;,r

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

'* 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

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 hrlv l n g ,
t o n n t o o n e o f p ro sp e rl ty a n d r apld g"otodh. A1l. the dynanlc ohang es had

res u L t e d f r o m th e . cre a ttve d .e slgns or dar lng goocl lntentlons to tr y the un-

usual vlslons of Lmal 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 called'

noetr opo3- l s
t.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 Fage 2

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 Eratitude ln a blg way,

for ai.I the orlginators of the air castle-bu.lldlng dreans cone true. Thelr

best efforts would be honored at the town-hall meetlng, by declaring Jlm Bob

k 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 .
, t , I c an I , 4 . . '
The banquet vras llke always

being helrl in the hlgh school- gymnasj-um

as a doub,Ie or trlple celebrateil

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 ln the new cen-

tury as well. The pride of the town would be properly hcnored guest at the

head.table, 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 the

relatlves basklng in the glory of thelr favorite cousin. l , i r ' s l d oh a d b e e n

the flrst 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 that Jlm Eob had

brought to South Fowlke, The unlque tank water fish farng that raised sea

urchins to sell t o t h e J a p a n e s e a s a d e l l c a c y h e o l n d e e d p r o s p e r e c i "v r i t h

sales 1n nearby Big Town also, and the local flshtng pler-restaurant bus-

iness really d i d * o a yo f f inmedletely as promlsed. That was onJ-ythe flrst

of m a n y n e w e n te rp rl se s th a t iln Bob i,npelleil upon the town dur in g thl s

last 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 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 when

s h o w i n g f a n cy p ro sp o cti n g b u ltetlnboar d flow char t pr oflts ln theor y fr om

a hardsell pttch. yet Just one r*al llve local success story by word of
rtLj-vlng waterrt agrl-chem products
mcuth, llke the lnnovative but rucrative
to lncrease soll yteld ten fold and now
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
get the ful L at-
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
his enterprl-slng cous|ns rich as sin
since he had successfully nade all
Tay 1or,/Sowlke ?age 3

from all the "ple-ln-the-sky" 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

r.ealltg projects, Ilors, aIl 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

created even more'+reelth for the ci"ty counctl to tax. The tax rcll. base

of South Fcwlke vras actually growi-ngfaster than the sumscould be spent,

thus gaining hinnatl the polltlcal clout and support he needed for yet

n4wer ldeas or better aims, ln thls whlstle *qtoFvillapie on the fast ttlay

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

that can happen to cur little 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 to her neighbors.

rtlievr a n d n e 'r L h a t, seems to be the way of llfp, ar ound thl s tow n
! [tg
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 or how to m anager f

f urther laughed CaIlle rnost joyouslS'.

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

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.

r c o o d th l n g s a ]v,'a ys co tne to thcse of us who donr t Just stand ar ound and'

wait; hard urork gets lt aII done rlghtrn stated' Callle emphatlcally.

' r , , V o r k l n gl l k e the deviL at a revlval noeetlng, tc help ourselves, ls the

And Just think that my cousln Jtm Bob started lt all to happen-
only wa)'.
ino here," gloated lfaggie Salmcn.

rIj'iell, the Pease femlly kln has a knaclc f or belns at the right
all

place at the best tlne r a t r e nl t cones to promotl-nE a reaLl-y good nevr ldear"

boasted Callle eafler to have hor say'

Ta y l o r / F o w l ke ?age l+

I t T h i s w h o l e to w n p a rty l s a celebr atlon 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 banquet for anythlng in the worldr't

continued Callle JubilantlY.

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

Se n e r e Ss ! wh o o w n e d th e n e w est and. blggest r eal estate fir m ln South I'ow l k e.

Sister Tledis as she i,rasccnvenlently called by aII the $outh Fcwlke soclal

set busybodtes vras a ntght person accordlng to gospel report or unknown

t al e b e a r e r s w h o fre q u e n te d . the honky tonks late at nlght on the ) fi r ael e

lftle warehouse-buslness strlp 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

nlles down the road., Slster T'ledis alranys stayed ln the darkened shadows

of thn danee hal-lsr'saLtzing 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

the eyer No o n e l n to w n re a Ily lcnew what she l- ooked ltke ln the s unl - l ght.

Slster FLedis oame out only well after dark, sutldooly appearlng ltke a hot

desert breeze in the beer haIls. The townfoLk simply referred to her as

Slster Fledls, &o appelation not for hsr rellglous attendance or nature but

for her flllal, connection to har rlch brother. ,slstor Fledls preferred on1-y

t h e f e w Bl g T o w r sp e n d e rs, n ot the local good. old boys, for soae c al c ul - ated

re a s o n a n d a l w a ys l e ft w tth the handsor oest str anger at the bar Jus t befor e

day break. 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 $eneschal was not a corrunon

th o u 6 i h , 6 s th e whole town well knew vr hen lt came to fool i 'ng

s le e z y t r a n p,

arcunrl wl-th Just any ol"d' nranJ-yout-of-towner'

wllltngly l ed' out-
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

loversr Iane. $he q',ricrl;r Sot then all hot anci brothered enough to sit

right there on the rnar end of thelr own car vtrile she suddenly kicked up her

hteh heeLs and then ran off to her own automoblle, Leavlng them holding her

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 m ono-

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 than tiils. She was thus a class act back seat strlp

tease, only, for every nan Jack who was hot to trot enough to falL for her

exciting but tantalizlng routlne. Thls was her wltty brand of safe sex

antics and her b*st fun fllled stvle of g*ttlng her:nlrthful jollles by

pulling a fast 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 inants folIy.

She played this 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

t h e y w e r e Go 6 r s e l ft to w o men on the bar soene. Thls kind of r eg ul ar J oc -

ularlty was what galned Stster Fledls the locaL reputatlon of belng a man

eater, 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 vlsltoxsr

Ne e d l e s s t o sa y sh e w a s n e ve r seen twlce wlth the sam e guy 6ven l f he v tas

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 spr ee at the l n-

fanous Bubba TownRoadhouse. 0r for that fact, Slster Fledls n e v e r l , v s ss e e n

an y w h e r e i n p u b l l c 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 sister. He acted unaware or

ob l l v l o u s to her za n y re p u ta tlon but never seened.asher nedelther . l l o di r ec t

c o n m e n t r , , ;a sma d e b y h tm th a t he even had. a slso she was the one w ho nol s ed

a b r o a d t h e fa ct th a t th e y w e r e slbllng kln. Hear say vr tasthe only oonneetl on

thattlnkedthetwdgomeatall.Naturally,brothertr.ladlswentabouthlsowl}
gara honor banquets alone. He was
prlvate business and attended atr the town
invest-
hobnobbrng connectlons for all the
one of the sponsors and blg nonie,i
Ta,vlor./Fowlke P age 6

nent oapltaL b e i -n g ma d .ei n S outh Fowlke 6:r owth lndustr y. He put together

t h e f i n a n c i n p ; fo r all t,h e p roflteer lng deals that hor nebo;rJlm Bo b br ought

to tol.rn. Th e l o e a l b a n ke rs and city councll got the left over cr um s w fi l c h

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 gl ad

to be personally assoeiated wlth the cLever real- estate broker Flad.ts Sene-

schal beeause they rea3.Iy wanted to Set close enough lnto the famlly clrcle

t o m e e t o r re ve l w l th th e l Il -- r eputeil shr ewd.yet flar nbouyant Slster F Ledl s .

$ h e v u a st h e ta l k o f th e to w n , enr r led or censur ed. by ever y busybody for

ml l e s . T h e y a t1 w a n te d to know ever ythlng about $lster Fledls. l tl o one ev er

learned anythlng more than the barroon shenigans themselves rFvealed. The

twj-n Seneschals were very private about their personal llves, whloh did not

overlap lnto any public talk abcut fannlty llfe. fhe boisterous Slster Fledls

ha d c o m e o n th e e o a tta l l s o f her br other !' ladls to the bar hopplng dl v es on

the outsklrts o f S o u th F o w l ke as she bLabbed lnto her beer mu61for al l to

hear late at nlght;

rfBut f real}y canl€here ln rnydadr s genesrfr snickered Sister Fledls

Seneschal, belng absurdly gidd.y, dellberateLy, ln tune tc the party reveL

Late nlght drtnklng c lowd" at Bubba Town Roadhouse.

Hyou swlg dellcete slps like a reaL lady but flt-ln wlth us guzzlers

Iike a good trooperr,r wEs the frequ*nt corne-onllne f r c n a h a n d s o m es t r a n g e r '

at the snoke-flIIed barroon sc€Rer

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

thls 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 lnqulr ed' the feigned beer slur r e d v ol c e

Fledls pur r ed' her own subtle encour agem ent'

wi t h b a i t e d . b re a ti t a s $ i ste r
Tarrr1ot /l'owtke PaEe 7

ttYou have the beerlest scrrnding voice I ev?r heard, brsldes, being

I,lucSJ, whloh ls a flnely d.ressed but hand"somevromanr'r ftrrther oorunended

t he u n s u s p e ctl n 6 fl a tte re r fronn out- of- tclr n.

"f am Just belng oBr tonight, dth ny lcotch bottled voice,rr flutterecl

Sls t e r I'ledis l n h e r sa su a t but coy vtay r vj- th nen who tooic the tim e for l dl ,e

chat, o r d a : : . e i lt o m e e t h e r p l e r c i n g gaze, meant to charn the pants off any-

cne getting tlpsy enough.

r r Y o ua - . " ec e r t a l n l y lt tcnlghtr" ccntlnued the ever questlng nan about

t ow n r u h o i l l d n o t re a l l ze th a t he was the fly ln the olntnent of t he s pl nnl ng

web belng eaught ln thls ntghtspot sane of belng ltr Lnstead cf her.

T h l s w a s th e u su a l o rd e r of thtngs at Bubba Town Roadhouse, But Sl s ter

F le d t s 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, l n the w ee

ho u r s . 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,

connected onLy by reputaticn. 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

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 lr nnoilest v' r ays. The Bubba Town honl c y tonk

wa s n e a r l y e n p ty d u rl n 6 th e ear ly hour s of the tovm banquet, only pas t m l d-

nig h t d i d t he rtw l te h l n g h o u r" r eally lqet golng'

a1L the
L , l e a n r v h l l eb a o k s t t h e h o n o r b a n q u e t a n d N e w Y e a r r s c e l e b r a t l o n ,

hrgh-toned-Iadies of south Fowlke socrar soene gentry crass rang out the ord
sociallzin8 for the sake of better buglness was the
year wlth songand danee.

n o r n a l t h l n g. T h e frl e n d l y networ klng wonder s of the gala pagea nt enhanc ed

as usual ln $outh TowLko fln-

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

T h e e xp a n sl o n of the r eflner les sn the er lge of to w n w oul r l

ancial s r o wth .
gro'wth of the past deoade; gasollne
agreeably eontinue the rapld' economle
T a y l o r / F o w l ke Page I

m a d . ef r o r n p o t a t o e s v t o u l r l c o n t i n u e t o f l l l a huge market need. lrlctor $hau-

be r g e r w c u l d co n ti n u e a s C F i 0anr i hls son Gleeson as for em.an. Thel r Ger m an

an c e s t r y , b e i n g Qu a ker wlth Anlsh r oots fr om ?ennsylvania D tr tc h, k ept

r ea l L y
' T ar r r '
a llv e 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 agaln oone tc the aid of thelr adopted

country. Tire nepotism of hirtng o n l y f a m l l y a s m a n a g e m e n kt e p t t h e s e c r e t

forrnul-a safe and aLso kept the hlgh salaries withln the farolly. But the

Irish potatoe gasollne fuel manufacture also made the local farners rich.

A contract for twenty mlllion acres cultlvated. ln a four states area lndeed

s p r e a d .t h e p r o s p e r l t y around.. The addlttcnal u s e o f c o r n t o p r o d . u c eg r a l n

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 The

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 ehain of service statlons se11ln6 all klnds of gasollne at the sarae

Iocatlon, ona stop'place for all dlfferent klnds of petroS-: dlfferent lslands

off e r e d p u m p s fo r e a ch typ e of fueL, one set of punps for gasohol , one gr oup

fcr potatoe gas, another for natural gas and then of course nornal petro-

fosslt fuel, to satlsfy the regular oil ccmpany lobblsts. T h l s n e v rn a t l o n a l

chaln of f:as stations was naoed Blllups, using the slogao rtfill' up wl-th

T h i s n e w co mP a n y naae was taken fr om Jlm Robr s d"addyBl l Ly $e6

B ll l u p s . r ,
tn hts day. ;16 Bobrs father had lnltlated' soy
who was a town celebrlty
fuel to
b e a n u s e a s l n k fo r p rl n tl n g Ivr esses and' even mad' ea soy bean o11

use tn farn tractors 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.dealset-
about new pollcles that the eommunlty
tings for conpany partles, to banter
policy naklng' The new coapanles wero now maklng
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 big rlch bank accounts vrith-

ou t n u c h c h n n g e i n th e l r co rununity l- tfestyLe. The ldeas that nail e the huge

p ro f i t s w e re l mp l -e n e n te d l n near by metr opolts Blg Town wher e nos t c f the

f ac t o r y l r o rke rs p re fe rre d to llve anyway. The small tcwn atm ospher e of

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 at al l .

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 tr 'l ec l l s .

She had arrlved ln town alnmt as an afterthought wlth her brother Fladlsf s

blg tlme deal-s. She was fodcler for the gosslps ln town or grlst nll-l mater-

lat for aLl thet was sinful ano evlL ln llfeo Sister fLedls ldas a gooil €x-

ample for everything bad ln thts world, to hear tel-L fron the busybodios.

None of the reputed storles bothered the SeneschaLtwj-ns. They lgnored the

g ra p e v l n e l l n g o a n d Ju st vre nt thetr own br azan way. And that even aor e l n-

furlateil the goodfolk lnto trylrg to ilo something legal to stop Slster FLedls

vrlth her fltngs or.preylng h a b l t s o n t h e b l g s p e n d e r s a t B u b b a T o v v nR o a d h o u s e

honky tonko
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 an-
wh 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
the low llfers" fhls behavlor
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
Fled' ls'
d.o n e b y t h e l n fa mo u s S l ste r
slster Fledis dld all her ihopplng
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 Fage I0

ln dlstant Blg fown, rather than ln thelr dear l-lttle vlllage, 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 wor lCl. 0n1y the b ar r oor n

m a l d . sa t B u b b a T o w n R o a d . h o u s ef u l l y knew the extent of $lster Fledlsrs

sleazy wardrobe. No one respectabl"e ln South Fowlke haC ever seen her

flttlng around ln all 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

of t h e t o w n mo ra l s o r ke e p e rs of the famlly uuluss- got off thelr hl gh- hor s e

of self-esteem and.went personally to confront her in the devllrs drlnklng

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

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

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

sociaL standlng expense of the hlgh-toneC-Ladles of the town, slmply by

avctdlng them. Thls battle cf the unnet wlts i^Es Just between the glrlsr a

fennale soclal enmlty so ende,nlc. Not much was ever sald publlcally about

envy" T h e f f o o d ,l a d i e s Just bided thelr tfune for a face-to-faoe ecnfrontatlon

wlth the lady-of-the-evenlng as Slster Fled.ls was also calleC.

Rach lady inadeplans for Just the rtght soclal gathering, to get thelr

own verbal claws or ethlcaL dlgs lnto Slster Fledls. fnsults, though ever

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 slnce no one cculd get the notorlous

Slster 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
- neetlngs.
soclaL club assembl-age or events at any church revlval
usualty provldeC the best tlme and' ideal place to get
churoh revlvals

all the ccnmunlty hldden slns mentloned by nsme, to flet

a really 8;oodpubllc

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.
con-
greater than all expectatlons when the
nct tc be mlssed and worthy of
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'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/dyor } T s u o T + B T e a a e tor 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

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J xB uoTxBsJeAuooJo cTc ol s ql
, J e JB c d i n n rg r r r oJpaetreqx
or{1 T T l U n . r O S {e 8 rUJo

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 eX so u r s? 1 .rd T € o o T e q l pTBs ,,' 1nos cq+ JoJ poo8 sB& uoTss eJ uo3g
. 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 Page Lz

c ru s a c l e o f mo d e rn tl me s. T h e best planned. assauLt was always made dur i ng

Ha l l o w e e n b e ca u se i l e mo n s a re str ongest at that tlr ne for a thr ee d ay per l od,.

Th t s a s s a u L t o n e vl l a n d e l n nade use of "pr ayes- er r ny- dog- tsger r g i v en out

to local p ed e strl a n s o n th e str eet ( Jlm Bob ouned the oor npany that pr l nted

the prayer dog tags).

Thls organlzed rellglous assauLt was usually a Jolnt churoh venture.

Thelr battle was almed d.lrectJ.y agalnst all" lnmoral acts, orlme, wltchcraft

an d g e n e r a L sl n . T h i s h o l y cr usad.e kept the town ln an upr oar fcn w eek s

afterward, with the sln patrol reportlng every observed lnfractlon to al-1

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

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 and attendec l

ev e r y n n e e t tn g o f sch e d u l ,e d ser vlces at tlB chr .r chsuse. Thls gr oup tnal k ed

ab o u t t o w n sl n g l n g th e l r g o spel pr aislng hym ns on the str eets and hunm l ng

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. Each hldtly chur ched gr oup w ag

aLways maklng a loucl nolse ln pubLlc to procLalm thelr dedlcatlon to the

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 or a pur so. Thls sentlmen t w as the

r r tr o cam e to South
constant 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 F"g" L3

ex ts t e d . Ttte to l tn w a s th u sl y kept cl,ean on the maln str eets of rl aar ol d

South Fowlke. T h e sto re fro n ts had no dlr ty looks fr om the gr eat unw as hed

hoarCee and foul mouthed element congregating at the door+rays. The toun

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 atr nospher e. The un6odl y el e-

m e n t w e r e c o n sta n tl y ch a se d to the clty tlnlts slgn wher e Bubba Tow n R oac l -

ho u s e w a s l oca te d n ri th l ts trashy cl- lenteLe, The unsavor y constltu enc y w ag

rel e g a t e d t o th e o l d re d l l g h t dtstr ick of town. And, thls 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 a g a l nst slno

The rellglous leaders belleveil ln Jubtlee Day. That red letter calendar

e v e n t w a s t he p ro p h e sl e d ca te for the end, of the wor Ld. Dlffer ent tl m es

aL n a y s g o t b a n te re d . a b o u t fo r the day of d.oom . That anxlety kept the bor l ng

t lme s f r o m e ve r g e tti n g th e best of the fol- ks ln tor vn. They talked aLl the

excltlng e v e n ts u p re a l b l g on the benches ln fr ont of the stor es ; they

c h e w e d .t o b a c c o a n d s p l t lnto the gutter. PrLvate contests wlth bets were

vragereilto see who'could spat the best. 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

contests s e e m ta n re a n d . th ts was good pr actlce fon those sur uner ga l a oc c ur -

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 bench set woul d w hl ttl e.

Th e y p r o d . u ce d so me o f th e fl n est foLk ar t ln the ar ea, car vlng effl gl es of

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 ln full vle w d" l s p1ay "

0 r J u s t b u r n e d ttre m L a te r, b ut usuall- y thr owlng the tcons lnto the s tr eet

gutter. g ne e n te rp rl sl n g fe l l- ew collected alL the debr ls and so l d 1t at

for somethlng
the l_ocal fea market to B1g Tdvm weekend.ers on a buylng slree
only ad.iled'to the char m or old' ness ' T hl s
rd l f f e r e n t . T h e to b a cco sta l n s
good Ll v l ng
, mme - Doc Hol- tday Jones because he m ade a
e n t r e t r r e n e ur v{a s n a me dcl
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 Page f4

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 r lte to br eak

t he m o n o t o n y o f th e w l n te r, cor r espondlng to ldadls Gr as car nlval dow n l n

Ne w O r L e a n s. T h e re ve l ry 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. Costum es, done l n fl er y

red . c o l o r s , 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.

A chlll c o o k-o ff w a s a }w a ys another par t of the JolLlty for tttls y ear l y

oereaony when the town fathers and. rnothers went on ttrelr lark or fdte. It

wa s a n o r d e rl y fe sti va ]-. l i fost of the South Fowl]ce buslnessnen spons or ed.

t he w l n t e r me rrl n a kl n g a s a falthful aot of good buslness. tnr ba l m er S. D aIe

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 reLatlons relresentatlve,

req u e s t l n g vste s fo r h e rse l f of oour se. Thls ploy br ought the cr ow d.s l nto

the stmes wlth the most trout-golngtt personallties, a n d t h e w e e k - e n c l sc e r -

talnLy a t t r acte d h o a rd s o f vlsltor s fr on near by Blg Town. Thls county fal r

atnosphere was a welcome ioy durlng the ilrab wlnter tinne.

'
T h e n e xt b e st p a st tl me 1n South For vlke vr as spor ts. The footbaLL ter n

was not a wlnner, never won a game ln memory of anyone ltvlng so basketball

was the grand" lniloor sport of the tcrrn glnce they dtd wln chanplonshlPs. The

Hno good.rffootbal,L tea!0 however dtd get blg attenilance on Trlday nlghts when

t h e |t B ' , t e an r p l a ye d th e fl rst str lng ( tne footba]- L.b' owlconlans \tl as s o bad

that 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
t h e r e v *, a sn o t mu ch e l se to d o ln South
Tay Lor,/FowLke Page L5

drlll- teans wlth lts cheerleaders doubled for al.L sport events so lt was a

full tlme honsr iob belng a baton twllLer or,nenber of the marchlng band..

Parades were held all ye a r round ln $outh Fowlke to conm e$or ate a good tl m e

an d / o n u p c o ml n g rtva l fl a me b etw*een gr ud"ge tm r nshlps that had. bull t up enm l ty

over the years lnto sonethlng oonsldered tradltlonaL bad mouthlng. 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 vn a n te d w ltnesses at a oour t case, but then th at l s y et

another story). , 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 .
A1l" klnds of oorny Jokes

g o t c r a c k e d o n h l s n u ce ra L n ane. But Y{ llcom vtas a good" spor t about the tno

goodn football 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 lbpa s k e t b a l l team

to glory days. tsettlng was btg buslness and fun tlmes on all" the ganes.

Bets, though, were lllegal and Sherlff D e a n n yl t u n n e l s j u s t Looked the

other way tf an upstaniLlng businessinanplaced a srnall',ilager. Besldes, the

sherlff had the best potnt spread score card offering in the county. He

flnanced the new hlgh-tech maohlne lmprovements ln hls offloe that wEIlr or

so he constantly clalmed, Just as }ong as no new taxes were requlred for

those noilern gad,gets. Sherlff 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

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 vloe alone.

The feed store was another favorlte gatherlng p1-ace, esn6olally on

The stor+ also sold blrds for exotlo

rainSr days an6 d.urtng colil woather.
The pLace smelled' to htgh
Bets, and connon chlokens ancl turkeys to ralse.
everyone to death. But the gosslp'ms too good to
heaven, nearly stlffled
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 bone plcklng about
nlss and the flrst
not ln ear ehot' That was the best
thelr vloes that s e e m e ds e c r e t u n t l l
of the ldle day- just to han6 ar ound
pl a o e - a n d . n l d .-a fte rn o o n , th e best par t
the good' folks in tor n' 0n1y the el c l er l y t
an d . h e a r a Ll th e Ju l cy n e w s about
T a y l o r / F o w l ke Page 16

re t l r e d a n i t cu t-o f-w o rk-C e a d -beats coul- d. last the whoLe Cay. Ev er y one pr e-

sent for a n y l e a sth o f ti me had to buy a cup of ccffee or get throw n out s o

lt w a s n o t to ta l l y fre e to Jawbone all day long. 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 anymor eo

T h e e r o p l o yme n tra te w a s golng gr eat guns. IW ost lf the new s m al - Lbus -

lnesses hlred only thelr kln or good churoh friends. They worked overtlme

o r d o u b L e sh l fts vrl th o u t co m;r lalnts ln or der to keep aII the payr ol L ln

thetr ltttle cllque. AII the churches owneil sone klnd of new buslness, to

get in on the proflteerlng b o o mw a g o n . l i l o o n e m i n d e d .d o l n g e x t r a Labor

f or thelr be st frl e n d .s b e n e flt or for the 6ootl of the ohur ch busi nes s . T he

g ra v e y a r d . sh l ft v/a s o o n mo n p r actlcer ln boor alng llttLe South For l k e.

- l v e r y o n e tn S o u th I'o w l ke wor ked together and soclallzed together . T hey

we r s o n e b l g h a p p y fa n tl y u n lt, to hear tell m ost of the tlme. v T henany one

ao t a n g r y o r re a l L y n a i l , th e n the har nony was spoll- ed. But the tw l c e a y ear

e v a n g e l l s n b l g te n t p ro tra cte d. neetlngs kept nost foLks ln l,lne; they w er e

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 lginal- tr ans gr es -

s o r s b y n o t fo r€ i i vl n g o ve r a nil over for the saae lnlqulty of thelr c l ty

T t w a s o p e n se a so n concemnatlon on anyone who dld not for gl v e and

bre t h e n .
monent to r em enber all the llttLe old ' hur ts ' to
f o r *e t unttL Ju st th e rtg h t
l n cu rre d . lnter est for long past fester ed. faults . N othl ng
t h e n g e t e v e n w l th
wa s r e a ) . ) - y e ve T fo rg o tte n l n town vr henold[ Jealousles got openeil up as new

soclal w o u nd s'
were belng shot d.own ln south Fowlke thls year or even
No wound.edegos
r:ald off handsonely
the last 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
h a d d e v e r o p e d 'l n t o
for arr rtttle crtck erouples rn town so nc new Jear-ousles
the
a n d g r e e d . 1 { o o n e w a s yet out for blood, to get even or to upset
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 Page L7

T h e a n n u a l b i g N e w Y e a rf s E ve par ty Just gave ever yone a chance to s how off

t lr e l r n e w f l n e ry a n d to b ra g about thelr ov{ n past deeds or to at Leas t l eud

lt over the absent onesr so that all the dlrty digs of hearsay would then

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. The nost l m pr es s ed

citlzens with materlaLlsm always attended. the blg partles, to gLoat and to

envy what others possedr 8s partalcers of thls new prosperlty.

T h e p r o sp e rl ty o f $ o u th Fowlke had br ought a m obile wagon for heaLth

o a r e t o e v e ry o l ti ze n a n d to the poor oountr y folk on the unpaved. l anes out-

s ld e t h e l l t tl -e to w n . D e n a tal car e was ln a moblLe van, with the dootor ani l

hts dental chalr set up aIJ. permanently lnslde the vehlcle. The whole ltrocess

o f a n y t r e a tn re n t co u L d b e co npLeted d ur lng the weekly vislts up and dow n the

d.usty lanes. The slogan wasr'tThe )oc on wheeLs.rf He and his asslstant got

to enJoy the great outdoor srcenery, rather than remsln ln a dull offloe. The

town hospttal'r,6s nor Just the offlce nal1 drop fcr the local 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 Just put on a data glove or c oa-

p u t o r g l o v e co n n e cte d . b y fl b e r oFtlcs for oper atlons, and a bod.y s ul t w oul d

p ro v l d . e a qu l ck b o d y so a n o r x- r ay the siceleton, to check for ne w ai l - r oents .

T h l s \ l r t u a l - r e a l l tyt'o cmp u te r glove scan also dtr ecteit the human hand for

intr l o a t e su rg e ry" to b e fo rr .owed or checked. on a view scr een b y the fam l r y

wh o f e L t a n l n te g ra l F rt o f the whole pr ocedur e' The slogan ad's on the

Realtty !s you'fr Thls new medlclne

sldes of tho van slmpl-y stateilr'fVlrtuaL
of treatment was
an moblllty was convenlent, fast and' very cheap; the cost
household' '
gr e a t l y r e i l u o e d a n d . th u s b ro ught to ttr e indlvld' ual

d o o r me d i o l n e $an ap;r r oaoh was str lctly a South F ow l k e i n-

T h i s fro n t
lclt
n o v a t l o n a n d h a d re su rte d a s an ar .ter nate fr om the sr anm- Rgonan def

bllLcutbaoksrotrfecleralspend'lng.gentalcarewasthemost'connon'but
I

Tay lor/Fowlke Page 18

new ways for 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 -

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 for thej.r standard of l - l v l ng

at payday tlme not to be affected. Jlra Bob ?ease and Fladls $enesehal were

the blg lnstlgators ln fund,lng these new ldeas ln meillolne. But the btg-

g e s t m . o n e y -fl ra ke ro f a l t vrl th hlgh vlslblllty was ln the televislon l ndus tr y .

' fPhono- ' /lsLon' f talk s how ani l
J l r n 3 ob P e a se p ro mo te d the flnanclng for

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 of frPhono-vlsLon,n The oal-

ler u6s the parttctpant or the contestant when the plcture was patched ln

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

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

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 pater t on thl s

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 the show , ttD l aL-

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, Further capltallzatlon of the phono-

v ls l o n c o n ce p t vre n t tn to ma nufaetur e of the I' y lndustr y. The ass em bl y l l nes

wo r k e d n l g h t a n cl d a y to su p p ly the wor Ld demanil,. A thln view sc r een w as

finalLy lnvented to connect to old TVs as a folri d ' o w ng r e e n s o r e e n , w h l c h

transmltted the viewers imge onto the lnner mechanlsm, to then go baok to

t h e p u n o h - p h o n e d .n u mb e r. T h e attaahment cost Just over thr ee hund'r ed dol -

and
L a r s a t f l r st tr:e r u n l t 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
twenty-flve d o L L a rs fo r a L 9 tnoh scr een'

blg tax base for the four stetes areae

?ayl-or/Fowl"ke Page f9

T h e f o u r-sta te s a re a g o t lts water gupply fr om numer ous r iver dans .

Th e n e w e s t a n d . mo st co n tro ve rslal lr oJect was the Caddo Lake water s uppl y

whlch was to feed. the futr:re tndustrlal growth of South Fowlke and^ Blg Town.

The tranqull C a d d o l ,a ke w a s to be tapped, once the dam lvas funded., after

ccnvlnclng th e vo te rs o f th e val"ue to spolL the ser ene natur al beauty of

t h e o L i l v r a te rw a y. C a d ,d .oL a l ce uns home to the $outh Fowllce lUonste r ; al l the

cypress trees fu L l o f d e e ;a h anging Spanlsh lr tlossaddail to the eer le m y s tl que

of t h e f t e n d l sh ye t h l d e o u € t nonstr oslty whlch lur ked bellond the a l gae- gr een

coloreil waterg. Daytlme tour guide boats trolled the sprlng-feil waters anil

t hu s l y p e r p e tu a te d th e a b h o rr ence by r eputatlon only slnce no on e hai l s een

the blg-footed nonster ln years. l'etld tal-es kept the blg scare aLlve as

s o m e t h l n g l oa th so me a n d ve xa tlous or fouJ. woulil itevour a per son a l one l n

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 appear ed Just a fter

" 'for l i i
lVa r f w h e n a cl ra u s tra l n w reck fll"Led the r lver bottor a wlth eso apl ng ex otl o

an l m a l s a n d. d .e fo rme dcre
. a tu re s of half- man or tglnsr aooor d,lng to pr l ntec l r e-

p o r t l n L o ca l n e w sP a P € rs.
Further tl d l n g s o f fa rm llve- stoclc belng ilevour ed. ad.ded to the fabl e

of the 1urklng nonster on rural, premlses. soarey procl"amatlons enl-arged' the

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 along the bayou, a ttr l butl ng

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
ln that encl of the county. T he fl r s t
wa s c a l L e d b y th e a l a rn e d . cl tizens

f rt g h t n ' g sto ry d e ta l l s o rl g l nar ly wer e d.lsolosed as schenlng dls s enl nated

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
r'trlttllng eway ln front of the south
stralght from the l-lars bench crowd'
was used to k eeP
F o w l k e s t o r e fro n ts. T h e l n enace of the Fowllce hTonster
when aL1 el - s e
q u l e t a n d to get them lnside the house by d.er k,
ro w d y c h l } d.re n
Taylor/Fowtke Page 2A

falled to corral the hyper-aetlve 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

t rlc k o r t r ea t o u sto ms e xp e d .lted the skulklng lmage wlth lts r eig n of ter r or

threatenlng th e e n tl re to w n shlp after d"ar k. Thls p,anlo- r ldden my thl c al -

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 beoannean enlar Eed de m on fr om

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 the townshlp. t{en-

en t o e s a n d . te e -sh l rts w 6 re sold. wtth eer le ghouLs painted on them . T hat

enterprlse nrospered at the flea-markets nearby. fiven televlslon reporters

ran s _ o e e l a Lre p o rts o n th e e xplolts of the Fowlke l,fonster , foLlowl ng the

ba y o u t r a l l s to sh o w rn u d d y tracks of str ange thtngs dLsappear lng l nto the

r', r u r k yw a t e r s. A ml n i -o a m ro vlng r epor ter was fr equently all ove r the tol r n-

shtp trylng to g e t a n e w s stor y of any ner lt. The ho,' ne- contesta nt T V gem e

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

scclaL oLasses of contestants were sought for naklng the vlewing audlence

feel a part of the actton on canera. The more illverse the oontestants, the

n o r e l n t e r e stl n g rn ra sth a t se gm ent r r r tilch got hlgher r atlngs and henc e bl gger

prl z e s . N e w s co ve ra g e l /fss w or ld- wlde vla the ever nel' /er satclLltes abov e

space statlons whlch generated solar energy for electrloal pow-

the orbltlng

er s t a t l o n s d o w n o n P l a n e t e ar th.

