The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-05-10

! Prior flushed. We'll" he admitted,
| cycling the fringe on his trousers, 81
have pushed it along all 1 could"
What did it amount to? He had had
his name in the paper once or twice
| that's all. And there was fringe on
his trousers. And he was over thirty
| five years old.
/ Finally the board of aldermen came
out f1at-footed. I'VE shall have the
park
That was final and conclusive. But
what of it? Billy Prior's name was
not eveh mentioned. He had been
| lost in the shuttle. Harrington and
| one or two other prominent citizens,
! the superintendent of schools, and a
| millionaire or two, were quoted In the
| papers. Yes, it was just like them.
i They were men of success, and Gene
We've noted how, in this matter of
merely public interest, these men come
| forward, with their shoulders, squeez-
ing poor public-spirited Billy Prior
| into the background out of sight. Poor
Billy and his fringei
Then suddenly, it happened. The
whole army of real-estate men and
spectators rushed, with wild whoop,
toward the marshes at the eastern end
of town. two miles away. Why? Be-
cause that was the logical site for the
park
Option was the cry. "Give me
an option, hang it!'
Genevieve, f1gurative1y. speaking,
also rushed with the crowd She sniff
fed the air. This was real real-estate
business. Here clear grit would count
ed out She couldn't get a foothhold
She fell back, and was only glad to
see that Billy Prior was in the rear
ranks, too.
Your" she asked.
He shook his head dismally. st
haven't tried to get an option,'' he
announced. What's the use?'
He was right. There was no use
For Pease & Wilmerding, the big real
estate agents, who represented the
owner of the marshy grounds, only
shook their heads, and smiled
Not a foot of ground for sale,' they
said. Other agents fumed and swore
Harrington, who had been the first
man in the race, fairly howled
you've got to give me some," he
clamored.
Genevieve sat back and watched.
She was disappointed. Fortunes could
have been made buying that marshy
ground at a low price and selling it
to the city at a high price for a PARK. |
isn't there any way?" she pleaded |
with Pease & Wilmerding |
They We're as adamant. None.
they told her.
The clamor was hardly stilled when |
the Common Council rose once more
and announced that the marshy tract
had been decided on.
Just think" Genevieve said to Bill
ly Prior, ''of the luck of the man who
owns that marshy tract. Luck. Where
is my luck? Every thing is luck, it
seems to me-
Billy Prior smiled. I'm not so
sure he said. Il think you changed
my views on that subject some years
ago. I'm not so sure of luck"
And suddenly, the papers printed a
lame-"P Prior William Prior" Who
was William Prior? Why. he was the
nan who had started the clamor for
L park. Oh, to be sure. it had been
passed along and strengthened bv men
Ike Harrington; Priors feeble voice
had only been heard at the start. But
low, it was all Prior. For the CITY
made the announcement that if had
ust purchased William Prfor's rnarshv
ract of meadowland at the east end
Il town for the great new public park.
Did the papers sheer? No Why not?
Because Billy Prior was a public
after all. There was nor a
man in town who would
lot appraSe Billy Prior's meadows at
wo hundred and fifty thousand dol
airs for park purposes.
4 shall give them TO the town for
ne hundred thousand dollars" an
bounced Prior. I
And even Harrington admitted that -
here was more of a gift in it than ! t
here was sale For it turned out g
hat Prior could have sold to specula- |
ors during the big demand. for at /
east half million dollars. But Gene f
-feve was stunned.
Billy" she exclaimed. how did it f
II happen?"
Billy Prior looked down at the fringe I
n his trousers-the town had not as / i
ct handed him his check {
''oh, I don't know" he replied. Just I \
lck. I bought that tract-the whole I
hing-when l was twenty-three years
Id for five hundred dollars knew Y
IS time must come. I knew the town 8
-ould need it. and it did I just held e
n. That's all" Y
"One hundred thousand from five t
undred. she gasped. And YETI she Y
dded, you might have had half h
lilIion, Billy Suddenly she held ont -