Three Men

Three men stopped in the town of Evelyn while going to Sacramento. No residents like the rude, uncouth visitors. One day, Evelyn's innkeeper decided he would dispose of the men. In the saloon, the innkeeper told the three a story about a woman who was murdered on the hill overlooking Evelyn. He dared the men to come there that night. Not wanting to look cowardly, the men were on the hill by nightfall. An apparition of the woman in the story met them. One man raised his pistol and shot the ghost, which really was the innkeeper in costume.

(99)

How Disgusting

One day, a woman walked through a desolate area of a mountain forest. She came, unexpectedly, upon a dead rabbit, half decomposed. "Ew, how disgusting," she said to herself. Unconcernedly, she went on her way. However, not ten minutes later, she tripped and fell down the slope of the mountain. Almost dead, she struggled to crawl to shelter. She never made it further than ten yards. A week later, two backpackers came across her decaying corpse. The first used a phone to call the authorities. The second merely stared at the body and remarked, "Ew, how disgusting."

(97)

Justice Served

Paul Clemens awoke to discover that Tina was gone. She had left a note on the bed-stand:

"I'm gone. Last night was the last straw. At least my new man will love me more than you."

That's all. Paul, infuriated and saddened, went and emptied the kitchen's liquor supply down his gullet. He knew she wasn't coming back. Later, as he suffered from a horrible hangover, he received a telephone call.

"This is the police," a voice explained ruefully. "We found two dead bodies this morning in a farm ditch. They were those of your wife and her male escort..."

(100)