Our History
Tales from our History
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Back in the 60s we had a customer who was a traveling actor.
He came through town two
or three times a year to play at Casa Manana.
He asked dad to accumulate books for
him with color illustrations. Next
time he was in town he paid for his stack
of old books without complaint.
He then turned the stack of books around at
the cash register, tore out
every page with a color illustration, & walked
out with the small bundle
of illustrated pages under his arm. Dad never
accumulated books with color
illustrations for anyone again.
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The comedian Red Skelton came in one time. His secretary called an hour ahead
to say he would
be coming in. My dad did not clear out the bookstore
so he could have the place to himself.
Mr Skelton bought a stack of fine used
books & got to sign a few autographs.
This being Texas, most people in the store
did not approach him & permitted him his privacy.
I wrote up his sale at the
cash register & was struck that he wasn't as tall as he
appeared on tv. And that he
had red hair, our tv being black & white in those days.
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I heard our ghost one time when I was about 15. I was on the third floor in the west
hall which runs north/south. It was about 3 in the afternoon and I heard the sound of a man
in heavy boots run five steps up to the top of our 8th street stair well. I realized I was the
only one up there. Gathering my courage I proceeded to the 8th street stair well. I was
indeed alone on the third floor. I left quickly. -Brian Jr