Thts satelllte news covera€ieenableil the average cltlzen 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

TV s t a t l o n fo r a l rl n g . A l mo st any cam ,er a- nut or lens- flend could' bec om ea

education. T hl s eas y
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
on tbe tube. soont thls casu al appr oaoh
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 Faee 2L

wa n t e d . s u c h a ssl g n me n ts. T h e maln TV studlo r - ias stlll headquer te r ed at the

ne t w o r k s n ati o n a l b u l l d .tn g , but the host and cr ew wer e seLdonron the pr ennl s es .

T h e r e v i -ve d ve rsl o n o f 'r Dla1lng For Dollar sr r even hlr ed the or l gi nal

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 agaln. Thls contestant show

s t ll L o r i g l na te d l n H o u sto n , Texas hut wts$ tr uly 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

of once terrorlzed countryfolk, to lntervlew them as a contestant. Thls

re g u 1 a r f e a tg re o f sma l l -to n n Am er lca ln the vlclnlty of South Fow l k e addec l

t o t h e d l v e rse se ttl n g o r vl otnal 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 Town Beyond Compar e.n T hl s r v as l n-

deed the place to be seen, bV dlallng the phono-vlslon screen wtrlch aLlowed,
oaces to squeeze lnto the tlny receptlon vlevr master
alt t h e c r o w d e d .f a m l l y

wh e n a n s w e r i .n g th e q u e stl o n s. Thts hour - long enter talnment was b oth a ftor n-

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. But the other

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 on the loca3,L y ow ned c han-

ne1 79 by continulng a taLk show fonrm, wlth calL-ln oplnlons on al-l klnds

o f a u d . l e n c o ch o se n to p l o s. A r eally ir opular locaL channel phono- v l s l on s how

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
l |c'vth a d to o ffer ' The buying envlr ons wer e now
al o n g b c u t l qu e
Tayl-orlFowLke Paee 22

T h e T V B u ye rst s S h o p p e pr ogr ans expand.ed.the audlenoe appeal and. the

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. Thls added to the

gla m o u r c f th e l l ttl e t,o w n b eyond.conpar :e or the wlldest dr eans. T hi s fV

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

me a n l n g f u l ye t l n e xp e n sl ve l nfor r natlon that was hlghly enter talnln g w hen the

bro w s e r i e6 i o t l n te rvl e w e i t b y the cr eatlve r ovlng r epor ter s. Thls a l m os t l ax

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 and or lglnaL use of alr tlme whlch got a v er y

lar g e a u d l e n ce . 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
traveled localltles were hlgh
the polnt that almost sleazy spots ln llttle
Never borlng, the tawrdy locals got spot ltghted for a brlef tLme'
Ilghted.
The safest tlmes to traverse the rowd.ystreets wlth thelr rlbaLd shops

T he r aucous nelghbor hoods wer 6 ln a lul L dur l ng

wa s d u r l n g fu L l , d ,a yl -|g h t.
gulak dlver slon lnt o a tl dy
t h e h e e t o f th e d a y o n h o t A ugust suiluner s. A
saLe on thelr red-]"lght dlstrlct oount€1lfle
bagnlno showed the sexuaL alds for
s a l e l n h o m eu s e . But not
uach bordeLlo oarrled. the usual sex-toys for
o ffe re d th e sa ne var le.ty or cholce. The whoJ- ebaw d,ys ec tl on
ev e r y b r o t h er
IAIAREIT.USE
DrsTF'rcr'
was subtry ad"vertrsed. by a huge red slgn whlolr stated
Ever ytl m e the
an d t f , r e l n n o co u s l e tte ri n g d "oubled lts whor ehouse lntent'
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
lilster FLedls of course never appeared,
0nly noraL
wizard reartor Fl-adls seneschial'
borsterous srster of frnanclar-
the TV statton kept the l an-
t u r p i t u d e cf th e th re e -so o o n d. ttmed. delay of
Ta y l o r / F o w l ke Page 2)

guagc fron gettlng 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 , The valn

rantlngs of the dlsappolnted oallers when Slster Fledls dtd not call pro-

vlded the most cilscordant lln€:o on alr tlme. A1l the blustering or bragglng

speech from dlsJolnted callers when $lster x'Ledls wEs urged to phone-ln but

did n o t t h u sl -y g o t L a b e L l e d rod.omontad.elvhen they clalned sexual ex pl " ol ts

wtt h t h e n efa rl o u s L a d y-o f-th e- dar k. Sour gr apes was the next bes t thtng

that t h e f \ I re p o rta e e re ve a l ed about the use of the publlc alr wav es to en-

fcrce soclal F ru d e s o r d l sa p polntments at Bubba Town Roadhouse a nd the l n-

mlnent red-Itght seo,tl"on known as !',IarehouseDlstrlct. The South Fowlke

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.

Another pLaee ln town to be seen tns Country'J,Ies1!erF

n an Falr. Thls

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. Eaeh county

held a Tan Falr appearance gala for a ten day perlod. each year. The local

singers appeared alt the tlme as regulars for auillence exposure. A few wel-l-

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. Chet Atklns also was a local boy who

d.r o p p e d i n fo r th e fu n o f tt all. A wtng of tbe t{ igh school Gymn w as us ed

e ve n t a l -l the tlm e so that the wouLd- bc footbalL pl ay er s

for thts r eg u l a r
br eak fr om thetr fail- ur es. C ountr y
we r e a l s o gl ve n a mu o h n e e d ,ed r elaxlng

westernmuslcwasplped'lntoaltthesouth}'owlkestores,especlal]-ythe

s u p e r m a r r ce t fi ro ce ry stsre . A m lnl concer t vr as her ii when the blg nane c el e-

Thr s south Fowr ke Fan Falr pr ovlded a goodw l r l -

b ri t y c a s u a rry cl ro p p e crrn .
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 o-
t h e n o n e n t s o n fl tm, to sh o w l- ater on som e
by the networ kg' N ev er a dul L
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 of the unlver se v v l th s o

m u c h h a p p e n l n g th a t S o t n a tl o naL attentlon wlth wor 1d.- wlile TY' show s pr o-

Jecttng from there. AII the big-tfune slng-song stars Just added to the

g la m o u r f o r th e p ro u d cl tl ze n s. The blg r nonled lnter est had nade tt al l ,

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 to th l nk of neut

ldeas that would out-clo or best thelr ooepetltors. 0r provlde'rone ulunanshlp

over thelr h o m e b o yf r i e n d s . Prlde Just requlred that they ccntlnue to do

better 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" llllter ate ways anil thus k new thel r

a p p r o a c h t o vl ta l l l fe n ra tte r s. Thl.s woy of thlnking hlt acr oss aLL Lev el s

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 appeal-

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 oh a d b e e n a h l gh school- dr op- out anil only r ecently got hl s

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
on tl m e. " ','l al do
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
rrvtrensaylng 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
l n to w n , The canr t' ar .t tr ' r on Gr ace chur ch of the Ls r i l
the b r g g e s t ch u ro h
bull t tr us t'
H e q uo te d scrl p tu re w h en sellin€' ' tO custoner s and that
God.
r,ilaldotrustedhlswlfe$rtthhlsUfefswork;ti:eyhaiLgrownuptogether'
TayS-or/Fowl-ke Page 25

', S a l c l oa n d . w l fe Z o o e l l a h a d b ullt thelr tr ust ear ly ln l1fe when t hey had

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 had. b een v er y

strlct, not allowlng to date or go tc the raovles. Zult as alL fanlly oalled

Zo o e L L a n e ve r w o re n a ke -u p o r tteht olothlng and cer talnly no Jew el r y w hl c h

wa s a s u r e si g n o f b e l n g a JezebeL. She r ^r aslTollness lvlth a blg hal r - do

p re t , t y a s a p l ctu re . Wa l d o and Zult did thelr onl- y sneaklng ar ound w hen

they used velled language to connlnlcate such as uslng Plg Latln ufilch they

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 r ffas

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

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 hlghly r el l gl ous

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 ; she no longer had to sneak

a ro u n d . , l n v en tl n g e xo u se s to Eet out of the house. lTo one was br eathl ng

do w n h e r n eck, te l Il n g h e r to keep avtay fr onr str anger s and shun mean, s l nful

wa y s . Zult w a s n o w to o b u sy studylng asslgnnr ents for her nlght cLas s es or

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. Al1 sevon of her c hi l c l r en

k e p t h e r f r ee tl me b u sy te l l tng then to stay aur ay fr ona slnful telev l s l on and

the fll r e p u te d . mo vl e h o u se s. She r .,r asnow much tlke her daddy and nother had.

been. Zult w a s n o w b e i n g re str lottve to soneone else for a chan ge l n her

L lfe , At l ast, sh e rd a s l n o har ge of thlngs and the r ewar dlng pa y w as good

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

or w a n t e d . T h e tL th e fcr th e Lor dt s chur ch was only one- quar ter of thel r

ta ;; a re g u l a r te n per cent went to char ltles and then oas h m oney

IRS return
l 'l tr al do
g lv e n f o r t h e ch u rch e xtra s llke new tlr es for the pr eaoher t s car '
that aocr alm had l ts s ool al '
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

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 ,

o u t o f t h l s r r r r o r L d . .R e a l e s t a t e w e s b e l n g s o l d b y t h e r a n c h e t t e l o t slze

o n p l a n e t l r{a rs. A tl me p a ym ent pLan ltke r etlr enr ent hones onc€ s ol d. l n

Florlda provided the blue prlnt of the ldeals. The acreage \Ias oareful"Ly

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. Landr ov er

ro b o t s t r a v e rse d th e so l a r l -and.soapeand r ecor iled the exaet neas ur enents

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

. rra l n . A colon plctur e oap w6s then sent to eaoh buy er

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 lr e a i t y b e e n ske tch e d a n i t p roposed. A tax base of one per cent o f the ex -

p o r t s f r o n th e p L a n e t w o u l d flnance aII the gover nment and schoc Ls r ather

t h a n r e a l e sta t€ p ro p e rty ta x es as back on ear th. The clr eam plan w as too

go o d t o b e tru e ' vta s th e 3 -o yat opposltlon'

D r e a m ctty, l d a rs w a s th e appr opr late nam e of the pr oposed conr m unl ty '
'lTeekly progress of the robot workers rmg televised on the world'-wld'e news
Tay Lor/Fowl"ke Page 27

rep o r t s . T h e ro b o ts w e re d o tng qualtty buildlng of the d.welllngs and of-

ftctal clty structures by remote control. Tven huge forest tree stands had

been planted by renote controL slnce the molsture LeveL of the soll hadi

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 .

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 tha t Leaohed.

the motsture when deep roots ran lnto the hldden watery courseways. The

trees grew nearly ten feet tall the flrst year and thereafter accelerated

at only about three feet per annun untll,J.achlng a grand sweeplng l.'0feet.

Th e a l - m o s t n cn e xl ste n t w l n d d.ld not sap the llfe fr om the tr anspl anted. gr een-

ery. fn ten years tlnne as proJeeted by the agronony experts, a whole forest

wo u l d b e h arve ste d fo r fu rth e r constr uctlon on l,far s, or be sol"d f or ear th-

Ilng use. Food stuffs lnd.eeilthrlved Just as well- ln the Loose soll; vege-

tabl-es, frult trees ancl grasses grew in a season as tf Left for a deoadet

t o g e t b l g g er th a n th o u g h t h ur nanly posslble, The gar dens, ther ef or er w er e

easlly provldtng rom€ than earth needed wlth lts vestly lncreaslng populatlon

exploslon. T h e so i l d l d n o t have deadly fungus and. new seeds wer e k ept w l th

no ocntanlnatlon. Gerns illd. not seem to exlst ln all of ltars slnce no space

t ra v e L e r s e xl ste d . X e tr to b rl ng a vlr us of any sor t. The ster lle r obots

dld all- the work for thls spaoe venture.

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
Gold was very cheap to
was densely rocky, much ttke Arlzona baok on earth.
on earth, alnost cheap' and not too valuabl-e'
mlne and was becomlng plentlful
Tay lor/Fowlke Page 28

01I was no longer the bLeclcgold lt was elthsr. C o n n p u t e ro h l p s h a d b e c o & e

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. A mll- l"lon byte s neant a

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 . Shar eg l n a

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 ln the bank m eant

we a L t h b u t th e n e w e xch a n g e of ttbytesn neant tlue glor lous r lches to the

owner of btLltons end trllllons of rrbytes n time to be used on a ccnputer.

GoLd stll-] b a o ke i l cu l r€ n cy b ut also goLd. was used lnstead of wood panel l n

ho n e s . T h e n e e d . to re fl " e e t sound waves and coniluct eleotr lcal cu r r ent thus

req u l r e d . n eta L a l l o ve r th e hones. GoId, r las shlny and loveLy to obs er v e.

rt s v a r u e a d d e d . to th e b e a u ty of the beholiler ' The use of Zl+- oa r at d'os r s

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 receptlon was.superb with the

phonovlslon addltlon or connectlon. ltlars gold provlded the best conduotlvtty

of all, soncethlngln the sll,loon.

A soll based metal catted sll,lson was the new metal from illars. It was

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.

'r{ater did not effect thts tast€, onLy the aclds of l"tvlng tlssue had the

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

was slowty talclng the pLace of gold as a ilesireCtmetal' $lllson could also

be dusted lnto food., a powder, as a cure for bolls or skln al)-ergles cured

wl t h l n a f e w h o u rs. In te rn a l allmentg wer e eur ed wlthln slx non ths of eat-

lng f s o d d u ste d w l th th e p o wder y slLlsor . ft became a hlghLy touted c ur e for

ttNot hl ng ev er
ubat alls y ou . S l l tso n w a s the new basa m etal of pr estlge'
Av enue'
qulte Llke lt 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
be-
d e hyd .ra te d .a rn a o st (tnat was y{ hy th+ sur faoe of ptanet lfar s hai l
Jurces,
T a y L o r / 3 o w 1 I<e Page 2!

coae dry as a bone). fhe slllson absorbed moisture by nakln& tt €ioway

beneath the surface like a magnet pu1llng lron shavlngs withln ltseLf. Tttls

pecultar p r o p e rty o r i n n a te tralt er tr aoteit all m olstur e and. for e l gn bul l d-

up o f t o x l e re si d u e i n th e h uman bod.y. Slllson pur ged the hunan anatony of

aII metal polsonlng anil thus oured all klnds of uneasing allnents wlthln

s lx- m o n t h s o f u se . It w a s a cur e- all that d.efleil all r easonlng o ther w l - s e.

The curative powers of $lllson nade the stook holders of $lllson, Inc.

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. T h e S eneschal Rea) .ty flr m vr as ln char ge of al l the

p ro p e r t y selllng o n rY a rs, T he dally land sales on lllar s or l65lnatei l fr om

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 fo r al l . the

other wcnderous ldeas that Fladls Seneschal and Jlm Bob.caae up vrlth. The

ourloslty of ownlng ftout of thls 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

clttzen. Retlrement ltvlng to that l{ars eoLer haven was snoth.r thlng to

go llve there as a ploneer but the lnv''stnent value Just mlght pay blg 16-

turns for a youthful worker bulldlng a portfollo. An acre soLd for only

two thousanal dcllars, sight unseen of courseo

A v i e w o f th e l vfa rs p ro Ject couLd be seen for a pr lce of cour s e w hen

the tour guldes .crovlded crulses to the spsce statlon hovering above il{ars.

T h o s e v a o a t l o n l -a n d o ru l se s to lt4ar s Statlon wer e expenslve Just for a day or

I hour trlp, U su a l l y, th € crulse shlps Just or blted the r eit p) - a net of l ti l ar s

for a fast peek and.tour gulde sBlet approach. 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 naned for the Egyptlan l?har aoh Tutank ham en

a n d , a r o u m n yo a se sa l l l n g l n to the star s could also be bought as a c em eter y

p lo t . T h l s b u rl a l p ]" a ce vra s becomlng ver y popular , to be r our m ttl edand' pl ac ed

boat Eotng to never - never land' of the d'eai l

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

Just floatlng eternall-y in the sky'

pus h-
T h e s ky cru l se p l l o ts w er e bcth tour guldes and' autom ated button
T
Tay lor/Fowlke Page 3O

€!8. 3ut the shlp operations wer€ completely remote ccntrol and coroputer

ltnked by laser beamto the satelLlte servlce statlon n c l d . v a abye t w e e n e a r t h

and l,{ars" Thls servlce statlon 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

e n e r g y t o - T u r o p e a nc l t l e s ; thls took the place of eleetrlcal generators, de-

p e n d , l n g o n o 1 1 o a e ve n so y o tl power . l' { or e such satel} lte statlo ns w er e

belng bullt tc neet the growlng ne^ds of thls 21st century.

T h e 2 1 st Oe n tu ry L ,l u b o f South Fowlke was the lngenlus nar ve l of J l m

Bcb Pe a s e . H e a n i l F L a d l s S eneschal" had. concelved, and pLanned the w hol e pr o-

ject, uslng thelr nembershlp to controL the dlrectlon of the lnvnstnents

b e l n g n a d e b y th e cl " u b . T h e club was dlsplaclng the lmpor tance of the ol d

Petroleun 0lI Barons CIub ln t,he once o1l" rloh states. The 21st Century

Club hlred retlred astronaults a s p r e s l d . e n t t o r u n t h e n e w c o m i - r a n l e st h a t

sold. space lnCustry prod.ucts or servlces. 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 -

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 s e c t e t t o s u C " d e ns u c c e s s .

l r l o n e o f th e sto ckh o td e rs or company or gani- zer s went on the fl r s t c r ul s e

to orblt l,fars. I.lke all flrst crulses, failure was a posslblllty Just llke

the slnklng of the'runsinkable Tltantlctr on lts m a i d . e nv o y a g e . But no maJor

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

avold many of the free enterprlse mlstakes.

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

t h e w j - n d o w to th e u n l ve rse . ltr othlng m uch could happen on a blg s c al " e w l th-

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 about l t. And tl s t

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 and w eal th-

ler that lt was before atl thls progresslve lnflux of corporate space lnvest-

T h e b l g w l gs of the space lndustr y stayeil ln B l g T ow n and

me n t g o t s ta rte d .
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 Page 3L

lnstructlons or so he sald. Jlm Bob was too busy on the world}y sceae to

deaL wlth the nessy detalls cf dally operatlons back ln South FowLke so hls

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 par ttcul ar s of

btg buslness declslotrsr They vrere ln perfect accord. on a1]- corporate lCI-

solutlons. T h e i n rtn e rs w e re llke br other s under the skln as sa l ac i ous

Slster 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 .
n l , r y a l no st l d e n tl o a l tw i n br other Fladis has an f odd- nao- - out t r el atl on-

shlp wlth thls l-ocal" redneck who aint t qulte yet yahoo enough to f tt ln wlth

rn y k l n d o f fu n l o vl n g p e o p l e her e at Bubba Town Roadhous€r " guffa w ei l Sl s ter

FIedls t o a l -l th e h e e -h a w crcr ,r ded r em ar ks made dlspar lng about her Br l ggl s h

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 anC tucker ed out to ne but you sur e do l ook

v € y o u t o f th l s w o rl d , sw e e t babe, eo wanta be spaced out tonlght w l th m e???

proposltloned the erulsey blg spender who vras realJ.y the one belng set up.
'?IrlL fl-y you to the moon, sometine too soon, blg hunky one, thst you

w1II never forget or flet over yourselfrn promlsed Slster FLedls wlth a

s m u r k o f a fa ta l € ;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 get- out ln hades, fu]- l of ten thc us and.

c h a r g l n g d e vl l srn fr:rth e r ch uckled, the m ar ked lflgfir m ost amused' '

? ' I s o u n d -Off th e sa me to ever ybody+Bfr d llker em all that ver y w ay t

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 than anotherrrf

brlskty convulsed $lster r'ledls wlth her best snlggerlng'lrasotblltty that

shlelded her true lntent or resolute fun-fllled alm.

Slster Fledls e n d th e rowd.y cr owd. at Bubba Tcmr nRoadhouse al w ay s htt

tt off welr at flrst. She'ras the rlfe of the party-tlme wrtchlng hour. Anil
easlly untll
she was llke 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 Fage 32

If Slster FLedts wer€ propiretlo at aJ.1, it was because slie stated.

f ra g m e n t e d tru th s a n d " n e ve r tol- d a lle about the ellte clty father s of

S o u t h F o w L ke . S h e w a s mo re saucy than sor eer ess. 0r mor e of a s hr ew ,

often conmentedthe locaI bartender Fargus Demosn Sister Fledls could

pro f f e r t h e p a tro n s o f B u b b a Town Road.houser ather easlly lnto bel l ev l ng

somethlng srlevous-or slnlster secret-exlsted ln thelr prlvate llves,

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. She was the how l l ng

volce 1n the nlght th e t co u l d. do r ulschlef or or uctfy wlth a subtle l v or d

wlt h o u t b e l n g o u t-rl g h t me a n, onLy lnquLsltlve knaver y to r ebuke tbe ag-

grleved closemouthed nysterles ln pollte $outh rowlke htgh soclety. She

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

t ho s e w h o v re re p re se n t to a ttempt d.efendlng them seLves. The dr ln k l ng c r ow d

aL ' r , e y s m a d e a to a st to th e o ne buylng or m aklng the m ost nolse. T hl s v i l as

the pLace to go fcr a hoot.

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 AIt the boozt- ng and y el ) - l ng

from the flshlng oamps or gltdlng boats added to the cabala sacred rlte

enlgna and aura of the mystery monster. Dru.trken flshermen returlng fron

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

ln t f r e c e l e b ra te d n o n stro u s de@n fr eak. Thls r lbaLd fun kept the m y th

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
secur lty patr ol whlch ln tur n kept dow n
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 i n $ o u th F o w rk e. The dar kness had. a thousand eye s peer l ng

and' heavy d' r aper y wer e d' r awn fast as dar k

on e v e r y o n e o Wtn d o w cu rta l n s

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 of

nale busybod.les. l:lothlng rolssed thelr close sorutlny or proJected vlslons

for spottlng ornerlness ln the nakln6. A bad boy and a sleazy glrl could

be spotted a nlle avrayln the embryo state of course. A l l - t h e s e g o o d .f o l k s

oould envlslon all- the buddlng evlL slnce they were all reformed sooundrel,s.

Bu t t h e g re a te st sca n i l al ln South tr ' owlke was unknown, stlll hl dd.en to

the worldly-wlse gosslps" Thn origlns 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. Jln tsobts nan&a dled ln a tor nado funneL

c lo u d t h a t su cke d h e r h tg h l nto the sky and that ver y after noon her tw l n

s ls t e r , h l s a u n t l r'fl ss P rl n se y Daotyllc appear ed. to cal' e for the ohl l d. 0n1,y

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 ,

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 gr eatnes s

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 th e winsone act of God. The tr uly aweso m e tal e w as

told by all the townfolks as gospel so had to be bel-leved,.

T h t s u n b e l l e va b l e sto ry always began the sam e as r elated by any ol d.- ti m et

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 a

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 thlngs ln lts path. And' thl s

splnnlng wlndstorm took lts fanolful" route whlch covered the usual predlct-

space along a vast area that was eonstantly, yenr after

able but fantllar

year, ilevastated by such natural twister cloud occurrences or acts of God

then to be. Ltghtnlng str uck tw l c e l n the

as t h e r a v r s o f th e l a n d . p ro cl alned
par t of South Fowlke' T he tr a-
s a n e s p o t th l s Ma y D a y l n th e nor th- eentr al
to another' traverslng
jectory 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
Eoggy creek. The nearby towns shook llterally,

throughthealrwlththefearsomeblowlngforceofthlsunheralrledwlnd'
F :Iaylcr/loilkc Pagc ,4

f un n e l d a r k e n e d . cl o u d a l o n g wlth a slckly lady wlth her babe ln a r l ns and. a

stlnster slster, aIL got sucked-up lnto this splral storn center and only

two llved t c te l l th e ta l e . The year 1960 sg!- g. Domlnl was thus one to be

rem e m b e r e d fo
. re ve r & o re b y ttr e unwll- llng par tlclpants ln thls natur al oatas -

t ro p h e o r t r a g l c d ra n a cycl o ne of a fast nr ovlng black cloud' full of fur y t

f l- a s h l n g l l gh tn l n g a n d th u n d er cus r um bllngs upon the heads of the Is c a1

p ro v l n e e s f o r nlles a ro u n d . the South .[' ow],keenvlr ons.

T ' h e l o ca l unwllling p srtlolpants ln thls c.yclonlc dr am a were thr ee k l n-

smenltvlng 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 called. tornad,o alley.

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 aI-

I o w e d . t h e a l ry ftu x to p a ss s afely beneath the floor s 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, for a hundr ed and tr venty year gr T he l unber -

lng mllboards were ftve lnohes thlck and were also nalled at geonetrlc an-

gles lnto each other eo that the large house timLiers could rock back and

forth, flowlng w l th th e rh yth m lc lashlngs of Just such a vslndstor m as thl s

A n d th e te st o f a h u n d r ed odd suluner s at this old slte had pr ov ed the

ooer
correct fcr the survlval of livlng 1n
orlglnal famlly builder-oarpenters

thts t o n n a ci o p ra g u e d p a th w a y o The r esid.ent thr eesone r /r er e busy !n thel r ow l l

weekly
organlzed flux of actlvity to comptete before the appolnted tlrne for
hour to
o h u r c h s e r vl ce s. T h e ra ce b etween stor my skles and the appolnted'
hands of the anclent grandfath6r
b e g l n w o r s h l p w a s m e a s u r e d .b y f a s t t t c k l n g

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

b o a rd i n g u p th e wlndowsr The htgh wlnds lqtste soon to ar r l v e ani l

wh i l . e a l s o
the
cl o u d ' w o u l d ocr unencewr ecking lts annual havoe al l ov er
t h e n t h e sca re y
a dance
f o r n l l e s a ro u n d '' Thunder a n d l l g h t n l n g f l a s h e s P l a y e d
Iandsoape
Tay 1or,/tr'owllce Page 35

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. 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; they k new e.- r .ac tl y

h o w l o n g t h e y h a d u n tl l th e wj- ndstor r awould ar r lve, r lght down to the v er y

la s t s e c c n d . o n th l s L o rd srs Day flr st $und.ay of l,{ ay.

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 cLour l to

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

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. Ilghtn-

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

I o d . g e r s s o u n d . e dl .n 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 : one, two, three, four

and flve; th e se co u n te d . n u mber s between llghtnlng fLash and thun der ous nol s e

gaugeil the d"lstance ln nlles away flr the apprcachlng storm oenter. A rolle

p e r n u n b e r e d . co u n t me a su re d .the distant ar r lval tlm e for the tor n ai l o. T he

c o n f l n e d . l a d .te s kn e w ',,yh a tth ey wer e dolng fr om long past exper lon c o.

lilach Lady had a duty post and dld tt weII, rlght on sohedule. C}oslng

d.oors and fastenlng dor.rnlvlnd.ows ln the l,arge house were now the Last chore

whlle also observing the €v€r-darkenlng sky, The stcrm oellar near the

steps of the backyard porch was the fl"nal destlnatlon for the d.lrected force

of these htghly organlzed J-odgers.

Tlach had a well dlrected chore cr speclal expertlse for keeplng tabs on

t h e f o r ; n l n g to rn a d .o cl o u d ,s. l,flss Pr lnsey Dactyl- lc couLd spot a s l m pLe

b re e z e a b o ut to b e co me a n tg ,hty wlnd stor n faster than anyone' $he w as thus

t h e d . u s t d evtl sp o tte r o f th e whole town. [flss Pr lnsey always c oul d d'etec t

And' s he had'
t h e v e r y f l rst sh a d o w s o f a dar kened, sky ln the far distanoe'

rndeed observed f rrst much earrrer rn the afternoon as the calm cloud.s noveil

cl0ud for r natl0ns had floated c r bunnpec l

rn t o e a o h oth e r:
lnnooently enough at flrst
casuar to the 6v€r as to stlr
p a d d r e o n a h o t frre
cu mu r" u sa n d cr r r us
a mlx so
lnto ons another to mer6e as a nlxture'
caulc'ron
the heavenl-y erenentg srowly llke a
l nto ex pl od''ng
tu rn l n g 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.

l , { ! s s D a ctyL tc n o te d w h e n the oum.ulusclouds lnltlally noved thr ough the

1, ,{ a yD 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

lce orean fornrlng and falllng frcn a glant freezer hlgh ln the passlve sky.

And the nearby clrrus 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 -

n o s t s i c k ] . y o r p u n y l n th e L r ear ly or lgins to for m anythlng but l ong thl n

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 . T he

I ac o n l c g r o un i l su rfa ce a l r car r led, thls ldle mnmentar y m ix ever s o peac eful

loo k t n g 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
T h e w ho l e a tn o sp h e re a l ong wlth the chantlng ehor us of D ac ty }l c t s

warnlngs soon zlnged wj-th the electrlc cument of the released statlo energyt

allve and dlrected force aboundlng but fomentlng valth mqchmore to ooitte.The

a lr currents s)-o w l -ya t fl rst m oved thr ough the hor lzon, eaoh pu ff or ) .ul l tng

breeze began as a aoLwnn of gently rlsing air so warn and molst walled by a

thtn Layer of coolor air dlrectlng 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 d e v e l o 5 ; m e n t a lm o v e -

ment having a done shaped top above a flat base and rounded bluges at lts

sunmlt. T v e ryo n e o b se rve cl a Llghtened" color er i textr :r e for med along the gr ay

base peCestal of the bel-lowy cotton ball hlgh ln the skgr and lt all then be-

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 than

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'

land ln the airl phantasnogoria almost fllled the vlew wlth deep twlstlng

towers, arnost lnslgnlf icate

chasns and other strange romantrclzed trrrreted
knowl ng [{l s s
ap p e a r i n g t o trl fl tn g l o o kl n g gand' er s, unless you wer e the
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
r n . o l e n t o r f r i v o l o u s , but actualr-y rough wlnd's
arong srowry, arraost c a s u a l r y
T a y l o r f F o w l ke Pege ) 7

lrcnlcatLy rod.e hlgh and hetd fast lnside by the tnln colurnn of gentle rls-

lng alr currents, as the nrother of ilm Scbfs observed.

gutslde the thln ccLumn, the hlgh alr currents roLleil or boll,ed, to

bubble an<l to spout as the totai cumulus cloud vlalL rpached upward and out-

via:.d, rarely 1oslng a d.rop of tts m o i s t u r e e v C I na s a s p i t t l n g raln or splt-

tle in the winil tJ.Il" the full grown storrn arrlved later. All thls upper

olo u C l e v e l 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

f Lo a t t n g c l r ru s cl o u i l s ml xe C danger ousl"y lnr uar il, as lllflss lactyal- w ent about

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 mlles or twenty-

seven pounrls of pressure per square foot, aocordlng to the meterologlcal re-

p o r t s l - a t e r o n fl Ie f o r th l s duy) . Thls vr lndy measur ement then reac hed. L2

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 elouds moved

v rl t h t h e c u n u l u s, to ml x o o m pLetely. The ner cur y was faLLln5l as the bar o-

m e t e r w a s so l n d l ca tl n g 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 of aLl thls stormy weather was only too soon

to make ltself kn o w n to a l l , Thls huge eyolone hlgh ln the heave ns r um bl ed

along and eontlnuec its lnternaL turmoll that be6an to eough outl'rard lts ln-

ner wlnds ln the forn of a spout or dust devll of fast movlng black clouds.

Atl thls pent-up energy frorn the cosnos swlrled lnto a counter clookwlse
was htttlng upon the cold currents ln thls Brackberry \Tlnter
flow. warn alr
evant of the rushlng of
of a seasonal movenent and lndeed prectpitated thls

to notlce a funne]' s pout

nlg h t y w i n d .s. l ,fl ss D a e tyl l o ',tfEr salways the flr st
Thls connectlng d'y nanc o
that s o o n sp re a cl d .o w rw a rdto connect tc the ear th'

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 land fr o nn a s outh-
Taylor /Fowtlce P age ) B

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 tr ace d eur v e

that traversed toward a north-easterly path before golng back l.nto the sky

on lts race wlth tkoe anil elenental clouds.

The path of l-east reslstence for the lnhabltants lnslde the flne o1d

house tn $outh Fowlke'oms to go dlreotly to the storn cellar and thus walt-

out the twlstlng vrtnd.. But the cyclone had now oompletely created lts own

be a u t y o f r hyth mtc p a tte rn a cr oss the gr ound vr lth llgtnlng fl"ashes of a d,e-

structlve electrlcaL dlsturbance ln the a1r. Thls eLeotrlcal storn was mes-

roerlzlng to behold and not to be rnlssed ln all lts gl-ory and splendor. This

predestlned event could not be nlssed or postponed for anythlng. The cb-

servers stood destlne at the iloor l"ooklng at the llghtnlng dlsplay.

