos luouou StTl JO BTJofi\ oql uJoJsJ 01 Ueld B lBq? demB poo8 la8 o? ' sleer ls oql uJ '^op +B s q s T r { [ "u T uT o f B u B u rro p u o a l oo ox sxr oJ 'Ocugpuol.lg STq e 1oB sseuuado sTII.l pu6 dn pee.rd's +uoulou eql Jo Joa.IoJ sTI{,1 . (e p T s q o Be S u o T B d n p a T T o ,r e Je r vr ltsql sdeTJ apTs aqX ETA ' r o?uo 01 eu ooT er u sarrruButsu/{oXSulssed {leaa) EuTloau Xuo+ eTcsuICIqel JoopXno ETq+ Jo 1'red

lsaq a q l s g r r ru o T .l n q T Jxo g 'p e 8 u o .rr * uoeq pBq ogn ITB Jo sseusl18.r oJ Sul EBeq tuT g s Bu B p J g r v t d n p u aq e q 1 S u i a e m fq p tol oql asletd 01 r auuTs ldoBo 8u11Xa i i eg ' Jsupoop r { 1r eg Joxcoc puoJoasu Je r {l oJ g U olT J O I \ B J S , r t p O q f.ra rre O B a q C A e .rd fll ensn s B i v r s T l e 8u e a a l sa q a r{J X 'p eqc11d sB$ ?uel s8nq V ' asoJ uooli Xs eaJ s H

e q l u o q m m m l n B 8 u 1 rn p re l cT u o ql pue ?u1ads alBT EuTnr p s?ueaa Jo soT J es f e p -u e l B e J e^{ o X T T a .re 3 a rro p e ql fq s8ulXeeu potoe.r lo.r d poJoABJ aI{ .1 'se celd 8u11eeu e+Tr oABJ JIet{ X le dn Eupl oqs jeaa 1 o u z f q ' se 1 B e 1 T o e l u a :, a q l xor r cl M or {r rou} i d11eet sTBoT.{ JoxsT S x ng . lo q q 8 1 a u s n o n b l u l sT r{ Jo s8 u lwoc- lJor ls er lt TTB neuJi fTntt uezTXTc qoee

p u g , r t e q 1 E s s e T r p a r { c Tl/d o } T s u o T + B T e a a e to s a q g T T V ' u o s e o s o q l J o s s e d s e . r l r yr 1sa8g1q eqX ouoosq ol'qcuaq srsJouJnou eq? uo pe.roaeeeatrfllqoldtul ?xeu

eqx , or{1 T T l U n . r O S {e 8 rUJo J e JB c d i n n rg r r r oJpaetr J xB uoTxBsJeAuooJo cTc ol s ql eu a c o q u o T s s e . r 3 su e ,rl Jo f1 1 n b 1 u 1 r { oegi, .e8palm ou{ uoutuoc Sultuooeq ,f+ ttT BJ J u€u n q s , a u o d .xa a o q l 1 l d l n o S u e q TTE ?T laT sor nsoTosTp c11qnd asor { J , 'fTT€c11qnd pollTulpe sau Eulqcxees-lnos pouep.rnqun oq? uaq/vr z f 18u1 a o . r d d e so u r s? 1 .rd T € o o T e q l pTBs ,,' 1nos cq+ JoJ poo8 sB& uoTss eJ uo3g X . f s m e u e e T o pe q sg i l 1 1 e X T B o +u 6lltogr la' .leuu1s eqX fq pe81na1p een uo 1X1fr 1
L L e* L(

erT/,'.a !*iSo-i;ir:;

taylor/Fowlke c ru s a c l e o f mo d e rn tl me s.

Page Lz T h e best planned. assauLt was always made dur i ng at that tlr ne for a thr ee d ay per l od,.

Ha l l o w e e n b e ca u se i l e mo n s a re str ongest Th t s a s s a u L t o n e vl l to local p ed e strl a n s

a n d e l n nade use of "pr ayes- er r ny- dog- tsger r g i v en out o n th e str eet ( Jlm Bob ouned the oor npany that pr l nted

the prayer dog tags). Thls organlzed rellglous Thelr battle assauLt was usually a Jolnt churoh venture.

was almed d.lrectJ.y agalnst all" lnmoral acts, orlme, wltchcraft T h i s h o l y cr usad.e kept the town ln an upr oar fcn w eek s reportlng every observed lnfractlon to al-1

an d g e n e r a L sl n . afterward,

with the sln patrol

t he l n v o l v e d p re a ch e rs l n F o r Lke town.

The pr eacher s and. elder s m et at

t iie S i d . e w a l k C a fe w h e re T h u l a and EuLa Cr unp ser ved coffee and th us got to ov e r h e a r a l l th e se cre t si n s of the chur th ladles belng d.lssected. T he m en

were blgger gosslps than the Lad^les, afterall-. Not all the ohurches were eager to be a part of thls annual crusad.e.

T h e C a n r t Fa l -l - F ro n Gra ce C h rr r ch of the Lor d was cor aplacent beca us e none of thelr members oould sln once gaved. fhelr menbers had gaglg Ugg939 and attendec l

lm m u n l t y f r om th e p o w e r o f the Devil r B$ long as they tlthed ev e r y n n e e t tn g o f sch e d u l ,e d ser vlces ab o u t t o w n sl n g l n g th e l r at tlB chr .r chsuse.

Thls gr oup tnal k ed str eets and hunm l ng

g o spel pr aislng

hym ns on the Each hldtly

re L l g i - o u s r ne L o 6 l e s w h e re e ve r they went.

chur ched gr oup w ag dedlcatlon to the

aLways maklng a loucl nolse ln pubLlc to procLalm thelr Lord God. Thelr Jo yo u s a ctl vlty actually

dld ohase avr ay aLL the or l nl nal of neur otlc z eal - ots

e le m e n t p a ssl n g th ro u g h w h o fear ed. the cr azed entlcs b e a t l n g t h e m to d e a th w l th a n unbr ella constant or a pur so.

Thls sentlmen t w as the

r r tr o cam e to South o utcry o f th e fL a sh y dr essed' whor er s and plmps Town' No tol"erance for the Fo,rlke townshlp on weekends from nearby Blg pr ofess thetr same r elr glous bel l efs s tr a n g . I o o kl n g vrsrtms w fi o dld not

TayL or,/Sowlke ex ts t e d . Ttte to l tn w a s th u sl y kept cl,ean on the maln str eets T h e sto re fro n ts had no dlr ty

F"g" L3 of rl aar ol d

South Fowlke.

looks fr om the gr eat unw as hed at the door+rays. The toun

hoarCee and foul

mouthed element congregating

ha d s u c h a p e a ce fu l a p p e a ra n ce and. a tr anqull m e n t w e r e c o n sta n tl y ch a se d to the clty tlnlts

atr nospher e. The un6odl y el eslgn wher e Bubba Tow n R oac l w ag

ho u s e w a s l oca te d n ri th l ts rel e g a t e d

trashy cl- lenteLe, The unsavor y constltu enc y dtstr ick slno That red letter Dlffer ent of town. And, thls

t o th e o l d re d l l g h t

br ought J ubl l atl on

t c t h e f r e e d.o n r fl g h te rs The rellglous

a g a l nst

leaders belleveil ln Jubtlee Day.

calendar tl m es

e v e n t w a s t he p ro p h e sl e d ca te for aL n a y s g o t b a n te re d . a b o u t fo r t lme s f r o m e ve r g e tti n g excltlng e v e n ts u p re a l

the end, of the wor Ld.

the day of d.oom . That anxlety kept the bor l ng They talked aLl the they

th e best of the fol- ks ln tor vn. b l g on the benches ln fr ont lnto the gutter.

of the stor es ;

chewed. obacco and splt t

PrLvate contests wlth

bets were

vragereilto see who'could spat the best. contests s e e m ta n re a n d . th ts

T h l s m a d e w a t e r m e L L o ns e e d s p l t t l n g fon those sur uner ga l a oc c ur bench set woul d w hl ttl e. effl gl es of

was good pr actlce

ren c e s a s w e l l .

T h e Ie S s n ro blle m ember s of the l"kr s foLk ar t

Th e y p r o d . u ce d so me o f th e fl n est

ln the ar ea, car vlng ln full

t h e o n e s t h ey d e sp l se d a n d then hung ther n on a str lng 0 r J u s t b u r n e d ttre m L a te r, gutter. g ne e n te rp rl sl n g

vle w d" l s p1ay " the s tr eet

b ut usuall- y thr owlng the tcons lnto fe l l- ew collected

alL the debr ls and so l d 1t at somethlng T hl s

for the l_ocal fea market to B1g Tdvm weekend.ers on a buylng slree rd l f f e r e n t . T h e to b a cco sta l n s only ad.iled'to the char m or old' ness '

he m ade a good Ll v l ng , e n t r e t r r e n e ur v{a s n a me dcl mme - Doc Hol- tday Jones because nothtng to sel' l a t the fes ou t c f d o l ng th ts, tru l y g e ttln,q somethlng for tr ade clays enter pr lse ln the s tate' t lve f l e a ma rke t w h l ch vra s the blggest south Fowl- ke gr oups togeth er w as T h e g al a o cca sl o n tfra t pulLed aI1

faylor /Fowlke t h e F l r e A n t F e stl va l , T h l s annual fanfar e was a for thnlght

Page f4 r lte to br eak dow n l n

t he m o n o t o n y o f th e w l n te r, Ne w O r L e a n s. T h e re ve l ry

cor r espondlng to ldadls Gr as car nlval w a s enphaslzed by signal.lzlng

a conson ant as a

re a s o n t o r o mp l n n o e rrl me n t; the good old r edneok boys wer e not a bout to L e t t h e c a j u n s h a ve n o re fu n dovr n ln Louislana. red . c o l o r s , A chlll Costum es, done l n fl er y

a d o rn e d th e sh o p s ; the d"r essy ones ooulil double on H al l - or tt'een. w a s a }w a ys another par t of the JolLlty for tttls y ear l y or fdte. It

c o o k-o ff

oereaony when the town fathers wa s a n o r d e rl y t he w l n t e r fe sti va ]-.

and. rnothers went on ttrelr

lark

l i fost of the South Fowl]ce buslnessnen spons or ed. a s a falthful aot of good buslness. tnr ba l m er S. D aIe

me rrl n a kl n g

He s t l n g s o w n e d th e B l a ck F rrner al Hom e and was co- sponsor of the Fl r e Ant Festlval Q u e e na n d k l n g c o r o n a t l o n .

T h e k l n g a n d q u e € n ch o l ee was iloneby vote systen, based. on a v ote for each penny. T a ch b u sl n e ss e stabllsh.ment selected a lovely lady fr or n the

high schooL; the beauty queen posed as a publlc req u e s t l n g vste s fo r h e rse l f of oour se.

reLatlons relresentatlve,

Thls ploy br ought the cr ow d.s l nto a n d t h e w e e k - e n c l sc e r Thls county fal r

the stmes wlth the most trout-golngtt personallties, talnLy a t t r acte d h o a rd s o f vlsltor s

fr on near by Blg Town.

atnosphere was a welcome ioy durlng the ilrab wlnter tinne. ' The footbaLL ter n T h e n e xt b e st p a st tl me 1n South For vlke vr as spor ts. was not a wlnner, never won a game ln memory of anyone ltvlng sport so basketball The when

was the grand" lniloor

of the tcrrn glnce they dtd wln chanplonshlPs. attenilance on Trlday nlghts

Hno good.rffootbal,L tea!0 however dtd get blg t h e |t B ' , t e an r p l a ye d th e fl rst that str lng

( tne footba]- L.b' owlconlans \tl as s o bad

n o s c h o o r w o u rd p ra y th em) .

Thls r .sear . nno good.r ttean stlLL had' l oy al "

nany of the buslnessnne n' Begl d'es n f a n s b e c a u se o f th e p L a ye rs betng kln to TowLke on m ost Fr lday nights t and the n t h e r e v *, a s o t mu ch e l se to d o ln South

Tay Lor,/FowLke drlllfull teans wlth lts

Page L5 cheerleaders doubled for al.L sport events so lt was a

tlme honsr iob belng a baton twllLer

or,nenber of the marchlng band..

Parades were held all an d / o n u p c o ml n g rtva l over the years lnto

ye a r round ln $outh Fowlke to conm e$or ate a good tl m e fl a me b etw*een gr ud"ge tm r nshlps that had. bull t sonethlng oonsldered tradltlonaL bad mouthlng. up enm l ty Tvety-

bo d y h a d . a l o n g g o o d n e mo xy when lt

came to knovr lng who had done w r ong to

each otherr g team. (yet no one could ever recsll,ect who was elolng wfiat to wh o m w h e n a sh e rl ff another story). vn a n te d w ltnesses at a oour t case, but then th at l s y et

, T h e c s a o h w a s l V l 1 o mW l l m e t t e f I I .

g o t c r a c k e d o n h l s n u ce ra L n ane. goodn football to glory days.

A1l" klnds of oorny Jokes But Y{ llcom vtas a good" spor t about the tno team

p t e a m s t n c e h e a l s o o o a c h e d t h e c h a n r S r i . o n s h lb a s k e t b a l l

tsettlng was btg buslness and fun tlmes on all" the ganes. and Sherlff D e a n n yl t u n n e l s j u s t Looked the

Bets, though, were lllegal other way tf sherlff

an upstaniLlng businessinanplaced a srnall',ilager. Besldes, the in the county. He

had the best potnt spread score card offering

flnanced the new hlgh-tech maohlne lmprovements ln hls offloe so he constantly

that wEIlr or

clalmed, Just as }ong as no new taxes were requlred for D a a n n yR u n n e l s w a s p o p u l a r e n o u g h , a s l o n g vloe alone. gatherlng p1-ace, esn6olally on

those noilern gad,gets. Sherlff a s h e l " e f t e v e r y o n e rs f a v o r l t e

The feed store was another favorlte rainSr days an6 d.urtng colil woather.

The stor+ also sold blrds for

exotlo

Bets, and connon chlokens ancl turkeys to ralse. heaven, nearly stlffled nlss and the flrst thelr vloes that everyone to death.

The pLace smelled' to htgh too good to

But the gosslp'ms

o n e t o l e a v e w a s t h e n e x t g a m ef o r s e e m e ds e c r e t u n t l l not ln ear ehot' of the ldle

bone plcklng about That was the best to han6 ar ound 0n1y the el c l er l y t

pl a o e - a n d . n l d .-a fte rn o o n ,

th e best par t

day- just

the good' folks an d . h e a r a Ll th e Ju l cy n e w s about

in tor n'

T a y l o r / F o w l ke re t l r e d sent for lt a n i t cu t-o f-w o rk-C e a d -beats coul- d. last the whoLe Cay.

Page 16 Ev er y one pr e-

a n y l e a sth o f ti me had to buy a cup of ccffee fre e to Jawbone all day long. anymor eo IW ost lf

or get throw n out s o

w a s n o t to ta l l y

But ver y few unem pl oy ed

f oL k s l n l - lttl e

S o u th F o w l -ke existed

T h e e r o p l o yme n tra te w a s golng gr eat guns. lnesses hlred only thelr kln

the new s m al - Lbus -

or good churoh friends.

They worked overtlme the payr ol L ln

o r d o u b L e sh l fts thetr ltttle

vrl th o u t co m;r lalnts ln or der to keep aII AII

cllque.

the churches owneil sone klnd of new buslness, to b o o mw a g o n . or for l i l o o n e m i n d e d .d o l n g e x t r a Labor T he

get in on the proflteerlng f or thelr

be st frl e n d .s b e n e flt

the 6ootl of the ohur ch busi nes s . ln boor alng llttLe South For l k e. together .

g ra v e y a r d . sh l ft

v/a s o o n mo n p r actlcer

- l v e r y o n e tn S o u th I'o w l ke wor ked together we r s o n e b l g h a p p y fa n tl y ao t a n g r y o r re a l L y e v a n g e l l s n b l g te n t u n lt, to hear tell

and soclallzed m ost of the

T hey

tlme.

v T hen any one

n a i l , th e n the har nony was spoll- ed. But the tw l c e a y ear p ro tra cte d. neetlngs kept nost foLks ln l,lne; they w er e tr ans gr es c l ty and to

p re a o h e i l t o h e l L a s b e l n g mo r e evll" and stnfuL than the or lginals o r s b y n o t fo r€ i i vl n g bre t h e n . f o r *e t o ve r a nil over for the saae lnlqulty of thelr

T t w a s o p e n se a so n concemnatlon on anyone who dld not for gl v e Ju st th e rtg h t monent to r em enber all the llttLe old ' hur ts '

unttL

t h e n g e t e v e n w l th

l n cu rre d . lnter est

for long past fester ed. faults .

N othl ng

wa s r e a ) . ) - y e ve T fo rg o tte n soclal w o u nd s'

l n town vr henold[ Jealousles got openeil up as new

No wound.edegos the last for arr

were belng shot d.own ln south Fowlke thls

year or even

r:ald off handsonely t e n . A I I - t h e P l e l n t h e s k y s o h e m e ss o f a r h a d rtttle

h a d d e v e r o p e d 'l n t o crtck erouples rn town so nc new Jear-ousles blood, to get even or to upset the and greed. 1{o one was yet out for envy d'ead tow n' r nvqstn.ents conar ng to the once lo c a r _ a p p r eca rt o f g o o d . b u sl negs

Ta-vl.or /F owlke T h e a n n u a l b i g N e w Y e a rf s E ve par ty t lr e l r lt n e w f l n e ry

Page L7 Just gave ever yone a chance to s how off ov{ n past deeds or to at Leas t l eud digs of hearsay would then The nost l m pr es s ed to gLoat and to

a n d to b ra g about thelr

over the absent onesr so that all

the dlrty

E e t b a c k t o th e m l n th e su p e rm ar ket or the 6as statlon. citlzens with materlaLlsm always attended. the blg partles,

envy what others possedr 8s partalcers of thls T h e p r o sp e rl ty o a r e t o e v e ry o l ti ze n s ld e t h e l l t tl -e hts dental chalr to w n .

new prosperlty.

o f $ o u th Fowlke had br ought a m obile wagon for heaLth a n d to the poor oountr y folk on the unpaved. l anes out-

D e n a tal car e was ln a moblLe van, with the dootor ani l The whole ltrocess up and dow n the got The

set up aIJ. permanently lnslde the vehlcle. d ur lng the weekly vislts

o f a n y t r e a tn re n t co u L d b e co npLeted d.usty lanes.

The slogan wasr'tThe )oc on wheeLs.rf He and his asslstant than remsln ln a dull the local offloe.

to enJoy the great outdoor srcenery, rather town hospttal'r,6s nor Just the offlce

nal1 drop fcr

doctors but

hlgh-tech had.lnde6d ocme to town. T h e L oca L ro vi n g d o cto rs ooul- d.also oFtlcs for Just put on a data glove or c oaoper atlons, and a bod.y s ul t w oul d ne w ai l - r oents .

p u t o r g l o v e co n n e cte d . b y fl b e r

p ro v l d . e a qu l ck b o d y so a n o r x- r ay T h l s \ l r t u a l - r e a l l tyt'o cmp u te r intr l o a t e su rg e ry"

the siceleton, to check for

glove scan also dtr ecteit

the human hand for

to b e fo rr .owed or checked. on a view scr een b y the fam l r y F rt o f the whole pr ocedur e' Realtty The slogan ad's on the !s you'fr Thls new medlclne

wh o f e L t a n l n te g ra l

sldes of tho van slmpl-y stateilr'fVlrtuaL an moblllty gr e a t l y

of treatment was was convenlent, fast and' very cheap; the cost household' ' a South F ow l k e i n-

r e i l u o e d a n d . th u s b ro ught to ttr e indlvld' ual

T h i s fro n t

d o o r me d i o l n e $an ap;r r oaoh was str lctly

n o v a t l o n a n d h a d re su rte d

lclt a s an ar .ter nate fr om the sr anm- Rgonan def

bllLcutbaoksrotrfecleralspend'lng.gentalcarewasthemost'connon'but

I

Tay lor/Fowlke new ways for

Page 18 doi.ng old thlngs had to be found by the lngenlus buslnessmen.

T h l s m o b l L e d .e n ta t l a b ca re system was nolr l em ploying m any of the gov er nnent e n - o l o y e e s wh o co u l d n o 1 -o n g er affor d to wor k at a feCer al- Job slnc e the fur for thej.r standard of l - l v l ng

I o w c u t b a c k s Ju st ke p t h a p p e nlng once too often at payday tlme not to be affected. the blg lnstlgators

Jlra Bob ?ease and Fladls $enesehal were But the btgl ndus tr y . s how ani l

ln fund,lng these new ldeas ln meillolne. vrl th hlgh vlslblllty for

g e s t m . o n e y -fl ra ke r f a l t o

was ln the televislon ' fPhono- ' /lsLon' f talk

J l r n 3 ob P e a se p ro mo te d the flnanclng ga n e s h o w c cn ce p t. H e g o t h l s fr iend

Don Ne1gon for mer ly

of near by T w l n

Clty to begln the new taLk show wlth the tltLe ler u6s the parttctpant

of frPhono-vlsLon,n The oal-

or the contestant when the plcture was patched ln teLe-

to broadcast netlonwlde as part of the studlo based show. A regular

p h o n e c o u L d b e p l " u g g e dl n t o a J a c k m a d e t n t o a n e w t e l - e v l s l o n s e t g e a r e d for the natlonal h o o k u p system. Thts sold nr llllons of new fV sets m ad'e pater t on thl s the show , ttD l aL-

ln A m e r i o a sl n ce l ,rta th l s T e l e vtslon

Cor npanyhad. an excluslve

n o v e l l d e a . I)o n N e l so n h o ste cl the showsl he hail or lginated lng for Dollarsrn out of Houston a few years befoTor

T h e h o s t g a l n e 6 t h e o b v l o u s s u c c c s s s t c n y a c e l - a l r nb u t t h e b e h l n d t h e scenes deal nraklng went to Jlm Bob, v ls l o n Further capltallzatlon of the phonoThe ass em bl y l l nes view sc r een w as

c o n ce p t vre n t tn to ma nufaetur e of the I' y lndustr y. a n cl d a y to su p p ly the wor Ld demanil,. A thln

wo r k e d n l g h t finalLy

lnvented to connect to old TVs as a folri the viewers imge

d ' o w ng r e e n s o r e e n , w h l c h

transmltted

onto the lnner mechanlsm, to then go baok to Just over thr ee hund'r ed dol -

t h e p u n o h - p h o n e d .n u mb e r. L a r s a t f l r st twenty-flve tr:e r u n l t

T h e attaahment cost

and n fi l l e a new TV PhonovlslOn cost thr ee hund'r ed Thls pr ovld^ed'nor e Jo bs and a d o L L a rs fo r a L 9 tnoh scr een' the four stetes areae

blg tax base for

?ayl-or/Fowl"ke T h e f o u r-sta te s a re a g o t lts

Page f9 water gupply fr om numer ous r iver lr oJect was dans .

Th e n e w e s t a n d . mo st co n tro ve rslal whlch was to feed. the futr:re The tranqull ccnvlnclng

the Caddo Lake water s uppl y

tndustrlal

growth of South Fowlke and^ Blg Town.

C a d d o l ,a ke w a s to be tapped, once the dam lvas funded., after th e vo te rs o f th e val"ue to spolL the ser ene natur al beauty of the

L t h e o L i l v r a te rw a y. C a d ,d .o a l ce uns home to the $outh Fowllce lUonste r ; al l cypress trees of t h e f t e n d l sh coloreil waterg. t hu s l y fu L l

o f d e e ;a h anging Spanlsh lr tlossaddail to the eer le m y s tl que whlch lur ked bellond the a l gae- gr een the sprlng-feil waters anil only slnce no on e hai l s een

ye t h l d e o u € t nonstr oslty

Daytlme tour guide boats trolled

p e r p e tu a te d th e a b h o rr ence by r eputatlon nonster ln years.

the blg-footed

l'etld tal-es kept the blg scare aLlve as or fouJ. woulil itevour a per son a l one l n appear ed Just a fter bottor a wlth " 'for l i i eso apl ng ex otl o

s o m e t h l n g l oa th so me a n d ve xa tlous t h e w o o d e i l b a yo u s.

T h l s h o rrend.ous monster flr st w reck fll"Led the r lver

lVa r f w h e n a cl ra u s tra l n

. an l m a l s a n d. d .e fo rme dcre a tu re s p o r t l n L o ca l n e w sP a P € rs. Further tl d l n g s

of half- man or tglnsr

aooor d,lng to pr l ntec l r e-

o f fa rm llve- stoclc on rural,

belng ilevour ed. ad.ded to the fabl e soarey procl"amatlons enl-arged' the along the bayou, a ttr l butl ng

of the 1urklng nonster

premlses.

ran g l n g c l o ma l n o f u n e xp L a l n e it. anlm aL kll"Ilngs

lfonster w hl c h l t an y s t r a n g o o r u n e xP L a l n e d o cour r ence ast the Boggy Cr eek T he fl r s t ln that encl of the county. wa s c a l L e d b y th e a l a rn e d . cl tizens wer e d.lsolosed as schenlng dls s enl nated f rt g h t n ' g sto ry d e ta l l s o rl g l nar ly after sundown as told by the ne w s t o 1 c ee pml n o rrtl e s fa r ar d' y, especlar r y pr ey on the fear s of a nal v e lm a l - b l g o t s a s a n e re w crd . of cautlon to newconertotown.Thlsfearsorneyarnwasgoonembelltshasgospel.truth eway ln front of the south r'trlttllng stralght from the l-lars bench crowd' was used to k eeP T h e l n enace of the Fowllce hTonster F o w l k e s t o r e fro n ts. by d.er k, when aL1 el - s e q u l e t a n d to get them lnside the house ro w d y c h l } d.re n

Taylor/Fowtke falled t rlc k to corral o r t r ea t the hyper-aetlve

Page 2A y o u n g e t e r s . A n d "t h e a d v e n t o f H a l - L o w e e n lmage wlth lts r eig n of ter r or

o u sto ms e xp e d .lted the skulklng to w n shlp after d"ar k.

threatenlng

th e e n tl re

Thls p,anlo- r ldden my thl c al -

an enlar Eed de m on fr om b u g a b o o o r h o b E o b l l n L e g e n cl over the year s beoanne t he ' r r r o r s t n l g h tma re s w h e n h e r alded by the South Fowl- ke town cr ler. The Fowlke i{onster was aLso a blgl noney maker for en t o e s a n d . te e -sh l rts enterprlse the townshlp. t{enT hat reporters

w 6 re sold. wtth eer le ghouLs painted on them . nearby. fiven televlslon

nrospered at the flea-markets o n th e e xplolts

ran s _ o e e l a Lre p o rts ba y o u t r a l l s r', r u r k yw a t e r s. shtp trylng

of the Fowlke l,fonster , foLlowl ng the of str ange thtngs dLsappear lng l nto the was fr equently all ove r the tol r n-

to sh o w rn u d d y tracks

A ml n i -o a m ro vlng r epor ter

to g e t a n e w s stor y of any ner lt.

The ho,' ne- contesta nt T V gem e AII

shows eertalnl.y added to the career develo*ment of the novlee reporter.

scclaL oLasses of contestants were sought for naklng the vlewing audlence feel a part of the actton on canera. rn ra s a t th The more illverse the oontestants, the

n o r e l n t e r e stl n g prl z e s .

se gm ent r r r tilch got hlgher r atlngs

and henc e bl gger abov e pow-

N e w s co ve ra g e l /fss w or ld- wlde

vla the ever nel' /er satclLltes

the orbltlng er s t a t l o n s

space statlons whlch generated solar energy for d o w n o n P l a n e t e ar th. news covera€ieenableil the average cltlzen

electrloal

Thts satelllte

to use the

to the l oc al f a m l 3 - y m o v l e ca me ra to re OOrd, news wor thy events and then senil A l mo st any cam ,er a- nut or lens- flend could' bec om ea TV s t a t l o n fo r a l rl n g . T hl s eas y education. ro v i n g r e p o rte r w l th o u t e rte nslve or expenslve for mal People ln dlrty secess to the med.latruly enlarsed the contestant varrety. even whlle on the Job' with work clothes could be proJected as a contestentt m lnutes r equlr ed 8s nor e than tl ne a l u n c h b r e a k o r re st sto p for the few soont thls casu al appr oaoh on tbe tube. e n o u g h f o r th e fe w n l n u te s o f fame most reporters caught on fast enough that to the tele-Journallsn career

Tay lcrr /Fowl ke wa n t e d . s u c h a ssl g n me n ts. ne t w o r k s n ati o n a l T h e maln TV studlo r - ias stlll

Faee 2L headquer te r ed at the

b u l l d .tn g ,

but the host and cr ew wer e seLdonron the pr ennl s es . the or l gi nal show

T h e r e v i -ve d ve rsl o n

o f 'r Dla1lng For Dollar sr r even hlr ed agaln.

D o n N e l s o n t o b e c o m ea p a r t o f t h e l n s t a n t h l t s t ll L o r i g l na te d l n H o u sto n , Texas hut wts$ tr uly

Thls contestant

a tr avel"lng

show thr ough

t h e g u b u r t a na n d u rb a n e n vl ro n s of Amer lca.

A per m anent auxl1- lar y s how 'oi as

alw a y s o r l g ln a te d . w l th a te n m inute segm ent fr osr South Fowlke; alL the tor n c ha r a c t e r s g o t co ve ra g e a s seemlnly lnr pr onlftr contestants. And of c our s e the

F o r 1 k e l f o n ste r

sca re g o t fre q uent m entlon by going to the baelr uo ods ey hom es countryfolk, to lntervlew them as a contestant. Thls

of once terrorlzed re g u 1 a r f e a tg re t o t h e d l v e rse

o f sma l l -to n n Am er lca ln the vlclnlty se ttl n g o r vl otnal

of South Fow l k e addec l

char nc of the Tt\l'shovr .. A11 the l oc a1 gentr y

of $o,rth Fow1ke were eager to be chosen for the show-tlme appearanoer as the g la m o u r o f th e h o u r sta te d .r ttTfie llttle deed the place to be seen, bV dlallng alt t h e c r o w d e d .f a m l l y Town Beyond Compar e.n T hl s r v as l nthe phono-vlslon screen wtrlch aLlowed, the tlny receptlon vlevr master was b oth a ftor nBut the other

oaces to squeeze lnto Thts hour - long

wh e n a n s w e r i .n g th e q u e stl o n s.

enter talnment

ln g a n d a n e ve n l n g sh o w -tl me money m aker acr oss the oountr y. h o u r s d , u r i n g th e d a y l n S o u th Fowlke wer e utlllzed ne1 79 by continulng

on the loca3,L y ow ned c hanoplnlons on al-l klnds s how

a taLk show fonrm, wlth calL-ln A r eally

o f a u d . l e n c o ch o se n to p l o s.

ir opular locaL channel phono- v l s l on

could be vras the nltems for-sal"er? hour ln whlch the thtngs betng offered' thj' s enhance d hone s al 'e v ie w e d b y p l a o i n g th e n l n frcnt of the vlew scr een; or "tr aur chas eal l ey n pr o d u c t s a n d cra fts tre me n d 'ously ln al- l the pur lleus anct r nflr m patlents l nto the pr a c e s t h a t to o k th e b cd fa st or shut- r n elder r ,y conflnes wer e now bound 'l es s to na l n s t r e a m ca p l ta L l sn o . T h e nelghbor hood haunt telepbone, to see what a fevorlte orlpples or the lmmobile wlth a e ni l l €s gr The buying envlr ons wer e now b c u t l qu e l |c'vth a d to o ffer ' al o n g

Tayl-orlFowLke

Paee 22

the audlenoe appeal and. the T h e T V B u ye rst s S h o p p e pr ogr ans expand.ed. c u s t o n r e r r a ng e o f € ve ry sm.a l - I stor e tn the countr y. gla m o u r c f th e l l ttl e Thls added to the dr eans. T hi s fV

t,o w n b eyond.conpar :e or the wlldest

B u y e r s c u l d e s h o w w a s t h e 1 g p l a e e t o b e s e e n , b y c a l - t l n g t n a h e a d .o f t l m e f c r a l l k l n f o l k t o t u n e l n a n d . s e e t h e n a c r o s s t h e w h o l - en a t l o n , e v e n . T h e role o f c o n s u m e r a d v o c a t e s r e a l - l y l n c r e a s e d b e c a u s e a T * / c a m - c a m e r ac o u l d .

rov e d . o w nt he ro w o f sh o p s a nd advise about valueg and unusuaL ltem s , aL1 at t h e s a n e tfu n e . T l ve ry fV s tation coulil thus flII Local pr ogr amm l ng w l th enter talnln g w hen the

me a n l n g f u l ye t l n e xp e n sl ve l nfor r natlon bro w s e r i e i o t l n te rvl e w e i t 6 b y the cr eatlve

that was hlghly

r ovlng r epor ter s. use of alr

Thls a l m os t l ax tlme whlch got a v er y

pro g r a m m l n g r,i a s h i g h i -y e re a tl v e lar g e a u d l e n ce .

and or lglnaL

T h e ca me ra c ould 60 anywher e and new mar kets wer e c ons tant-

for l-y b e l n g s o u q h t l n to th e u n u sual or ser end.lplty vr r ays. Thls dally dem and. t/r as r av enous , to rnl d . - a f t e r n o o n sh o vl l n g o f th e unseen places ar ouncl Am er lca the polnt that almost sleazy spots ln llttle Ilghted. Never borlng, the tawrdy locals traveled localltles were hlgh tLme' shops

got spot ltghted

for a brlef rlbaLd

The safest tlmes to traverse the rowd.ystreets wlth thelr wa s d u r l n g fu L l , d ,a yl -|g h t.

T he r aucous nelghbor hoods wer 6 ln a lul L lnt o

dur l ng a tl dy

gulak dlver slon t h e h e e t o f th e d a y o n h o t A ugust suiluner s. A bagnlno showed the sexuaL alds for saLe on thelr

red-]"lght dlstrlct

oount€1lfle

uach bordeLlo oarrled. the usual sex-toys for ev e r y b r o t h er o ffe re d

s a l e l n h o m eu s e .

But not

th e sa ne var le.ty or cholce.

The whoJ- ebaw d,ys ec tl on

IAIAREIT.USE DrsTF'rcr' was subtry ad"vertrsed. by a huge red slgn whlolr stated Ever ytl m e the d "oubled lts whor ehouse lntent' an d t f , r e l n n o co u s l e tte ri n g on natr onar fv, the chur r i s h $l s ter ra u n c h y p a r t o f so u th F o w l l ce Fot featur ed F 1 e d l s v r a s rn e n tl o n e d . not one phone cal-I from the FLedls of course never appeared, 0nly noraL wizard reartor Fl-adls seneschial' borsterous srster of frnanclarthe TV statton kept the l ant u r p i t u d e cf th e th re e -so o o n d. ttmed. delay of lilster

Ta y l o r / F o w l ke guagc fron gettlng rantlngs

Page 2) o b s c e n e , b u t t h e n e a n l n g b L e e p e dv r a s o b v i o u s , when Slster Fledls tlme. The valn pro-

of the dlsappolnted oallers

dtd not call

vlded the most cilscordant lln€:o on alr speech from dlsJolnted callers

A1l the blustering

or bragglng

when $lster

x'Ledls wEs urged to phone-ln but sexual ex pl " ol ts

lvhen they clalned did n o t t h u sl -y g o t L a b e L l e d rod.omontad.e wtt h t h e n efa rl o u s that fcrce L a d y-o f-th e- dar k.

Sour gr apes was the next bes t thtng wav es to en-

t h e f \ I re p o rta e e re ve a l ed about the use of the publlc alr soclal

F ru d e s o r d l sa p polntments at Bubba Town Roadhouse a nd the l nseo,tl"on known as !',IarehouseDlstrlct. The South Fowlke

mlnent red-Itght

phono-vlslon Ruyersrs Shop show was one of the best places to be seen ln town as a datLy venture when all else failed to get noticed. Thls

n Another pLaee ln town to be seen tns Country'J,Ies1!erFan Falr.

e x p a n d , e de v e n t w a s h e L d l n fo rnml- Iy eech lveekend but was a monthl y oc our r enc e. The ldea orlglnated from the y"arly llashvllJ"e, Tennessee Eala. a ten day perlod. each year. for auillence exposure. Eaeh county The local A few wel-l-

held a Tan Falr appearance gala for singers appeared alt

the tlme as regulars

k n o w n s l n g e rs w h o l l ve d

n e a rby would dr op- by on thelr

way to som epLac e eLs e,

such as Cl-lnt BLack and Janle I'reckl. d.r o p p e d i n fo r for thts th e fu n o f tt all.

Chet Atklns also was a local boy who

A wtng of tbe t{ igh school Gymn w as us ed so that the wouLd- bc footbalL fail- ur es. pl ay er s C ountr y

r eg u l a r

e ve n t a l -l the tlm e

we r e a l s o gl ve n a mu o h n e e d ,ed r elaxlng

br eak fr om thetr

westernmuslcwasplped'lntoaltthesouth}'owlkestores,especlal]-ythe s u p e r m a r r ce t fi ro ce ry stsre . b ri t y c a s u a rry cl ro p p e crrn . A m lnl concer t vr as her ii when the blg nane c el eThr s south Fowr ke Fan Falr pr ovlded a goodw l r l -

bank could glve the gesture for the stare nore than a rnllr.lon dolrars rn the lnas atvr ays hand' y to c aptur e f a m o u s s l n ge rs sl n o e a T V -ca m r ovlng r epor ter other wlse bor tng hom etow n pr ot h e n o n e n t s o n fl tm, to sh o w l- ater on som e N ev er a dul L by the networ kg' gr a m t h a t wo u l " d th e n g e t p l cked- ull natlonally

Taylor/Fowlke

Page 2l+

in c n e n t l n b u sy sma l l -to rm S o uth Fowlke, was the constant br ag by the pr os p e r l n g d o w n to w n b u sl n e ssme n . S o u t h F o w l ke l n d e e C se e meCto be the center m u c h h a p p e n l n g th a t Jecttng from there. g la m o u r f o r S o t n a tl o naL attentlon AII of the unlver se v v l th s o

wlth wor 1d.- wlile TY' show s pr o-

the big-tfune slng-song stars Just added to the The blg r nonled lnter est had nade tt to th l nk al l , of neut

th e p ro u d cl tl ze n s.

h a p p e n w h e n th e p ro E re ssl ve leaCer s got to wor klng over tlne ldeas that would out-clo or best thelr over thelr better h o m e b o yf r i e n d s . ooepetltors.

0r provlde'rone ulunanshlp they ccntlnue to do

Prlde Just requlred that

and better

aLI the tlne,

to oontlnue the lng,enulty that bred more

sucoess.

' ,l l a l d o S a L mo nw a s the best br ed. lngenlus developer of a1- I; he gav e

wcrk opportunlty to the locaL school drop-outs. T h e h l g h sch o o l d ro p -o u ts wor ked the har dest for i' Valdo; he m ade us e of thelr l r t h g ra d e e d u ca tl o n a n d functlonal" l l fe n ra tte r s. llllter ate ways anil thus k new thel r hlt acr oss aLL Lev el s appeal-

a p p r o a c h t o vl ta l

Thl.s woy of thlnking

of socio-economle norms.

i ' f a L d oS a l m o n t s e n t e r p r l s e s

had a tailored

t o e v e r y o t r €. T h ts ke p t a co r nm unlty splr t allve ancl clynanlc for al - l ' the pe o p L e . ' , , {a L d o a d b e e n a h l gh school- dr op- out anil only r ecently got hl s h G n D d l p L o n a. B u t h ts w tfe vr ent to nlght col- lege and. wouLil soon fl nl s h her

m a s t e r s . s h e w a s th e b ra l n s of the fanlly

and, he the br awn. He h ad the gl ft

g o o d 'd e a l s t a r t e d of gab to say w[at'rvas exped.lent on hls mind', to 5et a " ','l al do on tl m e. y rh l l e h l s w l fe ke p t th e b o rl ng books ln or der , paylng btus rrvtren saylng vlhat fol-ks Salnon learned, early tbat it was easy to nake raoney fr on hls par ents about wa n t e d t o h e a r; h e sp o u te d . a r .r the cr lohes he hear d. Ilfe by wor klng har il and by J ol nl ng t h e p h l l o s o p h y o f l l vtn g th e tood fam lty tr ' r on Gr ace chur ch of the Ls r i l b r g g e s t ch u ro h l n to w n , The canr t' ar .t the tO custoner s and that bull t tr us t' H e q uo te d scrl p tu re w h en sellin€' ' God. r,ilaldotrustedhlswlfe$rtthhlsUfefswork;ti:eyhaiLgrownuptogether'

TayS-or/Fowl-ke ', S a l c l o n d . w l fe a Z o o e l l a h a d b ullt thelr tr ust ear ly ln l1fe

Page 25 when t hey had had. b een v er y oalled

u s e d . a c o c l ed .l a n g u a g e to n e e t or to comm unlcate. Her father strlct,

not allowlng to date or go tc the raovles. Zult as alL fanlly olothlng and cer talnly

Zo o e L L a n e ve r w o re n a ke -u p o r tteht wa s a s u r e si g n o f b e l n g a JezebeL. p re t , t y a s a p l ctu re . they used velled Wa l d o and Zult

no Jew el r y w hl c h

lTollness lvlth a blg hal r - do She r ^r as did thelr onl- y sneaklng ar ound w hen

language to connlnlcate

such as uslng Plg Latln ufilch they r ffas

qu | - e k L y l e a rn e d . e ve ryo n e kn e wo Then, fr lephant Talk was used and that t he u n l v e r s a l

}a n g u a g e o f a l ,L hlgh school" nar chlng bands, of wttioh Z utt 1i l as hlghly r el l gl ous

a n n e n b e r . 7 ,u l t g o t ma rrl e cl young as tr as the custon for fanrllles, t o w e d th o fl rst feLlow dated' .

Z u l t F o l , s c n S a l r n c n ' w a sh a p p l l y n a r r l e d ; a ro u n d . , l n v en tl n g

she no longer had to sneak lTo one was br eathl ng

e xo u se s to Eet out of the house.

do w n h e r n eck, te l Il n g wa y s . Zult

h e r to keep avtay fr onr str anger s and shun mean, s l nful her nlght cLas s es or

w a s n o w to o b u sy studylng asslgnnr ents for

d e l , l g e n t L y ke e p l n g b o o ks to go anywher o at a11. k e p t h e r f r ee tl me b u sy te l l tng the fll been. L lfe ,

Al1 sevon of her c hi l c l r en telev l s l on and

then to stay aur ay fr ona slnful

now much tlke r e p u te d . mo vl e h o u se s. She r .,r as Zult w a s n o w b e i n g re str lottve

her daddy and nother had.

to soneone else for a chan ge l n her and the r ewar dlng pa y w as good

At l ast,

sh e rd a s l n o har ge of thlngs

now that

s h e a n i l :rva l cl o h a d . m or e than enouSh cash to buy whatever they need'ed T h e tL th e fcr ta ;; a re g u l a r th e Lor dt s chur ch was only one- quar ter te n per cent went to char ltles llke new tlr es for of thel r

or w a n t e d . IRS return g lv e n f o r

and then oas h m oney l 'l tr al do s ool al '

t h e ch u rch e xtra s

the pr eaoher t s car '

wa s t h e b l g g e st rn o n e yma ke r in the chur oh and" ar l

that aocr alm had l ts

prestlgefu}}ofob].lgatlonthatpartingwithhugesunsforothersunilrles B e s l d e s , W a L d ow a s k l n t o J l n B o b a n d t h a t w a s n e a r \ maile it all worth wh11e. blggest d'eals that were as good as belng rloh and.farnous, connected to the l"tterally out of thls world.

7
TayLor/FowLlce P age 26

chapter 2. Ou t 0 f This iVor td Deal{ ng

T h e w tl d e st

b e st n e w d e al that Jlm Bob ever d,eveloped was ]- l ter al l y slze

,

R out of thls rrrrorLd.. eal estate wes belng sold by the ranchette lot o n p l a n e t l r{a rs. Florlda A tl me p a ym ent pLan ltke r etlr enr ent

hones onc€ s ol d. l n

provided the blue prlnt

of the ldeals.

The acreage \Ias oareful"Ly Landr ov er

re e o r d e i l a l on g th a ro a d .w a y p ros- oectus dr awn on the map by r obotg. ro b o t s t r a v e rse d

and r ecor iled the exaet neas ur enents th e so l a r l -and.soape A colon plctur e oap w6s then sent to eaoh buy er

of t h e s u b d.l v:-d e dte rra l n . .

a n d t h u s L y re co rd e cl tn th e a r chlves

of the locaL county oour thous e w her e

the buyer resided ag well as the space traveL companyhead,quarters' A whole c o m m u n i t y oo mp l e te w l th sch o ols, chur ches, town squar e and" par kway s had A tax base of one per cent o f the ex the gover nment and schoc Ls r ather The clr eam plan w as too

a lr e a i t y b e e n ske tch e d a n i t p roposed.

p o r t s f r o n th e p L a n e t w o u l d flnance aII t h a n r e a l e sta t€ go o d t o b e tru e ' D r e a m ctty, 'lTeekly progress p ro p e rty

ta x es as back on ear th.

vta s th e 3 -o yat opposltlon' l d a rs w a s th e appr opr late nam e of the pr oposed conr m unl ty ' on the world'-wld'e news

of the robot workers rmg televised

Tay Lor/Fowl"ke rep o r t s . ftctal T h e ro b o ts w e re d o tng qualtty clty structures by remote control. buildlng

Page 27 of the d.welllngs and oftree stands had hadi

Tven huge forest

been planted by renote controL slnce the molsture LeveL of the soll en o u g h w a t e r to g ro w th e g re ener y. No r aln ever fell fr on

the r e d s k y . tha t Leaohed. The

T h e e a n a l s 1 -o n g sl n ce d ry co v er ed the deep under gr ound r lver s

the motsture when deep roots ran lnto the hldden watery courseways. trees grew nearly ten feet tall the flrst year and thereafter

accelerated

at only about three feet per annun untll,J.achlng Th e a l - m o s t n cn e xl ste n t ery. w l n d d.ld not sap the llfe

a grand sweeplng l.'0feet. fr om the tr anspl anted. gr eena whole forest ear thvege-

fn ten years tlnne as proJeeted by the agronony experts, fu rth e r constr uctlon

wo u l d b e h arve ste d fo r Ilng use. Food stuffs

on l,far s, or be sol"d f or

lnd.eeilthrlved

Just as well- ln the Loose soll;

tabl-es, frult t o g e t b l g g er

trees ancl grasses grew in a season as tf th a n th o u g h t h ur nanly posslble,

Left for a deoadet w er e

The gar dens, ther ef or er vestly

easlly provldtng rom€ than earth needed wlth lts exploslon. T h e so i l

lncreaslng populatlon

d l d n o t have deadly fungus and. new seeds wer e k ept w l th ln all of ltars slnce no space The ster lle r obots

no ocntanlnatlon. t ra v e L e r s

Gerns illd. not seem to exlst

e xl ste d . X e tr to b rl ng a vlr us spaoe venture.

of any sor t.

dld all- the work for thls

A spaoe statlon was constructed to orblt

Mars.

