The Key West citizen., 1952-05-10
CONCH
.CHOWDER
by HATMER

LuTeO ike AudIl, ny GIL oPPAS,
the little monkey who hid out in the
rafters of the Seaplane Base ham
gar also showed a sweet-tooth be-
fore he was caught. He licked the
sugar from doughnuts which were
placed within his reach and tossed
the rest of the delicacy to the floor.
The other day | saw a Rhesus
chained on the hood of an automo-
bile with Miami license. Perhaps
the escapee who haunted the hell,
copter home was the rider of the
car. At any rate. the story of the
hangar hider was sent to the AS
sociated Press and maybe call
will come in from out CT town.
Our garden of Eden with Adams
g. R.. Earl and Nell. Ewes, apes,
ct al, would not be. complete
without the proverbial serpent.
Mrs. Jack Thompson provided the
proper sequence. She said that a
three foot black snake was easing
along in her back yard the same
day the monkey report came in.
She wisely informed pursuing chill
dren that the snake was harmless,
that it kept away rats and to let
it alone. / used to have green
grass-snake named David" who
liked to stretch inside my sweater
sleeves, now and then sticking his
head out to unclose a leathery eye
lid and survey the world with lam
guor. But one night he escaped
from his shoebox house and nestled
in the boudoir slipper of girl who
lived in the next room at the soro-
rity house. Shrieks in the middle of
the night, wild hunt for David" :"
a session with the Dean of Women
on the harboring of reptiles. land
I had to say goodbye to my pet.
/ must say he simply wriggled
away in the grass with not so much
as a backward waggle.
The owl | had one summer after
finding him with a broken wing
and installing him in our stable
loft was just as nonchalant. When
he was well enough to take off, he
didn't even give a hoot. .and af-
ter all the trouble I'D gone to pro-
viding him with tasty mice, bugs
and raw hamburger! He was also
provided, unintentionally, with
cat who lived through the encount-
er, but after that had haybale pho
bia for the rest of her eight lives.
The ninth one was practically CIV
en- to the owl who pounced on the
cats back one night while she was
mousing in the barn. There was so
much yoWling and screeching that
my little riding mare whinnied
herself hoarse (no pun, kicked the
sides out of her stall, in excite
ment. and the entire household
came tearing out to see what
horsethief had invaded the stable.
The cat emerged with a badly
pranged back and a complex
! against loft prowlihg. the owl
was relegated to a shedr0of in an
old parrot cage for the duration Of
treatment.
COL. AND MRS. Raymond E.
Vermette (he's the hero Of Susan
McAvoy's scorpion adventure) are
George Stinchfield's kin. Mrs. Yer
mette is Georges sister, and
George can be reached at 1860
Park Avenue, NYC. until June /.
| After that. he opens Stinchfield's at
/ Nantucket, Mass. Letter from
Rae Waller who says she misses
Key West and plans return trip. .
that Becky Guthrie sends love 10
, friends. =. that Claire Guthrie is
quite grown-up in department now,
and that the reunion with Jill,
( Capt. Waller. Ell al. was a happy
one To avoid delay of all cores
I pondence she says to write to them
Dept. of Communications, T.A.S..
Fl Sill Oklahoma. or 220l Hoover
/ Drive, Apt A, Lawton, Okla and
she wants a subscription to the CT
tizen to keep up on local news.
Al Palmer wrote again, too. His
! marriage is set for May II in Mon
treal, Canada, where he is senior
/ police reporter for the Montreal
Herald.
/ Mothers Day is tomorrow. and
don't forget 10 sent that wire. that
card or that gift. that phone call
or a letter.