Boys Town Page #2

Father Flanagan, what's in your mind?

I'll assume full responsibility for these

boys if you'll place them in my charge.

I'll give them a home,

I'll see to their schooling...

and I'll guarantee their good conduct.

Well, I think you're letting yourself in

for a lot of trouble, but I'll give it a chance.

I release these boys into your custody.

- Thank you, Your Honor.

- And good luck to you.

Thank you. Come on, boys.

You're one of the finest fellows in town.

Why in the name of all that's holy

don't you want to meet nice people?

- Well, Dave, I know you.

- You...

- Father, do you want this?

- What is it, son?

It's a puzzle. You have to jiggle it around

till you get the eyes in the sockets.

Isn't that wonderful.

Thank you very much, Skinny.

I'll have a lot of fun with this.

Dave. Come on, boys.

Could you take the boys to your place

and keep them there a little while?

Sure. What?

I've got an important call to make.

All right, gentlemen, get in.

Oh, boy. A car ride.

Tommy, you better sit up here

in the front seat.

On second thought, you better all sit up

in the front seat. I feel safer.

Hold on, boys. Be careful.

- Dave, I'll see you a little later.

- Could you make it a little sooner?

Do you want me to drive, Mr. Morris?

I gave you permission three years ago

for your refuge.

You thought you could do a lot of good.

Well, I have the right to a mistake or two,

haven't I, Bishop?

And now you want to do something

I think is harder to do...

- certainly more unorthodox.

- That's true.

So I'm going to assign you to a parish.

That's good work, and you're a good man.

- Don't make the decision yet, please.

- Why not?

Why, you'd dream the best part

of your life away, if I'd let you.

But I'm not dreaming.

There's one thing I know, I really know.

And that is, that there's no such thing

in the world as a bad boy. I'm sure of that.

Do you realize the fight

you want to take on?

I know that a mother can take a whip

to the toughest boy in the world...

and he forgets it,

because he knows that she loves him.

I know the fight, and I haven't anything

to do it with, except faith.

But...

with your kind permission,

I would rather have it than the parish.

I can't help you.

We have no arrangement

for outside things like this.

But you have my permission.

How are you beginning?

First, I must rent a house.

No doubt, fumigate and launder it.

Bishop, I shall never forget this.

My blessing.

Hello. I thought you got lost.

No. I had a little chat with my bishop.

I rented a house.

- You're renting houses now?

- Yes.

Of course, I have to pay something down,

so I need a little money.

- A little money? Yeah.

- $100.

$100?

What security have you got?

Well, let's see here.

- You want $100 for this?

- Yes.

Look...

you can have any one of those

for 65 cents.

And any one of them is better than yours.

And you want $100.

I need the money very badly.

With merchandise like that,

I need it worse than you do.

Got anything else?

Wait a minute.

- That's a 10-cent toy.

- Yeah, you can have a lot of fun with it.

Not a $100 worth, I can't.

Have you got any other security?

Every boy who becomes a good American

citizen is worth $10,000 to the State.

That's a fact. I have good authority for it.

I'm sorry,

but $100 for a bum watch like this...

and a hunk of tin

with a couple of ball bearings...

All right, Dave.

I don't blame you for turning me down.

Thanks just the same.

I'll try someplace else.

Wait a minute.

Couldn't you make a good American

for $50?

All right, there's your $100.

No. You keep the watch.

I'll keep this.

- I'll redeem that some day with interest.

- Yeah.

Here, sign this.

- No, don't sign it.

- Thanks.

Now, you'd better leave

before I change my mind.

I'm not afraid of that, Dave.

Now, I wonder if you could show me

some furniture.

You know, chairs and tables,

and stuff like that.

$100 worth?

I got a little list here that I made out.

There.

All right.

I suppose when your boys grow up,

they'll break bigger and better windows.

I'll be right with you, boys.

Certainly on their good behavior,

aren't they?

Ten chairs.

There's two.

- What does the whole thing come to?

- $220.

I'll give you $150 for the lot.

It's a deal, for $200.

Right. $160. Not a cent more.

Why, it cost me almost that much.

- Make it $190.

- No.

Say, wait a minute. What am I doing?

I'm bargaining with my own money.

I'm losing two ways on the deal.

Here's $50 down payment.

You're offering me $50 of my own money...

as down payment

on my own furniture. No!

Oh, well. All right.

What's the use of my taking the $50?

You'd only come around for it

again tomorrow.

Here's the address.

You mind if I throw you out?

Look, tonight, just before you go to sleep,

you're going to like yourself a lot.

I'll send the furniture over.

Then I'm going to a doctor

and get my head examined.

Come on, boys. We're going home.

- Father Flanagan?

- Yes.

I'm from the Morning Herald.

My editor, Mr. Hargraves, sent me over

to see what you're doing, and...

Well, right now, we're putting up

a little sign that Tommy made.

- We thought we might get some pictures.

- Some pictures?

Hey, fellows, come on.

We're going to get our pictures took.

Bring Father Flanagan's coat.

- All right, sure!

- Oh, boy!

- Hotdog!

- Take it easy, please.

Here.

Let's get rid of the rock.

Here, hold the rock. Hold it, don't throw it.

Come right in here close. That's right.

- Put the rock behind your back.

- Big smile now.

- Okay, Jimmy?

- Okay.

- All right, hold it.

- Big smile.

Still.

Here he comes!

Hey, wait a minute, fellows.

You know what we planned.

Come on, get in your places.

Come on, we gotta sing. Come on.

Get in line.

Now, altogether...

Silent night!

Holy night!

All is calm

all is bright

Round yon Virgin

Mother and Child

Holy Infant

so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace

Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night!

Holy night!

That was a very nice reception, boys.

Thank you very much.

Tommy, would you take that out

in the kitchen?

What is it?

It's good food.

And there's enough there for all of us, too.

- What is it?

- What's in it?

It's good cornmeal mush,

not a tummy ache in a carload.

What else you got in the bag?

Well, I don't know, exactly.

I kind of picked these things up

hither and yon.

Once I got a sleigh.

Shut up.

I thought you said if we were good,

everybody would help us.

Well, I did say that, Skinny. I... But...

Well, maybe it'll take another Christmas

to make friends for us.

Gosh, if we was in a reform school,

it ain't mush for Christmas.

Tommy, are we going to forget

what we're trying to do?

Gee, if I was home,

my old man might wallop me...

but we'd have turkey at Christmas.

Well, Christmas has other meanings,

hasn't it, Bob?

Listen, I can get a turkey easy.

It's a cinch. Everybody's busy.

Bob!

You should get down on your knees

and ask pardon...

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