The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1953-01-10
HAL
BOYLE
SAYS

NEW YORK R-This is the era
of the ''hegoSSip."
1t is said that modern women
now are acting more like men, and
men are acting more and more
like women.
Rising to the defense of the
bleaker sex, 1 would say this is
true in at least one respect-wom-
en- are talking less, men are talking
more.
Women used to have to talk about
things they didn't know, because
their restricted lives limited their
knowledge of the world outside
their homes. The ladies no longer
have to talk about things they
don't know, because now they are
in a position to know everything.
AS a result they are more likely
TO keep their pretty little mouths
shut in important matters. l would
rather trust a secret today to many
women than some men. In bust
ness affairs particularly they often
button their lips better, for they
feel less need to brag about being
in the real know"
Who spreads the wild prattle and
conjectures in office and factory
today? Sadly, I bow to the fact: it
is as likely to be a man as a
woman.
The he-gossip" is among us in
full flower. Do you know one of
these busy little poison mouths,
these abortive freaks of sex that
used to be known as strong and
silent?
His habitat is the office water
cooler. 1t is there he diStills the
idle malice of an idle mind, whis-
pering his own rumors as into the
ear of every fellow worker who
comes up for drink. If you wear
a clean shirt to work, he passes
the word you got a raise. Forget
to get your shoes shined, and out
goes the bulletin: Lost his whole
weeks salary on the races"
The he-gossip operates by in
QUESTION as well as imagination.
Suppose you are coming to work
on bus, and the fellow next to
you bumps you in the eye with a
lighted cigar. You pause at a drug
store to put on a bandage, and as
you step into the office little poison
pusS gallopS up to express sym
pathy-and to find out what hap
pened. You explain.
"But it's against the law to
smoke on d bus" he objects.
81 know it. But this guy was
smoking anyway"
No kidding? You weren't in a
fight with your wife, were your"
"You don't think I've been fight
ing with somebody else's wife, do
your" you grumble testify.
"No, Of course not" he says, and
Immediately grabs the lapel of the
next man through the door and
whispers:
Look at Joe. Got a black eye.
In fight with some guys wife,
| hear"
"Whose?"
Search me. You don't suppose it
could be the bookkeeper's wife, do
you? He was dancing with her
lot at the office Christmas party"
Well, in half an hour the office
is buzzing with the news that old
Joe got a lump under his lamp
trying to play footsy-footSy with
the bookkeeper's hausfrau after
dark. The only people who don't
believe it are Joe and the book
keeper. And If the bookkeeper
hears the report he will suspect
that Joe at least secretly would
like to make a pass at his wife.
How can a man deal with a he
gossip? The same way women
have always done with gal Cos
sips: start a counter-campaign For
example, tell an office buddy;
LAS | was going home last night
| saw little big-ears Alvin bend
over and pick up something from
the sidewalk"
what was it,"
Search me. But the guy ahead
of him had just thrown away a
cigarette, and a little farther on
d Alvin vas smoking q
mighty small butt. "
Before long the whole office viii
believe the he-gossip is 50 cheap
he picks up cigarette butts from
the street. And few may then
reach the conclusion that he gets
most of his inside Information the
same way.