Thls partlcular eleetrlcal t h u n d . e r h e a i lb l a s t e d - o u t lts greatest vlo-

lenee at 100 mlles per hcur hlgh ln the sky. And novrthe howllng twlstlng

black funnel- on thls partloular l,{ayDay hlt or allghteC along the hlllocks

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 vrh e re th e Pease fannlly Llved; the houses ber ran to quak e

ln full congternatlcn o f w h a t r n a st o c o m e . The cyclonlc dark cl.ouil now had

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

s o u n d l n g 1 l ke a h e rd o f b u ffa lo or stam pedlng cattle dr lve appr oac hl ng the

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 tr al n

llt tt e

going fuII sp e e d . l n frtg h t, chugglng- up the str eet vr lth lts sm ok e s tac k of

stop nolse about to vlslt for a whlle. But one last look at
a loud whlstle
of an aerlal 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 firna
t h e a w e d .f a s c i n a t l 0 n

was Just too auch an oddtty not to vlew for a seconil oor€'

onelastlngglaneewasaboutallthetlmengcessarybetween].lfeand
than go to the
d,eath choloes.for anyone darlng to pause at the wlndow rather

stcrm cellarr st the foot of the back steps. Llfe and death choloes were
Taylor/I'cmtlke Page 39

b e l n g m a d . eb y t h e s l t g h t e s t pause at this tlme. iflnd and.eLectrlcal charges

oornpl.etely fueled thts blg saoke stack thEt paced ltself along the street

now connecteil to the hostlle elements. Mother Naturers fury now was ln full

lou d s o u n d ln g g l o ry. T h e cycl one then speeded onwar il ag though fol l ow l ng l n-

structlons frd m a ro a d ma p tor var d all the houses on the ohar mlng s tr eet.

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 th e b l o cks th at once anchor ed lt down. The entlr e s tr uc tur e

vras ltfted llght as a feather off lts abutements, to fly htgh lnto the alr

and then fa}} lnto many blts and pleces. The debrls spread, explodedr aIL

over the real estate throughout the adJoinlng treen lawns. The cyclone paused

ltself, turnlng as though to look back at lts own handlwork, before then re-

turntng onto the street to advance toward a huge two-storled nelghbor stone

hoqse where an aged lady llved. aLone. Thls vlolent turn was a fataL plunge.

T h e b l a ck cl o u d . to o i c th e futl" nr otlon of lts clr cul"ar winds up the d.r l v e-

wa y t o t h e fro n t d o o r o f th e flne o1d house. AII- the sm all flemse y out- l y l ng

butldlngsJust fl e w l n to th e eploenter of tir e centr lfugal wlnds r a tr l .c hw er e

ere a t i n g t h e b l a ck fu n n e l fo rce, fllppins theno end over end like l - /tex i - c an

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 or flery blast Just prlor

the plle of stone upvrardeven farther. And'then

tc the cyele of wind hurllng
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
w a r m a i r o c m i n g t o g e t h e r as a neetlng of the rnlndLessatr tlow;
oold a n d
ln
o ccu rre d when the oxygen and nitr ogen com blned hl eh
re s u l t l n g exp l o sl o n
Tayl orlI'owlke Page l+0

spherical alr to form flashes or electrlcal bolts, to anmcnltgte lnto a

fetid sky as I pyronania of a July 4th fire works dlspLay.

And oddly enough, thls one flre-ball of an electrlcal stor.n system pro-

duced ln a few mlnutes more priceless natural fertillzer c o m r n o n l yc a l l e d e n -

n ro n l a n l t r a t e th a n a L l - th e cosur er clal ioanufactur er s wor ld- wlde cou1d r end.er

at full s p e e d l n a r , ' d r o l ey e a r . Thls newly made fertlflzei' fall-out settled

all over South Fowlke and the rlch farml-and that raised. potatoes and soy

beans for the local enterprises. AII thts horrendousLy htghly explostve de-

struetlon was lronleal-Iy prcduclng beneflcent 6rowlng goodness for the locaI

asricultural lndustry tf anyone would be Left allve to enJoy, once the nlnhty

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 wlnCs !.ow heeltated, agaln, as lt turned once nore to find

lts pathway baok upon the nraln street, An obvlous attraction of pecullar

magnetleized fcrce to the street kept the bl,ack oloud golng on lts constant

path as local cltlzens from afar watched ln hypnotlc wonderment. A notorLst

wa s v a i n l y tryl n g to o u tru n tho speedlng englne of thls stor m cloud. as the

funnel over tock the automoblle. But the car was over-taken and. dlvlnely

d. r l v e n l n t o th e b a r d l tch fu tl of r ushlng water fr om the d.ashes of r al n

s h o w e r s p r e ce e d ,l n g th e fu n n e l oloud. The dr lver Junped fr on the l nundated

And then
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.
vrtn d tu ctb l e d th e hr unanfor m lnto a r oudd.ybaLl, r ollln g the w l r e
the tvrlstlng
the hysterleal sur-
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 of wlnil tossed $or r th Foglke'

flowlng pace d' own the s tr eet to
T h e t vrl sti n g w l n d , sto rl c contlnued lts
The lnhabltants wer e pr oEr essln g on thel r
t h e F e a s e ? Ia ce n a n e d . re sl d .e nee.
s u d d , e n r yt u r n e d d e v l s h l l y lnto
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 Page 41

erglne oomlng for a passenger traln tour gulde servlee. 0r eLse, the nlghty

w i n d s c a $ e a s t h o u g h u p o n f o r m a l a p p o l n t n e n t w l t h n o R S 1 I Pr e q u l r e d slnce

s u c h w l n d . y a n th ro p o rn o rp h l ze d . honr econr ingstor ms always r etur ned. r egul ar l y at

thls annual Cate to encirclo the house but usuaLly never had yet d.estroyed

the flne old place,

This nl g h ty w l n d . sto rm, once inor e, halted ltself between th e f l ow er

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 -

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 ltsel- f that t ouc hed dow n

across the freshtly tlLled solI betwncn the west side of the house and the

s w e e p t n g l a w n s. B u t th e n o tl on of the olr cular wlnd' s novtrseem tn gLy s tood

stilt as 1f !n a quandry to make an intellectual cholce vrhlle yet in al-l"

actuallty contlnued spreading lts breath ever so sllghtly as though lts alr

source entered through a sleve, to hlss lts sllghtest seeplng novement. A

lul l fell t n to th e su rro u n d l n g atr as though nothlng mor e vr ould h appen l n the

destructlve wake of thls tornado. Not a leaf stlrred anywhere ln the blg

y a r d " a r o : l n d th e l a rg e h o u se . And al- I the dayllght of the nld- afte r noon

turned pltoh black, to forn ftd.ark-thlrty't tlme on the bapless vlctlrns of

thls ragtng act of nature. 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 '

only splders held fast to their swaylng webblng as best could the orafty

b l - a c k w l d o w s t h a t n r a n a f ; e ds o w e l l u n d e r s u e h d l f f l c u l t tlmes.

T h e t l ne l e ss mo ve n e n t o f these clr culatlng wlnd.s sustai"ned an ex panc l l ng

v a c u u m t n t ts fu tl cl rcu mfe te nce that now seened gl,or lously spent and us el es s

tts mlflst or eye of the storflr. And at thls exact

to those standlng inslde
b e fo re th e comm otion, the obser vlng lnhabltant s dec l d'ed
m o n e n t o f t h e tu l l
tho opened'
to make a last attenrpted nrad d'asb.d"ovmthe long poroh and' lnto

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 the slekty Lady wlth a babe

h fact, 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 ,
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,

mo v e d t o u d l y a s L f b e tl o w l " n g de} lght at catohlng som eone unalvar e s , m ov l ng

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. AIt thl s m l ghty

wln d . s u d d e n l -y d l re cte d a l L l ts r esum ing for ce upon the would- be n r ar ty r s . T he

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, pul l and"

plu c k e v e r yth l n g l n w a rd n o t tled down. The wlnil vr as pulllng all obJ ec ts up-

wa r d . l n t o l ts r:a l d st, su ckl n E both dog and hwr ans off the floor lng of the

planks of the long porch. 0nly the handralllng . s u s t a i n e d .t h e f r a l l lady

wlth the baby as she grabbed onto the last connectLon to the stable poreh

c o l u n n s a n d . h e l d fa st, o n L y to be vacuum edflnal- ly off that flnal anc hor of

t h e s w e e p l ng ve ra n d a h . A II w ent swlr llng upwar d lnto the dar k cloud that w as

n o w g r a d u a l L y b u t su re l y n o vlng ln seenlngly sl- ow r cotlon ar ound the gr and

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 , fl y l ng ac -

cordlng to the eye-wltness perceptlon of the relatlves stlll holdlng flrn to

t h e h a n d r a l L o f th e e e l l -a r stalr weLl deep dovr n ln the Eir ound. T ac h one l n

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

thetr l e g s w e re p u L t" e d .-o u t from beneath then, and thelr dr esses fl ew - up ov er

thelr h e a d .s. T h e y vre re e a ch glven a sover e fl- alllng or a fur lous 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 thls was enough to get

t h e a d l r e n a l tn re a l l y fl o w l n g or lnduce a cor onar y. But the r naglc m om ent l eft

t h e o e l l _ a r b o u n d tn h a b l ta n ts hugglng the r al) ,lng for thelr ver y ow n l l v es as

t h e y f e l - l ba o k d o w n l n to th e gr otto of safety wblle the lady wtth babe l n

a r, *s v e s b e l n g p u l l e d , o r su cked away by the giant vacuua tube ln to the

c e a d L y d a r k sky o n th l s 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 Page 43

a n o t h e r p a r t o f l te p a tte re n e d m ayhemthat always cam e her e yoar lf, to thl s

p la c e o n t { a y D a y. T h e sl ,a w m ovlng alr had the smell of ar nmonlat'hat w as aI-

most too stlftlng to breathe. Thts cycle of odorlferousLy moving alr had now

rea c h e d t h e p o l n t 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. The dog and mastel v.,er e now walklng s eenl nl y on

air as soLld as stone, wlnd feellng flrm to thelr weary feet. But they stlll

had no eholce exoept to go to the top of the funnel clouil ltself on thls

circuLar stalrcase to the hlgh heavens that was pullln5'or pushlng then ever

on r v a r d . T h e y w e re 1 l te ra l ty wal"klng or hangln€! on hot alr . They w er e both

da n g l l n g o n th e p ro ve rtrl a l L y plnhead of a needl- e or posecl as a st r aw l n the

wln d h l g h a b o ve th e l r 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. But the

wlndy wall t o t h e J - a d . y t sr l g h t was a wlndlng wall cf l-ntense heat, eo fuIl

of solld. hot alr. And.to the immedlate left, atr ioy curtaln of alry wlnd.

m a d . et h e t a dy ke e p h e r skl n n y ar ns held tlehtLy to her bony sldes ; s he w oul d

s u r e l y b e bu rn e d o n th e o n e hand or near ly tr ozen to death on the other l n

t hl s h e l l a c lo u s w i n d y u a l }<w ay danclng above the str eets of South - !'ow Lk e.

The wlndlng 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

v le w e d l n a & a za o f frl g h t. The lady saw the r oof ]lft' upl' nr d fr o m the el ev en

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 Page l*4

p o s t o r c o l u r n n e dp
. illar fron each of the Long poroh galLeries. The oolumns

we r e n o w f l . y tn g th ro u g h th e alr ln a per feet} y tlm ed ballet danc l ng har m ony

Just a few seconds behlnd the dog and the lady. The deadly Canger of )-arge

wcoden cclumns wag stalklng the back slde of thelr fllght through thts d'arlng

wlnistorm that had taken tlme to circle the estate house on the maln stl:eet

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 vlew at the apex or top of the funnel clcud anazed

t ne u n w i l l l n g fl yte rs. A n e e r le chlll was gotng up the hutm n spln e l " Il c e

€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 on the head stand on end.

Statlc e l e c tri ci ty sp a rl ce d .o utwar d fr on the hum an flgur e. The farnl l l ar ol i l

h o u s e b e l o w h a d b o g u n t o s h a k e , t o q u l v e r a n C t o q u a k e , T h e b e s l e 6 i e d ,d o m l c l l e

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 the r anbL l ng r oom s

Ilfted 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 .

Thus, the movlng wlnCs deposlted a blg splash or a fast dab of water llke a

ftash f l o o d C o w n ttra rdl n

" tc th e ver y inslde of the house whlle the r oof l ts el f

levltatad a few lnches Just above the jotsts a n d .h l g h r a f t e r s . The Frenoh

wallpaper was soaked and fell down ln wet strips. Then, the wooden stuils

were also belng pu)-Ied baek and forth, away, ln a nlghtmarlsh rhythmlc rook-

e a ch o th e r tl ke h u g e bsaokets or r anpar ts str etehad lnto ev er y

tng into
geonetrtc acute angle posslbLe; the anolent architecturally deslgneC storn-

proof purpose was belng put to lts flnal test for sure.
tw o- i nc h
T h e g e o n e trl c a n g l e s creaked and. gr oaned as the centur 5eodd al 6
apart, BVI6y , and'
thtek 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
snu8ly lnto thelr old place' The
then flnally 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. But suditenly as though on an om nl s -
s t r e s s w a s a b o u t to ma ke l ts
wind's released'
oient whlm futl of bLusterlng funny buslness, the cy)-lndrtcal
the whole topped-out area back lnto
the gabled rooftns, to glngerly deposlt
one hanti-
to tts former glory' exoept for
lts exact plaee. AII was replaeed
Tay lor/Fowlke P age 45

maileor custom forged square nallhead that stood-out ln a spllntered stud,

for all to see Later, and to narvel that such a thlng had even happeneiL"

T h e o u sto mi ze d . ra rn b l tn g o1d manslon dld not fly apar t or ex pl ode after

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

a b u t e r n e n t s a n d . th e g e o n e trl c angles of the wal- L boar d"s had lndee d. r oc k ed,

thetr u e y t h ro u g h ye t a n o th e r stor m center . But the lady and her dog w tl r e

stilt at the top portlcn of the whlrllng funnel cloudo And their safe de-

s c e n t w a s y e t t o e o f i r ef r o n r t h e d . e l l v e r a n c e o f t h e s e h o t w l n d s l f at aII.

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 nnuslcal tune lnslde anil outslile

t h e o ) . d .h o u s e , a l l , at the same lnstant. Inslde, the narvel for survlval

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 twlsted tlghtly stralght-out, horl-

zontal o u t w a rd o n th e l r h a n g er s v,r tthln seconds as though car efully fl nger ed.

for an auotlon btrCck sale. AII the plctures and nlrrors were wound to thelr

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 d t. o s t l c k outvrard parallel as

t h o u g h n a l l ed o n g l l ,te d e d g e into the walLs. The wlr lstllng ghost l y w i nd. nade

Its w a y t o sw a y a g e n tl y mo vlng antlque r ocking chalr that was al s o unhar m ed'

on the oriental 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 rooa

or cLd parlour 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

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 back on top of them ln perfeot

And the plerclng wlnil drove a broomstraw through the solld oak front
order.

door, the pressurlzcC ai-r forcing the flbers of the wood'rseparated' before

releasing the f lat wind'Y sttess'

l ns l d'e out
T h e p re ssu rl ze d vri n d b L ew thr ough the whole house, tur nlng
Tabre ohlna
the cont'nts 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 Page 45

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 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 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 alr that vras strong enough to choke a

horse to death lnside the finest house ln South Fowlke.

And then the alry thundering tornad.o contlnued to oollect ltself around

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 th e h e a vy colur nns wer e now r ushlng upr var d l- lke a danc i ng

chorus llne l n to th e b J.a e k funneL chtr nney of hot alr or splr al pathw ay onLy

seconds behlnd Red Rover the coLLle dog and poor lady with the baby. The

twlstlng w ln d fu n n e l h a 'l n o tr ccm pleted. lts r ound tr lp voya€le ar ound the pal -

alclous resldence to take or to collect thlngs 1lke a connolsseur, slpplng

a s a h u n g r y g o u rn e t ch e f, ta stlng vor aclousl- y, aII the lovely ol i l w ooden

o o l - u n n n s .T h e a n c l e n t h a b l t a t l o n had flnalLy been fully enolrcLed by the

na t u r a l e l e me n ts o n a ra xo p a ge. The collle dog and the lady had now begun

thelr tlmely ru n d .o w n w a rdfro m the top of the dar keneil funnel- cl-oud.. ft had

s e e m e dl t k e a long tlme but only belng geconds in an anlnated. or suspended

shccklng vrorld dlreaml.ancl,for the lady and, the dog.

T h e l a d y w a g a t L a st w a lking downhlLl ln a gr avltatlonal pu l L too fas t

for a sickly so u L o n a tru l y stony path;ay, but thls was &n alr y r un' She

r r v a sr u n n l n g , a l m o s t J u m p l n g , 8 s l f no ailment whatsoever exlsted. The splral

windy exlt of thls alr way remalned as sc1lC or flrn as I brlck walkway.

EvOrythlng uns gotng dorimhlll as lt were thls tlme. The bLack clouil'i{as corl-

t in u l n g o n i ts 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

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 basln r v her e the

yearly tornacloes had.always bef ore deposlted all- the plllared SalLery posts

or Iovely c o l -u mn s fro m th e l ong galler y por ohes. The ver andahs on t'he ol d
Taylor/Fowlke Page l+7

nansion were now sagging as if a deep expressive frown had been cut or forg-

ed fron a horrlble forlorn experlence. AlL eLse on the blg place urasleft

lntact, no vislble 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

ea c h p o r c h o n th l s h o rrl fl e day ln South Fowlke.

An d t h e w h o l e h e a p o f h eavy colunned posts would lnmlnently be depl oy ed

one upon the other, comlng together tlke basebalL bats hur)-lng and then hlt-

ting thelr scored targ*t, aII stacked htgh as alvrays ln the past dozen melee

that even ten thousand danclng dervlsh could, never have done half so well.

But the old dog and the lady had recoLlected thelr wlts about lt aII durlng

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 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 th e flesh 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 hobbled avtay

f ro m t h e s h a L L o w d l tch a n d roLled under the shed of the gar age. T he m ud.dy

palr 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

t h e h e a v e n s fro m w h e n o e l t came. Lightntng fllcker ed. lar neLy ln the hl gh dts -

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 wlnd-
traversed" ln alt as a hoFr skip and'a Junp slnce
to
s t o r m h a c fl rst se t d o w n g rat lfay Day on lts cyclec ear th- bound J our ney
Taylcr./Fowlke Fa51e&8

brlng a hastened reunlon in tine and pl"ace once again tc thls lady who llved

to tell thls ta l e 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 on the

S o r r t h ! ' o w l k e so cl a l se e n e . And that vir asalso the r eputed blr th of Ii tu Bob-

t he - t h l r d . 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

holdlng cnto the baby Jlm Bob for dear llfe was hls aunt ?rlmsey Daetyl-le.

S o n n ed t s q r r iQ$ ctlo b se rve rs o f all thls r uckus d.eclar ed. lt llBs the d.ev l l t s pay

on that day of blrthlng and. d.ylng; others guessed lt was Just the Lordr s

us u a l m y s t ero u s w o rk. l 'fa yb e that ls why Jln Bob fII ls so good to hl s hone-

town of orrth Fowlke to show hls goodness, to brlng new fangleil ideas and
just to offer proof that he aint t so bad as the very day he was blrthed lnto

all 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

the enctional scars left by the cyclone. And the auntle i',fiss Prlnrsey Daety-

llc t o o k c h a rg e o f n a l cl n g su re that her cnly nephew was well ear e i l for '

$ h e m o v e d I n tc th e se rva n t q uar ter s old car r iage house and pr ovld.ed the m or al

g u t d a n c e n €ce ssa ry; th e o l d .-tlne famlly m ald, l,{ ar nmDuggan,

a took c har p:e of

house cleanlng and cooklng as always. Btg Jlnr Bob never remarrled or at

Ieast dld. not get the chance; he was too busy nenaglng hls lnvestments and.

was grateful for the asslstance from the babyfs aunt.

T h e a un t l ,l l ss P rl m.se y l aetyllc was plaln as sln and d.or vnr l ght ugl y w l th

her blaclc dress and halr ln a bun. She wore no make-up and seldom smlled.

$ h e h a d c o m e to h e l p h e r o w n twln slster go th,r ough the postpar tu o per j " od

of havlng her ftrst-and obvlousLy only-chltil. No one had ever seen the

twc slsters together. 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

t o t h e d a y w h e n th e vyl n d sto r n and the blr thtng aLl- happeneil at onc e, l l k e

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 Page 49

the brlnk 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

too goodly to let go. But the busybody skeptics stlll did not know what to
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 o f th e Pease famil- y, to m ar k the loss of a v r l fe and

n r o t h e r t o th e e te rn a l e l e me nts of South Fowlke.

T h e a un t l ,'l i ss D a ctyl l c was hlr ed. to teach on the good. r ecorr unendatl on

cf Jirn Bob Pease. She becamethe drlving force of scho}arly standard 1n

the torvnshlp and kept herself above reproaoh frona the 6osslps. The baby

Jlm Bob was her only resson to stay ln town, and a constant Llve-ln nurse

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. Nanny F ay e Odom

wss a wldowed lady wt"th no ehlldren stllI llvlng and no honeplace of her
or , v nt o e a l L h e r a tte n tl cn s a way. The eld.er ly Lad.ywas a good grani l m other l y

role nodeL for the baby ln h1s growlng years.

T h e y ea rs p a sse d p l e a sa ntLy for the chtld who had so m uch C uty and.

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 be-

half. 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 .

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 . And Santa Cl-auswas another

nyth that he was spared. so he would. never thlnk thet ad.ults who vtere good

Chrlstlans would. tetl such a Lle as gospel truth. Yet little Jlst Bob was

never over-dressed for the occaslonl he v;as groomedln the sameattlre as

the other schooL chlldren or ohurch schcoLers. He flt ln wlth the rest but

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 or

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'

ly a s t h e r e aso n l n g th fft a u n tl e Pr lnsey always told hlm '

Ta y l o r / F o w l ke P age 50

ttttLe Jlm Bob Cld lndeed grow up fast; 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 . H l s fa th e r was ltlll"ed when he was ten year s oLd l n a c ar

wreck. A one-car aocld.ent took the llfe of the eld.er Jln Bob. The father

wa s d r i v l n g h cme l a te a t n l 6 ht Cur lng a r aln stor m when a i' Jaste R efuge tr uc k

ra n h i m o f f th e l n to th e tr ee studded bayou under gr owth. The death w as

" ? ,u d
instant accorCing the coroners report. 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

g rl e f o f t h e fa n l l y so me h o w ,

Bu t Au n t P ri n se y D a cty}l o cr led the r aost and took the ileath w or s e than

t h e p a s s l n g o f h e r o yl n sl ste r a few year s befor e. The tear s wer€ s hed onl y

ln s l d 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

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 a ohang e l n South

FowLke slnce it w a s co n sl d e red nor m al that luilss Pr i,r nseyt,tnnsln a s tate of

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. And

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

or p h a n w h o m sh e w o u l -d h a ve to r alee, al- bett a ver y weal- thy helr at the s am e

tlnne, by the standards of littl-e $outh Fowlke.

T h e f o rtu n e l e ft l n tru st by daddy Jlm Bob v,' asa for m aL d.oc um ent, gl v l ng

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 fuIl legaL authorlty. She only could

slgn checks and nake financlal declslons of endurlng oonsoquences. The

ol6-mald school teacher as survlvlng slster was regent for the nephew, who

wa s f r o m b l rth b e l n g re a re d as her ohlLd. The bond. was establlshed" dur l n6S

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 thelr heartstrlngs forever. The aunt took eharge

of t h e ? e a se fa ml l y b u si n e ss hold.lngs wlth an lntenslty that am az ed.the num -

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. she bought

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

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. T hl s

avo l d e d t h e ca sh fl o vr o f th e ?ease estate fr om belng ohar ged.- off to l egaL

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 . The estate prosBered as alwsys with lts

notlceabLe assets but the stoek oertlflcates grew tremend.ously ln number ag

the wetl-read iflss Dactyllc sold the greatly growlng penny stoeks, to pur-

chase blue chlps. She eventual"ly bought a seat on the New York Stock Ex-

c h a n g e f o r a p a l try su m o f ',r r ell under half- a- m llllon d,ollar s dur lng the

L 9 5 0 rs . the llttle old, school teacher auntle wag a wheeler and d.ealer nuch

llk e d a d d y Jtm B o b h a d b e e n and all thls her ltage would som eda.yenabl e the

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. Hls a untl e w as

truly Looklng after hls best lnterests ln al-1 things for hls future llfe,

by assuring hls dlverse lnherltance and by glvlng hlm an adult edueatlon of

the best rank from her own flnishlng school quallty days.

Littte Jlm Bobts educetlon camemostly frorn hone studles. He was onl-y

an average student ln seirool. He twned 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 l n t o t h e n o r n a l r u n o f t h e m 1 1 . 1k l d s .

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 to

s iv e r l d "e s h o n e a fte r sch o o l . lils aunt never bought a fancy nelv tr uc k for

h 1 r n t o g a L ll va n t a b o u t th e county or to lm pr ess the glr ls ln the v 'r r onfiw ay

that he vras sone klnd of btg spender. She taught him stlngy ways' to be a

cheapskate Llke all the Pease kln before hlm.

,Iin Bob, tho 3rd, as he preferred to use Arablc numbers for hls full

namsnumeratlon, Srew up fast. ITewas an over-grown chtl-d, too big for

hls age. He appeared as a bully 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
that he was older than he r eally w as . IIe qul t
c o m m u n l t y of so u th tr''o w l kefe el
gettlng hls GnDa few years later. Jlrn Bob dropped
schoor at age flfteen,
Tay lor /Fowl-ke ?age 52

out of htgh schooL before he got there; he was bored $dth the chlldlsh pranks

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 .

I {is a u n t ' w a s o d d .ty n o re th a n wlltIng to all- ow h- r - mto take char ge of the

pease family holdlngs on the farm yard scene. He ran beef cattl-e nn the

o l _ d c. o t t o n f l e l d s and sold prlnne neat to the Japanese that was advertlsed

as mllk fe6 yearl"lngs and heifers on green pastures, all of trhlch was true

when the buyers lnspected ttre authentlclty of hls clalns. Top dollar for

hls efforts were reallzed. from hls Labors. Young Jlm Bob ftrrther expanded

hls lnt.erests to own the butcherlng or processing plants for the prlnoebeef.

He bousht the truck l-lnes whtch transported the meat to the shlpplng ports.

I {e e v e n b o u g h t a sa a l l sh l p p l ng llne for the whole tr lp wfien hls aunt l nfor -

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 lnter-

natlonal buslnessman wtth hls aunt slgnlng all the necessary doounents.

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 antlcs to sow

hls w l l d o a ts. H e w a s to o b usy maklng inoney and to pr ove thet he w as w or thy

of alL the good thlngs that had come hls way so early ln llfe; he had the

s a m eh t g h n o r a l s of hls ded.lcated auntle Frlmsey Daetyllc.' Besldes, the cnl-y

place to let down cners halr or klck up thelr heels was at Bubba TownRoad-

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 bull-t the beer hall-, back ln prohlb-

Itlon ilays. It 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

h o m e b r e wc o u l d b e b o u g h t f o t 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

fron $t}loy or Greecel no one knew for sure slnce they kept to tbenseLves

Ilttle roadslde buslness for a bare llvlng' Now, the last

and worked thelr
He had suspoeedly
of their 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 .
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€qJtm Bob but
a s l f h e s ttll owned it. Far Eas Denr osneeded C as h one
the 91d slaaa
 I

Tav lor /Sowlke Page 5)

night late a n d yo u n g Jl m B o b Just happened.to have the r ight sum on hl s

person, havlng returned. frorn a cattle sale barn that v6ry ,iay. But the

re a l oddlty o f th e sl tu a tl o n ' r r r asthat iilno.Bobt s m oney ' ivss Just the r i ght

coLor of green to nake the bartender look the rleht way. He was always the

nan of the hour after that late nlght purohase. Jln Bob though speni less

and less tlne a t t h e r o a d h o u . s ea f t e r he bought lt than before; his buslness

deals kept growlng and gettlng better 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 the purchase; he got tlpsey and quoted Voltaire to the top of

his l u n g s o r sc th e y sa l d . o ften enough. That was all d"onevr hen he w as under

age and had to be swept under the floor or the llquor llcense woul-dbe l-ost.

The low llfers 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 ln the

flrst place but sornethlngunsavory exlsted about the deal or pact with the

devil 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 came to dolng lr nmor al-thlngs; she l ook ed the

part o f s tru e ma rtL n e t. H e r spinster flgur e tr r as tall and slenilor for m w ho

had been born forty yeal:s too l-ate; she was ageLess, belng nelthcr eLderLy

nor,nlddle 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 w a s w h a t n aile her look so good, was the cor une nts by the

Crinklng sort at the roadhouse. The old auntle spoke her mlnd. often enough

ln p u b l l c a b o u t p u b l i c d ri n kl ng and Lewdness belng punlshable by death or

eternal d.amnatlon.$he was stern about keeplng good pubIlc appearances and'

y o u n € rJ l m B o b h a i l l e a r n e d a l l his lessons well at the knee of thLs dlsciplln-

a ri a n a u n t o f h l s. I{e h a d to keep a good. mor al publlc faee ln South F o$r l k e

for hls famllyt s sake and hls auntie ln particuLar. That was the inaln reason

that ire had.becone such a blg shot finanelal wlzard cut of town. That at
 Page 5l+
Ta i'l-or /Sowlke

hls
Least was the excuse that the good old boys at the roadhouse save for
tlmes
wheeLlng and deaLlng since they cared nostLy for the happy hour fun

rather than boaril roon dea)-ingl. Thelr place was the center of the universe
And
for 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

drtrk a toast to the l-ocaL gooil.tine frollcs. slster FLedls never got drunlc

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'

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 vras belng covsr-

ed up by all that controll-ed. self reserve that the splnster l''!lss t)actyllc

h a d t o d l s p l a y. T h e o L d g l rt r nust have sewn her wlld' est oats a r eal l y 3" ong

ago an6 was now taklng a long tlfe t i n e t o o v e r c o r a el t all-, a speclal

tlne

ex-olatlon or eoverup to hlde her trall of sins, laughed the naughty lady of

l t u b b a T o w nR o a d h o u s e l l l repute. $ister 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 over fr om sone hot tfunes, chor tled' th e per v er s e

slster Fledls. 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
b a d . n o u t h e i l h e r w a y w a r d ,w a y s , b u t t h e s e J a b b t n g c o m m e n t s
slster Fl-edls was being mlc-
icl-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
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
oland.estlne
of the dl s gr un-
breath s o u n d .rn g o ff, vra s th e usuar - excuse m acr efor the antlos

slster Fledls. lTot much attentlon was pald to the sty remarks about
tled
the r ea3- powe r hous e l eai l er s
t h e t o r a m e trte h e re a t B u b b a Tour nRoacthousesr nce

F o w l ke We n t to mu ch mor e c3' assy places to be seen and ' hear d' s uc h

of s o u t h
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 deal"s ancl mere gossip were no longer the naln topla

o f c o n v e r s a tl o n l n $ o rl th F o wlke. The newly com pleted eountr y cl-ub w a's the

settlng for many grand new thlngs, besldes faney gourmet dlnners anil busl-

ness deals wlth the shakers of the capltal strings. B t g n a m ee n t e r t a l n e r s

and novle stars l,rere ncw conlnq to town, especlally the oountry western sln-

gers. The loeal ccunty shtndtg or open competltlon slng-song was held at

the spaclous South Fowlke rol-Itng hll-ls country cLub as lt ruascalled by

the proud gentry as a descrlptlve locatlon.

The eptthet Rolltng Hllls Country Club stuck. Al-f the menbers llked'

the descrlptlve rnonlker. 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 made the new

out of
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
proper place, Tt was truly a Blg Town type of edlflce and for that very
tts
The Sou th F ow l k e
re a s o n w a s l n cl e ma n da.s a show place soclal scene s1te.
was heL'l there; lt was the ldeal
Fanfalr country western $lngers festivaL
ba ckcl ro p o f e l e fi a n ce that wouLd pr ovlde enough r oom for ar r the
speotular

oounty-wlde aeLebratlons and entrants.

Tay lor /Forvlke Page 56

T h e C o u n try We ste rn F a n falr 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 blg Fanfalr in Nashville, T e n n e s g e ew a s s t t l l the

maln attractton but all the satelllte festlvals geve even more oxposure for

the u1:and comlng stars, especlall-y in thelr hcnetown countj"es. And of

course South Fowl-ke'ras nori rlch enough to have lts own Jubtlee. The new

Rolltng Htlls Country Club flnery 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

got to perforn between acts and al"so went arounil slnglng thelr pralses ln

snatches of songs they wrote" Any surplus left fron the expenses went to

the local South FowLke charltles to he)-p the slok.

The whole thlng got startedl slmply because cf the local South Fowlke

cltizen Dorcthea Icee Davies golng batty. She began to walk around town

singi.ng a dltty. 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

was stlll 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 for her cat tfst was always lost or

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

fenders on the tlres for her lost cat, even wanderlng late at nl5ht ln her

fluffy lmrnltatlon rabblt houseshoesand long nlghtgown to collect her cat.

