The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-06-01
TONY's DREAM.
pv HunnEnT IxNowLTON.

: (Copyrfght, 1905, Daily Story Pub. COL
 How 1t came to pass that Old irony \ occupied Number 37S1 was eonuh- drum to the neighborhood. Numoer 37St was rather pretentious three story house, of the old-fashioned styie of architecture and construction. whose owner had religiousiy refused 10 re- construct or remodel or repair into the semblance of a modern edifce. NO new fangled notions for him, and no new convepiences. no new plumplns and no new notions. And being a hard headed old Pennsylvania Dutchman, he took it that his word was law and so let his block of houses go in.o decay and disrepute rather than spend rev hundreds of dollars to put them into the market.
 So the great building, full of houses. was vacant year after year-and so. truth be told, Tony found shelter. He was more caretaker than tenant .lnd ne occupied but a small portion of the DIE house His simple needs required but a bed, a stove and chair-together with things to eat and wear. But he was home-loving man. was Tony ana without a place of refuge all his own at night he would have died in this great new world with its promised Ltreets of gold and fabulous wages.
 So he made shoes by day and lived in the great barn-like building by night year after year. Lonesome and alone.
 It was funny, Indeed, that the baby should have been left on his doorstep. But 1t was and the homesick heart of the lonely Dutch bachelor went out to the little waif when first he saw 1t in the neat basket, swaddled in the plain. warm clothes. He took it in and sent for the wife of Hermann the baker at the corner. There was council of war which was closed by Tony's an- nouncement that he would keep ;he ht- tie wayfarer which providence had thrown in his way. So a widow of ma- ture years was secured and Tony paid the bills from his slender earnings. And the little one grew to be girl of marvellous beauty, and Tony bowed down and worshipped her. She was different from any other person the simple German ever had seen. There was a delicacy and flavor about her strangely in contrast to her surround ings. He felt this inborn superiority of the mysterious waif most keenly and ds the years sped a great fear cook pos session of his simple, honest soul With the unerring instinct which belongs TO simple natures. 1t came to him that if this were true--if Sophie belonged in- deed to a different caste, she ultimately would find her own. even as water finds it's level. As the years passed this fear grew into a terror little short of mania.
 
 ever loved since he left his Ill others side, a mere boy. 10 go out and battle with the world. She came into his lonely life as a ray of sunshine to a gloomy cell. and as the years went by she wound the tendrils of affection about his heart as the ivy climbs about the oak, and so year by year his love for the girl grew even as his great fear grew. He saw as clearly as he saw the blue sky that he must one day lose her. and that made ner tho more dear to him. All he asked was to sit and look at her, to hear her talk or sing. To woo an expression of de- light from her was ecstasy, and no la Dor or sacrifice was too great to pur- chase it.
 His great love clarified his rather slow brain and he figured out ways to make more money and still more. that she could have more advantages ard more pleasure: From common shoe maker he became the master of n shop, he Invented a machine to do a part of the work better and faster than any other machine and out of this invention grew a great factory in which he had a substantial interest. And all his gain and all his earnings he poured out un- Btintingly-nay eagerly upon Sophie. The finest clothes, the best schools. the softest luxuries were hers-and all the world of travel and pleasure was open ed to her. For himself, his pipe and his common work-a-day clothes and his frugal fare were sufficient.
 He was passionately fond of music and Ier sweet voice was his greatest joy--and she delighted to sing to so ap- preciative a listener. It was sad, in- deed. that this very gift of music, this very sweet voice which gave him so much joy should have proved the means of their Separation. It is the old story Somebody heard her sing and somebody told somebody else, and somebody else passed 1t along until it reached the ears of a great impresario, and he sought and found her and heard her sing. Then came an offer for her to sing in opera wild delight on her part, desperate de- spair on the part of Tony. The months which followed were like fairyland to Sophie and like an inferno to Tony. She leaped instantly into fame and dlIed the house for an entire season. Night af- Ger night Tony sat among the audience delighting in every note she sang and proud of every wave of applause, but yet dumb with fear and apprehension and despair.
 At last the blow fell. hard and de-