0bservation for a perlocl

of twenty years was belng conductod as a safe guard for Clseaso controlt fearlng that sone dreadful perll couLd be transported baok to earthlln6gs.

T h e r o e l c s o n l ,fa rs o o n ta l n e d aI]" the usual elements baok on aar th but m or e c c n c e n t r a t e il o r p u re l n fo rn . Ir on or e was lndeed hpavY. oolil an d" s i l v er easy to m lne. The whole solar l and.s c ape

wl t h r e a d l ay o n th e o p e n te rr aln

was densely rocky, much ttke Arlzona baok on earth. mlne and was becomlng plentlful on earth,

Gold was very cheap to

alnost cheap' and not too valuabl-e'

Tay lor/Fowlke 01I was no longer the bLeclcgold lt was elthsr.

Page 28 C o n n p u t e ro h l p s h a d b e c o & e A mll- l"lon byte s neant a Shar eg l n a

t he n e w w e a l th w h l ch w a s b e l ng neasur ed ln bytes.

h u g e s u m a g g h a re s l n th e t'u se- tlm e/' on a wor ld- wlde ocnputer . o o n p a n y s t l l} so l d h l g h o n the stock exchange and dollar s glor lous

ln the bank m eant r lches to the

we a L t h b u t th e n e w e xch a n g e of ttbytesn neant tlue owner of btLltons GoLd stll-] ho n e s . end trllllons

of rrbytes n time to be used on a ccnputer. of wood panel l n cu r r ent thus

b a o ke i l cu l r€ n cy

b ut also goLd. was used lnstead

T h e n e e d . to re fl " e e t

sound waves and coniluct eleotr lcal

req u l r e d . n eta L a l l rt s

o ve r th e hones.

GoId, r las shlny and loveLy to obs er v e. The use of Zl+- oa r at d'os r s

v a r u e a d d e d . to th e b e a u ty of the beholiler '

t hr o u g h o u t th e h o u se o f th e weal.thy had becone comr aonplsGsr The m os t s ec ur e estates had gold roofs and the televlslon phonovlslon addltlon of all, or connectlon. receptlon was.superb with the

ltlars gold provlded the best conduotlvtty

soncethlngln the sll,loon. based metal catted sll,lson was the new metal from illars. It was

A soll hlg h l y

r e f l e ctl ve

a n i l h a d a honey comb taste vr hen ntolstened by the tongue. thts tast€, onLy the aclds of l"tvlng tlssue had the

'r{ater did not effect a d d . e i ip l e a s a n t t a s t e .

T h l s r a r e o o m m o d l t y w a s n o t l n a b u n d a n o ey e t s o t h a t $lllson could also

was slowty talclng the pLace of gold as a ilesireCtmetal' be dusted lnto food., a powder, as a cure for bolls wl t h l n a f e w h o u rs. In te rn a l

or skln al)-ergles cured slx non ths of eat-

allmentg wer e eur ed wlthln ft

lng f s o d d u ste d w l th ubat alls qulte y ou .

th e p o wder y slLlsor .

became a hlghLy touted c ur e for ttNot hl ng ev er

S l l tso n

w a s the new basa m etal of pr estlge'

Av enue' w B sri l b e ca me the adver tlsement cam palgn ads on Mad 'l s on nuch of a good' thtng s l l l s o n a s a p o w cl e ry b a s e wor kec wonder s but too sverage folk oal-led the nal-ad'y'An oaused sleeplness or zoomble llfe as the pur ging that cleansed' the body of al l er o e s s l v e a n o u n t ca u se d a ca thar tlc y{ hy th+ sur faoe of ptanet lfar s hai l bed e hyd .ra te d .a rn a o st (tnat was Jurces, Llke lt

T a y L o r / 3 o w 1 I<e coae dry as a bone). fhe slllson

Page 2! absorbed moisture by nakln& tt €ioway Tttls bul l d-

beneath the surface like pecultar p r o p e rty

a magnet pu1llng lron shavlngs withln er tr aoteit all

ltseLf.

o r i n n a te tralt

m olstur e and. for e l gn

up o f t o x l e aII

re si d u e

i n th e h uman bod.y.

Slllson

pur ged the hunan anatony of wlthln

metal polsonlng anil thus oured all It w a s a cur e- all

klnds of uneasing allnents that d.efleil all

s lx- m o n t h s o f u se . The curative

r easonlng o ther w l - s e. Inc.

powers of $lllson

nade the stook holders of $lllson,

very wealthy and the head.quarters were ln South .!'owllce, along wtth the real estate s a l - e s o n l fa rs. selllng T h e S eneschal Rea) .ty flr m vr as ln char ge of al l T he dally the

p ro p e r t y

o n rY a rs,

land sales on lllar s or l65lnatei l fr om fo r al l . the The

So u t h F o w l ke .

T h e se l u cra tl ve

ventur es 6r ener ated m uch capltal

other wcnderous ldeas that Fladls Seneschal and Jlm Bob.caae up vrlth. ourloslty clttzen. go llve of ownlng ftout of thls Retlrement ltvlng

w o r L d . ' fr e a L e s t a t e a p p e a l e d t o t h e a v e r a g e thlng to

to that l{ars eoLer haven was snoth.r

there as a ploneer but the lnv''stnent value Just mlght pay blg 16worker bulldlng sight a portfollo. An acre soLd for only

turns for a youthful two thousanal dcllars,

unseen of courseo a pr lce of cour s e w hen hovering above il{ars.

A v i e w o f th e l vfa rs p ro Ject couLd be seen for

the tour guldes .crovlded crulses to the spsce statlon T h o s e v a o a t l o n l -a n d o ru l se s I hour trlp, for a fast U su a l l y, to lt4ar s Statlon

wer e expenslve Just for a day or the r eit p) - a net of l ti l ar s

th € crulse

shlps Just or blted

peek and.tour gulde sBlet approach. naned for

This l"oveboat type crulse

o f t h e s l c y wa ysw a s a p p ro p rl a tely o a n d , a r o u m n y a se sa l l l n g p lo t . T h l s b u rl a l l n to

the Egyptlan l?har aoh Tutank ham en

the star s could also be bought as a c em eter y to be r our m ttl edand' pl ac ed of the d'eai l

p ]" a ce vra s becomlng ver y popular ,

ln a t o m b sh a p e d rl ke a ce l e stlal Just floatlng

boat Eotng to never - never land'

eternall-y in the sky' p l l o ts pus hw er e bcth tour guldes and' autom ated button

T h e s ky cru l se

T
Tay lor/Fowlke €!8. 3ut the shlp operations wer€ completely remote ccntrol servlce statlon Page 3O and coroputer

ltnked by laser beamto the satelLlte and l,{ars" Thls servlce statlon thls

be ncld.vaay tween earth

p r o v l d . e d s o L a r h e a t b e a m e da s a s o u r o e o f took the place of eleetrlcal power . l' { or e such satel} lte 21st century. lngenlus nar ve l of J l m generators, destatlo ns w er e

e n e r g y t o - T u r o p e a nc l t l e s ;

p e n d , l n g o n o 1 1 o a e ve n so y o tl belng bullt

tc neet the growlng ne^ds of thls

T h e 2 1 st Oe n tu ry L ,l u b o f South Fowlke was the Bcb Pe a s e . ject,

H e a n i l F L a d l s S eneschal" had. concelved, and pLanned the w hol e pr onembershlp to controL the dlrectlon T h e club was dlsplaclng of the lnvnstnents

uslng thelr

b e l n g n a d e b y th e cl " u b . Petroleun 0lI

the lmpor tance of the ol d states. The 21st Century

Barons CIub ln t,he once o1l" rloh astronaults

Club hlred retlred

t as presld.ent to run the new comi-ranleshat T h l s a d d " e dc r e d e n c e t o t h e c a p l t s sectet to suC"den uccess. c r ul s e

sold. space lnCustry prod.ucts or servlces. allzatlon

o f t h e n e w c o m i l a n ya n d . t i r u s a s s u r r e d t t s

l r l o n e o f th e sto ckh o td e rs to orblt l,fars. I.lke all flrst

or company or gani- zer s went on the fl r s t crulses, Tltantlctr failure on lts was a posslblllty m a i d . e nv o y a g e .

Just llke But no maJor

the slnklng of the'runsinkable dlsasters

had yet happeneil. The astronaul-t personneL experience helped to mlstakes.

avold many of the free enterprlse Al t o f t}r fro u t o f th i s

wor Ld.' r lnvestm ents wer e r naklng $outh F ow l k e ltr othlng m uch could happen on a blg s c al " e w l thabout l t. And tl s t and w eal th-

t h e w j - n d o w to th e u n l ve rse . ou t t h e c i t l ze n s

o f sn a l -t-to wn South Fowlke kncwing f lr st

m a d e t h e b oo ml n g n e l g h b o r B l g Town nr etr opoLls even r nor e lnpor tant ler that lt was before atl thls progresslve lnflux

of corporate space lnveststayeil ln B l g T ow n and

me n t g o t s ta rte d .

T h e b l g w l gs of the space lndustr y

or usualr - y Jr r n Bob, w ho w as c n L y n e t b r re fr.y w l th th e S outh Fowlke executlves The par tner Fladts senesc hal m ad'em os t s e l d o m .a t h l s o Id h o rn e to w n for long. careful ssuth'Fowrke, forrowlng Jlra Bobt s of the ap'earances and.declsron rn

Tay LorlFowlke lnstructlons or so he sald.

Page 3L Jlm Bob was too busy on the world}y sceae to cf dally operatlons back ln South FowLke so hls par ttcul ar s of

deaL wlth the nessy detalls n e w b e s t f r le n i l

F l " a d l s S e n e schal- handLed aLl- the lntr loate

btg buslness declslotrsr solutlons. Slster T h e i n rtn e rs

They vrere ln perfect accord. on a1]- corporate lCIw e re llke br other s under the skln as sa l ac i ous

F l e d t s o f t e n o c m m e n t e i la b o u t t h e b u s l n e s s d . e a l - l n g s c f t h e t w o s o m e . l d e n tl o a l tw i n br other Fladis has an f odd- nao- - out t r el atl onln wlth

n l , r y a l no st shlp wlth thls

l-ocal" redneck who aint t qulte yet yahoo enough to f tt

rn y k l n d o f fu n l o vl n g FIedls

p e o p l e her e at Bubba Town Roadhous€r " guffa w ei l Sl s ter about her Br l ggl s h

t o a l -l th e h e e -h a w crcr ,r ded r em ar ks made dlspar lng

brothor and the monastlc flm Bob. r r Yo u so u n d a l " I l a u g h fl e d v € y o u t o f th l s w o rl d , anC tucker ed out to ne but you sur e do l ook w l th m e???

sw e e t babe, eo wanta be spaced out tonlght

proposltloned the erulsey blg spender who vras realJ.y the one belng set up. '?IrlL fl-y you to the moon, sometine w1II never forget s m u r k o f a fa ta l or flet over yourselfrn too soon, blg hunky one, thst promlsed Slster FLedls wlth a you

€ ;rtn co ml n g ; thr ough the laughlng Jackass nolse h l dden l n

her heavy layered cosmetlc nask. ' r Yo u s o u n d d a n g e ro u s a s all c h a r g l n g d e vl l srn fr:rth e r get- out ln hades, fu]- l of ten thc us and.

ch uckled, the m ar ked lflgfir m ost amused' ' that ver y w ay t

? ' I s o u n d -Off th e sa me to ever ybody+Bfr d llker em all o n L y s o r n eS 0 B s l o b s g e t m o r e o f m y u n d l v l i l e d a t t e n t l o n brlskty convulsed $lster

than anotherrrf that

r'ledls wlth her best snlggerlng'lrasotblltty or resolute fun-fllled alm.

shlelded her true lntent Slster tt Fledls

Roadhouse al w ay s htt e n d th e rowd.y cr owd. at Bubba Tcmr n She'ras the rlfe of the party-tlme wrtchlng hour. Anil

off welr at flrst.

she was llke

easlly untll a blov,rlng ln the wtnd, a banshee, to dlsappear pr ophet her say Llke a phllosolther o r J . e a s t e x p e cte d . a t o d d tl me s to have

wa r n l n g t h e w e a ry to b e l e a rY.

T a y l o r / F o w lke If Slster FLedts wer€ propiretlo at aJ.1, it a n d " n e ve r tol- d a lle

Fage 32 was because slie stated. clty father s of

f ra g m e n t e d tru th s S o u t h F o w L ke .

about the ellte

S h e w a s mo re saucy than sor eer ess.

0r mor e of a s hr ew , Fledls could lnto bel l ev l ng llves,

often conmentedthe locaI pro f f e r

bartender Fargus Demosn Sister easlly

t h e p a tro n s o f B u b b a Town Road.houser ather slnlster secret-exlsted

somethlng srlevous-or

ln thelr

prlvate

u n c o n f e s s e d a n d . ca re fu l J.y h l d.den as though for gotten. volce 1n the nlght wlt h o u t th e t co u l d. do r ulschlef or or uctfy me a n, onLy lnquLsltlve ln pollte

She was the how l l ng wlth a subtle l v or d tbe agShe

b e l n g o u t-rl g h t

knaver y to r ebuke

grleved closemouthed nysterles

$outh rowlke htgh soclety.

ho w e v e r n e ve 1 : h a d . a kl n d .n e ss to say sbout the over - popuLar r eputed J l m Bob. l{o r c l i . d s h e ca stl g a te h l m e l ther . Such better r epr oof she r eser v ed for The dr ln k l ng c r ow d

t ho s e w h o v re re p re se n t to a ttempt d.efendlng them seLves. aL ' r , e y s m a d e a to a st the pLace to go fcr

to th e o ne buylng or m aklng the m ost nolse. a hoot.

T hl s v i l as

T h e n e xt b e st p l -a ce to have r aucous fun was Boggy Cr eek, wher e the So u . t h F o w l k e mo n ste r h a u n te d the pr emls€er from the flshlng oamps or gltdlng AIt the boozt- ng and y el ) - l ng

boats added to the cabala sacred rlte Dru.trken flshermen returlng fron

enlgna and aura of the mystery monster. t he l r

s p r e e e n Jo ye d .ma ki n g sounds near the r em ote hom es of scar ed bel l ev er s n o n stro u s de@n fr eak. Thls r lbaLd fun kept the m y th

ln t f r e c e l e b ra te d v e r y m u c h al l ve

a n d " se e n l n g l - y har klng at ever yoner s d.ar kened back d'oor w ay . dar k ; thl s

0 n 1 y a f e w b ra ve so u l s w o u l -d.go walklng anywfier e alone after ra m p a n t f e ar cre a te i l a n l n fo rm al t h e o r r m e ra te on e v e r y o n e o i n $ o u th F o w rk e. Wtn d o w cu rta l n s secur lty patr ol

whlch ln tur n kept dow n

The dar kness had. a thousand eye s peer l ng as dar k

and' heavy d' r aper y wer e d' r awn fast

cametothetcwn.N0onetookchancesbyal.}owlngaspotllghted'vlewof str eet or woocedlar eas behl nd thel r t h e t r r l v r n g q u a rte rs b e se e n fr om the
houg eg o

Tay Ior /Fowllce

Page 33

The best blrdf s eye vlew about the whole funny buslness golng on ln at} o f S o u th F o w l ke w a s re p o r ted on the r r llar f s Sench' r soc i.al r egl s ter close sorutlny of

nale busybod.les. l:lothlng rolssed thelr for spottlng ornerlness ln the nakln6.

or proJected vlslons could

A bad boy and a sleazy glrl of course.

be spotted a nlle

avrayln the embryo state

A l l - t h e s e g o o d .f o l k s reformed sooundrel,s. hl dd.en to

oould envlslon all- the buddlng evlL slnce they were all Bu t t h e g re a te st the worldly-wlse

sca n i l al ln South tr ' owlke was unknown, stlll Thn origlns

gosslps"

of Jlm Bobfs nother were llterally

s h r o u d e d l n cl o u d s o f n yste ry. c lo u d t h a t s ls t e r , su cke d h e r h tg h l nto

Jln tsobts nan&a dled ln a tor nado funneL the sky and that ver y after noon her tw l n the ohl l d. 0n1,y

h l s a u n t l r'fl ss P rl n se y Daotyllc

appear ed. to cal' e for

t h e i l e a r a un tl e

w a s a sch o o l m ar n and end.edup teachlng.ln

the lo c al - s c hool , gr eatnes s

s ys t e m , t o b e n e a r h e r d a rl l n g

nephew who was sur ely d.estlned. for

b e c a u s e h e h a d a l so sw l rl e cl upwar cl lnto the eyclone ln the ar m s of hl s s l ok 1y n c t h e r b u t h a d su rvl ve d told by all th e winsone act of God. The tr uly aweso m e tal e w as

the townfolks as gospel so had to be bel-leved,. sto ry always began the sam e as r elated by any ol d.- ti m et a

T h t s u n b e l l e va b l e 1n S o u t h F o w l ke .

$ to rmy w e a ther eame out of ti:.e South Fowl} ce blue s k y l tk e thlngs ln lts path.

mtg h t y r u s f il n g w l n d o n a rn l ss lon to d.estr oy all splnnlng wlndstorm took lts able but fantllar

And' thl s

fanolful" route whlch covered the usual predlctyenr after

space along a vast area that was eonstantly,

year, ilevastated by such natural twister as t h e r a v r s o f th e l a n d . p ro cl alned s a n e s p o t th l s jectory

cloud occurrences or acts of God Ltghtnlng str uck tw l c e l n the

then to be. par t

Ma y D a y l n th e nor th- eentr al

of South Fowlke'

T he tr a-

to another' traverslng followed a hop and a sklp from one tovmshlp over the tr ee tops of mon s ter l nfes ted' f ro m B l g T o w n to so u th F o w rk e and then gotng to pieces' flylng The nearby towns shook llterally, Eoggy creek. throughthealrwlththefearsomeblowlngforceofthlsunheralrledwlnd'

F

:Iaylcr/loilkc f un n e l stlnster two llved d a r k e n e d . cl o u d a l o n g wlth slster, t c te l l a slckly lady wlth this splral

Pagc ,4 her babe ln a r l ns and. a storn center and only

aIL got sucked-up lnto th e ta l e .

The year 1960 sg!- g. Domlnl was thus one to be ln thls natur al oatas -

rem e m b e r e d fo re ve r . t ro p h e o r t r a g l c f l- a s h l n g l l gh tn l n g p ro v l n e e s f o r T ' h e l o ca l smenltvlng nlles

& o re b y ttr e unwll- llng par tlclpants

d ra n a cycl o ne of a fast

nr ovlng black cloud' full

of fur y t

a n d th u n d er cus r um bllngs upon the heads of the Is c a1 a ro u n d . the South .[' ow],keenvlr ons. p srtlolpants ln thls c.yclonlc dr am a were thr ee k l ncalled. tornad,o alley.

unwllling

a l o n g t h e 1 1 1 -f a t e d P a t h o f d e s t r u e t l o n

Thelr house vras an oLd.-fashlonedhomosteadbutl"t to stand the strong wLnds of time, a steamboat-styIe edlf lce fashloned. on three-f oot hlgh pll-Iars that aII o w e d . t h e a l ry ftu x to p a ss s afely beneath the floor s for or so the ar c hl tec tur al

d e s i g n h a d a l w a ys w crke d b e for e, lng mllboards were ftve

a hundr ed and tr venty year gr T he l unber and were also nalled at geonetrlc an-

lnohes thlck

gles lnto each other eo that the large house timLiers could rock back and forth, ooer flowlng w l th th e rh yth m lc lashlngs of Just such a vslndstor m as thl s this old slte had pr ov ed the of livlng 1n ow l l

A n d th e te st

o f a h u n d r ed odd suluner s at correct

orlglnal thts

famlly builder-oarpenters

fcr the survlval

t o n n a ci o p ra g u e d p a th w a y o of actlvity

The r esid.ent thr eesone r /r er e busy !n thel r

organlzed flux

weekly to comptete before the appolnted tlrne for

o h u r c h s e r vl ce s.

hour to T h e ra ce b etween stor my skles and the appolnted' hands of the anclent grandfath6r b begln worshlp was measured. y fast ttcklng olocklntheentryha].]-,all.thlsworkbelngthemalnpreoccupatlonofthe lnhabltants. watohful eye on the gather i ng c l ouds T h e r e sl d 'e n ts w e re b u sy keePlng a The htgh wlnds lqtste soon to ar r l v e ani l a l s o b o a rd i n g u p th e wlndowsr wh i l . e lts annual havoe al l ov er the wr cl o u d ' w o u l d ocr unence ecking t h e n t h e sca re y a dance and llghtnlng flashes Played f o r n l l e s a ro u n d '' Thunder Iandsoape

Tay 1or,/tr'owllce t u n e n u m b e r l n th e fa r q Jl sta nce l"lke doom on a r allpage.

Page 35 But the oc c upants

we r e a l L c al n r a s a sp rl n g b reeze on a Lazy sunny after noon; h o w l o n g t h e y h a d u n tl l la s t s e c c n d . o n th l s th e wj- ndstor r awould ar r lve, r lght

they k new e.- r .ac tl y down to the v er y

L o rd srs Day flr st

$und.ay of l,{ ay. cLour l to

T h e h tg h w l n d s ri re re a l vnys the Last par t of the fr lghtful a rr l v e , t h e 1 u 1 1 h e fo re th e blg stcr n.

Thunder and ltghtni.ng now c am e l n Ilghtn-

o b s e r v e C .r h y t h n o l e s e q u e l s t h a t

the ladles counted.most religiously.

ln g f l a s h e d a fe w se co n d s b e for e the thund,er bolt

shooK the gr ou nd; the one, two, three, four

n I o d . g e r s s o u n d . e dl . l l p p e d u n i s o n t h e n u a e r l c a l c o u n t : and flve; th e se co u n te d . n u mber s between llghtnlng away flr

fLash and thun der ous nol s e A rolle T he

gaugeil the d"lstance ln nlles

the apprcachlng storm oenter. ar r lval tlm e for the tor n ai l o.

p e r n u n b e r e d . co u n t me a su re d .the distant

th c o n f l n e d . l a d .te s kn e w ',,yh a t ey wer e dolng fr om long past exper lon c o. lilach Lady had a duty post and dld tt d.oors and fastenlng weII, rlght on sohedule. C}oslng

dor.rnlvlnd.ows ln the l,arge house were now the Last chore The stcrm oellar near the

whlle also observing the €v€r-darkenlng sky,

steps of the backyard porch was the fl"nal destlnatlon of these htghly organlzed J-odgers. Tlach had a well dlrected t h e f o r ; n l n g to rn a d .o cl o u d ,s.

for the d.lrected force

chore cr speclal expertlse for

keeplng tabs on

l,flss Pr lnsey Dactyl- lc couLd spot a s l m pLe than anyone' $he w as thus

b re e z e a b o ut to b e co me a n tg ,hty wlnd stor n faster t h e d . u s t d evtl t h e v e r y f l rst sp o tte r o f th e whole town.

[flss Pr lnsey always c oul d d'etec t And' s he had'

sh a d o w s o f a dar kened, sky ln the far distanoe' much earrrer

rndeed observed f rrst rn t o e a o h oth e r:

rn the afternoon as the calm cloud.s noveil cl0ud for r natl0ns had floated c r bunnpec l a mlx so

cu mu r" u sa n d cr r r us lnto

lnnooently enough at flrst

ons another to mer6e as a nlxture'

casuar to the 6v€r as to stlr p a d d r e o n a h o t frre tu rn l n g

caulc'ron the heavenl-y erenentg srowly llke a l nto ex pl od''ng thts for cefur bur nlng aer r aL fr ow

Ta'r l or/I'olvlke

Page )6

destructlcn

upon all

the terraln

ln South Fowlke. noved thr ough the

l , { ! s s D a ctyL tc n o te d w h e n the oum.ulusclouds lnltlally D 1, ,{ a y a y a l r }!ke l a zy su n d .ogs on tdl*

guar d duty or hanglng huge s c c ops of freezer hlgh ln the passlve sky.

lce orean fornrlng and falllng And the nearby clrrus

frcn a glant

v a p o r s b y c o i l p a r i s o n l n t h a v e r y b e g l n n l n g s e e m e da l or lgins to for m anythlng but l ong thl n T he

n o s t s i c k ] . y o r p u n y l n th e L r ear ly f lo w l n g s t r ea n e rs, fi n g e rl n g

outwar d, ln the unseen empyr ean wlnd s . car r led, thls ldle

I ac o n l c g r o un i l su rfa ce a l r loo k t n g

mnmentar y m ix ever s o peac eful

l n th e p ri ma ry sta g e s of the whole changlng atm cslr her lc pr es s ur es . ' l' ' flss D ac ty }l c t s T h e w ho l e a tn o sp h e re a l ong wlth the chantlng ehor us of cument of the released statlo energyt

warnlngs soon zlnged wj-th the electrlc allve a lr and dlrected

force aboundlng but fomentlng valth mqchmore to ooitte.The m oved thr ough the hor lzon, air eaoh pu ff or ) .ul l tng

currents

s)-o w l -ya t fl rst

breeze began as a aoLwnn of gently rlsing thtn Layer of coolor air dlrectlng

so warn and molst walled by a

tovnrd South Fowlfte.

The oooler alr v;as soon topped by a cottonl"y cumulus oloud that rolled through the upper Level cIoud. fcrmatlon wtth a vertlcle ment having a done shaped top above a flat sunmlt. d e v e l o 5 ; m e n t a lm o v e -

base and rounded bluges at lts for med along the gr ay all then bethan

T v e ryo n e o b se rve cl a Llghtened" color er i textr :r e

base peCestal of the bel-lowy cotton ball

hlgh ln the skgr and lt

c a m e n o r e n u me ro u s n e a re r so uth Fowl- ke. l,fyr lad. nuntber s lnc:' eased fas ter

alL klnds anyone could lnaglne posslble as the clouils towered. hlgher yet lnto of fantastle shapes. These huge fantasy oloud.s qulckry oreated a welrd falry' the vlew wlth deep twlstlng

land ln the airl

phantasnogoria almost fllled

towers, arnost lnslgnlf icate chasns and other strange romantrclzed trrrreted knowl ng [{l s s l o o kl n g gand' er s, unless you wer e the ap p e a r i n g t o trl fl tn g t h e c u m u l u s c o n g e s t u s n c m lJ u s t r o l l e d ' faotyLio. The tdle lazy alr inslde but actualr-y rough wlnd's casualry rn.olent or frivolous, arong srowry, arraost

T a y l o r f F o w l ke lrcnlcatLy lng alr rod.e hlgh and hetd fast

Pege ) 7 lnside by the tnln colurnn of gentle rls-

currents,

as the nrother of ilm Scbfs observed. currents roLleil or boll,ed, to

gutslde the thln ccLumn, the hlgh alr bubble an<l to spout as the totai via:.d, rarely tle 1oslng a d.rop of tts

cumulus cloud vlalL rpached upward and outm o i s t u r e e v C I na s a s p i t t l n g later. All raln thls or spltupper

in the winil tJ.Il" the full

grown storrn arrlved

olo u C l e v e l f Lo a t t n g

mo ve n e n t a p p e a re tl as a calm weather m aker bel"ow t111" the l ow cl o u i l s ml xe C danger ousl"y lnr uar il, as lllflss lactyal- w ent about

c l r ru s

b u s l n e s s a s t f n o t h i n g n n u c hw a s a b o u t t o h a p , r e n . A n C o n t h l s f l n e S p r l n g 'g la y D a y , t h e cl r:ru s cl o u cl s from the lower level moved.lnto the w eather m l x ture: ftne, feather-Llke p l u r n e sw l t h c u r v e d l i n e s endlng ln turfs, genlal

pure whtte !n eolor and soft appearance so useLess to the casual, eye (tne speed of the wlnd soon reached a veLoclt;r of seventy-flve seven pounrls of pressure per square foot, p o r t s l - a t e r o n fl Ie f o r th l s duy) . mlles or twentyre-

aocordlng to the meterologlcal

Thls vr lndy measur ement then reac hed. L2 elouds moved

on the Beaufort Scale, also I

3 2 p o l n t c c t t r p a s sa s t h e c l r r u s

v rl t h t h e c u n u l u s, to ml x o o m pLetely. m e t e r w a s so l n d l ca tl n g

The ner cur y was faLLln5l as the bar o-

b y the car eful- cor unentar y of ltllss Dactyllor eeagl e

e y e r e s p o n se to th e w e a th e r over South Fowl} ce. The earth-bound lndtcatlon to make ltself kn o w n to a l l , of aLl thls stormy weather was only too soon

Thls huge eyolone hlgh ln the heave ns r um bl ed that be6an to eough outl'rard lts of fast ln-

along and eontlnuec its

lnternaL turmoll

ner wlnds ln the forn of a spout or dust devll Atl thls

movlng black clouds.

pent-up energy frorn the cosnos swlrled lnto a counter clookwlse was htttlng upon the cold currents ln thls Brackberry \Tlnter

flow. warn alr

of a seasonal movenent and lndeed prectpitated always the flr st nlg h t y w i n d .s. l ,fl ss D a e tyl l o ',tfEr s that s o o n sp re a cl d .o w rw a rdto connect tc the

thls

evant of the rushlng of a funne]' s pout

to notlce

ear th'

Thls connectlng d'y nanc o land fr o nn a s outh-

m a d e a c r a ckL tn g e o u n 6 a n d now wor ked lts' r ay

acr oss the

Taylor /Fowtlce ea s t e r l y f o ca l polnt o r ra cl n g fr ont on the cyol- old of thls

P age ) B tr ace d eur v e

that traversed toward a north-easterly on lts

path before golng back l.nto the sky

race wlth tkoe anil elenental clouds. for the lnhabltants lnslde the flne o1d

The path of l-east reslstence

house tn $outh Fowlke'oms to go dlreotly out the twlstlng

to the storn cellar

and thus waltown

vrtnd.. But the cyclone had now oompletely created lts p a tte rn a cr oss the gr ound vr lth llgtnlng

be a u t y o f r hyth mtc structlve electrlcaL

fl"ashes of a d,estorn was mes-

dlsturbance ln the a1r.

Thls eLeotrlcal lts

roerlzlng to behold and not to be rnlssed ln all

gl-ory and splendor. This The cb-

predestlned event could not be nlssed or postponed for anythlng. servers stood destlne at the iloor l"ooklng at the llghtnlng Thls partlcular lenee at eleetrlcal t h u n d . e r h e a i lb l a s t e d - o u t lts dlsplay.

greatest

vlo-

100 mlles per hcur hlgh ln the sky. partloular l,{ayDay hlt

And novrthe howllng twlstlng or allghteC along the hlllocks

black funnel- on thls

an d f o l - l - o w e d th e l o w 1 y1 o U p laees or boggy cr eeks near South Fowl k e. T hen, the blg force of furtous wlnd. traveLLed upon the country roail Leadlng to the So u t h F o w ] k e stre e t ln full vrh e re th e Pease fannlly Llved; o f w h a t r n a st o c o m e . the houses ber ran to quak e dark cl.ouil now had

congternatlcn

The cyclonlc

a Land Imked hcld of a trenendous force of lmrlendlngdanger or horror. Havoc anil totaL annlhllatlon s o u n d e d .l t s way cr rattled tts dlre warnlng appr oac hl ng the tr al n

s o u n d l n g 1 l ke a h e rd o f b u ffa lo llt tt e

or stam pedlng cattle

dr lve

t o w n o f S o u th F o w l ke . The funnel clouit r oar etl. l- lke a fr elght sp e e d . l n frtg h t, chugglng- up the str eet vr lth lts

going fuII

sm ok e s tac k of look at firna

a loud whlstle

stop nolse about to vlslt of an aerlal

for a whlle.

But one last

t h e a w e d .f a s c i n a t l 0 n

f u n n e l c r o u d o o n n e c t e c rt o t h e t e r r a a seconil oor€'

was Just too auch an oddtty not to vlew for

onelastlngglaneewasaboutallthetlmengcessarybetween].lfeand than go to the anyone darlng to pause at the wlndow rather d,eath choloes.for stcrm cellarr st the foot of the back steps. Llfe and death choloes were

Taylor/I'cmtlke b belng mad.e y the sltghtest oornpl.etely fueled thts pause at this tlme.

Page 39 iflnd and.eLectrlcal charges

blg saoke stack thEt paced ltself elements.

along the street

now connecteil to the hostlle lou d s o u n d ln g g l o ry. structlons

Mother Naturers fury now was ln full l n-

T h e cycl one then speeded onwar il ag though fol l ow l ng the houses on the ohar mlng s tr eet.

frd m a ro a d ma p tor var d all

Thts deadLy but beauttfuL slght of the storm center raced up the long street t o i n a r d a n a b a n d o n e d h o u s ei t h e w l n d s s u r r o u n d e d t h e b u l - l d l n g r e n g u l f e d , 8 s if f L o a t e d o ff llght th e b l o cks th at as a feather once anchor ed lt off lts down. The entlr e s tr uc tur e

vras ltfted

abutements, to fly

htgh lnto the alr

and then fa}}

lnto many blts

and pleces. The debrls spread, explodedr aIL

over the real estate ltself, turntng

throughout the adJoinlng treen lawns. The cyclone paused own handlwork, before then renelghbor stone

turnlng as though to look back at lts onto the street

to advance toward a huge two-storled Thls vlolent

hoqse where an aged lady llved. aLone.

turn was a fataL plunge. winds up the d.r l v e-

T h e b l a ck cl o u d . to o i c th e futl" nr otlon of lts wa y t o t h e fro n t butldlngsJust ere a t i n g d o o r o f th e flne

clr cul"ar

o1d house. AII- the sm all flemse y out- l y l ng of tir e centr lfugal w wlnds r a tr l .c h er e l - /tex i - c an

fl e w l n to th e eploenter

t h e b l a ck fu n n e l fo rce,

fllppins

theno end over end like

pulled the stone house and Jumptne beans on a hot pLete. The deadly winds a1l- contents fast into the super-chargei atnosphere where an explosion, a spontaneous conbustlon, shot outvrard wlth a flare the plle or flery blast Just prlor And'then

tc the cyele of wind hurllng

of stone upvrardeven farther.

back to earth l-lke a everythrng tnsj-de the wrncy foree was dropped, slamrned aloft' all- the contents blg heavy rock no longer wanted or able to be carrled a stonets throw away' AII thts belng spread. onto a vacant l-ot no more than by the hlgir and low vulni l pr es s ur e or n a t u r a l e n erg y fo rce w a s b e l ng pr oduced the a neetlng of the rnlndLessatr tlow; and warm air ocming together as oold nitr ogen com blned hl eh l n o ccu rre d when the oxygen and re s u l t l n g exp l o sl o n

Tayl orlI'owlke spherical alr fetid sky as I to form flashes or electrlcal pyronania of a July 4th fire one flre-ball bolts,

Page l+0

to anmcnltgte lnto a

works dlspLay. of an electrlcal fertillzer stor.n system proc o m r n o n l yc a l l e d e n cou1d r end.er settled

And oddly enough, thls

duced ln a few mlnutes more priceless n ro n l a n l t r a t e at full all

natural

th a n a L l - th e cosur er clal ioanufactur er s wor ld- wlde Thls newly made fertlflzei'

y speed ln a r,'drole ear.

fall-out

over South Fowlke and the rlch the local enterprises.

farml-and that raised. potatoes and soy AII thts horrendousLy htghly explostve de-

beans for struetlon

was lronleal-Iy lndustry tf

prcduclng beneflcent 6rowlng goodness for the locaI anyone would be Left allve to enJoy, once the nlnhty

asricultural

w l n d s p a s s e d" t h r o u g h S o u t h F o w l k e . The forceful lts wlnCs !.ow heeltated, agaln, as lt turned once nore to find of pecullar constant

pathway baok upon the nraln street,

An obvlous attraction

magnetleized fcrce to the street path as local wa s v a i n l y cltlzens

kept the bl,ack oloud golng on lts

from afar watched ln hypnotlc wonderment. A notorLst stor m cloud. as the

tryl n g

to o u tru n tho speedlng englne of thls

funnel over tock the automoblle. d. r l v e n l n t o th e b a r d l tch fu tl

But the car was over-taken and. dlvlnely

of r ushlng water fr om the d.ashes of r al n oloud. The dr lver Junped fr on the l nundated And then the w l r e sur-

s h o w e r s p r e ce e d ,l n g th e fu n n e l

v e h l c L e a n d ro l l e d . u n d e r a b ar bed. wlr e fence to avold. dr ownlng. the tvrlstlng vrtn d tu ctb l e d th e hr unanfor m lnto baLl, a r oudd.y

r ollln g

the hysterleal fence back lnto a store-bought spool, aLI wound around v lv o r 0 3 t he d a rke n e d stre e ts T h e t vrl sti n g of wlnil tossed $or r th Foglke' flowlng

w l n d , sto rl c contlnued lts

pace d' own the s tr eet

to

t h e F e a s e ? Ia ce n a n e d . re sl d .e nee.

The lnhabltants

wer e pr oEr essln g on thel r lnto

s u d d , e n r yt u r n e d d e v l s h l l y way to the storn cerr.ar when the funner croud thelr l - o n g d rl ve w a Y . T h e d .a rk cl -o u d ro a re d l ts ar r ival

announcement l- lke a mlght y r al Lr oad'

T a y I o r / F o w L ke erglne oomlng for a passenger traln tour gulde servlee.

Page 41 0r eLse, the nlghty slnce at

r winds ca$e as though upon formal appolntnent wlth no RS1IPequlred

stor ms always r etur ned. r egul ar l y s u c h w l n d . y a n th ro p o rn o rp h l ze d . honr econr ing thls annual Cate to encirclo old place, nl g h ty w l n d . sto rm, once inor e, halted ltself between th e f l ow er

the house but usuaLly never had yet d.estroyed

the flne This

beds and the cellar

d . o o r , a C l s t a n e e o f s o n e t v r e l v e h u n d r e d .y a r d s . T h l s p r e ltsel- f that t ouc hed dow n

c ls e w l d "t h n e a su re d th e se o p e of the tor nado funnel across the freshtly s w e e p t n g l a w n s. stilt tlLled

solI betwncn the west side of the house and the of the olr cular wlnd' s novtrseem tn gLy s tood cholce vrhlle yet in al-l" as though lts alr

B u t th e n o tl on

as 1f !n a quandry to make an intellectual contlnued spreading lts

actuallty

breath ever so sllghtly sllghtest

source entered through a sleve, to hlss lts lul l fell t n to th e su rro u n d l n g atr tornado.

seeplng novement. A

as though nothlng mor e vr ould h appen l n the Not a leaf stlrred anywhere ln the blg

destructlve

wake of thls

y a r d " a r o : l n d th e l a rg e h o u se . turned pltoh black, thls

And al- I the dayllght

of the nld- afte r noon

to forn ftd.ark-thlrty't tlme on the bapless vlctlrns of Blrds and all a n l n c a L sb e c a n e q u l e t a s a m o u s e '

ragtng act of nature.

only splders held fast to their

swaylng webblng as best could the orafty tlmes.

s bl-ack wldows that nranaf;ed o well under sueh dlfflcult T h e t l ne l e ss v a c u u m t n t ts fu tl mo ve n e n t o f these clr culatlng

wlnd.s sustai"ned an ex panc l l ng spent and us el es s exact

cl rcu mfe te nce that now seened gl,or lously tts mlflst or eye of the storflr.

to those standlng inslde m o n e n t o f t h e tu l l to make a last

And at thls

b e fo re th e comm otion, the obser vlng lnhabltant s

dec l d'ed

attenrpted nrad d'asb.d"ovmthe long poroh and' lnto

tho opened'

d o o r o f t h e h a n d y ce l l -a r sh e lter " T h e h ea vY ce l l a r d o o r seem ed s o c l o s e f o r h the slekty Lady wlth a babe that the sollle d'ognarned"

ln a r m s . T he sh e l -te r a P P e a red s0 c l o s e ,

fact,

T a y L o r / F o w lke

Page bz

R e d R o v e r J u n r p e df r o m t h e c e l - l a r s t e p s s a f e t y t o r u n b a c k a n d e s c o r t h l s nls t r e s s t o th e re fu g e . B u t the lulled funneL spout of the tor nad o, agal n, at catohlng som eone unalvar e s , m ov l ng AIt thl s m l ghty

mo v e d t o u d l y a s L f b e tl o w l " n g de} lght wt t h l t s

m l g h ty ru sh tn g w l n d . r aging nolse upon the vlctlms. a l L l ts

wln d . s u d d e n l -y d l re cte d

r esum ing for ce upon the would- be n r ar ty r s . T he pul l and"

I u L I w a s o b vl o u s}y o ve r. T h e lnpendlng vacuum began to br eak apar t, plu c k e v e r yth l n g wa r d . l n t o l ts l n w a rd n o t tled down. The wlnil vr as pulllng all

obJ ec ts upof the lady

r:a l d st, su ckl n E both dog and hwr ans off the floor lng . s u s t a i n e d .t h e f r a l l

planks of the long porch. 0nly the handralllng wlth the baby as she grabbed onto the last c o l u n n s a n d . h e l d fa st,

connectLon to the stable poreh off that flnal anc hor of

o n L y to be vacuum edflnal- ly w ent swlr llng

t h e s w e e p l ng ve ra n d a h . A II

upwar d lnto the dar k cloud that w as sl- ow r cotlon ar ound the gr and

n o w g r a d u a l L y b u t su re l y n o vlng ln seenlngly old^ house top.

T h e h u rn a nfo rms a n d th e dog wer e nou, sall"lng thr ough the alr , cordlng to the eye-wltness perceptlon of the relatlves t h e h a n d r a l L o f th e e e l l -a r stalr weLl the conflnee thetr thelr stlll

fl y l ng

ac to

holdlng flrn

deep dovr n ln the Eir ound. T ac h one l n as ov er

o f th e sto rm sh eLter gr asped the long wooden handr a l l l ng

l e g s w e re p u L t" e d .-o u t from beneath then, and thelr h e a d .s. T h e y vre re e a ch glven a sover e fl- alllng

dr esses fl ew - up

or a fur lous thls

s hak l ng for

h a v l n g t i a r ed . to d e fy th e vl a y of the mlghty wlnds; all t h e a d l r e n a l tn re a l l y fl o w l n g

was enough to get

or lnduce a cor onar y. But the r naglc m om ent l eft hugglng the r al) ,lng for thelr ver y ow n l l v es as

t h e o e l l _ a r b o u n d tn h a b l ta n ts t h e y f e l - l ba o k d o w n l n to a r, *s v e s b e l n g p u l l e d , c e a d L y d a r k sky o n th l s

th e gr otto

of safety wblle

the lady wtth babe l n vacuua tube ln to the

o r su cked away by the giant l fa y Day ln South Fowlke.

Theladywlththebabyre].uctantlywentupl,vardlntothed'arkenedsky passe d l nto a lo n g w l t h th e h o w l l n g d o g . The cycLe of the gustlng wlnd

Tay l-or/F owlke a n o t h e r p a r t o f l te p la c e o n t { a y D a y. most too stlftlng rea c h e d t h e p o l n t

Page 43 p a tte re n e d m ayhemthat always cam e her e yoar lf, to thl s T h e sl ,a w m ovlng alr had the smell of ar nmonlat'hat w as aIhad now

to breathe. Thts cycle of odorlferousLy moving alr o f n o re tu rn for the r lder s

ln the sky. Fjver yth l r l g l ns l de

t he f u n n e l - fl -o a te d e ve r u p w a rd but oould, not be se€n outslde the nar r ow Suage of d e e p b L a a k cl -o u d e d n sss. air The dog and mastel v.,er e now walklng flrm to thelr weary feet. s eenl nl y on

as soLld as stone, wlnd feellng

But they stlll on thls

had no eholce exoept to go to the top of the funnel clouil ltself circuLar on r v a r d . stalrcase to the hlgh heavens that T h e y w e re 1 l te ra l ty was pullln5'or

pushlng then ever They w er e both

wal"klng or hangln€! on hot alr .

da n g l l n g o n th e p ro ve rtrl a l L y wln d h l g h a b o ve th e l r

plnhead of a needl- e or posecl as a st r aw l n the

b e l o ve d South Fovr lke

T h e v r l n d h a i l b e e o m es o l l d a s a s t o n e a l l - t h e u a y t o t h e t o F r y e t v m s c u s h l o n e d t o th e to u ch w h e n stepplng the long hlFhur ay to adventur e. wlndy wall r to the J-ad.yts lght was a wlndlng wall But the

cf l-ntense heat, eo fuIl of alry wlnd.

of solld. hot alr.

And.to the immedlate left,

atr ioy curtaln

m a d . et h e t a dy ke e p h e r skl n n y ar ns held tlehtLy s u r e l y b e bu rn e d o n th e o n e hand or near ly t hl s h e l l a c lo u s The wlndlng

to her bony sldes ;

s he w oul d

tr ozen to death on the other l n of South - !'ow Lk e.

w i n d y u a l }<w ay danclng above the str eets

path l-ed upward but arounil and around ever so hl6qh above

be seen dlrectLy below, t h e d , e a r o 1 6 h o m e p r a c e n a m e dP e a c e P l a c e w h l c h c c u r d The lady saw the r oof ]lft' upl' nr d fr o m the el ev en v le w e d l n a & a za o f frl g h t. outsld.ed.oors.Yet,thehousestayedintactwfiiletheladyand.hercompany vlew' clrcLed the place wlth a captlve aud'lence ThqaerlalvlevlOfthesymmetrlcalabcd'esppeared'farbe]-owaslfbelng that could onLy capture this cbserved lnslde a flsh-eyed-photographlc lens funnel- moved over the hous e e x t r e a e m o me n ta ry so e n e a s the black tvr lstlng wlnds sollectad every topr actually enfiulflng lt, too. The ever-suckllng

Tayl or,/Fowlke p o s t o r c o l u r n n e dp i l l a r . we r e n o w f l . y tn g fron each of the Long poroh galLeries. ln a per feet} y tlm ed ballet

Page l*4 The oolumns

th ro u g h th e alr

danc l ng har m ony

Just a few seconds behlnd the dog and the lady. wcoden cclumns wag stalklng

The deadly Canger of )-arge fllght through thts d'arlng

the back slde of thelr

wlnistorm that had taken tlme to circle o f So u t h F o w 1 ke . T i r e d " a n g e r o u sa e r l a l t ne u n w i l l l n g fl yte rs.

the estate house on the maln stl:eet

vlew at the apex or top of the funnel clcud anazed was gotng up the hutm n spln e l " Il c e on the head stand on end. The farnl l l ar ol i l

A n e e r le chlll

€lo o s e p t m p l es o r e g g a r b u n b s that m ade the halr Statlc e l e c tri ci ty

sp a rl ce d .o utwar d fr on the hum an flgur e.

d house below had bogun to shake, to qulver anC to quake, The besle6ied, omlclle be g a n t o r n o ve si d e vra ys a n d . for vm r d as the r oof fr cm. all Ilfted the r anbL l ng r oom s

u p l v a r d .I l k e r e n o v l n g t h e t o p o f a d o L l f s h o u s e f o r a q u l c k p e a k l n s i d e . dab of water llke a

Thus, the movlng wlnCs deposlted a blg splash or a fast ftash l" f l o o d C o w n ttra rd n tc th e ver y inslde

of the house whlle the r oof a n d .h l g h r a f t e r s .

l ts el f

levltatad

a few lnches Just above the jotsts

The Frenoh

wallpaper was soaked and fell

down ln wet strips.

