The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1897-01-16
CALLED TRILB|Y|l'.

Florida's Growing Town Where the
Streets are Named from the Book.
I Horace Howard Furness in the Critic:
LAS l was travelling last spring through
Florida, that yeritable Garden of De-
Light, and picturing to myself the huge
tarpeds which were the object of my
journey, but which l did not catch, my
eyes wandered lazily down the list OF
names, in the time table, of the stations
through which our route lay, when my
attention was suddenly arrested at the
name of Trilby! Could it be that this
station, or village, or town, was named
after Little Billee's Trilby? That this
| fiction OF story teller's brain was des-
tined to share an immortality, hitherto
reserved, among mortals, for Antlnous?
And that dwellings and churches should
hereafter keep, in enduring memory, her
lovliness of face and character? Who
was the Hadrian that was again, IN our
times, to immortalize youth and beauty!
While | was wodering, there entered the
smoking car 4 progressing gentlem n
with whom we fell into conversation and
soon learned that he was the manager
of the road. Here was my opportunity,
and | at once asked him If he could tell
me how the name Trilby came to be
given to station which | saw in the
time table Whereupon, with smile, he
replied that not long before he had been
comforting with Mr.. Plant, the owner OF
this and other railroads in Florida, on
the subject OF changing some duplicate
names in the large system of roads.
:Now there said Mr.. Plant, is Ma
con ON the Florida road. We have an
other Macon in Georgia. I'd like to
change the former to Trilby, after the
heroine of a story Which has lately deep
| ly moved me"
"And so,'' added Mr.. Wrenn, the
manager, "the thing was done, and we
shall pass through the little re-chris-
tened village just before nigfltfall'
When we reached Trilby we all stood
on the rear platform of the train, to see
| as much of the village as we could. 1t is
much like many another villages along
that route, but it has this advantage that
it is at the junction of another road, and
! it's growth will, therefore, have an added
impulse. Its ten or twenty houses have
the neat, thrifty appearance which is now
so noteworthy throughout this beautiful
state; the tall pine trees about were
bearded with moss and stood indistinct
in the twilight. Around the houses are
neat, blooming gardens with luxuriant
pear trees, now so. rapidly taking the
place of the less hardy orange trees. AS
we stood there, Mr. Wrenn said, as he
pointed to the left: ''Tllere lies a pretty
lake, which adds much to the attractive
ness of the place." "Is it named?' l
asked "Not yet" was the reply. do
them" I exclaimed, name it Little
Billee!' ut shall be DONE he replied
Although I knew that the reverbera-
tons from these shores of Trilby's fame
had reached Du Maurier's ears yet I
| thought that he could have hardly heard
| of this recent apothesis. So then and
there devised a plan with Mr. Wrenn
whereby letter which | should write to
my friend would@be mailed from Trilby,
and, carrying the Tri1by postmark, reach
Mr.. Du Maurier in London On my
return to Wallingford sent my letter,
under cover to Mr.. Wrenn in Savannah,
who either took it or sent it to Trilby
and had it posted from that office. In
my letter to Mr. Wrenn asking him to
do me the favor, / suggested that the
good work be continued, and that any
streets or squares to be hereafter named
should bear names taken from the novel,
| Mr.. Du Maurier's reply came quickly
enough as follows:
cts ME that's a proud and happy old
person since 7 received your kind letter
and l thank you for the kind thought
that prompted you to let me know OF
my godfatherhood; and I thank your
friend, the manager, for mailing me the
good news. / shall not lose that envel-
ope, you may be sure! Will you kindly
tell Mr.. Plant for me, that, unworthy as
l felt myself, I accept my responsible
| ties; and trust and believe that by the
time it is over, Trilby will have grown
into a great and fourisl1ing city; and
hope that its Oldest inhabitant will not
have forgotten the poor grisette OF the
Quarter Latin that had the honor to be
godmotler; an honor that does not
usually fall to the likes of Trilby O'Far-
rall!'
Now comes the conclusion, which
came the other day from Mr.. Wrenn,
who wrote to me as follows from Tam
pa, on October IL:
"In furtherance Of our conversation,
desire to say that we have made plan
of Trilby townsite, Pasco county, Fla,
and the following names have been
adopted for the principal streets: Lor-
rimer street, Svengali square, Zou Zou
avenue, Sweet Alice avenue, Taffy street,
Madame Wizard avenue, Gecko street,
Little Billee. street, Dodor street. The
Laird, Ben Bolt avenue, Durien street.
II have found it proper to change the