"Jimmy!" " What do you want, Ma?" " Will you take those things off the line?" "I've got to take back Mrs. Miller's wash." "All right, Mom." " Jimmy!" " Boooo!" "I didn't scare you, did I Mom?" "Full off tricks." "Just like your father was, ain't ya?" "You ain't too big to be spanked, young man!" "I'll teach you!" "For frightening me!" "Well, Ma, you haven't lost your punch, have ya?" "You'd better run along." "I got a lot of work to do." "Mom!" "Mom!" "Mom!" "Mom!" "It's me, Jimmy." "Oh, Mom, it's me..." "Mom!" "Mom!" "Mom!" "Mom!" "Oh, Mother!" "Oh, Mother!" "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe" "Catch a nigger..." "Hello, son." "Who are you lookin' for?" " The Clarks." " All right." "Well, my name's Clark." " Are you Uncle Henry?" " Uncle Henry?" " Yeah, are you Lucy's boy?" " Yes, sir, I'm Jimmy." "Well, that's funny." "How'd you get so far away from home?" "It's in the letter." "Go on in." "How is your mother?" "She's... dead." "What?" "Lucy dead?" "It's all right, my boy." "Sit down." "I'll go tell your Aunt Emmie." "My poor sister..." "And that poor boy." "Jimmy!" " Don't cry, Aunt Emma." " Now Emmie, don't make it harder for the boy." "Oh, my spinach!" "That's Mr. Kelly." "Mr. Kelly's our boarder." "Hiya, Countess!" "Well, I knew your dark past would catch up on you someday." "No, Mr. Kelly!" "This is my nephew, Jimmy Mason." "Oh, hello, Jimmy." "Glad to see you." "Say, if I knew you were gonna be here for dinner" "I'd have stopped at the City Hall Square and shot a buffalo or an alderman or something." "Say, I won't be here at dinner tonight." "No, I'm steppin' out." "With who?" "His Honor, the Mayor." "That's a break for you, Jimmy." "You can have my spinach." "Well, over the river and skip the gutter." "Be seeing you, folks." "Be seeing you." "Jimmy, will you take the suitcase into the dining room?" "You're gonna sleep on the couch." " I suppose you're awful tired after riding around all day." " Yes, mam." "Hiya, Peggy!" "Say, how do you look gorgeous!" "I've been to a conference..." " I've been waiting for you for over an hour!" " I've been to a conference!" "Conference!" "Let me tell you." "This can't last forever." "Do you expect me to marry you?" " Listen, honey, when we're married..." " If we're married!" "And I'm not at all sure I want to marry a man who keeps me waiting around like this." "Look!" "Frank Gebhardt, editor of the Morning Times." "Great guy, Frank." "You know him intimately, no doubt." "Do I know him?" "Say, we're like this!" "Hi, Frank!" "How do you do?" "How are you?" " Do I know that man I just spoke to?" " No, Mr. Gebhardt." "What's his idea in calling me Frank?" "Well, you may know him like this, but he's not speaking to you." "That's nothing, honey." "He's so nearsighted many a time he passes up his own mother." "Listen, I know a new spaghetti joint you're going to be crazy about." "Come on, honey, we'll step right in the car and I'll drive you right down there..." "Is he asleep?" "I always wanted a boy around the house." "Outside of you, of course." "First thing tomorrow I'll take him around to school." "No, I don't want you to do that." "I don't want you to be late for..." "You haven't lost your job again?" "This morning." "What are we going to do now?" "We've another mouth to feed." "We've always pulled through before, haven't we?" "Maybe I'll get a better job." "Tell you what I'll do." "I'll.." "I'll run down and get a newspaper now and look through the want ads." "Don't worry, honey." "Everything'll be all right." "Now watch, Jimmy." "Watch closely this time." "Oh, it's the music in my soul, Jimmy." "I'm so full of it I leak." "When I come in the door Rudy Vallee goes right out the window." "Do you know Rudy Vallee?" "Do I know Rudy Vallee?" "Do I know him?" "The megaphone was my idea." "Well, I gotta be going." "Here you are, Jimmy." "There's a dollar." "That'll help you open a couple of banks." " Thanks, Mr. Kelly." "Mr. Kelly!" " Yeah?" " Could I talk to you for a moment?" " Sure, grab your hat and make it snappy." "Aunt Emma!" "I'm gonna walk down the street with Mr. Kelly." "All right, son." "Well, what's on your mind, Jimmy?" "Well, you see, Mr. Kelly, it's like this." "Hiya, Red." " You know, Red Gray, the football player." " Was that Red Gray?" " Sure." " Hiya, Kelly." "Hiya, boys." " What were you saying, Jim?" " Well, you know Uncle Harry and Aunt Emma..." " Hey, Kelly!" " Yeah?" "Go ahead, Jimmy, what were you going to tell me?" " Well..." " How are you, Kelly?" "Hiya, Commissioner." "Guess you know nearly everybody, Mr. Kelly." "Well, I'll tell you, Jimmy." "I've got a lot of connections." "That's just