Tony was born in Germany. He had respectable parents and was the youngest
in a family of five.
At the age of nine both of his parents died.
His brothers and sisters being old enough to make a living left Tony with
his relatives. It was a custom in that country that all orphan boys over a
certain age should be sent to a school to learn militarism. Tony was sent to
this school, although he didn't want to go. The rules of this school were
very strict, and if you disobeyed one, you would be punished. Tony, like all
boys, was punished very much, for he disobeyed many rules. Out of two
hundred sixty-eight boys, twenty committed suicide.
One day in May,
Tony got permission to go for a walk outside the institution. As he was
walking down the road he found a pamphlet with California pictured on it.
Tony knew this was America. He took the pamphlet home and hid it, then
whenever he had a chance he would look at it. Tony's main ambition was to go
to America. He thought all of America was just like California. Tony then
made up his mind he was going to America.
One day in the latter part
of May Tony sneaked away and went to the depot. There he crawled in a box
car and waited for the train to start. The next morning Tony woke up in
Bremen. Tony then went to the port where he found a ship was to leave at
noon. Tony saw a big stairway leading up to the ship and he saw other people
going up, so he went up, too. After Tony got on the ship he looked it over
very carefully. Finally an announcement came for everyone to get off,
because the ship was pulling out in ten minutes. At twelve o'clock sharp the
ship pulled out and Tony was on it. The captain announced for everyone to
come up and eat. Tony didn't have a thing to get his dinner in. He snooped
around and found a pail, knife, fork, and spoon, then Tony went up and got
his dinner.
Everything went all right until the fifth day, when they
took a census of the passengers. There was one too many, and it was Tony. He
was taken by the mate to the captain. The captain, who was sitting on the
bridge enjoying a long smoke, spoke to Tony. The mate saluted briskly and
told the captain about Tony. The captain stopped smoking, coughed once or
twice and asked if it was the truth. Tony made a clean breast of it, telling
that his parents died. The captain said, "Boy, you surely have nerve, but
you will have to go back on the return trip. During that time you will work
in the kitchen." When the mate took Tony to the kitchen he said, "You get
off with the rest and you will never be missed."
Tony then peeled
potatoes and made himself useful around the kitchen. He was also a mascot of
the sailor boys.
At last the ship landed, and Tony was happy. He
invested his money, which amounted to ten cents, in two pieces of apple pie.
Tony was amazed at the high buildings, and in order to view them to his
satisfaction, he walked down the middle of the street till a policeman
nabbed him. He couldn't speak Tony's language, so he got an interpreter.
Tony was taken to the refuge home, where he got a haircut and bath. He also
got his clothes fumigated. Tony then worked in a vegetable house for about a
month without knowing what his pay was but he didn't mind as long as he was
away from that institution.
He was then transferred to a town in New
York called Illion. There he worked for a gardener who was very good to him,
although they couldn't understand each other. After working for him for the
season he was given a new suit, a ticket to his uncle who lived in a
different town, and a twenty dollar bill. Tony landed in this town around
the latter part of November. He husked corn for six dollars a month. From
then on Tony worked for the farmers, and his biggest desire was to learn the
English language. Tony now speaks English and has become a good farmer.
Extracted 08 Nov 2018 by Norma Hass from Stories of Pioneer Days in La Salle County, Illinois, by Grammar Grade Pupils, published in 1932, page 8.
| Lee | DeKalb | Kane |
| Bureau |
 |
Kendall |
| Putnam | Grundy | |
| Marshall | Woodford | Livingston |