Such anlllty vras an acoepted.part of Dorothea and.her rovlng cat. The ec-

centrlc behavlor was not censured because of the heredltary alzhelmertdts-

The dlstress got

ease that her grandmother Swore and nother had dled fron.
v l o r s e e a c h y e a r a s D o r o t h e a v i o r r l - de a I I t h e f l r e departrnent to get the cat

out of a tree, clalmlng |t c o u l d n o t g e t d . o w na t a l l . The pea31 gray cat was

easily lost l n th e sh a d " o n sof the d.ar k, to get away fr om poor Dor othy .

D o r o t hy w a s a l -vl a ys l n sear ch of her cat, golng all over town.'r 'fhen fl nd'-
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 l n w eed-

tng flower b e d s. S h e w o u l d . get lnto a novle llne with a fr lenil s he s aw or

stop at the school oafeterla and get lnto that llne to talk wlth soneone she

thought s h e kn e w a n d . th e n g e t distr acted. to go help en,nty tr ays and w aeh

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 . ?hat kldd.y cat of hers was

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 Just fled the premlses well

a h e a d .o f t h e w h l s t l e c a l l ; the cat often ran well ahead of her whlstllng

hu n t d . o w nt h e stre e ts o f S o uth Fowlke. I{ er pLight was a har mles s del us l on

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 . Thls experlence started. the fund ralslng

f o r h e l p t n g th e p l tl fu } so u l s llvlng ln $outh I' owLke r ather than donate s um s

to be taken far from the county even to other needy folks.

C o v e r ed . d l sh su p p e rs l 'rer e helC to flnance a center for the i nfi .r m and

t o d o u b l - ea s a n o u t p a t l e n t room. Dorothea eagerly helped serve the pLates

and.was thus quletly polnted out as the prlmary reason for the beneflt, yet

she never knew the event vras for her asslstance. That happlly kept the lady

busy and an actlve part of the eommunlty llfe. ,Tventhe prlm l'ilss Dactyllc

a p : . r r o v e do f t h e s e t a c t l c s . A good.cause nade up for a lot of past aggrava-

tion, tvas the consensus of South tr'owlkecltlzens. And even Slster tr'Iedls

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 regularly ln an envelope to the good

cause that aIl funded gladly.

T h e S o i rth F o w l ke F u n d vr as the offlclal nar ne of the or ganlza tl on that

contlnuaLl-y dld all the good d.eeds, They al-so used the high school masoot

on the 1etterheads, a big falcon blrd ftylng htgh ln a dlve. ALl of the

anC had a ttn can on thelr counters for a

buslncssmen donated regularly
slng-son8 was
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
event of all-. It brought out all the clilzqns'
stlll the blg fund ralslng
Ta y l o r / F o w l ke ?age 5e

f i v e r y cl tl ze n o f S o u th Fowlke beneflted. fr or n the Fanfalr heaLth dr l v e.

Th e f u n d s we re u se d e n tl re ).y wlthln the county anC the backdr op o f the new

f an c y R o 1 l l n g IIIIl -s C o u n try Cl- ub br oqht ln blg nam e enter talner s to dr aw

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 Just m ade many fol k s

nlndful of what othere dld not have and. thus wllllng to glve generouslyo

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 . He had donat-

ed the slte a n d .a l l the build.lng costs whloh had d,erived fronn hls acuslnr s

es t a t e . T he w e a tth y co u sl n Vlr gtnla Klr k had tr aveled the wor lil ov er as a

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 to lnherlt her

legendary wealth, The Ktrk manslon was stlll standlng Just off the Lane

l-eadlng to the country olub. Cltlfled streets with curblng and nane pLates

had been lnstal-l"ed along al)- the old country lanes. N o t h l n g h a d .b e e n b o t h e r -

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 fe a r th a t th e l ur klng South For qlke lvfonster would be ev er w atc h-

f ul , t o g r a b th e n tf l l n g e rl n g ar ound the oLd place. The ever - m ar r y i ng T .r l s s

Vlrglnla Klrk l-eft her estate to the go-getter Jlm Bob. He was the one who

ha d t o g o t h ro u g h a l l h e r J" egal and. per sonal, paper s to flnd the m es s y detal l " s

of her exolting and, exotic llfe story" Vlrg;tnla Klrk uas called. the prlncess

wh o n e v € r qu l te w a s a n d vrl th good r eason. Her obltuar y told the fl r s t par t

o f h e r f l a mb o ya n t l -l fe styl e , and 1t was lam lnated^ to lle on displ ay on the

I lb r a r y t a b L e l n h e r o l i l h o u se ttr at was now a llvlng museumused as a gues t

the over-flow perforners staylng durlng the ten day Fanfalr fest-
house for

T h e c o n p S . e t es t o r y , however, was told often enough by all the old-

lvaL,
was a r ather melodr amatlc tal e, b€-
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 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 Pase 59

b la c k - b o r d e r e d o b l tu a ry co l -u nn ln long hand stated. slmply the compl - ete

nane: Yirglnia -Ettzabeth Klrk. 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

the yellowed copy of the ggglg {-gg[!g!s early mornlng edltlon obltuary sec-

tlon. The deep, typeset and bold-faced story contained a terse personal fler-

ratlve-a rather brlef accountlng for such a celebrated loca1 lady of lnter-

natlonaL repute or note. A torn plcture of thls faded beauty queen was also

in c l u d e d . T h a t o n e d l m p l ctu r e bespohe a thousand" r r l' or dsm or e tha n the

fanctful and brlef eulogy ever could, or even dld try to oonvey ln thls dally

lssue. 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 td .l "e near by fr om a competlng newspaper rs ev enl ng

edttlon, euloglzlng the deceasedVlrglnia Rllzabeth Klrkr ln the Elg TglaE

SegtlneL on the sane date of her demlse.

T h l s s e c o n d y e ) - 3 - o w e tda 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, or loyaI friend. The a5lng bor-

der now held a dlstlnctlve brov,nlsh-brlttle edge to tt because of a saw-

t oo t h e d . l n n e r zl g za g . i u t ma de fr om a seamstr essfs hur r led plnklng s hear g.

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

yeLLowedJourna1lstic coPY.

Thls snlpped rlval newsprlng of a scooped obltuary copy llne told on3-y

a few nore terse facts about th.e demlse of Vlrgtnla. But, mostly, the brlef

om l s s l 0 n s sa l d . tt all so mu c h better to those who had known her per s onar l y .

of course' on]'y soclal reglstry klnsnen

No blood. issue helrs were llsted,
a tally of prlzed bank aeeountants ln brlef attendance'
were ltemlzed llke
chapel menorlal servlce
for appearance sake, wtth only a qulet and' shsrt

b e l n g n a e n t r o n e da t a l l . 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

ln f a n o u s l a d Y .
Thefuneralgervlceshadlncludedtheequa]-]-ywealthyJlmBobfaml}y
Tay ),or /F owtke Page 60

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 the arlstocracy kln of old'

G e n e r a l _R o b e r t ' ! 1 . L e e . Ttrts terse ltst a l s o n a m e d .L l n e a g e t o t h e Q , u e e no f

3ngLanil. 0n1y the rare and soolally promlnent relatlves who expected to

tnherit sornethlng substantlal-, tf anythlng at aL1, had bothered to attend

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 reglstry book:

slnce thelr

one clean page Jwt barely three copy llnes 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. These rlch ones got much rlcher by her hefty

legacy. No mentlon elther was made of her many ex-husbands, such prlncely

na m e s b e l n g scru p u l -o u sl y o n l tted fr om the cut anit yellowed news a r tl c Les .

Not a hint w a s g l ve n a b out all- her classy for tune- huntlng hus band's r the

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.

m e n t l o n w a s m a d ^ ea 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 l a l L o v e r

the worLd by thts most el"e6ant and rega}-actlng Lady. Not a trace of all

h e r f a i l e d an d rl o h n e mo rl e g . The faded newspr lnt 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 story now so obviously conceal-ed, ashamedlx, for someodil reason'

p rtn t. T h e rg g .I stor y tay hldden lnslde the tln box am l i l the

f ro m p u b l l o
from the tine of her blrth untll her death"
d . o c u m e n t so f c e r t l f l 0 a t l o n
Herblrthwas}tsted,wlthtwodlstlnctdates.Shehaillndeeddled
0r so lt wour - dappear . The pr r nt J us t geeged
f ro m l l v l n g rl fe to th e h i r.t.

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
w l thl n
l l f e l B r o w s l n g t h r o u g h t h e e } e g a n t t l n b o x was an educ atl on
certlfted
a varled'
T h e ye l l o w e d p a p e rs ln the r osewood- l- lned tln box held.
lts e l f .
Taylon,/Fowlke ?age 61

aollectlon of nenorabj.lla relating to Vlrginla Tllzabeth Kirkt s llfe and

t lm e s p a s t . 0 th e r a g l n g p a p er s, bound together , ' r ,r ete stuffed lnd l s c r l m l - n-

antLy along the sliles of thls unlque tln box as thougb placed there as an

after thought, anong sone old oll stock certlflcates.

The stock certlflcates dated fron the boom days €!Br The shares

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 tfor e

than two rollllon b L u e o h l p shar es fr on l"lttle- knovr n oonpanles, stl l L l l s ted

on the New York Stock Exohange, were also stuffed lnto the sldes of thls

p re t t y 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 effor t.

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

v e r y m o m e n t o u sr e a d . l n g l A rnllllcnalress at btrth, she Was now a bllllonalre

ln J.egal probated. testate*money always belng her lot ln Ilfe. SudilenlY,

a fr a y e d e n ve l o p e l n th e tl n box showed.lts yell,owed. edges.

T h e s e b l ts o f p a p e r w e re qulte fr ayei fr o,:t havlng been fond. Ied s o

often, t h e fre q u e n t a n d vl vl d .Iy appar ent use fr om al- l the sm ear ed or s m udged

flngerprlnts on the solled but "yellowed paper. But, mostly, aII the past

a n d d a l - n t y th u n b p rl n ts w e re lngr alned per m anently cnto the o1d co py . T he

tattered edges vrere flaklng loose onto my ftngers from the crease around'

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 upon the paper from so nany

y e a r s o f s to ra g e a n d p e rh a p s r lgor ous lls€. A flowlnff but asser tl v e and'

graceful scr!;rtlve a d d r e s s e d .l t s e I f 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 the brlttle
Iowed ocher, alnost a sepia cast dye co}orlng,
paperr
newsprlnt oopy of the old Sol]lh Lowlke qgg!"!gg] dallv
T a y l o r / F o w l ke ?a ge 6?

The yellow tattered pleces and blte of newspapersfron the bottom

depths of the tln box revealed yet more nrinute detalls of Vlrglnla Kirkr s

lt f e 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

notes of her debutante conrlng out party, the very flrst soclal mllestone for

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 year ln hlgh s ohooL

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 of the foctball queen. She

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 d a" v n r d

was the DAR (Daurhters of the Anerlcan Revclutlon) good cttlzenshlp essay

wln n e r f o r ftn e p a trl o tl sm; l ,fr s. Sam lnllnnlfor d.t s slgnatur e as ge neal ogl c al

l-lbrarlan told, that story. AnC then 1n the folLowlng year, Vlrglnla Klrk

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 ex -

lstence caught fast ln the offlclous nessages frorn more yellowed" papers.

Vlrgtnla llllzabeth Klrk had always been so actlve that she almost net her-

self c o m l n g o r g o l n g vrl th h e r dllettante tastes. $he vr ent fr om one pl eas ant

resort to the next and then onto some other worldly Rlvlera, so frequently t
nGo.n 0r so the nusty ;apefs ln hand s eem ed
t h a t h e r m ld d " L en a me w a s l n d .eed,

to lndlcate. Her Ltfe was now al} s e a l - e d .a n d s l g n e d r c e r t l f l e d , coldly

offlctal l n th e d ry b l a ck a n d lnked d"ar k wor d' 9.

Vlrglnl-af s brtefly phrased baptlsmal certlflcate lnterostlngly conveyed

a sontradlctlon; thls was her second birthday or reblrth lnto uhrlstlanity

K l rk h a s tened to take thls oppor tunity to cl afun the

s o t h e v a l n vl rg tn l a
3ut the tronlc truth though was secureil
Latest date as her birthday day.
blr thday, slttl ng on the
ln t h e f a m l l y 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
s e c o n d s h e lf 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 Page 63

ficates brazenly bLared thelr varled. facts as though to defy the eye to

pa s s q u ! - c k l y o ve r, o r d a re the nnlnd to pass Judgement on thls lad y t s hi gh

toned llf e style now held f lrrnLy lnslde this tln box.

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 from the Llfe and gggn tlmes of Vlrginla

Klrk. Varlous passports lay throughout the tin box, all of then helplng to

further 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

changed on the passbooks because of yet another excruclatlng dlvorce.

Dlvorce decreeg abounded lnslde the ornate ttn box. Legalltles were

mo s t L y l a y e re d " h a stl l y a ra o n gthese offlclaL papels. The documents s how ed"

her tlme and place of blII of dlvoroement wlth hupe sums belng pald, to rld

h e r s e L f o f th e sco u rg e . T h e ex- husband.s seemed a dlme a d.ozen ln thl s el - e-

gant box. But they eaoh cost her a klngf s ransom ln cash al-one to free or

eJ e c t h e r s e l f o f e ve ry mo n e y gr ubblng spouse. $he must have legaLl z ed, ev er y

tnfldellty, every brlef f1tng, 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 wlth no

regard to totaL cost in an age of careful proprlety. All these bLissfuL

facts were Lald out as though to rest forever, secret, ln the rosewood lln-

in g o f t h e fi n e ttn b o x. A n d atl the contents wer e bound. togethe r by r ot-

ting slLken red rlbbons. All 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 '

box ln near and tlmely rows, alphabetlcal for an orderry

ltned the otd tln

wa l k d o w n n e n o ry l a n e w h e n thts flne Lad' y was bl"ue or m eLanchoL y '

L { o r e ma trl mo n l a l 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 Page 6l+

ol"d t l n box, T h e n , a a a re w edd,lng anncuncem ent vr as spotted under neath the

plles anC stacks of lat*restlng infornatlon. Someother fanlly papers of a

btll-of-divorcement or offlelal edlcts also lay next tc r/lrglnla Klrkrs own

personally rr'rritten Last will 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-

latlve, a favorite 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

lobit 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 the local downtown Symphc ny Or c h-

estra. All thls was toLd 1n a neatl"y fclded newspaperartlcle i-nsjde that

very same d.lvorce decree, as lf t h e t w o w e r e s o m e h o wr e l " a t e d l n l m p o r t a n o e .

Th e s e o c n d vrl fe o f l ,fl ste r l o bltr s was boasted as the ?r beloved"} .{ r s . El v a

Loblt, the natlve patron of the arts.il Thus, Vlrglnlafs darltng dlvorcee

slster ArteIIe, mueh to her ehagrln, had mere}y lins:ered on the edge of

greatness of mlnor celebrlty status to found. a btg band group, AII these

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 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; thls per :sonal d.ec Lar atl on

came from the lgolated vrritten notes from Vlrglnlars o w n d e t a c h e d .h a n d . . T h e

newsy account ln the SoutL {gg,fEe ggg!.19.9.tfurther stated that slster Artelle

had dlvorced and weil ln elty of Sit. Iouls, lflssourl. But later, slster I
Artelle had narrled TIalter Raynond T::elford 1n New Orleans, so the ageil notes

fronr the depths of the elegant ttn box revealed. more esoterlc trlvia about

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
offlce of llarLe r,rlallace, presid.ent of l{ollywood Assoelateil Studlos,
The botd typeface letter-
a 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 '
bod.y of the letter' rt hail
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
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 Page 65

have been a movie queen vrlth the best of tire 6iolden oldies! Coplous notes

r4 r e r en e x t d.e te cte d !n th e ca reful peananshlp fr om thls would- be s tar l et;

this screen star cand"ldato had covered a hard scrlll sketch pad fuII of

careful n o tq s o n h o rv to b e a ggog lxgdel. ' r Ahvays seen ver y fr lendl y toggr d.

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

flowlng femlnlne penmanshlp, thoirgh, emphasizedthe characterlstlcs of her

s t r o n s a n d stu b b o rn h e a d .stro ng ways. Vlr ginia had too nuoh m oney on hand.

to soend, to stay ln one ldle place very long uns Just too borlng. She hail

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.

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 and. hand-

wrltten lega1 wtlls ( or last testaments) fllled one coraer of the narrow tln

box. These nunerous'rIast wlLls'r staeked hlgh aloni'rrith femlnlne serlbble,

at tines 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

toaC of an unly prlnco Otto gets nothlne from ny estate, should. I go flrstl'r

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 w l l - Ir f

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 or her beloved father

from an lnherltance ln case of her untlmely death. Yet, tbey too possessed

weaLth alreaily equal to hers. The brlef wtlls also exc]uded, ln the heat

o f l n t e n s e B n g e r o ve r th e ye ar s, whatever thus- and.- so husband she had at that

tlrne from lnherltlng anythtng, tf she dld. unexpectedly' 0f course, vlrglnla

Klr k w o u l d re l n sta te th a m a l l soon after war ds once the an8er hail c eas ei l to

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 box lndlcated'.
run tts
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
w e L l - u s e d w e a p o n o f m o n e y vras evoked often by t\tzy vlrglnla'
old. a n d .

learned i-nereasingLy from u6ltten secrets lnside the tin box'

Taylor /Fowlke Pege 66

OLd welL-used passports lay ln a plIe, heaped almost, ln one corner of

the treasure-laden tln box. Portralts, all of them taker over the many d.e-

c a d , e so f t r a v e l l n g abroad., created. a plctorlal essay of Vlrginlars fast-paced

llfestyte. Flrst, a faded. plcture of a teenager, a wlll-of-a-wlsp chlldhood

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

en o u g h a p p n a rl n g n L a i l ytf a s l t v;er e, tr ying to hang- on to a fad.ed y ounger

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

dressed look which most Soutti Fowlkonlans knew as the typlcal "Vlrglnla Klrk

look.t The Iast plcture was old before ltstlme, enaclateil, becauss of a

richty 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 at both ends. "$her?

fltckered flguratlve)"y by ln the plctorlal passports, vlsas seen too, all

lald to rest next to her llfet s many crulses and sood tlme adventures. l'fost

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 was next dispLayed. gr aphlcai- Iy w l thl n

the ttn box on the orlglnal and detalted archlteoturaL ilravrings. Her father

had hlred an ftalian arohltect to desl.gn and,personally rebutld the old part

a fine estate house. The o1;ulenc e of a I

of t h e o r l g ln a L co u n try h o me lnto

famlry llfestyle was told ln the lenp;thy ltst of furnlshlngs lncruded

lavlsh
A casual glance though verlfled the extenil of
on an lnsurance consist.
throughout the flne house. The carpets were tllgg-Uggggtv
th^ rloh furnlshlngs
oil paintln6' " 's by ol d
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
on the walLs. Anil the wallpaper w as F r enoh
Du t c h m a s t e rs stre w n p ro fu se l y
of sterrlng slrver, stll-l
vervet. 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-fashlon-
Never 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 P age 57

wa s n o w a ] l vl n g mo n u n n e nat u seum to a r r yayof ltfe 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 Klrkr s only place o,f residence. Far

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 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. And Virglnia also had scribbl-ed lnterestlng menos about

her encounters wlth other wrlters 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- o4Qggr ter tt ls r lher e Vlr glnla flr st m et author

Tennessee \tfllllans as she llked to phrase lt on her aglng note pads, found

alnost htdded away deep lnslde that tln box. And that New OrLeans cottage

was vrhere she heLd'tcourtt v r h e nr e l a t l n g her vlgnettes about Tennessee1''Il1-

Llams for the press. VlrE.lnla Ktrk had often sald that she',vas the composlte

lnsplratlon for al-I the exotlc u t c m e nl n t h e f a m e d T e n n e s s e e t Y l l l l a m s r p l a y s .

Thus, Vlrglnla Klrk herself was an ltem, of sorts, rvhatever that meantr by

lri the old

the press releases lncluded here ln the oLd tln box. There, also,
was where she had' net and had drunk a toast to
heart of the {Lggch jggflsg'

? 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 l n

"Tlmmle
alnost faded'-outr due to
l,oulslana. A cencelled cheok with the Large sum

paperssqueezedtogetherforyearslnsldethetinbox'borethenanoetfJlmnle
o'd tr av e-
as 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 P age 68

Iogues contlgecd to faLL fron the little box corners, revealtng but scant

fragraenteil pleces of her col-orful, 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

not worth a hll-L of beans accordlng to the standard,s llved ln South Fow1ke.

Further scrutiny revealed her full ldentlty as belng Nora 0tBrlen, the r-rane

be l n g a l m o st va € l u e l y l n se rte d by a l"ocal sj- ghtseer er wlshlng to s et the r e-

cord stralght for the strangers vlsltlng t h e m u s e u m - h o m e p l , a c eN

. ora was or

had been Vlrglnlars llfelong travellng 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 ,

strange as that fact nlght seem at flrst observatlon. Thelr frlendshlp be-

came more evldent after readlng addltlonal notes and.uncoverlng generous

canceLed bank notes or cashlerrs checks to tlte ilNora 0rBrlen aeoount.n Nora

had been a part-time maid servant and personal conpanion to the old Klrk

fanl)-y when ln resldence back at the Amarlllo ranch. Consequently, she was

o rd e r e d a r o u n d . Ju st l l ke a fa vor ed menlal sor t of slave glr l" or l ndentur ed.

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 , Judglng

from the numerous annotatlons lndlcated fron the long hand of both these

geekers of the good.ltfestyle. Vlrglnla generously pald for all thelr trlps

a b r o a d t o g eth e r a n d o f co u rso bought all the ol- othes for the socl al engage-

ments, choostng all d.eslgner gowns wtth exactly the rlght decoLl"etg. Those

o1d pald-tn-fu}l recelpts stacked hlgh lndeed lnslde the pretty tln box.

Nora had certalnly 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

Vlrgtniars soclal whlrl Llfe around the world in hlgh style'

Norar s own soclal life certaLnly eeened equal to Vlrglnlat s at first

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 s ha ppl nes s or

o f ml n d a t the ttm e. The two hail been fr lendr y c or npanl 0ns

wh a t e v e r h e r sta te
the soclal olrcult wlth a
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. In

Tay)-or/Fowlke Page 69

fact, Norets own hand.wrltten note of condolence to the family helrs, few as

they were, lap on top of the oLd canceled lnvoices that had pald her way alJ-

those many years. I could alnost hear the echo of Norar s hurtlng, grlevlng

v o l c e r e a d . l n g l ts o n n d re a ry doldr um s of a nessage fr on the car eful l y c ut

pa g e s t h a t ha d sa ve d . th e sa d clness untll now for all to r eail. She al v r ay s

spoke of Vlrglnlats demlse with a qulver ln her voice-a qulver on the verEe

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

that alvnys soundedtlred-out, Llke a run-down vocal muslo box tecordlng on

a scratchy tape or worr-out maln sprlng. $he also looked llke she sounded:

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

belng chronlcall-y deJected when vlewlng thelr pltlful countenance next to

Vtrg|nLat s. IIer droll-, spoken vrords projected that same somber lnpnesslon

e v e n m o r e vtvl d l y w h e n p l a yl n g the o1d cassette tape of lr Tor ats vol c e fr om

the heavy laden tln box that s e e m e df u l L o f e n d . L e s st l d - b l t s of a fLensey

Ilfe spent in pursuit of the good llfe all over the world.
'nach
sonber word that Nora clellvered had an echolng grief about oLd

Vlrgtnlar s death. Nora spoke of slneere truths as tf postertty should know

sorr*thlng real and profound about thls mlstress of hers. Memorles from Norats

n e 1 . a n c h o l y v o l o e a d d . e d t. o t h e e e r l e m o o d o f t h e m u s t y n o t e s s t l l l " lnslde the

tln box. I{er duly noted memorleswere chocked full of the endless Latln

Lo v e r s o r ca g a l l e l g q € a s sh e l- tked to call then. vlr glnla had spons or ed' m any

ln the Unlted States by

South Amerlcan r1enover the yea1s for cltlzenshlp
good' she bought the last
buylng then new cars so they could set around real

a new pontlac grande prlx, accordtng to somecancelLed

Lattno of her llfe

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 Fage 7O

fcr what they oan get fron a rich brmd,n Vlrglnla was often quoted by Nora

on the soratchy tape recordlng. 0ther netnos lnslde the tln box lndlcated as

much and more. The two lad,les often consoled each otherts indlscretionso The

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 , secret,

from the worlilts ever watchfuL eye lnslde the orante tln box.

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 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 ilasspor ts. The faded. l nage of

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 of lat e, but not

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 c am er a

c o u l d c a t c h so q u l ckl y l n a per nanent fasfiion. Her long str lngy hal r w as

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 . The moodcreated by Norat s voloe was further

controtled by the way her 1lps appeared: thlck, that woulil allow only words

t o s l o w l y r o1 1 fo rth o r se e mlngly Just faLl out. She looked and s ounded.Il k e

a m o v l n g w al l l n g t/\q l l o f p e rs onlfleil lamentatlcn when speaklng ab out dear

Vtrglnlars death. Nora dld not use euphenlsmsto mask her own mournlng.

N o r a f s mo u rn fu L vo l ce spoke weakLy llke a r edundant r ecor dlng fr om an

ag e d t a p e wo rn b e yo n d e n d u ra nce ltseLf. She heaved.haavy gulps of ox y gen

lnto her speech so full- of lull-s. Al-I her efforts to speak seemedLlke run-

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.

Norarg recordlng also d.escrlbed a laet vlslt to the Rlver Front Blstros
' r vl r gl nl a c oo-
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.

you knowr* oontrnued the carefulry ne*sured' word's of

s u r . t e d .a n a s t r o r o g e r ,

theadorlngNora.n'Aosnnameit?auLfromAlberta,canaclaalwaysneetsher
T a yl o r / F o w l k e Page 71

rtHeCoegntt
there ln fabul-ous San jlntonlo for a readln6:r'r droned liora.

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 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

reallzatlon of her sltuation [ow. A ].ater investlgatlon of the telephone

blLl rev^aled ths t Vlrgtnla conversed by the hour wlth Paul ln Canada; hang

the exnense that poor lTora so d"readed,now that Vlrglnla was dead and the

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 rlver-

walk theatre n 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

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 or so

PauL madeVlrginla belleve. Paul had chartered. her l-ast read.lng wlth even

better flnanclal saj.ns proJected; he always left the gratulty fee entlrely

to Vtrglnlaf s good graces, Pault s la st read.lnt foreto ld lronlcall"y that

Vtr g l n l a w ou l d ma rry a g a l n w lthln slx alonths of that neetlng.

The reed.lngs always went well, charmlng and.conf ld"entlal, 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 ebuL-

Ilence changeit soon when the men of her Life besan to gather llke vultures.

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 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 the baR guys. I)avLCalread.y keeos ny check

book and bills Ln order. I need a eood man to g,rlde or herd my llfe along.n

Vlrginla w o u l d a l vra ys sa y a l L thts whtle shaklng her head ln dou btfuL s el - f

approval whtle stllt lettlng read.y to go out on the town wlth her suys'
gestur e of aFr eem ent to that l dea'
N o r a a l so a l ,a ra ys n o d .d e d.her tr anqull
and' bore through any
Nora's druppy-fluid 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, Nor af s gr ief and loyal- ty end.ur ed the

test of tlme. Slgns of ltrorafs lovlng handlwork were seen everywhere ln the

tin 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 box ln the first pLace. Not one hand.vrrltten

wtll 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 scrawl. Not one penny

to her name dld Nora get for all her ccncern. Yes, nary one red cent was

left to the genulnely bereaved but loyal Nora, who was buried however in

the Klrk family plot there on the estate.

And then, a wlde-penneil bereft 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

bottom of the pretty tln box, ileady but deepl-y-wlde lnky strokes appeared

as though dashed fron a pen with a gold pclnt. It was slgned frorc Pri-nce
' ,\Ilesbaden. The autoc r atl c
0t to r , ' , TI {T o he n zo L l e rn to B a ro ness Von F.lchthone

contents contalned chlt chat about personaL health and a stay ln a hospltal,

fuII of tid blts that onl"y a royal personage to another of hlgh rank would

wrlte f or publtc show. The slgnature was so Large that l"t took half the pase.

T61s posted letter fron a seenlngly real prlnce slared lts droll message

for the ages to reail. The enptlness between each wlde-stroked lettering on

the page left a p u r z l e d - s p a c e d - o u t f u n p r e s s l o n . A n d s u c h a m u n C a n el e t t e r !

It was meant tc be lmpresslve, to be read.by Just the rlght lntendeil pCIrsorlr

Thls princely correspondence ended rtght there. Not a royal word more was

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 to uneover more personal sentl-

nent from tbls rrtoad of a pr1nce ottott falled.. But another hand-serawled

had once aqaln onltted otto

,rlast l-egal will,t ln pencll was nearby. vlrginla

angrlly f r o m h e r p ro p e rty se ttlem ent 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 to the royal letter'
The angry notatlon was attached vla
Ta.vlor /Fowlke Pag.e73

S h e l n d n e i l h a d .a r o y a l flt, Ylrglnla then Gnce again personally C.isposed.

cf aI1 her pri.celess art objects that 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 .

, Sh eh a d s i n p l y th ro i .m th e n a 'dm y- deshed into the gar baae bln ln a fl t of

anser, ra€ie unlike no cther. But the brlef certlfled ocdlcil to her l-egal-

wtll s h o w e d ,n a l l e e o f f o r e t h o u g h t . Ylrslnla dl-sinherlted her Prince Otto by

proxy-llke a substitute vooiloo efflgy that got hlm squarely where he llved,

ln her pocketbcok. The false h u s b a n d ,w a s n e x t c c n d . e m n e db y h l s o w n w o r d s l

the verbage urasthen found etched lnto ep!.stLes whlch Virglnla had also kept

stored carefully ln the bottorn layer of the tln box-hldden from view t111

after the tlne of her death.

These once seoret scriptlve letters were very offlelal and were sent

by w o r l d g ove rn ro e n ts fro m a far , They each r ecor d.eil the de,ceptlo n by thi s

frauil cf a nprlnoert Otto who traveled incognlto, as he had wlseLy excused.

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 fear of belng swanped for autogr aphs ,

when 1n reallt.y h e ' , r , ' . l aosn t h e l a n f r o n a u t h o r i t t e s all across Surope. Al-l

was totd ln the offlcial d o c u m e n t st h a t exposed thls lnposter. The New 0r-

lea n s p a p e rs w e re fu l -I o f su ch em har r asslng headllnes, nam lng na m es . T he

tttle rfPrinoess'rHIlzabeth Vlrginla 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

p a g e s ; o l d g o ve rn rn e n t d o o .u rnents*choed the sam e r etr al br lef tltle fr or c thel r

legal roster of most wanted crimlnals ln the botton restlng pl-ace of the

tln box. These legal papers rsere all that Vlrginla Ktrk had l-eft or had careil

to save, from the bogus ?rlnce Qtto story book marrlage of herg'
Vlrglnlaf s more l-egal
The ? r i n c e O t t o s o a n d a J -w 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 Fege 7l+

or medical reports fllled thls l - a . v e rw i t h the bogus prlnce story. Ylrginla

h a d t r i e d . t o e s c a p C It h e p r l n c e s c a n i l a l s t l g m a t h r o u g h s u b l l n a t l o n into food,

and heavy drlnk, She becane a mcagured tlppler and a coropulslve sraoker. Vlr-

ginlats smoirlnghablts lncreased and gr6w wlth the futurets hard enotlonal

tlmes when nore false lorrers ccntlnued. to ply thelr trade on her. Ylrginla

c h a l n - s m o k e d .t t t l the years passed ln a puff of a huff, glvlng herself em-

p h " y s e r nbay a g e s l x t y - s e v e n s o l n t e n s e , 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 pro-

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 that also put Vlrglnla regu-

J-arly lnto the nedlcal center for a dall,y check-up.

Althcrrgh the nedical records tvere recent to the tlrne of her death,

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

box and next tc the Prince Otto delusion events. Vlrginla had vrished, for

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

of h e r b o g u s p rl n ce o I h e r sever e health pr oblems to anyone ln $ outh F ow l k e.

'flrginta couldnrt breathe easily as all her frlends and acqualntances

notlced, but had never nentloned pubIlcall-rr. Constant ned,lcal attentlon had

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

had startecl the d.ecLlne of the beauty queen. Vlrglnla of later Just prlor

tc her deroise, been under regu).ar or constant medlcal observation aecordlng

to her case hlstory computerized prlnt-out ln the tin box. The last years of

had been spent as afi outpatlent ease. vlrglnia always adn0ltted her-
her llfe
Tay )-or /F owlke Page 75

seLf lnto t h e B i A T o w n Me th o d.lst Hospltal Complex on a l' { onday m or nl ne for

a conplete physlcal exaroinatlon of the weekendrs wear. By Frlday, t'hough,

as u s u a l - t r f l ss Y l rg i n l a g o t a weekend.m edlcal pass to go home to her v er y

fashlonable Big Town htghrlse resialence at 2AI5 tr{aln Street. Her Jet-setter

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 naturally were as bugy as she was llvlng thelr Sood

fast tlmes llves to the htlt. The penthouse vlew of the Big Town nlght llfe

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

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 the s nar t

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 ,

and kept her gregarlousness under close convivlal observatlon; courtlng her

every wlsh about town and lnto the beautlful peoplet s nlght tlne llfestyle.

