The Last-Minute Change of Heart
After securing a ranch management position in California, a local resident abruptly cancels his move and his auction sale, deciding Kennewick looks 'awful good' after all.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Harley H. Peter is wearing a smile all over his face. He has just returned from his annual pilgrimage to California and says he will settle down in the 'California of the Northwest' another year just for luck. While in California he tentatively accepted a position as manager of a large ranch. The first of the week he received a wire from the owner telling him to come. A later wire, however, brought the information that the owner had an opportunity to rent the ranch and it was left to Mr. Peter to say whether he should do so or not. It was then that the Kennewick country began to look awful good to Harley. He wired the Californian that the deal was off and started out back-tracking himself to pick up the sale bills he had distributed the day before. Not only is the California deal off, but Mr. Peter’s auction sale is off and advertising bills don’t count.
“It was then that the Kennewick country began to look awful good to Harley.”
Harley Peter’s sudden reversal highlights the perennial tug-of-war between the appeal of external opportunities and the deeply rooted sense of belonging in the Tri-Cities area. Even in 1917, Kennewick residents were wrestling with the decision of whether to stay or seek their fortunes elsewhere.
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