The house of pride, and other tales of Hawaii

Percival Ford, a prosperous but aloof island businessman, watches the bustling lanai of Honolulu’s Seaside hotel as the Twentieth prepares to leave for Alaska. Surrounded by uniformed officers, their lively wives, and the bright‑sunlit crowds, he feels a sharp disconnect between his rigid sense of propriety and the carefree vitality of the army’s social scene. His keen observations reveal a man more comfortable with sermons and boardrooms than with the open‑armed gestures of the island’s younger generation.

Yet beneath his polished exterior lies a restless yearning for purpose beyond wealth and reputation. As the ship’s departure looms, Ford wrestles with his inherited sense of duty, his disdain for frivolous romance, and the subtle pull of the tropical world that surrounds him. Listeners are invited to join his quiet contemplation, where the clash of cultures and personal ideals promises to stir the calm surface of his carefully ordered life.