This llvely ritual'uent-on every weekendln an effort to forget strlct cloc-

tors's 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

walting for the grfun reaper to clalm her corpulent body as the next casual-

ty tc the excesses of success. She was too actlve to lle stl1l and thus not

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

eLse she rnlght be residlng tlll the end of her tlme cameabout.

Tlme ltself victlmlzed Vlrglnla when she ehecked lnto the hospltal every

few dals, expecttng somemlracle cure at the last momentJust to wash away

the tllness o r ma l .a d y o f h e r llfe. !{ er llfe 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 F aee 76

al"l o v e r t o r trn o n F rl d a y e ve n lng, beglnnln€; at the r evclvlng r estaur ant htgh

above town skyltne. Thls was her favorlte best place since she was v"ell-known

an d t h u s l y ca te re 'l to e ve ry whlm . Vlr glnla and her gay night cr or ud.pai nted

the tcwn 3s{-6unclng fools they were all nlghtr usually for such a slc}t gal.

She was usually seen hlgh all over the Btg Tswn clty scene, happy ancleare-

free-appearlng, so ln characier as she was aptLy lncllned. to be. Vlrglnla

paid Cearly for all her treats out on the town, vrlth the fast crowd.

She generously treated. her ycunfi slngled-out dance partners, to whone

she referred as her ttgay dandleg,'r Virglnla g}adly paid thelr way ln full.

The dance partners escorted. her all o v e r t o w n a n C .l a t e lntc the wee hours.

Ha n d s o m e l y se e n l th e l n p e rl a l duo d.ancedever yvr her e that the sr nar t s et w oul i l

d , a r e g o , e v e n s o m e t l n o e si n t c the less elegant dance halls for the queens of

BIE Town society. 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

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 the breathless tlmes thls last

nlght of her llfe, And like a palr of almost vlrgln qlueens, she and her

single dance partners l:Iayed out thelr eager rush upon the gaiety of the

lastlng nlght. Thelr orvnldentity ming}ed, a rudely-forced gaiety, lnto the

sporting fun nlghtspots of all the fast Lane plaoes.

The niq,htspots covered the gloom that hung heaviJ-y over Vlrglniars eb-

blng holC on l-lfe. S h e s e e m e dt o f o r g e t a l l the unpleasant past tlnnes and

?ven ceased to dread the lmpendlng docn; all thls vras learned from a glary

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 her

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

gay
Bt g T o w n . V l rg i n l a Ju st d a n ced avr ay her o1d car es in the newly f ound

times of her llf e-the trlals and tribulatl0ns becomlng alnless ccncerns.

to the acid tong'ue criticlsm of

$he no longer responded wlth open hostlllty
Tay lor /Fowlke Paae 77

her fast lane llf estyl-e. Vi.rginia had e}vrays eoveted a long sclmitar tongue

reeponse, sworn to vengeancewhen put to the verbal nateh. Trul.y a ravlng

beauty aptly reputed, Yirglnta coulC ut.ter four letter Anglo-Saxon eplthets

with the best of them, and fester, putting salty sallors to shame'

f i o s a lty-to n su e d r'.ra nth cugh vr - asever her ver bal match when put to tl :.e

test. 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 guttural verblage;

thelr s t y l - e C j . d ,h o w e v e r , d i f f e r beoause Vlrglnia vtas more dlrect, earthy and

loud-nouthed, hcnest to a faul"t. Ylrglnla vras so unlike her fast-talklng

sibllng Genleva Klrk Brooks. Thc sister, Genieva Kirk Srooks, $tas the self-

proclalnred. IocaI moralist who censored bookstore pornography bI'reading aloud

the snutty passares at Rlq Town and South Fow1ke elty councll meetlngs. The

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 vrords ln publlc to ealL

attention to thelr Clsriustlng pr.sence vrlthln the clty limlts of her dear

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 Cuty. Yl"rglnla and

Genieva no longer alred thelr dlfferences ln publlc or fron the loftlest

pulplt. Virginla was too busy llvlng all the graphlc words rather than talk-

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 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

nidntght skyll.ne. Vlrglnla vras very good at thumbing her nose at a1l crltl-

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 . She used body languafae

responses, also, often crude, to lgnore the publlc opposltlon to her fast

llfe s t . v l e 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

fast 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

partners wlth even more gooc tlmes and especlatly dld Jlm Bob Pease
tolerant
He vrasher cousln, only maLehelr' to be enamored
eet the best reward of all.
Ta y l o r / F o w l ke Pane 78

al'nays by her sophisticatlon and allrrlng style of 1-lvlng l-lfe dengerously.

IIe adored.thls third 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 and dld not attend very aany of the dance hall

fllngs that hls merry cousin Vlrginla flung herself lnto. B u t n e v e r w o r d .o n e

Cld he express about her behavlor to have fun at the expense of local inores,

and. thls tol"erance galned hln the entlre estate whlch the lntolerant kln hed

lost by speaklng thelr mlnd openly against cousln Virglnla Klrk, 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

frcm llfers storehouse of Joys, vras the wordlng cf the last will and testa-

m e n t f r o m V l rg i n l a K l rk. V i rglnla was tlr eless pleasur e per ggn€led_w hen s he

set her mlnd to lt. She had an unquenchable need to be seen ln publlc and

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 . It becamean

obsesslon over the years and she was lndeed the orlglnal good.-tlme g1r1.

But at thls cne last d , a n c eo f h e r s l c k l y llfe at the stroke of nidnlght, she

suddenly tlred, on the ballroom floor. U s u a L l - . yd . a n c i n g h e r e l t l f l e d cabaLl-eros

half to death, she had nade her final gay "razoo'r out c:l the towtr wlth a

qulck entrance lnto all her favcrlte dance hal-ls. But thls l-ast dash to flnd

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 hour, l€ft her exhausted earIy.

Suddenly, she took an even llteller exlt for hcme durlng thls last big tlme

fling of her llfe. Breathless, Vlrgl-nla had inslsted on golng home very

e a r l y a n d b e fo re th e w l tch l n g hour had even r ea} ly begun. She lr v asw or n- out,

the flrst ttme ln her fast Llfe. Virglnla was dead tlred on
burned"-out, for

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 Page 79

lnstead. She',€s too flesty to allow a deathbed to be her flnaL 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 about the seandal of

the bogus prlnce affalr seened to suin lt al-I up for thls beauty queen, ]'lven

the nusty smell cf the pretty tln box held a llngerlng essence of the now

departed Vlrginla Ktrk. A smaLl srratoh of onee elegant clothing was spread.

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 the town red ln her own true style, or at least had dled"t

tttlgg to stueco lt atl back to her former gLory ln a pucn sequlned d,eslgner

gown. The torn sequlned swstch of red materlal had been taken fron the loeked

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

f ro n r h e r l l mo u sl n e to th e l vl < J.edouble door s; she had Looked llke death r .r y ar m e

over. But she lad made lt back inslde her manslon door before collapslng

avoidlng a publ.lc catastrophe of falllng d o v r no n a t a b l e . Slowly, she slld

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 earth3-y act.

Her last gasp of breath came weakLy a*ethe rattle-of-death Save one

exhaustlrre and.fatal call on d"eaf ears. Her flnal but muffled yell
short,
clad cabarrero lover-eseort lf
ccurd easrly have been heard by the festlveLy

onuhehad.}ingered.amomentlongerattheglrellrg,shutbutunlockeddoor.
Tay Ior/tr'ow1ke Page 80

Vlrglnla lay dylng alone inslde her elegant mansion doorvray. A team of

medlcs found her nueh later the next day, stll"l- all dressed-up and flt-to-

k111. $tone cold, and starlns dead ahead, she was dlscovered all proppeil

up backwards b,y the sash on her own d.oor stoop, i-nslde though.

The lninitable Vlrglnla Elizabeth Klrd dled as dramatlcal3.y as she had

l|ved. - 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 beflttlng tlie beauty queen she

always was. fn her ownvJay, Vlrglnla Klrk gas regal, at l-east as a genulne

social-butterf 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

there" But llfe r ' , r a sn o t a l w a y s f a i r with lts fated appointnents of her

earthly experlenc€s. Tn eonpasslonate retrospect, perhaps Vlrglnla nllssbeth

Klrk was not even entirely 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

memorlaLgttlL haunting her splrlt-es the prtncess who never qulte was.

The Klrk r n a n s l o nw a s n o w t h e l l v l n g m u s e u mo r o n l y m e m o r l a l t h s t 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 l n a d v e r s e r . r o r do r d e r a t t h a t .

C o u s l n J l m B o b ? e a s e r n r a st h e o n l y r e a s o n t l u t the trlbute exlsted. He took

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 rvlth lt, by belng able to hock the land

and ptedge the stock certlflcates for cash to bulld the new lndustrlaL op-

portunltles that were ccnrlnfl to South Forlke. 3'16Bob had allovred realtor

FIadi.s Senesohal to get the cred.lt as havlnq flnanced the proJeets that im-

proved the quallty cf ltfe ln South Fowlke.

Jlm Bob had authcrlzed funCs for each pro.Ject that Fladls Seneschal

had convenlentl-y found enclrgh f lnanctng to gat aceompllshed. Thls secret

was kept ttll the cay thet FLadls anil $lster -b'Iedls themselves l-eft tcmln

when JfunBob gct ready hlmseLf tc ternlnate thelr special relatlonshlp from

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

be scene ln the oonpany of the power ellte of the four states area, Just as

h l s d e a r d . e a dc o u s l n V l r g t n i a KIrk had onoe been lnvlted to every famtly

shlndlg. Vtrgl"nla got tlred of belng used in thls soelally accepted way so

s h e b e c a m ea j e t - s e t t e r , to escape the burd.encf havlnn to be better than

yourself wanted to be. flm 3ob was no dlfferent. He was nore llke hls

l o n g d " e a dc o u s j . n V i r g t n t a Ktrk than all the other kln. They wanted to be

allowed to be themselves-or to [g 6s-as the dearly departed Cousln Vlr-

ginla Klrk so often said. trlm Bob used the excuse of a blg deal ln the

m a k l n g s o r n e w h e r el n 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 ob-

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 Page 82

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 associateii

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 . This branchwater lnternarriage would

perhaps be an ldeal merser of the fanoily rosources; evzlryonewoulil be well

acquainted and thus easily 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

de a l , , v l t h a fo re l g n fl rm. N o d.elays would cause a l"oss of opportunl ty r qr hen

all the good-friendly oouslns made the blg deale anyway; thls nepotlsm did

not bother foreign lnvestors or the looal power structure. Jin Bob Just ac-

cepted hls fate to attend the wedd.ingas part of maklng a good lnvostnent

ln a fut,.ue buslness deallng. "rlm Bob rode to the fannlly weddlng barbecue
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 f r o n e o u s i n D a p h n a fs c l a s s l c car collection to cone holoe

earJ.y tf he got b.ored. Besid^es,he carrled a beeper as an excuse for belng

pa g e d f o r 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.

leaving a p a rty w a s th e easy par t for Jlm Bob, Havln5r to put- up w l th

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

c o u p e d - u p l n a o a r w i t h l 1 l a b l " ea n d J o d y l 4 l L l s . Thls ride to the country estate

down ln CaJun country on the bayous near New Orleans would be a long and in-

fcrmatlve 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.

rtFor goodness sakes, that formal l-nvltaticn d . o e s ntf r e a l l y mean ,"4et

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 as she tossed" the env el ope on

the vinyl d.ash of the speedlng csrr

,roh, [{abe baby, the DuPree fanlly Just wants us all to share a nlce

b a c k y a r c t g a th e rtn g ; th e fa n cy stuff !s for the blg shot show cf the w eddl ng

Jody:l'{111s'
that will 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 Page 83

tlons for just a pool slde plcnlc ls no small potatoes stuff, nct by the

stretch of the wild.est inaginatlon, will Daphnanot put-on-the-ilog," further

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 d.ow n

here ln deep CaJun Loulslana countryr{ patlentl"y explalneii Jody slowl-y.

' t T h a t e n g ra ve cl l n vi t may have salat Rever end and iltr s. Jody tr dl l l s - s om e

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 dlsgusted,.

"0h, cone off t h e h l g h h o r s e , n o w , l l a b L e B a b y r y o r l s h o u L d n rt m l s t r u s t

suoh genorosity by the local gentryrtt urged Jody wlth lntenslty.

'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

d e a r r i l r t r o c k e dM a b I e w l t h p l o u s d l s g u s t .
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 ; 9he r l s Ju st w h a t f would llke to do to that holty- tolty D aphna

Dell DuPree; she wl1I nlt-plck rne to death and then neck wlth you 1-tke

always nhen she can by ea1-llng you Brother Jody l'fills, her favorlte preaoher

Ban of alL time. f,ust you walt and see. You know heg deslgns on you never

e n d . , e v e n a fte r sh e ma rri e d .rn lnf or m ed l\labe wlth satlsfactlon at hav l ng

sald the truth as ehe turned to look baok at Jlm Bob who remalned qulet.

th e l tve l y of Daphna; she nr akes lots

1r ,,ays of fol k s ner v ous
"y o u n l sta ke
so don,t gat upset by the smaLl stuff,fi advlsed.Jody with more of a request

to the tone of hls volce.

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 P age 8l +

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 adnltted Jody wlth a stuilied look on hls

face, 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

you d.ontt want to 6;o gcmewhere,llke nowrrf confessed Jody wtth a forced

tltter to hls serious volce.

t t Y o u pre a ch e r g u ys a tl d,r lve Li.ke 600- a r eal heller on whe eLs to get

lt 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 laughed. l tT abl e

wit h h e r o wn se rl o u s to n e to the fr lvollty of the statenr entr as s he tur ned,

t o w t n k a t Jl m B o b vri h ow a s reaalnlng qulet ln the back seat.

tfllcwr nowr oV dear l ,,fa ybeBaby- 1 have to be fast to m eet al l - the deai l

llnes that come upr and people ilo notlee when a man-of-the-eloth so to speak

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 n o ed r l v e , some,

Just fcr 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
all
of had,es, or to r.aake hell break loose when you finally {g eet there,'?

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 that

she otherwise would nct have spoken except tn Jest.

rtl,re1l, Bt Least you can stlll turn a Joke even wlth the sour Erlns.

$o p l e a s e @ b e fu n n y-h a -h a thlg 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
and slnlster deternlnatlon ln her low vooal re sponse'
f lrm convlctlon
! r ' , r Ye n e a 1 | th e maln gates tbat should" be over the nex t hl tl
a r e g e ttl n g
 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 volce and also full of flrm resolve.
i l T d . o n tt Ju st th l n k; 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 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 stlLl 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;

what eLse can a poor, meek preacherr s wife do but grin and bear lt when the

rlc h h l g h - a nd -rn l g h ty L a u d l t over ue," adnltted ltfable wlth r esign.

f t B e a g o o d rrl fe a n d o p e n the gates, my Iuv; we nust be ear ly and. the

flrst or else the last ones that they gave up on and thus closed the gatesrrt

beseeched trody wlth a favor-asklng tone to hls purrlng.words"

ItThe gates are stlll 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 that cland.estlne work you d.c for Daphnaafter all. Itf s cnly the angle

of the glarlng sun that makes the gates look shut to yor," stated lt{able with

sarcaso under her breath for Jlm Bob not to hear lf he really was asleep as

h e s e e m e dt o b e d o z l n g - o f f .
'rYeahr Vorl are rlqht. Cantt mlss seelng the blggest entrance 6ates ln

the whole state,ft adrnlrtngly comnentedJod.ywith heightened splrits to hls

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 notlce. But the blggest

pls c e l n t h e p a ri sh w l th F l e ur de lls all over the lr on wor k- and ther er s

t h e f t n e e s ta te n a me i n b i g Letter s under the nossr t' shr leked' lr rl abl ew i th a

happler tone to her reslgned' d'esperatlono

the nex t 9 m l l ee
f M a r n al so n , t6 8 5 . A n d the sweeplng Sr ounds 8o on for
Tay 1-or,/Fowlke P age 86

a s s w a m p yt e r r a i n 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 used to be lJal-malson

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 $cottlsh Mar r he r l tage of

the Pease famlly roots. llven the house ltself has been re-done by IIfrR,'t added

I t la b l e w i t h a sl u r o f o b se rva tlon with a hlnt of envy.

[ 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

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 sage; I' lllpe the s tr eak s

o f m . o s sw 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 vlne at

Least one nightshade jfunpson ttlLy, even though that trunpet lasts only a

ni.ghtr,n quoted Jody wlth flrm convlctlon that somepertlnent truth exlsted,

f or all o f th e n l n th cse sta teC. ' ' ,' ,Ior ds.

"0h, Jody, donrt say thet eerle poetic stuff; I get all seared around

thts spooky place. The old twisted trees meet over the canopy lane all the

way to the manslon, such a ghastly feellng; f get the heebie-Jeebles here,

such a funny shiverlng place llke thls could get to a dreamer Llke Your

too, if you are not careful. Do promlse to stay close and be next to me

a ll the tlne at th l s 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

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 of deep despalr. Just thlnk about

all the restoration that had.to be done to nake thls old place l-ooirthe way

it d o e s n o w . ft vra s l n ru l n s unttl Du?r ee lTnllmlted BullCer s r ebul l t the

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 of the h ous e v l as

llved-ln, so thlnk about that tldbtt of

hardly presentable yet was still

esoterie trlvia 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 FaEe 8J

'rBut atl this serene appearlng beauty hides the real wlld.erness hos-

ttlity under the surface, Just 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

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 place when the house wes let

decay lnto 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 do b s e r -

vatlon about the obvious truths.

'tThe old. place Just rotted. down sinee 1685 because of its age belng

aIl used upl the fanily resldents were accustomed to seelng the gradual

decay that Just dld not look so bad until everycne else dled and Daphnavrent

off to fhibodaux College, only to return to a seemlngLysudd.enlyfallln6-

down honesteadrfr explalned,Iody with sudden lnslght or tour gulde enthuism

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 as a rock and pretty as it over

was when the very first DuPree bullt lt. 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

he a cousin or Just plaln l n c e s t ? " l n q u l r e d l * t l a b l ew l t h sudden lnterest, ln

gory rletalls about the cne she disllked and envied.

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-

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 ynat 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 €loes wi- th the fanl l y

aeg;isr'r lectured Jody wtth a rlch laugh.

ilAnd, I bet, that ls why poor olC rKarhLt always says DuPree as though

mu n b l t n g I do -p ra yr l l ke he is in a stor m y wlnd. calllng on God to s av e ev er y -

one fron perdltlonr" proJeeted Mable vrlth understand and wonderment'

'Everyone has parked under that far stanil of old rlveoaks. iihy, therers

the only known octoroons left on the

old tssie Dee and Aeschines-theyrre
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 Page 88

ttf,ody, donft you Just trorluv mer right here and then forget aI1 about me

fcr the rest of the evenlng like you usually do. Donrt Leave me alone 8[5r-

where on thls haunted house place-p1ease, not alone tvlth Alcos, that hal"f-

m a n s o n o f l g l g rff p L e a d e d .l ,'lable again being scar ed of thlngs.

ttT have hal-f a nrlnd to pretend. you dld not say that-Just you forget

about the past and let yourself enJoy the fanrlly &et-together for orc€r

Act your age for 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 and.fiery

venon ln hls eyesr 8s they all got out of the autonoblle.

r r J l m B o b n e e d . sa l i t t l e more considerationr" u r g e d .i l T a b I e s u d d e n l y

turnlng to the very qulet klnsman.

, D o n rt b r l n g m e l n t o thls snake ptt cf pithy retorts about eech othert s

past quarrels conring to a head here on top of me; f can get aII of thls I

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 Fledis is on the prowl.

I{able, you and she are very nuch allke; you shoul-dm
. e e t s o m e t l m e r t tr e c o m -

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 to the surprlsed I'tlable.

' r 1 r ' , ' e 1 1l o, o i < w h o l s a l l bltchy fr om a sunny nap ln the car o r ar e y ou

Just natural}y thls crnery a3-l the tlme and we d.onrt know your true self?'r

querled the agrvated !{able ln response to belng aptly descrtbed,.

'rldo, I .1ust see you as the model for Slster Fledls that everycne back

ln $outh Fowlke ls so anxlous to neet when you are the orlglnal copy that

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 hen f have a good pl C ee

a1va.y

o f m y n r l n d . to g l ve h l rn a n d h is r ough shod" tvaysr t' bemoaned.l,fable w l th a for c ed

sm1le that she usually regerved for Daphna.

nT,et bygones be bygones for a change, &fabLe.... So good tc see ycut

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 Page 89

"Glad you could;nake lt 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, both polk and beef. 0h, would you help me with the lce,

Srother Jcdy? And l,llable, dear, take that pl"atter of ravr meat steaks on out

t o r o o o r Ka r h l -I d o kn o w h o vr to pr efer er llled steaks to the conm on oLd.

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 everycne

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 taklng Jody by the

arrn amld [fablef s glarlng looks.

t t ' , ' , l e L.l. . of ccurse 6s usualr't res;londodl'lable, hcldlng or bltlng her

t o n g u e a n i l th e n tru d g l n g to vnr d the smoklng bar becue.

tiOone, come-on, XOUr too ...hurry, now, Jodyltt instructed D a p h n aa s

s h e r u s h e d b a ck to vra rd th e d oor way.

'rDaphna,should we €lo now, so soon after my Just gettlng here?" ln-

quired Jody cautlous)-y.

ilNever too soon, Jody, to get-on wlth lt 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 door for ltttl"e ole ne. Karhl ts so far out back trying to

bultd hls flre 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, Itfable, and take the

other platter of raw neat for 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

bu s y n o v l n g a b o u t b u t h e a d .1 ng,tovr ar d. the spot. near est Jody.

,rJn a sec, anri then l am long gone, DaphnaDe1l", hear-Just cLose the

ne, now, so the screen wtll keep the flles awayrn urged Mable
d.oor after

dr y l y a n d r e sl g n e d ' to th e sa ae old' tlilng'

Tay 1or /Fowlke Paqe 90

'rflhe flles out there to help Karhl cook the steaksr Xet she wants us

to. thlnk or believe nothlng exlsts between her and ny poor old Karhl-; the

Iady doeth protest too much, to quote an old sage or bard. Rut lulableloves

to nake us feel gutl-ty by lnnuendo and she needs somethlng to pray over for

the church mourner bench forglveness sesslonsr'r tlttered D a p h n aw l t h a s m l r k

and shirk of her shoulders.

f i A n d f u ssy t,fa b l -eca n fe el ln her ol/vnelenent of dlstr ess with the

B e a s l e y f a ml l y 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

she feels snug to be puttlng one over on usrn agreed Jody happlly.
l t Y o u s u r e k n o r ^ rh o w t o b e s u g g e s t i v e l - y s a r c a s t l c about my gueststs prl-

vate affalrs 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 you

ra s c a l o f a p re a ch e r-m.a n , X o r r " fur ther teased. Daphna laughlng her tem ptr es g

sniley ' , r a y s th a t w o rke d so w ell on her r inoo

t ' ! ' , ' es h o u l d b e n u ch mo re dlscr eet since we could. be over heard by s om e
nf f ho h{o o"rs that solld'walls do seen to haver'r cautioned. Jody only haLf-

hearttdly 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 bad to f qB!.

t')onrt sweat the small stuff, 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

wlt h t h e s t e a ks l vl th K a rh l -yo u kncw how she ls once she gets go l ng ar ound.

hlm when we are out of ear shot. Besldes, f lnvlteonly guests who all have

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-two-

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 tr ee to ov er -

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 Just llsten to

Karhl gettlng ilIable tc asslst hls cooking at thls nice llttle famlly barbe-
T a y l "o r l F o w l ke PaEe91

cue, sharlng style to be surer'f chuckled Jody so pleaseil wlth hlmself .

Ka r h l w a s a n xl o u s fo r L { abLe to ar r lve and he had ever ythlng r ead.y for

her; they Just enJoyed belng next to one another. They were closet cases,

not all over each other physically but Just lustlng with llcentbus glances

that made them feeL sinful 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

at tfie church.
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 , llke

us," lnstructed Karhl most klndl"y as he took the heavy platter from her.
'rDoeseveryone want cuested I'lable wlth
Just one steak i.r or?t surprlse

at seelng Karhl near the barb'eue plt.

tt0h, you do know everycne here, I belleve?[ responded Karhl easualLy

yrlth an enphasis on the word know as lf lt were slnful to say lt and thus

bad enough to Bet thelr jollles off.

rfllo, not offlclally, 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 .
i l i r , r h y t, h t s ls Utlster Fusterrs wlfe and baby-you know, Daphnats halr-

dresser, the Beasle.y famlly: ArIa Faye and ltttIe Jon Junrlorr" lntrotlueeil

Karhl tc UIabIe wlth hls dellberated 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 .

"& I il l ste r B u ste r? " re j olned 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 that sald

ino l : e t h a n me re w o rd .s. T h e y w er e all br anchwater kln' r hlch meant that a dear

relatlve of thelrs 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 that was Just bought fronr a Texas auctlon near

Fo r t , ' f o r t h o r fro m B u ffa l o a s T do belleve ls actua) "ly wber e the s tud c am e

Tay lorft'owlke Page 92

frcnn orlglnally 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 wants a change of

nace-" remarkedl,llable gcnewhat taken back by all the factual detalLs and

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 enough to trust to be dlscreet.
? r A n dy 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

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 and happily. .

"Oh, Xes, good to meet you all, formall a t l a s t r ' r g u s h e d i l l a b l - ew l t h

eyes rolled toward KarhI and belng busy arranglng the condlments.
I
'rYou wtI} w a n t t o g o s e e t h e n e r , vh 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

tank as the desert ranchers call their water source and then f wlll show you

where my best stock ls ke;'itrn inforned Karhl wlth suCdenlmportance anil ur-

gency to have hls say about sonethlng lmportant for a change. ,

nT suppose so; vre wlII 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
I
clouds are reatly rolllng more and more from the Gulf ; raln Just mi.6ht ruln

her affalr, X€t," s n a p p e d N { a b l ew l t h a s l y s m l l e .

"0r make it, better, l'lable!" retcrted Karhl wlth a very sly grin that

sald nuch nore than hls words.

ttParhaps ... you Co know best about these farm llf e thlngsr" repllod

l r , l a b l er a t h e r q u l c k l y , trylng to keep from belng anxlous.

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 keep then busy

for at least half an hour...wtrll-e they knovl we are safe and far out back

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 '

'riTe1l lf you i-nslst thst the aeat can wait to be put-on the flrer" re-

pli e d & f a b l e l o o ki n g a ro u n d the gr ounds for slgns of other s on the pr ow l or

would-be PeePlng to&s.

Ta yI o r / F o w l k e Page 93

lSut the flre wonrt last long unless the oooking ls started. now; bet-

ter put the steaks on flrst before vte leave to see the sightsrtr instrueted

Karhl- easuall-v with an urgency bull,ting ln hls vocal tone.

n ' , ' u ' e l l ,t h e s t e a k s w l } l Iast, if nothlng else willr" agreed Mable ln an

u n c o n ee r n e d se e n l n g rn o o d .ymanner .

"Nothlng else is as pretty as the view from here to the barn as thls

opportu.nlty tc get together-here, let me place thls flower from the bush

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 .

"The oleanders are forbldden frult llke us that hlde the vievr all- the
'ila y b e y o n i l th e te rra ce frcn the blg house to wher e Jody and Daph na ar e dol ng

their thlng together. 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

well wlth thelr polsonous aroma that lures wlth an unreslstlble urrer'r warned
'lvlable rvtth no real concern to do otherwlse that what she
only half-heartidly

was feellng.
ItThen, we can'uvalk the path hldden fron open view dorryn
the Jo,:anlea

path, belng a llttIe closer togetherril suggested Karhl vlith an alternate

cholce for thelr togethernosso

riBetter walt a rninute, though. Listen, the horses are acting trp-6ottt t

you reallze th a t so me th l n g l s wr cng,? Sounds Ilke tkr at new stud' J us t c anf t

be kept ln hts stall for long at I t l n e r ' f h e e d e d .l l a b l e a s s h e s n e l l e d t h e

flowers near at hand.

'fAlgos ls down there in tbe barn wlth that stalltcn, showlng off to

l'fister Fuster, so they could have possibly distured the anlmal harmonyr'f

explalned, Karhl- rslth deep concern that all was not serene as expected'

? r A 1 c o so a n s u r e l y r o a n a g ea v r i l C b u c k l n r s t a l l l " o n * a stud ls hls spec-

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

h l r e d h a n d s r r ? d e m a n d e dK a r h l l o u d l y rvith frustratlon showlng ccnsternatlon

rather than hysterlcal alarm for hls sonrs safety; he knew what ums happenlngl
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 , Karhlr'f

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.

"Uh, Dad, sorry tc have bothered you or interrupted ycu al-l. llut John,

ah, l,flster Buster, T mean, stunrbled agalnst the stanslon as we were leaving.

llever saw sueh a wtld snortlng, pawlng anlrnal get so exclted and arousedr"

explalned AIcos vrith alacrlty to makehls polnt qulckly.

"Alcos, you smell- l-lke that wlld stud., yourgelf. Do go clean-up, and

shower off qulckly-hs11' an hour ln that barn sure settled an odlous after-

eff "cts otr ]oll-now, s c o o t a l o n g r ' t d e m a n i l e dK. e r h 1 a l - : n o s t t o o u n d e r s t a n d l n g

a n d ' n r i a n t l n gt o r l d the place of aII the humandlstractlons.

prLz e w i nner !
"I l h , l ,(t. D u P re e , th a t l s scr ce stuC you got ther e- a r ea I

Never saw a better plece of flesh ln ny llfe, sueh a vlrlle anfunal, to en-

h a n c e y c u r g e n e p o o l o n t h e p r e n l s e s r " a a r v e l l e d . I t , T r .B u s t e r t o o g u s h l n g l y "
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

Jotninp: the ladles up on the terraoe. Alcos wtll show you the way; he leads

rather irell as you know by novJ.... 0h, Alcos.'.?rr hollered' Karh1 loudly.

rrover herer trF thls path whlch ls a short-cut hldden from the rnaln

stcne steps, Just foltow me as best you c8[," alerted Alcos with a fost re-

sponse to hls fathert s earller su€igestlon'

,rsonn donrt take too long, thls tlme ln the shower; we al-l want to

.dlnn together and eat up the good tlmes tosethoxr" requ*sted' the fatherly
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, 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

a mueh earller age. r i r ' en e e d s c m e q u a l i t y time tcsnther, toortr repLled Mable

v ri t h a c o u n te rmo ve me n t to r,va r d,Kar hL as she whlsper ed in hls €flr .

Iti:uallty tlme ls llke a boonerang, v,tlth what ,ioes around, then coneg

back around-thatf s an old CaJun cr wlse Creole folklore saying that ls a

very true llttle dlttyr" renarked I(arhl with flnality ancireslgnatlon, Just
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 flre ls dielng cutl Hurry back, to
l ioht
!{Frrr9
it
!v nll
s35 over arcgin as best ycu kncw hovrto dcrn Ielled D a p h n aw i t h a

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.

r r l i i ' em u s t h u r r y b a c k t o t h e d e a d f l r e slnce our tlme ls passed also.

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 of Sayou

l a l ' o u r c h e t h a t l r , T a r l eA n t o l n e t t e also had a chateau to escape her destlny ls

your donaln where a1l. thlngs go your w6yrI adnltted Karhl loud.ly as if pro-

clalmlng her request ltke a vlllage crler ealltng for a roysl audlence.

Karhl and l,{able arrlved back onto the terrace sllghtly out of breath.

They were stllt talklng abcut the beautlful greenery and lovely flowers.

They v;ere full of themselves and the beauty of the moment, nothlng else

s e e m e d .l m p o rta n t o r l vo rth ta l klng about at the time.

F.r,

Tav lor /Fowlke P age 96

a0heap talk is vrhat we have plenty cf herer yo\l chatter-boxes, and a

blg klss j.s what you connivers deserve for keeplng the barbecue flres golngrn

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

llke fi€," laughed the professor happily whlle protcsting too nuch for effeot.

"lJcw Frof,essor, let ne ilut you ln charge of this cook-out from now-cnr

T-r u td o p u t rn o re stra w b e rry sauce on the steanlng steaksl my own s pec i al

recipe, 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 re-
ward ycu for all the dutles you perforned while Karh1 and f took leave of

our own cooklng responsibllltlesr'r 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

b;ck at the barbecue pltt, to pretenri that ncthlng much had happeneC.

";\ klss ls nevar wasted; love always cones back wlth lnterest due,

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 pleased wlth hinnself .

