The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-04-01

Isn't that beautiful scenery? | am
looking at those handsome tWo-story
billboards that gracefully adorn sew
eral acres of the best located land III
Pensacola I use the mystic glass.
All, they are no longer billboards,
see a ten-story building here, and
another one across the street. Sew
eral years off, It's true, but it takes
time for people to learn that bill
boards do not bring in the maximum
income possible from fine lots on
Palafox street.
There is the San Carlos, the wonder
hotel of the Gulf Coast. q myself
ate dinner there once.) Stranger,
that is the social center of this city.
There isn't anything too big or too
small to take place in that handsome
edifice. Magnificent dances, fair
ladies and fine gentlemen. Politicians
gather in the anterooms to make
plans for the coming elections and
map out the course of the ship of
state Huge banquets and celebra-
tons. A blonde gentleman with a
hard name, guilty mustache and chin
whiskers is seen in the lobby and NJ
mors are scattered broadcast that the
city is full Of German spys. The
matter is investigated and the be-
whiskered gentleman is but a tea
salesman. 1t has even been rumored
that friendly games of poker are
played sometimes around in differ
ent rooms, often extending late
through the night and into the
morning.
There aren't many cities blessed
with a beautiful boulevard with parks
down the center, for its principal
street. As it reaches Garden street,
however, Palafox gets too busy for
parks and concentrates itself strict
ly to business for the rest of its
length. I pass on down the street
looking into the shop windows and up
at the buildings and stop to look IN
| at bank and can't help but wish l
owned it. / used to own one, but
mother would always shake my pen
MES out for car fare, and gave up
trying to be banker and traded my
bank to Micky Jones for some to-
bacco tags and fish hook.
l pass Romano and Intendencia
streets and arrive at Government
without any mishaps to speak of.
This is just about the center of the
city, isn't it," a stranger asked me.
Yes, that's our shooting gallery over
there, and that rolling noise you hear
is made by the wild animals that the
gallery uses for targets. No sir, I
don't know why those two fine store
places here are empty, perhaps they
are like some peoples heads, they
just naturally can't hold anything
Those signs up there you'll notice,
Stranger, Cooks Best Beer" and
"Old 90 Whiskey" and the others add
much to the beauty Of the street.
i This is our highest skyscraper
here, and that is the postoffice across
the way. had queer experience on
this corner several days ago, Stran-
ger. A friend and | were standing
here trying to borrow money from
each other to pay the weeks grocery
bill, when the clock impending above
US, that chimes the quarter p@iods
of every hour, chimed. / glanced up
and remarked that it was II o'clock.
Ny friend also glanced up, but dis-
agreed with me as to the time, stat
ing that it lacked quarter hour be-
ing noon. We looked again, but still
could not agree. I read the clock as
twelve and he read it a quarter to.
We finally solved it, Stranger-the
clock, like some people l know, is
two-faced, he was looking at one face
and at the other and on this partic-
ular day the hands did not agree.
| This is the city park, across there
the City Hall, and that the county
Jail. Next to the San Carlos, that
jail is the handsomest and best equip
ped hotel in Pensacola.
whats in those cages there? That
isn't zoo is it ?" Stranger, these are
poultry houses along here and this
sidewalk is their duck, geese, turkey
and chicken display department.
There are several wholesale grocery
houses along here, too, Stranger, and
they are giving their empty crates,
barrels and boxes an airing, out here
in the street. Sometimes when the
cupboard is empty at home, and
get hungry l come down here and
smell these cabbage and onion crates
and lock at that poultry display and
then I go on down there where you
see those boats and smell the fish
heads on the dock, and then, Stran.
ger, amt hungry any more, kline
of lose my appetite. 1t takes lots OF
will power to do this, but the higf
cost of living forces me to take dras.
tic economic measures.
'sThis part of town looks like !
| honoh manufacturing nlant with al