21. One Million Dollars

Nick, a poor young man, fell in love with a rich young lady, Elizabeth, but Mr. Parkinson wouldn't allow Nick to marry his daughter unless Nick found one million dollars. How did Nick get such a large sum of money? Was he able to marry Elizabeth?

(Nicholas Andrea Dandolos was born in Greece. At the age of eighteen he travelled to America alone. He became an American citizen in Chicago, where he entered the fig business. One of his friends introduced him to a rich young lady who was to change Nick's life forever.)

It was the first time for him to call on the young lady. Nick dressed carefully for this date. Which suit to wear was an easy decision—he had only two suits. He decided to take a cab and gave the taxi driver the address on Lake Shore Drive. The cab driver examined his customer suspiciously.

"Are you sure of that number, mister?" he asked.

"I'm sure."

The cab started, the driver probably wondering why a man from a poor neighborhood was going to the wealthiest section of the city.

As the taxi moved past the luxurious homes, Nick looked out of the window curiously. At that time, he wasn't aware that during his lifetime he would make more money than most of the successful men who lived in those mansions. The cab came to a halt before a huge house that looked like a castle. The driver was still doubtful.

"Are you sure this is the place?"

Nick said that he was. He paid the cab driver and walked up to the front door. A butler opened the door and asked for his card. Seeing no reason to hand him a business card that was probably stained with figs, Nick simply said, "Miss Parkinson is expecting me.

"Very well, sir," the servant answered and led him into a gold and silver room with stained glass windows and beautiful tapestries. Nick sat down.

"Mr. Dandolos?" A soft voice interrupted his thoughts. He stood up to face a slim, blonde woman: Elizabeth Parkinson. She asked him to sit down in the chair facing hers.

All evening they sat and talked in the gold and silver room. Nick felt awkward and spoke haltingly. Yet, when he rose to leave, he asked Elizabeth if he might see her again. She nodded quietly. Yes.

Nick visited Elizabeth more and more frequently. Despite their different backgrounds, beneath the surface of their daily lives they both lived on the same intellectual level. Nick discussed his feelings, his thoughts, and his plans. Elizabeth absorbed his teachings and came to understand that with philosophy a man could face all the dangers of life calmly. She saw that this was the key to Nick's personality. Nick, in turn, learned a lot from Elizabeth. She introduced him to English literature and poetry. With his remarkable memory, Nick soon was able to repeat long passages from the classics.

Nick was falling in love. He recognized the signs—the pain, the ecstasy, the hours that passed like minutes. To him, Elizabeth was a princess. It became difficult for him to sleep at night. He couldn't concentrate on his work and began making many mistakes, mixing up deliveries of figs. He knew it was impossible to marry her. He was poor, and she was rich.

Nonetheless, Nick and Elizabeth began to talk about marriage. They understood that there were two obstacles in the way—her mother and father. Mr. Parkinson was a powerful man, the head of a large meat-packing company employing hundreds of workers, and he did not approve of Nick.

One evening, when Nick was visiting Elizabeth, her parents were at home. Elizabeth decided that this was their right time to discuss marriage with them. Nicholas agreed and within a few minutes, Elizabeth returned with her parents. Before that day, the three had said very little to one another. Mr. and Mrs. Franklin Parkinson sat down and Elizabeth left the room.

"Mr. and Mrs. Parkinson," Nick said in a clear voice, "I would be honored if you would give me permission to marry your daughter, Elizabeth.

Mr. Parkinson closed his mouth tightly. His eyes narrowed. Turning to his wife, he said, "I'll take care of this, my dear."

Without a word, Mrs. Parkinson stood up and left the room, closing the door behind her. Neither Nick nor Mr. Parkinson spoke immediately. The air seemed electrically charged.

"What is your income, my boy?" Mr. Parkinson asked.

"Very little, sir."

"And your future?"

"What do you mean, sir?"

"What is your purpose in life, Mr. Dandolos?"

"To seek the truth, sir."

Mr. Parkinson took a deep breath and counted to five, in order to control himself. Before him stood a man who had the audacity to tell him that his purpose in life was to seek truth instead of money.