the reason I wanted to talk to you." "You see..." "Well, well, well." "Jimmy, here's one for the book." "Remember we went to that fortune teller this afternoon?" "Remember?" "Y-yeah." "Oh, did you?" "And he said we'd be walking down the street just like this." "Remember, Jimmy?" "Yeah." "And he said we'd ran into the most beautiful girl in all the world." "He was right up to that point, wasn't he?" "Yeah." "And he said huh..." "Well, he said a lot of things that happened, remember?" " Yeah, a lot of things." " For instance." "Let's see, for instance he said uh..." "He said uh..." "Well, he said I'd ask her to go dancing, remember?" "Yeah." "Did he say where?" "I don't know." "Did he say where, Jim?" "Sure he did." "He said we'd go to the Rosalind Dance Palace." "Oh, that was the place." " All right." " What?" "Oh, I get it." "I catch on to you." "You're the girl he was talking about all the time." "Who is this person?" "This is Mr..." "Peggy, I want you to meet a pal of mine, Jimmy Mason." "Hello, Jimmy." "You were only kidding." "You knew her all the time." "Know her?" "Say, I've known her since she was that big." "Come on in while I leave these things." "I'll take them, Peggy." "Come on, Jimmy." " Sit down, Jimmy." " Thanks." " Turn on the radio." " Sure." " Not bad, eh, Jimmy?" " Say, she's a swell girl." "Hey, you oughta read the story in here by Erle Cowan." " You know him too?" " Oh, sure, we're like that." "Say, have I shown you this trick that I do?" " I don't think so." " I know I didn't." "Watch this very closely." "This is great." "Wait till you see this one." "How do you like that, Jim." "It's marvelous, Mr. Kelly." "Jimmy, weren't you trying to tell me something?" "Oh, that." "I was..." "Why, Jimmy, how nice!" "Getting up on me." "Well, they always do it in the movies." "Take Mr. Kelly to the movies sometime, won't you, Jimmy?" "I would've gotten up, if it hadn't been for that sore knee of mine." "Oh, well, if you got a sore knee, you can't dance." "What do you think of a man who asks a girl to go dancing and then has a sore knee?" "Did your mother let you associate with people like that?" "She died." "Last week." "Oh, Jimmy!" "I'm sorry." "I wouldn't have..." "That's all right." "Atta boy, Jimmy." "The old chin up all the time." "Ma would've liked you." "Mr. Kelly, too." " Jimmy, I want you to promise me something." " Yes, mam?" "Anytime you feel lonesome will you come and see me?" " Could I?" " Any time you want." "Sure, thanks." "I sure will." "Hey, Jim, when you get through cutting me out with my girl how about going back to your aunt and uncle?" "Hello?" "What?" "I can't understand you." "Oh..." "I guess it's for you." "Hello?" "Hello?" "Hello?" "I called you up to say that I've got everything under control." "Everything is exactly as if you were right here." "Right here!" "What?" "Hello!" "Say, what's the matter with you?" "You're..." "Hello!" "Hello!" "Sorry, babe, but that was important." "I'll be back as soon as I can." "If I can't make it, I'll phone." "Never mind." "I'll know if you're coming." "Yeah?" "How do you know?" "I'll call up that fortune teller." "Oh... all right." "So long, darling." "Say, I guess I'd better be going too." "Just thought of something, and it's getting late..." " Well, good night.- Good night, Jimmy." " Remember you're coming to see me again." " Well, good night." "I had a very good time." "Oh... why don't you answer, Kelly?" "What's the matter?" "At it again, huh?" "Well, you're through." "Get out!" "Oh, Kelly, you wouldn't talk to an old pal that way..." "Get out!" "All right." "All right." "All right!" "But you'll be sorry for this tomorrow." "When you sober up." "Oh..." "I found you." "Gee, ain't you talented?" "You don't mind, do you?" "Well..." "No." "What I wanted to talk to you about this evening was.." "You see... with Uncle Henry getting laid off and me coming unexpected the way I did... it's kinda hard on them." "And I thought, well, knowing everyone the way you do, you could help me get a job." "Well, maybe I can." "I don't know." "Maybe I can." "I'd like to work for you, Mr. Kelly." "Yeah, you would?" "You be here first thing in the morning." "Say, it's getting kinda late." "You'd better run along, hadn't you?" " Thanks, Mr. Kelly." "Good night." " So long." "Hello?" "Yeah?" "Three quarts of what?" "Okay, I'll bring them right over." "Yeah, so long." "Of course it's none of my business, but I'm sure they're bootleggers." "I've done my duty and I expect you to do yours." "Hi, Commissioner." "Hello, kid." "Now listen, Jimmy." "This is what I want you to do." "You see, I'm in and out of this place all day long." "All