This is 99% invisible. I'm Roman Mars.

A while back, Jean Atkins heard a funny story from her mother-in-law, Carolyn.

The first time I heard it was the only time I heard it.

The story took place in their hometown of Hannibal, Missouri, and it involved one of the town's native sons.

Lester, Gaba, or Gabba, or Gaba, however you say his name.

Lester Gabba, I'm gonna go with Gabba,

was a family friend who had grown up in Hannibal

in the early 1900s and then made a name for himself

in the glamorous world of New York fashion and Jean's mother-in-law

story was about this one time when Gaba came back to town.

Lester was visiting Hannibal after having become famous and he was returning with

Cynthia. Cynthia was Lester's equally glamorous girlfriend, a socialite who hailed

from Manhattan's upper crust.

And so Jean's mother-in-law's family invited them over for an afternoon tea.

Think a roomful of women dressed up, Hannibal's high society.

And given the time and given the importance of the guest and the fact that he was from New York City,

it would have been seen as an important social event.

And her mother-in-law, who at the time was still a young girl, was given the critical task of providing

the guests with snacks, which must have felt like the perfect opportunity to meet

this Cynthia that everyone was talking about. So she carefully took a tray of cookies around

the room, table to table, person to person.

Well, then she offered Cynthia some cookies.

...