Then, the wooden stuils

were also belng pu)-Ied baek and forth, tng into e a ch o th e r tl ke h u g e bsaokets

away, ln a nlghtmarlsh rhythmlc rookor r anpar ts str etehad lnto ev er y

geonetrtc acute angle posslbLe; the anolent architecturally proof purpose was belng put to lts T h e g e o n e trl c thtek flnal test for sure.

deslgneC storn-

a n g l e s creaked and. gr oaned as the centur 5eodd al 6 apart,

tw o- i nc h BVI6y , and'

p y r a n n l d stra p e d .rrya l l b o ar Cs sLanted. upwar d as i- f to fly r e s t e d b a c k d o w n w a r dt.o f t t tor .t felt. snu8ly lnto thelr

then flnally

old place' The

s t r e s s w a s a b o u t to ma ke l ts oient whlm futl

But suditenly as though on an om nl s -

wind's released' of bLusterlng funny buslness, the cy)-lndrtcal the whole topped-out area back lnto the gabled rooftns, to glngerly deposlt one hantito tts former glory' exoept for lts exact plaee. AII was replaeed

Tay lor/Fowlke maileor custom forged square nallhead that for all to see Later,

P age 45 stood-out ln a spllntered stud,

and to narvel that such a thlng had even happeneiL" apar t or ex pl ode after

T h e o u sto mi ze d . ra rn b l tn g o1d manslon dld not fly a ll .

T h e r u sh tn g w l n d . h a d p assed. beneath the under plnnlng of the thr ee- foot angles of the wal- L boar d"s had lndee d. r oc k ed, But the lady and her dog w tl r e And their safe deat aII.

a b u t e r n e n t s a n d . th e g e o n e trl c thetr stilt

u e y t h ro u g h ye t a n o th e r stor m center . at the top portlcn of the whlrllng

funnel cloudo

f scent was yet to eofire ronr the d.ellverance of these hot wlnds lf

Th l s f e a r s o n n e e p l so d " e w a s a l m,ost as spellboundlng as the tl;ne the ol d tal e wh e n J l r n Bo b -th e -fl rst h a d o ut- r un a tor nad.o on foot when the annual dar k

c l o u d l n v a d . e i lt h e p r e n l s e s l n t h e g o o d o l i l d a y s . .The dark btovrlng'glnd played a mystlcal t h e o ) . d .h o u s e , a l l , at the same lnstant. nnuslcal tune lnslde anil outslile the narvel for survlval

Inslde,

contlnued ln mlraoulous evldence: ornate rolrrors and heavy franed portralts r e m a l n e d .h a n g l n 6 b u t w e r e p r o d l g l o u s l y zontal for o u t w a rd o n th e l r twlsted tlghtly stralght-out, horlfl nger ed.

h a n g er s v,r tthln seconds as though car efully the plctures and nlrrors

an auotlon btrCck sale. AII

were wound to thelr as

. l - l n n l t o n t h e w l r e h o L d e r s b u t w e r e u n r n a r r e dt o s t l c k t h o u g h n a l l ed Its o n g l l ,te d e d g e into

outvrard parallel ghost l y

the walLs. The wlr lstllng chalr

w i nd. nade

w a y t o sw a y a g e n tl y

mo vlng antlque r ocking

that was al s o unhar m ed' rooa

on the oriental or cLd parlour

e a r p e t t h a t n o w w a s r e p l - a c e d u p s l d e d o i r ml n t h e l l v l n g floor.

T h e P e r s l a n c a r p e t s h a d f l o w n u p w a r c t o b e o o m el m b e d d e d back on top of them ln perfeot oak front

w l t h m u c lw h l l e a L l e l s e w a s c l c a n a s a w h t s t l e order.

And the plerclng wlnil drove a broomstraw through the solld the flbers

door, the pressurlzcC ai-r forcing releasing the f lat wind'Y sttess'

of the wood'rseparated' before

T h e p re ssu rl ze d vri n d b L ew thr ough the whole house, tur nlng the cont'nts

l ns l d'e out

Tabre ohlna o f t h e o L d c h e r r y w o o d J e w e l r y b o x m a d eb y a c o u s l n .

Tay ).orlFowlke v r a s t u r n e d b a o kw a rd s o n th e pantr y eupboar ds, car efulLy

Page 45 as thoug h to av ol d"

any breakage. Every rocn had been touched by the hlgh blowing poltergelst of a mlghty visitatlon. Everythlng had lndeed been ransacked by great splrlt-

e d f o r c e b u t h a C b e e n p u t b a ck lnto a r andon or der wlth nothlnE br ok en v r hen pLaced ln the odd reverse arrangenent. ALl farnlly treasurers were alr unmol-

e s t e d l n t h e h e a v - vs m e } l y f e r t l l l z e d horse to death lnside the finest And then the alry

that vras strong enough to choke a

house ln South Fowlke. ltself around

thundering tornad.o contlnued to oollect

t h e p e r l r n e te r o f th e ti -mb e red old hom esteadl to lnvade the Last o f the gal Le r y p o r o h e s. A L l chorus llne l n to th e h e a vy colur nns wer e now r ushlng th e b J.a e k funneL chtr nney of hot alr upr var d l- lke a danc i ng or splr al pathw ay onLy The

seconds behlnd Red Rover the coLLle dog and poor lady with the baby. twlstlng alclous w ln d fu n n e l h a 'l n o tr ccm pleted. lts resldence to take or to collect ta stlng r ound tr lp

voya€le ar ound the pal -

thlngs 1lke a connolsseur, slpplng aII the lovely ol i l w ooden

a s a h u n g r y g o u rn e t ch e f,

vor aclousl- y,

T ool-unnns. he anclent habltatlon na t u r a l thelr

had flnalLy

been fully

enolrcLed by the

e l e me n ts o n a ra xo p a ge. The collle

dog and the lady had now begun had

tlmely

ru n d .o w n w a rdfro m the top of the dar keneil funnel- cl-oud.. ft

s e e m e dl t k e

a long tlme but only belng geconds in an anlnated. or suspended the lady and, the dog. pu l L too fas t r un' She The splral

shccklng vrorld dlreaml.ancl,for

T h e l a d y w a g a t L a st w a lking downhlLl ln a gr avltatlonal for a sickly so u L o n a tru l y stony path;ay, but thls

was &n alr y

rrvas unnlng, almost Jumplng, 8s lf r windy exlt of thls alr

no ailment whatsoever exlsted.

way remalned as sc1lC or flrn were thls

as I brlck walkway.

EvOrythlng uns gotng dorimhlll as lt t in u l n g o n i ts

tlme. The bLack clouil'i{as corl-

co n sta n t p a th or cye) .e tor cr ar d the blg gar a6r e. A s hal l - ow dl toh basln r v her e the SalLery posts

le d t o a d ee p g u 1 l -e y n e a r th e ed.ge of the Cr lvelvay tur nlng yearly

tornacloes had.always bef ore deposlted all- the plllared c o l -u mn s fro m th e l ong galler y por ohes.

or Iovely

The ver andahs on t'he ol d

Taylor/Fowlke nansion were now sagging as if ed fron a horrlble lntact, no vislble forlorn

Page l+7

a deep expressive frown had been cut or forgAlL eLse on the blg place urasleft

experlence.

d a m a g ed o n e , e x c e p t t o p u r l o l n h a l f - a - d o z e n c o l u r 4 n s f r o m h o rrl fl e day ln South Fowlke. be depl oy ed

ea c h p o r c h o n th l s

An d t h e w h o l e h e a p o f h eavy colunned posts would lnmlnently one upon the other, ting that thelr

comlng together tlke basebalL bats hur)-lng and then hltaII stacked htgh as alvrays ln the past dozen melee so well. aII durlng

scored targ*t,

even ten thousand danclng dervlsh could, never have done half wlts about lt

But the old dog and the lady had recoLlected thelr t hl s s t o r m y d " e se e n t a n d w e re thus r eady for th e flesh

the m oment of r eckonlnSl . T hes e

f c m e n t l n g wl n d s h a d . sp l t

and. blood contents of Lady an d dog out

and then belched out the calmnesg that had been lnslde wlth an horriflc pushlng force as p::etty as you pLease. The tady lntultlvely f ro m t h e s h a L L o w d l tch palr hobbled avtay T he m ud.dy

a n d roLled under the shed of the gar age.

tcok sanctuary behlnd a large abutement block fashloned frono bols dfarc ' t W h e r et h e r e t s a w l l l , there ls a waytt was the only

trees on the place.

platltud.e that the shocked lady uttered

when the heavy two dozen eolumns hlt

w l t h a f o r c e a n d s t a c k e d h n a d h l g h w h e r e s h e h a C J u s t b e e n d . e p o s l t e d .o 4 1 y s e c o n d . sb e f o r e . In a flash o f a n e r e s e c o n d o r l e s s , t h e d a r k c l o u d . a s c e n d . e db a c k l n t o came. Lightntng fllcker ed. lar neLy ln the hl gh dts -

t h e h e a v e n s fro m w h e n o e l t

anclent pecan tance, connectlng to,wtrere 1t had Jqst struck agaln the hu6e lts calllng card ln tree n8.ar the olc d.weltlng twlce that day before leaving wr nds s w ept t h e s h a n b l es o f th e p ro p e rty tn $outh Fowr ke. The destr uctlve a hinted' pr om lse to r ebound' a- f v a y , u p , f f ard .,a s th e d a y)-l g ht r etur ned wtth Just of mer er y 9 mlL es had been rn t h e a u t un m cycre o f sq u a w sunner . A d.r stance thls one btg roarlng wlndtraversed" ln alt as a hoFr skip and'a Junp slnce to se t d o w n g rat lfay Day on lts cyclec ear th- bound J our ney s t o r m h a c fl rst

Taylcr./Fowlke brlng a hastened reunlon in tine to tell thls ta l e and pl"ace once again tc thls

Fa51e&8 lady who llved

o f stcrn y traveLs when she lost

her way hlgh ln the s k y

wh e r e h e r t lme a l n ro st ra n o u t. T h a t w a e th e ve ry d ,a y o n r r r hlch I' flss Pr lm sey Dact.vllc ar r ived S o r r t h ! ' o w l k e so cl a l t he - t h l r d . se e n e . And that vir asalso the r eputed blr th on the of Ii tu Bob-

lT i s n o th e rr s b o d y \ir as never found ln any d.ebr ls and" the l ady was hls aunt ?rlmsey Daetyl-le. llBs the d.ev l l t s pay

holdlng cnto the baby Jlm Bob for dear llfe S o n n e t s q r r iQ$ ctlo b se rve rs o f all d on that day of blrthlng us u a l m y s t ero u s w o rk. town of just all thls

r uckus d.eclar ed. lt

and. d.ylng; others guessed lt l 'fa yb e that ls why Jln Bob fII

was Just the Lordr s ls so good to hl s hone-

orrth Fowlke to show hls goodness, to brlng new fangleil ideas and proof that he aint t so bad as the very day he was blrthed lnto

to offer

the mess golng on ln South Fowlke. T h e d estru cti o n fro rn th e tor nado was cl"eaned up nnucheasler than w as by the cyclone. And the auntle i',fiss Prlnrsey Daety-

the enctional llc

scars left

t o o k c h a rg e o f n a l cl n g su re that th e se rva n t q uar ter s

her cnly nephew was well ear e i l for ' old car r iage house and pr ovld.ed the m or al

$ h e m o v e d I n tc

g u t d a n c e n €ce ssa ry; th e o l d .-tlne

famlly

a m ald, l,{ ar nmDuggan, took c har p:e of Btg Jlnr Bob never remarrled or at lnvestments and.

house cleanlng and cooklng as always.

Ieast dld. not get the chance; he was too busy nenaglng hls was grateful for the asslstance from the babyfs aunt. was plaln

T h e a un t l ,l l ss P rl m.se y l aetyllc her blaclc dress and halr

as sln and d.or vnr l ght ugl y w l th

ln a bun. She wore no make-up and seldom smlled. go th,r ough the postpar tu o per j " od

$ h e h a d c o m e to h e l p h e r o w n twln slster of havlng her ftrst-and twc slsters together.

obvlousLy only-chltil.

No one had ever seen the

J l m B o b ts p a r e n t s h a d b e e n m a r r i e t l e x a c t l y o n e y e a r aLl- happeneil at onc e, l l k e

t o t h e d a y w h e n th e vyl n d sto r n and the blr thtng an onen cf greatness attachtng ltself

to tire babe ln arns that God took to

Ta y I o r / F o w l ke the brlnk

Page 49

o f h e a ve n t s d o o r to see close hand" and then found hls s w eet m other go. But the busybody skeptics stlll did not know what to

too goodly to let thlnk

a b c u t th e tu rn o f e ve nts, whether beln6; a pact wlth the d. ev l l or a

c o v e n a n t w l th Go d . On l y ti me would. tei.L. A hu65em emor lal stone y r 'aspl ac ed t n t h e c e me te ry p l o t n r o t h e r t o th e e te rn a l o f th e Pease famil- y, to m ar k the loss of a v r l fe and e l e me nts of South Fowlke. was hlr ed. to teach on the good. r ecorr unendatl on force of scho}arly standard 1n The baby nurse

T h e a un t l ,'l i ss D a ctyl l c cf Jirn Bob Pease.

She becamethe drlving

the torvnshlp and kept herself

above reproaoh frona the 6osslps.

Jlm Bob was her only resson to stay ln town, and a constant Llve-ln wa s h l r e d to sl e e p l n th e sar ne nur ser y r oom wlth the baby. wss a wldowed lady wt"th no ehlldren or , v n o e a l L h e r a tte n tl cn s t role nodeL for a way. stllI llvlng

Nanny F ay e Odom of her

and no honeplace

The eld.er ly Lad.ywas a good grani l m other l y

the baby ln h1s growlng years. who had so m uch C uty and.

T h e y ea rs p a sse d p l e a sa ntLy for the chtld

s n o t h e r l n g ca re b e sto w e d .u p o n hlm. r - lver ythlng was alvr ays done for hl s ol v n good,, wlth a reason belng explalned for each actlon belng taken ln hls behalf. Llttle Jlm Bob vras treated as an equaL adult by the household and

n e v e r a n y b a b y-ta l k

e l b b e r for hln to Later unl.ear n as a language s k l Il . And Santa Cl-auswas another thet ad.ults who vtere good Jlst Bob was as

H l s s e r l o u s m i n d . e dA u n t i e P r l m s e y s a w t o t h a t . nyth that Chrlstlans he was spared. so he would. never thlnk would. tetl

such a Lle as gospel truth.

Yet little

never over-dressed for

the occaslonl he v;as groomedln the sameattlre or ohurch schcoLers. He flt ln wlth

the other schooL chlldren

the rest but or

wa s a l w a y s to o b u sy g o l n g scoewher o ed.ucatlonal to be allowed to l otter kill tlne on the $outh Fowlke city streets. LlttLe

Jlrn Bob never had tlne

to get lnto

trouble growlng up; he was too Looked-after to leave to chance' hlm '

ly a s t h e r e aso n l n g th fft a u n tl e Pr lnsey always told

Ta y l o r / F o w l ke ttttLe Jlm Bob Cld lndeed grow up fast; H l s fa th e r

P age 50 h e s o o n b e c a s r et h e o n l y J l m B o b

ln S o u t h F o w l ke . wreck.

was ltlll"ed when he was ten year s oLd l n a c ar of the eld.er Jln Bob. The father

A one-car aocld.ent took the llfe h cme l a te a t n l 6 ht th e

wa s d r i v l n g ra n h i m o f f instant g rl e f

Cur lng a r aln

stor m when a i' Jaste R efuge tr uc k

The death w as l n to th e tr ee studded bayou under gr owth. " ? ,u d A n d t h a t w a s s u p p o s e dt o p a c l f y t h e accorCing the coroners report. so me h o w , cr led the r aost and took the ileath w or s e than The tear s wer€ s hed onl y

o f t h e fa n l l y

Bu t Au n t P ri n se y D a cty}l o t h e p a s s l n g o f h e r o yl n sl ste r ln s l d e

a few year s befor e.

t h e ro o ms o f h e r ca rrl age house but l{ anny Taye 0don knew as dl d the a ohang e l n South

h o u s e k e e p e r l ,fa mn aD rrg g a n . T hls secr et was weLl- kept for FowLke slnce it

ln w a s co n sl d e red nor m al that luilss Pr i,r nseyt,tnns a s tate of And

s h o c k f r o m h a vi n g b e e n b l o w n hfgh ln the skyr near ) - y to her own death. t h u s l "y t h e te a rs w e re sh e d for the poor llttle

boy Jir n Bob who was now an at the s am e

or p h a n w h o m sh e w o u l -d h a ve to r alee, tlnne, by the standards of littl-e T h e f o rtu n e l e ft l n tru st

al- bett a ver y weal- thy helr

$outh Fowlke. by daddy Jlm Bob v,' asa for m aL d.oc um ent, gl v l ng fuIl legaL authorlty. She only could

t h e s c h o o l - m a r m] f l s s P r l m s e y D a c t y l l c slgn checks and nake financlal

declslons of endurlng oonsoquences. The slster was regent for the nephew, who The bond. was establlshed" dur l n6S

ol6-mald school teacher as survlvlng wa s f r o m b l rth

b e l n g re a re d as her ohlLd.

t h e t o r n a d . o th a t n e a rl y b l e w ther n aL] to kln6;ilom cone. Thts closeness tled of t h e ? e a se fa ml l y thelr heartstrlngs forever. The aunt took eharge the num that am az ed. she bought

b u si n e ss hold.lngs wlth an lntenslty

e ro u s o o u s ln s th ro u g h o u t th e county and alL cf South Fowllce. p e o n y s t o c k s w l th o n e -te n th of the cash pr oflt

fr onr the two- thous and' ac r es

as wouLd have of cotton baok then and never oherged a eent for her services had' s he not been t h e l o c e l ln ve stme n t b a n ke r and tr ust- fund' estate attor ney,

Taylor/Fcwl"ke

?age 5L T hl s

g lve n t h e l " e g a l d .o cu me n ta s guar dlan and estate managor ot tr uste e. avo l d e d t h e ca sh fl o vr o f th e ?ease estate f e e s o r b l g n a n a g e m e n tp a y m e n t s .

fr om belng ohar ged.- off to l egaL

The estate prosBered as alwsys with lts grew tremend.ously ln number ag growlng penny stoeks, to pur-

notlceabLe assets but the stoek oertlflcates the wetl-read iflss Dactyllc chase blue chlps. c h a n g e f o r a p a l try L 9 5 0 rs . llk e the llttle sold the greatly

She eventual"ly bought a seat on the New York Stock Exsu m o f ',r r ell under half- a- m llllon d,ollar s dur lng the

old, school teacher auntle wag a wheeler and d.ealer nuch thls her ltage would som eda.y enabl e the Hls a untl e w as llfe,

d a d d y Jtm B o b h a d b e e n and all

o rp h a n e d e b tl i tto b e co me n u ch m or e than a hayseed far m boy. truly Looklng after hls best lnterests

ln al-1 things for hls future

by assuring hls dlverse lnherltance and by glvlng hlm an adult the best rank from her own flnishlng Littte school quallty days.

edueatlon of

Jlm Bobts educetlon camemostly frorn hone studles. He twned

He was onl-y

an average student ln seirool.

l n a s s l 6 g n n e n t so n t l m e b u t o n l y

medlocre work; h6 Just wanted to ftt

k lnto the nornal run of the m11.1 lds. to

Th l s n a d e hl n p o p u l a r e n o u g h slnce he had. a good. r unnlng plck- up tr uok s iv e r l d "e s h o n e a fte r h 1 r n t o g a L ll va n t sch o o l . lils

aunt never bought a fancy nelv tr uc k for ln the v 'r r onfiw ay

a b o u t th e county or to lm pr ess the glr ls

that he vras sone klnd of btg spender. cheapskate Llke all

She taught him stlngy ways' to be a

the Pease kln before hlm.

,Iin Bob, tho 3rd, as he preferred to use Arablc numbers for hls full namsnumeratlon, Srew up fast. hls age. He appeared as a bully ITewas an over-grown chtl-d, too big for type at flrst vlew, and for thst reason he

had assoclatedl v,'lth the older boys and Flrls

on the schoolyard, hcldlng hls

ownwlththebestoneswhowerethreeorfouryearsolder'Thlstlsdethe c o m m u n l t y of so u th tr''o w l kefe el schoor at age flfteen, gettlng that he was older than he r eally w as . IIe qul t

hls GnDa few years later.

Jlrn Bob dropped

Tay lor /Fowl-ke

?age 52 pranks

out of htgh schooL before he got there; he was bored $dth the chlldlsh of the younfler set.

B u t h e w a s r e a d y t o m a n a g eh i s o w n b u s l n e s s a f f a l r s . to take char ge of the to all- ow h- r - m He ran beef cattl-e nn the

I {is a u n t ' w a s o d d .ty n o re th a n wlltIng pease family

holdlngs on the farm yard scene.

ol_dcotton flelds .

and sold prlnne neat to the Japanese that was advertlsed on green pastures, all of hls clalns. of trhlch was true Top dollar for

as mllk fe6 yearl"lngs and heifers

when the buyers lnspected ttre authentlclty hls efforts were reallzed. from hls Labors.

Young Jlm Bob ftrrther expanded the prlnoebeef.

hls lnt.erests to own the butcherlng or processing plants for He bousht the truck

l-lnes whtch transported the meat to the shlpplng ports. sh l p p l ng llne for the whole tr lp wfien hls aunt l nfor -

I {e e v e n b o u g h t a sa a l l

n o e dt h e y o u t h o f h l s t r u e n e t w o r t h .

Wlthtn three years, he was an lnterthe necessary doounents.

natlonal buslnessman wtth hls aunt slgnlng all

By age 18, young trlm Bob was alL grown up actlng and.certaln).y Looked a decade oLder ln the face. He had no baby face or chlldlsh hls w l l d o a ts. antlcs to sow he w as w or thy he had the

H e w a s to o b usy maklng inoney and to pr ove thet ln llfe;

of alL the good thlngs that had come hls way so early s a m eh t g h n o r a l s place to let house. B u b b a F a r g a s D 6 m o sh a d o r l g i n a l l y Itlon ilays. It

of hls ded.lcated auntle Frlmsey Daetyllc.' or klck up thelr

Besldes, the cnl-y

down cners halr

heels was at Bubba TownRoad-

bull-t the beer hall-, back ln prohlb-

w a s o a l - I e d a h a s h h o u s e o r g r e a s y s p o o n p 1 - a c ew h e r e a l " l t t l e a fee, of course. T h e D g m o sf a m l l y h a r i c c m e

h o m e b r e wc o u l d b e b o u g h t f o t fron $t}loy

or Greecel no one knew for Ilttle

sure slnce they kept to tbenseLves Now, the last He had suspoeedly

and worked thelr of their

roadslde buslness for a bare llvlng'

r s c e w a s t h e b a r t e n d e r n a m e dB u b b a F a r g a s 3 e n o s .

Jtm Bob but was ail,owed to continue r unnl ng s o l d t h e e s ta b rrsh me n t to yo un€q Far Eas Denr osneeded C as h one owned it. a s l f h e s ttll the 91d slaaa

I

Tav lor /Sowlke night late a n d yo u n g Jl m B o b Just happened.to have the r ight

Page 5) sum on hl s But the

person, havlng returned. frorn a cattle re a l oddlty o f th e sl tu a tl o n

sale barn that v6ry ,iay.

' r r r as that iilno.Bobt s m oney ' ivss Just the r i ght way. He was always the

coLor of green to nake the bartender look the rleht nan of the hour after and less tlne that late nlght purohase. he bought lt

Jln Bob though speni less than before; his buslness

a t t h e r o a d h o u . s ea f t e r better

deals kept growlng and gettlng

aLl the tlme so he was not able to

flnd the tlme to carouse or shoot the breeze anymore. Jlm Bob, the 3rd, C l d n o t s t o p b y t h e r o a d h o u s e e v e n o n c e a y e a r n o v t r .H e h a d o n c e b e e n a r e gular until his the purchase; he got tlpsey and quoted Voltaire That was all or the llquor to the top of

l u n g s o r sc th e y sa l d . o ften enough.

d"onevr hen he w as under llcense woul-dbe l-ost. ln the

age and had to be swept under the floor The low llfers flrst devil

s a l d t h a t v r a sw h a t e n a b l e d J k o B o b t o b u y t h e J c l n t

place but sornethlngunsavory exlsted about the deal or pact with the as the drlaklng croltd. swore.

L o w l i f e r s a n i l r o u g l l t y d l v e s w e r e n c t p a r t o f . , r l mS o b r s a u n t r s t o l e r a n c e , $h e w a s a ha rsh w o n a n w h e n l t part came to dolng lr nmor al-thlngs; flgur e tr r as tall she l ook ed the

o f s tru e ma rtL n e t. H e r spinster

and slenilor for m w ho eLderLy

had been born forty nor,nlddle

yeal:s too l-ate; she was ageLess, belng nelthcr

a g e d .a p p e a r i n g . S h e h e t d h e r a g e w e 1 1 . , l v h a t e v e r t t

vrsso A11 that

go o d . m o r a l l i vl n g Crinklng

w a s w h a t n aile her look so good, was the cor une nts by the The old auntle spoke her mlnd. often enough and Lewdness belng punlshable by death or

sort at the roadhouse. d ri n kl ng

ln p u b l l c a b o u t p u b l i c eternal

d.amnatlon.$he was stern about keeplng good pubIlc appearances and' his lessons well at the knee of thLs dlscipllnfaee ln South F o$r l k e

y o u n € rJ l m B o b h a i l l e a r n e d a l l a ri a n a u n t o f h l s. for

I{e h a d to keep a good. mor al publlc ln particuLar.

hls famllyt s sake and hls auntie

That was the inaln reason

that ire had.becone such a blg shot finanelal

wlzard cut of town. That at

Ta i'l-or /Sowlke

Page 5l+

Least was the excuse that the good old boys at the roadhouse save for

hls

tlmes wheeLlng and deaLlng since they cared nostLy for the happy hour fun rather for than boaril roon dea)-ingl. Thelr place was the center of the universe

And t h e r n a n d co u l d n o t ccn p rehend belng elsewher e or dolng other w i s e. rvas present, to t h a t s e e m e dt o b e t h e s e n t l n e n t s o f $ i s t e r F l e d i s w h e n s h e slster FLedls never got drunlc drtrk a toast to the l-ocaL gooil.tine frollcs. b u t d . l i l a c t ti p se y fo r h e r o wn br and" of fun and' ganes' vras belng covsr-

S l s t e r F L e d l s o f t e n c o m m e n t e dt h a t s o m e t h l n g s i n l s t e r ed up by all that controll-ed. self T h e o L d g l rt

reserve that the splnster l''!lss t)actyllc 3" ong

h a d t o d l s p l a y. tlne

r nust have sewn her wlld' est oats a r eal l y t i n e t o o v e r c o r a el t of sins,

ago an6 was now taklng a long tlfe

all-, a speclal

ex-olatlon or eoverup to hlde her trall l t u b b a T o w nR o a d h o u s e l l l repute. $ister

laughed the naughty lady of

Fledis had onl-y caustic renarks

honored. about the prim old-rnald teaoher who was otherwlse well respected and T h a t o l d l ad y l s Ju st to o a ttached. to my br other for ther e not t o be s om e

s m o L d e r i n g h o t sn rb e rg te ft slster Fledls.

over fr om sone hot tfunes, chor tled' th e per v er s e

she dld not spread,rumors about anyone else ln $outh Fowlke' who had not flrst Slster Fledts did not usualLy speak out agalnst anyone alvnys passed as w bad.noutheil her wayward, ays, but these Jabbtng comments slster Fl-edls was being mlcicl-e chetter fal-llng llke tears ln the beer. be troublesome toward a well c h l e v o u s f o r s o n e d e e p d a r k r e a s o n . $ J h ye r . s e 'nas the only one who lgnored' her own respeoted member of the comrnunlty who oland.estlne breath tled b e h a vl o r tn a l L of sor r th Fowlke? That was Just th e al c ohol l c of the dl s gr unvra s th e usuar - excuse m acr efor the antlos lTot much attentlon

s o u n d .rn g o ff, slster

Fledls.

was pald to the sty remarks about

t h e t o r a m e trte

the r ea3- powe r hous e l eai l er s h e re a t B u b b a Tour nRoacthousesr nce places to be seen and ' hear d' s uc h s o u t h F o w l ke We n t to mu ch mor e c3' assy of house and' blg enter talnr :r ent sho w s . 9 s t h e e l e g a n t n e v{ co u n try club

Ta y l o r / F c w l ke

Page 55

chapter 3. Fanfalr of Stars

31g new flnanclal o f c o n v e r s a tl o n settlng for

deal"s ancl mere gossip were no longer the naln topla The newly com pleted eountr y cl-ub w a's the besldes faney gourmet dlnners anil buslstrings. B t g n a m ee n t e r t a l n e r s the oountry western sln-

l n $ o rl th F o wlke.

many grand new thlngs,

ness deals wlth the shakers of the capltal

and novle stars l,rere ncw conlnq to town, especlally gers. The loeal

ccunty shtndtg or open competltlon slng-song was held at country cLub as lt ruascalled by

the spaclous South Fowlke rol-Itng hll-ls the proud gentry as a descrlptlve The eptthet Rolltng the descrlptlve rnonlker. Hllls

locatlon. Al-f the menbers llked' made the new out of that very

Country Club stuck.

T h e s e c u l d e d .p r l v a e y o f t h e l o c a t l o n

lu x u r y a c c ommo i l a tl o n s se e n l ess of a r vhlte e3- ephant or nongtr osit y tts proper place, Tt was truly a Blg Town type of edlflce scene s1te. and for

a re a s o n w a s l n cl e ma n d .s a show place soclal Fanfalr country western $lngers festivaL speotular

The Sou th F ow l k e lt was the ldeal ar r the

was heL'l there;

ba ckcl ro p o f e l e fi a n ce that wouLd pr ovlde enough r oom for

oounty-wlde aeLebratlons and entrants.

Tay lor /Forvlke T h e C o u n try We ste rn F a n falr

Page 56 event vr as now expanded lnto a s tate- by -

state happenlng vrith dozens of slngers goi;rg frono pl"ace to plaee around the country. The origlnal maln attractton but all blg Fanfalr the satelllte in Nashville, festlvals T e n n e s g e ew a s s t t l l the

geve even more oxposure for And of The new

the u1:and comlng stars,

especlall-y in thelr

hcnetown countj"es. own Jubtlee.

course South Fowl-ke'ras nori rlch Rolltng Htlls Country Club flnery

enough to have lts

addeil Just the rlgtit

touch, more serlous

a n d h o n o r a b l e t h a n t h e o L d g y m n a s i u ma t t h e h l g h s c h o o l a l L t h o s e p a s t y e a r s when genteel poverty v€s thalr lot ln ltfe. Blg name slngers came to per-

f o r m a n d s l g n a u to g ra p h s a n d taLk with

the fans tafille the wotild-be s l nger s pralses ln

got to perforn between acts and al"so went arounil slnglng thelr snatches of songs they wrote" the local South FowLke charltles Any surplus left

fron the expenses went to

to he)-p the slok. South Fowlke

The whole thlng got startedl slmply because cf the local cltizen Dorcthea Icee Davies golng batty.

She began to walk around town

singi.ng a dltty. was stlll

S h e a d d , e i lt o t h e m e r r l m e n t o f t h e t o w n s l n g - s o n g w h l c h for her cat tfst was always lost or

v e r y l n f o r m a l v r h e nv r h l s t l l n g

had Just run away fron home tc get some peace and qulet from the loony tunes of her mlstresg. Dorothea wandereCabout South Fowlke looklng under auts for her lost cat, even wanderlng late at nl5ht ln her

fenders on the tlres fluffy

lmrnltatlon rabblt

houseshoesand long nlghtgown to collect

her cat. The ec-

Such anlllty centrlc

vras an acoepted.part of Dorothea and.her rovlng cat.

behavlor was not censured because of the heredltary

alzhelmertdtsgot

ease that her grandmother Swore and nother had dled fron. e vlorse each year as Dorothea viorrl-d aII the flre out of a tree, easily lost clalmlng |t

The dlstress

departrnent to get the cat The pea31 gray cat was

c o u l d n o t g e t d . o w na t a l l .

l n th e sh a d " o n sof the d.ar k, to get away fr om poor Dor othy . golng all over town.'r 'fhen fl nd'-

D o r o t hy w a s a l -vl a ys l n sear ch of her cat,

Tay tor/Fowlke

Page 57

ln g s o m e o n evro rl rl n g , D o ro th y wou) - d then stop to help then com plete the tas k . $h e h e l p e d n o st S o u th F o w l ko nlans bag leaves ln the autumn or as s l s t tng flower b e d s. S h e w o u l d . get lnto a novle llne with a fr lenil to talk wlth l n w eed-

s he s aw or soneone she and w aeh

stop at the school oafeterla thought

and get lnto that llne

s h e kn e w a n d . th e n g e t distr acted.

to go help en,nty tr ays

t h e r : na l L b e f o r e l - e a v i n g t o s e e k t h e e a t a 6 ; a l n . a ) - w a y s b e l n g h u n t e d . d . o w nl t k e a r a c c c o n a n d l t a h e a d .o f t h e w h l s t l e c a l l ; hu n t d . o w nt h e stre e ts

?hat kldd.y cat of hers was Just fled the premlses well

the cat often ran well ahead of her whlstllng I{ er pLight was a har mles s del us l on

o f S o uth Fowlke.

t o r r v a r dt h e c o r n m u n l t yh e a r s t r i n g s . f o r h e l p t n g th e p l tl fu } to be taken far so u l s llvlng

Thls experlence started. the fund ralslng ln $outh I' owLke r ather than donate s um s

from the county even to other needy folks. a center for the i nfi .r m and

C o v e r ed . d l sh su p p e rs l 'rer e helC to flnance t o d o u b l - ea s a n o u t p a t l e n t and.was thus quletly room.

Dorothea eagerly helped serve the pLates the beneflt, yet

polnted out as the prlmary reason for

she never knew the event vras for her asslstance. busy and an actlve part of the eommunlty llfe.

That happlly kept the lady ,Tventhe prlm l'ilss Dactyllc a lot of past aggravatr'Iedls

a p : . r r o v e do f t h e s e t a c t l c s . tion,

A good.cause nade up for

tvas the consensus of South tr'owlkecltlzens. regularly

And even Slster

S e n e s e h a l s e n t a h u n d . r e i ld o L l a r b l l t cause that aIl funded gladly.

ln an envelope to the good

T h e S o i rth F o w l ke F u n d vr as the offlclal contlnuaLl-y dld all

nar ne of the or ganlza tl on

that

the good d.eeds, They al-so used the high school masoot ftylng htgh ln a dlve. ALl of the can on thelr counters for a

on the 1etterheads, a big falcon blrd buslncssmen donated regularly

anC had a ttn

d c n a t l o n v ; h e n c h a n g e w a s g l v e n t o a c u s t o n e r . A n d .t h e f a n f a l r stlll the blg fund ralslng event of all-. It brought out all

slng-son8 was the clilzqns'

Ta y l o r / F o w l ke f i v e r y cl tl ze n o f S o u th Fowlke beneflted. fr or n the Fanfalr wlthln

?age 5e
heaLth dr l v e.

Th e f u n d s we re u se d e n tl re ).y

the county anC the backdr op o f the new ln blg nam e enter talner s to dr aw

f an c y R o 1 l l n g IIIIl -s C o u n try Cl- ub br oqht

t h e c r o w d . s o f d cn a ti o n p l ,e d g er s; an ele6iant settlng nlndful of what othere dld not have and. thus wllllng

Just m ade many fol k s to glve generouslyo He had donat-

T h e f a n c y c o u n t r y c l u b w a s a l L J l n B o b rs l d e a o f c o u r s e . ed the slte es t a t e . a n d .a l l

the build.lng costs whloh had d,erived fronn hls acuslnr s Klr k had tr aveled the wor lil ov er as a to lnherlt her

T he w e a tth y co u sl n Vlr gtnla

Jet setter,

m a r r y l n g a c l o z e nt l m e s b u t n e v e r a n y c h l l d r e n The Ktrk manslon was stlll Cltlfled

legendary wealth,

standlng Just off

the Lane

l-eadlng to the country olub.

streets with curblng and nane pLates N o t h l n g h a d .b e e n b o t h e r -

had been lnstal-l"ed along al)- the old country lanes.

ed. slnce her ileath a few years before and the locaL vandals dared not touch an y t h l n g f o r f ul , fe a r th a t th e l ur klng l l n g e rl n g South For qlke lvfonster would be ev er w atc hThe ever - m ar r y i ng T .r l s s He was the one who the m es s y detal l " s

t o g r a b th e n tf

ar ound the oLd place.

Vlrglnla

Klrk l-eft her estate to the go-getter

Jlm Bob.

ha d t o g o t h ro u g h a l l of her exolting wh o n e v € r qu l te

h e r J" egal and. per sonal, paper s to flnd story"

and, exotic llfe

Vlrg;tnla Klrk uas called. the prlncess Her obltuar y told the fl r s t par t

w a s a n d vrl th good r eason.

o f h e r f l a mb o ya n t l -l fe styl e , I lb r a r y

and 1t was lam lnated^ to lle

on displ ay

on the

t a b L e l n h e r o l i l h o u se ttr at was now a llvlng the over-flow

museumused as a gues t fest-

house for lvaL,

perforners staylng durlng the ten day Fanfalr however, was told often enough by all

T h e c o n p S . e t es t o r y ,

the oldb€-

t ! : r e r e s l d . en ts o f so u th F o w l k e; and lt f lt t i n g t h e l e g e n d ,a rd a rrl va t and btr th

was a r ather

melodr amatlc tal e,

of Jlm 3cb ln a tor nado w l nds tor m '

regal, flt for a queen' The old, Laninated newspaper eulogy story vras qulte wssr The torn' stately' about Vlrglnta trlrk, the -orineess who never

Taylor/TowJ-ke b la c k - b o r d e r e d nane: Yirglnia o b l tu a ry

Pase 59
co l -u nn ln long hand stated. slmply the compl - ete B o L d . L e t t e r l n g a d d . e da t o u c h o f e l e g a n c e t o early mornlng edltlon obltuary sec-

-Ettzabeth Klrk.

the yellowed copy of the ggglg {-gg[!g!s tlon.

The deep, typeset and bold-faced story contained a terse personal flerrather brlef accountlng for such a celebrated loca1 lady of lnterof thls faded beauty queen was also

ratlve-a

natlonaL repute or note. in c l u d e d . fanctful lssue.

A torn plcture

T h a t o n e d l m p l ctu r e and brlef

bespohe a thousand" r r l' or dsm or e tha n the to oonvey ln thls dally

eulogy ever could, or even dld try

But even more personal- lnformatlon

was reveal-ed lnslde an ornate tln

box stashed on the sooond shelf of the massLved.esk. Another slmple and h lg h - l _ 1 6 h t e d vl g n e tte l a y edttlon, td .l "e near by fr om a competlng newspaper rs ev enl ng Rllzabeth Klrkr ln the Elg TglaE

euloglzlng the deceasedVlrglnia

SegtlneL on the sane date of her demlse. d T h l s s e c o n d y e ) - 3 - o w et a b L o l d o o p y h a d b e e n c u t o u t a s t h o u g h m e a n t t o b e s a v e d .f o r e v e r by somegrlevlng::elatlve, brov,nlsh-brlttle or loyaI friend. The a5lng bor-

der now held a dlstlnctlve t oo t h e d . l n n e r zl g za g . i u t

edge to tt

because of a sawplnklng s hear g.

ma de fr om a seamstr essfs hur r led

Th e q u l o k cu ttl n g

e d .g e h a d . n ar r owly snlpped the Last cLear wor ds of the coPY. newsprlng of a scooped obltuary copy llne about th.e demlse of Vlrgtnla. so mu c h better told on3-y

yeLLowedJourna1lstic Thls snlpped rlval a few nore terse facts om l s s l 0 n s sa l d . tt all

But, mostly, the brlef

to those who had known her per s onar l y . on]'y soclal reglstry klnsnen

No blood. issue helrs were llsted, were ltemlzed llke for a tally

of course'

of prlzed bank aeeountants ln brlef

attendance'

chapel menorlal servlce appearance sake, wtth only a qulet and' shsrt N o o n e e l S e a t t e n d " e d .t h e s m a l L s e r v r c e s f o r t h l s b e l n g n a e n t r o n e da t a l l . ln f a n o u s l a d Y . Thefuneralgervlceshadlncludedtheequa]-]-ywealthyJlmBobfaml}y

Tay ),or /F owtke , a n d h l s c o u s l n W a l - d oS a l - n o a na l o n g w t t h a l l G e n e r a l _R o b e r t ' ! 1 . L e e . 3ngLanil. tnherit Ttrts terse ltst the arlstocracy

Page 60 kln of old'

o L also named. lneage to the Q,ueen f who expected to

0n1y the rare and soolally

promlnent relatlves

sornethlng substantlal-, tf

anythlng at aL1, had bothered to attend reglstry book:

slnce thelr

f e w n a n e s h a r d l y m a r k e d "t h e m o r t l c j . a n f s c e r t l f l e d barely three copy llnes

one clean page Jwt

long was the accountlng of the

wo u l d - b e m ou rn e rs, a l re a d y ver y weal- thy couslns themselves and th us noted onLy as her next of kln. legacy. No mentlon elther These rlch ones got much rlcher by her hefty

was made of her many ex-husbands, such prlncely fr om the cut anit yellowed news a r tl c Les . hus band's r the

na m e s b e l n g scru p u l -o u sl y o n l tted Not a hint

w a s g l ve n a b out all- her classy for tune- huntlng

wh er e s he hai l s p o u s e s n g 1 { ro n g g o n e a l o n g wtth al,l- the gr and. Eur opean.tour s Not a met them. That, too, was all carefully but gLarlngly left out. a m e n t l o n w a s m a d ^ e b o u t a L l t h e r n a J e s t i c w e e k L o n g p a r t l e s a t t e n d . e c la l L o v e r the worLd by thts h e r f a i l e d an d rl o h most el"e6ant and rega}-actlng n e mo rl e g . The faded newspr lnt Lady. Not a trace of all

now belng r er ead ' w l thhel - d yet gr aceful l l fe'

t h e e x t r e n r el y L o n g a n d l n vo L ved. stor y about her exotlc a Llfelegs f ro m p u b l l o

story now so obviously conceal-ed, ashamedlx, for p rtn t. T h e rg g .I stor y tay hldden lnslde of her blrth the tln untll

someodil reason' box am l i l the her death"

o d.ocuments f certlfl0atlon

from the tine

Herblrthwas}tsted,wlthtwodlstlnctdates.Shehaillndeeddled The pr r nt 0r so lt wour - dappear . f ro m l l v l n g rl fe to th e h i r.t.

J us t geeged

to}eapout'saylngttratsplcylnformatlonlntothebo]"dtypesetbetween relate' the llnes of thts oolumn had' muchmore to julcy per sonal paper s of her ov er l Y 0 r m ayb e th e re w e re Ju st too many b o x was an educ atl on w l thl n Browslng through the e}egant tln llfel certlfted tln box held. a varled' T h e ye l l o w e d p a p e rs ln the r osewood- l- lned lts e l f .

Taylon,/Fowlke aollectlon t lm e s p a s t . of nenorabj.lla relating to Vlrginla

?age 61 Tllzabeth Kirkt s llfe ' r ,r ete stuffed and

0 th e r a g l n g p a p er s, bound together ,

lnd l s c r l m l - n-

antLy along the sliles of thls unlque tln after thought, anong sone old oll The stock certlflcates

box as thougb placed there as an

stock certlflcates. The shares

dated fron the boom days €!Br

n u m b e r e d 5 0 0 , 0 C 0 f o r A P C O0 1 1 C o n p a n y a n d , 5 0 0 1 0 0 0 n o r e s h a r e s o f T e x a c o , costlng only oile dollar i )e r shar e back then on the d"ay of her blrth. l"lttle- knovr n oonpanles, stl l L l tfor e l l s ted

than two rollllon

b L u e o h l p shar es fr on

on the New York Stock Exohange, were also stuffed p re t t y

lnto the sldes of thls effor t.

b o x l -l n l n g a s th o u g h d.one ln a Last m .lnute and detalleil

Pv e r y g ! r y I g

sto ck vra s w o rth over thr ee hundr ed d"ollar s per shar e at thl s A rnllllcnalress at btrth, she Was now a bllllonalre ln Ilfe. SudilenlY,

v e r y m o m e n t o u sr e a d . l n g l

ln J.egal probated. testate*money a fr a y e d e n ve l o p e l n th e tl n

always belng her lot

box showed.lts

yell,owed. edges. fr o,:t havlng been fond. Ied s o

T h e s e b l ts often,

o f p a p e r w e re qulte fr ayei a n d vl vl d .Iy

t h e fre q u e n t

appar ent use fr om al- l the sm ear ed or s m udged the past

flngerprlnts

on the solled but "yellowed paper. But, mostly, aII w e re lngr alned

a n d d a l - n t y th u n b p rl n ts tattered

per m anently cnto the o1d co py . T he from the crease around'

edges vrere flaklng

loose onto my ftngers

the folded and tlme-worn marks that cracked., nore as touehed. The fraglJ.e edges broke off, c r e a t l n g a J a g g e d - e n d .e f f e e t lls€. upon the paper from so nany and'

y e a r s o f s to ra g e a n d p e rh a p s r lgor ous graceful scr!;rtlve a d d r e s s e d .l t s e I f

A flowlnff but asser tl v e

very personal l-y to the deceaseil Iad.y: The d.om lnatlng scr awl- l ts el f '/v as

np r l n c e a n d & frs. Otto V o n l {o nenzoLler n.tt all collored a n e cru h u e fro rn lts

ag1n8. The paper and lnk wer e nos t a y el flrn and' set lnto paperr the brlttle

Iowed ocher, alnost a sepia cast dye co}orlng, newsprlnt

oopy of the old Sol]lh Lowlke qgg!"!gg] dallv

T a y l o r / F o w l ke The yellow tattered depths of the tln lt f e pleces and blte

?a ge 6? of newspapersfron the bottom of Vlrglnla Kirkr s

box revealed yet more nrinute detalls

b e y o n d.h e r S o u th T o w l ke nanslon.

A casual r ead.lng thr ough the for ;:aal soclal mllestone for

notes of her debutante conrlng out party, the very flrst t hl s l m m e nse l y vre a l th y b e a u ty queen. V i r g i , n l a f s b e a u ty q u e e n awar d.s began her f lr st v rh e n s h e h ad b e e n a rn e n b e r o f the r oyal cour t

year ln hlgh

s ohooL She

of the foctball

queen.

remalned a noble prlncess of note from then on.

