The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-11-17
HHLRLSE
cepvrsA. GOT. by W, B. M..-~l an right. reserved.
VI MI ll INV ' VI Ula MaIN 1llll

Day after day the excitement was
 Intense. Hill Rise. the time-honored
 home of fashion and aristocracy. was
 in the market The stately peace of
 the Hill was to be broken by the rough
 assault of the speculative builder.
 People could talk or thing of nothing
 else
 Sir John Vincent of Hill House talk
 ed about 1t without cessation. His ener-
 Ey and restlessness were wonderful. He wrote at once to MT. Abinger, asking
 Can this thing be true? MT. A. mourn ! fully replied that he feared 1t was too
 true. But he knew nothing now for
 certain. He had been superseded
 after thirty-one years faithful
 management of the estate. Mir. A.
 thought If the new authorities could
 dismiss him. they could do anything.
 Then Sir John wrote to Messrs. Firmin
 and Firmin. demanding an explicit
 that Hill Rise will be sold? It was a
 fact. said Messrs Firmin that Hill Rise
 would be offered for sale.- They could
 not of course. promise that 1t would be sold.
 Then Sir John called upon all the
 tenants of Hill Rise. Untiringly he
 passed from house to house. working
 uU aEitaLIOn anu HOTEOT hcCtth6S
 must be convened--a series of meet ing in which gentry and tradesmen must join hands. The corporation
 must assist; Government must be petitioned to come to Medfords aid; heaven and earth must be moved to prevent the dissertation and ruin of Hill Rise. Sir Johns eloauence evoked promises of staunch support. Hill Rise welcomed such a leader; all would fight under his banner. Admira. Lardner, of No. II. was unfortunately away in Switzerland. But Colonel Beaumont. of No. 13, was here bursting with indignation. Mfr. Garrett. of No E. would use all his diplomatic skill; Mrs. Page. Mrs. Granville. the Misses vigor would write circulars. get up bazaar, do anything Sir John told them to do
 .Beaumont," said Sir John, it will be the very deuce if we can't put a stop Go it. Rows of eonfounded houses up to the garden walls! The end Of the Tennis Club, the end of privacy. the end of everything"
 s.Tt must be stopped" said Beau mont. Call meeting without an hours delay"
 aYes." said Sir John. i've can't act too quickly. This morning I saw fellow measuring all elong the meadow fence--one of those city-looking Iel. lows---fellow in a white hat ana a red tie--j,tst the sort of fellow to buy inc estae. I believe that fellow meant business"
 Sir John, after explaining to the Hill the nature of the threatened disaster, hurried of to explain it to the town. He spent his days in town, carefuiiy explaining. He talked to every promi- nent citizen he met; he allowed no member of the corporation to pass him |. h.~ &~H xr. xUhn Wnlln liG- ten--because in a big public movement you cannot have too many people on your side, and no one, however insig- fiifcant, should be set down as with- out influence.
 Mir. Hope editor and proprietor of The Medford Advertiser immediately took Sir Johns view. The most impor- tant organ of public opinion--the only organ, as Mir. Hope always declared was therefore on the right side from the first. MT. Hope, taking up Sir John's task, explained the matter, as he said urbi ct orbi. MT. Hope, In con secutive numbers, delivered himself Of some grandly dispassionate leading articles that were full of balanced sen tences, well reasoned argument, split infinitives. and foreign language.
 ITO fully appreciate the havoc on the Hill, the loss in the town, one must visualise the result as accompli. De- lenda est Carthage. Thes Hill will be gone, the best residential neigh bourhood wiped out; the supporters Of our trade and the ornaments of our so- ciety will be driven away to enrich and to adorn- some rival town" The Med ford corpation, said MT. Hope finally and emphatically in each article-but fn different words, of course-should itself purchase the estate and thus avert it's doom. Some of the mead l. rt n6 tTaf0 o mark and pleasure garden; the houses, the club grounds, and all the existing amenities should be preserved in statu
 eyes" said MT. Crunden. If you had h hsubanded your resources, you might perhaps think of giving the town an other recreation ground-if you'd kept your money and not built a Town Hall"
 This was to Councillor Holland. who, with MT. Bowling and MT. Eaton, after a walk up and down Hill Rise, had looked in at Kings Cottage. t.It's never any use, MT. Crunden, crying over split milk" said MT. Eaton.
 II cried before they split it," said MT. Cunrden shortly.
 MT. Eaton was by nature sharp nosed, sandy little man, and by pro- ression a solicitor. He was newly es- EabIished and very pushing. By un- wavsfing push he had created busi- ness; he was liked by the tradesmen; he hoped soon to enter municipal life. | and he affected the society of alder noen and councillors. with whom he | curried favor. He was perhaps too | fond of a joke to please everybody.
 Anyways" said Mir. Holland, "all | that's ancient history. And you can't | blame me, MT. Crunden. I wasn't on l the Council in those timVs"
 NO, but you're on it n6w," said Mir | Eaton, currying favor, and jolly | good man for the place"
 Thank you, MT. Eaton. We'll. MT. Crunden, I don't mind saying l, for | one. am doubtful if we can go so fai as some would have us-about this l park and the rest of it.'
 And then Councillor Holland told | them that, in his opinion, "all this Hill 1 Rise excitement" was already abating | sThe affair" had been discussed at the Council last night, and the feeling was | for moderation, no blind launching | put, no heroic measures.
 HI don't wish to see the old families | nterfered with" said MT. Holland. I've always held that the upper gen. try are the backbone of Medford-not | 90 much for their own custom. but for he custom they foster in others"
 'NThey haven't begun to foster me- Jaid MT. Eaton, grinning facetiously' bat I hope they will some day.
 "Between ourselves" said MT. Hol- 8 nd, in a contentious and judicial man Ter, "a good deal of 'umbug as been alking about it."
 'I haven't heard anything else talk d." said old Crunden.
 Of hlIu ' and MT.