The Key West citizen., 1940-12-13
. By MEDORA FIELC

you the advantage OF starting
from the floor you are on"
20. K" said Kirk smilingly,
but / noticed that his hand
gripped hard on the chair behind
which he was standing.
But l don't think l want to
look" said Alice. 81 don't know
what we might find In that room
if we found il"
"Oh. I wouldn't worry about
that" said Bob. giving her a
brotherly pinch on the shoulder.
"You can help with the records
then." / told Alice. The discour-
aging thing is that there are tons
of them. And they are so hard to
read. My relatives seem to have
kept everything from the news
paper telling about the assassina-
ton of Abraham Lincoln to the
tuition receipts for music lessons
for three generations Of daugh-
ters."
Much simpler to find the pro-
verbal needle in the haystack, or
is it the needle in the proverbial
haystack?" grinned Bob. Your
work is all cut out for you, isn't
it?"
"'Scuse me. Miss Sally" said
Bessie, appearing soundlessly in
the doorway. Miss Eve say. can
you come by her room? She got
somethin' she want to tell you"
"Oh, goodness" | said, Il had
forgotten all about her. Isn't Miss
Eve up yet. Bessie?"
"Yes'm, she up and had her
breakfast. / carried 1t to her. But
she amt TO say dressed. She's
layin' on that chain lounge"
did | hear a'right?" asked
Kirk, with a twinkle in his black
eyes, as Bessie padded away.
GrewsOme Tale
4 ND wasn't that a perfect de-
"A scription of Eve?" Alice
asked. " She amt to say dressed
By the way. Kirk" Alice went on,
apparently apropos of nothing at
all. have you ever heard the
story of Ewes first husband"
Only that his name was Adam
and that she persuaded him that
an apple day would keep the
doctor away" Kirk answered.
No. no. l mean Eve Benedict,
and her first husband was named
Phil Manning"
"Oh. Alice. why bring that up?"
Bob objected.
Kirk might as well be
warned" she insisted. "in case
he's ever tempted to 60 on an ap-
pie diet"
Gosh. what happened to him?"
Kirk asked. with natural Curl
osity.
Nobody really knows" said
Alice. pauSing for dramatic effect.
There was story"
But nobody knows that il was
true" | interrupted.
well. | for one believe it."
Alice insisted. You see," she told
Kirk. Eve married Phil Manning
because he had position and that
was what she wanted But he
didn't have much money. Phil had
always wanted to 60 to South
America and he had enough
money 10 take them there for q
wedding trip. But Eve said they
needed the money for other
things. They would take a short
trip and later when he hau ac-
cumulated more"
Alice looked around the circle
deiantly. "Well. you all know 1t
is true. She nearly ran him crazy
with her demands for money. He
couldn't stand it. Less than a year
after they were married, he just
disappeared. Eve filed suit for di-
vorce and it wasn't so long after
ward that she married Frank
Benedict and his money.
Maybe it was poetic justice"
Alice continued, "but 1t seems
Frank Benedict had always want
ed to go to South America. too.
So they went on their honey
moon" She paused again. well.
the rest of the story comes sec
ond-"
Il think this is where we came
IN. isn't it?" Bob asked Claire.
And so if you will excuse US"
making an exaggerated bow.
well be off to the South Pole
Alice" / said. when they were
gone. don't you think this is a
good place to stop?"
But it is too good a story not
to tell, she insisted. And any
way, | believe it is true" She
fixed Kirk with a wide-eyed stare
and dropped her voice. 1T seems,
Frank had always wanted one Of
those human heads-the kind
head-hunters collect. You know,
how they shrink them down or
something to about one fourth
their original size and the face
is still recognizable?
well. as | said, this part of the
story came secondhand, and il was
first told to somebody in Atlanta
by a New York friend. This friend
happened to 60 into a curio shop
in Colon or Belize or somewhere.
There didn't seem to be anybody
about at first. Then she noticed
this New York woman did--a
door leading into a back room.
Going nearer, she could hear
voices. Suddenly a man and a wo-
man came bursting out. the wo-
man screaming and saying she
had to get away from there and
the man following after and try
ing to catch up with her before
she ran amok in the stree.
When they were gone and the
shopkeeper came out the New
York woman inquired as to the
cause Of such behavior. The shop
keeper was so excited himself that
he just threw UP his hands and
admitted he had illegally offered