Wild Boys of the Road Page #5

harmonica, I could raise $3 in no time.

You mean with your harmonica and my:

Say, lady, could...?

Mister, could you give a fellow a nickel to...?

Say, mister, could you give a fellow

a nickel to help him buy himself a coat?

Go on, beat it. I'm on the stem myself.

Say, lady, could you give a fellow a nickel

to help buy himself some clothes?

Sure, I think so.

Gee, thanks, lady.

- Say, miss...

- Hey, kid, come here.

Listen, how would you like

to make 5 bucks?

Five dollars?

Look, do you see that

moving-picture theater across the street?

Yeah. What about it?

Give this note to the dame in the box office.

She'll give you a package.

Bring it back here to me

and I'll slip you the 5 bucks.

Five dollars for doing that?

Why can't you take it over?

Well, listen, that dame is my wife.

She's sore at me and my brother, see?

And when we try to talk to her,

she starts up a fight.

You get the idea?

Yeah, all right, give it to me.

Tommy, Tommy.

What did I tell you?

Didn't I say I'd get it?

Didn't I say New York was a swell town

for opportunities?

Five bucks

for just taking this across the street.

The lucky stiff.

Gee.

You're too late. The feature's started.

A guy across the street

asked me to give you this.

Help!

Help, police! Help!

Stickup! Help!

You charge 25 cents for aspirin.

When you buy for 100 stores, you get it

for less, so you sell it for 18 cents.

So your house,

I mean, your store is crowded.

That's great, Chester, old boy.

That's a marvelous idea.

Don't you get the connection?

We'll use it, if we ever open a drugstore.

No, listen. When you put out

one prologue, it's too expensive.

But when the same prologue plays 25, 50,

100 houses, it's doesn't cost more.

We might have something there.

Get him out of here.

The same scenery, same costumes.

Put them on once and they stay put on.

But we've only got four theaters.

- Eddie, what's the matter?

- I don't know.

Mister, he didn't do anything.

We're with him. We were watching him.

Yeah? Well, then maybe

you better come along too.

Come on, all of you.

Hurry up. Come on, get in that car.

Hurry up. Go on, get in there.

Hurry up, get in there.

Vagrancy, petty theft, resisting police...

...breaking and entering and holdup.

Not a very pretty record, is it?

According to the record here,

you refuse to tell where you live.

Is that right?

Yes, sir.

You also refuse

to help us locate your parents.

Is that correct, Edward?

Yes, sir, it is.

Why?

Well, I'll tell you why.

Because our folks have got enough worry

without us bringing them more.

But don't you realize all of you

are making a bad matter worse?

If you have no address

or no one to be responsible for you...

...the law won't let me be lenient.

Why don't you youngsters come clean?

Tell me the whole story.

Let me be your friend.

I want to help you.

Sure.

Will you, Tommy?

Sally, won't you tell me

who your father and mother are?

Where they live?

Eddie, you're in the worst spot of all.

Your record and your age will compel me

to sent you to a reformatory.

You're an enemy to society

and I've got to keep you off the street.

Now have you anything to say?

Sure, I got something to say.

I knew all that stuff

about you helping us was baloney.

I'll tell you why we can't go home.

Because our folks our poor.

They can't get jobs

and there isn't enough to eat.

What good will it do you

to send us home to starve?

You say you gotta send us to jail

to keep us off the streets.

Well, that's a lie. You're sending us to jail

because you don't wanna see us.

You wanna forget us.

Well, you can't do it.

Because I'm not the only one.

There's thousands just like me.

And there's more

hitting the road every day.

You read in the papers

about giving people help.

The banks get it. The soldiers get it.

The breweries get it.

And they're always yelling about

giving it to the farmers.

What about us? We're kids.

Gee, I'm not a bad boy.

Neither is Tommy.

Us three kids have been traveling

around the country looking for work.

You don't think we like the road, do you?

I had a job this morning.

All I needed was an alpaca coat.

I had to have it, do you hear?

I had to have it.

We were broke

and I went out to beg for a few nickels.

When a guy gave me a chance to make $5,

sure, I took it.

Wouldn't you? Wouldn't anybody?

Gosh, how did I know

what a mess it was gonna get us into?

Oh, I only did it for the coat.

I only did it for the job.

I only did it because I wanted to work.

It meant everything to us.

But what's the use?

You're not gonna believe me

and I don't care whether you do or not.

Go ahead, put me in a cell, lock me up.

I'm sick of being hungry and cold,

sick of freight trains.

Jail can't be any worse than the street,

so give it to me.

Eddie, I'm going to dismiss your case.

You're gonna what?

Furthermore, I'm going to help you.

I'll phone the personnel manager

of the place that gave you that job...

...and see that you go to work.

Gee, judge.

I'm going to do my part.

And now I want you to do yours.

I knew there'd be

a catch in it someplace.

No, Eddie, no catch.

It's simply that things

are going to be better now.

Not only here in New York,

but all over the country.

I know your father

will return to work shortly.

That means you can go back to school.

I want you to promise me

that when you've made enough money...

...you'll buy a ticket and go back home,

where you belong.

Will you do that?

Sure, judge. But...

Don't worry about them.

Sally, I know I can place you

in some private home...

...where you can do

a little housework for a while.

Tommy, we'll have

more of a problem with you, son.

But I'll make you one promise.

We'll find a spot for you

and you'll be given a chance.

Thank you.

And you'll all go home together.

But this time, you'll earn your way.

That's all.

Go over to the juvenile hall

and they will give you your release papers.

Everything else will be taken care of.

Gee, that's really good.

Come on, Eddie.

- Gee, isn't he a marvelous guy?

- I'll bet he likes kids.

- I'm beginning to think Eddie was right.

- How?

New York's a marvelous place.

- Oh, Eddie's always right.

- Go on.

Gee, aren't you happy, Eddie?

- Wanna see how much?

- Mm-hm.

That much.

Come on, pal.

Okay.

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