"That sounds very romantic, very brave. But I don't think you're very practical, Mr. Dandolos."

"You are correct, sir." Nick agreed.

"You want to marry my daughter and take her away from all of this? What will you give her in return?" He indicated the room and the house and all its luxury.

Nick smiled. "My way of life."

"Your way of life!" Mr. Parkinson made no attempt to conceal his anger. "A few figs sold here and there? Raising my grandchildren in poor surroundings? No. Not for my Elizabeth. She deserves much more."

Nick calmly asked, "What do you want for your daughter, Mr. Parkinson?"

"Money," Mr. Parkinson replied. "I want her to have every luxury possible—to be able to lead the life she has now."

"Then I will secure it for her."

Mr. Parkinson laughed. "You make it sound simple. Where will you find it?"

"I'll have to give the matter some thought."

"Considerable thought," Mr. Parkinson said mockingly.

Nick never enjoyed talking about money. But now his happiness depended on it. He asked, "How much money would be required to make you ... er ... I mean, your daughter, happy?"

Mr. Parkinson allowed a minute to pass without speaking and then gave his answer: "One million dollars."

He watched Nick, certain that he had succeeded in crushing the young man's ambition. But Nick remained calm. "How much time will you give me to make it?"

"One year from today," Mr. Parkinson said. "One year, and one million dollars, and Elizabeth is yours." He was delighted. He was sure he had gotten rid of this Greek forever. He nodded to Nick, got up, and left the room.

Nick walked all the way back home. He tried to think of all the ways in which one could make a million dollars within twelve months. He finally decided that he could never make it in commercial business because he did not have enough money to start one. He needed to find another solution.

The next morning, he visited a friend to talk about a different idea—betting on horses.

For hours his friend tried to convince Nick that it was impossible to make a million dollars on horse-racing. But Nick's mind was made up. Finally the friend advised Nick to go to Canada, where he could try his luck at the Canadian race tracks. He did not want to leave Elizabeth, but he saw no other way to raise the money he needed.

After studying horses and gambling for three months, Nick said goodbye to Elizabeth, sold his fig business, and took a train for Montreal, Canada.

At first, Nick bet very little. He was learning from practical experience and observation. He did not bet on tips or hunches. And he didn't bet the same way every day. Someone once said, "The only way to beat the races is to play the winners." And that's exactly what Nick did. He looked for the horse that no one else had noticed. When he bet, he usually won, and his bankroll grew larger.

As he learned more about gambling and horseracing practices, Nick began to bet more heavily. Within five months, he had won almost $400 000. People began to talk about him. They called him "Nick the Greek," a nickname that stayed with him until his death.

Soon Nick became famous. He was adding to his fortune, but he was running out of time. To increase his earnings more rapidly, he bought a horse and named it Philosopher. With his own horse, he needed only one big win to reach his one-million-dollar goal.

Nick put $50 000 on Philosopher, betting that the horse would place first, second, or third. Nick was calm as he watched the horses leave the starting gate. Soon one of the other horses fell. Then another lost its jockey. As the horses neared the finish line, Philosopher was in fifth place. But with a sudden burst of speed, the horse moved into third place and crossed the finish line. Nick had won his million dollars!

Nick dashed to the stables and borrowed a laundry bag. Stuffing his winnings, $135 000 in Canadian money, into the bag, he ran to the entrance of the race track and called a taxi.

When he arrived at his hotel, he packed two suitcases. One contained his clothes. The other contained one million dollars in cash.

He was about to leave as someone knocked at the door. Nick opened the door. A bellboy handed him a telegram. Nick tipped the boy five dollars and closed the door.

Whistling, he opened the envelope and read the contents. Nick's whistle died in his throat. Tears ran down his cheeks and the telegram fell to the floor with the message face up:

I REGRET TO INFORM YOU THAT OUR BELOVED ELIZABETH DIED LAST NIGHT.

FRANKLIN PARKINSON

From New Lives in the New World, ed., Collier,

Macmillan International Inc., 1975.