Alice Jackson killed her husband Henry on their 10th wedding anniversary. She hit him over the head with an ice statue when he told her he was in love with another woman and leaving her. Alice then staged the scene to make it look like a burglary had occurred. When the police arrived, Alice pretended to be distraught over finding Henry dead. However, the police began to grow suspicious as clues emerged that it was not a burglary. They discovered that the ice statue used to kill Henry was melting in the heat.
ERNEST HEMINGWAY (1899- 4961) HILLS LIKE WHITE ELEPHANTSTanaMaeskm
ERNEST HEMINGWAY
(1899- 4961)
HILLS LIKE WHITE ELEPHANTS
The hills across the valley of the Ebro' were long and white. On this side
there was no shade and no trees and the station was between two lines of
rails in the sun. Close against the side of the station there was the warm
shadow of the building and a curtain, made of strings of bamboo beads,
hung across the open door into the bar, to keep out flies. The American and
the girl with him sat at a table in the shade, outside the building. It was very
hot and the express from Barcelona would come in forty minutes. It
stopped at this junction for two minutes and went on to Madrid.
"What should we drink?" the girl asked. She had taken off her hat and
put it on the table.
"It's pretty hot," the man said.
"Let's drink beer."
"Dos cervezas," the man said into the curtain.
"Big ones?" a woman asked from the doorway.
"Yes. Two big ones."
The woman brought two glasses of beer and two felt pads. She put the
felt pads and the beer glasses on the table and looked at the man and the
girl. The girl was looking off at the line of hills. They were white in the sun
and the country was brown and dry.
"They look like white elephants," she said.
"I've never seen one," the man drank his beer.
"No, you wouldn't have."
" I might have," the man said. "Just because you say I wouldn't have
doesn't prove anything."
The girl looked at the bead curtain. "They've painted something on it,"
she said. "What does it say?"
"Anis del Toro. It's a drink."
"Could we try it?"
The man called "Listen" through the curtain. The woman came out
from the bar.
"Four reales."
"We want two Anis del Toro."
"With water?"
"Do you want it with water?"
" I don't know," the girl said. "Is it good with water?"
"It's all right."
"You want them with water?" asked the woman.
1. River in the north of Spain.
Ernest Hemingway 229
"Yes, with water."
" I t tastes like licorice," the girl said and put the glass down.
"That's the way with everything."
"Yes," said the girl. "Everything tastes of licorice. Especially all the
things you've waited so long for, like absinthe."
"Oh, cut it out."
"You started it," the girl said. " I was being amused. I was having a fine
time."
"Well, let's try and have a fine time."
"All right. I was trying. I said the mountains looked like white ele-
phants. Wasn't that bright?"
"That was bright."
" I wanted to try this new drink. That's all we do, isn't it—look at things
and try new drinks?"
" I guess so."
The girl looked across at the hills.
"They're lovely hills," she said. "They don't really look like white ele-
phants. I just meant the coloring of their skin through the trees." "Should
we have another drink?"
"All right."
The warm wind blew the bead curtain against the table.
"The beer's nice and cool," the man said.
"It's lovely," the girl said.
"It's really an awfully simple operation, Jig," the man said. "It's not
really an o ...
2. Alice Jackson´s husband,
Henry, was a man of habit.
So it was what at exactly six
o´clock in the evening she
was in the kitchen getting a
beer for him out of the
fridge and watching him
walk up the path.
3. She was smiling. Today the
routine was a going to be
different it was their tenth
wedding anniversary, and some
friends were coming round for
drinks at 8.00. There was a big
ice statue of a couple kissing in
the middle of the table in the
living room, with twenty glasses
waiting for the guests.
4. Alice was looking forward to
the evening. She was very
happy. She had a beautiful
baby sleeping upstairs, a
lovely home, and a husband
who she adored Henry
opened the door and came
into the kitchen.
5. She turned round to kiss
him and give him his
beer. 'Sit down,' Henry
said.
Henry: 'I've got
something to say. Alice
had no idea that in the
next two minutes her
whole life was going to
change.
6. Henry:'I'm sorry,' he said.
'And it's our anniversary, as
well. But it's just that Kathy
and I are in love. Bobby
won't miss me, he's too
young.'She didn't believe her
ears. She was in a dream.
Alice:'I'll get ready for the
party,' she said.
7. She walked into the living room.
When she returned, Henry was
standing with his back to her,
drinking his beer she was
carrying something heavy. He
turned.
Henry:'What on earth ...?' These
were Henry Jackson's last words
His wife hit him over the head.
8. At first he didn't
move, then he tell to
the floor. Suddenly
Alice began to think
very clearly. She took
the ice statue back to
the living room, and
phoned the police.
9. Then she turned up the central
heating, and went upstairs to put
on some make-up. The police
came quickly.
Police:‘Is he all right?' she asked.
'He's dead.'
Alice: 'No, no, not Henry! My
Henry! Oh Henry!‘. Through her
tears she told how she put the
baby to bed, and came downstairs
to find Henry on the kitchen floor.
10. 'Burglars,' said Detective
Parry. They took her into
the living room.
Police:'Sit down, Mrs
Jackson. Sergeant Taylor,
get Mrs Jackson a drink. A
brandy with some ice.
Police: Phew! It's hot in this
room.
11. Police:I hope you
understand, Mrs
Jackson, that we have
to search the house
immediately. We
must find the murder
weapon.'
12. Suddenly an arm fell off the ice
statue onto the table. It was
melting. Sergeant Taylor went
to the statue and picked up the
melting arm. He broke it into
bits and put some into Alice's
brandy.
Police:Phew! Can I have a glass
of water, Mrs Jackson? It's so
hot in here.' 'I think we all need
one,' said the detective. 'And
with ice.
13. 'I wonder what the burglar
hit him with,' said one
guest. 'Who knows?' said
another, taking a sip of
her drink. Alice heard this
conversation, and smiled
into her brandy.