A n o t h e r d o u c m a n t e da v n r d " good cttlzenshlp essay

was the DAR (Daurhters of the Anerlcan Revclutlon) wln n e r f o r ftn e p a trl o tl sm; story.

l ,fr s. Sam lnllnnlfor d.t s slgnatur e

as ge neal ogl c al Klrk

l-lbrarlan told, that

AnC then 1n the folLowlng year, Vlrglnla

wa s p r o c l a l me d l 'l l ss S o u th F o wlke Beauty Queen. A1 1 t h e se cl e a r b u t fra gm ented elem ents of a com pulslve l' ,{ ls s Kl r k lstence caught fast Vlrgtnla self llllzabeth ln the offlclous ex -

nessages frorn more yellowed" papers. she almost net her-

Klrk had always been so actlve that tastes.

c o m l n g o r g o l n g vrl th h e r dllettante

$he vr ent fr om one pl eas ant so frequently t ln hand s eem ed coldly

resort

to the next and then onto some other worldly Rlvlera, 0r so the nusty ;apefs

nGo.n t h a t h e r m ld d " L en a me w a s l n d .eed, to lndlcate. offlctal Her Ltfe was now al}

a seal-ed. nd slgnedr certlfled,

l n th e d ry b l a ck a n d lnked d"ar k wor d' 9. phrased baptlsmal certlflcate was her second birthday K l rk lnterostlngly conveyed

Vlrglnl-af s brtefly a sontradlctlon; thls

or reblrth

lnto uhrlstlanity to cl afun the

s o t h e v a l n vl rg tn l a

h a s tened to take thls 3ut the tronlc

oppor tunity truth

Latest date as her birthday day. ln t h e f a m l l y s e c o n d s h e lf

though was secureil

on the blr thday, slttl ng B l -b l e w h l ch l l stec. the r cg,r or ftr st yor k stock lxchange c er tr f l c ates e d g e . A r.1 th e or iglnar , or - d New b t r t h d a y a s t h e t r u e n a m ed a y . The numerousoertl-

ar.so stated the orlgrnar

Taylor /Fowlke ficates brazenly bLared thelr

Page 63 varled. facts as though to defy the eye to lad y t s hi gh

pa s s q u ! - c k l y o ve r, toned llf e style

o r d a re the nnlnd to pass Judgement on thls this tln box.

now held f lrrnLy lnslde

T h e d e a d l a d y , o l p e r h a p s s o m e o n ee l s e , h a d m e t l c u l o u s l y h o a r i l e d .a l L klnds of choloe gossl*oy artifacts Klrk. further from the Llfe and gggn tlmes of Vlrginla box, all of then helplng to

Varlous passports lay throughout the tin detail thls world traveler or Jet-setter.

Her physlcal oountenanoe

got the most attentlon

on the prassport, for

the obvlous reason that thls

beauty queen had a dlstinctlve

sKlnmol"e. The mol-e(or beauty spot) was

l o c a t e d o n t h e L e f t c h e e k w h l c h c o u l d b e o o v e r e d b y h e r s r v e e p l n gc u r L s o f Ltg h t b r o w n h a i r to va ry th e beauty- m ar ked look. And. her br own ey es , al m os t

chocoLate ln color,

were aLways showlng disccntent as the surnane continual"l-y dlvorce. were

changed on the passbooks because of yet another excruclatlng Dlvorce decreeg abounded lnslde the ornate ttn box. mo s t L y l a y e re d " h a stl l y a ra o n gthese offlclaL papels.

Legalltles

The documents s how ed"

her tlme and place of blII h e r s e L f o f th e sco u rg e . gant box.

of dlvoroement wlth hupe sums belng pald, to rld T h e ex- husband.s seemed a dlme a d.ozen ln thl s el - e-

But they eaoh cost her a klngf s ransom ln cash al-one to free or o f e ve ry mo n e y gr ubblng spouse. every brlef f1tng, $he must have legaLl z ed, ev er y wlth no

eJ e c t h e r s e l f tnfldellty,

r n a k i n g a n h o n e s t w o m a no f h e r s e l f proprlety. secret, All

regard to totaL cost in an age of careful

these bLissfuL

facts were Lald out as though to rest forever, in g o f t h e fi n e ting ttn b o x. A n d atl All

ln the rosewood lln-

the contents wer e bound. togethe r by r ot-

slLken red rlbbons.

t h e p a p e r s , f u 3 - 1 o f l n c b o s s e db o n d e d .s e a l s ' rows, alphabetlcal for an orderry

ltned the otd tln

box ln near and tlmely flne

wa l k d o w n n e n o ry l a n e w h e n thts L { o r e ma trl mo n l a l

Lad' y was bl"ue or m eLanchoL y '

p a p e rs abounded b,v the stac} cs ln the other s l d'e of the

Ta y L o r / F c w lke ol"d t l n plles box,

Page 6l+

T h e n , a a a re w edd,lng anncuncem ent vr as spotted under neath the infornatlon. Someother fanlly papers of a own

anC stacks of lat*restlng or offlelal

btll-of-divorcement

edlcts also lay next tc r/lrglnla Klrkrs

personally rr'rritten Last will latlve, lobit a favorite

a n d t e s t a n e n t d . o n el n a b i g h u r r y .

A cLose re-

sibl-lng, her Cear slster

A r t e l l - e I fl r k h a d d l v o r c e d L o u l s ,

of Salnt Louls, l{lssourlt

T h e n o w e x-l d rg . L o u l s T ,obit had m oved back to the famlly m ans l on l n $ o u t h F o w l ke a n <l .th e n h e l p e d tc establlsh estra. All the local downtown Symphc ny Or c hi-nsjde that

thls was toLd 1n a neatl"y fclded newspaperartlcle

very same d.lvorce decree, as lf Th e s e o c n d vrl fe o f l ,fl ste r l o bltr Loblt,

the two were somehowel"ated ln lmportanoe. r } s was boasted as the ?r beloved".{ r s . El v a Thus, Vlrglnlafs darltng dlvorcee

the natlve patron of the arts.il

slster ArteIIe,

mueh to her ehagrln, had mere}y lins:ered on the edge of status to found. a btg band group, AII these

greatness of mlnor celebrlty Ktrk famlly

s e c r e t s w e r e b e l n g g l e a n e d .f r o m a l o n g s c r i p t i v e thls

note attached

t o t h e t e g a l " d o cu me n ts a s th ough an after - thought; came from the lgolated vrritten notes from Vlrglnlars newsy account ln the SoutL {gg,fEe ggg!.19.9.tfurther had dlvorced and weil ln elty Artelle of Sit. Iouls, lflssourl.

per :sonal d.ec Lar atl on

o w n d e t a c h e d .h a n d . . T h e stated that But later, slster Artelle I

slster

had narrled TIalter Raynond T::elford 1n New Orleans, so the ageil notes about

fronr the depths of the elegant ttn box revealed. more esoterlc trlvia the lnfamous and often dlvorced Ktrk famlly. T h e C e p tb co f th e o ra n te tln

box held m any nor e secr et wonde r s . F l - uc k ed

upnextwasanotherfad'edpleceof}'etlowedfcrmalstatloneryfromtheo].d Tnc' 1 of llarLe r,rlallace, presid.ent of l{ollywood Assoelateil Studlos, The botd typeface lettera t I 5 l + 9N . V l n e , b e t w e e n H o l l y w o o d ' a n d 'S u n s e t B l - v d ' rt hail bod.y of the letter' h e a d c o n t a r n e d B s u r u c hw o r d r n g a s d r d . t h e a c t u a l caseer offer' based extended Ellzabeth Klrk a soreen test and a modeling offlce on t h e b e a u ty e o n te st w i n n i n g as i{ lss South Fowlke. To thlnk, s he ooul d

T a y l o r / F o w l ke have been a movie queen vrlth the best of tire 6iolden oldies! r4 r e r en e x t d.e te cte d !n th e ca reful this peananshlp fr om thls

Page 65 Coplous notes

would- be s tar l et; of toggr d.

screen star cand"ldato had covered a hard scrlll n o tq s o n h o rv to b e a ggog lxgdel.

sketch pad fuII

careful

' r Ahvays seen ver y fr lendl y

t h g g g . n m g { g }g " w a s th e fl rst

tenet under scor ed by Vlr glnla.

The l ar 6qe and of her

flowlng femlnlne penmanshlp, thoirgh, emphasizedthe characterlstlcs s t r o n s a n d stu b b o rn h e a d .stro ng ways. to soend, to stay ln one ldle Vlr ginia

had too nuoh m oney on hand. She hail

place very long uns Just too borlng.

a eoncentrated force of personal actlon of her own cleslgns to do, not to foll-ow somedroll dlrectorts notlon of hovrto act har role out ln Ilfe. and. hand-

T h e n , a w h o l e a ctl o n -p a cked and Intl;nate bar r age of flowing wrltten lega1 wtlls ( or last testaments) fllled

one coraer of the narrow tln femlnlne serlbble,

box. These nunerous'rIast at tines

wlLls'r staeked hlgh aloni'rrith

s e e m e dt o h l s s a v e h e m e n t n e s s a g e f r o m t h e h e a t e d m o m e n t : ' r T h a t should. I go flrstl'r w l l - Ir f

toaC of an unly prlnco Otto gets nothlne from ny estate,

Ev O f y t w o or th re e ye a rs, a n other d.ated.and. hanilv,r ltten angr y' fleg aL would. Iay forth lts shrlLl b u t f L e e t l n g m e s s a g ea s o n L y V l r g l n l a

Klrk oould

do; once even omlttlng her own dear sleter Artelle from an lnherltance

or her beloved father tbey too possessed

ln case of her untlmely death. Yet, wtlls

weaLth alreaily equal to hers. The brlef o f l n t e n s e B n g e r o ve r th e ye ar s, tlrne from lnherltlng Klr k w o u l d re l n sta te anythtng, th a m a l l tf

also exc]uded, ln the heat

whatever thus- and.- so husband she had at that she dld. unexpectedly' 0f course, vlrglnla

soon after war ds

once the an8er hail c eas ei l to box lndlcated'.

run tts

h a t e f u r c o [ T S t s n - o r s o t h o s e o l d c l o c u m e n t sl n t h e t l n

volrls expressln8 Further dlgglng found subseouent anc dated sff lcrous l-esal pass r n the heat of famlLy pass l ons . T he t h e r e n e w e d a n g e r th a t se e rn edto as was evoked often by t\tzy vlrglnla' a n d . w e L l - u s e d w e a p o n o f m o n e yv r a s old. learned i-nereasingLy from u6ltten secrets lnside the tin box'

Taylor /Fowlke OLd welL-used passports lay ln a plIe, the treasure-laden c a d , e so f t r a v e l l n g llfestyte. Flrst, tln box. Portralts, all

Pege 66 heaped almost, ln one corner of of them taker over the many d.eessay of Vlrginlars fast-paced chlldhood

abroad., created. a plctorlal a faded. plcture

of a teenager, a wlll-of-a-wlsp

b e a u t y . N e xt,

a yo u n g w o ma n l n another fad.ed passpor t boolc. Then, a y outhfuL v;er e, tr ying to hang- on to a fad.ed y ounger

en o u g h a p p n a rl n g n L a i l ytf a s l t

lrnage. An aglng matron stared out ln doflance on yet another old. passport. And f lnalIy, the f amlllar but el-derl.y ref lectlon, glaring lts contemporary "Vlrglnla Klrk

dressed look which most Soutti Fowlkonlans knew as the typlcal look.t richty The Iast plcture was old before ltstlme,

enaclateil, becauss of a at both ends. "$her?

p a n p e r e d ,e x l s t e n c e o f b u r n l n g t h e c a n d l e - o f - l l f e flguratlve)"y by ln the plctorlal

fltckered lald

passports, vlsas seen too, all l'fost

to rest next to her llfet s many crulses and sood tlme adventures.

o f t h e a d d r e sse s o n ttro fa d e d vlsa

booklets r ead 808 Hawthor ne ln the l ow er

l{o n t r o s e a r ea o f t4 e va st p l ,antatlon by the same nane of } ,fontr os e. T h B t l o w e r l ,i o n tro se h o me slte the ttn box on the orlglnal had hlred an ftalian of t h e o r l g ln a L lavlsh was next dispLayed. gr aphlcai- Iy w l thl n ilravrings. Her father

and detalted archlteoturaL to desl.gn and,personally a fine estate house.

arohltect

rebutld the old part The o1;ulenc e of a lncruded I

co u n try h o me lnto was told

famlry llfestyle

ln the lenp;thy ltst

of furnlshlngs

on an lnsurance consist. th^ rloh furnlshlngs

A casual glance though verlfled the flne

the extenil of were tllgg-Uggggtv

throughout

house. The carpets oil

o f e o u r s e . T h e a d d .e d sp l e n i l o r of d' ozens of cr lginal Du t c h m a s t e rs stre w n p ro fu se l y vervet. on the walLs.

paintln6' " 's by ol d

Anil the wallpaper w as F r enoh

of sterrlng slrver, stll-l Thls manslon was reprete wlth three sets exqulslte patterns of bone chlna' set on the pantry shelves near the tlrree pr-ace-settrngs was the old-fashlonNever dtnlng twrce rn one.day on the same m ans l on thls neck of the wood' The Klr k e d c u s t o m o f th e l a n d .e d "g e n try ln

T a y l o r / F o w l ke wa s n o w a ] l vl n g mo n u n n e na u seum to a r r yayof ltfe t

P age 57 long past ln S outh F ow l k e

t o ' , v n s h l p a n d co u n ty w i d e a re a. But South Fowlke was not Vlrglnla from lt. A n a r r a y o f a d d . r e s s e sf l l l e d Klrkr s only place o,f residence. Far the old tln box fulL of rel,lcs. Be-

sid.es the orglnal

ranchland.s near Amarlllo,

the place at 2L25 Collseunx

Avenue ln New Orleans appeared most often on the out-Cated. passports. That L o u l s l a n a a d i l re ss l {a s a ch a rnlng and. eLegant d.welllng ln the posh par t of t ow n . t l l r g in l a a l sc o w n e d .sever al old bulldlngs in the fam ea { gg ggh ?uar teg.

S h e l e a s e d "h e r d e L l g h t f u l

places thare only to the famous or near-lnfalrlous;

she had thusly met and oonversed wlth authors such as TennesseeWtlllams wh e n h e h a d re n te d o n e o f h a r old cottafies near her faned Audubo n dw el l l ng on Dauphine $treet. her encounters wlth And Virglnia other wrlters also had scribbl-ed lnterestlng menos about

of her day at the Pg! 9lBglgg-Bgg-gnd

&eglqutqnt ln the heart of the EI9!9I Qugrteg.
n f n t h e h e a rt o f th e !'r_e4- o4 Qggr ter tt ls r lher e Vlr glnla to phrase lt flr st m et author

Tennessee \tfllllans as she llked alnost htdded away deep lnslde was vrhere she heLd'tcourtt Llams for lnsplratlon

on her aglng note pads, found

that tln box. And that New OrLeans cottage her vlgnettes about Tennessee1''Il1she',vas the composlte

v r h e nr e l a t l n g

the press. VlrE.lnla Ktrk had often sald that for al-I the exotlc Klrk herself

l utcmenn the famed Tennessee tYllllamsr plays. rvhatever that meantr by lri the old to

Thus, Vlrglnla

was an ltem, of sorts,

the press releases lncluded here ln the oLd tln box. There, also, heart of the {Lggch jggflsg'

was where she had' net and had drunk a toast

ln ? r e n o n t w h o su b se q u e ntLy was hlr ed to m anase her many apar tm ents "Tlmmle alnost faded'-outr due to l,oulslana. A cencelled cheok with the Large sum paperssqueezedtogetherforyearslnsldethetinbox'borethenanoetfJlmnle o'd tr av eas they vler e' *r hod*e pod' g' eof Pr e m o n t , f O,. S e rvi ce s re n d e red' r

Tay lor /Fowlke Iogues contlgecd to faLL fron the little fragraenteil pleces of her col-orful, box corners, revealtng

P age 68 but scant

nctorious

and even vrasted life.

B l t s a n d p l e c e s o f t o r n n o t e s a p p e a r e d f r o m a p e r s o n n a m e dN o r a s o n e bo d y o r c t h e r th a t e ve rycn e l n South Fowlke knew full well as another l l fe ln South Fow1ke. the r-rane

not worth a hll-L of beans accordlng to the standard,s llved Further scrutiny revealed her full ldentlty

as belng Nora 0tBrlen,

be l n g a l m o st va € l u e l y l n se rte d cord stralght for

by a l"ocal sj- ghtseer er wlshlng to s et the r et h e m u s e u m - h o m e p l , a c eN o r a w a s o r . o o m p a n l o n a n d .o n L y t r u e f r l e n d , observatlon. Thelr frlendshlp be-

the strangers vlsltlng llfelong travellng

had been Vlrglnlars strange as that fact

nlght seem at flrst readlng addltlonal

came more evldent after

notes and.uncoverlng generous Nora

canceLed bank notes or cashlerrs had been a part-time

checks to tlte ilNora 0rBrlen aeoount.n

maid servant and personal conpanion to the old Klrk ranch. Consequently, she was of slave glr l" or l ndentur ed. Judglng

fanl)-y when ln resldence back at the Amarlllo o rd e r e d a r o u n d . Ju st l l ke a fa vor ed menlal sor t

s e r v a n t . B u t N o r a w a s d e v o t e d .n e v e r t h e l e s s t o h e r n r e n t o r n l s t r e s s , from the numerous annotatlons lndlcated fron geekers of the good.ltfestyle. a b r o a d t o g eth e r Vlrglnla

the long hand of both these all thelr trlps engage-

generously pald for

a n d o f co u rso bought all

the ol- othes for the socl al

ments, choostng all o1d pald-tn-fu}l Nora had certalnly Vlrgtniars

d.eslgner gowns wtth exactly the rlght

decoLl"etg. Those tln box.

recelpts

stacked hlgh lndeed lnslde the pretty

a t t e n C e d .a L I t h e m a J o r a f f a l r s

a n d v ' & l m sc o n n e c t e d t o

soclal whlrl

Llfe around the world in hlgh style' life certaLnly eeened equal to Vlrglnlat s at first s ha ppl nes s or c or npanl 0ns wlth a In

Norar s own soclal

g l- a n c e , Sh e a ssu re i i l y h a d a n lntlnnate knowledge of Vir glnlaf wh a t e v e r h e r sta te

o f ml n d a t the ttm e. The two hail been fr lendr y

the soclal olrcult f r o m a d . o l e s c e n c ea n d . h a d b e e n b o u n d t o g e t h e r o n lon g m u t u a l h l sto ry o f a sso clatlons untll Vlr glnlat

s untlneLy death.

Tay)-or/Fowlke fact,

Page 69 few as

Norets own hand.wrltten note of condolence to the family helrs,

they were, lap on top of the oLd canceled lnvoices that had pald her way alJthose many years. I could alnost hear the echo of Norar s hurtlng, v o l c e r e a d . l n g l ts grlevlng c ut

o n n d re a ry doldr um s of a nessage fr on the car eful l y now for all

pa g e s t h a t ha d sa ve d . th e sa d clness untll spoke of Vlrglnlats

to r eail. She al v r ay s qulver on the verEe

demlse with a qulver ln her voice-a

of c r y l n 6 l ou t L o u d " . T h a t sa n e vocal tone of } tr or afs had sur vlved t he bur l al rv i t h l t s m ost a p p ro p rl a te b u t dr ear y monotoneo Nor a had a l{ ldwester n dr aw l Llke a run-down vocal muslo box tecordlng on she sounded:

that alvnys soundedtlred-out,

a scratchy tape or worr-out maln sprlng. $he also looked llke

c h e e r L e s s an d g L o o rn y a s th o u gh she should have been entom bed wlth her dear d . e a df r l e n d . l t r o r a fs p a s s p o r t p l c t u r e s c e r t a l n l y nade her look the part of pltlful countenance next to

belng chronlcall-y deJected when vlewlng thelr Vtrg|nLat s. IIer droll-, e v e n m o r e vtvl d l y

spoken vrords projected that the o1d cassette

same somber lnpnesslon

w h e n p l a yl n g box that

s tape of lr Tor at vol c e fr om of a fLensey

the heavy laden tln Ilfe

s e e m e df u l L

o f e n d . L e s st l d - b l t s

spent in pursuit of the good llfe all over the world. 'nach sonber word that Nora clellvered had an echolng grief as tf postertty

about oLd should know

Vlrgtnlar s death. Nora spoke of slneere truths sorr*thlng real and profound about thls

mlstress of hers. Memorles from Norats lnslde the

. ne1.ancholy voloe add.edto the eerle mood of the musty notes stlll" tln box. I{er duly noted memorleswere chocked full a s sh e l- tked to call

of the endless Latln had spons or ed' m any

Lo v e r s o r ca g a l l e l g q €

then. vlr glnla

South Amerlcan r1enover the yea1s for cltlzenshlp buylng then new cars so they could set around real Lattno of her llfe a new pontlac grande prlx,

ln the Unlted States by good' she bought the last

accordtng to somecancelLed

checks.Andshehadgtvenanotherherdsman'esVlrglnlaalsooftencalled *Guys are out Just t h e n a l l , a l o a n o f S 1 8 1 0 0 0o a s h . I t w a s n e v e r r e p a i i l '

lby1or/Fowlke fcr what they oan get fron a rich brmd,n on the soratchy tape recordlng. Vlrglnla

Fage 7O was often quoted by Nora box lndlcated as indlscretionso The

0ther netnos lnslde the tln

much and more. The two lad,les often consoled each otherts telLlng nemorles of thelr travels

t o g e t h n r w e r e n o w s e a L e d .f o r e v e r , box.

secret,

from the worlilts

ever watchfuL eye lnslde the orante tln

No onefs mental lmages could. ever do Justlce to the untold tosetherness o f t h e t w o w e l l -tra ve l l " e d l a i l les. Nor a wag now the soclal ilasspor ts. enlgm a that need.ed

p u r s u l n g t h r o u g h th e o l d p l o tur ed- lmper fect

The faded. l nage of of lat e, but not c am er a w as

No r a s h o v r e da n e L o n g a te d fa ce wlth dr r r ppy eyes fr om cr ylng " f ull y r e d d . en e d fro n , th e fu l l

shock of the loss that a oasuaL lolar ol d Her long str lngy hal r

c o u l d c a t c h so q u l ckl y

l n a per nanent fasfiion.

p u l l , e d .b a c k l n o r d e r ) . y d l s a r r a y . controtled

The moodcreated by Norat s voloe was further that woulil allow only words

by the way her 1lps appeared: thlck, o r se e mlngly Just faLl

t o s l o w l y r o1 1 fo rth a m o v l n g w al l l n g Vtrglnlars

out. She looked and s ounded.Il k e

t/\q l l o f p e rs onlfleil

lamentatlcn when speaklng ab out dear

death. Nora dld not use euphenlsmsto mask her own mournlng. a r edundant r ecor dlng fr om an

N o r a f s mo u rn fu L vo l ce spoke weakLy llke ag e d t a p e wo rn b e yo n d e n d u ra nce ltseLf. lnto her speech so full- of lull-s.

She heaved.haavy gulps of ox y gen to speak seemedLlke run-

Al-I her efforts

c l o w nb u r s t s o f e x p l o s l o n s . N o r a t a t k e d l n o e c a s l o n a L s p u r t s o f r e m l n l s c e n t phrases, d.escrtblng happler days past, AlL of thls was gleaned.from a very yet of the ornate scratchy cassette recording founcl ln the lovrer recesses p re t t y tln b o x. vlslt to the Rlver Front Blstros ' r vl r gl nl a c oo-

Norarg recordlng also d.escrlbed a laet an d b o t e l s l n th e e xo tl c o l d -wor lil

atm ospher e of san Antcnlo.

s u r . t e d .a n a s t r o r o g e r ,

you knowr* oontrnued the carefulry

ne*sured' word's of

theadorlngNora.n'Aosnnameit?auLfromAlberta,canaclaalwaysneetsher

T a yl o r / F o w l k e there ln fabul-ous San jlntonlo for a readln6:r'r droned liora.

Page 71 rtHeCoegntt

k n o w y e t a b o u t V t r g l n l a t s d . e n l s e , t h o r . r g h .S o n e o n e s h o u l d c a l - l - h l m ' B u t , o h , the cogt-long reallzatlon blLl dlstance calls a r e s o e x p e n s l v e r n l a n e n t e d .N o r a w l t h f u l l [ow. A ].ater investlgatlon of the telephone

of her sltuation

rev^aled ths t Vlrgtnla

conversed by the hour wlth Paul ln Canada; hang was dead and the

the exnense that poor lTora so d"readed,now that Vlrglnla ol-d phone btlls

were l-atd to rest arong vrlth ever3'thlng else in the ol-d tln'

b o x . ' t A n d .o n c e P a u I f l - e w t o S a n A n t o n l o w l t h h l s w l f e a n d c h l L d r e n t o a d v l s e Vlrglnlar" so Nora eontlnued. to comment. The oLd rnorld glamor of the rlvern e a r t h e S p a n l s h G o v e r n o r rs h l s t o r l c Falace built ln L7l9 added or so

walk theatre

t o t h e n y s t l q u e n e c e s s a r y f o r a g o o d .r e a d l n g o f t h e h e a v e n L y s t a r s r PauL madeVlrginla better flnanclal belleve.

Paul had chartered. her l-ast read.lng wlth even the gratulty fee entlrely that

saj.ns proJected; he always left

to Vtrglnlaf s good graces, Vtr g l n l a

Pault s la st read.lnt foreto ld lronlcall"y slx alonths of that neetlng. charmlng and.conf ld"entlal,

w ou l d ma rry a g a l n w lthln

The reed.lngs always went well,

even wlth

Nora olose at hand. Nora, ltro dld not bel-leve such starry-eyed busi,ness, slnply vmtched ln ad.ulatlon as Vlrglnla was nade happy. Vlrglnla always ro-

turned carefree and flamboyant frcm an astral- cast readlng. But thls ebuLIlence changeit soon when the men of her Life besan to Vlrelnla w o u 1 d .o f t e n e x e l a l m l n e x a s p e r a t l o n a b o u t a l l gather llke vultures.

her hot l,atlnoles:

'rf s h o u l - d ma rry yo u n g D a vl d l ,fer lwether who woulr l. then cha se a 11 the ,gl gol os far aivay-keep rxe safe from all book and bills Vlrginla Ln order. the baR guys. I)avLCalread.y keeos ny check along.n

I need a eood man to g,rlde or herd my llfe

w o u l d a l vra ys sa y a l L thts lettlng

whtle shaklng her head ln dou btfuL s el - f

approval whtle stllt

read.y to go out on the town wlth her suys' gestur e of aFr eem ent to that l dea'

her tr anqull N o r a a l so a l ,a ra ys n o d .d e d. Nora's druppy-fluid

and' bore through any eyes penetrated the convetsatlon

Taylcr/Fowlke

Pas e 72

observer whc seened to say too much about the strange circunstances ccnnecteil t o t h e C e r a l se o f h e r d e a r V l rginla, test tin Nor af s gr ief and loyal- ty end.ur ed the

of tlme. Slgns of ltrorafs lovlng handlwork were seen everywhere ln the box. I v l e m o r l e sw e r e a l l that Nora had left of Virginla so she placed

nost cf the menentos lnto the tln wtll

box ln the first

pLace. Not one hand.vrrltten scrawl. Not one penny

e v e r n n e n t l o n e dN o r a r s n a n e l n t h e f a m l l l a r

Klrk

to her name dld Nora get for all left

her ccncern. Yes, nary one red cent was

to the genulnely bereaved but loyal Nora, who was buried however in family plot there on the estate. seroll d c m l n a t e d a n e n v e ) - o p en e a r t h e

the Klrk

And then, a wlde-penneil bereft bottom of the pretty tln

box, ileady but deepl-y-wlde lnky strokes appeared It was slgned frorc Pri-nce

as though dashed fron a pen with a gold pclnt.

' ,\Ilesbaden. The autoc r atl c IT 0t to r , ' , T { o he n zo L l e rn to B a ro ness Von F.lchthone contents contalned chlt fuII of tid blts that chat about personaL health and a stay ln a hospltal,

onl"y a royal personage to another of hlgh rank would l"t took half droll the pase.

wrlte f or publtc show. The slgnature was so Large that T61s posted letter for the ages to reail.

fron a seenlngly real prlnce slared lts

message on

The enptlness between each wlde-stroked lettering

the page left It

l a purzled- spaced-out funpresslon. And such a munCaneetter! lntendeil pCIrsorlr

was meant tc be lmpresslve, to be read.by Just the rlght correspondence ended rtght

Thls princely

there. Not a royal word more was to uneover more personal sentlBut another hand-serawled had once aqaln onltted otto

f o u n d . a n y v r h e r ee l s e . A l L e x h a u s t l v e e f f o r t s nent from tbls

rrtoad of a pr1nce ottott falled.. ln pencll was nearby. vlrginla se ttlem ent

,rlast l-egal will,t angrlly

f r o m h e r p ro p e rty

l- n case of pr ematur e d"eath on her par t

iltoad" came ln' and that wag where the ref er€nce to paper oltp The angry notatlon was attached vla

to the royal

letter'

Ta.vlor /Fowlke S h e l n d n e i l h a d .a r o y a l flt, Ylrglnla

Pag.e73 then Gnce again personally C.isposed. s h e a n d , O t t o h a d p u r c h a s e d "t o g e t h e r . the gar baae bln ln a fl t ocdlcil of

cf aI1 her pri.celess art , Sh eh a d s i n p l y

objects that

th ro i .m th e n a 'dm y- deshed into no cther. But the brlef Ylrslnla

anser, ra€ie unlike wtll

certlfled

to her l-egal-

n showed, allee of forethought. a substitute

dl-sinherlted her Prince Otto by

proxy-llke

vooiloo efflgy

that got hlm squarely where he llved,

ln her pocketbcok. The false

b h u s b a n d ,w a s n e x t c c n d . e m n e d y h l s o w n w o r d s l ep!.stLes whlch Virglnla box-hldden had also kept

the verbage urasthen found etched lnto stored carefully after the tlne

ln the bottorn layer of the tln of her death. letters

from view t111

These once seoret scriptlve by w o r l d g ove rn ro e n ts fro m a far ,

were very offlelal

and were sent

They each r ecor d.eil the de,ceptlo n by thi s incognlto, as he had wlseLy excused.

frauil cf a nprlnoert Otto who traveled

s u e h d u p l l e l t . y b e c a u s e c f b e l n g d e s e e n d e df r o m t h e r o y a l h o u s e h o l d c f G e r m a n S m p e r o r l n l i l.h e l m (tfre l n fa rn o u s tr Kalser ts!Il") who alnost conquer e d. the w or l d.,

o n c e . B u t O t t o h a c l c l e v e r L y p o s e < la s B n o n e x l s t e n t g r a n d s o n o f t h e d e p o s e d Tn p e r o r a n d sh u n e d th e p u b l " l c eye for when 1n reallt.y was totd fear of belng swanped for all autogr aphs ,

o h e ' , r , ' . l a sn t h e l a n f r o n a u t h o r i t t e s d o c u m e n t st h a t

across Surope. Al-l lnposter. The New 0r-

ln the offlcial

exposed thls

lea n s p a p e rs w e re fu l -I o f su ch em har r asslng headllnes, tttle rfPrinoess'rHIlzabeth Vlrginla

nam lng na m es . T he

s e e m e dt o f t 1 1 t h e y e l l o l v e d n e v r s p r l n t e i l sam e r etr al br lef tltle fr or c thel r

*choed the p a g e s ; o l d g o ve rn rn e n t d o o .u rnents legal roster tln of most wanted crimlnals papers rsere all

ln the botton restlng that Vlrginla

pl-ace of the

box. These legal

Ktrk had l-eft or had careil

to save, from the bogus ?rlnce Qtto story book marrlage of herg' Vlrglnlaf s more l-egal w The ? r i n c e O t t o s o a n d a J - a s b u r i e d d e e p l n s l d e turn' Health cards p ap e r s . g l r 1 v l r g l n t a K l r k r s t l f e t o o k a n c t h e r d r a m a t i c

Ta y l o r / F o w l ke or medical reports fllled thls l - a . v e rw i t h

Fege 7l+

the bogus prlnce story.

Ylrginla into food,

t had tried. to escapCIhe prlnce scanilal stlgma through subllnatlon and heavy drlnk, ginlats She becane a mcagured tlppler lncreased and gr6w wlth

and a coropulslve sraoker. Vlrthe futurets hard enotlonal

smoirlnghablts

tlmes when nore false c h a l n - s m o k e d .t t t l

lorrers ccntlnued. to ply thelr

trade on her. Ylrginla glvlng herself em-

the years passed ln a puff

of a huff,

p h " y s e r nb y a g e s l x t y - s e v e n s o l n t e n s e , a

that her whole physlcal constitutlon

w E s s l - a i - n e db y t h e c h r o n l e c o n s u n r p t l o n s l g n s . C h r o n i o p n e u m o n l a r e s u l t e d year round the air-oonditloneil llfe s h e l e d l n B l c T C I t nh o s p l t a l s , that that proregu-

b l e m c o m p l l c a t e i l b y a s n o o k e r t sh e a r t c o n d l t l o n J-arly lnto the nedlcal

also put Vlrglnla

center for a dall,y check-up. records tvere recent to the tlrne of her death,

Althcrrgh the nedical those offlclal

p a p e r s w e r e s t o r e d d . e e pd o t q n l n t h e v e r y b o t t o r n o f t h e t l n had vrished, for

box and next tc the Prince Otto delusion events. Vlrginla

sona odd reason, to conceal both her bad health and the fake royal tltl-e tribuLatlorsr fn faot, she had never even breated, a word about the calanlty pr oblems to anyone ln $ outh F ow l k e. her frlends and acqualntances had

of h e r b o g u s p rl n ce o I h e r sever e health 'flrginta notlced,

couldnrt breathe easily as all

but had never nentloned pubIlcall-rr. Constant ned,lcal attentlon

been reqrrtred for years accord.lng to the heaLth reeords. Virglnlar s weight condttlon aLso had conpllcated the breathlng irroblems. The exeesslve body fat had slowly but surely covered her once beautlful flsure, lnching lts way

over the hard y6ars wear after

the uubl-lc scandal- of the Prince Otto affalr of later Just prlor

had startecl the d.ecLlne of the beauty queen. Vlrglnla

tc her deroise, been under regu).ar or constant medlcal observation aecordlng to her case hlstory her llfe computerized prlnt-out ln the tin ease. vlrglnia box. The last years of always adn0ltted her-

had been spent as afi outpatlent

Tay )-or /F owlke seLf lnto t h e B i A T o w n Me th o d.lst Hospltal

Page 75 Complex on a l' { onday m or nl ne for t'hough,

a conplete physlcal exaroinatlon of the weekendrs wear. By Frlday, as u s u a l - t r f l ss Y l rg i n l a

g o t a weekend. edlcal pass to go home to her v er y m resialence at 2AI5 tr{aln Street. Her Jet-setter

fashlonable Big Town htghrlse

ccntemporarles also llved at that posh address and posed as her dear and best ne w f r i e n d . g . Her old-tlme friends fast tlmes llves naturally were as bugy as she was llvlng thelr Sood llfe

to the htlt.

The penthouse vlew of the Big Town nlght

sparkLed all, tts gay apparel and magntflcence before Vlrginlaf s Jaded but stlll glltterlng eyes ltke a temptlng morsel seen for ttre first time; she the s nar t

wa s a l w a y s re a d y tc g

w h e n soneone snappy d.r opped bJt, to attenil

and fashtonable ntghtspots.

0 n 1 y t h e d a n c l n g c r o w d c h e c k e d ,o n h e r , t h o u g h , observatlon; courtlng her llfestyle. strlct cloc-

and kept her gregarlousness under close convivlal every wlsh about town and lnto the beautlful This llvely tors's walting ritual'uent-on

peoplet s nlght tlne to forget

every weekendln an effort

orders.

A l s o t c e e c a p e t h e b o r e d . o mo f s t t t l n g

h o m ea l o n e e v e r y n l g h t t

for the grfun reaper to clalm her corpulent body as the next casualShe was too actlve to lle stl1l and thus not

ty tc the excesses of success. be a p a r t of a l l th e fa st-n o vlng

good tlmes to be had ln Big Tow n or w her ev er the end of her tlme cameabout. when she ehecked lnto the hospltal every

eLse she rnlght be residlng tlll Tlme ltself few dals, the tllness victlmlzed

Vlrglnla

expecttng somemlracle cure at the last o r ma l .a d y o f h e r llfe. !{ er llfe

momentJust to wash away

v- r asthen in the hand e of s om eone

else, d.lrected by rule and regulatlcns

nore lntense than the oLd movle noguls could not ablde for long by

of her youth ln glanorous liollywood. Ylrglnla othersr s rulRs and personar restrictrons. her harmress drversrons ln rrfe.

T h e w e e k e n d r o e d " l c a rp a s s e s w o r e n o w

d'anclng sher BS ar.ways, vrent drning and her

T a y 3 "o r l F o wl ke al"l o v e r t o r trn o n F rl d a y above town skyltne. an d t h u s l y e ve n lng, beglnnln€; at the r evclvlng

F aee 76 r estaur ant htgh

Thls was her favorlte

best place since she was v"ell-known and her gay night nlghtr usually for cr or ud.pai nted such a slc}t gal.

ca te re 'l to e ve ry whlm . Vlr glnla fools they were all

the tcwn 3s{-6unclng

She was usually seen hlgh all free-appearlng, paid Cearly for

over the Btg Tswn clty

scene, happy ancleare-

so ln characier as she was aptLy lncllned. to be. Vlrglnla all her treats out on the town, vrlth the fast crowd. to whone

She generously treated. her ycunfi slngled-out she referred as her ttgay dandleg,'r Virglnla

dance partners,

g}adly paid thelr lntc

way ln full.

The dance partners escorted. her all Ha n d s o m e l y se e n l th e l n p e rl a l d , a r e g o , e v e n s o m e t l n o e si n t c BIE Town society.

o v e r t o w n a n C .l a t e

the wee hours.

duo d.ancedever yvr her e that the less elegant dance halls

the sr nar t s et w oul i l for the queens of

The gally-lnspired

c r o w d d a n c e d .a r o y a l f l u s h u p o n o l d the breathless tlmes thls last

V l r g i n i a t s h o t b r o w , a p e a k e d .L o o k f r o m a l l nlght of her llfe, And like

a palr of almost vlrgln

qlueens, she and her of the lnto the

single dance partners l:Iayed out thelr lastlng nlght. Thelr orvnldentity of all

eager rush upon the gaiety gaiety,

ming}ed, a rudely-forced Lane plaoes.

sporting fun nlghtspots

the fast

The niq,htspots covered the gloom that hung heaviJ-y over Vlrglniars blng holC on l-lfe. S h e s e e m e dt o f o r g e t a l l

eb-

the unpleasant past tlnnes and thls vras learned from a glary her

?ven ceased to dread the lmpendlng docn; all t u _ e k e di n s l 6 e t h e t l n b o x . fn lt,

Ylrg,inla no lons,Fr wlrlned about all

past Don Juans or accented Casanova; she dld not seen to nlss all- her hot Iptlnr l o v e r s a n y r n o r ew i t h a l l the attentlon of the adoring gay crcwd.ln

Bt g T o w n . V l rg i n l a

gay Ju st d a n ced avr ay her o1d car es in the newly f ound trlals and tribulatl0ns becomlng alnless ccncerns. of

times of her llf e-the

$he no longer responded wlth open hostlllty

to the acid tong'ue criticlsm

Tay lor /Fowlke her fast

Paae 77 tongue

lane llf estyl-e. Vi.rginia had e}vrays eoveted a long sclmitar

reeponse, sworn to vengeancewhen put to the verbal nateh. beauty aptly reputed, Yirglnta coulC ut.ter four putting salty letter

Trul.y a ravlng

Anglo-Saxon eplthets to shame'

with the best of them, and fester, f i o s a lty-to n su e d test. thelr

sallors

r'.ra n cugh vr - asever her ver bal match when put to tl :.e th guttural verblage; earthy and

0 n l y o n e o t h e r l o c a l w o m a nc o u l d m e t c h V t r g i n l a r s h styl-e Cj.d, owever, differ beoause Vlrglnia Ylrglnla

vtas more dlrect,

loud-nouthed, hcnest to a faul"t. sibllng

vras so unlike her fast-talklng

Genleva Klrk Brooks. Thc sister,

Genieva Kirk Srooks, $tas the selfaloud

proclalnred. IocaI moralist

who censored bookstore pornography bI'reading

the snutty passares at Rlq Town and South Fow1ke elty p l o u s $ e n t e v a K l " r k B r o c k s o n J - yu t t e r e d t h e f l l t h y attention to thelr

councll meetlngs. The

vrords ln publlc to ealL limlts Cuty. of her dear Yl"rglnla and

Clsriustlng pr.sence vrlthln the clty

h o n e t c w n o r s o s h e a l v , ' a y sc l - a i r n e d , d o l n g h e r C h r l s t l a n Genieva no longer alred thelr pulplt. Virginla dlfferences all

ln publlc or fron the loftlest the graphlc words rather than talk-

was too busy llvlng

lng about then ln a self-rlghteous

and detached manner.

D a n c i n g t h e n l E h t a v " a yw a s V l r g l n l a r s l , a s t l n g p a s s i o n , a m a n l a t c b e sg ln aIl her gay appareL. Virglnla wore her best flnery, flashlng aL1-

her rcyal family-type nidntght skyll.ne.

J e w e l - sw h e n d a n c l n g u n d e r t h e s p a r k l i n g s t a r s o f t h e vras very good at thumbing her nose at a1l crltlShe used body languafae opposltlon to her fast

Vlrglnla

c l s m o f h e r o u t r a g e o u s a n d m a d e a pg o o d t t m e s . responses, also, llfe s t . v l e fast

often crude, to lgnore the publlc

i n a n d . a ro u n d $ o rrth Fowlke. T,lvlng high and r nlghty ln the w l l d

lane of Llfe wes Vlrg,lnla Klrkr s Eogl epltaph' T h e e x o ti c l i f e styl -e w as her per sonal tr ademar k. .{ nd" she r e w ar d'od her dld Jlm Bob Pease

tolerant

partners wlth even more gooc tlmes and especlatly He vrasher cousln,

eet the best reward of all.

only maLehelr'

to be enamored

Ta y l o r / F o w l ke al'nays by her sophisticatlon IIe adored.thls third and allrrlng style

Pane 78 of 1-lvlng l-lfe dengerously.

cousln twlce removedon hls grandnother ?*asets llneage.

Jlm 3ob could outdance any cf the escorts ln hls league when he Sot started, but he was bashful at flrst fllngs and dld not attend very aany of the dance hall flung herself lnto. B u t n e v e r w o r d .o n e

that hls merry cousin Vlrginla

Cld he express about her behavlor to have fun at the expense of local inores, and. thls lost tol"erance galned hln the entlre estate whlch the lntolerant Klrk, kln hed

by speaklng thelr

mlnd openly against cousln Virglnla

down to the

stbllng

k l n G e n l - e v aK l r k S r o o k s w h o w a s l " e f t h o l d l n € : a n e n p t y b a g o f g o o d i e s storehouse of Joys, vras the wordlng cf the last K l rk. V i rglnla was tlr eless will and testa-

frcm llfers

m e n t f r o m V l rg i n l a set her mlnd to lt.

pleasur e per ggn€led_w hen s he and

She had an unquenchable need to be seen ln publlc It

t o b e t h o u g h t o f a s h a v l n g a p e r p e t u a l l - y r n t o n d e r f u lg o o d t l r n e . obsesslon over the years and she was lndeed the orlglnal But at thls cne last d , a n c eo f h e r s l c k l y llfe

becamean

good.-tlme g1r1. she

at the stroke of nidnlght,

suddenly tlred, on the ballroom floor. half to death, she had nade her final her favcrlte

UsuaLl-.y .ancingher eltlfled d

cabaLl-eros

gay "razoo'r out c:l the towtr wlth a dance hal-ls. But thls hour, l€ft l-ast dash to flnd

qulck entrance lnto all

h a p _ c l n e s s| n t h e 6 o o d t l m e s o f t h e w i t c h l n g Suddenly, she took an even llteller fling of her llfe. Breathless, exlt for

her exhausted earIy. last big tlme

hcme durlng thls

Vlrgl-nla had inslsted hour had even r ea} ly Llfe.

on golng home very

e a r l y a n d b e fo re th e w l tch l n g burned"-out, for the flrst

begun. She lr v asw or n- out, was dead tlred on

ttme ln her fast

Virglnla

her crauY dancing feet. the fun T , h ee o ro n e rt s re p o rt vl as br lef . I\Tothtngv/as nenttoned about body tissue' Not one $or d t ln r e s e x h a u stl n g ; a l -I th " e o xy gen !n her blood" and the dytng agony of a slow oescrlbed her state of mlnd wlrlle trying to forget exlst4nce these past s1x nonths death, had she resigned herseLf tc a bedfast

Tay lor /F owlke lnstead. She',€s too flesty to allow a deathbed to be her flnaL

Page 79 exlt polnt,

the way the cadre of neCical doctors hed trted to order for her. No pleoe of paper couLd ever capture her spirlt. CertainLy no legal documentcouLd

adequately state the facts about the fast-roovlng Virginla. f h e c o r o n e r t s r e p o r t a n d t h e n e v l s p a p e ra r t l e l e the bogus prlnce affalr seened to suin lt tln al-I up for about the seandal of thls beauty queen, ]'lven

the nusty smell cf the pretty departed Vlrginla Ktrk.

box held a llngerlng

essence of the now was spread.

A smaLl srratoh of onee elegant clothing

along the very bottcm of the box. The sanple cloth vJasa plece of the party d.ress \rlrglnla had,vrorn danclng on the nlght of her denlse. Ylrginla, as

usual, had palnte tttlgg to stueco lt

the town red ln her own true style, atl

or at least had dled"t

back to her former gLory ln a pucn sequlned d,eslgner had been taken fron the loeked

gown. The torn sequlned swstch of red materlal and olly hasp lnsld.e her nansion d.oor.

The iloor l-nstCe her sulte of rooms was as far as the breat!:less Beauty J u *e n e v e r so t o n h e r l a st n tght out on the Big Town. Vlr ginla had w al k ed

double door s; f ro n r h e r l l mo u sl n e to th e l vl < J.e over. But she lad made lt

she had Looked llke

death r .r y ar m e

back inslde her manslon door before collapslng d o v r no n a t a b l e . Slowly, she slld

avoidlng a publ.lc catastrophe of falllng

d o v r n t h e e n try h a l l w a y rq a l }',s lth her long walstband accessor y sas h s naggl l l g o n t h e e L e g a n t d o o r J a n , d r a p e d .b y t h e n a p e o f t h e n e c k a s s h e g a s p e d f o r alr; restratnecl llke a monstrous coat hanp'erhcldlng a llfel-ess party dress 0loslng tlrat seeuliled front doorway

Just dellvereil back fron the cleaners, entranee had.been Vlrglnlaf s f lnaI Her last short,

earth3-y act. Save one

gasp of breath came weakLy a*ethe rattle-of-death call on d"eaf ears. Her flnal

exhaustlrre and.fatal

but muffled yell lf

ccurd easrly have been heard by the festlveLy

clad cabarrero lover-eseort

onuhehad.}ingered.amomentlongerattheglrellrg,shutbutunlockeddoor.

