The Hawaiian gazette., 1907-12-06

hurry move on and went to take
look at the youthful paragon. say
George Palmer. In the Sunday sup
llement of the San Francisco Call
Following the directions given me
went to a florists shop at the Marke
street end of Eddy street, where
was told the young gentleman ha'
hung out his shingle. There 1 dis
covered that such a business man a
Alfred Freitas did exist, but to get {
sight of the busy messenger service
boy was altogether different ques
lion.
He's seeing the Supervisors about
lis franchise" / was told on one visit
On another he was out on business. A
third time / caught a glimpse of him
as. he was being whirled off in an au-
tomobile from the front of the estab-
lishment. Ny inquiry as TO where ne
was bound drew from one of his EN-
pioyes the information that Freitas
was off uptown to collect his auIomo-
hile commissions.
My curiosity, which had not before
been slack, was now wider awake
than ever and 1 elected the intorma-
i.on that the busy yong man, aged
Il, who proposes to break into the
trust and the lucrative business of
The American District Messenger Ser
vice. the Commercial Union, Wells
Fargo and a few others, had added to
his business shortly after its COM
rnencement last November the profit
able branch of establishing connec-
ton with an uptown firm of automo-
bile livery people, from whom he
draws commission for all automobiles
hired through him.
Again and again 1 wandered round
searching for my quarry. Finally
located him one night by accident
cHrled up and half asleep on lounge
in the lobby of the 81 Francis Hotel.
'fFreitas," 1 said, ''how do you do?"
Freitas had never seen me before,
but he was equal TO the occasion.
He turned a bright, healthy face up
10 me and answered: "Oh, I'm all
right, old man, how are you?"
i sat down by Alfred Freitas and
asked him how he did it, explaining
that 1 meant the trust breaking and
the automobile commissions.
Freitas uncoiled and looked me over,
then drew from his vest pocket a
handful of business cards. These he
handed me and from the top one I
read:
United Messenger Service.
Parcels, notes, etc, delivered to all
parts of the city.
Automobiles for hire.
Honest. reliable boys. A. FREITAs.
Then followed a telephone number
and an address on Eddy street.
Tell me all about it. Freitas," I +
asked. rs it true that you have pet'-
toned the Board of Supervisors for a
franchise to run messenger service
wires over certain sections of the
city?"
''Yup," answered the youngster.
We'll. go ahead 1 said. what is it
all about?"
law, there is nothing to it; I'm in /
iness all my life Before ! left Ho-
nolulu 1 used to peddle magazines. I
was the only boy allowed on the Mail
dock there and 1 made out pretty good
at it."
And now you are in San Francisco
] said. rs it true you worked your
way over on a steamer
Worked my way?'' he queried.
5'Yes. l did, but we slowed away
first" and then Freitas let me into
the mystic secret of how to stow away
aboard ship if ever l wanted to get
out of town and hadn't the dough 70
manage it with.
There were four of US there at
Honolulu, and one day we took it into
our heads that we would like to see
the ruins of San Francisco, so we went
down to the Mail dock and found out ,
that the Alameda was leaving for San
Francisco the very next day. Next
day we went down again and helped
to carry the passengers bags aboard.
j carried mans suitcase aboard and
then 1 went down below and hid in ,
a stateroom. By and by the other !
three came down to where l was and
we hid there all together until the ,
ship was out at sea. When they found
us they took US before Captain Dow
dell and he asked us what we meant
by it. 1 told him 1 wanted to go to
San Francisco to see the ruins, and
as he couldn't send US ashore he made
US work our passages TO San Fran .
cisco. ] scrubbed decks all the way, :
and 1 wasn't seasick. The other kids :
got hunch when we got here and
were scared and asked the captain to
take them back.
II wouldn't go back because the boys ,
would laugh and josh me and say: /,
Gee. you came back on the same trip, !
so 1 thought I'd stay"
We'll you are here now, Freitas, and
you appear to have made good"
law, 1 went into the messenger busi-
ness as soon as got ashore. That was
last November. Then struck the place
/ am at now and did the messages for
him.
Freitas had by this time frightened
up to the telling, and told me all
about his mother and his father. His
family history I learned in few short
sentences.
Born at Honolulu at the corner of I
Emma and Punchbowl streets, went to
school, left school and peddled maga-
zines. That was the past of Alfred )
Freitas up TO the time of his landing in
San Francisco. A creditable past,
thought it. l found that his father
had died only a few weeks ago and
that the young 17-year-old business
man was sending mis- mother in Ho-
noiulu regular remittances toward her .
F.reitas told me sadly
Of his fathers death and 1 did not !
dwell on the matter, for it was evil