"0 r l t a L l b g o m:a -g g g g g In your facer ft sighed ldable with a hal f smlle

a n d a h a n g - d o g l o o k t h a t a v o i r l e d t h e s t a r e f r o m D a p h n a rs b i g g r l n .
t t l , r e n us? tta ske d K a rh l w l th a puzzLed.fr own cr look of sur pr lse at w hEt

MabLehad Just said slnce she seldom knew classlcal llterature references.
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 about love thtngsr'r responded Daphna

quickly with a loud tltter tlet 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 .

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 me have tbe blgeest

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 too lone, ffarhl baby-get busy antl serve-

as usualr'ur6ed'Daphna vrtth a fast rrerbal clip.

up your best done efforts
, 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 ?ase 97

'rBut first I wlll fill the plates for dear $llster Buster and Alcos

who wl11 be here pretty soon, surelyr'r lnforraed Danhna, suddenly gettlng very

busy vrlth her dornestic chores rather than wlth her personal probes.
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

the good Professcr Burrus vrlth unccncern to tlre conversatlonal dlgs.

"Surely, Frofessorr f need to keep busy, anywa:/, 3ut the GuIf clouds

look llke a rain stcrm ls brewing and t-hat could ruln our eatlng outslde as

well as the whol-e party rood tlmes. 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

the blg house, tha t ts, if the bride s h o w s - 1 1 p r tot h s e r v e d J o c l y c a s u a l l y look-

{nc inrn tha nrurky sky and pretendlng more ccneern for
.!rrr, lrrv v vfrv 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; T knovl one vrhenf see tt or

can feel it gatherlng. But, Jcdy, I real-ly wanted you to step over her close

to me so T can rub cut those strawberry strealcs on your lapels; the ralndrops

do help dllute those lmprlnted teeth marks on your coat-thls would be dlf-

f ierr'lt tn axnlsln to your wife and someothers here as well-lf

. !v q4 vrrr- only these

bcny fln.'ers of mlne can smear them out before everycne here gets barbeeued

|n thls 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 -

sor Furrus v,rlth deep concern for naklng everything appear just perfectly.

nThanks, f uh mean .... You nust thlnk the vlorst of me .'.rtt stuttered

J cd y l o o k l n g sh e e p l sh l y a ro u nd to see lf ilIabIe wer e over - hear ing or obs er v i nc :.

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.

rrProfessor, come he:-e and hold. the baby for il€rtt requested Arla Faye
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

so you can get the cholcest mariaaated steak of all- lqlth the thlckest straw-

berry $auce; you need to enJoy thls plece: savor the vlew, the Sood food-en-

joy the Jlmson tllLtes that ooen to the setting sun and the ensulng noon-

light. Now, let an old nan play with Blg baby who understands my brand. of
I Tts€V gltchey, g o o di 4 9 3 9 ' g e n g , - t e l c g t '
literary baby-taIk: r bltsey;
upharsfg-come to ny hand-writlng on the wall" of your real d a d . d y rt ' r e o o e d

the clever Professor Burrus wlth a soft low verbal respondlng lllt as he

bouneed the baby aroundl lovlngly and.very carlng.

The brldefs daddy suddenly drove up the lane ln a eloud of dust thet

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 of the place. But the

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 . Buster Rutl-er

wag alone.

The lone flgure of a man exlsted hts Suburban vehlcle anxlously. He had

bad news to relate. Hls daughter had.run-off wlth her nelghborhood boyfrienil

n a m e d $. w e d e H a r r e l L , to get marrled over ln Twln Cityr or Otl Clty. $he

had jllted the whole Dupree famlly, b e m o a n e dt h e s h e e p l s h f a t h e r when he

lnfc r n e d D ap h n a o f th e tu rn of events fir st r ather than golng: to Kar hl or

C a r I v r l t h t h e s h o c k l n g n e v t so

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 . She Just shrugged her shoulders

and sald, 'rCrest l-a vl-ve." That was all s h e r e m a r k e d . A l c o s s e e m e dt h e

most relleved of all. laphna assufred the squlrmlng Butl-er that good.

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 slnce they were alI

still branchwater ktn'anyvmy. The prosperlty was not somethlng to throw

away Just because young people dld wlld thlngs. Then, Buster Butler sat

d o w n t o J o l n th e su p p e r tl me eatlnpgo He told of sotile ver y str ang e ev ents

that brought about the ifltlng.

daughter llvelyn Natrelle Futler h a d a w l n d ' o wp e e p e r
Buster Futlerrs
sever al yeafs' 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
fay lor/Fowlke Page 99

the incldents to the sherlff. The long story unfolded ln full detall- as the

m4ssengerof bad news ccntinued the telllng tale. ft had all started back

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 the nlght air when the bull bats came out at

dusk. The shrll} harpslcorC muslc and the bellowlng bats ln fllght kept

beat tc each other and was an added crescendo v*ren the night train came

thundering past, pounClng the ralls wlth a vlbratlon that added rnuslc to

the nood.. The harpslcord muslc went on for over an hour or so Llke a

slsnal or sonata. The last bet fl"lght when the whlstle cf the traln ralled

C o w nt t s traoks was when the preparatlons tc bathe began. The noeturnal ab-

utations follovred the sameharmony each time, atr aura of rltuat lt geemed.

The aura qf Natrellef s tolletery began with a dellberate removal of

her attlre, 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 ta s

she dlsrobed.. Natrelle gllded out of the l-ast pieee of loungerle, her dl-

vestment lnto total nudtty as the roon stood sllent from the hush of the

ntght. 5t11I and"sculpt ttke a flamlngo suspended, she stood on the edge

cf the walting 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 bubbles expanded and then

burst 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 , S)-owly and carefully dellber-

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. The popplnE bubbres contlnued to rlse and falL

wlt h a g l l s te n l n g e ;re b a i -I ml rr or ed r ,vlthtn fr cn the r ar r et vr lndow n hl gh abov e

A swaylng weeplng wlIlow tr ee flr ew adj ac ent to

t h e f a r s l d e o f th e b a th tu b .

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 Fafie 1C0

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 . Rubbles burst and some

fLoated upward toward the anber glass panes whero the wlllow branches brushed

the wtndow slLl-. A palr of eyes looked. upon the Loveliness vrlthln the bath

water, a reflected. retlna caught fast ln the bubblesr blendlng ltke bull-bat

eyes flylng ln the darkened nlght, The blg gllstenlng eyes held the scene

firmly intact wlth a look of ad.mlratlon receptlve to everythlng-sv6rtythlng

a creation of lust and d.esire out of dlverslty. Thls fanolllar scene repeated

ttself each evenlng, regular as the evenlng star. The reflected eyes cane

ntghtty to see the sensatlon created or orchestrated by the inages ln the

reflected bubbles, Natrelle also observed the reflected eyes vrlthin the

soapy bubbles, never )-ooklng upward into the amber glass, to see the forn

alnost 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 own two llnbs on the branches of

wlllow tree. The eyes from the nlght 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 ln the bubbles. Natrelle vras her own voyeur looklng lnto

the sparkllng bubbJ.es;by perfornrlng best, over and over, what the eyes of

the ntght wanted to vlew,

T h t s ha rmo n y o f e ye sp ying went on fcr year s untll Natr el- l- e bec ane i nor e

darlng herself. She always pretended to be unaware of the nlght eyes. Rut

one nlght l a te w h e n B u rd n sw ed.etfHar r el left hls per ch on the hlg h l l m bs of

the wlllow tree, Natrelle 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

looked llke a long dress. She streaked dcwnstalrs herself but followed
that
th e n l g h t e ye s hail taken. she pLaced a stool belci v r the anber
t h e s a n e r o u te
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. $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
N a t r e l }e
the lawns and the porches' Hls
wlndow. only moonllght beams streaked across
taylor/Fowlke Fage tOL

'
bedroom sanctuary was a downstalrs nlche. lrTatrelle ad.nlred the view from

behtnd the baLustrade wlth the ocessional mlssln6l baluster ln the poreh

railing. She always took tlre short-cut, soon after Learnlng the route he
' . . , 0 / a t c h l nt hg e y o u n g r n a n r u s h l n s l d e , flying, lnto hls room and begln
took.

to prepare for bed-ln. a frenzy, he shuckedall hls elothlng, tosslng then

Ilke feathers about the roon. Burd Harrel connected the cassette tape wlth

hls own reeordtng ef NatreIIer s ntghtly harpsicord playlng. The musleal

harncny cf her own recordlng blasted the night air, plavlng through the

shadows ln thls prelud.e, rippllng in tine, to the body beautlful movenrents

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
, atched Burd's nlght tlme danee

or fltght afte r h e h a d sn e a l ced.to peek on her . 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

t1e y€ars" She looked upon hls fltght wlth a feroinine eye ln lntense concern

t h a t w a s o nl y a mo ve me n t o r pr elude, avlay, fr om her s too. The sam e m us l c

or bat muslo as Natrelle called. her harpsicord rhapsody addeCto the dls-

c o r d . a n t b a ckg ro u n d o f h e r w l nd.owpeeplng. She watoheil ever y cha nc e s he

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. Natr eLle had a} ways wond.er ed

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. And ncw she kne l v or thought

she did.
Natrelle 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

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 dolng or finangl-tng. She Just

went along with the whole thlng until the Last posslble moment. Her heartrs

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 , t h e s h a d o w yf l g u r e

in the window dresslng night fantasy fllght. $he hait longed too long for

the night eyss of Burd'rswede'r l{arre1 and now they had run off to get mar-

ried |n TWln Ctty vrith thelr best frlends as wlto€ssos'

Taylor/FowLke Fage 102

'f$od as my wltness, I strongly feel that Sister Fledis and her ilk

of sex perverts ln thls 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 thls mess and saucy Slster FleOts lflas nct present

to defend herself 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

problens being the busybody approach to runnlng the lives cf everyone else.
rf],lve and Let llve,'r ls my poIl-cy and.should be the phtloscphy of all

citizens ln a true democracy, was the ccntentlon that Jlm Bob kept spoutlng'
nI gueslthts pLace ts Just full of llttle Hltlers runnlng the world; Sot to

tell ths people what to do and',qhat to thlnk or else all ls immoral or !0orge.

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

gtory 1and and. the roaC to hell ls paved wlth good lntentions, further ex-

p c r r n d e dt h e a n { r r y t r t r o B o b , He was havlng hts say about bossy, meddlescme

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 d t. h l s sooially acoepted.

alllance called a marrlage or farce. And somethlng about a motely erew of

a farnlly also got mentioned wlth dtsgust.

Nc one got really angry at Jim Bob, though, He was usually too qulet

tlrade l t r a sa s h o c k l n g r e v e l a t i o n . And he spoke the

to be a bother and thls

food for thought, to poncer thelr own ehol-ce

truth so overyone had scne real
than try to mess up scneone elsers l|fe'
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
Jtm 30b lald down for all to hearo
was the add.ltlonal adnronttlcn that
T a y l o r / F o w l ke Faqe 103

J1mBob then grabbed the car keys to one of Daphnats collectlon of

classlc oars and left with a roar. Daphna dld not nlnd for she knew that

he would be back Like alrvays. They heLd too much history together, to all-ctt

a tlttle ttff llke this to oone between them. Besld.es, they were branch-

yrater kin and had attend.ed the samecol-lege at Thibodaux. Those tles woulC

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 , along wlth all the lnvestments ln the

new deals that JfucBob kept brlnglng to the 8ro8r

Tn true f ashton of all gosslps, the renalnlng kinf ol"k declded to tallc

about the one rvho left flrst, poor Jlm Bob got hls bones of contention plcked

clean. Daphnaof alt people knervthe most secrets about hlm, as dld the

good Professor Burrus. They tolC about the affalr he had wlth the ccI3-ege

teacher vrholed hlm on and realLy taught hlm nrost of what he knew. Jtm Bob

got hls moxey rieveloped Curing those lnnocent college days and he learned

well how to use people as a good con-artlst does. And the college teacher

had a brother who vias a rocket scientlst anil thus taught hln a lot about the

new fangled ldeas that now medea huge fortune for the Jlrn Bob Pease Enter-

prl ses.

Daphna then began to relate 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

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 . He had a

Cate or realLy an appolntroent wlth thls reknown teacher at the colleger wasl

t h e n a r r a t l ve h o o k th a t D a ,o hnaused. to begin her stor ytelling of the tr uth

about cousin trlrn Bob. The raln had driven them all lnside so nothlng better

could be done vrith thelr tlme.

r?Offlce doors llned the hallway, two abreast and. across frcm eaoh other.

$ 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 of empty chalrs and old d'esks'

where nanes, followed by degree

Anil an oecaslonal docr entered lnto a foyer
speclal Interest' The
titles, app*ared at random on eye level.One door held
fenlnlne
clean"-;'ias done In sllver+a
nane place on that d.oor, so simpl* and
Tay 1,or/f'owlke P age 104

touch-framed the lettering. The lead glroseil dcor ccntalned nlniseul-e re-

versecl squBres not easy to di-stingulsh from the outslde, The glass opened

backrvard lnto a deep vestibule; the floor wae ccvered. with creaa colored

tilas bordered vrith clover designs, four ln numberand leaded glassr 6l-so-

a green color now turned graylsh, t 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

ln o r n v r l t h tl me l y u sa g e . T h e nooil was set for Just the r lght tlnr e ur hen a

designlng student Ilke Jlm Bob would. dare enter.

A petlte desk over to one slde aupported a stack of marked papers and

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 : Sxgter BooE, [gi5!g,

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

character study of tho owner, the reader, that the flrst tlne vlsitor to

thls offlce eould. nct easlly ccnprehend, sueh rnrell used acadenla. GoId

framed glasses or lunettes lay on top of the heap, ready to use, open in

fuIl vlel.

An open brlef case, banboo wlth dalsy flower deoals, dcmlnated the

far corner of the floor. Thls casual array or rather d,lsarray was also a

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 of lnterestlng thlngs,

thts vlevr wlth an educatlon Just for the looklng. Pealing paint curlad down

the b:rck wall where a wlndow coller and heater combinatlon drlpped lts staln-

ed colors onto the base boards. The patnted steam radlator looked llke an

all cracked dark palnt, wattlng to strlke out or hlt you sud-
old all-lgator,

denly ln the face with lts walttng oolors, The room always appeared waltlng

s o m e t h rn g . T h e ro o m.-ra ther the offlco- had a dozen twany hues r onc e new
for
dtngy yet ecmfortable'
and llvery, coordinated but now faded and diluted,

thts furnlshed ro o m th a t Ju st walteil'

Tay I or /tr'owlke Pase l-O5

T h e d esk ch a i r vms fl a t agsinst the fur nltur e whll- e another ehai r of

sorts was catty ccrnered. ft looked llke a pup tent sagging ln the nriddle,

thls contoured chair. Sltting confortably requtred. llftlng the left calf of

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 on the wall. The

plctwes told a pleasant story from i'.renorbilla of past sabbatlcals. The

captlcns revealed. a rather personallzed nontage of travels. A llfe sa€la

was laid bare to the casual glance, from the open door.

/rnd the open door ttself upon close scrunlty revealed snraIl pictures,

mlnlscule squares stuek on the leaded glass. The snaII p r i n t s b e c a m es a s y

to dlstinf,utsh when very elose. 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

genltalla pressed ontc the bevelled glass so open and flagrant. An occas-

ion a l R e u b e n s a n d ? l ca sso t s Ly.g,!9.!r 3- 9.dr awings added the llter ar y touc h

to thls salacious t1i-splay. The room thusly gave lts full ap])earance, one

of a bord.ello tone but all dusty from tlme worn thln.

The dust ptled high and was waltlng to fiII the moment. A heavy coat-

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 . The gold fram.ed

glasses on top of the -olle had a finfier 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

lens. 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

paused for a last rest. 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

rvlth the roomful of d.ust. The teacherts handwrltlng clearly told the story

l{ours By Appolntnent' Qnlyt

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 thts experlence lnf luenced'
Ll v e
all t h e s t u t l e n t s b a c k t h e n to thlnk twlce about thel- r cr r mnor tallt y '
Ta y l o r / F o w l k e Fage 106

ltfe to the fullest, for the end may be nearer than you thinkr'r'las the les-

son that the nacabre llving nuseun to the teacher left on the students of

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

today as nuch as you can blarne Slster Fledls for causlng lmrnoral behavlor

to c cne to our conr,nunitles. Scapegoats are the poor excuses that the noss-

backs or two-faced city fathers blane for thelr own slns; they dcnft take

responslblllty for thelr 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

fcr thelr cwn frallities, was the lecture that Daphnathen proelalmeC as th

lesscn fron all these examples of weak-wllLed humancharacter faults,

D a p h n ac l e a r e d h e r t h r o a t and then ccntlnued expoundlng that she was

well-aware that the chlef rnorallst of South Fowlke'ras splnster lrlss DaetyL

rfiose close famlly 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

' 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 Foxes. T h , j - sc l u b " ]

was patterned after the AAR? (Amerlcan Assoclati.on of Retired Fersons).

llach county harl a chapter headquarters; the officers had access to records

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 for those requestlng. T h l s v r a sa

hook-up wlth the novr industrles that Jlm Rob had created, espeelal-Ly vrork

at aI} the new servlce statlons that offered. all b : r a n d . so f g a s o l i n e E n d a I I

kinds of fuels at the Blllips chain cf statlons. The Silver Foxlnembershlp

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 who went all over the nation

lecturlng about the merlts of the chapter c1ubs. Slie had been responslble

for over a mllllon new nembers each year after golng on televlslon talk

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 fo4xwhleh r ,vasher ovfil'niek nam er or

natlon'
ber noniker by all the retirod segnent of the populatlon around the
T a y I o r / F c w lke Pap.e I07

chapter 5o

The Sllver 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 retired. teaeher

I , T i s sh i m s e y Dacty1lc. 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

btn6o parlors wlthin each chapter; thls 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

retired. Susses were constantly brlnglng plaS'ers fron the retlrement hoines

fron all the llttle towns withln a two-hour trip one-vray; this enhancedthe

fun tlme hours wlth folks their own age $roup as well as crdatlng a capltal-

istlc endeavor. The state leElsLetors llstened to the oLder voters and then

c h a n s e d t h e l a w s t o a c c o m m o d a t et h e b l n g o p a r l o r s t h a t h e l d a r e e r e a t l o n a l

Ilcense fcr non-proflt use onlY

The next prof ltable ldea for the Sllver tr'oxx enterprlses l'ras the state /

lottery lobby. The weekly drawlngs were held at or by tlie state headquarters

of each staters Sllver Foxx chapter. Thls televislon coverage added to the

glamor, getting attentlon for the elderly a p p e a r l n g o n T ' I t r ,a n d a l s o m a k i n g

of the wlnnlngs.
sure that parity 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

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 a miLl-ion dollars for each

drawlng slnce the pick-[ and plck-6 offerings were so appeallng and easy

to place the vragers, buying chances or tlckets at all the Silver Foxx

chapters as well as the corner sonvenience stores. The rovlng reporters for

t h e t w o - w a y te l e vl sl o n sh o w s whlch had the hlghest r atlngs when they got

uro r k e r s - o n - th e -Jo b d u rl n g th eir lunch br eak to play. ft was dur lng one of

these rovlng re p o rte r sh o w s that the Silver Foxx com- nlttee held the d.r aw l ng,

for all to see and then revel- ln the ectasy of the wlnner. The wlnner of

c c u r s e c a l l "e d l n l n n e d l a te l y and the tvr o- way televlsed plctur e s how ed the

glee of tho lucky soul Thls was a feedlng-frenzy or carnlval type atmos-

phere whlch mademore folks rush out to purchase thelr tlckets for the next

drawlng. 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

great that enough money would be generated. for a dally drawlng on the slx

otclock news at the end of the sports se6ment. riaeh offerlng had lts own

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 the

fV and the SlLver Foxx chapters had.gl'ren lt; thls assurred success and a

Iarge job offerlng or good employnent for the older Sllver Foxx memberso

Bn p l o y me n t w a s h l g h a l l ar ound South I' owlke because of the boom l ng l n-

dustry but thls Sllver Foxx connectlon to the blngo parlors and the state

Iottery 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

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 . Thts use of TV game

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. T he unr l - d

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 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

no
a rl t h e s u cce ss th a t 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 P age 109

. p at the d.oor to Jlm Sobt s flne

A y o u n g w o ma nsh o vre d u house . $he

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 . This

turn of events shccked the housekeep€rr Nanny tr{aryStrickland, who allowed

t h e n r o t h e r a n d b e b e i n to th e flno par lour . l{ anny hfar y flr st call ed }''l l s s

Dactyllc, The gosslpy word'was not about to be pernltted out of the house

until all facts were carefully 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

had to do was to see the chlld and sure enough the mark of the famlly curse

as she called lt vras well upon the chlLd. The blrthmark of a crescent moon

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 rear end. But the bumpor

k n o v r l e d r n ek n o t o n t h e b a c k o f t h e h e a d a d d e d t h e m o s t t e l l l n g tralt to the

inspectlng auntle.

The younf, mother knevrnary thlngs that sutrstantlated her clalms. Thls

was no hoax or extortlon plot as the good., o1d auntle was qulck to pursue.

Th e y o u n g l ad yf s fu l I n a m6 w as Rhonr la Shar on Rhabb Tatum. And the R habb

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 where the teacher had the 11vlng

m u s e u mo f f l ce a s a e u l o g y w h en she had dled of cancer or r nelanol na. T he

n n o l e h a d g r o w n to co ve r h e r whol- e r lght slde of the tem pLe head ar ea and

d e a t h s o o n re su L te d . T h e l l centlous ltflz Blngm an vias mlssed and m ade an l m -

pact on the campus llfe at that era of tlme. Fut the eccentrlc students

made the biggest lnpact or lastlng lmpresslons on the canpus. Rhondars

nother had attended classes, flrst, as a ratlonal,e to be a chaperon so that

nothlng bad.would happen to her physically or by reputatlon since the old-

fashioned ways stltl prevalled ln the cajun country of the bayous wlth tirc
prestlge to nalntain. The mother, the late
farnllles who hsd money or soclal
to look after the only- chlld R honda
l4 r s . R h a b b r ffi s th e o n l y p a rent left
In a r eflner y exp) "oslon'
aft e r t h e s tra n € l e d " e a th o f the father
Tay lor /F owlke Page II0

T h e R ha b b sto ry so o n b e cane fodcler for the r unor nlll wlth al L l ts eni -

iroldered. snaLl-tatk tales. Sone of the nore dedleated g:osslps even got ln

thelr cars and rode to the unlverstty town of Thibodaux to learn all the

gory detall-s. The most accepted verslon was toLd wlth all the eloquenee of

a tale-spinner co mp l e te w l th flower y lenguage; lt went sor :lethlng l l k e an

epic odyssey. The baslc plot never changedbut the narratlon,'nas ostenta-

tlous or Just plaln verbose. }frs. Rhabb was a flne Lady cf the old school,

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 en-

tlrely 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

a n d g o o d . - r o a n n e r hs 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 . But the real reason for

allcwlnq such closeness of mother and daughter vras thelr mutual loss. The

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 had

b e e n b l o w n to b i ts. B u t th e stor y aI' ,n/aysbegins backwar d"s, t^r lth ti l e l adl es

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 eccentrlc behavior and oddlties of per-

sonallty qulrks whlch slowLy reveaLed the pltlful loss of a loved one.

Rhondahad been the only one orlglnally to slgn up fcr classes so her

mother always walted for the daughter at tire cLassroomdoor Just before the

noon adJournment, so they could go to luneh Just off campus. The sood prof-

essor 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

the wtrole stcry got started., anyway. Only the most lnterestlng thlngs hap-

pened in Doetor Furrus'g cltssrooms.

T l m e wa s fa st ru n n l n g o ut for the delayed student, l' { r s. } ihabb, w ho w as

a soeial elass actlvtty all
so often the unpunctuaL but popular scholar in
wall steadily noved lts hands
her olAlpc The tlcklng clock on the classroom
Taylorl}owlke ?age )-I1

to half past the hour for the scheduled tnstruction. The blg black hand.s

rounded the d.laI on the face as the professort s resonant tcnes sounded all-

the way to the back of the la::ge room and on dorvnthe outslde corrldors, all

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

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, walnut paneling vrith bullt-ln

shelves full of best seller tltles; the furnishtngs conslsted cf hlgh backed

chairs wj.th a long base hexagon shaped table ln the center. A clrcular chan-

deller hunt from the eelllng on a heavy chain that held slx large li"ght

globes whlch flanked a huge center flame-eff^cted bulb. The room entertalned

t h e s t u d e n ts If n o th l n g e l se Cid of the r nonent. The pr ofessor how ev er r v as a

natlonal 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 lnspired the

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 s 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

ln t e r e s t l n g i Y a y.

The intense lnterest of these would-be student scholars and future

authors, these struggllng serlveners, vtas always highly lnsplred durlng

Crsatlve 4nelish 5?5 during such dellghtful instructlonal sesslcns.

"Iriting
But tc eern a top Erade of A, the delleent scrlbbLers as affectlonately eal-

Led b"v each other had to publlsh a periodlcal nanuscript ln a natlonal

magaz\ne during the sernester somqtlme. The students aLl read a great deal

and. thus knevrthe current trend.s to analyze the market, a literary consor-

so to speak exlsted here anong them all. 'A nolsy

tlum of a conflatlon,

rounil table clscusslon always followed the class lecture; half the daily

prlnciples cf authorshlp
sesslon ccnslsted of the professorts expounding on

half co n sisted' of the dlalogue' a L1vlng exchange of

a n , 1 t h e o t he r l a st
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. She was perhaps in her late forties

or early flftlesr an ageless look hung about her aura. The lady and the room

each had a startled look, a flux, a changed mood quickl"v lnto the aj-r. Her

a n l f r evru rr ? .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 , ryaspiled hig,h in bright eham-

pagne colors that nearly turned to aprlcot hues at tlmes when the sun shades

streaked througir lt fron the big winriowsr Her oes6',,8s long vrith a narrow

naris anC the clear spectacular eye glasses frequently sllpped-off casually

as they had just now done onco again but were held flrnly by a long gold

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 ctoth-

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

every motlon maJestlc. The roon--arr;l room-thls room came allve v r h e n] , { r s .

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

wit h h e r o wn p e n a n d ske tch pad. The two- m other and daughter , to gether - - had

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 de6iree plans for the past

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 . Ivlrs. Rhabb had. orlginally

gcne cff t o c o l l e g e w l t h R h o n d . aa s I g u l d l n g e s o o t o r c h a p e r o n r a t f i r s t ,

and had only gradually begun to sit-ln on lnterestlng elasses llke this one

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
Irlrs. Rhabb had. thus finally found herself a n e w h o n n ef o r
a oasual dare.

llfe, so to speak, ln Doctor Burrusts classeso Mrs. Rhabb had' found herself

ylsrpilt busy, aEaln, for the first tlnre slnce the blg deadly exploslon ln

or sc the erassroom rurnormlrr storres ror'antlcized about thts very

her rrfe
F.habb had" r epor tedly vr or ked"for s oy 01r
rn y s t e r i o u s ra d y. T h e ra me n ted r ,,,*ster
Taylor,/Towlke Page l1l

Reflneries whlch tnen nade on)-y lnk for newsprintl he was a vice-president of

somethlng or other, and hls offlce ln Oil Ctty had been blown to snlthereens

on a fateful mornlng. The vrorst lndustrlal tragedy in loca1 hlstcry ums set-

off b e t w e e n c h e n n l c a l "p t a n t s l o c a t e d J 0 0 f e e t to elther side of the Loadeil

ships at Port City. 0ther shtps eontalned cases of rifle ammunltlon from

the nearby Red River Arsenal, being shlpped to the mld-east emlrates for

keeplng the peace. B u t t h e w o r s t b l a s t c a n n ef r o n the shlp Cockedwlth arn-

rconla nitrate fertillzersl the rifle arununltlon had i.gnlted that flnal blast.

The lnltlaL flre vras lgnlted ' ' v t r e ns o y o i l barrel,s Fot busted, flowing the

heavy fuel over the decks vrhena cigarette was tossed. overboard. but blew

back lnto the hole of the loadlng shlp, Thls serles of exploslons was the

beginnlng of the end for the enchantlng l{rs. Rhabbts vray of llfe.

T h e a ctu a l 1 1 1 fa te d . e nd.lng for the long lamented l,Tlster Rhabb had nev er

been verballzed very rvell, not even by the canpus grapevine. But the ccmpany

offlce had aotualLy been blown tc tln-v bits, tro physical evldence of hls

earthly renalns had ever been found in Cill City harbsr debrls; the offlce

door fell ftat on hls secretary whose llfe ! . 4 r atsh u s s p a r e d b y t h a t portal

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 mlles away ln the plush ltvlng r oom w her e the

attentive },!rs. Rhabb awalted her dally mornlng phone call that never came

agaln frorn the love of her ttfe: her d.evoted husband never more belng heard

fron3. gnly a bronze shtp propeLler nrarks the tragle spot to thls day where

n o o t h e r e vi d e n ce re n ra L n s o f the old l$) f oot f.iber ty shlp.

So, t(rs. Rhabb slmply referred to the whole catastrophe as when l'lis1.t

A n e wconer or r ank str anger to this odd fanl l - y c l r -

F . h a b b J u s t n e n t a w a y.
the r nlssing husband shour d. soon r etur n hom e fr om
c u m s t a n c e w o u rc th tn k th a t
T a y I o r / F o w lke Paee l f&

a mere business trlp promptly as always expected. And such vras Just the way

It'frs.Rhabb ltved and reacted. tc the whole catastrophle dead.ly sltuatlon-

nothlng more publlc than that was ever sald about her very personal traglc

Loss when the subJect d"id ccme up ln ldle conversatlon.

I $ r s . Rh a b b t s p e rso n a l and pubS- lc llfe becam ewr apped- up ar ound. her onl y

chlld Rhonda: busy, absorblng, as lt were, lnseparabl-e, these tvro ln thelr

sllent grlef . lvery m o n n e nw

t as oecupleC together, goi-ng, returnlng and

meetln€i new but interestlng people ln a last dlteh effcrt to forget the past

horror of their lives. 0r to find an answer. The two had travelled around

the world so many tlmes that 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

tc the next; they, mother and dauehter, went vrhere ev^r they p)-eased, stayed

as long as they wisheil and bought what ever trlnket they wanted. The flrst

few years after the Otl Clty d.lsaster had pessed ln thls hapless faslon:

decidedly actlve, rapid., blurred and very busy as only the ldle rich could

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 a new house to celebrate thls

grand.e deelslve occaslcn: a spllt level 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 -

stalrs alone ln one huge wlng; the house had tvro kltchens, one for each. The

h o m ea t f l r s t had no garage, flo car needed, lronlcally for the very moblle

n e e d . e dt o d o t h a t i . Rhond.a
l,[rs. Rhabb diC not drlve (no rgal lady of quallty

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 torvn squaret a pleasant

enough place next tn the hlstorical marker for the orlgin o f A n n e r i c a nT , e g l o n

veter ans D ay or ol d-
i, 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
 'l'l (
Perna
T a vl o r / F o w L ke . Y l - J ' . /

B r u c e R r a c k e e n ' , T i l l l a m s 1 f f h ov r a s t h e f l r s t II.S. servlceman to dle in :?orl-d

' , , { 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 " R h o n d aR h a b b l i k e d thls plaee

called Secoration Day corner. lthonda always pref erred to vialk s lowly, rest-

lng casually along the shaded walkl'eys, to slt alone thlnklnE deeply or Ttay

out lost beneath the btg llveoak trees and weeplng vrlllows hanging low from

thelr lnmense limbs. The two lost souls blended as one, she nuslng, posed.

vrlllows lnto her halr, almost as one, thls unlty lnto the oddlty of her un-

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 . The self-lmposed

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 thoughtful young

lady, converslng ln her untold tongue. Rhondars lovely eyesr so lonely, were

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 liveoak trees

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 . That lone)-y

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 place to perch and that aspect Just beok-

oned to her, aLways, ca}ling alone to her at thls time of Cay before class"

R h o n d . ah 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 n sge a t o v e r l o o k l n g t h e e e n t r a l canpus

and thus aLways sat gazlng, ccnrpelled almost, toward the sweeplng vlew of

the lnstitutlonts marble mausoleun for the collegets foundlng fatherrs tornb.

This datly su n l l t sce n e p l a yed. long r enember ed shad.ownsupon the hal l ow ed

burial spot for the patrlarchal flrst college presld"ent 1'y.l' h{ayo'

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

panes, a tynd.all effect 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

The
belge walIs vrith deeper shadows inslde thls thought-provoking classroom.
stlll on thts eonference room as if effected'
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 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'
f ir r n w i t h a n i n vi ta tl o n th a t a str anger , per haps even a
 ^Bge Ito
,J -- /

Ta.ylor /I'owlke

wo u l d l b e w e l co me to si t d cvrn for a chat or a r enewed excounfo3- fier m other

wo u l d e v e n tu a tl y a rri ve b u t no one eLse r ,vould.tha t she longed to s ee. T he

clrcular arrangement cf the chalrs sat forlorn unCer a round ehandeller

with si-x shaded ltghts covered with frosted. glass: one bulb lvas constantly

fltckerlng in the center as though fighting for llfe a n d w o u l " d s o n e h c v rb e

nissod. lf extingulshed. i.hcnda took tnrpeccable sketehes of the eLassroom

as the tlme progressed,, doodles also all along the marglns of her lecture

notes. $he took complete nctes both for herself and for her mother, yet l"frs.

