As with many things here in San Felipe, the events leading to the Fund Raiser for Irene Smith are muddied with rumors and the inexact art of disseminating facts, which is no doubt the result of events filtering through the warped prisms of human perception. The list of ingredients are well known - a building, a will, litigation, an arrest, incarceration, heart condition, a sequestering to Dr. Abasolo's Clinic under armed guard, and a pinch of quest for habeas corpus. Throw in a lawyer or two and this modest inventory has caused the local gossip cooks to bake everything from Essene bread to Chocolate Apricot Tortes.

All that is really known is there is a persistent drain on Irene's finances. And hence the fund raiser, which was a well attended affair, supported by a great many generous volunteers as well as the time and energy of San Felipe's finest musical talents.

As for the outcome of the various souffles and confections created by gossip mongers --it sits on one of the scales held by a sword wielding woman who wears a blindfold.