Tay Ior/tr'ow1ke Vlrglnla

Page 80

lay dylng alone inslde her elegant mansion doorvray. A team of the next day, stll"l- all dressed-up and flt-toproppeil

medlcs found her nueh later k111.

$tone cold, and starlns

dead ahead, she was dlscovered all

up backwards b,y the sash on her own d.oor stoop, i-nslde though. The lninitable l|ved. Vlrglnla Elizabeth Klrd dled as dramatlcal3.y as she had beflttlng tlie beauty queen she at l-east as a genulne

- E l e g a n t l y d r e s s e d .a s u s u a l l n f i n e r y fn her ownvJay, Vlrglnla

always was. social-butterf there" earthly

Klrk gas regal,

3 - y p r i n c e s s a s S o u t h f o w l k e e v e r c a m e c L o s e t o h ev l n g r e s l d e r',ras ot always fair n with lts fated appointnents of her perhaps Vlrglnla nllssbeth

But llfe

experlenc€s.

Tn eonpasslonate retrospect,

Klrk was not even entirely memorlaLgttlL The Klrk

d . e s e r v l n 6 1 ,h o w e v e r l r o n l c ,

cf the scandalous

haunting her splrlt-es r n a n s l o nw a s n o w t h e l l v l n g

the prtncess who never qulte was. m u s e u mo r o n l y m e m o r l a l t h s t l n a d v e r s e r . r o r do r d e r a t t h a t . the trlbute exlsted. He took ln-

s c r i b e d t h e n a m e{ I j - z a b e t h V l r g i n l a

Klrk

t Cousln Jlm Bob ?ease rnras he only reason tlut h e r l m m e n s ev r e a l t h a n d m a d e a f o r t u n e and ptedge the stock certlflcates portunltles rvlth lt,

by belng able to hock the land the new lndustrlaL op-

for cash to bulld

that were ccnrlnfl to South Forlke.

3'16Bob had allovred realtor im-

FIadi.s Senesohal to get the cred.lt as havlnq flnanced the proJeets that proved the quallty cf ltfe ln South Fowlke.

Jlm Bob had authcrlzed funCs for each pro.Ject that Fladls had convenlentl-y found enclrgh f lnanctng to gat aceompllshed. was kept ttll the cay thet FLadls anil $lster

Seneschal Thls secret

-b'Iedls themselves l-eft tcmln thelr special relatlonshlp from

when JfunBob gct ready hlmseLf tc ternlnate

w h t c h h e w a s E o o d .a n d .r e a d y t o g a l n h i s l n d e p e n d e n e e .

Ta y l o r / F o w l ke

Pese 8t

chapter b. A Tamlly Weddlng Barbecue

.rlm Bob Pease was always belng invlted. to some coustnd weddlng or to ttre prelemlnary party scene. H e w a s l n b i g d e m a n da s a n f u n p o r t a n t n a n , t o of the four states area, Just as

be scene ln the oonpany of the power ellte h l s d e a r d . e a dc o u s l n V l r g t n i a shlndlg. Vtrgl"nla got tlred

KIrk had onoe been lnvlted of belng used in thls

to every famtly accepted way so than hls

soelally

s h e b e c a m ea j e t - s e t t e r , yourself wanted to be.

to escape the burd.encf havlnn to be better flm 3ob was no dlfferent. Ktrk than all to [g 6s-as He was nore llke

l o n g d " e a dc o u s j . n V i r g t n t a

the other kln.

They wanted to be

allowed to be themselves-or ginla Klrk so often said.

the dearly departed Cousln Vlr-

trlm Bob used the excuse of a blg deal ln the ob-

l m a k l n g s o r n e w h e r en t h e f o u r s t a t e s t r a d , e a r e a , a n d t h a t r e a s o n u s u a l l y tained. the d.eslred results.

go to But no anount of reascning could get Jim Bob out of having to youngest son Alcos h l s c o u s l n D a p h n aD e I l ) u P r e e t s f a n l l y b a r b e c u e . H e r lnto marrying Grter Dupree was being flnessed or pushed as somekln stated a p p l e o f h e r d ' a d rs B u s t a r B u t l e r r s y o u n E e s t d . a u g h t e rE v e l y n . S h e w a s t h e constructlon company ln eye and thus the prirnary helress to the Butler nearby fwln City.

Ta . , ' 1 o r / F o w l ke T h e B u t l e r C o n s t r u c t i o n C o n p a n y l n T w i n C i t y r r / a sc l o s e l y i r l t h J i m S o b fs l n v e s t n e n t s a s w e l L .

Page 82

associateii would

This branchwater lnternarriage

perhaps be an ldeal merser of the fanoily rosources; evzlryonewoulil be well acquainted and thus easily de a l , , v l t h a fo re l g n all fl rm. l n c c n t a c t t o r o a k eq u i a k d e c l s l o n s f o r a n e w N o d.elays would cause a l"oss of opportunl ty r qr hen

the good-friendly

oouslns made the blg deale anyway; thls or the looal power structure.

nepotlsm did

not bother foreign cepted hls fate

lnvestors

Jin Bob Just ac-

to attend the wedd.ingas part of maklng a good lnvostnent "rlm Bob rode to the fannlly weddlng barbecue

ln a fut,.ue buslness deallng.

wit h h t s o w n b ra n ch v'ra te r co u slns Jody and l,fable l1tlll- s. He could a l w ay s bor row transportatlon earJ.y tf pa g e d f o r f r o n e o u s i n D a p h n a fs c l a s s l c Besid^es,he carrled car collection to cone holoe belng

he got b.ored.

a beeper as an excuse for

a n tmml n e n t b l g i l e al when he was good and r eady to Lea v e. a p a rty w a s th e easy par t for Jlm Bob, Havln5r to put- up w l th

leaving

the smalL-talk and lnnane conversatlons nearly drove hlm out of hls mind,, bu t h e d l d l -e a rn a L o t o f th e soclal lntr lgue about hls nwner ous k i n w hen Thls ride to the country estate

a couped-up ln a oar with l1labl"e nd Jody l4lLls.

down ln CaJun country on the bayous near New Orleans would be a long and infcrmatlve cxperience for Jlm Bob as usua1. ft woul.dbe 5ood. for business lf

nothlnEi else, reasoned.the oaptlve Jlm Bob as he llstened., from the baok seat, to all the Jabber of hLs couslns. d . o e s ntf r e a l l y mean ,"4et

rtFor goodness sakes, that formal l-nvltaticn t o o , m y d e a r Jo d y l u ,ti l l sr'l sn ar led. llable l' { ltIs the vinyl d.ash of the speedlng csrr

as she tossed" the env el ope on

,roh, [{abe baby, the DuPree fanlly b a c k y a r c t g a th e rtn g ; that will th e fa n cy stuff

Just wants us all

to share a nlce

!s for

the blg shot show cf the w eddl ng

Jody:l'{111s' provlde the nemorleg ln a photo albura,'t defend"ed' Sngraved' lnvlta,Backyard gathering and not to put on alrs, ny foot.

Ta y l o r / F o w l ke tlons for stretch just a pool slde plcnlc ls no small potatoes stuff, will

Page 83 nct by the further

of the wild.est inaginatlon,

Daphnanot put-on-the-ilog,"

c o m p ) - a l n e dl /!a b l -ew tth I rro & rlr [ Y o u d o n o t u n d e rsta n d the elegant ways of the founding fanl l l es here ln deep CaJun Loulslana countryr{ ' t T h a t e n g ra ve cl l n vi t d.ow n

patlentl"y explalneii Jody slowl-y.

may have salat Rever end and iltr s. Jody tr dl l l s - s om e dlsgusted,.

b l e J o k e , f o r a e t o t h l n k o t h e r w l s e , n c o n t i n u e i l l t { a b e} f l l L s "0h, cone off

the hlgh horse, now, llabLe Babyr yorl shouLdnr mlstrust t lntenslty.

suoh genorosity by the local gentryrtt urged Jody wlth 'rThe local

gentry does thlngs up real faney and you know that Daphna

Dell DuPree ls the most posh of the hlgh-toned blg spenders down here. Anil she wlll plck and chew roy bones llke spare ribs at thls hot barbecue, my

M dearril rtrocked abIe wlth plous dlsgust. r f D a p h n aD e l l w l l l - e e r t a l n l y not plck your bones; she Just nlt-plcks

what bothers her, so donrt egg Daphna on when somethlng aggravatlng gets m e n t l o n e d . r t fw a r n e d J o d y c a u t l o u s l y . r ? 5 6 ; 9 r l s Ju st w h a t f would llke he Dell DuPree; she wl1I nlt-plck to do to that holty- tolty D aphna

rne to death and then neck wlth you 1-tke her favorlte preaoher

always nhen she can by ea1-llng you Brother Jody l'fills, Ban of alL time. e n d . , e v e n a fte r sald the truth

f,ust you walt and see. You know heg deslgns on you never sh e ma rri e d .rn lnf or m ed l\labe wlth satlsfactlon at hav l ng

as ehe turned to look baok at Jlm Bob who remalned qulet. th e l tve l y 1r ,,ays Daphna; she nr akes lots of of fol k s ner v ous

"y o u n l sta ke

so don,t gat upset by the smaLl stuff,fi to the tone of hls volce.

advlsed.Jody with more of a request

n l T e r ne rve l s w h a t ma kes ne ner vous, and then you say donr t Sw eat the of a resigned spouse. snall stuff,n retorted },fablewtth strong conviotion s tand i t . ' i r l e l l , I h a d b e tte r Ju st speed' - up or vr e wllL be Late' Never c an

Ta y l o r / F o w l ke t o b e s n n o n gt h e I a s t t o a r r l v e r ' r face,

P age 8l + adnltted Jody wlth a stuilied look on hls

lean and.alnost bony looklng. 'rYou never l-et me drlve, Jody. Do you not trust ne on the road.?rr

lnqulred Mable as she straightened her halr and. twlsted about the car seat. ilOf course, I trust your drlving. Rut you go too slolv, especlal1y when nowrrf confessed Jody wtth a forced

you d.ontt want to 6;o gcmewhere,llke tltter to hls serious volce. t t Y o u pre a ch e r g u ys a tl lt

d,r lve Li.ke 600- a

r eal heller

on whe eLs to get laughed. l tT abl e

o n d o r v nth e ro a d o r w h a te v er lt

ls you ar e ehaslng after r il

wit h h e r o wn se rl o u s to n e to the fr lvollty w t o w t n k a t Jl m B o b vri h o a s reaalnlng tfllcwr nowr oV dear qulet

of the statenr entr as s he tur ned, ln the back seat. to m eet al l - the deai l so to speak

l ,,fa ybeBaby- 1

have to be fast

llnes that come upr and people ilo notlee when a man-of-the-eloth 1s late, rt Just lfl ed Jody nost c onvincingly. t t l T o , h o , h u m o r s o y o u a L w a . v ss a y . B u t y o u s h o u l - d l e t Just fcr

n o ed r l v e ,

some,

t h e e x p e r i e n c e . Y o u z o o m d . c w nt h e h l g h w a y t o e s c a p e t h e c l u t c h e s hell break loose when you finally {g eet there,'? that

a of had,es, or to r.aakell la u g h e d . I r l ab l e su b scl o u sl y

p roud of her self

over obser ving the tr u th

she otherwise would nct have spoken except tn Jest. rtl,re1l, Bt Least you can stlll $o p l e a s e @ b e fu n n y-h a -h a thlg turn a Joke even wlth the sour Erlns. evenlng, my tlr { aybe- Ifable- dear r r" pl eaded'

anxlety. trody with a qulet desperatlon ln hls volce that ccvered hls own rSllent nel(-x,rsssn strlke a deal. C a L l n e r F u n n y - h a - h a t a n d .y o u b e agaln' near aI1 Running ldatef , now that we are !n old. Tvan;'leline country Anii you had better be real sllent t h o s e A c a d l a n h o t b l o o d . e i tm a t l n g t y p e s . hear m e?r t quested Mab]e w i th t o t h a t D a p h n a D e L l D u P re e cone- on llner Yotl f lrm convlctlon and slnlster deternlnatlon ln her low vooal re sponse' should" be over the nex t hl tl

! r ' , r Yer e g e ttl n g a

n e a 1 | th e maln gates tbat

Taylor./I'owlke

Fage 85

s o c a l m d o ' a ma b o u t w h a t y o u J u s t t h l n l c D a p h n a r r n n t s t o d . o w l t h B o r t ' a d v l s e d . Jody wlth a pLeadlng tcne to hls i l T d . o n tt Ju st th l n k; volce and also full of flrm resolve.

I know lndeed. what that

sneaky Daphna D eIl D uPr ee

vlants to do with you when she gets the chance to get her paws on a real man llke y o o r f o r a c h a n g e r t ' s a l d l v l a b l em a t t e r - o f - f a c t l y with a twltchlng

cf her eyebrows up and dotam.. "The blg entrance Eates wlll be over the next httl stlLl so donrt be aLl hot

a n d b o t h e r e d a n d . ma d n o w o r you will

be upset when we Set to the nal n

h o u s e r n ' r e q u e s t e d J o d y v r l t h a J . e c t u r l n g e d . g et o h l s v o l c e . [IrlI be good and syrupy sweet as usual, to k111 her wlll klndness; when the

what eLse can a poor, meek preacherr s wife do but grin rlc h h l g h - a nd -rn l g h ty L a u d l t over ue," adnltted

and bear lt r esign.

ltfable wlth

f t B e a g o o d rrl fe a n d o p e n the gates, my Iuv; flrst or else the last ones that

we nust be ear ly and. the

they gave up on and thus closed the gatesrrt tone to hls purrlng.words"

beseeched trody wlth a favor-asklng ItThe gates are stlll all

o p e n , c a n r t y o u s e e ? Y o u m , u s tn e e d .g l a s s e s f r o m all. Itf s cnly the angle stated lt{able with was asleep as

that cland.estlne work you d.c for Daphnaafter

of the glarlng

sun that makes the gates look shut to yor," Jlm Bob not to hear lf

sarcaso under her breath for h e s e e m e dt o b e d o z l n g - o f f . 'rYeahr Vorl are rlqht.

he really

Cantt mlss seelng the blggest entrance 6ates ln to hls

the whole state,ft adrnlrtngly comnentedJod.ywith heightened splrits

volce as the edge was l-eaving the closer he Eot to the old estate house. , r ? l i l i s s r e m ;f s h c u l d . L o v e t o d r l v e b y w i t h o u t pls c e l n t h e p a ri sh w l th F l e ur de lls t h e f t n e e s ta te n a me i n b i g Letter s all notlce. But the blggest ther er s

over the lr on wor k- and

under the nossr t' shr leked' lr rl abl ew i th a

happler tone to her reslgned' d'esperatlono f M a r n al so n , t6 8 5 . A n d the sweeplng Sr ounds 8o on for the nex t 9 m l l ee

Tay 1-or,/Fowlke a s s w a m p yt e r r a i n

P age 86 b e f o r e t h e b l g h o u s e c o r l t e sl n t o v l e w r " s t a t e d " J o d y l n a w e

of scmethlng greater than the estate ltself. tThe name of the estate even descrlbes Daphna. ft bu t s h e w a s h e d o u t th e b a d F r ench ir yor dwlth the Pease famlly roots. I t la b l e w i t h a sl u r llven the house ltself with a hlnt the $cottlsh used to be lJal-malson Mar r he r l tage of

has been re-done by IIfrR,'t added of envy.

o f o b se rva tlon

[ I t 4 ' a b l eB a b y , J u s t t h i n k ,

the trees wlth a].1 the hanglng moss are older sage; I' lllpe the s tr eak s vlne at

t h a n a n y o th e r J.i vl n g th l n g ar ound . To quote a local

w o f m . o s s t t h o u t e n d .f r o m y o u r f a c e a n d p l u c k f r o n t h e f a r t h o r e s t Least one nightshade jfunpson ttlLy, ni.ghtr,n quoted Jody wlth flrm f or all even though that that trunpet

lasts only a truth exlsted,

convlctlon

somepertlnent

o f th e n l n th cse sta teC. ' ' ,' ,Ior ds. I get all seared around the

"0h, Jody, donrt say thet eerle poetic stuff; thts

spooky place. The old twisted trees meet over the canopy lane all

way to the manslon, such a ghastly feellng; such a funny shiverlng too, a ll if place llke thls

f get the heebie-Jeebles here,

could get to a dreamer Llke Your

you are not careful. at th l s

Do promlse to stay close and be next to me

the tlne

b a rb e e u er " be6ged,!,fabl- evr ith lntense ur gency at the

last mtnute to get her way. ' ? AI l th i s h a u n te i l h o u se stuff of your s wtll pass when you g et s om ethl ng Just thlnk about

h c t t o e a t t h a t w l l - l c h a s e & t / a } rt h e J l t t e r s all it the restoration d o e s n o w . ft

of deep despalr.

that had.to be done to nake thls unttl

old place l-ooirthe way r ebul l t the

vra s l n ru l n s

Du?r ee lTnllmlted BullCer s

ro a d s a n c l o l d l a w n s d o w n to the bal' s1t", plus the lnslde hardly presentable yet was still esoterie trlvia llved-ln,

of the h ous e v l as of

so thlnk about that tldbtt

lnstead of belng falnt-hearted

at somenotlon of your aghast

v' r ith' gleefu]- tdL e c hatter im. a g i n a t l o n a b o u t n e a n d . l a p hnar ff lnfor nned tr ody soundlng tn hls voloe"

Taylor/Fowlke 'rBut atl ttlity this

FaEe 8J serene appearlng beauty hides the real wlld.erness hosJust llke o 1 - eD a p h n a v r l t h h e r l a t e n t deslres for

under the surface,

a n c t h e r w o m a n r sh u s b a n d . , s u c h d e c a d e n c e o f t h i s decay lnto

place when the house wes let

o p h y s l c a l d . e t e r l o r a t l o n r t r e x p r e s s e d l , l t a b l ew i t h a b a n d . o n e d b s e r -

vatlon about the obvious truths. 'tThe old. place Just rotted. down sinee 1685 because of its aIl used upl the fanily resldents age belng

were accustomed to seelng the gradual everycne else dled and Daphnavrent

decay that off

Just dld not look so bad until

to fhibodaux College, only to return to a seemlngLysudd.enlyfallln6or tour gulde enthuism

down honesteadrfr explalned,Iody with sudden lnslght falllng on deaf earso

' t B u t t h e h o u s e l , f a r m a l s o nl s a s s o l l d was when the very first DuPree bullt lt.

as a rock and pretty as it

over

A n d ,D a p h n a m a r r i e d a U u P r e e l l s sudden lnterest, ln

he a cousin or Just plaln gory rletalls

w lncest?" lnqulred l*tlable lth and envied.

about the cne she disllked

i l l d o k l n s m a n f o r a h u s b a n d , h e r e . D a p h n am e t C a r l - s h e

calls

hlm tfiefilt-

at a n d d e a r p oo r K a h l to ck th e sur nane Du?r ee as his o\r yn the wed d.l ng c er e$ony rlght here on the oId estate. "Karhl'as h e n o v , 's p e l l s the f lrst nane

ha d a l o n g a w kw a rd C a Ju n n a me anyway so the glr l Huguenot ) uPr ee nem e s or v es t he s a m e p u rp o se o f e th n i c p ur lty slnce the for tune laugh. €loes wi- th the fanl l y

aeg;isr'r lectured Jody wtth a rlch ilAnd, I bet, that mu n b l t n g I do -p ra yr one fron perdltlonr" l l ke

ls why poor olC rKarhLt always says DuPree as though he is in a stor m y wlnd. calllng on God to s av e ev er y -

proJeeted Mable vrlth understand and wonderment' stanil of old rlveoaks. iihy, therers on the

'Everyone has parked under that far old tssie Dee and Aeschines-theyrre

the only known octoroons left

Irll Just place now. Aeschlnes is the tndlspensable Jack-of-alL-trades' ",tlesterlashader ntluvrtt conflded "lcdy casualLy' park over there near the

Tay lor /Fowlke ttf,ody, donft you Just trorluv mer right fcr the rest of the evenlng like you usually

Page 88 here and then forget aI1 about me

do. Donrt Leave me alone 8[5r-

where on thls

haunted house place-p1ease,

not alone tvlth Alcos, that hal"f-

p L e a d e d .l ,'lable again being scar ed of thlngs. m a n s o n o f l g l g rff ttT have hal-f a nrlnd to pretend. you dld not say that-Just about the past and let Act your age for yourself enJoy the fanrlly &et-together

you forget for orc€r and.fiery

a c h a n f l e r ' t s u e g e s t e d ." r o d y w l t h s u d d e n l n t e n s i t y got out of the autonoblle.

venon ln hls eyesr 8s they all r r J l m B o b n e e d . sa l i t t l e turnlng

more considerationr"

u r g e d .i l T a b I e s u d d e n l y

to the very qulet klnsman. thls snake ptt cf pithy retorts about eech othert s of thls I

, D o n rt b r l n g m e l n t o

past quarrels conring to a head here on top of me; f can get aII w a n t b y g o l n g t o B u b b a T o w nR o a d h o u s e w h e n S l s t e r I{able, you and she are very nuch allke; m e n d e i lJ l m B o b r a t h e r b l u n t l y ' r 1 r ' , ' e 1 1o o i < w h o l s a l l l, Just natural}y thls Fledis

is on the prowl.

y o u s h o u l - d m e e t s o m e t l m e r t tr e c o m .

to the surprlsed I'tlable. bltchy fr om a sunny nap ln the car o r ar e y ou self?'r

crnery a3-l the tlme and we d.onrt know your true !{able ln response to belng aptly descrtbed,.

querled the agrvated 'rldo, I

.1ust see you as the model for Slster

Fledls that

everycne back copy that

ln $outh Fowlke ls so anxlous to neet when you are the orlglnal ls so well-knovrn al-read.yr" further

elucldated. Jlm Bob hot3.y es he hurrlecl

to Joln the firou1tnear the smoklng barbecue. "T h a t t s Ju st l l ke a ma n, to hot foot lt vr a1va.y hen f have a good pl C ee

o f m y n r l n d . to g l ve h l rn a n d h is sm1le that

l,fable w l th a for c ed r ough shod" tvaysr t' bemoaned.

she usually regerved for Daphna. So good tc see ycut

nT,et bygones be bygones for a change, &fabLe.... a g a l n r ' t e x c l a i -me d Jo d .y a tL snlles

to Daphna who was walking towar d them

as they headed f or tire patlo terrace'

Tay lorlFowlhe "Glad you could;nake lt

Page 89 before darkl we are all- here to enJoy ourselves.

Karh1 has taken charge as usual of the menu: barbecue, agaln, BS al-ways ls his speclallty, Srother Jcdy? t o r o o o r Ka r h l -I both polk and beef. 0h, would you help me with the lce, And l,llable, dear, take that pl"atter of ravr meat steaks on out d o kn o w h o vr to pr efer er llled steaks to the conm on oLd. everycne

p o r k v z l r l e t y b a r b e c r o r t t i n f o r m e d D a p h n aD u P r e e a s s h e r a o t l o n e d f o r t o h u r r y h e r ' , ' ' r a ya n d g e t s t a r t e d w i t h t h e f e s t l v l t i e s r arrn amld [fablef s glarlng t t ' , ' , l e L.l. . looks.

taklng Jody by the

of ccurse 6s usualr't res;londodl'lable, hcldlng to vnr d the smoklng bar becue.

or bltlng

her

t o n g u e a n i l th e n tru d g l n g

tiOone, come-on, XOUr too ...hurry, s h e r u s h e d b a ck to vra rd th e d oor way.

now, Jodyltt instructed

D a p h n aa s

'rDaphna,should we €lo now, so soon after quired Jody cautlous)-y. ilNever too soon, Jody, to get-on wlth lt

my Just gettlng

here?" ln-

whlle aLl eLse needs to be

d . c n e . C o m eo n b a c k h e r e t o g e t n y l c e c h e s t o u t o f t h e c o r n e r a n d t o l i f t the Ceep freezer bultd hls flre door for ltttl"e ole ne. Karhl ts so far out back trying to

on the lovrer terrace

that he w111 appreclate all

the help he

can Setrn explalned DaphnaDeLl DuPree wlth a happy sly sml]e. "0h, ver:/ weLl, then, lf you say so ....tt uttered Jody full of anticl-

patlon f or the unfolillng evenlng f esttvitles. rWel3., I do say $o, and lroW-please d.o be a doll, other platter of raw neat for Itfable, and take the

t h e s e e o n d ,t a b l e o u t b a c k o n t h e L o w e r t e r -

raoe whore you will

be seated wlth the guestsr" gushed Daphna as she was

tovr ar d. the spot. near est Jody. bu s y n o v l n g a b o u t b u t h e a d .1 ng, ,rJn a sec, anri then l am long gone, DaphnaDe1l", hear-Just d.oor after dr y l y ne, now, so the screen wtll keep the flles cLose the

awayrn urged Mable

a n d r e sl g n e d ' to th e sa ae old' tlilng'

Tay 1or /Fowlke 'rflhe flles to. thlnk

Paqe 90

out there to help Karhl cook the steaksr Xet she wants us

or believe nothlng exlsts between her and ny poor old Karhl-; the too much, to quote an old sage or bard. Rut lulableloves

Iady doeth protest

to nake us feel gutl-ty by lnnuendo and she needs somethlng to pray over for the church mourner bench forglveness sesslonsr'r tlttered and shirk of her shoulders. f i A n d f u ssy t,fa b l -eca n fe el B e a s l e y f a ml l y she feels ln her ol/vnelenent of dlstr ess with the D a p h n aw l t h a s m l r k

w h o l s a 1 -re a dy her e,

out back vr ith poor o) - d Kar h) - , f am s ur e

snug to be puttlng

one over on usrn agreed Jody happlly. about my gueststs prlyou

ltYou sure knor^r ow to be suggestivel-y sarcastlc h vate affalrs ra s c a l sniley

w h e n y o u C . gd e c l d e t o b e e a r t h y h u m a n o n a r a u n c h y l e v e l r

o f a p re a ch e r-m.a n , X o r r " fur ther ' , r a y s th a t w o rke d so w ell

teased. Daphna laughlng her tem ptr es g

on her r inoo since we could. be over heard by s om e

t ' ! ' , ' es h o u l d b e n u ch mo re dlscr eet nf f ho h{o o"rs hearttdly that solld'walls

do seen to haver'r cautioned. Jody only haLfbad to f qB!.

k n o w i n g t h e r e - w a sn o t h l n g r e a l l y

t')onrt sweat the small stuff, wlt h t h e s t e a ks l vl th K a rh l -yo u

b l g b o y . l , { a b l - el s e a n e r t o g e t e o o k l n g

kncw how she ls once she gets go l ng ar ound. Besldes, f lnvlteonly guests who all have

hlm when we are out of ear shot.

somethlng deep and dark secret to hlde; no pure of heart souls are present at my shindlgs, I assure you. Even dear cousln Jim Bob with hls goody-twotr ee to ov er -

s h o e s i m a g e h a g a d a rke n e d shadow or two or thr se on hls fam lly

cone or keep buried by belng qulet and not speaklng out too louC}y about belng better than he r+al1-y lsr" bragled Daphnaassured.Iy about the reasons

for her successes of not belng exposed in a scandal. ' ! I k n ow o n l y to o w e l L that we have mor e fr eedom to be our se l v es s l nc e setting them-up to Eet ehumeyso that we could then get cozyi Karhl gettlng ilIable tc asslst hls cooking at thls nice llttle Just llsten to

famlly barbe-

T a y l "o r l F o w l ke cue, sharlng style

PaEe91 to be surer'f chuckled Jody so pleaseil wlth hlmself . and he had ever ythlng r ead.y for cases, glances

Ka r h l w a s a n xl o u s fo r L { abLe to ar r lve

her; they Just enJoyed belng next to one another. not all over each other physically but Just lustlng

They were closet with llcentbus

that made them feeL sinful at tfie church.

e n o u g h t o r e p e n t a n d d o n a t e f u n d s t o g o o d .c a u s e s

t t H l , l " f a b e r . F i r t t h e s t e a k s o n t h e r a c k h e r e , c v e r n e a r u a p h n a rs s p e c l a l s t r a w b e r r y s a u c e . N o n e e d t o c o o k t e n r b e f o r e t h e c o a l s g e t g o o d "a n d h o t , us," lnstructed Karhl most klndl"y as he took the heavy platter or?t from her. surprlse llke

'rDoeseveryone want Just one steak i.r at seelng Karhl near the barb'eue plt.

cuested I'lable wlth

tt0h, you do know everycne here, I belleve?[ responded Karhl easualLy yrlth an enphasis on the word know as lf bad enough to Bet thelr rfllo, not offlclally, jollles off. lt were slnful to say lt and thus

do I know everyone, here, at Leastrnr replled l,fab1e

w l t h a s c a r e d l - o o k o f c a u t i c n a n C .c o n c e r n s h o w l n g l n h e r v o l c e . ilir,rhythts , ls Utlster Fusterrs wlfe and baby-you ArIa Faye and ltttIe know, Daphnats halrlntrotlueeil

dresser, the Beasle.y famlly:

Jon Junrlorr"

Karhl tc UIabIe wlth hls dellberated "& I il l ste r B u ste r? " re j olned

s e d u c t l v e v o l c e a n d "e y e s o n i \ 4 a b l e . li{ abl- ewlth an l- mpr essed Lllt to her ow n

vcice slnce her beehive halr-do meant so muoh to her l-lfesty)"e. All the guests Just Looked at each other vrlth an lntensity br anchwater kln' r hlch that sald

ino l : e t h a n me re w o rd .s. T h e y w er e all relatlve of thelrs

meant that a dear

was also blood kln to the others,

Ilke a d.alsy chaln of

linked genealogY. i l y e s , I a m h e r e w l t h m y h u s b a n d . .t s u t h e a n d A l c o s w e n t t o t h e b a r n t o see the new prlzed stalllon Fo r t , ' f o r t h o r fro m B u ffa l o that was Just bought fronr a Texas auctlon near a s T do belleve ls actua) "ly wber e the s tud c am e

Tay lorft'owlke frcnn orlglnally

Page 92 for breeding purposes or good stock herer'r explained Arl-a

?aye Seas1ey vrlth ecncern showlng in her vocal tone. "0h, T see, nevrblood ls needed or the old stuff nace-" remarkedl,llable gcnewhat taken back by all t h c n r r c c e n c e o f s o m e o n es h e d l C n o t k n o w w e l l
y l ' ev ' - v J

wants a change of detalLs and to be dlscreet.

the factual

enough to trust

? r A n d o u d o a l r e a d . y k n o w D a n h n a rs o l d t e a c h e r , P r o f e s s o r B u r r u s - r , v e a L l y call h i m T I { E ? ' R O ! ' r ' rl n s e r t e d K a r h l r n o s t l n f o r n a t l v e l y "Oh, Xes, good to meet you all, eyes rolled formall and happily. .

a t l a s t r ' r g u s h e d i l l a b l - ew l t h I

toward KarhI and belng busy arranglng the condlments. h w a n t t o g o s e e t h e n e r , v o r s e a n d t h e l n c p r o v e de a t t L e p o o L o r their water source and then f wlll show you

'rYou wtI}

tank as the desert ranchers call

where my best stock ls ke;'itrn inforned Karhl wlth

suCdenlmportance anil ur, I

gency to have hls say about sonethlng lmportant for a change. nT suppose so; vre wlII clouds are reatly her affalr, X€t," rolllng h a v e t o g o n o v rb e c a u s e t h e g a t h e r l n g o v e r - h e a d Just mi.6ht ruln

more and more from the Gulf ; raln

s n a p p e d N { a b l ew l t h a s l y s m l l e . better, l'lable!" retcrted Karhl wlth a very sly grin that

"0r make it,

sald nuch nore than hls words. ttParhaps ... you Co know best about these farm llf e thlngsr" trylng to keep from belng anxlous. repllod

l r , l a b l er a t h e r q u l c k l y ,

rtNever mlnd., Daphnaand. Jody are over on the far slde of the house w h e r e t h e e x - e u s et o g e t t h e l e e o u t o f t h e i l e e p 1 l e e z a r w l l l for at least half keep then busy out back

an hour...wtrll-e they knovl we are safe and far

trytngtobul]-dourorvnflreonthelowerterrace,totetouroldnoocklng golngr" s n l c k e r e d K a r h l w l t h a k n o v r l n g g J - a n c et c ' w a r d M a b I e ' you i-nslst thst the aeat can wait to be put-on the flrer" re-

'riTe1l lf

pli e d & f a b l e l o o ki n g a ro u n d the gr ounds for would-be PeePlng to&s.

slgns of other s on the pr ow l or

Ta yI o r / F o w l k e lSut the flre ter wonrt last

Page 93 long unless the oooking ls started. now; betbefore vte leave to see the sightsrtr instrueted ln hls vocal tone. agreed Mable ln an

put the steaks on flrst

Karhl- easuall-v with an urgency bull,ting n ' , ' u ' e l l ,t h e s t e a k s w l } l Iast, if

nothlng else willr"

ma u n c o n ee r n e d se e n l n g rn o o d .y nner . "Nothlng else is as pretty as the view from here to the barn as thls let me place thls flower from the bush

opportu.nlty tc get together-here, here ln your halr, behlnd the right

e a r o f c o u r s e r r f s o o t h e d .K a r h L e s h e

p l u e k e d a b l - o s s o mf r o n t h e o l e a n d e r b u s h a n d h a n c l l e d t h e p o l s o n o u s f l o w e r v.rtth care, whlle puttlng lt l n L f a b l e rs h a l r - d o . llke us that hlde the vievr all- the

"The oleanders are forbldden frult 'ila y b e y o n i l th e te rra ce frcn their thlng together.

the blg house to wher e Jody and Daph na ar e dol ng

A n d t h e d e a c l l y b L o o m sc c v e r t h e a n l n a l b a r n s t e n c h v e r y urrer'r warned

well wlth thelr

polsonous aroma that lures wlth an unreslstlble

'lvlable only half-heartidly was feellng.

rvtth no real concern to do otherwlse that what she

I t T h e n , w e c a n ' u v a l k t h e p a t h h l d d e n f r o n o p e n v i e w d o r r y nh e J o , : a n l e a t path, belng a llttIe cholce for thelr closer togetherril suggested Karhl vlith an alternate

togethernosso Listen, the horses are acting trp-6ottt t tkr at new stud' J us t c anf t

riBetter walt a rninute, though. you reallze

th a t so me th l n g l s wr cng,? Sounds Ilke for long at I

be kept ln hts stall

l tlner'f heeded.lable as she snelled the

flowers near at hand. 'fAlgos ls down there in tbe barn wlth that l'fister Fuster, stalltcn, showlng off to

so they could have possibly distured the anlmal harmonyr'f was not serene as expected'

explalned, Karhl- rslth deep concern that all

stud ls hls spec? r A 1 c o so a n s u r e l y r o a n a g e v r i l C b u c k l n r s t a l l l " o n * a a M a b l e m s f , t e r - o f- f a e t l y ' taltty tn these seculd.edparts r" added

T a y I o r A' o w l ke

Fage 9b

r?ALcos...Alcos...oh, ALcos, are you down there?t' shouted father Karhl wlth nore outrarie than concern showlng hls volce. ' t l ) o w nh q r e , D a d . r i l y e l l e d A l c o s b a c k a s h e s t e p n e d f r o m b e h l n d . t h e b a r n doors rather than conrlng from inslde the structure as was expected.

f r O o n eo n u p h e r e , a ! , / a y f r o i u t h e a n l r n a l s , L e a v e t h e w l l d c a t t L e t o t h e K h l r e d h a n d s r r ?d e m a n d e d a r h l l o u d l y rather than hysterlcal rvith frustratlon showlng ccnsternatlon

alarm for hls sonrs safety; he knew what ums happenlngl Karhlr'f

n A l c o s l s a l ' r , € y s o n e s t e p o r b l g J u m pa h e a d o f y o r r o n t h l n g s , e o m m e n t e ill, l a b l e v r l t h a s n a l l soundlng vocal response. ycu al-l.

"Uh, Dad, sorry tc have bothered you or interrupted

llut John,

ah, l,flster Buster, T mean, stunrbled agalnst the stanslon as we were leaving. llever saw sueh a wtld snortlng, explalned AIcos vrith alacrlty "Alcos, pawlng anlrnal get so exclted and arousedr"

to makehls polnt qulckly. Do go clean-up, and

you smell- l-lke that wlld stud., yourgelf.

shower off qulckly-hs11' eff "cts otr ]oll-now,

an hour ln that barn sure settled an odlous after-

K scoot alongr't demaniled.erh1 al-:nost too understandlng the place of aII the humandlstractlons. r ea I prLz e w i nner !

a n d ' n r i a n t l n gt o r l d

"I l h , l ,(t. D u P re e , th a t l s scr ce stuC you got ther e- a Never saw a better plece of flesh ln ny llfe,

sueh a vlrlle

anfunal, to en-

B hance ycur gene pool on the prenlsesr" aarvelled. It,Tr. uster too gushlngly" ftgure-sh, t h a n k s , T a m s u r e . A n C .y o u h a d b e t t e r c l e a n - u p , t o o . b e f o r e show you the way; he leads hollered' Karh1 loudly. hldden from the rnaln re-

Jotninp: the ladles up on the terraoe. Alcos wtll rather irell as you know by novJ.... 0h, Alcos.'.?rr path whlch ls a short-cut

rrover herer trF thls

stcne steps, Just foltow me as best you c8[," sponse to hls fathert s earller su€igestlon'

alerted Alcos with a fost

,rsonn donrt take too long, thls

tlme ln the shower; we al-l want to requ*sted' the fatherly

.dlnn together and eat up the good tlmes tosethoxr"

T a yI o r / F o w l ke

Page 95

K a r h L a s t h e t w o f e l l c r v s d l s a p _ n e a r e dq u l c k l y u p t h e g r a s s y p a t h t o w a r d t h e tree sh+ltered. house. 'fleave him be, Karhl, a mueh earller age. t o g o h l s o w n w a y ; y o u n a d . ey o u r o w n c h o l c e s a t time tcsnther, toortr repLled Mable €flr .

rir'e eed scmequality n

Kar hL as she whlsper ed in hls v ri t h a c o u n te rmo ve me n t to r,va r d, Iti:uallty tlme ls llke back around-thatf very true llttle

a boonerang, v,tlth what ,ioes around, then coneg saying that ls a Just

s an old CaJun cr wlse Creole folklore dlttyr" renarked I(arhl with flnality

ancireslgnatlon,

a s D a i ; h n ae a l l e d . f r o m t h e u p p e r t e r r l c e , "Oh, yoohoo, Karhl and l{abIe-the l ioht
!{Frrr9

flre

ls dielng

cutl

Hurry back, to D a p h n aw i t h a

it
!v

nll
s35

over arcgin as best ycu kncw hovrto dcrn Ielled

blg knowing smlle that she was the one notlclng. thlngs needlng tc be d.cneo l l f k n o w , D a p h n ad e a r ; T c a n s e e w h a t t o d o - o u r flre ls dead Just as

everyone el-se on l,al,ourcheBayou heard you scream outr'f chlded KarhL softly t o l T a b l e ts h a l r - d o as he seemlngly smelled the flower blossom. slnce our tlme ls passed also.

rrlii'e ust hurry back to the dead flre m

Resldes, tho otC professor is up there wlth Daphnaat the 61111 with her speelal sauce to put on the steaksrrt lanented l'fable as she hurried her galt not to ai?pear lagglne far behlnd. f r l r i s s ' D a p h n a ,t h e s o c l a l - q u e e n o f n e a r b y T h l b o d a u x a n d a l l A lal'ourche that lr,Tarle ntolnette of Sayou

also had a chateau to escape her destlny ls pro-

your donaln where a1l. thlngs go your w6yrI adnltted Karhl loud.ly as if clalmlng her request ltke a vlllage crler ealltng for a roysl audlence. sllghtly

Karhl and l,{able arrlved back onto the terrace They were stllt They v;ere full talklng abcut the beautlful

out of breath.

greenery and lovely flowers.

of themselves and the beauty of the moment, nothlng else o r l vo rth ta l klng about at the time.

l s e e m e d . m p o rta n t

F.r,

Tav lor /Fowlke a0heap talk is vrhat we have plenty

P age 96 cf herer yo\l chatter-boxes, and a golngrn

blg klss j.s what you connivers deserve for

keeplng the barbecue flres

cooed Daphnaas she hoovered cver the professor whlle also glancing toward KarhI and sheeplsh apnearlng I4able. "0h, l.lllss Daphna, all that strawberry llpstlck is wasted.on an old man too nuch for effeot.

llke fi€," laughed the professor happily whlle protcsting "lJcw Frof,essor, let ne ilut you ln charge of this

cook-out from now-cnr my own s pec i al

T-r u td o p u t rn o re stra w b e rry recipe,

sauce on the steanlng steaksl

you know, also natehes ny custom Ilpstlci<--a

speclal fashi.on Ltem

Job Cone Ju-st for flre. And heref s ancther smack-aroo on your forehead to reward ycu for all the dutles you perforned while Karh1 and f took leave of g u s h e d D a i r h n aa s K a r h l a n d l \ f a b l e a r r i v e d

our own cooklng responsibllltlesr'r b;ck at the barbecue pltt,

to pretenri that ncthlng much had happeneC. due,

";\ klss ls nevar wasted; love always cones back wlth lnterest t h a t q u e e n r / e n u s rs ' i l a y r i l s i g h e d P r o f e s s o r B u r r u s k l n d l y "0 r l t

pleased wlth hinnself . smlle

a L l b g o m:a -g g g g g In your facer ft sighed ldable with a hal f

s and a hang-dog look that avoirled the stare from Daphnar big grln. t t l , r e n us? tt ske d K a rh l w l th a a puzzLed.fr own cr look of sur pr lse llterature at w hEt

MabLehad Just said slnce she seldom knew classlcal t r o f c o u r s e , d e a r l e , w o i n e nk n e w a l l quickly with a loud tltter tlet

references.

about love thtngsr'r responded Daphna

a L s o s a l d . r c u e hm o r e t h a n s h e l e t - o n . me have tbe blgeest

t r , r , t r e l -tIh e n , s l n c e y o u u n d . e r s t a n d s o n u c h , J u s t l e t ,

and sauclest plece of meat here,?t requested Mable sol-emnly. ' r l ) o n ft k e e p t h e g u e s t s w a l t l n g up your best done efforts too lone, ffarhl baby-get vrtth a fast busy antl serverrerbal clip.

as usualr'ur6ed'Daphna

, r T h e n r y o u h a v e t h e h o n o r o f s e r v i n g J o d . 1 ' ,f i r s t ,

Daphnar'rdelegated

deep understanding' K a r h 1 w i t h a s u d c . e ni n t e n s e r e s p o n s e t o h e r m o o d o f

Taylor /Fovrlke 'rBut first I wlll fill the plates for

?ase 97
dear $llster Buster and Alcos very

who wl11 be here pretty

soon, surelyr'r lnforraed Danhna, suddenly gettlng than wlth her personal probes.

busy vrlth her dornestic chores rather

rrfody, you can do an o1d man a favor by helplng ne get my plate and llquid refreshments over tc tlre table near the oleanders, herertt requested dlgs.

the good Professcr Burrus vrlth unccncern to tlre conversatlonal "Surely, Frofessorr look llke a rain

f need to keep busy, anywa:/, 3ut the GuIf clouds

stcrm ls brewing and t-hat could ruln our eatlng outslde as f h e w e d d l n g m a ; rh a v e t o b e h e l d l n s l d e s h o w s - 1 1 p r to h s e r v e d J o c l y c a s u a l l y t look-

well as the whol-e party rood tlmes. the blg house, tha t ts,
.!rrr, lrrv v vfrv

if

the bride

{nc inrn tha nrurky sky and pretendlng more ccneern for

th.e elements than for

t h e l a t e n e s s o r n o n - s h o v ro f t h e b r l d e a n d h e r f o L l o w l n g . 'rA storm ls lndeed brewlng ln those parts; can feel it gatherlng. T knovl one vrhenf see tt or

But, Jcdy, I real-ly wanted you to step over her close the ralndrops

to me so T can rub cut those strawberry strealcs on your lapels; do help dllute
. !v q4 vrrr-

those lmprlnted teeth marks on your coat-thls

would be dlfonly these

f ierr'lt tn axnlsln to your wife and someothers here as well-lf bcny fln.'ers |n thls

of mlne can smear them out before everycne here gets barbeeued

s p e c l a l s t r a w b e r r y s e u c e o f D a n h n a ts o w n m a k l r l g r t t w h i s p e r e d P r o f e s naklng everything appear just perfectly. stuttered or obs er v i nc :.

sor Furrus v,rlth deep concern for nThanks, f uh mean .... J cd y l o o k l n g

You nust thlnk

the vlorst of me .'.rtt

sh e e p l sh l y a ro u nd to see lf ilIabIe wer e over - hear ing

ttSay no mot:eroV son, Just go baek to the group as though nothlng has happened. tveryone here has scne saucey tlmes to overlook or to hl-Ce. Daphna has the sameeffect on us all, sooner or laterr'f confessed the Profegsor. il€rtt requested Arla Faye

rrProfessor, come he:-e and hold. the baby for

her' Seasley vd-th sudden ccncern fcr the professorrs presence to be near *fYes, lndeedy, l,{iz ArIa Faye. Let an oLd:nan 61ve you the best rellef

Taylor/Fowlke

Page 98 straw-

so you can get the cholcest mariaaated steak of all- lqlth the thlckest berry $auce; you need to enJoy thls joy the Jlmson tllLtes light. literary Now, let

plece: savor the vlew, the Sood food-ensun and the ensulng noon-

that ooen to the setting

an old nan play with Blg baby who understands my brand. of I Tts€V r bltsey; gltchey, g o o di 4 9 3 9 ' g e n g , - t e l c g t ' d a d . d yr ' r e o o e d t as he

baby-taIk:

upharsfg-come to ny hand-writlng

on the wall" of your real

the clever Professor Burrus wlth a soft low verbal respondlng lllt bouneed the baby aroundl lovlngly The brldefs and.very carlng.

daddy suddenly drove up the lane ln a eloud of dust thet of the place. But the

s e e m e dl m p o s s l b l e c r o u t o f o h a r a c t e r f o r t h e f l n e r y

u r f e n c y o f t h e s p e e d l n g c a r s o u n d e d a n u r g e n c y b e . v o n db e l l e f . wag alone. The lone flgure bad news to relate. n a m e d$ w e d e H a r r e l L , . had jllted lnfc r n e d

Buster Rutl-er

of a man exlsted hts Suburban vehlcle anxlously. Hls daughter had.run-off

He had

wlth her nelghborhood boyfrienil or Otl Clty. $he

to get marrled over ln Twln Cityr

the whole Dupree famlly,

bemoaned he sheeplsh father t r ather

when he or

D ap h n a o f th e tu rn of events fir st

than golng: to Kar hl

o CarI vrlth the shocklng nevts D a p h n a t o o k t h e b a d n e v r sr a t h e r w e l l . and sald, 'rCrest l-a vl-ve." most relleved of all. That was all She Just shrugged her shoulders s h e r e m a r k e d . A l c o s s e e m e dt h e

laphna assufred the squlrmlng Butl-er that good. slnce they were alI

b u s l n e s s d e a l l n g l w o u l d c o n t l n u e b e t r , v e e nt h e f a m l l l e s still branchwater ktn'anyvmy. The prosperlty

was not somethlng to throw Then, Buster Butler sat

away Just because young people dld wlld thlngs. d o w n t o J o l n th e su p p e r tl me eatlnpgo He told that brought about the ifltlng. Buster Futlerrs daughter llvelyn Natrelle

of sotile ver y str ang e ev ents

Futler

h a d a w l n d ' o wp e e p e r she never had r epor ted'

e v e r y t l n r e sh e b a th e d . Ia te a t nlg,ht for

sever al yeafs'

fay lor/Fowlke the incldents to the sherlff. The long story unfolded ln full tale. ft had all

Page 99 detall- as the started back

m4ssengerof bad news ccntinued the telllng in juntor hlgh school days.