Rhabb never bothered to read. the careful notatlons: r r , r o r d s ,i d l e w o r d s , s h e

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

not needing to speak ln her silent unknowlng tongue. Just serenly retlcent,

she perched ln a deep hush on her chalr llke a wlld bird on the brlnk of

sonethlng lntent ln the outstde bushes. She was more like a llttle blrd ln

the wild brush, about to raakelts nove, llke a mocklngblrd non she was ln

her own fllla1 nest, about thor:gh to take wlnd and slng its ovln sweet sorigr

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 ast d i d ; she made the rooxx all electrlc: a glow, a radiatlon

of perscnal vrsrnth so personal that onl"y a mlsty vell eould capture the

pelent of this rare feellnrr, thls raclal m e m o r yf e e l l n s so unfcrgettable

f o r t h e l o n e 1 y }th o n d a ,
khcnda could never forget the real- reason her rnother gave for attendlng

ccll-ege cLasses ln the flrst place to find 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

the great ealanlty of their llves. That inttial- event for golng to eo1}e6.'e

as a harml6ss dlverslon for her mother happened ln thls place, inside thls

very sane room and this very same dear prcfessor Burrus, even. The scholarly

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 authorlty on American literature end' was

Ronr anc athol l c

also a part o f th e p ri e sth o o cr vr ho had founr ied the off- cam i) us
Tay 1or,/Fovrlke Page LI7

Churcho lle tyas more humanlst than a cold hearted teacher llke most of the

ecucated f ools a s the locar gentry call"ed the intell-iplensia of the deqreed

world ln their mldst. Rhonda enJoyed the venerable pageantry or grandeur

ritual of servlces at the chapel fuII of lcons. The padre-teacher spoke a

beautiful l,atinized 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 about tt all. Thls lTistory of the rhgllsh

L a n g u a g ec l a s s w a s h e r f i r s t lntroductlon to the origlns of al-l the rules

and dates when developed lnto the Rritish culture, and the local yokals stlll

laughed that 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 . tef 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

room, Just as taklng a Shakespearecoufge learned much nore than the mere
p l o t w h l c h a n y o n e c o u l d l e a r n b y c h e c k l n g o u t a b o o k . n h o n d a r , ' m n t e dm u c h m o r e

cut of Ilfe than what merely met the casual eye. She was looklng through

things, to see more than the casusl glanee or flrst lmpresslon. Just as she

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 ,

alnost franttcatl-y, justtfying thelr college oareer by salring, "Oh' your

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- to be happy and a part of llfe,

an aetlve part cf the good llfe, to neet people and to enJoy all of our

newly madefrlends.'r The words stlLl rang in her ears but the look on her

motherrs face llngered the most puzzllng facade.

,rYcs, our frlends, n e ! 1 fi r l e n d s , all, who were always a llvely part of

and so fuII of Ilfe'* thougiht

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
R h o n i l a m u s i n g w h o n s h e r o m e m b e r e dt .h a t e x p l o s l v e

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.or /F owlke Page 118

her preclous father: the sane lean, lanky frame, the sane fine hair, the

samenose, and. nost cf all the samee$€s--€$€s that \{ere seldom Just where

he was, either. } 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 .

Yet, hls ways had been the main direction for i{rs. Rhabb3 her focal-

pcint, her whole llfe in an exploslve flash then gone, blasted to blts and.

pieces, strewn to the four corners of the earth, only novrbelng held together

by gentle menorles. The Rhabbts were beautiful people together, she all e1e-

ctric ancl full of personaL magnetlsn-thelr restrai-ned focal polnt a1v;ays

marrled ln splrlt, forever, marred alone now as it were. These Rhabb love-

btrds wer€-&t least had once been-at all tlmes maklng beautlful muslc to-

gether. Thls enanored duet splrltual h a r r o o n yv r a s l n v a r l a b l y stlIl caught

s o n n e h o vl nr a r e p o s e d f l u x that caused the current dally Ilfe to come ful"ly

allve r v h e nm e m o r l e s f l o o d the moment, especlal-l-y ltke today when the llvely

seemlng personable [[rs. Rhabb glow covereC thls olassroon and now blended

lnto thls ever renewing vlvaclous unlty, nearly lost.

A room was onLy I room untll l,{rs. Rhabb arrlved wlth her compelllng

humanforce. The students always looked forvrarC to the bfrs. Rhabb appearance;

she asslsted 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 -

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 poetry or short storles

by suggestlng they send their scrlpts to a si:eclflc edltor who Just happened
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

anyone whon she had ever net. I{er earller travels had taken her everyvrhere.
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 o r st l ength, otr so- qe cr ulse or r sor Ld r esor t '

wlth l,{rs. Rhabb, for
lvery 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 Pag'e If9

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 . Thls Lady',rms seen everywhere

belng her good self . l.{rs. Rhabb readlly came to the ald of llfe sltuatlons

ln dlre need, all llfer s heart rend"ering pllghts rallled her vltal f orces;

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 lost its leg lfi.en the
portal g a t es ca me cra sh l n g d .ownon the fl- eelng hungr y lost anlm al that w as

now an unofflclaL mascot of the student body (and never had to forage for a

meal anymorewhen a student had a morsel to share).I,frs. Rhabb had cared,

personally for the poor mastlffrs bruises and then had pald the enormousvet

fees. 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, even once propellln6 lntc the menfs

rest room facllltl' wheelchalr and aIl; she modestly walted Just outside the

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

the grande dameread the selecttons and then dlscussed the llterature. Thls

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 llteratus

z e a l - , o f s orts a n yw a y. S h e taught ther o all so m ueh they never knew they w er e

Iearnlng anythlng at aLl wtth thls palnless Rhabbway of sharlng ldeas and

Ilteratlm crltlclsm l n o n e o a s y h u i n a nl e s s o n . It{rs. Rhabb vles never call-ed

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 , even though she was casual

s e e i r n l n ga n c ve ry d o w n to e a rth at aII times. The most adr alr lng feLl - ow s tu-

d . e n t s J u s t n a tu ra l l y ca l l e d her lt{ r s. Rhabb, 1I1 thls aur a of an er a t'h'at got

wer€ never a 1teal
fcrnal 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 F'age I2O

frlendliness personifled to all whon she met. 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 cllnlcs had been able to

cure, Mrs. Rhabb true to form helped the dlsabled student wlth pronunclatlon

and enunciation drllls by relatlng her aany traveLs around the world.-never

hlntlng what she had been seeklng-tel1lng 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 -

lngs fuII of dlfflcult to say plaee names. The student would eagerly repesl

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 The tvr o llved so m any

memorles tosether they all forgot the present liroes, even Rhonda had once

a Im o s t l o s t th a t f a r-a vra y L o ok in her eyes vr ttr ll- ehelping the speec hl e s s

students. 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 , so weLl,

to sing by havlng the sweet glrl to vnrble with a noutir fuII of dry cake-

angel f ood., of course--a real songblrd, thls o n e s o o n b e c a m el , { r s . R h a b b fs

c onstant hel-pful protegee,

[{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

one sprlng day into the HtlI Country, a flve hunCred mlLe trlp one way. The

group discussed Lylet s wrltlng and hls subtle lnflulnce upon I young nan

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 onc e s al d'

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

class learned aore than they ever cared to know and loved, every nlnute of

It. l,{rs. Rhabb was never at a Loss for worCs, Just the rlght word but aL-

ways a personal word for each. She never spoke ill of anyone; in faet, she

Itfrs. Rhabb al'ways spoke to thelr faee,

never spoke about anyone at length.

straight ln the €ver looklng for 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. And a stylish Studebaker was bought for

driving 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 .

The little prlvileged thespian claque learned" nore than they ever d.reamed

posslble about )-lterary style, scho)-arly forn and the dranatlc lntent of a

playraright during their congenlal trlps to Blg Town or B1g Dellght as some

preferred to call the Jaunts to a marvelous place. John PauI Sartrer s play

I t r ol x l t on one weekl,v trip opened-up vast new worlds for the students, €x-

tend.ing their knowledge lntc the behaviorisro of Sklnner, Plaget and even

l.nto dlscusslons of classical statistlcs courses vrith a null hypothesls

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 establtsh insr:lance rates for everyd.ayllfe before the

theatrlcal nlght was over for thls genlal trip lntc the big clty. She made

existentlallsm actually very easy ln all- lts v a r l e d f c r m s o r a w k w a r d , n e s st o

understand subtl-e facets of dlfferences. aven psyeholoslst Dr. Truax doted

envj.ously on the Julcy canpus gossipy toplcal reports from thoselearnlng

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 to the real

wo r l d a t h an d .. A n d sh e l n tl e ed made all wor ld.s r eaf .

\frs. Rhabb never really rnlnded the cost to hersel-f ln tlme or money;

she Eladly butlt 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
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
liv i n g
now tr r at thr eatr e gr oups wa nted' to go
ferl0w s t u d.e n t w h o kn e w h o w to dr lve
or metaphysical
regularly 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
t ri p s
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 Page 12?

l T r s . P . h a b b sf 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 , lneluded. ai.l groups

cf people. She dld not stop rrytth students only. lfrs. Rhabb helped teachers

as well. One hlstory teaeher, a trrcfessor T. Taylor Brcuwne who became

lrate wlth ln-class d"iscrder, Iost 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 -

Iege securlty to quell the fracas. But L{rs. Rhabb treated everyone ln the

classroom to a brief discourse on anarchy, revolutl-on and the rlght cf clvil

disobeiltence. 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 oE m e r s o n a 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

of a public encounter for the soclal good"

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.

Rhonda enJoyed drawlng, capturing the ldIe monent vrlth her pencll, the ex-

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

picture. dhonda sketched drawings of nembers ln the creative wr'lting cl-ass

and had serlbbled an apt eaptlcn beneath each. The lovellest glr)" ln the

class was appropriately entitled Golden Glrl, even though actually being

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 and

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 wiL-
not too row. The vrhole scene was crawn beneath

Iowshanglnglowinthebackg,roundofthevl|ndowview.Theclassromeonat-

urally sat next to GolO Girl; hts 1eeripg eyebrows were arched into an lmplsh
TayLor,/FowLke P age L23

expressLve grin. Thls Casancva type cast a falrJ.y obvlous l-eeherous slght

vdth hls right hand supportlnfi the c:rln and his polnted index flnger ln hls

seenlngly droollng mouth, biting, almost chewlng at the bits, bid,lng the hot

thick drawn atmosphere of the room. Lover boyt s Legs vrere hiked-up ever so

sltghtly and his left 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 ,

roeking back and forth klnesthlcall"v draw, or so lt all s e e m e dt n t h l s

pretty plctured world that had scratched. through the real monlker for the

sultor 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 playboy

J i m D a n d . ywl th h e r h u :'ri e d l y sketcheal cencll dr awlng r novlng along l n s w i ft

Ione strokes on the paper that made-up her world. at thls tlme.
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 of the
?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 background.. ?he sketcheil tltLe

was very slmpl-y ethcedr tfDruppy, Dear.tt 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 approprlately earicatured and.

each as lovlngly captloned to ftt the reaL llve counterpart drawn ln thls

electrlc classroo& scene.

The beloved Doctor t?DruppytB

r urrus 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 ' . The tlme

for each student resFonse had flnally arrived.; the lnterpersonal sharing of

ldeas and debated llttrary critlclsm 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

informatlve note taklng crltlque period, to

rellef to the necessary stuffy
of thes e s ennl -
end. 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

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 nnt 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 tlme"
'
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 stock phrase ag;aln autonbtlcally flowed

out, aLnost blurted forth as an after-thought: t'But, slr, vrhenf am late,

my tlne lg worth money to mel a Fhone call 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 this class and ten-thousand-Collars was exactly lts

prlme value... ." 0h, yes lnd.eed, belng forever dllatory as usual, to thts

flne polnt far beyond the ethereal, past long reprlev^s even for the merely

hu m a n [ 4 r s . R h a b b , ttti me " 1 ^ /astr uly vr or th something dear in ter m s of ear thl y

dollars and cents. 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

ln sardonte terms the anxious nateriallstleally turned lady as the dtlly-

dall-lest ten otclock scholar, ever, untll Just as suddenly the room ltself

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 lost 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

o t h e r w i s e l n te n se mo me n t. T he lady an' l t.he r oom had the usual lus tr ous

startled effect: a flux, a b l g p l e a s a n t . e h a n i : et h a t ahvays blurted ltself

tr,rnsforrnlng lnto the lvory tower atmosphere, allve and actlve mood beyond

nere words that took-over aIl the anxlous air.

i
The whole classroon mood then qui-ckly moved, changed as though on

signal, all fulL of staged buslness, to the round table student gatherlngso ;

Th e R h a b b mystl q u e h u n g h e a vy wlth the final ar r lval of thls long av i al ted'

I
The lvhole class actlvity n o v / m o v e d "f a s t ln
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 ,
tlttle dlscussion groups lvlth her' The
Joyous antlclpation to form thelr

a ro und had. at last begun, buzzlng nolsly n w i th

in f c r n a l s tu d e n t n l l -rl n g

own chirping sounds everywhere. Rhondauas respondlng as qui'ckly as

thetr
T a . y l o r / F o w l ke Page L25

she coulC at thls tlne, too, as though herself belng on cue for someper-

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 anC .pus hl ng

her sketch pad to oqe discarded slde; the pages fell open onto the floor"

Th e d r a w i n g re ma l n l n g l n fu l l vlew ' lttasof her tar dy m other "

Thls latest 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 cLassroomdoor as usual- wlth the llghted tyndall-effect of the sun

shlning through the lonely weeping wlllow trees, aIl framed by the outslde

window scene. She wes shownholding her own textbooks tight to the bosom,

f ro z e n i n t ln n e b y th e p e n cl l mar klngs, dr awn up in fr ont of her sel f w tth

the pretty c h a m p a g n ec , o l o r e d h a l r a l l caught into the sunllght, almost gold.en

looklng end flowlng over onto one side of her long anxlous face. Her nose

wa s f u l } o f L o n g sh a d .o w sw i th lts cour tly nar r ow nar is. jt long gol d m es h

chaln held firnly around her stately neck. Underneath the tree in the rear

of the plctrrre Iias a small cemetery stone, lnserted, oblong, almost upright,

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 about to si-ng and to take flight. The

n e v l Pa e k a r d a u to n o b l l e rn a s d r awn near by at the eur b puIl1ng away v r i th the

youthful ,erlnnln5'chauffeur ln that shiny sleek car vrhlle a once drab and

not so sad looklng glrl anymore wlth her fine halr flovring freely, almost

sttIl ordlnary looklng, but novr flapplng dellghtfully lnto the lleht blowlng

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

her notherr s lvlde eyed autocratlc expresslon ln tils picture perfect rend-

ering of some ideal situatlon.

I l a p p y r ' , , a st h e m o n e n t C r a w n l n t c the flne artlstic Cetall of thls pen-

cilled 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 Page 126

aln,ost surreal. The monent was certainly expresslve: regal, oaJestlc and

most assuredly klnesthetic, almost conlng allve rlght off the page of the

sketch pad to run onto the actlve campus landscape. The forebcdlng plcture

ccnnpelled the future aot upon thls present tin:ely view fron the real class-

room window" Tveryone of the stud"ents began to move so fast in real life

that the actlon o f t h e c l a s s r o o m b e c a n r et h e d l v e r s l o n f r o n t h e p r e t t y plc-

tr:red view. But the real llve girl Rhondaseenlngly unseen exlted tire room

ever sc quletly runrlng avlay to her chauffeur drawn ?ackard ear as the
nl ntrrt.a nnrl her llf e actUally begane One, dravm lntO a tru)-y actlve
t / ! v v g }
unlty

a s v i - e w e c fl r o ; : r t h e w l n d o w s 1 1 1 s e e n e t h l s day.

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 llveoak

t r e e s n e a r a l o n e l y w l l L o w s u t l d . e n L yf l l l e d the air lns lde the cla ssroom

vrith a sonata, ln tune, ln tlne clocked, &s lt were, of half past the hourl

anrl then the tlttle real blrd flevi away. All tirls had half passed unnotl-

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 of the sketch pad had natched.

the actlon of real llfe. And the captlon to the latest sketch left on the

classrcom floor sinrply reail: TIIE \f4RY L{TT I'inS. P.}IABB.

Thls story vras the version which was maklng the rounds of all the

social clubs in South Fowlke after the mother returned to town wlth babes

in arms. The tale splnners were more lnterested ln the effect of the d'e-

scrlptlon on the flrst-tlme llstener than the ttme worn tetllnr: of the baslc

plot. 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

cf the frantlc ladyt s off-sprlng. Thls was really shocklng to learn that

upstandtng Jlm Bcb had a hld,den read'y made famlly' But the messy detalls

The youn8 ritother "ras not so younA as flrst though; she was
kept unfoldlng.
epltome of an
indeed the college sweetheart whose nother had domlnated the
fr lend' Rhonda shar cn Rhabb had m ar -
exa n p l e o f a g o o <1n o th e r o r flne lady

riedtbeycungchauffeurwithwhonsheranoffthatdayfromtheelassrooa.
Tay lor,/Fowlke Fage L27

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 slnce

she was an outslder, but the lnvolvement cf local h o m e b o yJ i m B o b e e r t a i n l y

dld r a l s e eye b ro w s. N o o n e thought that Jim Bob had it in hfuo to C .o s uc h

lllielt thlngs, or even had the tine wlth all t h e b i g d e a l s p e n d . l n gf o r € x -

panslon of the industries around $outh For1ke. But then, he had.met the

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 these many years,

to father a chtld out of wedlock as the Pease famlly geeneCresigned. to

accept now beeause of the obvlous fanily curse or blrth marks corrunon
to aII

the kin, on the body parts of the infant ln the arns of the morally bank-

rupt mother that the cltlzens ln South Fcwlke were qulck to censure.

fhls cursed news was met lvlth shocklng response by all of Jlm Bobfs

l-oya1 frlends. The appallng nevls was Just the thlng they expected from a

levrd enC volunrptuousSlster f'ledls, not from a power ellte pl1-Iar of the

comrnunlty. Sister Fledls 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 for alL the laxity

of m o r a l t urp l tmd e th a t h a d come to South Fowlke, even the basenes s that

h a d h a p p e n e d y. e a r s b e f o r e h e r a d v e n t o f r o l L l c k l n g good tlmes on the local

She was the proverblal 'rvrhtpplng-boytt, sc to speak, f or the stereo-

scene.

type of everythlng evll- once the long tongued rellglonlsts got started. on

her case. Slster Fledis was becomlng wlekedness personlfled throughout

South Fowlke, another Inconslstent oddlty for soneoaensver seen on the pub-

tlc scene ln the town. AIl vlce and lmrnorallty was attrlbuted to havlng

come to town wlth her arrlvaL. Slster F1edls was lniqulty and.ufily sln all

rolleil uP :nto one entltY.

T h e r esl d .e n ts o f $ o u th Fowlke wer e 3ead"Sto flnd. a scape8oat- and none

o f the good soul.s- to blam e for dolng al l thi s

t o o s o o n f cr th e w e l fa re
own flne upstandlng cltlzens' Jlm Bob was
dasterclly deeds to one of thelr
Ta y l o r / F o w l ke Page 3-28

s u r e l y J u s t l e d a stra y b y th e evlI cor r uption that now l' ,' ascomln g s o fas t

to South Fowlke. The ellntnlshed confidence and the lost vlrtue of the

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 of r lghteans i ndl g-

nation to punlsh the gullty vlolators, 1f for no cther reason than to show

t h a t a d . e c o r u mo f r e s p c c t a b i l l t y stl}l. exlsted vrithln the soclal good graces

o f So u t h F orl ke . T h e g o o d p eople of Sor ,r thFowl- ke wer e desper atel y l n need

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 . A baskl-ash of religious potitlcs surfaced.,

tc rectlfy al-1 the past i{rongs and depravity that haC been allowed. to fester,

corruptlng 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 in South Fowlke

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 appeal to the good people of

every nelrhborhood ln town, AnC the charaltan Stster FLedls was the desig-

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 out of tcwn on a r all", onc e they t

t

could get thelr hands on her. She was proclalned a dctrlmental force wlth

her evl}-mtnded comnents about the flne follcs ln South tr'owlke, and Slster

Ftedlsrs low-Ilfe Jokes were Just too dirty to relnat. The fiend ln the

hv n
v u Jd r r n f a -ny Lr "" 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 .

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 of Sister I'ledts
1
turnlng all th e yo u n g g l rl -s lnto str unpets or fr r ll"- tlr oe har lots lf nothl ng

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 lnsplratton that would"

make being a trollop seemexcltlng and respectable. Every slut and hussy

f ro m t h e w ho l e fo u r-sta te s-a re a would com e to South Fowlke to pr a c tl c e thel r

prostltutlon, now that prosperlty had. corneto town with the new reflnerles
Tay lor /F owlke Page 130

and the laxity of moral restraint reigned at the local nightclubs. Somethlng

draglstie had to be d.one. A revival meetlng fcr an or6'anized religlous

a ssault rnasc alled..

The evanflellst preacher Brother Reverend Doctor larly G o o d . n e rw a s c a l -

Led for this holy crusade. The nprayer vrarriors'r vrere activated to exorelse

evl1 when they detected it, and a cadre of Chrtstlan soldlers dressed.in

nllltary type fatlEues wlth red hol"y crosses as inslgnla b e c a m ea c o n n o n

sight on the streets of South Fowlke. The'rsln patrol'r was naklng the rounds

of the town, taking notes antl rnaklng a llst of all that was naughty and bad.

I{earsay about Slster Fled.ls kept the roster of transgresslons long" fhe
' 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 of bibLlcal verses helped lnspire the local pop-

ulace to be good, to reslst evll v r h e ne n c o u n t e r e d .

The sln patroL had aocuss-squad'''that lssued Sunday School tlckets for

t h o s e l r f i o u se d fo u l - Ia n g u a g e ln the pr esence of minor s. The adnoni s hed. of-

fenders 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 patrol" roster Ilst as beln6

wcrth watchlng for future lnfrlngement of good citlzenshlp publlc behavlor.

tsut the most rnilltant force was the "sex pollce'r vrho rvent underccverr to

and thus observed all the lewil actlvity therein. AtI of thls
the beerhalls
a sociar activity wlthln the church.
organized attack on sln was st flrst
examples'wasa hlt list for future use' The real
The gather:-ng of speciflc
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
powerful use of all

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
offlclatly d u b b e dC h r l s t l a n s
an ethlcal connlttae whose actual nane vtas
cr'cl or8anlzatlon becane the found'a-
r,or ']lean Living; this conmonly caIled
''ach church supported the candl-
tlon for porltrcal party voting on lssues.
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

paylng off; the substructure of the rtsln patrol'? had at last s u c c e e d e d .l n

getting lts own elected ccnstltuency firm.ly enpLaoedon the South Fowlke

city councll. The potency of their ldeology was always larv abid.lng and

never nentioned spectflc rellgious lnstltutj-ons as belng preferred or better

than the secuLar organizatl-ons. They were Just d.efendlng their 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 way of life had to be financed.

The moneycame from d.onatlons but mostl-y derived from proJects d.eveloped

frcm tnnovattve ldeas. 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

nembership spttled over lnto both organizations. The retlred sroups capl-

tallzed on thelr lif esty3-e. Thelr dally llvlng habits lnelud.ed health club

exerelslng. A1I that energy was nct being put to lts c o m p l - e t ep o t e n t l a l

until the flesty splnster lJiss Frlmsey Dactyllc put a lucrative focus to all

that misillrec ted energy.

T h e m u s c l e p o l v e r e d t. r e a d - r n l I l e x e r c l s e r i , ' I a sc o n n e c t e d t o a b a t t e r y

power pack, no nore than L2 to 2l+ volt series of storage cel).s, from a gen-

erator eneased that turned the svreaty heaLth club aotivlty lnto electrlcal

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 dayr s

Iength of buslness hours generated enough eLectriclty to power the needs of

the club. An6 then the enterprlslng m e m b e r sr a n a l l n e to next door buslness

the excess at a much reiluced rate. This saved on

establlshrnents, to selt

the environroent wlth less fossil fuel belng used.to generate electriclty.
powered genera-
o 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

exerciser really produoed an excess of electrical €fl€f-

tors and the blcycle
This novel ldea
gy that was also soLtl back tO the town power ocmpanles'

was repllcated ln evory place where a silver Foxx chapter exlsted'; the re-

t lr e d . f o t k s re a l L y sp re a d th e wor d of a good thlng' shen it nade tfun fi or l €$o

 tug" L)z
Taylor/Fowl-ke

T h e Sl l ve r F o xx ch a p te rs wer e naticn- wlde, wlth one ln every l - ar ge

clty and one ln every county seat. That really created a maJor lnpact on

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" An aer ob i c s s tud.l o

was already butlt lnto eaeh local Sllver Foxx ehapter head.quarters bulldlng.

Now, exercising was a professlonal occupatlon with a socondary purpose, to

generate electrlclty 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

exerting or flexlng the nuscleso lach exerclse machlne soon came equlpped

with lts own handy attached generator that could" have an extenslon cord ln-

serted. convenlently into the blg storage batteries. ft was as easy as pLug-

ging ln a VCRto a new televison set. ltroulterla notlve exlsted, except to

dcnate a share of the proflts from the senlor citlzenr s muscle powered eIe-

ctrioal 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 party called the CFCI. The dedlca-

tlon to defend thelr way of llfe as a legacy to the next qeneratlon yms truly
paying off.

rinother pay-off idea that camefrom the Sllver foxx chapters lnvol-ved

laws flnlng polluters 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. But a lar ge segr nent of the popul atl on

was too busy and too tlred fron hard. vrork to eatch the offenders, The re-

tlrees of the Sllver Foxx clubs devised a lucratlve solutlon, They employed

chilCren to scout for the vlolators. Local boy and filrl s c o u t F _ x r o u pass -

slsted as well- as orphanages. The elderly and the young have a lot ln com-

mon as both are usually not consld.ered to be part of tie msln stream of so-

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 . Thls ooncept was

soon lnstlgated. lnto notrmalpracttce alI over the world lvhen the chlldren useil

lnstant Polerold cameras to prove thelr allegatlons. The flnes lndeed re-

budsets for many communltles'

sulted and.provided a btg sun of the total
boys fr on the lo c al or phan-
T h e S o u th F o w l ke b u d g e t was enhanced'by the
on the look- out for al l
a g e n a m e d B u ckn e r H o n e . T h e boys wer e constantly
Tay lor /Fowlke Pase L33

pol"Iuters and especially landf 111 viol-ators. Tven dumplng garbage on the

roadsid.e or throwlng anlnoals out to forage for themselves was a erlme, by

Iaw. The pqLarold cameras proved the charges since car tags were always

shown ln the proof. AII thls plcture perfect blt of evldence soon eleaned

up the lltter along the roads since a four-hundred dollar lltter lar was

ultlmately enacted by the CFCLcoaS.itlon, and thls unlon of the ol-d wlth

the young to enforce the Laws really p a l d h a n d s o m ef e e s , g e t t l n g results

of a clean looklng envlronment. The careless lltterburs s o o n ? ? e r e -f e a r f u l

of dlscardlng the least blt of paper on the streets. The children enJoyed,

thls attentlon and sense of power; they always went to court with anpl-e

pi-ctures anCat Least three or four of thelr numbers to testlfy agalnst the

offend.ers. 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

-lJ.Lrr 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 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 areas. The new accomnodatlons

were bullt to look anclent with a Vlctorlan style of archltecture. The old

fashloned look was chosen by the old-rnald l,fiss Frlmsey Daetyl-ie. Thls old

tlmey atnosphere helped the buslness dlstrlct to grow 1-arger llteraIIy and

also brought crowds from d.istant large cltles to enJoy the charm of the

un c h a n g e i l sn a l -L -to w n a mb i a n ce, South f,owLke was beconlng fanous for l ts

lmage of traditlon anrl antlqulty (be It ev-qr so recently 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 of weekend shopper s ,

who dld not add to the lltterlng mess because of the flnes belng so well-

advertlsed and also a part of l"lfe back in the blg clty llfe' Every burg

in t h e l a n d 1 \ra sco p yl n g S o u th Fowlket s or iglnal 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 Fage L3l+

Tradltions iind herltage were the prlmary reasons girren for becomlng

a dediented. vcter in the CFCI o" Ch"istians Flr Clean Living party affll-

latton. The polttlcs centered" around.lssues but had more to dc with the

mcral character of the lndi-vldual cand.ldate. Nc sltuatlonal ethlcs would

be acceptable any longer on the polltlcal scene. Yalues with long term

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 . l{o where was this more debated

'rT o men
than vrlth the League of Voter s or ganizatlon and ?I[ gr oups . T he par ent

teachers assoclatlon took the lead ln most student actlvitles" The dlsous-

slon over allowlng certaln books on the classroom reading 1lst because a big

lssue, a contentlon that soon mademany lock horns and not speak to each

oth e r . T h e d l sp u te b e ca me a county- wide contr over sy when the bo ok s by l r 'far k

Twain were deleted or at least threatened, A publlc forum vrassoon appointed

to argue the case, pro and con. 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

rather than the lronic satlre of the context; the lmage cf proper decorum

t rv a - be 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 ltne, T he func t-

lonaI ifllterates were gettlng ccntrcl of the sehools, lamented old-rnald

school teacher I'rl,ss. Primsey Dactyllc. S h e h ad h e r s a y r t o n o a v a l l ln thls

dialogue that everyone had already made-up thelr nlnds before hearlng the

carefully presented facts by experts fron both sldes, with thetr values at

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. But the books on demonology

anil witchcraft had first started all the book burnlng and eensorshlp. The

inscrease ln covens and locaI wltches requtrlng bLood sacriflces uslng the

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 the sake of the chll- dr en ln the cc m m unl ty .

$lowly but surely, all books that contalned any sexual word or any euss word

Then, steteo reeords and cl)s

Ect deleted from the publlc schools llbrary.
Tay Ior/F owlke Page L35

that r e m o t e l y h l n te d . l e w d . a cts or tf their per for m er s beoar e€ lnvolved ln

saandals got bad.llsted and quickJ.y renoved from slght. T h e HII ClC all

thls ln the name of Gcd and country. Even som€coples cf the holy Blble

got burned by the zealots.

The numerousnew transLatlons of the hol"y Blble eaused such an uproar

'thout't"s
that some devotees thouglrt revlslng'thee and surely an unholy a1-

llance vrith I.uelfer hlmself. The nevrBlbles were burned on the tovrn

square alcng wtth rock and roll- record.lngs. T h l s e v e n t g o t T ' \ / c' o v e r a g e f o r

sure from Fle Town, Twin 01ty and Blg D. A two week long pietorlal essay

resulted fron all the oontroversy !n maqazlnes and the news meCla tn generaL.

S o u t h t r ' o w l k ew a s f u l l o f p a r t l s a n l d e l o g y a n d n n a n yn n l s c c n c e p t l o n s t h a t dled

hard. Sone thought that Jesus Chrtst spoke Ing1lsh, not Aramalc whlch r/,'as

the ease. The fanatlcs for each bellef refuserl to budge an lnch frorn thelr

origlnal contentlon, renalnlng a bigot to the last, do or dle stand. for

thelr misglvin€g as they were. This Pf,l ccntroversy got more thtngs changed.

officially ln South Fowlke than aIl the city council meetings put together.

The PTA had flrst begun by paintin6q or shadlng pencil narklngs on all the

nude plctr:res ln the Art l{lstory books and all the classical 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

even the btblical- story of Klng.Davld and 3athsheba $tere strlcken from the

dlsregard tirat a bad sltuatlon was a good examplefor reforn.

- u a 6 , ei n t o t a l
The teLevlslon coverage only proved that the loeal wrangle vlas insol-

able; the altercatlon 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 8ot to-

A constant quarrel was the order of the day now' The TV

gether tater.

1n*,ervlows reached lnto aIl the churoh edif lces, showtng the ln.erlons of
finally made some
thelr vestlments. A)-1 age groups got Cepicted and thls
positrve resurts but at least a change
indivrcuars a cer.ebrrty, not totarry
Taylor/f owlke Fage L36

of the topic th a t o a u se d th e upr oar or nagLstr om to r esur faee, w hen eac h

click got rlled over thelr pet peeves rather than the whole town getting

up in arms all a t th e sa me tl ne anynor e. The r umpus was now a sm al l or

indivldual 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

redl:'ected the agitatlon ' o v h e ns h e l n n o c e n t l y n e n t l o n e d t h a t tl" censorshlp

w a s a m o n e y m a k e rf o r the publlshlng lndustry. That shocked the cltizens of

South Fow1ke.
The burned books would. slmply be rebought when they were known classlcs.

