St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1890-11-29
ONE DAY OUT OF MANY.
The Way an Italian Newsboy Spends
His Busy Life


This is the story of day in the life of
Tony, Brooklyn newsboy and it is not
unlike the story of many other newsboys
and of six days in thu week. Or course
Tony has another name, but what it is not
half dozen boys of his acquaintance
could tell, ard not one Of them cares. He
was born in Brooklyn fourteen years ago,
and he has never been anywhere else ex-
cept in Park row, between the bridge en-
trance and Ann street. He never saw
Central park or the Battery, and he has
never been at Coney Island. Once he went
to a circus, and few times he has sat id |
the gallery of a theatre and watched very
thrilling plays, which were as real to him
as could be.
Tony's father and mother are Italians.
His father owns two fruit stands, but he |
cannot speak English. His mother speaks |
Eoglish, and SO does his brother, the |
barber, and his sister, who was married
when she was seventeen years old. When |
the mother gets through with her house
work she sits and knits. Her fingers
fly; you ought to see her, says Tony,
proudly.
And Tony himself-well, he is brown
faced youngster, with big brown eyes and
q robust figure He Wears No. hat and
No. shoes, and is as good looking as any
boy should be, and wholesome looking
wilhal. His clothes are pretty ragged and
| his face and hands pretty dirty, but if
that were not so he would be, perhaps, un
pleasantly conspicuous among the other
boys.
HIS EARLY MORNING VENTURE.
His life 1t begins early in the day, Not
| later than o'clock every morning in the
week and every week in the year Tonys
father or mother wakes him up. Possibly
be had rather sleep, but bushes IS bust
ness and boy cannot sell papers lying in
bed. There is no breakfast waiting for
him, but down the street near the bridge
there is a little eating house where he
buys cup of coffee and roll for cents.
Then as quickly IS he can he comes over
to New \ ork on bridge car. In pleasant
weather this turning out early, when the
flush is in the eastern sky and the shadows
still ling.r in dark places, is not so bad,
though it makes Tony sh'ver a bit when
he comes out into the cool air. but in
winter it is black night and miserable in
deed.
In New York Tony buys his papers. He
takes fifty five of these. On some of them
be makes half cent, on one two-htths OF
a cent, and on one he has profit OF cent.
But he does not stop to think Of profits,
He runs to the bridge, rides over, jumps
on street car, sells if he can, drops off
and Jumps on another and SO works his
way up 10 Fulton street and Flatbust ave-
nue.. That is his field, and there he stays
till he sells out When his stout arms are
empty he is 80 cents richer than when he
tumbed out Of bed, less for that break
fast.
But there is real breakfast waiting at
} home, and if he does not run all the way
there to get it it is because even his stout
legs are tired jumping on and off street
} cars. Selling newspapers isn't any fun,
and you, my boy, in your smart clothes,
} with your books under your arm, un~lll-
ipgly on your way to school, don't know
} how hard that little boy, with his face the
} color of bit of new bronze, has been
) working. You have vacation almost
J within touch, while Tony-well, vaca-
ton is word of three sylla6les,
? but if it had one its meaning would be
, beyond him. There are no vacations for
newsboys.
HIS AFTERNOONS WORK.
1t Is past y o'clock when Tony gets
home, and when he has finished breakfast
! he goes to bed. Tony wears fewer clothes
regards undressing and dressing with
as much disfsvor as they do, aud he
sleeps in his clothes. 1t is noon when he
. is again called, and there is dinner 10 os
: eaten.
And now there comes time concerning
, the disposition of which Tony is not very
, clear. There must be fully an hour when
he has nothing to do. Maybe he sits
: around the house watching the ! wing
needles of the black eyed mother. who
. never calls him caro- milo, and seldom Kisses
= him-never since he grew to be such
big boy. But she loves him deeply and
. would CRY and moan in her passionate way
if one of those street cars should run over
him and he were fetched home some day,
as he is likely to Re, dead or MANNED.
: In little time Tony is out in the street
I and soon he is one of a mob of boys In
} front of The Eagle office down in that
, psrt of Fulton street which is coming te
, be forgotten. Most of the Brooklyn news
,. boys get their afternoon papers there, and
9 it is a curious crowd of future men, and
u women too. Tony smokes a cigarette
. sometimes, and he probably is not Is care
% full of his sp eech as he might be. MOS.
8 of the boys are not careful at all, snc
. smoke good deal 1t is pitiful Grove
IN some ways, Out suo ivy pA"J GA"
and seem to have fun, Tony can fight
He had his first fghts year ago, and
few mornings ago, just as 1t was getting
light, he and negro boy of his own ag'.
II eht for half an hour on the sldewalF
\ in front of the office of the Brooklyn News
&c company in truly reprehensible but NO
II unenjoyable manner.
a THIS BOY MAKES A NAN.
ID TONY buys 81 evening papers, TO
y which he pays "a cents, and sells tnen
l. for Sill. Later he buys enough extras u
er give him an additional prohs OF 81 cents
: He rarely has any papers left, and II n
y sells all Re buys each day he makes IN al
If $1.O9. 1t is safe to say he makes from
r so cents to 81 a day, though there are
10 only morning pspsrs on Sunday. he cal
ID read but very little but he ges arount
le that by shouting nothing but extra !!
s If he thinks that something important Il
!, in the papers he asks some boy VINO cal
ID read to tell him what it is. and then cries
it He has been to school little, but one
To dav he had soue t.olble with anot ne
l. how. and the principal of the schoo
J. To which he was going told him net
ID come sny more He does not like taa
in school yery well. He says there Is
a. teacher there WHO makes the boys ane
rs Girls chew soap when they mlsbehave.
to Il ia o o'clock when Tony gets through
is ard he goes home to supper: he give
IN his earnings to Lis mother and goes % oe'
ID this time taking off his clothes. SUNDAY
afternoons he goes out to Prospect fafh
ia w,th some osher boys, and they Toll
~ ~ Tho rrsss and eniOV themselves