I { l s d a u g h t e r l 4 v e l - y nN a t r e l l e

would.play her

harpslcord muslc bafore taklng a bath, for hours she p}ayed the tunes' l l a r p s l c o r d n o u s l cf l l L e d dusk. The shrll} the nlght air when the bull bats came out at kept came

harpslcorC muslc and the bellowlng bats ln fllght

beat tc each other and was an added crescendo v*ren the night train thundering past, pounClng the ralls wlth a vlbratlon

that added rnuslc to

the nood.. The harpslcord muslc went on for slsnal or sonata. The last bet fl"lght

over an hour or so Llke a cf the traln ralled

when the whlstle

C o w nt t s

traoks was when the preparatlons tc bathe began. The noeturnal ablt geemed.

utations follovred the sameharmony each time, atr aura of rltuat The aura qf Natrellef s tolletery her attlre, began with a dellberate

removal of

a p l e c e b y p l e c e . S h e w a s a s y n r p h o n yo f s l o w n r u s l c a l -r n o v e m e n t s gllded out of the l-ast pieee of loungerle, her dlfrom the hush of the

she dlsrobed.. Natrelle vestment lnto ntght. total

nudtty as the roon stood sllent

5t11I and"sculpt

ttke a flamlngo suspended, she stood on the edge bubbles expanded and then S)-owly and carefully dellber-

cf the walting burst

r , , r a t e r ,A b a t h l n t h e g l l s t e n l n g

. i n t o t h e m o l s t u r e o f t h e d . a r k e n e dn t g h t ,

atel-y, NatreLle tested the waters vrlth the slender arch of a blg toe lnto the rlslng foam. vrade6lnto the pool of adulatj.on and sank lnto the llquld drops

Natrelle

of her artered sacriflce. wlt h a g l l s te n l n g

The popplnE bubbres contlnued to rlse and falL r ,vlthtn fr cn the r ar r et vr lndow n hl gh abov e

e ;re b a i -I ml rr or ed

t h e f a r s l d e o f th e b a th tu b .

A swaylng weeplng wlIlow

tr ee flr ew adj ac ent to

theoutsldewallandthellmbsservedasSstepplngstonewalkwayorladder har nony cf thls per vel' se bath' le a d l n g e a sl l y u p w a rd tO th e r hythr nlc

Ta y I o r / F o w l ke T h e s u d s y b a t h h e L d t h e E , a z ef l r m l " y l n p l a c e .

Fafie 1C0

Rubbles burst and some branches brushed

fLoated upward toward the anber glass panes whero the wlllow the wtndow slLl-.

A palr of eyes looked. upon the Loveliness vrlthln the bath caught fast ln the bubblesr blendlng ltke bull-bat

water, a reflected. retlna eyes flylng firmly intact

ln the darkened nlght,

The blg gllstenlng

eyes held the scene

wlth a look of ad.mlratlon receptlve to everythlng-sv6rtythlng Thls fanolllar The reflected scene repeated eyes cane

a creation ttself ntghtty reflected

of lust and d.esire out of dlverslty.

each evenlng, regular as the evenlng star.

to see the sensatlon created or orchestrated by the inages ln the bubbles, Natrelle also observed the reflected eyes vrlthin the

soapy bubbles, never )-ooklng upward into the amber glass, to see the forn alnost wlllow s u s p e n d e dt h a t w a s s u s p o r t e d . o n l t s tree. The eyes from the nlght ln the bubbles. own two llnbs on the branches of

saw lt

a ) - 1 " ,J u s t a s h e r e y e s v l e v r e d

the reflectlons

Natrelle

vras her own voyeur looklng lnto over and over, what the eyes of

the sparkllng bubbJ.es;by perfornrlng best, the ntght wanted to vlew, T h t s ha rmo n y o f e ye sp ying went on fcr darlng herself. one nlght l a te

year s untll

Natr el- l- e bec ane i nor e eyes. Rut

She always pretended to be unaware of the nlght Har r el w h e n B u rd n sw ed.etf left hls

per ch on the hlg h l l m bs of

the wlllow tree, Natrelle that looked llke

v . l a sq u l c k t o g r a b h e r f l o w l n g m a k e - s h l f t n l g h t g o w n She streaked dcwnstalrs herself but followed

a long dress.

t h e s a n e r o u te

th e n l g h t

e ye s hail taken. she pLaced a stool

belci v r the anber

stepped' g l a s s e d w i n d . o wa n d c r a w l e d o u t o n t o t h e v r l l L o w b r a c h e s ' N a t r e L l - e to follOw at a her scundless way down the sane step-ladder of branches, safe dlstance. N a t r e l }e wlndow. $he followed ttre nlpglrtwatcher to his own home' nlght watcher of her c $r n h td b e h l n d sh rubber y Just ss had the the lawns and the porches' Hls only moonllght beams streaked across

taylor/Fowlke bedroom sanctuary was a downstalrs nlche.

Fage tOL

lrTatrelle ad.nlred the view from ln the poreh

'

behtnd the baLustrade wlth the ocessional mlssln6l baluster railing. took. She always took tlre short-cut, soon after flying,

Learnlng the route he lnto hls room and begln

' . . , 0 / a t c h l nh e y o u n g r n a nr u s h l n s l d e , tg a frenzy,

to prepare for bed-ln. Ilke

he shuckedall

hls elothlng,

tosslng then

feathers about the roon.

Burd Harrel connected the cassette tape wlth harpsicord playlng. air, The musleal

hls own reeordtng ef NatreIIer s ntghtly

harncny cf her own recordlng blasted the night shadows ln thls prelud.e, rippllng in tine,

plavlng through the movenrents

to the body beautlful

of the bedroom prlvacy. , A n d N a t r e l l " e , s h l e l , d e d b y t h e s h a d . o v r sw a t c h e d B u r d ' s n l g h t or fltght afte r to peek on her . h e h a d sn e a l ced. tlme danee

Her eyes peer ing benaath the

an g l e d w l n d o w sh a d e sa w a star k

scene r epeated a thousand. tlm es or m or e ov er wlth a feroinine eye ln lntense concern avlay, fr om her s too. The sam e m us l c

t1e y€ars" She looked upon hls fltght t h a t w a s o nl y a mo ve me n t o r pr elude, or bat muslo as Natrelle

called. her harpsicord rhapsody addeCto the dlsShe watoheil ever y cha nc e s he Natr eLle had a} ways wond.er ed

c o r d . a n t b a ckg ro u n d o f h e r w l nd.owpeeplng. eo u L r l u n t i l h e w a s fu l l y g ro vr n as was she.

wh a t r n e n d i d w h e n th e y th o u g ht they viler e aLone. she did. Natrelle

And ncw she kne l v or thought

a l ' , v a y sw a n t e d w h a t s h e e o u l d n o t e a s l l y

get.

The marrlage She Just

a r r a n g e m e n t t o A l c o s D u P r e e ' ^ t a sh e r f a t h e r r s went along with the whole thlng until

dolng or finangl-tng.

the Last posslble moment. Her heartrs t h e s h a d o w yf l g u r e

d e s l r e w a s s e t o n h a v i n g t h e r n a no f h e r d r e a m s L l t e r a l l V , in the window dresslng night fantasy fllght. the night

$he hait longed too long for to get mar-

eyss of Burd'rswede'r l{arre1 and now they had run off best frlends as wlto€ssos'

ried |n TWln Ctty vrith thelr

Taylor/FowLke 'f$od as my wltness, of sex perverts ln thls I strongly feel that Sister

Fage 102

Fledis and her ilk

world. insplre

y o u n g p e o p l - et o d o t h e s e c r a z y

t h l n g s r ' ? b e n o a n e dB u s t e r B u t l e r u r i t h h l s h e a d l n h l s h a n d ' s ' H e J u s t h a d to blarne soneone for all to defend herself thls mess and saucy Slster FleOts lflas nct present

aS u$ual.

But illm gob spoke out ln her defense or at

l e a s t r n a d eh l s o - ? i n l o n k n o w t h a t n o o n e h e l d a g u n t o a n y o n e t s h e a d a n d made then do otherwlse than what the money-grasping blg deals of a famlly arranged marrlape woulC do harm tc the hanplness of all- cnncetned. ilm Bob was hopplng nad or so he seemed. He Just ranted and raved to everyone lndivldually as well as loudl-y for all to hear, addressing the rgal cf everyone else.

problens being the busybody approach to runnlng the lives rf],lve and Let llve,'r citizens

ls my poIl-cy and.should be the phtloscphy of all

ln a true democracy, was the ccntentlon that Jlm Bob kept spoutlng' pLace ts Just full of llttle Hltlers runnlng the world; Sot to ls immoral or !0orge.

nI gueslthts tell

ths people what to do and',qhat to thlnk

or else all

You boss-hogs Just want to put a big steering wheel in the center of the earth and then drlve us all to d"lstractlon. There is more than one road to further ex-

gtory 1and and. the roaC to hell p c r r n d e dt h e a n { r r y t r t r o B o b ,

ls paved wlth good lntentions,

He was havlng hts say about bossy, meddlescme sooially acoepted.

. f o o l s a s h e o a l l e d e v e r y o n e p r e s e n t w h o h a d a r r a n E , e dt h l s alllance called a marrlage or farce.

And somethlng about a motely erew of

a farnlly also got mentioned wlth dtsgust. Nc one got really to be a bother and thls truth angry at Jim Bob, though, tlrade He was usually too qulet

l t r a sa s h o c k l n g r e v e l a t i o n . food for thought, than try

And he spoke the own ehol-ce

so overyone had scne real

to poncer thelr

L t f e n l s t a k e s f o r a c h a n p i e ,r a t h e r was the add.ltlonal adnronttlcn that

to mess up scneone elsers l|fe' down for all to hearo

Jtm 30b lald

T a y l o r / F o w l ke

Faqe 103 of

J1mBob then grabbed the car keys to one of Daphnats collectlon classlc oars and left with a roar. Daphna dld not nlnd for

she knew that to all-ctt

he would be back Like alrvays. a tlttle ttff llke this

They heLd too much history

together,

to oone between them.

Besld.es, they were branchThibodaux. Those tles woulC

yrater kin and had attend.ed the samecol-lege at k e e p t h e m f r i e n d l - y t o v r a r d .e a c h o t h e r , new deals that JfucBob kept brlnglng Tn true f ashton of all about the one rvho left clean. Daphnaof alt flrst,

along wlth all to the 8ro8r

the lnvestments ln the

gosslps, the renalnlng kinf ol"k

declded to tallc

poor Jlm Bob got hls bones of contention plcked

people knervthe most secrets about hlm, as dld the They tolC about the affalr he had wlth the ccI3-ege Jtm Bob

good Professor Burrus.

teacher vrholed hlm on and realLy

taught hlm nrost of what he knew.

got hls moxey rieveloped Curing those lnnocent college well how to use people as a good con-artlst had a brother who vias a rocket scientlst

days and he learned

does. And the college teacher about the

anil thus taught hln a lot

new fangled ldeas that now medea huge fortune for prl ses. Daphna then began to relate

the Jlrn Bob Pease Enter-

t h € u n t o l i l t a l e a b o u t J l n B o b rs l n t r o d u c t l o n He had a

t o t h e b l z a a r a n d , s e c r e t i v e v / a y s t h a t n o w d . o m l n a t e dh l s l t f e s t y l " e . Cate or realLy an appolntroent wlth t h e n a r r a t l ve h o o k th a t thls

reknown teacher at the colleger wasl of the tr uth

used. to begin her stor ytelling D a ,o hna lnside

about cousin trlrn Bob. The raln had driven them all could be done vrith thelr tlme.

so nothlng better

r?Offlce doors llned the hallway,

two abreast and. across frcm eaoh other. of empty chalrs and old d'esks'

$ c m e d o o r w a y s o p e n e d .i n t o c l a s s r o o m s , f u l l

where nanes, followed by degree Anil an oecaslonal docr entered lnto a foyer speclal Interest' The app*ared at random on eye level.One door held titles, fenlnlne clean"-;'ias done In sllver+a nane place on that d.oor, so simpl* and

Tay 1,or/f'owlke

P age 104 the lettering. The lead glroseil dcor ccntalned nlniseul-e reThe glass opened

touch-framed

versecl squBres not easy to di-stingulsh from the outslde, backrvard lnto a deep vestibule; tilas bordered vrith clover the floor

wae ccvered. with creaa colored

designs, four ln numberand leaded glassr 6l-sot h e s e v e r y s m a l l d e s l g n s h a d b e c o m ew e l L Just the r lght tlnr e ur hen a

a green color now turned graylsh, ln o r n v r l t h tl me l y u sa g e .

T h e nooil was set for

designlng student Ilke A petlte

Jlm Bob would. dare enter.

desk over to one slde aupported a stack of marked papers and Sxgter BooE, [gi5!g,

s e v e r a L t e x t b o o k s a p p e a r e d "o p e n e d f o r u s e , t h e s e t e x t s : and a shortstory r r AR o s e f o r , T n i l y ' r - t h e

f e w n a m e s r e c o g , n l z a b l - ef r o m p a s t

studles arnld too many tltles

to remember. The solled. fingerod pages irave a tlne vlsitor to

character study of tho owner, the reader, that the flrst thls offlce

eould. nct easlly ccnprehend, sueh rnrell used acadenla. GoId lay on top of the heap, ready to use, open in

framed glasses or lunettes fuIl vlel. An open brlef far

case, banboo wlth dalsy flower deoals, dcmlnated the Thls casual array or rather d,lsarray was also a

corner of the floor.

feminlne touch, hlntlng

at the tenporary absence slnce the door lvas aJar.

T h e r o o n s e e m e dt c s a y t h a t o n e s h o u l i l w a l t . A n d ' , r i a l t J t m 3 o b d i d a s a l w a y s . T h e r o o m r r r a sf u L l thts vlevr wlth an educatlon Just for the looklng. of lnterestlng thlngs,

Pealing paint curlad down stalnan

the b:rck wall where a wlndow coller ed colors onto the base boards. all

and heater combinatlon drlpped lts looked llke

The patnted steam radlator wattlng to strlke

old all-lgator,

cracked dark palnt,

out or hlt

you sud-

denly ln the face with lts for

walttng oolors,

The room always appeared waltlng a dozen twany hues r onc e new dtngy yet ecmfortable'

s o m e t h rn g . T h e ro o m.-ra ther

the offlco- had

and llvery,

coordinated but now faded and diluted, ro o m th a t Ju st walteil'

thts furnlshed

Tay I or /tr'owlke T h e d esk ch a i r sorts was catty thls vms fl a t agsinst the fur nltur e a pup tent

Pase l-O5

whll- e another ehai r

of

ccrnered. ft Sltting

looked llke confortably

sagging ln the nriddle, the left calf of

contoured chair.

requtred. llftlng

the leg onto the corner pole.

T,olllng best descrl-bed the results.

Thls pro-

vided a conpronlsing view cf the legs, to the advantage cf the desk vlevr. The open door ang,Ied the chalr tovmrd the plctures plctwes on the wall. The The sa€la

told a pleasant story from i'.renorbilla of past sabbatlcals. personallzed nontage of travels. A llfe

captlcns revealed. a rather was laid

bare to the casual glance, from the open door. upon close scrunlty revealed snraIl pictures, p r i n t s b e c a m es a s y

/rnd the open door ttself

mlnlscule squares stuek on the leaded glass. to dlstinf,utsh genltalla when very elose.

The snaII

A c l o s e r v t e w s h o w e ds n a l L , m u l t l - a n g l - e d An occastouc h

pressed ontc the bevelled glass so open and flagrant.

dr ion a l R e u b e n s a n d ? l ca sso t s Ly.g,!9.!r 3- 9. awings added the llter ar y to thls salacious t1i-splay. The room thusly gave lts dusty from tlme worn thln. to fiII full

ap])earance, one

of a bord.ello tone but all

The dust ptled high and was waltlng

the moment. A heavy coatThe gold fram.ed

l n g c f d u s t b e c a m e a p p a r e n t u ? o n r r € r . vc l o s e c b s e r v a t l o n . glasses on top of the -olle had a finfier lens.

s m u d g el n t h e m i d d l e o f t h e r l g h t

N o h u m a nh a n d s h a d t o u c h e d t h e n u m e r o u s t r o a s u r e s f o r a l o n g t 1 m e . Tne treagures were a llvlng m u s e u &e u l o g y w i t h a p r e s s e d r o s e f r o n a

funeral

spray rnarklng the Jean Paul Sartret s play where the reaCer had T h e n u s t y r o s e b u r l v J a sa e r l d smelllng and' waitlng told the story Qnlyt

paused for a last rest.

rvlth the roomful of d.ust.

The teacherts handwrltlng clearly

of thts eulogy: $|gn-up for your turn-Offlee To Keep Soon. T h e n , D a P h n a l a u g h e d ' 1 o u , C . l y ,s a y l n g t h a t all t h e s t u t l e n t s b a c k t h e n to thlnk

l{ours By Appolntnent'

thts

experlence lnf luenced' Ll v e

twlce about thel- r cr r mnor tallt y '

Ta y l o r / F o w l k e ltfe to the fullest, for

Fage 106 the end may be nearer than you thinkr'r'las the lesnuseun to the teacher left on the students of

son that the nacabre llving thn t era.

A n d .y c u c o u l d b l a n e t h a t

lnc j-dent on nakine Jim 3ob what he is for causlng lmrnoral behavlor the noss-

today as nuch as you can blarne Slster Fledls

to c cne to our conr,nunitles. Scapegoats are the poor excuses that backs or two-faced city responslblllty fcr thelr for thelr fathers blane for thelr own slns;

they dcnft take

o w n s h o r t c o m l n g s a s l o n g a s t h e y c a n c o n d e m na n o t h was the lecture that Daphnathen proelalmeC as th

cwn frallities,

lesscn fron all

these examples of weak-wllLed humancharacter faults, and then ccntlnued expoundlng that she was

D a p h n ac l e a r e d h e r t h r o a t well-aware that

the chlef rnorallst of South Fowlke'ras splnster lrlss DaetyL tles t o J t m R o b s e e m e d l.r o n l c , At least her life r / I a sn o

rfiose close famlly

' r u a s t e da n d e s p e c l a l L y s o , n o w t h a t s h e h e d c r € l a n l z e d a s e n l o r c i t l z e n s t s n c n e y - m a k l n E a n d e n p l o y m e n t i i e n e r a t l n g e l u b n a r n e dS l l v e r was patterned after Foxes. T h , j - sc l u b " ]

the AAR? (Amerlcan Assoclati.on of Retired Fersons). had access to records T h l s v r a sa

llach county harl a chapter headquarters; the officers t h a t p r o . r l d e d e m p l o y m e n tc p l o r t u n l t l e s hook-up wlth the novr industrles at aI} the new servlce statlons kinds of fuels at the Blllips that for

those requestlng.

Jlm Rob had created,

espeelal-Ly vrork

that offered. all

b : r a n d . so f g a s o l i n e E n d a I I The Silver Foxlnembershlp

chain cf statlons.

w a s a n h a n c e db y d e a r o l - d - m e l d I ' i t s s ' D a c t y l t c lecturlng about the merlts

who went all

over the nation

of the chapter c1ubs.

Slie had been responslble talk

for over a mllllon

new nembers each year after

golng on televlslon

shows that mosg.y orlglnated

out of South Torrlke.

f,lm Bcbts old auntie was

re f e r r e c . t o a s th e e n b o d l n e n t of sllver ber noniker by all the retirod

fo4xwhleh r ,vasher ovfil'niek nam er or

natlon' segnent of the populatlon around the

T a y I o r / F c w lke

Pap.e I07

chapter The Sllver

5o

Foxx Revolutlon

The older populatlon around South Fowl-keand all- across the natlon w a s o r g a n l z e d i n t o 5 1 l v e r t r ' o x xc h a p t e r s b y t h e e n t e r p r i s l n g I , T i s sh i m s e y Dacty1lc. retired. teaeher

S h e n a d e t h e m i n t o m o n e y - m a k i n gv e n t u r e s b y h a v l n g a l s o p r o v l d e d e a t r r l o y m e n ft o r the

btn6o parlors wlthin retired. fron all

each chapter; thls

Susses were constantly the llttle towns withln their

brlnglng

plaS'ers fron the retlrement hoines one-vray; this enhancedthe a capltal-

a two-hour trip

fun tlme hours wlth folks istlc endeavor.

own age $roup as well as crdatlng

The state leElsLetors

llstened to the oLder voters and then

t chansed the laws to accommodate he blngo parlors that held a reereatlonal Ilcense fcr non-proflt use onlY ldea for the Sllver tr'oxx enterprlses l'ras the state /

The next prof ltable lottery lobby.

The weekly drawlngs were held at or by tlie state headquarters Thls televislon coverage added to the

of each staters Sllver Foxx chapter. glamor, getting sure that parity attentlon

for the elderly

a appearlng on T'Itr, nd also making of the wlnnlngs.

or honesty prevalled. vrith the dlstrrbutlon

vlhlch was ovef- seeing the dr aw i ngs " Ch u r c h m e n b e rs se rve d . o n th e com m ltlss

Taylor/Fowlke

Paee 108 a miLl-ion dollars for each

T h e s w e e p s t a k e s d , r a w l n g sw e r e w e l l - o v e r drawlng slnce the pick-[ and plck-6 offerings

were so appeallng and easy at all the Silver Foxx for

to place the vragers, buying chances or tlckets

chapters as well as the corner sonvenience stores. t h e t w o - w a y te l e vl sl o n sh o w s whlch had the hlghest

The rovlng reporters r atlngs ft when they got

uro r k e r s - o n - th e -Jo b d u rl n g th eir these rovlng for all re p o rte r

lunch br eak to play.

was dur lng one of

sh o w s that the Silver

Foxx com- nlttee held the d.r aw l ng, The wlnner of s how ed the type atmosfor the next

to see and then revel- ln the ectasy of the wlnner. and the tvr o- way televlsed

c c u r s e c a l l "e d l n l n n e d l a te l y glee of tho lucky soul

plctur e

Thls was a feedlng-frenzy

or carnlval tlckets

phere whlch mademore folks drawlng. great that

rush out to purchase thelr

A plan to make a dally

plck was ln tl:e offerlng;

t h e d e m a n dw a s s o

enough money would be generated. for a dally

drawlng on the slx had lts own the

otclock news at the end of the sports se6ment. riaeh offerlng dlstlnct plck nunber that the public u n d . e r s t a n df r o m a l l

the hype that

fV and the SlLver Foxx chapters had.gl'ren lt; Iarge job offerlng

thls assurred success and a Foxx memberso

or good employnent for the older Sllver

Bn p l o y me n t w a s h l g h a l l dustry but thls Iottery Sllver

ar ound South I' owlke because of the boom l ng l n-

Foxx connectlon to the blngo parlors and the state

d . r aw l n g s w a s d o n e to enhance nr onetar y galn as well as en ter tai nm ent Thts use of TV game T he unr l - d

l n a r e a s w h e r e J l m B o b rs n e w i d e a s h a d n o t y e t r e a c h e d .

pla y l n g s p re a d th e g o o d . ti me s and. shar ed. the wealth ever ywher e. uras truly b e c o m l n g s m a l l e r a n d .b e t t e r for all

segments of the populatlon,

bra;iged the auntle l,{lss Prlmsey Dact}lc. AII a rl g oo d . th l n g s h a d th e l r down std.e, even. And the wor st thl ng about

t h e s u cce ss th a t

no Jrn n B o b had br ought to south Fowlke was that he had share the llmellght. 0I that was the supposed case'

w l f e a n d .c h l l d r e n t o

Tay lor/F owlke . A y o u n g w o ma nsh o vre d u p at the d.oor to Jlm Sobt s flne

P age 109 house . $he This

c l a l r n e d s h e v a a sJ l n r B o b t s w l f e a n d t h a t t h e y o u n g s t e r w a s h l s c h l I d . turn of events shccked the housekeep€rr Nanny tr{aryStrickland, t h e n r o t h e r a n d b e b e i n to Dactyllc, until all th e flno par lour . l{ anny hfar y flr st

who allowed call ed }''l l s s

The gosslpy word'was not about to be pernltted facts were carefully

out of the house

c h e c k e d . A l l - t h e a u n t l v T l s sP r l m s e y D a c t y L l c and sure enough the mark of the famlly The blrthmark rear end. curse

had to do was to see the chlld as she called lt

vras well upon the chlLd.

of a crescent moon But the bumpor tralt to the

w l t h s p e o k l - e dr e d s p o t s d o t t e d t h e i n f a n t s t s

k knovrledrne not on the back of the head added the most telllng inspectlng auntle. The younf, mother knevrnary thlngs that was no hoax or extortlon Th e y o u n g l ad yf s fu l I

sutrstantlated her clalms. Thls

plot as the good., o1d auntle was qulck to pursue. And the R habb

n a m6 w as Rhonr la Shar on Rhabb Tatum.

na m e w a s t h e ke y to kn o w l n g the tr uth. Rhonda Rhabb had been a student and then a frlenct at ooll-ege where Jin Bob had attendede the sameunlverstty m u s e u mo f f l ce where the teacher had the 11vlng

a s a e u l o g y w h en she had dled of cancer or r nelanol na. T he slde of the tem pLe head ar ea and

n n o l e h a d g r o w n to co ve r h e r whol- e r lght d e a t h s o o n re su L te d . pact on the campus llfe T h e l l centlous at that

ltflz Blngm an vias mlssed and m ade an l m Fut the eccentrlc students Rhondars

era of tlme.

made the biggest lnpact or lastlng nother had attended classes, flrst,

lmpresslons on the canpus.

as a ratlonal,e to be a chaperon so that or by reputatlon since the old-

nothlng bad.would happen to her physically fashioned ways stltl prevalled

ln the cajun country of the bayous wlth tirc prestlge to nalntain. to look after In a r eflner y The mother, the late R honda

farnllles who hsd money or soclal

l4 r s . R h a b b r ffi s th e o n l y p a rent left aft e r t h e s tra n € l e d " e a th o f the father

the only- chlld exp) "oslon'

Tay lor /F owlke T h e R ha b b sto ry so o n b e cane fodcler for iroldered. snaLl-tatk thelr tales. the r unor nlll

Page II0

wlth al L l ts

eni -

Sone of the nore dedleated g:osslps even got ln town of Thibodaux to learn all the

cars and rode to the unlverstty

gory detall-s. a tale-spinner epic odyssey. tlous

The most accepted verslon was toLd wlth all co mp l e te w l th flower y lenguage; lt

the eloquenee of an

went sor :lethlng l l k e

The baslc plot never changedbut the narratlon,'nas ostentaverbose. }frs. Rhabb was a flne Lady cf the old school,

or Just plaln

n o p u n l n t e n d .e d ., vre n t th e ya rn. l , { r s . Fh a b b a cco n p a n l e d her daughter , Ithonda Shar on, to the c anpus entlrely a s c h a p e r o n a n d t o n r a k es u r e a p r o p e r h o u s e h o L d a t n o s p h e r e w a s n a l n -

talned". The eustom of ciormltorJ'-mothers had been dlscontinued. so the morals s a n d g o o d . - r o a n n e rh a d t o b e a s s u r r e d . b y s o n e e l d e r . allcwlnq But the real reason for mutual loss. The had

such closeness of mother and daughter vras thelr

d e a t h o f l , T l ste r R h a b b h a d b e en sud.denand. tr aglc' ,r ' hefl a whole por t c l ty b e e n b l o w n to b i ts.

B u t th e stor y aI' ,n/ays begins backwar d"s, t^r lth ti l e l adl es eccentrlc behavior and oddlties of per-

b e i n g o b s e r v e d o n c a m p u sv r i t h t h e i r sonallty

qulrks whlch slowLy reveaLed the pltlful

loss of a loved one.

Rhondahad been the only one orlglnally mother always walted for

to slgn up fcr classes so her

the daughter at tire cLassroomdoor Just before the

noon adJournment, so they could go to luneh Just off campus. The sood professor Burrus, Ao less, had suggested that the mother audlt and then perhaps

sign up as a student herself,

ln the classeg she llked best. Thls was how thlngs hap-

the wtrole stcry got started., anyway. Only the most lnterestlng pened in Doetor Furrus'g T l m e wa s fa st cltssrooms.

ru n n l n g o ut for

the delayed student, l' { r s. } ihabb, w ho w as

all a soeial elass actlvtty so often the unpunctuaL but popular scholar in wall steadily noved lts hands her olAlpc The tlcklng clock on the classroom

Taylorl}owlke to half past the hour for the scheduled tnstruction.

?age )-I1

The blg black hand.s

rounded the d.laI on the face as the professort s resonant tcnes sounded allthe way to the back of the la::ge room and on dorvnthe outslde corrldors, the haLlways eciroing hls lecturlng r n e s s a g s . A n o c e a s l o n aI s t u d e n t c o u g h all

b r o k e t h e s o f t i n o n c t o n , y .T h e c L a s s r o o r n , t h o u g h , w a s u n l i k e a n y o t h e r l n t h e whole colLege. The blg room had hlgh celIlngs, shelves full of best seller tltles; walnut paneling vrith bullt-ln conslsted cf hlgh backed chan-

the furnishtngs

chairs wj.th a long base hexagon shaped table deller hunt from the eelllng

ln the center. A clrcular

on a heavy chain that held slx large li"ght bulb. The room entertalned

globes whlch flanked a huge center flame-eff^cted t h e s t u d e n ts If natlonal

n o th l n g e l se Cid of the r nonent. The pr ofessor how ev er r v as a lnspired the

s c h o l a r v r h o s es u b t l e a a n n e r a n d r e n o v r n e dr e p u t a t l o n

s tu d e n t s t o l e a rn w h a t th e y dlit not know- and r nor e than they thought they cared to know--learnlng Jwt ln t e r e s t l n g i Y a y. The intense lnterest authors, these struggllng Crsatlve 4nelish of these would-be student scholars and future serlveners, vtas always highly lnsplred durlng sesslcns. eals e e m e dt o h a p p e n h e r e , e f f o r t l e s s l y , ln an

"Iriting But tc eern a top Erade of A, the delleent

5?5 during such dellghtful

instructlonal

scrlbbLers as affectlonately nanuscript ln a natlonal

Led b"v each other had to publlsh a periodlcal

magaz\ne during the sernester somqtlme. The students aLl read a great deal and. thus knevrthe current tlum of a conflatlon, trend.s to analyze the market, a literary consor-

so to speak exlsted here anong them all.

'A nolsy

rounil table clscusslon always followed the class lecture;

half the daily cf authorshlp

prlnciples sesslon ccnslsted of the professorts expounding on a n , 1 t h e o t he r l a st half co n sisted' of the dlalogue'

a L1vlng exchange of

tdeas by both the professor and the students'

Ta y l o r / F o w l ke

Page II2

Just as the professor, Dr. Burrus, began hls half-tj-me summatlon, the doorway llke always at this very tlme was sudd.enly ftlled by the eompel-ling

foroe of a Lady entering ln a nad rush. or early flftlesr each had a startled

She was perhaps in her late forties

an ageless look hung about her aura. The lady and the room look, a flux, a changed mood quickl"v lnto the aj-r. Her ryaspiled hig,h in bright eham-

a n l f r evr r ? .t h p r s n o o t h a l m o s t c a s u a l h a l r - d o , ur pagne colors that nearly turned to aprlcot streaked througir lt naris anC the clear

hues at tlmes when the sun shades

fron the big winriowsr Her oes6',,8s long vrith a narrow spectacular eye glasses frequently sllpped-off casually

as they had just now done onco again but were held flrnly

by a long gold ctoth-

m e s h c h a l n a r o u n d .h e r e l o n g a t e d n e e k . T h e q r a n d e d a m e v l o r e e x q u t s l t e lng, rlch fabries

o f b e i - g e , g o l - C a n d b r o ' f f n t o n e s l h e r d e m e a n o rw a s r e g a L a n d room came allve v r h e n] , { r s .

every motlon maJestlc. The roon--arr;l room-thls Rhabb entered as all e y e s n o \ ^ tt u r n e d t o r u a r d h e r .

T h e d a u g h t e r l [ h o n d a R . h a b bs a t l n t h e f a r

corner cf the classroom, busy and daughter , to gether - - had de6iree plans for the past Ivlrs. Rhabb had. orlginally

wit h h e r o wn p e n a n d ske tch pad. The two- m other identlcle s c h e d u l e s n o w . - r l a c hh a d a r r a n g e d . s i n l l a r

f e w y e a r s , n o o n e c o u l d r e m e m b e rh o w l o n g , l n f a c t . gcne cff

a to college wlth Rhond.a s I guldlng esoot or chaperonr at first, on lnterestlng elasses llke this one

and had only gradually begun to sit-ln

that the good Doctor Burrus taught, And then she only attend.ed that flrst a joker oT class,rfay back when no one coul-d renenbar on a fluke, rlore llke a oasual dare. llfe, Irlrs. Rhabb had. thus finally found herself f a new honne or

so to speak, ln Doctor Burrusts classeso busy, aEaln, for the first

Mrs. Rhabb had' found herself

ylsrpilt her rrfe

tlnre slnce the blg deadly exploslon ln ror'antlcized about thts very vr or ked"for s oy 01r

or sc the erassroom rurnormlrr storres

F.habb had" r epor tedly rn y s t e r i o u s ra d y. T h e ra me n ted r ,,,*ster

Taylor,/Towlke Reflneries whlch tnen nade on)-y lnk for newsprintl and hls offlce

Page l1l he was a vice-president of

somethlng or other, on a fateful off

ln Oil Ctty had been blown to snlthereens tragedy in loca1 hlstcry to elther ums set-

mornlng. The vrorst lndustrlal

p between chennlcal" tants located J00 feet

side of the Loadeil ammunltlon from

ships at Port City.

0ther shtps eontalned cases of rifle

the nearby Red River Arsenal, being shlpped to the mld-east emlrates for keeplng the peace. rconla nitrate The lnltlaL heavy fuel f But the worst blast canne ron the rifle the shlp Cockedwlth arnblast. the

fertillzersl flre

arununltlon had i.gnlted that flnal barrel,s Fot busted, flowing

vras lgnlted

''vtren oy oil s

over the decks vrhena cigarette

was tossed. overboard. but blew

back lnto the hole of the loadlng shlp, beginnlng of the end for T h e a ctu a l

Thls serles of exploslons was the

the enchantlng l{rs. Rhabbts vray of llfe. the long lamented l,Tlster Rhabb had nev er

1 1 1 fa te d . e nd.lng for

been verballzed very rvell, not even by the canpus grapevine. But the ccmpany offlce earthly door fell had aotualLy been blown tc tln-v bits, tro physical evldence of hls the offlce portal

renalns had ever been found in Cill City harbsr debrls; ftat on hls secretary whose llfe

! . 4 r ats u s s p a r e d b y t h a t h

shelter when 576 other workers perished vrlthout a trace and 5,000 more dock hanC lnJured serlously. larth shatterlng shock waves or tremors llke an

e a r t h q u a k e w e re fe l -t fl fty attentive

mlles away ln the plush ltvlng mornlng phone call

r oom w her e the that never came

},!rs. Rhabb awalted her dally

agaln frorn the love of her ttfe: fron3.

her d.evoted husband never more belng heard spot to thls shlp. day where

gnly a bronze shtp propeLler nrarks the tragle f oot f.iber ty

n o o t h e r e vi d e n ce re n ra L n s o f the old l$) So, t(rs. Rhabb slmply referred F . h a b b J u s t n e n t a w a y. c u m s t a n c e w o u rc th tn k

to the whole catastrophe as when l'lis1.t odd fanl l - y c l r hom e fr om

A n e wconer or r ank str anger to this th a t

the r nlssing husband shour d. soon r etur n

T a y I o r / F o w lke a mere business trlp It'frs.Rhabb ltved promptly as always expected.

Paee l f& And such vras Just the way dead.ly sltuatlon-

and reacted. tc the whole catastrophle

nothlng more publlc

than that was ever sald about her very personal traglc conversatlon. becam ewr apped- up ar ound. her onl y

Loss when the subJect d"id ccme up ln ldle I $ r s . Rh a b b t s p e rso n a l and pubS- lc llfe chlld Rhonda: busy, absorblng, as lt sllent grlef . lvery

were, lnseparabl-e, these tvro ln thelr goi-ng, returnlng to forget and the past around

m o n n e nw a s o e c u p l e C t o g e t h e r , t people ln a last

meetln€i new but interestlng horror of their lives.

dlteh effcrt

0r to find

an answer. The two had travelled

the world so many tlmes that tc the next;

R h o n d a c o u l C n o t r e m e m b e re v e n t s f r c m o n e t r l p

they, mother and dauehter, went vrhere ev^r they p)-eased, stayed they wanted. The flrst hapless faslon: rich could

as long as they wisheil and bought what ever trlnket few years after decidedly actlve, the Otl Clty

d.lsaster had pessed ln thls

rapid., blurred and very busy as only the ldle

k n c w h o w t o d o w h e n so me ttrl ng they want ver y badly cant t be boug ht. l . { r s . R h a b b t h e n d e c l : l e d t h a t c o l l e g e w o u l d s u l t R h o n d . aJ u s t f i n e , so off

t h e t v r o w e n t, fro r:r th e p h ysl cal vr ander lng tc the m ental voyage o f a m or e dar lng trlp thls tlme. ilfrs. Rhabb even bullt level a new house to celebrate thls

grand.e deelslve occaslcn: a spllt stalrs

p 1 - a c er , v l t h o v e r l + 2 O 0s q u a r e f e e t u p one for each. The

alone ln one huge wlng; the house had tvro kltchens, had no garage, flo car needed, lronlcally lady of quallty

h o m ea t f l r s t

for the very moblle Rhond.a

l,[rs. Rhabb diC not drlve (no rgal

n e e d . e dt o d o t h a t i .

p r e f e r r e d t o v r a l k , t o t a k e l o n g s t r o l - l s s l n c e t h e h c u s e v J a sn e a r e n o u g h t o the college oampusand closer yet to the bustllng enough place next tn the hlstorical marker for torvn squaret a pleasant o f A n n e r i c a nT , e g l o n

the orlgin

veter ans D ay or ol di, o s t l d u n b er o n e w h l ch h a d a l so or ganized the r qcr ldv"lde lay, here in 1918, to honor the Local time Arnnistlce Day, called Decoration

T a vl o r / F o w L ke v Bruce Rrackeen',Tilllams 1ffho rasthe flrst ' , , { a rI a n d h l s b o d y v r a s n e v e r f o u n d e l t h e r " called Secoration Day corner.

Perna
. Y l - J ' . /

'l'l (

II.S. servlceman to dle in :?orl-d R h o n d aR h a b b l i k e d thls plaee rest-

lthonda always pref erred to vialk s lowly,

lng casually along the shaded walkl'eys, to slt out lost thelr

alone thlnklnE deeply or Ttay

beneath the btg llveoak trees and weeplng vrlllows hanging low from souls blended as one, she nuslng, posed. unlty lnto the oddlty of her unThe self-lmposed thoughtful young were

lnmense limbs. The two lost

vrlllows lnto her halr,

almost as one, thls

p o s e d s o l l t u C e t h e t n c o b s e r v , * Cc c u l d q u l t e u n d e r s t a n d . solitude

c c m m u n l c a t e da v e r y c l e a r m u t e m e s s a g e a b o u t t h i s

lady, converslng ln her untold tongue. Rhondars lovely

eyesr so lonely,

n e v e r q u l t e w h e re sh e v,,a sa t the tlnr e even when speal<ing to som eone. Rhontlaalways loved to attenil cLass very early, arrlvlng f lrst, to

choose her seat nlar the outslde wlndow that vlewetl the lovely w h e r e s h e w a n d . e r e ds o o f t e n a n d t h e s a d l o o k l n g w e e p l n g w l l l o w s . w i n d o w s e a t s p o t r i r a sh e r f a v o r l t e oned to her, aLways, ca}ling

liveoak trees That lone)-y

place to perch and that aspect Just beoktime of Cay before class" canpus

alone to her at thls

g R h o n d . a a d c h o s e n h e r u s u a l c o r n ^ n a n d l ns e a t o v e r l o o k l n g t h e e e n t r a l h

and thus aLways sat gazlng, ccnrpelled almost, toward the sweeplng vlew of the lnstitutlonts This datly burial su n l l t marble mausoleun for the collegets foundlng fatherrs tornb.

upon the hal l ow ed sce n e p l a yed. long r enember ed shad.owns flrst college presld"ent 1'y.l' h{ayo'

spot for the patrlarchal The dally su n l i g h t

ca me thr ough the sm alL squar es of the stel ned v r i ndow now orot J u s t f e 3 R h o n d . a r sb e n e f l t - - s u n s p o t s upon the

panes, a tynd.all effect

The belge walIs vrith deeper shadows inslde thls thought-provoking classroom. s u n s e e m e dt c s e t e s p e c l a l l y qu l e t l y t v i th a l l l ts stlll on thts eonference room as if effected'

so n rb e r wooden shelves full

of famous author w r l tten

The big enpty chalrs set b o o k s , t h e m s e l v e s l o n g d . e a da n d b u r l e d ' s o m e p l a c e ' well- known per s on' th a t a str anger , per haps even a f ir r n w i t h a n i n vi ta tl o n

Ta.ylor /I'owlke wo u l d l b e w e l co me to si t wo u l d e v e n tu a tl y clrcular a rri ve d cvrn for

^Bge Ito
,J --

/

a chat or a r enewed excounfo3- fier

m other

tha t she longed to s ee. T he b u t no one eLse r ,vould. sat forlorn unCer a round ehandeller one bulb lvas constantly a n d w o u l " d s o n e h c v rb e

arrangement cf the chalrs

with si-x shaded ltghts fltckerlng nissod. lf

covered with frosted. glass: for llfe

in the center as though fighting

extingulshed. i.hcnda took tnrpeccable sketehes of the eLassroom along the marglns of her lecture and for her mother, yet l"frs. r r , r o r d s ,i d l e w o r d s , s h e

as the tlme progressed,, doodles also all

notes. $he took complete nctes both for herself Rhabb never bothered to read. the careful

notatlons:

a h . r e y s s e e m e dt o s a y v r l t h h e r e v e r s u b t l e g e s t u r e w h e n c o n f r o n t e d b y s u c h abstractlons a b o u t c l a s s r o o n s s s l g n r n e n t s . R h o n d a a L v r a y sr e m a i n e d q u i e t a n d unknowlng tongue. llke Just serenly retlcent, on the brlnk of blrd ln

not needing to speak ln her silent

she perched ln a deep hush on her chalr sonethlng lntent the wild

a wlld bird

ln the outstde bushes. She was more like a llttle nove, llke

brush, about to raakelts

a mocklngblrd non she was ln its ovln sweet sorigr

her own fllla1

nest, about thor:gh to take wlnd and slng

R h o n d a ts b l g ' e y e s a l - w a y s l l 4 i h t e d - u p w h e n s h e s a w h e r n r o t h e r e n t e r a r o o m . R u t t h e n € v € r 3 , o n as d i d ; t she made the rooxx all electrlc: a glow, a radiatlon

of perscnal vrsrnth so personal that onl"y a mlsty vell pelent of this rare feellnrr, thls raclal

eould capture the so unfcrgettable

m e m o r yf e e l l n s

f o r t h e l o n e 1 y }th o n d a , khcnda could never forget ccll-ege cLasses ln the flrst the great ealanlty of their the real- reason her rnother gave for attendlng a n e w h o n r ea w a y f r o m h o m e a f t e r event for golng to eo1}e6.'e place, inside thls

place to find llves.

That inttial-

as a harml6ss dlverslon for her mother happened ln thls very sane room and this

very same dear prcfessor Burrus, even. The scholarly authorlty on American literature end' was

g r . B u r r u s $ r a s a r e n c v { n e dn a t l c n a l also a part

Ronr anc athol l c o f th e p ri e sth o o cr vr ho had founr ied the off- cam i) us

Tay 1or,/Fovrlke Churcho lle tyas more humanlst than a cold hearted teacher llke

Page LI7 most of the

ecucated f ools a s the locar gentry call"ed the intell-iplensia of the deqreed world ln their ritual mldst. Rhonda enJoyed the venerable pageantry or grandeur of lcons. The padre-teacher spoke a

of servlces at the chapel fuII l,atinized

beautiful

t o n g u e , e v e n t h o u g h b e l n 6 a d e a d l a n g u a 6 ' ' ; el,d a s $ o 8 1 1 v e

to RhonCa. But lt w a s n o w a n c t h e r c a r e p u se o u r s e , t l r , r e , t o l e a r n c i o r e t t r a n y o u c a r e d

t o k n o v r a b o u t a s u b J e c t t h a t t h e a v e r a g e p e r s o n w o u l d n e v e r c o m p r e h e n dl f casual ecnyersatlon were started L a n g u a g ec l a s s w a s h e r f i r s t about tt all. Thls lTistory of the rhgllsh of al-l the rules

lntroductlon

to the origlns culture,

and dates when developed lnto the Rritish laughed that

and the local yokals stlll

there vras no reason to take a language counge slnce everyone

s p o k e t h e l i n g o " g , o o d . te n o u g h . T h a t w a s n o t h e r r e a s o n f o r b e l n g l n t h e c l a s s f room, Just as taklng a Shakespearecoufge learned much nore than the mere m plot whlch anyone could learn by checklng out a book. nhonda r,'mnted uch more cut of Ilfe things, than what merely met the casual eye. She was looklng through lmpresslon. Just as she

to see more than the casusl glanee or flrst

ccnstantly

c o u ) - Cy e t s e e j - n h e r m l n d r s e y e a n d h e a r h e r n o t h e r a n x l o u s l y , justtfying thelr college oareer by salring, "Oh' your to be happy and a part of llfe, of our

alnost franttcatl-y,

. f a t h e r v r o u l , dv r a n t r a e - u s ,

ycu and Ir€r both-

an aetlve part cf the good llfe, newly madefrlends.'r

to neet people and to enJoy all

The words stlLl

rang in her ears but the look on her

motherrs face llngered the most puzzllng facade. ,rYcs, our frlends, ne!1frlends, i all, who were always a llvely part of

thougiht and so fuII of Ilfe'* the Rhabb personallt:1, So personal, so d'ynamlc d a y w h l C h S e e m e dl l k e o n l y th Rhonilamusing whon she romembered. at exploslve yesterdaytoher,tcthem.Rhondathou6lhwasllkeherd'earfather:ordlnary' l t ' f o r ee a c h d ' a yR h o n d a w a s l l k e a d.rab and cclorless facer Plaln to the eye,

Tay J. /F owlke or her preclous father: the sane lean, lanky frame, the sane fine

Page 118

hair,

the

samenose, and. nost cf all he was, either.

the samee$€s--€$€s that \{ere seldom Just where

} T l s w a y s h a d b e e n h e r f a s t b e e o n l - n gw a f s . for i{rs. Rhabb3 her focaland.