Certainly the Blble would not remaln outcast for long tf at alt by many

rellglous groups. The books would not d"lsappeer off the face of the earth

stmply because somepoLltlcal group dared to lgnite thelr pages, and besldes

all the notrlety would. onl-y advertise thelr eontroversy whlch would ln turn

advance sales, ft would be better to just l g n o r e t h e m e n a c et h a t w o u l d

s o o n g o a w ay w l th th e a d ve n t of the next fad.. And then ltllss Pr lm s ey l l r c ty l l c

comnented that South Fowlke vras not the center of the unlverse or as Voltalre

observed.,not the best of all- posslble worlds. That llterary reference

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. Seems that Vol- talre w as the

accepted lnfldel to attaok by all the reltglous bodles ln $outh Fowlke"

But a new concern bothered the polltlcaL motlvated senslbllltles of

t h e r e r r g l o us re a d .e rs rn so u th Fowr ke. They now had. the backing of the

$llver 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'
founder an6 respected national cTo Dlrector)
control. t/oltalref t
softly on her turf that had the power base they wanted to
so he
phtLosophy was taught ln llberal schooLs on)'y, not ln south Fowlke

llmlts threat, to quote the mayor' I{owever' truth was the

was not a clty

l-deal standard"of alL chrlstlans everywhere; and' the myths that advertislng
-ay1or /F owlke Fage L) 7

meCia perpetrated upon the chrlstlan world. should. not be al-Iowedto continue

or go unchallenged. 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 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

elther 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

o1d Ronanllmplre tlme tables cr almanac records. The Vulgate scrlptures

h a d "a r b l t r a r l ) . y establlshed that fallacy l n l + 2 5A . D . And then the promo-

tion by the huge departments stores wlth thelr seasonal parades had he}ped

establish the custom of that symbol as the gospel- truth, by anti-Ohrlst

rellglons at that. The whole tlnely event of Chrlstmas was a lle, a blg

falsehood, along wlth the rldlculous Santa Claus myth vrith the flying slelgh

and relndeer, The mendaclty of teachlng bellef ln Santa by ehureh-golng

uhristtans was a blgger lie than what atI the athelsts anil antl-Ohrlst re-

llgions 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 the ohurches for months; the clamor dld not subslde

until another bustl"e flot started, to take thelr mind off the discord that

arose from all" the loud talk of who was rlght and who was wrong. Blarce had

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 aceeptable enough to d.esplse or

hate enough to unlte all thelr bellefs 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 Fled.is was the vlearlous thrlll to blame for all the moral tlls

v rl t h l n s h o utl n 5 " d i " sta n ce o f South tr ' owlke, $he was the sur r ogate ev l l - doer

n a m e dl v h e n a s p e e i f l c local person couldnrt be i:rovided or charged'with a

particular sln, belng flg ullgf falL-guy ln all things rnaledlcted. She was

the last r e so rt to ch a r;o f o r betng the r oot cause of the slleht€i$ t offens l v e

!' owlke. The ar m y of Chr lstian crime

b e h a v l o r t he t vra s o ve rta kl n g South

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

f ig h t e r s

facetlouS lady-of-the-evenlng-shade Out of town forever inore on a rall,

T a y t o r / F o w 1 ke Page f38

tarred and feathered by the good people of South Fowl-ke of course. The good

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. Thelr good vr or k s w er e ob-

vlously bel-ng undone by some local evil f orce. Otherwlse, they vrould be

farther 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 . The

f ea r 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 in

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 of

calamlty proportlons happeneit. The local preacher Tyree Robertson however

exhorted a far dlfferent dogma, based on the biblical Book of Revelatlon:

the end of tine 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

precede the flery d o o m s d . a yo f J u d g e n e n t . T h e p r o p h e c y s t a t e d t h a t a n l l l e n -

n lu m w o u l d p a ss fro m th e tl n e of thg establi- shnent of new- Jer usa l em as the

relgning capttol, of the new-fsrael (not TeI Avlv) when the runor of vrars

end wi.th the lamb lylng down with the Lion !n peao6'. All thls fulflll-ment

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 date cf conrpletlon when the last thousand years of har-

mony starts. And a dlreot descendant of Adan and ?ve would be the messenger

for al1 thsge6lad ttdtngs. The Seottish clan of tunkeld vras one such family,

Tyree Robertson was a dlrect blood ll.ne menber cf thls famlly tree.

Famlly genealogy hail alreaily beccmemore lmportant than a mere vanlty

endeavor beeause of rene spllclng or bone merrow transplants for kln folk.

Th e a d . d . e dl n p o rta n ce o f th e famlly tr ee all the way back to Ad' amand T v e

o f s a l v a t l o n m a d e t h e } ' l o r r o o nG e n a a l o g y r e c o r d s v a s t l y sought after.

for part
for the
Every localt 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 gu-
vr 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 Page L)9

nents. of each famlly name, rather from mlsspel-

R e s e a r . c h l n gt h e o r l g l n s
'lhey
lings or phoenetlc r.asons, kept the factions busy. soon helped eaoh

other vrith the task of uslng computers world-wide seeklns infornatlon that

was llttle known ln Tlurope and the l{id-east. T h l s r e n e w e d .l n t e r e s t ln a

wo r l d - w i d e fa ml ty o f ma n ki n i l unlty scon spr ead thr cuglr out the Sl ]" v er F ox x

chapters, to €iet thern into the act of rnaklng noney as genealoglsts experts

and/or consultants, Thls research kept the busybodles deeply lnvolved ln a

good cause.

The good cause of the research vms that proof soon existect that all

the well-establlshed s u r n a m e s d . e s c e n d . e fdr o m a p a r e n t p l a c e - n a n e o r l g l n or

a single ancestoro A flve nclllennlum genealogy chart soon existed for aIl

the regearchers anC farther back ln time was loomlng on the hcrlzon of
rhis religlous activlty polarlzed the
scholarly lnqulry and exploration.

zealots more than had the ennlty towaril slster Fledis even.

The Sister 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

that cane to the fore front of South Towlke store owners along the I'flracle

l,rj-le flea market rilstrict. 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 the tax

good wl 11 meant a lot to every

basa, along with the neul incrustry, So thelr

citi.zeni.ntown.Thegooccharacterofoneofthelargeststoresreally

got put to the tost of fate. The store, A. Harrls $ h a m b a u g h& C o m p a n y t

The dlsplay wlndowt for

really upset the power gtructured' city fathers'

over the world for lts one-of-

the speciallty store with catalogue sales all

ranglng from flve dollars to a mllllon d'ollars ltems was

a-klnd novelties

being used for sone klnd of slgnal to its Sang nemberso

l ns tgnl a
th e l' ' lascnic Locge hand' shake or the mafl a
T h e s l g n a l - w a s l l ke
clty' The raanlklns were dres-
on the state Line store Fronts ln nearby Twln
world that the sex-crub nerf,-
ed in attire beflttlng whatever sexuar fantasy
hours ln the dressing
bers would. wear to the meetlng durlng the d'aytine
Tay lor lF owlke tate I40

rooms ln the flne store. 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

for its huge catalogue sales department. The tal-ebearers related a11 the

gory detaiLs wlth a llterary styte beflttlng all the other dlsgraceful events

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 of AlcdiltuPreo. The storytellers had a Ce-

tlehtfuttimeEivingthelrdescrill!lygrend'ltlonsofthestlgma"
The ldanikln Looks was the tltle that ail the tale spinners began when

telllng thelr observatlons of the sex rlng SoinE on right under their noses

along lr,rlraclelf!}e. 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

blg front wlndows, entlcinr the shoppers on the street to stop and study the

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 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

local prigs lmagine that such flagrant scxuallty ivas being advertlsed, vrorse

than Slster Fledls out at her nlghtclub jaunts). iach front window displa.ved

" T h at c a n r t llve wi thout lt n e v Jl o o k . ' t 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

two nanikins dressed ln shamcls outfits 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

(and now the reasons for that rapldlty was understandable). The female nanl-

kin sat posed on the male nranlkinfs knee looklng up lnto the wild starry-eyest

posed like a su n se t p a l n tl n g on a pr air le. The sholtper llke a voy eur i v oul d

grin 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

of per fum e flowi"ng ltke water falls 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 entrants. 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

briskly appeared llke a witd stalllon 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
grown together
slx tall, ollve ccmplexloned, dark brown halr trlth eyebrows
and
ln an lmplsh or virlle atavlstlc appearence. I{ls beard was bl-ue-black

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
s l r k y s o f t . rr.ls!.arasof a lean butlc lvith a rong angular face
tne h a r r s
everythlng
bones. His darrc bro'dn eyes say
thick rtps, set off by high cheek

stcre and. he saw thr ough m ost thlngs as wel l ' R l - ek rs

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 Fa ge f l +1

ehEet barrelled o u t r n r a r dw h e n r v a l k l n g g i v i n g h i s s t a n c e a p r l m c r C i a l r a d l a n c e ,

an added arch or spring to hls step llke a spi"rited colt runnlng across the

pla ln, a e a s u a l c o n f r o n t a t i - c n o f + , he s t r e e t c r o w d c o m l n g l n s i d e v ; a s h i s

natural stance to meet them.

Rlchard r#ore the latest fashion lnside hls store. He reeked nanly style

earried to lts best taste of eleFance. hlck could. spot Just the type of

latest fashion that would best fit a custoner not yet declded; he could'

peruse through the dlsplay sirelves, to natch shlrts, blouses, trousers and

pants with the speeil of ltghtnlng 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 . el t s

statenent that only geltrr the custcmer, mattered at thls m o m e n ti n t i m e . T h l s

manner of hts was lvhat madethe business such a suocess and then the catalo€ue

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 nnt a t l o n a l , showlng

that good taste foll-owed a "clotheshorse'r ltke a salloplng gourmet on a wlld

was llatrelle Hederlck. She was

chese for excelLatrc€r B.iekrs best asslstant

just as adept as he at finding Just the riEht cutflt for the wlndow shopper

with discrimlnatory tastes. They couIC spct the receptlon shcpper a nll-e

army, so tc speak. Thelr offlce had a vlew with a slCe wlndow so the employ-

ees cculd s6e all the tine the custoners and the t'goodlestt whc came lnto

the store frcn the maln street entra[c€r

Durlng the ml6-week hours, the street traffle was not very busy. The
was the store
weekencscurlns the flea narkets and Fowlke l,{onster FestlvaIs

itself breening vrith eustomers. lfld'-week was lax, alnoost boring wlth time

to kll} on thelr hsnds, T h e m o n o t o n y w a s s e l d ' o n rb r o k e n e x o e p t w h e n s c n e o n e

IikeslsterFledtscameshopping.ButthenotcrloussisterFledlsnever
store. The only parson rsenbllng
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 of buy l ng
Ri c h a r d Sh an b a u g h w l th h e r e ver y movement'
 I
Page LI+z I
fal' 1o" /Fowlke

trousers 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

surnane. 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-

slble flaw. She alnost chewedher tongue whlle eyebal-llng the material,

givine the fabric the once over. Daphnawould test run the zippers with an

alacrity 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 . $he would run the zlppel'up and

do'anthe tract, asklng Qucstlons about the guarantee of services rendered

belng good for how long or not. 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

t h e ' r a y t h e re a l L y rl ch a re , car lng not how ilhunky' r they would. appc ar ) . T he

word "hunkyn derived lts peJoratlve connotatlon froro her sruff or mlser at-

titude rvheninspectlng clothing f or lts wearabllity" D a p h n a s e e m e dm o s t l n -

terested ln the durablltty of the fabric a n d t h e h a r d " ' w a r ea t t a c h e d . ; s h e s e e m -

ed to thlnk that all parts would get a lot of wear and t€arc She ran the

zlpper up and down whlle talklng, lleklng her lips dellclously when lnqulr-

lng about the d"urabrlity or workabllity of the parts belng testeil. She made

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 ecntrolled by the speed.

of the hand.on the zipper. The neanlng was nct lost on Rick.

Rick was aLways lnforned by Daphna that he was Just the rlght slze or

sinllar dlmenslons that she was buylng the garments for. And would he thus

try on the artleles nf c lothing, to show hor how they fit and looked. She

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

nood. The nanhandler brand. of slacks vras the best seller eustonrlzed for the

carrlage trad.e, as Daphna v{asnoted to be.

Daphnachose a shlrt and slecks with matchlng socks and of course a

of utrlch hed to be tried on for pre-approval

gooc brand of jcckey shorts, all
Natrually, Rlck vtent lnto
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 .

thedressingroomsareaaheadof)aphnavtrocarrledtheartlclesofclothlng
pranclng or galloplng steps'
cr careful selectlon on her arms behlnd. hls
Taylor/FowIke i)age Lt+)

The long steps to the flttlng room doot was across thlck pl-le carpetlng.

The qulet atmosphcre enhancedthe total anblance of the elesanee cf the

store front ln.oressiong. 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 of clothlng on the backs of the chalrs. Then, she unbuttcned th^

shlrt that covered Rlckrs blg chest and blc bod. The personallzed serviee

c cntlnued lts body search. Blg Riek vrasnct called bls f or ncthlng; he rvas

Ncw vork Clty personlfled, a term that his best custcmers used to descrlbe

t h e e n d c w m e n tc f h l s p r l v a t e parts as their flngers dld the walking or travel-

ling. Their hanity tcur of the body,ras nover spoken abcut excent ln terms

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 throughout the country were

used to nake reference points to the orbs of dellght that were encountered

along thls sensual-Journey. This saleclous meetlng of the rninds had.to have

a touch of erudlte reference abcut the body carts. The seme applled to

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 .

D a p h n a k e p t b e a t o r t l r n e t o t h e C . e e pb 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

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 of clothlng. Thls strlp tease

was more lronlc than sexual. trrothlng much beyonC the sensual was golng-on

inside thls dresslng booth. 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

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 fathers.

Thls personallzeC servlce contlnued. lts exploratlon of the body parts.

P . l c . t csr f o r e h o a d b ^ a d e d w i t h p e r s p l r a t l o n vrhlch Daphna then llck+C a7-tan"

parts, so theyosn"n clean as

she had a thlne abcut cleanlness of the body
D a p h n ac a l l e d h l m h e r s a l t y ccg nanr'whatever
a,,,rhlstle by her rong tongue.
r ,r r ' entlnto spas ns l l k e a
that n e a n t w h e n sh e tcu ch e d his vital ' r gans that
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

bench as he caIIed this plece of furnlture r n r h e nt h e c l e a n l n g c r e w c a n e t o

repair 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 .

This couch had little damp spots in the nlddle, from. where the tvlosone

h a d s l v o o n e dt h e l r noontlme break lnto a casual encountet. Rick was scon

sprawled full" length across the loverst s ccuch. The ectasy of the morrent

Iasted fcr 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 for thelr

tastes. 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 ' r teo e a c h o t h e r a s e a c h

squeezed the llving dayllghts out of the other's erogenous zones; he sucked

nn her lons flnEernalls for d.ear Ilfe as the llfe j u l e e s e b b e c lf r c m h i s

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 last. This metasexual moment

wes nore than either had bar6alned.for. Irick deep throated her flngers

ltke a pro, setting an exanple for what she should do tc hls real llve

active parts ln thls 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 ln

a d . a z ea f t e r a I I the noaning and groani-ng Oeased..

The coupLe dressed slowly, Crcsslng each other, that ls. Thege trvo

sexperts or experts hai a lu1led or drearoy starry-eyed look on thelr faces.

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 rnanlkin expresslon.

They opened the door and left together, walklng abreast in a leisure pace

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
R l c h a r d ' S h a m b a u g hv m s t r u l y the best
clotheshorse ccul'C do. And the spent

clothesdick ln t[e store. lach one their own wayl each dress.v person
",.r'el]t
 Fege LL5
Tay Ior/Fowll<e

lndeed. Then, Rlck vrent about his cuties of chgnc-

reft very well satlsfled

ing the wlndow display. rt vras truly all 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
|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 ' F'ick act too
secret f orever !f
used up at the tlme. The snger of the d1s-
busy one day or else he was all

appointed or spurned lover vfas nolsed. abroaC. The {'ossip had grad'ually
+'hat
built that scmethlng sexual was gc$ng on in the clressing rooms, and

only brought in morc customers to see for themselves. But the real dovmfall
I
of the sex rlng cane when a revlval church meeting vras held on the tovm

scuare and the frustrated sex spulred partners confessed all thelr sins-

The public expresslon of past sins on the mournersts bench really got

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 s e a n c a L a n d t l i e n c o m n r e n t e dt h a t

tire goocle-two-shoes sex flghters rearly were only bothered by all tliat sex

because no one wanted to bother wlth them that wayl 0r that no one
aetlvlty
them or try to seduce t,hen. ?rustretlon anc repres-
had bothered to lnvite
the rocd lifet $Ias another of
slon are the reaL enemles of those who live
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
to llght' Too neny
inslde the nnostprestigeous fancy store ln town cane
d r e s s l n g T o o o s'
good 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

llearly 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

the past decade. The storres or the tatr
acceptabre
f o r w h t c h t h e . * o u r n e r s rs bench was beconing the soeially
syrobol
b r u s h e s wlth inlquity' sin v'lassueh a fun
place tO e x p l a t e t h m e c a s u a l
But the
b e ,rv'sh ed avr ey ln a publlcall} r ccndoned'aanner '
t L i n g w h e n i t ccu l d
Ta y l o r / F o w l ke Fage 146

lastlng results of casual sexual encounters could lpad to somethlng that

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 of the usu al l y c aus tj - c

Sister Fledis 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

that some pill-ars of t-he conmunity vrere playlng around or having a dalllance
A q t h e r " e ' il r r { o u s f o l k called sexual orgles. The trifllng conduct was truly

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

was what had proloted the general confesslon by the adult poculatlon of

South Fowtke. lTo one,,vas going to walt anC then be ccnfronted by the sex

patrol or the sln pclice t h a t n o v rw e r e f e e l l n g their self-importance slnce

so much iniqulty was roamlng the streets of their llttle tou/n.

of lechers or certalnly llbertines, 'wfiich was

South Fowlke vns full

even worse. ft was lugubrlous to aII the exemplary eiti-zens of South Fowlke

that reprobate Sister Fledis uias not in the middle of aII the sex scand^al-.

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 of South Fowlke could not ablde with the reall-

zatlon that sin clty was norvthelr apt descriptlon. Thelr good old l'iays

came back to them, to polnt the blame fcr all that went v/rong or turned bad.

Sister Fledls rvas a ccnvenient vietim as usuaL. tiothlng so glarlng slnful

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

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. She w as the

obJect of slmulacrun by accusatlon slnce never belng present at clty councll

meetings or PTA gatherines to defend herself. Slster Fledis acted^the role

and dressed the part cf the elasslc courtesan. She was even voluptuougness

beyond the reputed blbLical 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 ,

now foreordalned. tc dananatlon, ln th.is d.issoLute plaee of her favorlte haunt

called. Bubba TownRoadhouse.Only the virtuous reJectlon cf the obvious sin

and the even more consplcuous sinner would save South Fowlke ltse1f from

eternal condemnatlcnr PToclalmed the sin pollce patrol.

South Fowlke uiasmore than read.y to cleanse ltself of aIl that was

wrecklng havoc on tire tcwnshlp' The good prosperlty haC brought new llls to

tcwn, but al-l the obnoxious results had an evid.ent cause for them, in the

well-used. name of $ister Fledls, the most visible pallmpsest perscn around'

the facetlous actlons cf

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 Page U+8

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 lLedls out of

hldlng for once and allo They hired a deteetive agency to track her dovrn,

taking vldeo can camera shots to prove the flndlngso Thls tactlc took over

e Jv av u nr ? t n R . n o r n p l l s h , The openlng scene of the vid.eo always began with the

sleek convertlble driven by Slster Fledis dlsappearing lnto the double fiar-

age of the d.uplex homesteadshared by her and the brothor Fladis Seneschal.

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 duo could ever be nanipuLated by the expert canera buffs wlth the agency.

A whcle cadre of experts cculd not accoropllsh this exercise in futillt}'. The

imposslble proof of their duallty c o u l d n o t b e d . o c u m e n t e do n f i l m .

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 . 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

alf hls proxy votlng shares and ownershlp ln the nunerous companles to the

old-mald retlred school teaeher, I,llss Prlmsey Dactyllo. She was now indeeil a

very rich 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 yet wlth hls

controlllng stock ln all the same ccrporatlons as vrell as alL the prlvate

eonpanles. 3ut vlhat l,flss Primsey suggested as a Eood financlal declslon r',ras

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

obeyed hls old auntle always, nct wantlng her to fret or worry.

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

hcme a mlnor lnconvenience. Communicatlcnwas slnlly done by key secret ao-

ccunt numbers that ldentlfted without doubt the ingenius hero of South

!'owlke.

^nother odd.-man-out ln thts nystery that 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
I
showlng hls face at the Sister tr'Iedls resiCence" Her doors were al'trays open I
I
to thts young satyr, 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 I
I
thts 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 I
I
less. Thls pattern repeated ltself week after week into many mcnths of re-
|
I
ccrded tlmes by the agency. I
Further invostlgatlon turnerl up the fact that Richard JorJ Shambaugh I

d i d n c t h a v e h i s c 1 ^ r np r i v a t e r e s i d e n c e i h e a p p a r e n t l y r e s l r l e d . w i t h t h e

fllg:hty Sister FIedls. The garage always had one of their cars parked ln-

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 nt h 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 regls-

tereil 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 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

J o r J S h a n b a u g bh a d n e v e r l e f t the p::emises, so observed the prlvate eye.

No real person hovleverrernalned in rqsidence.

This odd.lty cf factual observatlon soon enlarg'ed the runors about Slster

Fledls not belng a real person at aIL It appeared that the man Rlchard

S h a m b a u g hw a s m e r e l y a p a p e r t l g e r after aIl, a b l o w n - u p b a l l o o n - m a nC o l l

perhaps. $oon, the ownershtp papers of the famed and htghly lucratlve Sham-

b a u g h s t o r e . , \ i a sa 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 becomlng the owner of all the

prirne properties in anC around South Fowlke. T h e e n 1 6 1 n ao f h e r c c n n e c t i o n

to all the sleaze-ball personalittes llvlng ln South Fowlke puzzled the

city fathers Iess each daY.

The baekeround search next Lnto ilTlss Prirnsey Dactyllc turneC up the

facts that she was non-exlstent. Her personna as the pru,idlsh school teacher

t h e d . a ya f t e r the toronado that had susposedly kllled her

emprgedofflclally
TayIor/Fowlke Page I50

nythlcal slster, Stella Louise and reputed nother of ltttte iin 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 slbl lng c onnectl on ever. l , fi s s ? r i n s e y ' l a s

actually Diana Pyrrick by name; she was the real, mother of little J L : , ra o b

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.

And Daphnav/as his ciaurghter,their offspring rvho retained her malden name

even with poor'tKarhl'r to thls day and thus a half-sister to Jisr Bob. Thls

trlangle was one big secret that alL the other tales about whorlnE and ln-

f ldel lty o , 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 b e a w i l l " l n g m e m b e ro f

all thls disception slnce he t'/asunwlttlngly kln to all the sex flendlsh
players ln thls e l a n d . e s t l n e h u m a nd . r a m a .

The most unwllllng nember of the sex rlns dj-d indeed appear to be the

local hero Jim Bob Pease. He was after-aIl keepln€: the secret of hls real

nother well hldd.en. lTls old auntle vrasreally hts long lost nother who had

been a reall.v clever llar to weave all, these pest years. The uncovering of

all thts identity 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 Pa;e 151

tectives:nte:eC the prenlses after the hu-nan heat dcvices inCic?t-d thrt

n ^ ' ' li r r l n c r En" a

-'
? S O n l v aS j . n S l d e . 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 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

in the neighhorhood. Thls cover wcrked rryell since no one was at hcne to

resist 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 , The upstalrs vdndcw

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 of Dcrsonallties posing

a g o n e a n d t h e s a m ep e r s o n n a . The twln Senechals vrere actually alter egoes

and that cameas no blg surprlse after all the close scrutiny, but the entan-

gling ldentitles anazed the privatp eye Frovrlers.

The ldentlt;,' of Richard Jcrj S h a m b a u g hw a s t h e p r o l j f l e p e r s o n a l l t y

tr.aits Cetected ln the rambling house. 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 -

nnent. Richard was a make-up artlst wcrthy of a I'tollywood nnovle set job.

Ee could put-on his Slster Ftedls faee fast as any real lady ln a hurry.

D l c k S h a n n b a u gcho u l r l a l s o d r e s s h l n s e l f lnto the man of hls chcice vlsage

quick as a public appearance requlred. fhls cross-cl.resser vias adept at a

speedy ouality make-up Job. Alt thls expert sklIl was captured on fllm,

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 . The prlvate eye

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 over the;:1ace, in eell.ing reces-

sed. Ilghtnlng and ln rrclI cracks hldden by pictures. Thls provlCed the

d o c u m e n t e d r. e s u l t s . The fllm 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

da lly llf e r i-tual .

The hlCden caaeras capturecl the most teIllng ohservatlcn of aIl in a

essa:/ style. The fllnlng vias sinilar tc a dccurnentary on sone

^clctcrlal

farcus pe.rsonage, p'erhaps. The mornlng arvakenlng held the most fascinatlon
T a yl o r / F o w l k e ?age L52

or coinplete revelatlon, The vrrltten report was a rather }j'r1eaI narraticn

whj.ch began wlth the rislng sun ln the vrlndowon a hct sunmermorni:g.

T h e s un b u rst th ro u g h the v' r oodenshutter s and seeaed tc cut a C eep

red mark through the flesh on the body Just beginnlng to stlr, a scarred

tatoo cut slmulated.. The vmrm rays etehed their scarlet lnscrlption on the

tunescent flesh ln an angular but persistent $ / " 4 y .T h e m a l e f o r n f l o l e d llke

1 i n r r i r l rf rr "vn: rm
r!Yqrq r ^ne end Of the blg bed to the Other end ln a slumberlng Chese

to elud.e the traveling sunlight. But the hot beams found thelr rnark on tar-

set. The sleepy chase thusly went on for solte tlme.

T h e t j -sre o f a w a ke n l n g w ir s slow but easy finally. The eam eras fol l or .,'ed

t h e m a n l y f orm i n to th e b a th r oon; a slovr shower ' ,ias the next cr der of the

routlne.The hot soapy water created a terrarium ln the humid bathroom. The

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 ln ccndensation.

T h e r n l rro r fra me d . th e reflect.,d naked. nan. He hur r ldly shav ed hi m s el f ,

svriftly 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

lre r s o n ; t h e crd .e rl y a rra n g e m ent was stunnlng lngenulty, IIothing, v r as out of

order and this enhancedthe speedy dresslnq for each part. The caaeras

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 r c o n e y sf l i t o r t h .

The eamera shots had a zoom lens effect to thero. Just as would a true

c lo c u r n e n t a ryfttm, th e ca me ra foll.owed the movement of the man or bei ng fr om .

roon to room. All thls photographlng posed like a somnuballst on a pervarse

fantasy chase. h l c h a r d J o r J S h a m b a u g hh a d d a r k b l a c k h a l r and the infamous

Sister F1edls had flane red. flowlng curls urhlle her brottrer F1adls had red-
Just 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
k l c h a r d s h a m b a u g hh a v e a b l a c k b e a r d t o c o v e r h l s f a c e .
Tay Io r/Fovrlke P age L53

false hair pieces requlred denatureC alcohol and/or aeetone to renove

easllyo 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 each color of ivlg tc be tlnted

if a slight C.lseoloratlon appeared to the crltlcal eye of the man at the

rake-up tabl-e. 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 halr so quickl-y that he

had the palnted face of Slster Fledls plastered smooth as a babyrs botton

faster than the cameras could capture. 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

when a watchful eye ls upon them and the lnstincts of Sister Fledis persona

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. T h e e a m e r a f i l n h a C b e e n l o a d . e d .a n d r e -

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 eyes,

tike had been done on the "good looklng strangers{ at the bar vrhenthey left

late 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 . r , i e e k so f p h o t o -

graphed proof w€fb requlred bef ore any confrcntaticn ,las inltiated since the
,
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.

'r
Slster I'ledis, 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 opponent. It was still difflcult to believe that she was a

false IaCy or really a ltaoo There were really three personnas lnvolved 1n

this hoax; one player fcr alt those ldentltles so well-knovrn on the streets

o f So u t h F ow l ke .

The hoax was fool.-proof or so lt all s e e m e dt o b e u n t l l the good pecple

of the vrhorlng all over tcvm. Rut they were beln8

cf south Fowlke got tlred
 t

T a y l o r l f ' o w l ke Page L5b

skeptlcal or hesltant about publ-ic expcsure untll multiple ploe.s of evi-

dence cculd be used to substantiate all this decpetlon sinee the persotras

were ncstly wealthy cltlzens of South Fowlke. To be tlupedby an cutsider

was bad but worse would be to have such a pervert living all'mys ln their

midst. The city 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 € lhv a s n o t o n e o f

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 . AtI thls fakery was

of course slnful but that is the price of prosperity whlch brlngs all sorts

cf people to town, to g.et ln cn the boom town r:ood tines. 0r so the:lty

c c u n c i l m e r n b e r sr e a s o n e d a n o n g t h e m s e l v e s w h e n t h e y d a r e d t o s p e a k a b o u t t h e

films thgy kept locked ln the bank vault. The trlck now was to keep the

scandal fron rulnlng future buslness development or else the bad news vrould

perhaps brlng to town even more perverts llke Slster F1ed.ls represented.
','/orse
than Slster Flecils nolv was the posslbllity that other characters

ln South Fowlke mlght be personas of the real thlng. Her shabby shell of

sln had been cracked but what if nore cltlzens were htdlnE behind soodness

es a front',vhlIe they were truly evil or doing dastardly thlngs thBt no one

had yet uncovered. Thls woulil be an even worse frauC than evil twln Slster

FIedls and hard-worklng brother Fladis Seneschal; they were two sldes of the

coin for good and evll. A n d n i c h a r d S h a m b a u g hw a s a p p a r e n t l y J u s t t h e v e -

hlotrc for leadlng the dcubLe or triple llfe that had fooled them so batlly

a n d s h a r o e fu l l y th a t th e i r e g o wanted no par t of any exposur e that w oul d s how

up the town leaders for t i r e d . u p e df o o l s they reall"y were. The council lvas

ccnstantly holding their behind the scenes meetlng or kltchen cablnet rath-

erinfis so that the vffitten nlnutes would not record any of these findings'

The rec ords were c cnf lCentlal of c ourse anC the d.etectlve agency lvas

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 for leaklng the

of fj-eed in'Big

flndings. resulted from all this under cover work was the busj'ness of
"\ihat
 I
Ta y l o r / F o w l ke ia?.e Lr>

the c lient 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 . The c it"rr f athers

f elt ktndly 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. She nas not

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 c t t n ' fg o o d p e o p l e ' r ' ' , , t hhc a d h e l p e d b r i - n g . o r o s -

perity to South Fovtlke. 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

t h a t t h e c a n a r d o f P . i c h a r d J o r J S h a m b a u g hw o u l - d J u s t g o a w a y , l e a v e t o v r n

as strangely as he had appearecl. And that was preclsely what happened.

?he pornogra,chic Sister Fledis 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 a!?aysa flgment of the lmaSred badness that she only

brcught to town. 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 Fladis $eneschal was ccn-

stantly b e n o a n e d . l h e n a n e v ' rC e a l c a r o e a l o n g . The speciality store that

R i c h a r d S h a m b a u g ho 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. She retlred forever to a senlor cltlzens h o n e s o m e w h e r ei n

bustllng Blg Town. But the ever to be pltled Jlm Bob began to be seen nore

on the streets of Soutir Fowlke. He now ownedan'J operatetl all the buslnesses

that hls dear oLd auntie or reputed' nother lillss ?rlnsey cnce possessed'

The only public statement that Jin Bob ever madeabout all the identtty

cr.lsis was, r'$ister Fledis is cr'/ras a conposit cf all t h e v J o l r . enna n k l n d h a s

known, a fantasy lady of the evenlng dellght.rf Jlm tsobhad a touch cf pre-

: e a t u r eg r y t,o hls hair, 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 Paee L55

J|m Rob was hls ov;nperson at long lastr or at Least as nuch as a marrled

l n a n w i t h w i f e a n d "c h i l d r e n cculd be si.noe long,Lost gweetheart RhondaRhabb

had ecne back lnto hls llfe to settle hln downwith thelr famlly li-fe. I{e

ha d q u i t e w1 1 1 1 n g 1 " yth ro w n a way the other set of nake- up klts ln the c el l ar

basenent reons of the old, Pease nansion. His old ccllege days trainlng as

a n a k e - u p a rti st fo r 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 camouflaged characters

tc get all hls business d"eals in South Fowlke working and to relleve the

qulrky anxiety pressures fronr the daily stress or Erind.. Jlm Bob ruasglad

tc be rtd of h1s diverse figures cr pretense personnas of his imagination

that had kept hlm conlrany for so long. IIe knew that he could call them

a11 back anytime lf he really v , i a n t e Ct o p l a y g a m e s o f d l s s l m u l a t i o n anyaore,

but he was satlsfled for now.

Jugt as the city fathers had vrlsely and klndly d.eclded not to expose

the imposter that they aII had been foolhearted enough to believe or fol-

extenuating vrords stlll r a n g l n J l m B o b rs e a r s : 'rThe

low eagerly r thetr

Ieast sald is the best sald about this matter of Slster Fledis belng a man,

posed as two cthers, wlth all the tl:ne the orlglnal lmposter belng our own

Jim Bob." Besides, Jim Bob truly was the unrenlttlng genlus that was

South Fowlke.