The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-01-15
ToNIo,s CHEERFUL HEART.
with Much Work, Small Paw, and . LnrF
Family, He Counts Himself n Lucky Man.

with Much Work, Small Pav, and a Large
Family. He Couuts Himself n Lucky Man.
In an italian restaurant In Thirteenth street
there Is q Jolly waiter named Tonic. He has
q round head. q round face. o round body, and
hands like small pincushions. lie is getting
along toward Atty. and his hair is thin and a
little streaked with gray. but mis- moustache is
as black as ever. He has a pair OF Jet black
eyes that snap and sparkle with good humor.
Tonic is never 10 a bad humor. The pro-
~prietor may curse. his best customers may
fail to appear with their expected fees. every.
body may be cross and out OF s,rts. but Tonic
still Trims with good humor. In the carly
morning hours. when only two or three OF the
old customers are taking their breakfasts.
Tonic goes from room to room singing In
French or Italian or even perhaps In EngliHh.
As the customers he knows CONT In he greets
them with q broad smile and Q laughing
phrase OF greeting In one Of the three ian.
guages. the language being that In which the
customer will give his order.
On the face uf things there is no accounting
for ronlo's aow Of spirits. And that ls the
point Of this story. Tonic has u wife and four
children. He gets SIS a week. which is possibly
doubled some weeks by the fees. although this
must be seldom. as the customers Of this res
taurant are not rich and not prodigal Of fees.
He is on duty from 3 o'clock In the morning
until IL at night seven days in the week. Once
q month he gets u day OF.
But the worst OF 1t is that Tonic docs not
live in New York nor yet in Brooklyn. He lives
on station Island. away In the interior a mile
the il 40 ,ont.. At i2:45 ne Is al the Last alta:
ti.n to Which the trains ,un at that time q
Mems, o%s the e. reads sSts 1 Eom ssr at 80 sbo o, frlss sq t his
earliest. AID in bed ty = o'clock.
Now. 10 oIde. 10 get back to work. he must
rise at D or5:30. and must leave home ~ 80
siee" t ,atV four h" ~ z once in a. Will IN the .e
dull hours Of the afternoon. he takes a little
nap in the hack 70 m on a chair. Bp' he does
The question ia: how does Tonic get fat and
keep in high good humnr under, all these dis:
Staten Island are not exactly as good Tor
walking as broadway. Even In summer they
s sas mi aie imo %iih a liz 1iGsshtt 0 hrar 1rq to get H y pe sno az
his family and to sleer three or four hours, =.
mM " H., TO ,oI u !lv e on a. St at (, N Is Ian H. boni G. !"
my little house. aud I pay for she on the in.
WHY do n9 yo ", la s aSh SO 2 much .hr,c.,n. ri.
shoulders ~ an oonten. do we'll 1t Is
ing an! you are walking home over the bad
not think OF It," said Tonic, Il am toe
busy. ! I'm busy to get home. There is my
little hff; ones Ms sof lie ,oV sn ss; wi WHAT te si%e ' ieo~ %.' II Il
WIT Mt. s' ssG tie as stay is ss iii iii Hop IS ti ans ~ rSan tn b
GONE, whonp wh"op fast thr ugh the fields
He lind me always same place. Il heal
hiS legs OH the. ground. I whistle. BE bark
WOW WOW Then he lump on me and kiss
sHak ins g = Oh HHi t is a.. fres %,ia "a' , -.
They not want him TO come for me Wher
the time come to go. .whoop. ,whoop. he fly
through the glass and cone all full Of blood
But he bark and kiss me and Tag his tail al
the same; Say !. what wife Do that, hey
dog. he love me best"
And what do you do when you get homeT
,"MeI come In and peep a ny wife whsl
she lie with her mouth open Oh. 1t is SO funny
And / peer at the four little ones. four In
row; holding hands and sleeping. They hay,
world. Then i go t. ned. AMI my vito sh'
wake mt at half asst b ana | take coffee nnt
brinG wood and then | go. But he little on, y
they -l-er till they wake. Time enough fol
them to get NJ when they work like me- -,
But you don't see much Of your family -"
Not much But an ponr man' Poor T pn
grntd. | sleer and sleep and sleep. And tn,
little ones, they come and peep at mo; Ant
when ! wake thay climb, In the Led and say
Boo! Boo They think they scare me-"
" me,d aid a dha FaSta %"A Fl r hnvs. how you cal
it2 have the luck. Ar. old woman told my
mother so when ! was a baby in Palermo; Sh'
cay. The boy will have good luck And see
And Tonic went, away. hnmminR tn
March Of the Toreadors." from Carmen.