Yet, hls ways had been the main direction pcint, her whole llfe in an exploslve flash

then gone, blasted to blts

pieces, strewn to the four corners of the earth, by gentle menorles. The Rhabbts were beautiful ctric ancl full of personaL magnetlsn-thelr forever,

only novrbelng held together she all e1e-

people together,

restrai-ned focal were.

polnt a1v;ays

marrled ln splrlt, btrds wer€-&t

marred alone now as it all

These Rhabb lovemuslc tocaught

least had once been-at

tlmes maklng beautlful stlIl

gether. Thls enanored duet splrltual lr s o n n e h o vn a r e p o s e d f l u x allve r v h e nm e m o r l e s f l o o d

h a r r o o n yv r a s l n v a r l a b l y Ilfe

that caused the current dally the moment, especlal-l-y ltke

to come ful"ly

today when the llvely

seemlng personable [[rs. Rhabb glow covereC thls lnto thls ever renewing vlvaclous unlty,

olassroon and now blended

nearly lost. wlth her compelllng

A room was onLy I room untll humanforce. she asslsted

l,{rs. Rhabb arrlved

The students always looked forvrarC to the bfrs. Rhabb appearance; s t u de n t s ! n g e t t t n g r n a n u s c r i p t s p u b l i s h e d t o f u l f i l l " c l a s s r e q u poetry or short storles edltor who Just happened

l r e n r e n t s . l , [ r s . P . h a b bh e l p e d s t u d e n t s n r a r k e t t h e i r by suggestlng they send their scrlpts

to a si:eclflc

her name. to be a personal friend, of hers and of oourse to be sure to mentlon Th e t i p p a l d o ff mo re th a n o nce, for ltTr s. Rhabb was indeed known v r el l to I{er earller travels had taken her everyvrhere.

anyone whon she had ever net.

lnlmltable And no one ln thts world. could ever posslbly forget meetlng the ilfr s . R h a b b , o a su a l l y lvery o r st l ength, otr so- qe cr ulse or r sor Ld r esor t '

wlth l,{rs. Rhabb, for student looked forward to casual clseusslons

shewasawel}versedentertalnmentJusttowatchortcbehold--adellghtful or fre[ afar as seen across caapus dtverslon whether up close personally

T a y l o r / F o w1 ke w h e n s h e w a s o b s e r v e d w i t h s o m e o n ee l s e . belng her good self . ln dlre need, all l.{rs. Rhabb readlly

Pag'e If9

Thls Lady',rms seen everywhere came to the ald of llfe rallled her vltal sltuatlons f orces;

llfer s heart rend"ering pllghts

r e s c u l n g a c a t u p a c a r u p u st r e e o r r e l e a s i n g a d o g c a u g h t i n a d o r m l t o r y doorvray, such as poor Trlpod the stray btrddog that portal lost its leg lfi.en the

g a t es ca me cra sh l n g d .ownon the fl- eelng hungr y lost

anlm al that w as a

now an unofflclaL

mascot of the student body (and never had to forage for Rhabb had cared,

meal anymorewhen a student had a morsel to share).I,frs. personally for the poor mastlffrs fees.

bruises and then had pald the enormousvet

T h a t fe a t a l o n e h a rl endear ed lvlr s. Rhabb to the stud.ent bo dy l n gener al

tr{rs, Rhabb also promptly asslsted hunan parapl.eglcs, pushln5; them where ever they needed to go when ln a blg hurry, rest room facllltl' doorway, of courss. l , f r s . R h a b b ts g e n e r a l c o u r s e o f a c t l o n a l s o o r g a n t z , e d s r n a l l g r o u p s t o road llterary vrorks, a readerst s llve theatre as lt were. The stud"ents and Thls wheelchalr and aIl; even once propellln6 lntc the menfs

she modestly walted Just outside the

the grande dameread the selecttons and then dlscussed the llterature. crltlque seslon helpeC wlth llttrrury

und"erstandlng; each student would take

a part to read sonorously. The wary students soon learned the cless lessons and also learned how to read aloud as well as how to dlseuss wlth z e a l - , o f s orts a n yw a y. S h e taught ther o all llteratus

so m ueh they never knew they w er e

Iearnlng anythlng at aLl wtth thls Ilteratlm crltlclsm

palnless Rhabbway of sharlng ldeas and It{rs. Rhabb vles never call-ed even though she was casual

l n o n e o a s y h u i n a nl e s s o n .

b y h e r g i v e n n a m e , f o r h e r d e m e a n o rw a s t o o r e g a l , s e e i r n l n ga n c ve ry d o w n to d . e n t s J u s t n a tu ra l l y fcrnal e a rth at aII times.

The most adr alr lng feLl - ow s tuaur a of an er a t'h'at got

ca l l e d

her lt{ r s. Rhabb, 1I1 thls

wer€ never a 1teal r e s p e e t w i t h o u t a s e c o n d .t h o u g h t . B u t t h e n n a m e s easy to converse Slnce she was conoern, al} was so personal and frlendlyt

Ta y l o r / F o w l ke frlendliness personifled to all whon she met.

F'age I2O

O n e s t u d e n t o n c a m p u sh a d . a

p e r v e r s e s p e e e h i n p e d i m e n t , a s p a s t l c c o n d l t l o n t o c o m p J . l e a t et h e v e r b a l prcblem that no amount of money spent ln dlstant cure, cllnlcs had been able to

Mrs. Rhabb true to form helped the dlsabled student wlth pronunclatlon by relatlng her aany traveLs around the world.-never i . n t e r e s t l n g b u t h u m o r o u sh a p p e n -

and enunciation drllls hlntlng lngs fuII

what she had been seeklng-tel1lng of dlfflcult

to say plaee names. The student would eagerly repesl The tvr o llved so m any

t h e m o n o s yl l a b l c b u t rh yth rn l c odd nanr es to her o memorles tosether a Im o s t l o s t students. th a t they all forgot

the present liroes, even Rhonda had once the speec hl e s s so weLl,

helping f a r-a vra y L o ok in her eyes vr ttr ll- e

l r ' I 1 s .R h a b b t a u g h t y e t a n o t h e r y o u n g l a d y v o i e e c o n t r o l , to vnrble with a noutir fuII

to sing by havlng the sweet glrl angel f ood., of course--a real c onstant hel-pful protegee,

of dry cake-

songblrd, thls

o n e s o o n b e c a m el , { r s . R h a b b fs

[{rs. Rhabb once helped a group of students learn about geology vrj.th the s a m ec a r e f u l self-abandonent; she slmply chartered a bus for a fleLd trip Country, a flve and hls hunCred mlLe trlp one way. The

one sprlng day into the HtlI

group discussed Lylet s wrltlng

subtle lnflulnce

upon I young nan onc e s al d'

na m e d D a r w l n ; th e y l e a rn e d m uch m or e than Just about r ocks- she that n o h u ma n l l fe e ve r w e n t far wlthout influenclng

another son ehow . T he of

class learned aore than they ever cared to know and loved, every nlnute It. l,{rs. Rhabb was never at a Loss for worCs, Just the rlght

word but aLshe faee,

ways a personal word for each. She never spoke ill never spoke about anyone at length. straight ln the €ver looklng for

of anyone; in faet,

Itfrs. Rhabb al'ways spoke to thelr

thls nost personal direct

manner of hers'

an autom obl l e s o T h e v ery p e rso n a b L e l .{rs. Rhabb oven unselfishl- .v bought play excurslon tnto Blg Townr a that a few students coul.d attend a supper stud"ents from $o*th Fowrke' new dinner theatre experrence for the concerted

Ta5' 1or /Fowlke

Page 121

She purehased a new sleek FackarC automobile for a road. worthy car to take the cozy outing over tc Big l. driving And a stylish Studebaker was bought for

a b o u t t c w n , J u s t l n c a s e t l r e l u x u r y r o a d c a l w a s l n b o r r o w e d .u s e . prlvileged thespian claque learned" nore than they ever d.reamed scho)-arly forn and the dranatlc lntent of a

The little

posslble about )-lterary style, playraright during their preferred I t r ol x l t to call

congenlal trlps

to Blg Town or B1g Dellght as some

the Jaunts to a marvelous place. John PauI Sartrer s play opened-up vast new worlds for the students, €xthe behaviorisro of Sklnner, Plaget and even statistlcs courses vrith a null hypothesls

on one weekl,v trip

tend.ing their

knowledge lntc

l.nto dlscusslons of classical

t i r , a t a l s o s o n e h o wg o t m e n t l c n e d l n t o t h e r e l e v a n c y a l o n g w l t h t h e d e l i g h t of actuaries that theatrlcal establtsh insr:lance rates for thls genlal trip everyd.ayllfe lntc before the She made

nlght was over for actually

the big clty.

existentlallsm

very easy ln all- lts

t v a r l e d f c r m s o r a w k w a r d , n e s so

understand subtl-e facets of dlfferences.

aven psyeholoslst Dr. Truax doted reports from thoselearnlng to the real

envj.ously on the Julcy canpus gossipy toplcal trips. lvery

l e a r n i n g e x p e r i e n c e l d r s , R h a b b m a d . ea p p l l c a b l e wor ld.s r eaf .

wo r l d a t h an d .. A n d sh e l n tl e ed made all \frs. Rhabb never really she Eladly butlt

rnlnded the cost to hersel-f ln tlme or money;

a blg double garage behinC her house for the sleek new hous e

?a c k a r d r o a d ca r a n d th .e sh l ny Stud' ebaker tcpfn sed' an. The car r ia ge liv i n g ferl0w q u a r te rs o ve rh e a d .w e re str ictly fcr the new chauffeur ,

a s tr uggl i ng

s t u d.e n t w h o kn e w h o w to dr lve

now tr r at thr eatr e

gr oups wa nted' to go or metaphysical

regularly t ri p s

to Big Townfor verbal stlr,rulation and. lnterlectual

autom obr le. The exc ur s l ons w er e r n s l d .e th e a tmo sp h e re of the r lnousir :.g the car were the best part of the joyous events, but the dlscusslcns lnside far n'-e journey that arways end'ed usuarry rong but never borrng srxty-six too soon for the transients'

? a y l o r / F o w lke f l T r s . P . h a b bs l o n g v o ; r s g * r , n e n t a l o r c t h n r w l s e , cf people. as well. lrate She dld not stop rrytth students only. One hlstory

Page 12? lneluded. ai.l groups

lfrs. Rhabb helped teachers

teaeher, a trrcfessor T. Taylor Brcuwne who became control a n d a l m o s t h a d t o s u m n o nt h e o o L -

wlth ln-class

d"iscrder, Iost the fracas.

Iege securlty

to quell

But L{rs. Rhabb treated everyone ln the cf clvil

classroom to a brief disobeiltence.

discourse on anarchy, revolutl-on and the rlght

E S h e m e n t i c n e d t h e p e r s o n a l a c c o u n t o f F . a l p h i t ' r a l d o m e r s o na n d

He n r y D a v l d T h o re a u w h e n E mer son v,' ent to get the young Thor eau out of j ai l for hls d.lsscnanceln the abolltlonlsts n o v e n r e n t . T h e m o m e n to f t r u t h wes

perscnal, electric

a n i t u n u s u a l l y d , y n a m l ca s a l w a y s d u r l n g a R h a b b e x p e r i e n c e the soclal good"

of a public encounter for

R h o n d .aR h a b b se e ml n g l y dotacheil as usual lookeC Cown at her not pad and revievred the careful notatlons. Her dlstraoteC margins were fulI of lcile

doodtlng and carlcatures

of past classmates, past classes and past teachers. the ex-

Rhonda enJoyed drawlng, capturing the ldIe monent vrlth her pencll, presslonism here so keenly caught ln casual artistlc sketches.

Rhonda hail sketched the menbers of the classroom vrith the wlndow vlew full of lonel-v weeplng vrlllow trees framlng the background of each drawn dhonda sketched drawings of nembers ln the creative The lovellest wr'lting cl-ass glr)" ln the being and

picture.

and had serlbbled an apt eaptlcn beneath each. class was appropriately entitled Golden Glrl,

even though actually

n a n e d .D o v l e L e e ,{l n n l fo rd .

The alr y } ,{ lss i' r ' lnnlfor d was slttlng

pr etty

obviously smart as a whlp since also belng ggre

cug faude, of her cless; She

s h e s a t c o y l y a t h e r d . e s kv r i t h l e g . s c r o s s e d l o n g - w l s e a t t h e a n k l e s .

yellow dress cut s h a p l - y k n e e s b a r e l y s h o v r e da t d a r l c a n g l e s , a n d s h e w o r e a the rrveoak tree and the wiLnot too row. The vrhole scene was crawn beneath Iowshanglnglowinthebackg,roundofthevl|ndowview.Theclassromeonaturally sat next to GolO Girl; hts 1eeripg eyebrows were arched into an lmplsh

TayLor,/FowLke expressLve grin. vdth hls right

P age L23 Thls Casancva type cast a falrJ.y obvlous l-eeherous slght ln hls

hand supportlnfi the c:rln and his polnted index flnger almost chewlng at the bits,

seenlngly droollng mouth, biting,

bid,lng the hot

thick drawn atmosphere of the room. sltghtly and his left

Lover boyt s Legs vrere hiked-up ever so

h a n d v t a s s o m e w h e r en e a r h i s o v r na n k l e , h e l d f l r r a l y , klnesthlcall"v draw, or so lt all s e e m e dt n t h l s

roeking back and forth pretty sultor

plctured world that had scratched. through the real monlker for the raally n B m e dF r e d T a r p l - e y . R h o n d a , o f c o u r s e , I a b e l e d t h i s sketcheal cencll playboy

J i m D a n d . ywl th h e r h u :'ri e d l y

dr awlng r novlng along l n s w i ft tlme. of the

Ione strokes on the paper that made-up her world. at thls The newest pencll

s k e t c h s h o v t e dt h e p r e s e n t r o o n s e e n e f u t l

?rofessor Burrus at hls lecturn,

o p e n b o o k l n o n e h a n d w i t h h l s p o d l r - r nh e l d .

ne a r a l o n g ch a u l kh o l d .e r o r a metal ohulk held ln the other busy hand. and an open mouth, rhetorlcally, saylng somethlng usually droll yet flttlng.

T h e t r e e s a n d w l n d o w d . c m l n a t e dt,h e l u l l i n g was very slmpl-y ethcedr tfDruppy, Dear.tt

background.. ?he sketcheil tltLe Thls loving nlck namecame from hls

resemblance to the movie cartoon charaoter of that na.ne. The sketch pad vras full of several nore d.etailed drawings, alI captloned to ftt approprlately earicatured and. drawn ln thls

each as lovlngly electrlc

the reaL llve

counterpart

classroo& scene.

r The beloved Doctor t?DruppytBurrus was about to adjour ln real llfe d r a m a t c t h e d l s c u s s i o n p a r t o f t h e c r e a t i v e c l " as s J a m s e s s l o n ' . for each student resFonse had flnally ldeas and debated llttrary rellef end. critlclsm arrived.; the lnterpersonal The tlme sharing of

h a c a t l o n g l a s t o o i a ea s a n e x p e e t e d note taklng crltlque period, to

to the necessary stuffy

informatlve

of thes e s ennl T h e stu d e n ts l o o ke d fo r vr ar d to the casuar enter tar nment And sure enough' rleht on sched'uleas lf on nar l-earnlng good iOlly tlmes.

Tay lor/Fowlke

Page l2l+

a rehearsed. cue, ly'rs. Rhabb appeared suddenty in the doorws-y. The ever so often tarity l,{rs. Rhabb had final}y arrlverl prompt as anticipated. The room

b e c a m ea I l v e a s a l w a y s a n d f u l l " v e L e e t r l c ,

agaln, aL1 aglow in the anxlety

t o f t h e o v e r - d u e b u t l o n g a w a i t e C m c n o e nn e a r t h e e n d o f e e c h e l e s s l e c t u r e p e r i o d t h a t e n d e d .t h e n o t e - t a k l n g ' segment in preparation for the oral stock phrase ag;aln autonbtlcally t'But, slr, tlme" flowed

l , { r s . R h a b b ts w e I I a w a l t e d l i v e l y out, aLnost blurted my tlne

forth as an after-thought:

vrhenf am late,

lg worth money to mel a Fhone call this

c a m e f r o m m , ys t o c k b r o k e r , l u s t

as f was to leave for prlme value... flne ."

class and ten-thousand-Collars was exactly lts dllatory as usual, to thts

0h, yes lnd.eed, belng forever

polnt far beyond the ethereal, past long reprlev^s

even for the merely

tr hu m a n [ 4 r s . R h a b b , ttti me " 1 ^ /as uly dollars and cents.

vr or th something dear in ter m s of ear thl y

T h e € l o o CD o c t o r B . ' r ; a s h l m s e l f a b o u t t o d r y L y a d c l r e s s turned lady as the dtlly-

ln sardonte terms the anxious nateriallstleally dall-lest ten otclock scholar, ever, untll lost

Just as suddenly the room ltself t o t h e a n g u i s h e d m o v e m e n to f t h l s

b e c a m e h a p p l l y n o l s y a n d .g l e e f u l L y o t h e r w i s e l n te n se mo me n t. startled effect: a flux,

T he lady an' l t.he r oom had the usual lus tr ous ahvays blurted ltself

a b l g p l e a s a n t . e h a n i : et h a t

tr,rnsforrnlng lnto the lvory tower atmosphere, allve and actlve nere words that took-over aIl the anxlous air.

mood beyond

The whole classroon mood then qui-ckly moved, changed as though on signal, all fulL of staged buslness, to the round table student gatherlngso the final ar r lval of thls long av i al ted' ln

i ; I

Th e R h a b b mystl q u e h u n g h e a vy wlth l a d . y rs u s u a l b e l a t e d e n t r a n c e , Joyous antlclpation in f c r n a l thetr

The lvhole class actlvity tlttle

f nov/ moved"ast

to form thelr

dlscussion groups lvlth her' begun, buzzlng nolsly n

The

s tu d e n t n l l -rl n g

a ro und had. at last

w i th

own chirping

sounds everywhere.

Rhondauas respondlng as qui'ckly as

T a . y l o r / F o w l ke she coulC at thls tlne, too, as though herself belng on cue for

Page L25

someperanC .pus hl ng

s o n a l p e r f o r ma n ce o rd a l n e d .,

Rhonda r ushed. ar ound by gettlng- up

her sketch pad to oqe discarded slde; the pages fell Th e d r a w i n g re ma l n l n g l n fu l l Thls latest

open onto the floor"

vlew ' lttasof her tar dy m other "

s k e t c h y c a r t o o n d . r a w l n g p i e t u r e d l 1 r s . P . h a b be n t e r l n g a t the llghted tyndall-effect aIl of the sun

the cLassroomdoor as usual- wlth

shlning through the lonely weeping wlllow window scene. f ro z e n

trees,

framed by the outslde to the bosom, w tth

She wes shownholding her own textbooks tight dr awn up in fr ont

i n t ln n e b y th e p e n cl l mar klngs, c h a m p a g n ec , o l o r e d h a l r a l l

of her sel f

the pretty

caught into the sunllght,

almost gold.en Her nose

looklng end flowlng wa s f u l }

over onto one side of her long anxlous face. lts cour tly neck. nar r ow nar is.

w o f L o n g sh a d .o w s i th

jt long gol d m es h

chaln held firnly

around her stately

Underneath the tree in the rear oblong, almost upright,

of the plctrrre Iias a small cemetery stone, lnserted,

t h a t b o r e t he o n e sl mp l e u ro r d,: DADDY- above the stone on a big tree l l m b sat a young nrocklnsblrd. ftedgltng n e v l Pa e k a r d a u to n o b l l e youthful about to si-ng and to take flight. The

rn a s d r awn near by at the eur b puIl1ng away v r i th the ln that shiny sleek car vrhlle a once drab and halr flovring freely, almost blowlng

,erlnnln5'chauffeur

not so sad looklng glrl sttIl ordlnary looklng,

anymore wlth her fine

but novr flapplng dellghtfully

lnto the lleht

b re e z e c a r e fu l l .y

d ra n rn . S h e happlly

vr aved goodbye to the long dr a w n fac e of picture perfect rend-

her notherr s lvlde eyed autocratlc ering of some ideal situatlon.

expresslon ln tils

t Ilappy r',,ashe monent Crawn lntc cilled

the flne artlstic

Cetall

of thls

pen-

backd.rcp, Just as was the present mood of the classroom scene all even etr'erso late' But the two scenic

joyous when Mrs. Rhabb aiways arrived,

p e n ci - I s h e t c h v u a ss u p e r r e a l ' v i e w s s e e m e ds u p e r i n p o s e d' c o n t r a s t e d " ; t h e

Taytor/f'cwl-ke aln,ost surreal. The monent was certainly

Page 126

expresslve: regal, oaJestlc and rlght off the page of the

most assuredly klnesthetic,

almost conlng allve

sketch pad to run onto the actlve ccnnpelled the future aot upon thls

campus landscape.

The forebcdlng plcture

present tin:ely view fron the real classin real life plc-

room window" Tveryone of the stud"ents began to move so fast that the actlon tr:red view.

t of the classroom becanre he dlverslon fron the pretty girl

But the real llve

Rhondaseenlngly unseen exlted tire room

ever sc quletly
t / ! v v g }

runrlng avlay to her chauffeur drawn ?ackard ear as the unlty

nl ntrrt.a nnrl her llf e actUally begane One, dravm lntO a tru)-y actlve day.

as vi-ewecfro;:r the wlndow s111 seene thls l The real

I l v e m c c k l n g b l r C o u t s l d e t h e w j - n d o wl n t h e s u n l l t the air

llveoak

f trees near a lonely wllLow sutld.enLy llled

lns lde the cla ssroom past the hourl passed unnotl-

vrith a sonata, ln tune, ln tlne clocked, &s lt anrl then the tlttle real blrd flevi away. All

were, of half tirls had half

c e d l n t o t h e c o n f e r e n c e r o o m v r h e nt h e r e a l l t y the actlon of real classrcom floor llfe.

of the sketch pad had natched. sketch left on the

And the captlon to the latest

sinrply reail:

TIIE \f4RY L{TT I'inS. P.}IABB. the

Thls story vras the version which was maklng the rounds of all social clubs in South Fowlke after The tale

the mother returned to town wlth babes ln the effect of the d'eof the baslc

in arms. scrlptlon plot.

splnners were more lnterested llstener

on the flrst-tlme

than the ttme worn tetllnr:

T r u t h w a s l n d . e e d t i r e n a l n c o n c e r n s l n c e J l r n B o b w a s t h e n a m e df a t h e r ladyt s off-sprlng. Thls was really shocklng to learn that But the messy detalls though; she was

cf the frantlc

upstandtng Jlm Bcb had a hld,den read'y made famlly' kept unfoldlng.

The youn8 ritother "ras not so younA as flrst

epltome of an sweetheart whose nother had domlnated the Rhonda shar cn Rhabb had m ar fr lend' exa n p l e o f a g o o <1n o th e r o r flne lady indeed the college riedtbeycungchauffeurwithwhonsheranoffthatdayfromtheelassrooa.

Tay lor,/Fowlke

Fage L27 slnce

R h o n d . a t sw a n t o n b e h a v l o r d l d n o t s h o c l c t h e S o u t h F o w l k e m o r a l i s t s she was an outslder, dld r a l s e lllielt eye b ro w s. but the lnvolvement cf local N o o n e thought that

h o m e b o yJ i m B o b e e r t a i n l y in hfuo to C .o s uc h

Jim Bob had it

thlngs,

or even had the tine wlth all around $outh For1ke.

t h e b i g d e a l s p e n d . l n gf o r € x But then, he had.met the

panslon of the industries

o d d l y s e x y H h o n d a b a c k l n h i s i m p r e s s l o n a b l e c o l l " e g e d a y s w h e n b a d ,h a b l t s were easy to fornr and must have contlnued seelng her all to father a chtld out of wedlock as the Pease famlly these many years,

geeneCresigned. to m a r k s c o r r u n o no a I I t

accept now beeause of the obvlous fanily the kin, on the body parts of the infant

curse or blrth

ln the arns of the morally bank-

rupt mother that the cltlzens fhls

ln South Fcwlke were qulck to censure. of Jlm Bobfs

cursed news was met lvlth shocklng response by all

l-oya1 frlends.

The appallng nevls was Just the thlng they expected from a f'ledls, not from a power ellte pl1-Iar of the for alL the laxity

levrd enC volunrptuousSlster comrnunlty. Sister Fledls of m o r a l t urp l tmd e

w a s n o v rb e l n g b l a m e d i n d l r e c t l y

th a t h a d come to South Fowlke, even the basenes s that good tlmes on the local to speak, f or the stereogot started. on throughout

had happenedyears before her advent of rolLlcklng . scene. She was the proverblal 'rvrhtpplng-boytt, sc

type of everythlng evll- once the long tongued rellglonlsts her case. Slster

Fledis was becomlng wlekedness personlfled oddlty for

South Fowlke, another Inconslstent tlc scene ln the town. AIl

soneoaensver seen on the pubto havlng

vlce and lmrnorallty was attrlbuted Slster F1edls was lniqulty

come to town wlth her arrlvaL. rolleil uP :nto one entltY.

and.ufily sln all

T h e r esl d .e n ts o f $ o u th Fowlke wer e 3ead"Sto flnd. a scape8oat- and t o o s o o n f cr th e w e l fa re o f the good soul.s- to own flne blam e for dolng al l thi s

none

dasterclly deeds to one of thelr

upstandlng cltlzens'

Jlm Bob was

Ta y l o r / F o w l ke s u r e l y J u s t l e d a stra y b y th e evlI to South Fowlke. cor r uption

Page 3-28

that now l' ,' ascomln g s o fas t of the

The ellntnlshed confidence and the lost vlrtue

c o m m u n l t y l "e a d .e rsh i p a s a g o od. exanple for the youth of the town had put the resolute ke e p e rs o f p ro p r lety lnto a feedlng fr enzy 1f for of r lghteans i ndl g-

nation to punlsh the gullty

vlolators, stl}l.

no cther reason than to show good graces l n need surfaced.,

o that a d.ecorum f respcctabillty o f So u t h F orl ke .

exlsted vrithln the soclal

T h e g o o d p eople of Sor ,r thFowl- ke wer e desper atel y A baskl-ash of religious potitlcs

o f b e l n g a v e n g e d .l n a p u b t i c w a y . tc rectlfy corruptlng

al-1 the past i{rongs and depravity that haC been allowed. to fester, th e re a l Iy g o o d g uys of wond"er ful South Fovr lke.

T a r ' 1 o r / F o w l ke

Pac.e L29

chapter 6. Rellgious Polltlcs

A n e t h l c s c o m m i t t e e w a s o r g a n l z e d t o w a y l - a yc o r r u p t i o n before lt c c u l t i b e c o m es o r d l i l a n d s p r e a d i t s

in South Fowlke

appeal to the good people of FLedls was the desigonc e they force wlth
t
t

every nelrhborhood ln town,

AnC the charaltan Stster

n a t e d l g g g g g g !_ e g th e y l n te n ded to r lde could get thelr hands on her.

out of tcwn on a r all",

She was proclalned a dctrlmental

her evl}-mtnded comnents about the flne Ftedlsrs low-Ilfe

follcs ln South tr'owlke, and Slster to relnat. The fiend ln the

Jokes were Just too dirty

h nJd r r n f a -nLr " c f f y w o n a n J u s t h a d t o b e p u r g e d . a s s o o n a s p o s s l b l e . v vu y " The rellglous e ,o o d p e o p le of $outh tr ' owlke went after the pr etty Sl s ter

Ftedls wlth a vengeance. The church deacons were fearful turnlng all th e yo u n g g l rl -s lnto str unpets

of Sister I'ledts lf nothl ng
1

or fr r ll"- tlr oe har lots

w e r e d . o n et o s q u e l c h t h e B u b b a T o w n R o a d h o u s el " l c e n s e t o o p e r a t e o p e n l y . T h e naughty Slster F l e d t s w o u l , d b e c o m ea r o l e r n o d e l c f seemexcltlng and respectable. lnsplratton Every slut that would" and hussy thel r

make being a trollop

f ro m t h e w ho l e fo u r-sta te s-a re a prostltutlon,

would com e to South Fowlke to pr a c tl c e

now that prosperlty

had. corneto town with the new reflnerles

Tay lor /F owlke and the laxity draglstie of moral restraint reigned at the local

Page 130 nightclubs. Somethlng

had to be d.one. A revival

meetlng fcr an or6'anized religlous

a ssault rnasc alled.. The evanflellst preacher Brother Reverend Doctor larly Led for this holy crusade. evl1 when they detected it, nllltary G o o d . n e rw a s c a l to exorelse

The nprayer vrarriors'r vrere activated and a cadre of Chrtstlan soldlers

dressed.in

type fatlEues wlth red hol"y crosses as inslgnla of South Fowlke. The'rsln

b e c a m ea c o n n o n

sight on the streets

patrol'r was naklng the rounds that was naughty and bad. long" fhe

of the town, taking notes antl rnaklng a llst I{earsay about Slster Fled.ls kept the roster

of all

of transgresslons

' r p r a y e r - a r m y - C o g - t a g s r r w e r e h a n d . e do u t a s e f f l g y r e m l n d e r s c f h o l y C u t 5 r , a n d .t h e a d d e d l n s c r i p t l o n s ulace to be good, to reslst of bibLlcal evll verses helped lnspire the local pop-

v r h e ne n c o u n t e r e d . for

The sln patroL had aocuss-squad'''that lssued Sunday School tlckets t h o s e l r f i o u se d fo u l - Ia n g u a g e ln fenders the pr esence of minor s. patrol" roster

The adnoni s hed. ofIlst as beln6

w e r e t h e n a d . d e dt.o t h e t ' p r o f a n i t y future lnfrlngement

wcrth watchlng for

of good citlzenshlp

publlc behavlor.

tsut the most rnilltant the beerhalls

force was the "sex pollce'r vrho rvent underccverr to the lewil actlvity a sociar activity list therein. wlthln AtI of thls

and thus observed all

organized attack on sln was st flrst The gather:-ng of speciflc powerful use of all

the church. use' The real

examples'wasa hlt

for future

t h e s c r d i d b e h a v i o r l v o u L c lh a v e t o r e s u l t

from a city

ordnlance, and the city

councll vrasthe place to gain that power base'

pur por ted to c one fr on An c l t he ml e h ty fo rce o f the Lor dr s vr or k was soon d u b b e dC h r l s t l a n s offlclatly an ethlcal connlttae whose actual nane vtas cr'cl or8anlzatlon becane the found'ar,or ']lean Living; this conmonly caIled ''ach church supported the candlparty voting on lssues. tlon for porltrcal

Tay lor /Forvlke

Page I3L

date'ttro backed the CFCLplatforms and was also a rnenberof that commlttee. Att the groundwork of collecting llsts of cussing and eursing vr6s finally s u c c e e d e d .l n

paylng off; getting city lts

the substructure of the rtsln patrol'? had at last own elected ccnstltuency The potency of their rellgious

firm.ly enpLaoedon the South Fowlke ldeology was always larv abid.lng and

councll.

never nentioned spectflc

lnstltutj-ons

as belng preferred

or better

than the secuLar organizatl-ons.

They were Just d.efendlng their way of life

vlay of llfe.

T n t s r e v i v e d w a v e o f d . e f e n d . i n gt h e l r

had to be financed.

The moneycame from d.onatlons but mostl-y derived from proJects d.eveloped frcm tnnovattve ldeas. nembership spttled tallzed on thelr The Sllver F o x x c h a p t e r s h e l p e d s o i n es l n c e t h e The retlred habits sroups capl-

over lnto both organizations. dally llvlng

lif esty3-e. Thelr

lnelud.ed health club c o m p l - e t ep o t e n t l a l focus to all

exerelslng. until

A1I that energy was nct being put to lts splnster lJiss Frlmsey Dactyllc

the flesty

put a lucrative

that misillrec ted energy. . The muscle polveredtread-rnlIl exerclser i,'Ias onnected to a battery c series of storage cel).s, from a genlnto electrlcal dayr s

power pack, no nore than L2 to 2l+ volt erator

eneased that turned the svreaty heaLth club aotivlty

e n e r € l y . T h i s m a n - p o w e r e de L e c t r i c t t y

d"uring the tlme-perloil of a full

Iength of buslness hours generated enough eLectriclty the club. An6 then the enterprlslng selt

to power the needs of to next door buslness This saved on

m e m b e r sr a n a l l n e

establlshrnents, to

the excess at a much reiluced rate. fuel

the environroent wlth

less fossil

belng used.to generate electriclty.

powered generao t h e r e x e r c l s e r e q u l p m e n t W a s a l s o c o n n e c t e d .t o t h e m u s c l e tors and the blcycle exerciser really produoed an excess of electrical €fl€f-

gy that was also soLtl back tO the town power ocmpanles' was repllcated t lr e d . f o t k s ln evory place where a silver

This novel ldea

Foxx chapter exlsted'; the reit nade tfun fi or l €$o

re a l L y sp re a d th e wor d of a good thlng' shen

Taylor/Fowl-ke T h e Sl l ve r clty F o xx ch a p te rs wer e naticn- wlde, That really

tug" L)z wlth one ln every l - ar ge created a maJor lnpact on An aer ob i c s s tud.l o

and one ln every county seat.

s o c l e t y w h en so n e i d e a w a s a dvanced by the menber shlp" was already butlt lnto eaeh local Sllver

Foxx ehapter head.quarters bulldlng.

Now, exercising was a professlonal generate electrlclty exerting with lts or flexlng

occupatlon with a socondary purpose, to

w h l l e a l s o t o n l n g t h e o l C b o d . yt o k e e p l n s h a p e w h l l e the nuscleso lach exerclse machlne soon came equlpped

own handy attached generator that could" have an extenslon cord lnft was as easy as pLugexcept to

serted. convenlently into the blg storage batteries. ging ln a VCRto a new televison dcnate a share of the proflts ctrioal tlon set. ltroulterla

notlve exlsted,

from the senlor citlzenr s muscle powered eIeparty called the CFCI. The dedlca-

p o v i ' e rt o t h e d . y n a m l c p o l l t i c a l way of llfe

to defend thelr

as a legacy to the next qeneratlon yms truly

paying off. rinother pay-off laws flnlng polluters idea that camefrom the Sllver foxx chapters lnvol-ved

of the envlronment.

The large flnes nade the Job of

h u n t l n p ; t h e ml scre a n ts w o rth whlle. was too busy and too tlred tlrees of the Sllver

But a lar ge segr nent of the popul atl on The re-

fron hard. vrork to eatch the offenders, solutlon,

Foxx clubs devised a lucratlve

They employed

chilCren to scout for the vlolators. slsted as well- as orphanages.

Local boy and filrl

as scout F_xroups ln com-

The elderly

and the young have a lot

mon as both are usually not consld.ered to be part of tie ciety a n d t h u s e a c h s c h e m et o k n o w a l l - t h a t l s g o i n g - o n .

msln stream of soThls ooncept was useil

soon lnstlgated. lnto notrmalpracttce alI lnstant Polerold cameras to prove thelr

over the world lvhen the chlldren allegatlons. budsets for The flnes

lndeed re-

sulted and.provided a btg sun of the total

many communltles' the lo c al for or phanal l

boys fr on T h e S o u th F o w l ke b u d g e t was enhanced'by the a g e n a m e d B u ckn e r H o n e . T h e boys wer e constantly

on the look- out

Tay lor /Fowlke pol"Iuters and especially landf 111 viol-ators.

Pase L33
Tven dumplng garbage on the themselves was a erlme, by

roadsid.e or throwlng anlnoals out to forage for Iaw.

The pqLarold cameras proved the charges since car tags were always AII thls plcture perfect blt of evldence soon eleaned lltter lar was

shown ln the proof. up the lltter ultlmately

along the roads since a four-hundred dollar

enacted by the CFCLcoaS.itlon, and thls

unlon of the ol-d wlth results

the young to enforce the Laws really of a clean looklng envlronment. of dlscardlng the least blt thls attentlon

p a l d h a n d s o m ef e e s , g e t t l n g

The careless lltterburs

s o o n ? ? e r e -f e a r f u l enJoyed,

of paper on the streets.

The children

and sense of power; they always went to court with anpl-e Least three or four of thelr numbers to testlfy agalnst the

pi-ctures anCat offend.ers.
-lJ.Lrr a

l T e e i l l e s s t o e a y , t h e e n v i r o n s o f S o u t h F o w l k e b e c a m en o a t a s a

And then the flnes

bullt

a n e v rc o u r t h o u s e a n d l a l d areas.

new brlck

streets,

t o e n J - a r g et h e F a n f a l r a n d T r a i l e D a y s f e s t i v a l were bullt to look anclent with a Vlctorlan

The new accomnodatlons The old Thls old and

style

of archltecture.

fashloned look was chosen by the old-rnald l,fiss Frlmsey Daetyl-ie. tlmey atnosphere helped the buslness dlstrlct also brought crowds from d.istant large cltles un c h a n g e i l sn a l -L -to w n a mb i a n ce, lmage of traditlon anrl antlqulty

to grow 1-arger llteraIIy to enJoy the charm of the

South f,owLke was beconlng fanous for (be It ev-qr so recently

l ts

c o n s t r u c t e d . ). T h e

t ln e w o r n l o o k cre a te d th e w tr ole bur ilgeonlng lnflux who dld not add to the lltterlng

of weekend shopper s , belng so wellEvery burg

mess because of the flnes

advertlsed and also a part of l"lfe back in the blg clty co in t h e l a n d 1 \ra s p yl n g S o u th Fowlket s or iglnal

llfe'

ldeas; no nelPhb or hood' pur -

concepts to generate capltal lleus llenalned untouched by the progresslve o f t h e l a n d ' s e a p ea s a h e r l t a g e and at the sane tlnre to protect the beauty for t h e n e x t g e n e ra tl o n .

Tay lor /Fowlke Tradltions

Fage L3l+

iind herltage were the prlmary reasons girren for becomlng Flr Clean Living party affll-

a dediented. vcter in the CFCI o" Ch"istians latton. The polttlcs

centered" around.lssues but had more to dc with the Nc sltuatlonal ethlcs would

mcral character of the lndi-vldual cand.ldate. be acceptable any longer on the polltlcal

scene.

Yalues with long term

l{o where was this more debated c c n s e q u e n c e sh a C t o b e t h e m a l n p r i o r l t y . 'rT o men Voter s or ganizatlon and ?I[ gr oups . T he par ent than vrlth the League of teachers assoclatlon took the lead ln most student actlvitles" The dlsous-

slon over allowlng certaln lssue, a contentlon that oth e r .

books on the classroom reading 1lst because a big

soon mademany lock horns and not speak to each when the bo ok s by l r 'far k forum vrassoon appointed

T h e d l sp u te b e ca me a county- wide contr over sy A publlc

Twain were deleted or at least threatened, to argue the case, pro and con. rather than the lronic satlre

T h e u s e o f e e r t a l n r r v o r d sb e c a m et h e l s s u e the lmage cf proper decorum ltne, T he func t-

of the context;

t rv a - b e l n g pa n d e re d to l n ste a d of tr ue- m eanlng cf the stor y e lonaI ifllterates were gettlng ccntrcl

of the sehools, lamented old-rnald S h e h ad h e r s a y r t o n o a v a l l ln thls

school teacher I'rl,ss. Primsey Dactyllc. dialogue that carefully

everyone had already made-up thelr

nlnds before hearlng the values at

presented facts

by experts fron both sldes, with thetr

s t e a k f o r e v e r m o r er The ethnic values of each group,nrasclalmed to belng preserved, or not, by the read.lng of lfark fwalnr s book in class. anil witchcraft had first started all But the books on demonology

the book burnlng and eensorshlp. The bLood sacriflces uslng the

inscrease ln covens and locaI wltches requtrlng stolen llve stock on the altars.

Arrests were finally

madeand a close

wa t c h h a d t c b e ma l n ta i ,n e {, for $lowly but surely, all

the sake of the chll- dr en ln the cc m m unl ty . contalned any sexual word or any euss word Then, steteo reeords and cl)s

books that

Ect deleted from the publlc schools llbrary.

Tay Ior/F owlke that r e m o t e l y h l n te d . l e w d . a cts or tf their

Page L35 per for m er s beoar e€ lnvolved T h e HII ln

saandals got bad.llsted thls

and quickJ.y renoved from slght.

ClC all

ln the name of Gcd and country.

Even som€coples cf the holy Blble

got burned by the zealots. The numerousnew transLatlons that
llance

of the hol"y Blble eaused such an uproar 'thout't"s surely an unholy a1some devotees thouglrt revlslng'thee and
vrith

I.uelfer hlmself.

The nevrBlbles were burned on the tovrn Thls event got T'\/coverage for ' essay

square alcng wtth rock and roll- record.lngs. sure from Fle Town, Twin 01ty and Blg D. resulted fron all

A two week long pietorlal

the oontroversy !n maqazlnes and the news meCla tn generaL. of partlsan ldelogy and nnany nlsccnceptlons that n spoke Ing1lsh, dled

S o u t h t r ' o w l k ew a s f u l l hard.

Sone thought that Jesus Chrtst The fanatlcs contentlon, for each bellef

not Aramalc whlch r/,'as

the ease. origlnal thelr

refuserl to budge an lnch frorn thelr do or dle stand. for

renalnlng a bigot to the last,

misglvin€g as they were.

This Pf,l ccntroversy got more thtngs changed. the city council meetings put together. the

officially

ln South Fowlke than aIl

The PTA had flrst

begun by paintin6q or shadlng pencil narklngs on all books and all the classical

nude plctr:res ln the Art l{lstory

periodlcals.

T h i s c o u l C n o t b e u n d . o n ea s t h e h e a v y m a r k s c o v e r e d t h e s p o t s p e r n a n e n t l y " Atl the heated debate dld not change one personf s preooncelved oplnlon as story of Klng.Davld and 3athsheba $tere strlcken from the reforn.

even the btblicali - u a 6 , en t o t a l

dlsregard tirat a bad sltuatlon coverage only proved that

was a good examplefor

The teLevlslon able; the altercatlon gether tater.

the loeal wrangle vlas insol8ot to-

v r o u l d .s l m p l y b r o a k o u t a n e w w h e n t h e f a c t l o n s

A constant quarrel was the order of the day now'

The TV

1n*,ervlows reached lnto aIl thelr vestlments.

the churoh edif lces, showtng the ln.erlons of finally made some

A)-1 age groups got Cepicted and thls positrve resurts

indivrcuars

a cer.ebrrty, not totarry

but at least a change

Taylor/f owlke of the topic click th a t o a u se d th e upr oar or nagLstr om to r esur faee, over thelr

Fage L36 w hen eac h

got rlled

pet peeves rather than the whole town getting anynor e. The r umpus was now a sm al l or

up in arms all indivldual

a t th e sa me tl ne

grouple thlng to fieht.

Thls kinC of turmoil" enabled a humorous

perspective to ilevelop slnce not everycne at the sam6tlme'/ras angry about the exact identlcle contentlon. The retlred schocl-teaeher Lflss lactyllc tl" censorshlp of

redl:'ected the agitatlon was a moneymakeror f South Fow1ke.

'ovhenhe lnnocently nentloned that s lndustry.

the publlshlng

That shocked the cltizens

The burned books would. slmply be rebought when they were known classlcs. Certainly rellglous the Blble would not remaln outcast for groups. long tf at alt by many

The books would not d"lsappeer off group dared to thelr lgnite

the face of the earth thelr pages, and besldes

stmply because somepoLltlcal all the notrlety

would. onl-y advertise ft would be better

eontroversy whlch would ln turn l g n o r e t h e m e n a c et h a t w o u l d And then ltllss Pr lm s ey l l r c ty l l c

advance sales,

to just

s o o n g o a w ay w l th

th e a d ve n t of the next fad..

comnented that South Fowlke vras not the center of the unlverse or as Voltalre observed.,not the best of all- posslble worlds. re s u r f a c e d th e sq u a b b l e e ve n m or e vehemently. accepted lnfldel to attaok by all the reltglous That llterary Seems that reference

Vol- talre w as the

bodles ln $outh Fowlke" motlvated senslbllltles of

But a new concern bothered the polltlcaL t h e r e r r g l o us $llver re a d .e rs rn so u th Fowr ke.

They now had. the backing of the

Foxx chapters all

o v e r t h e n a t l o n ( a n d l , T l s sP r f u n s e yD a c t y l l c w a s t h e so they spoke klndly or treaded' t/oltalref t

founder an6 respected national cTo Dlrector) softly on her turf

control. that had the power base they wanted to

phtLosophy was taught ln llberal was not a clty llmlts threat, to

so he schooLs on)'y, not ln south Fowlke quote the mayor' I{owever' truth was the everywhere; and' the myths that advertislng

l-deal standard"of alL chrlstlans

-ay1or /F owlke meCia perpetrated upon the chrlstlan or go unchallenged.

