Heroes for Sale Page #5

Oh, shut up.

We don't want no more of your advice.

Come on, fellows,

grab these bricks and bats.

Come on, let's go.

Stay with Bill till I get back.

- What's the matter?

- I'll tell you later.

What good will it do you?

They've got you licked before you start.

If you don't get shot,

they're a cinch to put you in the pen.

I'll give you exactly one minute

to break up and go home.

- What home?

- We ain't got no home.

Our homes,

that's what we're fighting about.

Yeah.

You see? You haven't got a chance.

Tom.

Tom. Aah!

Tom!

Tom. Tom.

No! No!

Tom!

That's my wife. Let me go, let me go.

No way, buddy, and that goes double.

Where's Mama? I want Mama.

Mama is...

She's gone away, Bill.

Why didn't she take me with her?

Well, she didn't have time, darling.

When is she coming back?

Soon, Bill. She'll be back soon.

Who's going to get me

my breakfast tomorrow? You?

No, Aunt Mary will.

She'll take care of you, Bill.

You mean just till my mama comes back?

Till your mama comes back.

I'll be lonesome without Mama.

Will you stay home and play with me?

Maybe, Bill.

Daddy, what are you crying for?

Come on, hurry up.

Daddy, stay here. Don't go away.

I want you to stay here.

Daddy, stay here. Don't go away.

I want you to stay here.

Now, now, Bill.

Bill, be a big man now.

Soldiers don't cry, no.

Tried and convicted of the serious

crime of leading a mob and inciting to riot.

A heinous attack on the stability

of organized society...

...resulting in the death

of four officers of the law.

Thomas Holmes...

...I hereby sentence you

to serve a term of five years...

...of hard labor in the state penitentiary.

Hello, Max.

Didn't I tell you I'd make you rich?

All right, you are rich.

Western Laundries installed it

in all their Kansas City and St. Louis plants.

We're getting $2ooo a month royalty,

and it's only just starting.

The rest of America

must wash their clothes too.

- More people out of jobs.

- What of it?

You fool, you idiot.

Why, you already have an income

of a thousand dollars a month.

Why, you can hire the best lawyers,

bribe everybody...

...buy your way out of here.

- I wouldn't touch that money.

- You...? You would refuse money?

Yeah.

Because it killed Ruth

and ruined all my friends.

There's blood on it.

I couldn't take a profit

on people starving to death.

You enjoy this prison?

You like to sit here and rot?

Blood on the money.

Who asks you what's on the money

when you spend it?

There's only one thing

important in the world.

To have money.

Without it, you are just garbage.

With it, you are a king.

And you used to hate the capitalists.

Naturally, that was before I had money.

You can keep my money

if you think so much of it.

Throw it away, give it away,

do anything you want.

I'll put it in the bank.

While you're recovering from your insanity,

it can be drawing interest.

Why, Tom.

Mary, how's Bill?

Oh, he's fine. You'd hardly know him.

He's a big boy now.

And how are you?

Oh, I'm all right. I never change much.

Hello, Dad.

Hello, Bill.

I'm awful glad you're home.

Me too.

Oh, gee.

Gee, you're big.

Sure. I licked Johnny Arnold,

and he weighs almost 8o pounds.

You did? Well, that's great.

Come on, sit down.

I can swim, too, real good.

If I stayed away longer,

you'd have forgotten me.

Oh, no. Aunt Mary talked to me

about you all the time.

There's a big map in my geography.

She used to show me

just what part of Alaska you were in.

I guess I wasn't very hard

to keep track of.

But why'd you stay away so long?

Well, Bill, Alaska is pretty far away.

You could have come home

once in a while.

It gets awful cold up there.

Sometimes, you get snowed in

and you can't get out for a year.

- I bet there's good ice skating.

- Oh, sure.

Do they have polar bears up there,

like I saw in the zoo?

Oh, lots of them.

- What grade are you in, Bill?

- High third.

Did you go hunting a lot?

Some.

- Can you ride a bicycle yet?

- I got a bicycle.

Gee, I'd like to go hunting.

Will you take me next time?

Well, I hope

I don't have to go up there anymore.

Come in.

Hello, Max.

- Well, well, well.

- So the prodigal has returned.

- Yes, I got out...

- Got back today.

- It looks good to see you once more.

Hah. Mary phoned me they expected you.

Hello, little Billy.

Go look out the window,

I wanna talk with Papa.

- That's a good boy.

Sit down.

No, I can't. I have a dinner engagement

at the University Club.

But this will welcome you home

better than I could.

Gee.

A lot of money, huh?

I guess now you can stand the blood on it.

Every month like clockwork

comes your check.

A little bit less now on account

of the Depression, but it will do.

There they are.

- What is it, Bill?

- Poor people.

Aunt Mary feeds them every night, free.

All that's left over.

You mean she gives good food away

to those tramps?

There you are, my friend.

That's some real good soup.

- There you are.

Here we go, a big one.

I'll have some soup, please.

Some soup.

You'll find salt and pepper down there.

- Glad to see you out again.

Thank you, Pop. God bless you.

- How's your husband?

Thanks very much.

All right. We're running out, Pop.

You better close up.

What, no more? Oh, that's too bad.

- Are you sure, Mary?

- There you... Yes, I'm sure, Pop.

Well, good evening, and how are you?

- You want stew?

- I'm sorry, folks, but there isn't any more.

I'm sure the Salvation Army

will take care of you.

Come back tomorrow.

- Good night. I'm sorry.

No more?

- No, there isn't any more.

One more.

I'm sorry. No, I'm...

Feed them once

and you have to feed them all the time.

Charity. Feeding a lot of lazy moochers.

- Were you ever hungry?

- Hmm?

Mary.

Gee, there's more and more people

every night.

There's over $5o, ooo in there

and more coming in every month.

I'm gonna turn the account over to you

first thing in the morning.

To me?

I may be insane to do this,

at least Max thinks so...

...but I want you to spend it all.

If anybody comes in here, feed them.

If they're hungry, don't ask any questions.

Just feed them.

Stay open 24 hours a day,

seven days a week.

Oh.

- Oh, Tom, it's the most wonderful thing I...

This is ghastly.

With my brains, my intellect,

my imagination, I make you rich.

And now you throw that good money away

on those lazy moochers.

They're nothing of the sort.

They're honest people.

They paid for it

when they could afford it.

They can afford it now,

every last one of them.

Oh, charity.

It's like a snowball rolling down a hill.

It gets bigger and bigger and bigger.

The poor, the needy.

Cancer on civilization.

If I was running the world...

...I would kill everybody

that needed anything.

If you were running the world.

You know if there's a fellow around here

named Holmes?

Tom Holmes?

I'm Tom Holmes.

- Let's go upstairs.

- Oh, why?

You haven't done your homework yet.

Come on, I'll help you with your arithmetic.

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