Santa Fe daily New Mexican., 1897-11-04
TONY ROBEC.

In the tenement-a great beehive of Ia
borers in the Rue Dclambre-where Tony
Robec had occupied a room for some time,
everybody thought him widower, and not
long one, for his little boy, who lived with
him, was barely 6. Neither father nor
son, however, wore band Of Grape on hat
or sleeve
Very early every day Tony Robec, who
was compositor in Latin quarter print
ing house, started out with little Adrian
drowsily lying over his shoulder, and left
him at school in the neighborhood The
days work done, he came after the little
man, and leading him by the hand, stop
ped at the butchers and the grocers, fill
ing the childls basket with their dinner,
as a careful housewife would have DONE
Then he returned and shut himself in un-
til the morrow
The sympathizing women pitied the
poor father, still under 40, good looking
and so sad, with his pale face and black
beard sprinkled with gray ''He should
marry again, said they. ga nice fellow,
never drunk Surely he would have no
trouble in finding a good girl to care for
him and his kid Have you noticed how
well cared for the little one is? Not spot
or hole anywhere. An orderly man,
that's easy to sec, and it seems he earns
his 10 francs a day too"
1t was their desire to know him Or
dinarily it is not difficult to be neighborly
in tenements, where people live with open
doors, but Tony had such an air Of reserve
and so polite q way of bowling on the stairs
hot ho iv,tin LOTT
the father and son. neat as new pennies
went out to walk. They were seen often
in the museums and in the Jardin des
Plantes. They had been observed, too, be-
fore dinner at the little cafe on the corner,
where Tony allowed himself weekly
treat and drank an absinthe slowly in lit
tic SIPS while Adrian, sitting by him on
the leather bench, looked at the illustrated
papers.
"No," said the janitress, who was senti
mental, "that widower will never marry
Last Sunday we met him in the Montpar-
nasse cemetery Doubtless his wife is
buried there 1t was sad to sec him with
his orphan beside him. He must have
adored her. 1t is rare, but there are some
like that-inconsolable"
Alas, yesl Tony Robec had loved his
wife tenderly and was inconsolable over
her loss, but he was not widower
Very simple and unhappy his life had
been.
A conscientious workman, but indiffer-
emily gifted for the trade, it had been late
before he could earn passable living, and
for this reason he had no thought of mar
rying until he was more than 80. He
should have mated with sensible girl,
acquainted, like him, with hardship, But
love does not bother with ''shoulds"
Tony lost his head over the pretty face
of flower maker, 10 years old, good no
doubt, but frivolous, with no thought be-
yond dress, and able, moreover, to array
herself like little princess with few bits
Of finery
He had saved enough to start nicely in
housekeeping, even buying wardrobe
with mirror--S0 francs in the Faubourg
st. Antoine If you please--in which his
wife could see herself from head to foot.
He married his Clementine and at first
everything was delicious How they loved
each other! They had two rooms five
flights up, on the Boulevard Port Royal,
with a little balcony and view over all
Paris.
Every evening on leaving his printing
office, Tony Robec, in his overcoat, which
hid his working clothes and made him
look almost gentleman, waited on the
corner Of the Bridge of the Holy Fathers
for his little wife, who came from her fac
tory in the Faubourg St. Honore Arm in
arm, pressed side to side, they hurried
home gayly to prepare the little evening
meal.
The Sundays were especially delightful
1t was SO nice at home that they never
went out. Oh, the cozy little lunches in
summer with the windows flung open
over the great city, letting in the blue sky
While he slipped his coffee and whitfield
cigarette, Clementine watered the flower
boxes ON the balcony. Then he would rise
to kiss the back Of her neck. "Stop, how
silly you arcl" she would cry. Then all
at once baby came, their little Felix,
whom they went to see at Margeney,
where his nurse lived every two weeks.
He died in commissions. They were soon
reconciled by the birth Of Adrian, and as
his mother wished to care for him herself,
she left the factory and took work at
home, earning only half as much, but still
managing to gown herself as gayly as ever.
She played the lady in the Luxembourg
gardens, pushing the baby before her In q
little wicker carriage, and Tony had to
work like four men and take employment
on night paper Even then the little
household was crampcd and ran in debt.
After little the child was weaned, grew
large and was sent daily to the infant
school, and the mother often unoccupied,
was coquettish as Of old, grew tired Of her
home and formed the dangerous habit Of
strolling aimlessly about the streets Can
you imagine them, the poor man, old
before his time, wornout with care and
work, and this thistledown Of 0S, pretty
rs o Greuzep
One night Oh coming home with his