Fage L) 7 world. should. not be al-Iowedto continue

The whole concept of Chrlstmas was ln error,

C h r i s t m a s a s c e L e b r a t e d . o n D e c e m b e r2 5 w a s n o t t h e k n o w n d a t e f o r t h e blrth elther of Jesue, the Chrlst chlld. T h e H e b r e v rc a l e n d a r p l a c e d t h e e v e n t

l n e a r l y a u t u m n o r m l d - s p r l n g t l m e a n d t h l s t a m ss u b s t a n t l a t e d b y t h e The Vulgate scrlptures And then the promo-

o1d Ronanllmplre tlme tables cr almanac records. h a d "a r b l t r a r l ) . y establlshed that fallacy

l n l + 2 5A . D .

tion by the huge departments stores wlth thelr establish rellglons

seasonal parades had he}ped by anti-Ohrlst a blg slelgh

the custom of that symbol as the gospel- truth, at that. The whole tlnely

event of Chrlstmas was a lle, Santa Claus myth vrith the flying

falsehood, along wlth the rldlculous and relndeer, uhristtans llgions

The mendaclty of teachlng bellef than what atI

ln Santa by ehureh-golng anil antl-Ohrlst re-

was a blgger lie

the athelsts

were trylng

to do against chrlstianlty"

Thls hubbub caused a lot

o f d l s c u s s l o n a m o n ga l l until

the ohurches for months; the clamor dld not subslde to take thelr mind off the discord that Blarce had

another bustl"e flot started,

arose from all" the loud talk

of who was rlght

and who was wrong.

t o b e p l a c e d o n s o m e o n ew h o w a s n u t u a l l y hate enough to unlte all thelr bellefs

aceeptable enough to d.esplse or

of eoncelt lnto a slngle dlreetlon.

l { u c h o f t h e a d o a l w a - v sc a n e b a e k t o $ t s t e r F l e d l s . $lster v rl t h l n Fled.is was the vlearlous thrlll to blame for all the moral tlls

s h o utl n 5 " d i " sta n ce o f South tr ' owlke, local person couldnrt falL-guy

$he was the sur r ogate ev l l - doer be i:rovided or charged'with a things rnaledlcted. She was offens l v e crime

n a m e dl v h e n a s p e e i f l c particular the last sln, r e so rt

belng flg

ullgf

ln all

to ch a r;o f o r betng the r oot cause of the slleht€i$ t The ar m y of Chr lstian

!' owlke. b e h a v l o r t he t vra s o ve rta kl n g South f ig h t e r s w ere a l l fo r n a rch i ng lnto

Bubba Town Road.house, to then r l c l e the Out of town forever inore on a rall,

facetlouS lady-of-the-evenlng-shade

T a y t o r / F o w 1 ke

Page f38 The good

tarred and feathered by the good people of South Fowl-ke of course.

folk wanted vengeanceon sone senblance of force that rras undolng al1- thelr ha r c l w o r k t o sp re a d . th e g o sp eL thr ough the land. vlously bel-ng undone by some local farther f ea r evil f orce. Thelr good vr or k s w er e obOtherwlse, they vrould be The in of

a l o n g v r l t h t h e p l - e n s t o c o n v e r t t h e w h o J . ep o p u L a c ew o r l d - w l d e .

o f J u b i l e e D a y a l r,rra ys6 .;otample nevr s cover age but dld not r es ul t

hu g e n e m b e rsh l p l n cre a se s vrhen the scar e ended, on the d^ate that n c thl ng calamlty proportlons happeneit. The local exhorted a far the end of tine dlfferent

preacher Tyree Robertson however Book of Revelatlon:

dogma, based on the biblical

r v a s l n d e e d .n i g h b u t a p e r l o d o f o n e - t h o u s a n d - y e a r s v / a s t o o doomsd.ay f Judgenent. The prophecy stated that a nlllenof thg establi- shnent of new- Jer usa l em as the (not TeI Avlv) when the runor of vrars thls fulflll-ment

precede the flery

n lu m w o u l d p a ss fro m th e tl n e

relgning capttol, of the new-fsrael end wi.th the lamb lylng

down with the Lion !n peao6'. All

would happen ln the seventh thousand perlod.

The humanrace wBs created on

October 26r 4004 B.Co and consequently the year 200& A.D. on 25 Actober would be an eventful mony starts. date cf conrpletlon when the last thousand years of har-

And a dlreot descendant of Adan and ?ve would be the messenger The Seottish clan of tunkeld vras one such family, famlly tree.

for al1 thsge6lad ttdtngs. Tyree Robertson was a dlrect

blood ll.ne menber cf thls

Famlly genealogy hail alreaily beccmemore lmportant than a mere vanlty endeavor beeause of rene spllclng l Th e a d . d . e dn p o rta n ce for part o f th e famlly or bone merrow transplants tr ee all for kln folk.

the way back to Ad' amand T v e sought after.

G of salvatlon made the }'lorroon enaalogy records vastly

Every local

for the t i . b r a r y h a d a r e s l d e n t g e n e a l o g i s t s r ' v h ow r c t e c o l w n n s programs about famlly llneage newspaperand had loeaL TY rovlns reporter searchtng.Th|shadbecomeblgbusinessasanoutgrowthfrom'thebattle ar guvr hen confr onted by the moot cour ted' lln e s d . r a w n b y th e l o ca } fa ctlOns

T a y l o r / F o w l ke nents. lings R e s e a r . c h l n gt h e o r l g l n s or phoenetlc r.asons,

Page L)9

of each famlly name, rather from mlsspel'lhey soon helped eaoh kept the factions busy. that ln a

other vrith the task of uslng computers world-wide seeklns infornatlon was llttle known ln Tlurope and the l{id-east. o f ma n ki n i l unlty T h l s r e n e w e d .l n t e r e s t

wo r l d - w i d e fa ml ty chapters,

scon spr ead thr cuglr out the Sl ]" v er F ox x

to €iet thern into the act of rnaklng noney as genealoglsts experts Thls research kept the busybodles deeply lnvolved ln a

and/or consultants, good cause.

The good cause of the research vms that the well-establlshed a single ancestoro

proof soon existect that all or aIl

d s u r n a m e sd . e s c e n d . ef r o m a p a r e n t p l a c e - n a n e o r l g l n A flve nclllennlum genealogy chart soon existed for

the regearchers anC farther scholarly

back ln time was loomlng on the hcrlzon of rhis religlous activlty even. polarlzed the

lnqulry and exploration.

zealots more than had the ennlty towaril slster The Sister Fledis

Fledis

. l e w d n e s s w a s s o o n o v e r s h a d o w e db y y e t a n o t h e r s c a n d a l of South Towlke store owners along the I'flracle T h e b o u t i q u e s w e r e b i g m o n e ym a k e r s f o r good wl 11 meant a lot the tax

that cane to the fore front l,rj-le flea market rilstrict.

basa, along with the neul incrustry, So thelr

to every

citi.zeni.ntown.Thegooccharacterofoneofthelargeststoresreally got put to the tost really of fate. The store, A. Harrls fathers' & $hambaugh Companyt for one-of-

upset the power gtructured' city

The dlsplay wlndowt over the world for lts

the speciallty

store with catalogue sales all ranglng from flve dollars

a-klnd novelties being used for

to a mllllon Sang nemberso

d'ollars ltems was

sone klnd of slgnal to its

T h e s l g n a l - w a s l l ke on the state ed in attire

l ns tgnl a th e l' ' lascnic Locge hand' shake or the mafl a The raanlklns were dresclty' Line store Fronts ln nearby Twln world that the sex-crub nerf,beflttlng whatever sexuar fantasy

hours ln the dressing bers would. wear to the meetlng durlng the d'aytine

Tay lor lF owlke rooms ln the flne for its store.

tate

I40

T h l s s c a n d a ) -n e a r l y c l o s e d t h e s t o r e C o w n e x c e p t The tal-ebearers related a11 the all the other dlsgraceful events

huge catalogue sales department.

gory detaiLs wlth a llterary h a p p e n l q g .s u c h a s t h e j i l t i n g

styte beflttlng of AlcdiltuPreo.

The storytellers

had a Ce-

tlehtfuttimeEivingthelrdescrill!lygrend'ltlonsofthestlgma" The ldanikln Looks was the tltle telllng thelr that ail the tale spinners began when under their noses

observatlons of the sex rlng SoinE on right

along lr,rlraclelf!}e. blg front

T h e n e w c l - o t h i n g f a s h l c n s w e r e a l r , n m y s ' t i s p L a y e dl n t h e the shoppers on the street to stop and study the

wlndows, entlcinr

n e r v b o d y - s h a p e d .e l o t h e s t o f i t local

e v e r y c u r v e o f t h e h u r n a nb o d y ( n e v e r d i C t h e scxuallty jaunts). ivas being advertlsed, vrorse

prigs lmagine that such flagrant out at her nlghtclub n e v Jl o o k . ' t

than Slster Fledls " T h at c a n r t

iach front window displa.ved

llve wi thout lt

T h e m l C d l e f r o n t v r l n d o v ic o n t a i n e d that s o m e t i m e g' / l € r € c h a n g e d h o u r l y

two nanikins dressed ln shamcls outfits (and now the reasons for that rapldlty

was understandable). The female nanlthe wild starry-eyest a voy eur i v oul d

kin sat posed on the male nranlkinfs knee looklng up lnto posed like grin a su n se t p a l n tl n g on a pr air le.

The sholtper llke

of course but one particular

s h o i : ) p e rl i c k e d h e r l i p s

before hurryine v then the

t h r o u g h t h e ca se a d i n g fo u n ta l n r,evorvlng doors ernltted thelr briskly appeared llke a witd

of per fum e flowi"ng ltke entrants. stalllon

water falls

T h e s a r e s m a nh l c h a r d s h a n b a u g h

raclng across an open prairie'

r l i c h S h a m b a u g h ,o r R i c k t o r o o s t o f h i s g o o d c u s t o m e r s , w a s s l x f o o t slx tall, grown together ollve ccmplexloned, dark brown halr trlth eyebrows and atavlstlc appearence. I{ls beard was bl-ue-black ln an lmplsh or virlle fron baby-ol-l massasesthat left s e a s o n e df r c r n t e n y e a r o s g e n t l e d a i ) - y c s r e and rr.ls!.arasof a lean butlc lvith a rong angular face harrs slrky soft. tne everythlng bones. His darrc bro'dn eyes say thick rtps, set off by high cheek thlngs as wel l ' R l - ek rs stcre and. he saw thr ough m ost t h a t e n t e r e d th e frn e

-a y 1 o r / F o w l k e ehEet barrelled

Fa ge f l +1 w outrnrard hen rvalklng giving his stance a prlmcrCial radlance,

an added arch or spring to hls step llke a spi"rited colt runnlng across the pla ln, e a easual c onfrontati-cn of +,h street crowd comlng lnside v;as his

natural stance to meet them. Rlchard r#ore the latest earried latest to lts best taste fashion lnside hls store. He reeked nanly style hlck could. spot Just the type of

of eleFance.

fashion that would best fit

a custoner not yet declded; he could' blouses, trousers and

peruse through the dlsplay

sirelves, to natch shlrts,

pants with the speeil of ltghtnlng

l a t a s e e m l n l y c a s u a l p a c e t h a t m a C . et s m o m e n ti n t i m e . T h l s

statenent that only geltrr the custcmer, mattered at thls

manner of hts was lvhat madethe business such a suocess and then the catalo€ue t s a l e s w e r e a l u c k y b c n u s w h e n t h e a p p e a } o f t h e g o o d s t r n / e nn a t l o n a l , that good taste foll-owed a "clotheshorse'r ltke a salloplng excelLatrc€r B.iekrs best asslstant Just the riEht was llatrelle cutflt showlng

gourmet on a wlld Hederlck. She was

chese for

just as adept as he at finding with discrimlnatory army, so tc speak. ees cculd s6e all tastes.

for the wlndow shopper

They couIC spct the receptlon shcpper a nll-e had a vlew with a slCe wlndow so the employ-

Thelr offlce

the tine

the custoners and the t'goodlestt whc came lnto entra[c€r traffle was not very busy. The was the store

the store frcn the maln street

Durlng the ml6-week hours, the street

weekencscurlns the flea narkets and Fowlke l,{onster FestlvaIs itself to kll} breening vrith eustomers. on thelr hsnds,

lfld'-week was lax, alnoost boring wlth time

b The monotonywas seld'onr roken exoept when scneone

IikeslsterFledtscameshopping.ButthenotcrloussisterFledlsnever The only parson rsenbllng store. did nalce one appearance in thls swanky Sister Fledls the Least bit w a s D a p h n aD u P r e e '

DaphnaDuPreedldshopthespecialttystoreoftenenough,totantalize She cane on the pr etex t Ri c h a r d Sh an b a u g h w l th h e r e ver y movement'

of buy l ng

fal' 1o" /Fowlke

Page LI+z

I I

trousers surnane. slble givine alacrity

f o r h e r s o n o r h u s b a n d w h o h a d t a k e n h e r n a l d . e n n a m ee s h i s n a r r i e d D a p h n a w o u J - dl n s p e c t t h e g a r m e n t f o r the least lnperfeetlon or pos-

flaw.

She alnost chewedher tongue whlle eyebal-llng the material, the once over. Daphnawould test run the zippers with an $he would run the zlppel'up and

the fabric

t h a t a m a z e dt h e e a s u a l o h g , . r v e r .

do'anthe tract,

asklng Qucstlons about the guarantee of services rendered D a i r h n a v m n t e i i h e r m o n e y rs w o r t h ( t h a t ' s Just

belng good for how long or not. t h e ' r a y t h e re a l L y rl ch word "hunkyn derived lts titude a re ,

car lng not how ilhunky' r they would. appc ar ) . T he or mlser at-

peJoratlve connotatlon froro her sruff f or lts wearabllity"

rvheninspectlng clothing

D a p h n a s e e m e dm o s t l n -

terested ln the durablltty ed to thlnk that all

of the fabric

and the hard"'ware ttached.; she seema of wear and t€arc her lips dellclously She ran the when lnqulrShe made

parts would get a lot lleklng

zlpper up and down whlle talklng,

lng about the d"urabrlity or workabllity

of the parts belng testeil.

ccmparlsons to what Rlck was wearing and wanted. to knovrJust honrhe was holding rp. T h e m o o d o f t h e m o m e n tv ; a s d e l l b e r a t e l y The neanlng was nct lost ecntrolled on Rick. slze or by the speed.

of the hand.on the zipper.

Rick was aLways lnforned by Daphna that he was Just the rlght sinllar try dlmenslons that she was buylng the garments for. nf c lothing, to show hor how they fit

And would he thus and looked. She

on the artleles

gestured and talked a mutual glnmlckry of clothlng

m o v e m e n tt h a t m a t c h e d t h e eustonrlzed for the

nood. The nanhandler brand. of slacks vras the best seller carrlage trad.e, as Daphna v{asnoted to be. Daphnachose a shlrt

and slecks with matchlng socks and of course a all of utrlch hed to be tried Natrually, on for pre-approval

gooc brand of jcckey shorts, to purchase.

R i c k b e c a n e t h e m o d e 3 - ,o f e o u r s e .

Rlck vtent lnto

thedressingroomsareaaheadof)aphnavtrocarrledtheartlclesofclothlng pranclng or galloplng cr careful selectlon on her arms behlnd. hls

steps'

Taylor/FowIke The long steps to the flttlng room doot was across thlck

i)age Lt+)

pl-le carpetlng.

The qulet atmosphcre enhancedthe total store front ln.oressiong.

anblance of the elesanee cf the

The d.ressin6 room doors vlere locked, to protec t

t h e s p e c l a L v a l u a b l e s o r f a n l i " y J e w e l s a s R l c k a n d D a p h n ac h u c k l e d . R l c k s t o o d b a c k t n t o t h e n a r r o w t o o m . D a p h n ab e g a n t o d r a p e t h e : h c s e n artieles shlrt of clothlng on the backs of the chalrs. Then, she unbuttcned th^

that covered Rlckrs blg chest and blc bod. The personallzed serviee body search. Blg Riek vrasnct called bls f or ncthlng; he rvas

c cntlnued lts

Ncw vork Clty personlfled,

a term that his best custcmers used to descrlbe parts as their flngers dld the walking or travel-

t h e e n d c w m e n tc f h l s p r l v a t e ling.

Their hanity tcur of the body,ras nover spoken abcut excent ln terms throughout the country were that were encountered

o f e n d . e a r m e n t ,a n d t h e u s e o f t h e t o p t e n c l t i e s

used to nake reference points to the orbs of dellght along thls sensual-Journey.

This saleclous meetlng of the rninds had.to have The seme applled to

a touch of erudlte

reference abcut the body carts.

D a p h n aw h e n R l c k L e t h l s f l n . g e r s d o t h e w a l k l n g o v e r h e r L u c l o u s b o d . b D a p h n ak e p t b e a t o r t l r n e t o t h e C . e e p r e a t h s t h a t R l e k h e a v e d a s s h e explored. lle was flnally u n d r e s s e d .t o h e r s a t l s f a c t l o n or hls, Then, she tease

c c n m e n c e dt o C r e s s h i m i n t h e c h o s e n a r t l c l e s was more lronlc inside thls than sexual.

of clothlng.

Thls strlp

trrothlng much beyonC the sensual was golng-on T h e t w c s o m ev l e r e j u s t b e i n g t h e m s e l v e s l n a

dresslng booth.

f : : n t a s y n a n L k l n w l n d . o ws h o p p l n g s p r e e t h a t w o u l d . s h o c k t h e € y e s e n d e a r s o f l,{iss ?rlmsey }actyllc, ane the rest of South Fowlke clty exploratlon fathers. of the body parts.

Thls personallzeC servlce contlnued. lts P.lc.tcr forehoad b^aded with persplratlon s

vrhlch Daphna then llck+C a7-tan" so theyosn"n clean as

parts, she had a thlne abcut cleanlness of the body a,,,rhlstle by her rong tongue. that

D a p h n ac a l l e d h l m h e r s a l t y ' r gans that lnto r ,r r ' ent

ccg nanr'whatever spas ns l l k e a

n e a n t w h e n sh e tcu ch e d his vital

Ta-vlor/F owlke

Pare f&/+

wild bucklng horse that had seen a cobra snake eharning the Ciekens out of her" Rick noaned and groaned, falllng prone on ,hls ehalse loun5-eor work t r n r h e nh e c l e a n l n g c r e w c a n e t o

bench as he caIIed this repair

plece of furnlture

t h e d a m a g ed . o n eb y t h e s w e a t y b o C l e s c n t h e s m o o t h f a b r i c . damp spots in the nlddle, from. where the tvlosone Rick was scon

This couch had little h a d s l v o o n e dt h e l r

noontlme break lnto a casual encountet.

sprawled full" length across the loverst s ccuch. Iasted fcr tastes.

The ectasy of the morrent for thelr

a n h o u r b u t s e e n e d o n l . t ' a i ' n o n e n t ,a p a u s e t o o b r i e f

e T h e i r e m b o l l l c j o y v l a s a m l r u o r e d f u a a i ' rt o e a c h o t h e r a s e a c h dayllghts out of the other's as the llfe erogenous zones; he sucked j u l e e s e b b e c lf r c m h i s

squeezed the llving

nn her lons flnEernalls

for d.ear Ilfe

b o d y a n d s h e d e v o u r e d le v e r y o u n c e o f t h l s s a p p y m o m e n t . A n d h t c k r e t u r n e d tha rqrrnr. f^r g o o d g u y s d o i . n d . e e cf l n l s h had bar6alned.for. last. This metasexual moment

wes nore than either ltke a pro, setting active parts ln thls a d . a z ea f t e r a I I

Irick deep throated her flngers llve ln

an exanple for what she should do tc hls real h u m a n C r a m ab e h i n d e l o s e d d o o r s .

They were left

the noaning and groani-ng Oeased.. ls. Thege trvo faces.

The coupLe dressed slowly, Crcsslng each other, that

sexperts or experts hai a lu1led or drearoy starry-eyed look on thelr They heIC a glazed look on thelr faces, a real nanlkin look for sure.

Th-se human f iends looked spent for sure with their They opened the door and left together,

rnanlkin expresslon. pace

walklng abreast in a leisure

tovardtheGalloplngClotheshorsesectlonofthestore';nsslnglnfrontof

artlo]-es of elothlng tlie door to the nain window dlsplay that had the same she carried' on t'ht exlbltect on the nanlklns there" Daphna placed the clothlng thern,codenfraneforthati]urposethathe}cthewhole}oadasonlyagood v Rlchard' Shambaugh ms truly clotheshorse ccul'C do. And the spent clothesdick ln t[e store. lach one their ",.r'el]t the best

own wayl each dress.v person

Tay Ior/Fowll<e

Fege LL5

reft

very well

satlsfled

lndeed. rt

Then, Rlck vrent about his cuties all

of chgnc-

ing the wlndow display.

vras truly

useil-up nov,'that the best gale cf

vrindcw dj-splay cut" the cay had been mad.e. Rlck began to arrange the next a T h l s v r l n d o wd i s p l a y s e x u a l c o n e - o n t e c h n i - q u e w o u l C h a v e r e i n a i n e d secret f orever !f |t h a d n o t b e e n f o r a di s a n p o i n t ' e d l o v e r ' used up at the tlme. F'ick act too

busy one day or else he was all

The snger of the d1s-

appointed or spurned lover vfas nolsed. abroaC. built that

The {'ossip had grad'ually

+'hat scmethlng sexual was gc$ng on in the clressing rooms, and But the real dovmfall I

only brought in morc customers to see for themselves. of the sex rlng cane when a revlval

church meeting vras held on the tovm thelr sinsgot

scuare and the frustrated

sex spulred partners confessed all

The public expresslon of past sins on the mournersts bench really the eyebrows ralsed. And the sin-ftghters really

m a C et h e r o u n d s , t o p a t r o l

],ilarriors cleaned up the place. the shops along hTlrecle l,[11e. The Ch::istlan slster Fledls lauqhed about alL the sex rlng rearly t s e a n c a L a n d t l i e n c o m n r e n t e dh a t tliat sex no one

tire goocle-two-shoes sex flghters aetlvlty

were only bothered by all

because no one wanted to bother wlth them that wayl them or try to seduce t,hen. ?rustretlon the rocd lifet

0r that

had bothered to lnvite

anc repres-

slon are the reaL enemles of those who live

$Ias another of

Fowlke power ellte leaders' 5 1 s t e r F l e d . l s r s s a r d o n l c c o m r n e n t a r yo n t h e S o u t h Scuth Fowlke city councll $tas never quite the sane aftpr thls scandal inslde good Too neny to llght' the nnostprestigeous fancy store ln town cane d r e s s l n g T o o o s' p e o o l e v r e r e l m p l i c a t e d l n h a v l n g b e e n s e d u c e d 'l n t h e e v e r y o n e c l a l r " o e da t l e a s t one eplsod'o cf a sexual encounter dur|ng tares were beconlng a soclal s.tatus

llearly

the past decade.

The storres or the tatr

was beconing the soeially acceptabre f o r w h t c h t h e . * o u r n e r s rs b e n c h syrobol sin v'lassueh a fun wlth inlquity' explate thme casual brushes place tO But the ccndoned'aanner ' b e ,rv'sh ed avr ey ln a publlcall} r t L i n g w h e n i t ccu l d

Ta y l o r / F o w l ke lastlng results

Fage 146 of casual sexual encounters could lpad to somethlng that of the usu al l y c aus tj - c

s o a p a n d w ate r co u l d n o t w a s h ar uay or so the m or allty Sister Fledis that e x p o u n d e Aa n o u t s o m e o n ee l s e t s

indlscretlons.

She was glad

some pill-ars

of t-he conmunity vrere playlng around or having a dalllance called sexual orgles. The trifllng conduct was truly

A q t h e r " e ' il r r { o u s f o l k

a s h a m e b e yo n cl re d e ra p ti o n u n l- ess confessed cn the m our ner st s ben c h w l th the na n l n g o f na me s fo r a Il th e past par tner s ln tli.ls phJ- lander ing. ;for d. had

gotten out that alnost

everyone had inCulged et one tlme or another and that of

was what had proloted the general confesslon by the adult poculatlon South Fowtke. patrol lTo one,,vas going to walt anC then be ccnfronted t h a t n o v rw e r e f e e l l n g their

by the sex slnce

or the sln pclice

self-importance tou/n.

so much iniqulty

was roamlng the streets

of their

llttle

South Fowlke vns full even worse. ft

of lechers or certalnly

llbertines,

'wfiich was

was lugubrlous to aII the exemplary eiti-zens of South Fowlke Fledis uias not in the middle of aII the sex scand^al-.

that reprobate Sister

No one could believe that Slster FIedls had nlssed-out

on the fun tlmes,

es_ceciall,yof the selaclous nature that had seernlngly taken over the tolrn. The laudable resldents zatlon that sin clty of South Fowlke could not ablde with the reallapt descriptlon. all Thelr good old l'iays

was norvthelr

came back to them, to polnt the blame fcr

that went v/rong or turned bad. tiothlng so glarlng slnful

Sister Fledls rvas a ccnvenient vietim as usuaL.

had ever before happened in South Forvlke before $ist,er Fled.ls had ecioe to t own.

Tavlor/Fowlke

P as e LL7

Chapter 7. The Communlty tr'amily of lv1ankindllnlfled

Sister Fledls vlas agaln the pecullar

patsy, lu9gg teneng, everytlane She w as the councll

an 5 r t h l n g d e p ra ve d h a p p e n e d l n the cor ununlty of South Fowlke.

obJect of slmulacrun by accusatlon slnce never belng present at clty meetings or PTA gatherines to defend herself. and dressed the part cf the elasslc beyond the reputed blbLical courtesan. Slster Fledis

acted^the role

She was even voluptuougness

Salone-sher

a m o C e r nv e r s i o n o f t h e o l d e n e v l l , haunt

now foreordalned. tc dananatlon, ln th.is d.issoLute plaee of her favorlte called. Bubba TownRoadhouse.Only the virtuous reJectlon

cf the obvious sin from

and the even more consplcuous sinner would save South Fowlke ltse1f eternal condemnatlcnr PToclalmed the sin pollce patrol. of aIl

South Fowlke uiasmore than read.y to cleanse ltself wrecklng havoc on tire tcwnshlp' The good prosperlty tcwn, but al-l the obnoxious results well-used. name of $ister Fledls,

that was to

haC brought new llls

had an evid.ent cause for them, in the pallmpsest perscn around' the facetlous actlons cf

the most visible

S h e ' $ J a st h e , Q n € . ' w h o o p e n l y c e n s u r e d o r s a t l r i z e d the false noCesty of the plllars

of the oorununlty.

T a y l o r / F o w l ke T h e S o u t h F o w l k e t o w n l e a d e r s d e e l d e d t c s m o k eS l s t e r hldlng for taking once and allo They hired a deteetive

Page U+8

lLedls

out of

agency to track her dovrn, Thls tactlc took over

vldeo can camera shots to prove the flndlngso

e Jv au n ? t n R . n o r n p l l s h , v r sleek convertlble

The openlng scene of the vid.eo always began with the the double fiarSeneschal.

driven by Slster Fledis dlsappearing lnto

age of the d.uplex homesteadshared by her and the brothor Fladis I t T e v e rl , v e r et h e t w l n s s e e n t o g e t h e r - o o f

would there bo, no photonraphlng of the agency. The

the duo could ever be nanipuLated by the expert canera buffs wlth A whcle cadre of experts cculd not accoropllsh this imposslble proof of their duallty

exercise in futillt}'.

could not be d.ocumented n film. o

The conservatlve brother Fladls began t c go out ln publle less al-1 the t l m e ; h e b e c a m ea r e c l u s e . alf F 1 a d l s e v e n d . l s a p p e a r e dp e r m a n e n t l X , s l g n l n g o v e r

hls proxy votlng shares and ownershlp ln the nunerous companles to the school teaeher, I,llss Prlmsey Dactyllo. She was now indeeil a yet wlth hls

old-mald retlred very rich controlllng

l a d . y . H e r n e p h e w J l m B o b P e a s e - t h e - 3 r c t u r € sw e e l t h l e r stock ln all

the same ccrporatlons as vrell as alL the prlvate declslon r',ras

eonpanles. 3ut vlhat l,flss Primsey suggested as a Eood financlal

never disputed.; her word.v/as Law or gospel, concerning the lnvestments of the itl-rOputeit trio, accoriltng to the f lndings of the detectlve acency. Jlnr Bob or worry.

obeyed hls old auntle always, nct wantlng her to fret Jim Bob Pease also appeared

l n p u b L l c l e s s a n d l e s s . H e s e e n e d .p r e -

oceupled with nore lmportant thlngs or Freat matters of so,nepersonal depth. The ccmputer hook-up wlth all hls far flung buslness emplre made staylng at done by key secret ao-

hcme a mlnor lnconvenience. Communicatlcnwas slnlly ccunt numbers that ldentlfted
!'owlke. ^nother odd.-man-out ln thts nystery that

without doubt the ingenius hero of South

was South Fowlkets

chlef

con-

Tay Ior/F owlke

Pas e f&9

c e r n l n v c L v e d . s p e c t a ) - t y - s t o r e o w n e r R l o h a r d J o r J S h a m b a u g h .I I e a l s o k e p t showlng hls face at the Sister to thts young satyr, thts tr'Iedls resiCence" Her doors were al'trays open

I

I I

I T e s e e m e dn o t a b l e t c g e t e n o u g h o f h e r o r a t l e a s t

o l e D i c k e y b o y l g a s a l w a y s c o m l n g l n s l d e h e r t r r l a c ew i t h h l s o v r n k e y n o week after week into many mcnths of re-

less. Thls pattern repeated ltself ccrded tlmes by the agency. Further invostlgatlon

I I I I

turnerl up the fact

that Richard JorJ Shambaugh

| I I I

p did nct have his c1^rn rivate residence i he apparently reslrled. with the fllg:hty Sister FIedls. The garage always had one of their cars parked ln-

t s l d e . T h e p l a c e a p p e a r e d n e v e r t o b e v a c a n t ' , n f t e nh e o t h e r } e f t r V e t t h e sophlst|cated. survellance equlpnant soon indlcate,l that nc body heat reglstereil wlthln the Slster Fledls abode when shq left for her wacky Jaunts at

t h e B u b b a T o w nR o a d h o u s e . Y e t , t h e p h y s l c a l J o r J S h a n b a u g bh a d n e v e r l e f t

e m b o d l m e n to f w c n a n l z e r R l c h a r d eye.

the p::emises, so observed the prlvate

No real person hovleverrernalned in rqsidence. This odd.lty cf factual Fledls not belng a real observatlon soon enlarg'ed the runors about Slster It appeared that the man Rlchard

person at aIL after

w Shambaugh as merely a paper tlger

aIl,

a b l o w n - u p b a l l o o n - m a nC o l l Sham-

perhaps. $oon, the ownershtp papers of the famed and htghly lucratlve

a b a u g h s t o r e . , \ i a s b r u p t L y s i g n e d o v e r t o t h e s p i n s t e r I ' T l s s P r i m s e y D a ct y l i c . The hlghly raspected. schocl teacher v;as fast in anC around South Fowlke. personalittes llvlng becomlng the owner of all the

prirne properties to all city

o The en161na f her ccnnection ln South Fowlke puzzled the

the sleaze-ball

fathers Iess each daY. The baekeround search next Lnto ilTlss Prirnsey Dactyllc turneC up the

facts that she was non-exlstent. emprgedofflclally t h e d . a ya f t e r

Her personna as the pru,idlsh school teacher the toronado that had susposedly kllled her

TayIor/Fowlke nythlcal slster, Stella Louise and reputed nother of ltttte slbl lng c onnectl on ever. iin

Page I50

3ob. But

t h e r e h ad b e e n n o t w l n s l s t e r actually Diana Pyrrick

l , fi s s ? r i n s e y ' l a s J L : , ra o b

by name; she was the real, mother of little

a n d h ad s t a g e d t h e d e c e p t l v e d , e a t hw h e n t h e l u c k o r h a p p e n s t a n c e o f t h e tornado had hit town that samefateful day. S h e h a d c o n c e i - v e dt h e c h l l d

out cf wedloek at college ancl her lover Daddy Jln Bob Pease-the-2nd.',,,'as not IegaIIy free to narry here. He alread.y had a wife from hls college days we e k e n d f l i ng w h e n h e h a d ru n off to old lt,lexico tc vr ed cohor t Pear l D u?r ee. offspring rvho retained her malden name to Jisr Bob. Thls

And Daphnav/as his ciaurghter,their even with trlangle f ldel lty

poor'tKarhl'r to thls day and thus a half-sister

was one big secret that alL the other tales about whorlnE and lno , l d l y c o v e r e C u p t h e J u l e l e s t s t o r y ; n o o n e w o u l d b eI l e v e t h c s e

o - c e n l y w i c k e c l d e v l a t e s w o u l - dh a v e a n y t h l n g m o r e t o h l d e o r c o n c e a l o n a grand scale llke this connectlcn to the lnfamous Slster Fledig scandal.

Y o u n g J i n B o b J u s t s e e m e ctl o o i - n r r o e e n ta p a r t l ' t c all thls disception slnce he t'/asunwlttlngly

b e a w i l l " l n g m e m b e ro f the sex flendlsh

kln to all

players ln thls

e l a n d . e s t l n e h u m a nd . r a m a . nember of the sex rlns He was after-aIl dj-d indeed appear to be the

The most unwllllng

local hero Jim Bob Pease.

keepln€: the secret of hls real hts long lost nother who had

nother well hldd.en. lTls old auntle vrasreally been a reall.v clever all thts identity llar

to weave all, these pest years.

The uncovering of

crisls

was aade in the upstairs apartments of Sister

Fledi s.
The dresslng room ad"Jolning the bathroom containeC a11 the cross-dres-

s ln g v r a r d r ob e a n d ma ke -u P k l t s

wl th the elaborate u;i.-s and eyebrovrsr even

persons being cclored contaet lenses to change the eye hues to nateh the the discovery camelvhen the de-crotrayed. But the roost telllng a spect of

T a ' . ' l - o r , / F c vrl ke
tectives:nte:eC the prenlses after the hu-nan heat dcvices

Pa;e 151
inCic?t-d thrt

n ^ ' ' li r r l n c r E " a ? S O n l v aS j . n S l d e . n-'

The prlvate

investliatorS

na SqqeraCed a S re-

p a i r n e n f r O r n t l i e n at u r a l in the neighhorhood. resist

g a s c o r i l p a n y ,t o l n s p e c t t h e r e p o r t

of a snelly

leek

Thls cover wcrked rryell since no one was at hcne to The upstalrs vdndcw

e n t r y r . : n dt L r o r o u g h c h e c k l n g t h r o u g h t h e p 1 a c e ,

into the bathroom ivas easil-v opened once a ladder was raiseC to that portal for the qulck entry. T h e e v i d . e n e e i p g H [ 6v i a s s h o c k l n g , e v e n t o t h e s e n e n o f d e c e p t l o n , T h e y cculd nct have imaglned such a complex internlngllngl a g o n e a n d t h e s a m ep e r s o n n a . of Dcrsonallties alter posing egoes

The twln Senechals vrere actually all the close scrutiny,

and that cameas no blg surprlse after gling ldentitles anazed the privatp

but the entan-

eye Frovrlers.

The ldentlt;,' of Richard Jcrj tr.aits

w Shambaugh as the proljf le personallty H i s v r a sa m a s t e r n l n d o f a c c o m p l l s h -

Cetected ln the rambling house.

nnent. Richard was a make-up artlst

wcrthy of a I'tollywood nnovle set job. lady ln a hurry.

Ee could put-on his Slster Ftedls faee fast as any real h D l c k S h a n n b a u gc o u l r l a l s o d r e s s h l n s e l f quick as a public appearance requlred. speedy ouality make-up Job. Alt thls lnto fhls

the man of hls chcice vlsage cross-cl.resser vias adept at a was captured on fllm, The prlvate eye

expert sklIl

to show to the cllents

o f t h e S c u t h t r ' o w l k ec i t S ' c c u n c l l . over the;:1ace,

a s e n c y n e n h a d p l a n t e d h l c l d . e ne a m e r a s a l l sed. Ilghtnlng

in eell.ing reces-

and ln rrclI cracks hldden by pictures. The fllm

Thls provlCed the

d o c u m e n t e dr e s u l t s . .
da lly llf e r i-tual .

c a p t u r e d R l c h a r d S h a n b a u g hi n h l s t y p l c a l

The hlCden caaeras capturecl the most teIllng ^clctcrlal farcus essa:/ style. The fllnlng vias sinilar tc

ohservatlcn

of aIl

in a

a dccurnentary on sone

pe.rsonage, p'erhaps.

The mornlng arvakenlng held the most fascinatlon

T a yl o r / F o w l k e or coinplete revelatlon,

?age L52

The vrrltten report was a rather }j'r1eaI narraticn sun ln the vrlndowon a hct sunmermorni:g. and seeaed tc cut a C eep

whj.ch began wlth the rislng T h e s un b u rst

shutter s th ro u g h the v' r ooden

red mark through the flesh

on the body Just beginnlng to stlr, scarlet

a scarred on the llke

tatoo cut slmulated.. The vmrm rays etehed their tunescent flesh ln an angular but persistent
1 Yi qnqr r i r l rf r "vnrm ^ n e e n d O f t h e r : r r! r blg bed to the

lnscrlption

$ / " 4 y .T h e m a l e f o r n f l o l e d
end ln a slumberlng

Other

Chese

to elud.e the traveling set.

sunlight.

But the hot beams found thelr solte tlme.

rnark on tar-

The sleepy chase thusly went on for

T h e t j -sre o f a w a ke n l n g w ir s slow but easy finally. t h e m a n l y f orm i n to th e b a th r oon; a slovr shower routlne.The hot soapy water created a terrarium

The eam eras fol l or .,'ed

' ,ias the next cr der of the ln the humid bathroom. The ln ccndensation. shav ed hi m s el f ,

h u m i d l t y s t e a m e d t h e v r l n d o v l sa n < i c o v e r e d t h e n l r r o r s T h e r n l rro r fra me d . th e reflect.,d svriftly naked. nan.

He hur r ldly

to g,et read.y for hls character roles

cf whoever was the one vrlth a

r n o r n l n g a p p o i n t n e n t c f g r e a t i m p o rt a n c e .

I { e h a d a s e p a r at e c l o s e t f o r e a c h IIothing, v r as out of The caaeras

lre r s o n ; t h e crd .e rl y a rra n g e m ent was stunnlng lngenulty, order and this enhancedthe speedy dresslnq for

each part.

c a u g h t e a c h m o v e m e n tv r i t h a n a c c u r a c y t h a t a m a z e dt h e o n - l o o k e r s w h o c e r tainly folt they had gotten thelr rconeys litorth. f to thero. Just as would a true

The eamera shots had a zoom lens effect c lo c u r n e n t a ryfttm, roon to room. fantasy chase. All

th e ca me ra foll.owed the movement of the man or bei ng fr om . thls photographlng posed like a somnuballst on a pervarse and the infamous

hlchard JorJ Shambaugh ad dark black halr h

Sister F1edls had flane red. flowlng curls urhlle her brottrer F1adls had redJust as d'l d' dls h b r o r n ! . a n d . a l ,re l l -trl mmed. r ed bear d that htd the face. The 6lue for these h klchard shambaugh ave a black beard to cover hls face.

Tay Io r/Fovrlke

P age L53

false hair easllyo if

pieces requlred denatureC alcohol and/or aeetone to renove each color of ivlg tc be tlnted eye of the man at the so quickl-y that he

A t o u c h - u p d y e t u b e l a y h a n d . yf o r

a slight

C.lseoloratlon appeared to the crltlcal H e n r a n a g e dt o r e i n o v e t h e f a c i a l

rake-up tabl-e.

halr

had the palnted face of Slster Fledls faster than the cameras could capture.

plastered smooth as a babyrs botton I{e almost seened to know that the

' , o r a t c h f u le y e s w e r e a t h l s b a c k s l d e .

Al1 creatures of the nlght ean feel of Sister Fledis persona

when a watchful eye ls upon them and the lnstincts was surely no Clfferent. Fut no attenpt

to expose the 3amelas vras ever

m a C es o s u r e l y t h e n a n d l d n o t r e a l - l z e t h a t h l s s e c r e t w a s e n d l n 6 [ J u s t t h e mcssy detatls w e r e b e l n g d i v u l s e d o r d o c w n e n t e d .o v e r a p e r l o d o f t i n e , to ,

assure proof for the c tty councll.

a The eameraf i ln haC been load.ed. nd re-

loaded. cver a period of weeks, to make sure that no mlstake was evldent or that a blg joke',vas belng ptayed by Slster FIeCls on these private tike late eyes,

had been done on the "good looklng strangers{ at the bar vrhenthey left r , i e e k so f p h o t o a t n l e h t t o g o h o r n ew l t h h e r b u t g o t t e a s e d i n s t e a d . ,las inltiated since the ,

graphed proof w€fb requlred bef ore any confrcntaticn city fathers

d l d n o t , u , r a r l tt o b e t h e b u t t o f a j o k e b y t h e r a u c o u s S l s t e r

FIeCis who Just nlght be real after-all. Slster I'ledis, 'r once aII made-upr lndeed looked real- and the expresslon

{n r.he etres had the rnlschlevous or lnpish candor that mede her pefsOna such a fornldable false this opponent. It was still difflcult to believe that she was a

IaCy or really

a ltaoo alt

There were really those ldentltles

three personnas lnvolved 1n so well-knovrn on the streets

hoax; one player fcr

o f So u t h F ow l ke . The hoax was fool.-proof or so lt cf south Fowlke got tlred all s e e m e dt o b e u n t l l over tcvm. the good pecple

of the vrhorlng all

Rut they were beln8

t

T a y l o r l f ' o w l ke skeptlcal or hesltant about publ-ic expcsure untll this multiple

Page L5b

ploe.s of evi-

dence cculd be used to substantiate all were ncstly wealthy cltlzens

decpetlon sinee the persotras To be tlupedby an cutsider all'mys ln their

of South Fowlke.

was bad but worse would be to have such a pervert living midst. The city

v f a t h e r s v t e r e g l a d t h a t l t i c h a r d . S h a r o b a u € lh a s n o t o n e o f AtI thls fakery was sorts

t h e n o r o n e o f t h e f c u n d i n g f a m l l y m e m b e r sa f t e r - a l l . of course slnful but that is the price of prosperity

whlch brlngs all

cf people to town, to g.et ln cn the boom town r:ood tines.

0r so the:lty

ccuncil mernbers easoned anong themselves when they dared to speak about the r films thgy kept locked ln the bank vault. scandal fron rulnlng future The trlck now was to keep the

buslness development or else the bad news vrould Slster F1ed.ls represented. that other characters of

perhaps brlng to town even more perverts llke

','/orse than Slster Flecils nolv was the posslbllity ln South Fowlke mlght be personas of the real sln had been cracked but what if es a front',vhlIe they were truly nore cltlzens evil thlng.

Her shabby shell

were htdlnE behind soodness

or doing dastardly thlngs thBt no one twln Slster

had yet uncovered.

Thls woulil be an even worse frauC than evil

FIedls and hard-worklng brother Fladis Seneschal; they were two sldes of the coin for good and evll. hlotrc for w And nichard Shambaugh as apparently Just the vellfe that had fooled them so batlly of any exposur e that w oul d s how

leadlng the dcubLe or triple th e i r

a n d s h a r o e fu l l y th a t

e g o wanted no par t t i r e d . u p e df o o l s

up the town leaders for ccnstantly holding their

they reall"y were. The council lvas

behind the scenes meetlng or kltchen cablnet rathnlnutes would not record any of these findings' of c ourse anC the d.etectlve agency lvas for leaklng the

erinfis so that the vffitten

The rec ords were c cnf lCentlal of fj-eed in'Big flndings.

T o w n s o t h a t r e m o v e d .n u c h o f t h e p o s s i b l l j ' t y resulted from all this

under cover work was the busj'ness of

"\ihat

Ta y l o r / F o w l ke the c lient f elt ktndly w h i c h l r a s t h e d e ci s i o n of the city c c u n ci l .

I

ia?.e Lr>

The c it"rr f athers She nas not

t o ' r , ' a r ds p i n s t e r L fl s s P r e m s e y D a ct y l i c

af ter all.

v i r t u o u s a s a s s u m e db u t s h e h a d d c n e g c o d t v o r k s f o r t h e t o w n o f S c u t h F o v r l l < e fcr a Ereat many years. That service shotrld count for sornethlng sood, and

besides she wes one of their perity to South Fovtlke.

c c t t n ' fg o o d p e o p l e ' r ' ' , , t hh a d h e l p e d b r i - n g . o r o s -

Thls was the reasonlng of the businessil€n who knew

they ha,l to keep the second biggest secret thj-s town cf South Fowlke had ever known or haC to keep" The secret was not a publlc thing yet. The city council Just hoped

w that the canard of P.ichard JorJ Shambaugh oul-d Just go away, leave tovrn as strangely as he had appearecl. And that was preclsely ?he pornogra,chic Sister Fledis what happened.

just never returned. to her favcrlte

h a u n t a t t h e B u b b a T o ru n R o a d.house. She was not much missed except l n pas sing ccnversation llke brcught to town. stantly a!?aysa flgment of the lmaSred badness that she only Fladis $eneschal was ccnstore that

T h e b u s i n e s s a c u m e nc f r e a l t o r

C benoaned.lhen a nev'r eal caroealong.

The speciality

o R i c h a r d S h a m b a u g h r v n e dc c n t i n u e d " t o D r o s p e r v ' r i t h i t s

flne catalogue sales.

The appearances cf the splnster l'Ilss Prlmsey Dactalyic becane a thlng cf the past. bustllng She retlred forever to a senlor cltlzens h o n e s o m e w h e r ei n

Blg Town. But the ever to be pltled of Soutir Fowlke.

Jlm Bob began to be seen nore the buslnesses

on the streets

He now ownedan'J operatetl all

that hls dear oLd auntie or reputed' nother lillss ?rlnsey cnce possessed' The only public statement that Jin Bob ever madeabout all cr.lsis was, r'$ister Fledis is cr'/ras a conposit cf all the identtty

n t h e v J o l r . en a n k l n d h a s

known, a fantasy lady of the evenlng dellght.rf : e a t u r eg r y t,o hls hair,

Jlm tsobhad a touch cf pre-

the sane color as l,'flssTlrimsey hac. He also had' the

cc'tmenting about her' sane ?xpsesslon in hls eyes as slst.er Ftedis'ivhen

,

Tay lor/Fow1ke J|m Rob was hls ov;nperson at long lastr l n a n w i t h w i f e a n d "c h i l d r e n had ecne back lnto hls llfe

Paee L55 or at Least as nuch as a marrled gweetheart RhondaRhabb famlly li-fe. I{e

cculd be si.noe long,Lost to settle

hln downwith thelr

th ha d q u i t e w1 1 1 1 n g 1 " y ro w n a way the other set of nake- up klts basenent reons of the old, Pease nansion. a n a k e - u p a rti st fo r

ln the c el l ar as

His old ccllege days trainlng

th e d ra m a pla.vs had wor ked woncler s then as I s ter

w hen

h e h a d p ] - a y e d t h e d l s g u i s e d p a r t o f s o r . t s n yc o l o r f u l tc get all

camouflaged characters the

hls business d"eals in South Fowlke working and to relleve stress or Erind..

qulrky anxiety pressures fronr the daily tc be rtd of h1s diverse figures

Jlm Bob ruasglad

cr pretense personnas of his imagination IIe knew that he could call them anyaore,

that had kept hlm conlrany for so long. a11 back anytime lf but he was satlsfled Jugt as the city he really for now. fathers

v,ianteC o play games of dlsslmulation t

had vrlsely and klndly

d.eclded not to expose or fol'rThe

the imposter that they aII low eagerly r thetr

had been foolhearted

enough to believe

extenuating vrords stlll

r a n g l n J l m B o b rs e a r s :

Ieast sald is the best sald about this matter of Slster Fledis posed as two cthers, Jim Bob." wlth all the tl:ne the orlglnal was the unrenlttlng

belng a man,

lmposter belng our own genlus that was

Besides, Jim Bob truly

South Fowlke.

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