A little about Henry Manning

by Jack Corbett

He owns an interesting shop over on the St Louis side of the river, Called Papa Legba's Spiritual Supply which is located at 3718 Gravois in South St Louis (phone number 314-771-7477). Interestingly I've not yet met the man. But he's a friend of Frankie's. And Frankie's back and more riveting and compelling than ever.

Five or six years ago while I was writing "Death on the Wild Side" C-Mowes used to be my home away from home and Frankie was one of my confidents among a select crew of C Mowes dancers working the night shift. Then she disappeared. Several weeks ago, Lori, the world's greatest bartender and I were hitting a number of clubs. We went into C Mowes. Suddenly a fireball brunette descended upon us from nowhere to give me a big hug. It was Frankie.

Within two weeks Frankie and I were doing a photo shoot at Jack's Hangover Haven for the C Mowes web site. And Lori was online with us. Now the Goddess is hard to refuse. I was planning on taking Frankie home late that afternoon but we wound up at the Goddess' s home where we all stayed up all night, peering into Lori's computer or my laptop, talking to people online, visiting web sites, while drinking mixed drinks made by the World's Greatest bartender. Well Lori's one of my all time favorite people and the two women took to each other.

Frankie told us she could do a great job doing Fitswell and agreed to bring a drawing into C-Mowes Monday night. True to her word, she came through handing me two drawings, then said, "They aren't mine. They are Henry Manning's but I'll enter my own drawing next month.

Frankie works in the shop for Henry when she's not dancing. I've seen the inside of the shop early that morning I took Frankie home after we did her pages for the C Mowes web site. The smell of incense fills the air when you enter it. There are Voodoo artifacts lining the walls and secret herbs and other things for sale here. Books, magazines and pamphlets about non-traditional spirituality such as Wicca and Voodoo. Not frightening at all. Very interesting.

But although I had not met Henry I'd gotten to know Frankie better. Big heart with a very engaging personality her very presence can transform a club. What they call "good people".

So what's going to happen in next month's Fitswell's art contest? Will Henry submit another Fitswell drawing and how will Frankie's entry stack up against his? And don't discount what Greyghost can do. After all, Henry won by just one vote and with even more participation and Fitswell entries expected in May's contest, it can get to be a real crap shoot.

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