I want you to do is answer the phone." "If somebody calls, tell them I'm out and get their number." "You can do that?" "Sure I can." "Here's another thing." "I do all my business over that phone." "That door is supposed to stay locked all the time." "Ain't nobody coming in, you see.." " but supposing they do.." " Yes, sir?" "You gotta have the worst memory in this men's town." "You don't know who owns the place, you don't know where you live 'cause I live there too, you don't even know my name." "Yes, but why, Mr. Kelly?" "Well you see, Jimmy, it's like this." " I got a lot of big connections, you know that, don't you?" " Yes, sir." "Well, you see, a man in my position he's liable to have a lot of enemies." " You never know what they might try to do." " Sure." "So, if anything goes wrong, no matter what it is... you get in touch with me on the quiet." "But be sure it's on the quiet." " And you don't know me at all." " Oh, I get it!" "That's the stuff." "And remember, Jimmy..." "Kelly's your friend." "A guy that'll always stand behind you." "And I'll do the same for you, too." "K.O., Jimmy." "K.O.!" "Now, shuffle on." " Oh, and Jimmy..." " Yes, sir?" "Get a load of this." "I'm paying you 25 bucks a week." "Whoopee!" "K.O.!" "K.O." "Open that door!" "Open up that door!" "Hey, say... have you been here before?" "You're taking it pretty easy for a first-timer." "Nothing's gonna happen to me." "What do you mean, nothing's gonna happen?" "It's happening." "Yeah, but I got a friend." "With connections." "And he'll walk in here any minute." "Burton." "Edward Burton." "Relatives and witnesses come this way." "Kelly!" "Patrick Kelly." "Mason." "James Mason." "Say, that friend of yours better get his connections working." "How old are you, James?" "Fifteen." "Almost." "Ever been in trouble before?" "No, sir." "Where do you live?" "No place in particular." "Parents dead?" "Yes, sir." "Haven't you any relatives in this town?" "Someone that we ought to notify about this?" "No, sir." "No relatives anywhere." "Now, James." "Obviously you wouldn't have found yourself in this trouble if you hadn't been led astray by someone older... more responsible, would you?" "Would you?" "Now, come, James." "We want to give you every chance to cooperate with us." "Now, it isn't you, but the man who hired you that we want to reach." "And your failure to expose him is really a more serious offense than the other charges against you." "Now come, who was he?" "Nobody." "Very well, then." "You leave me no alternative." "I'm sorry to have to do this." "But you'll spend the next three years in the State Industrial School for Boys." "The new beds is being numbered, sir." "Do you want to come out and give them a speech?" "Oh, I suppose so." " How many of them are there?" " Eleven." "And two repeaters." "Two repeaters." "Always the repeaters." " James Mason." " Yes, sir?" "13144." "That's all." "Attention." "Mr. Thompson has something to say to you boys." "Boys, you are here to be made into good citizens." "I trust that you'll take advantage of this opportunity." "You'll be taught a trade at which you can earn an honest living when you are released." "Obey the rules and you can profit by this experience." "Disobey them and you will be punished." "In other words, you will get out of this Institution exactly what you put into it." "That's all." "All right, you, get going." "13172, lower." "There's yours 13144, upper deck." "First thing you do get in there." "13974, upper." "14671, floor." "15682, upper." "19243, upper." " Where'd you come from?" " I got the bed up above." "All right, then get your things and scram up where you belong." " I just thought I'd undress down here." " Oh, yeah?" "Say!" "Hey, what's going on here?" "What's all this raucous about?" "Aw, I just slept and fell." "Well, stay on your feet and get all those clothes." "Okay, big boy." "You can sit down here any time you want to." "K.O.!" "How long are you in for?" "Do they let you write letters from here?" "Sure, three a month." "Why?" "I won't be here long." "You gotta be careful." "They read everything you write." "What was that?" "Did the super give you the welcome speech when you first came in?" "Yeah." "Well, that's some kid getting his so he can learn by experience." "What's it like up here anyhow?" "Aw, the food's terrible." "But you can get used to it." "And they make you sweat like a dog in the brickyard." "Brickyard?" "Yeah." "That's the way they support this place." "They haven't got enough money to run it so they make us kids work for it." "How do they treat you?" "Well, some of the guards are okay and some of them are plenty tough." "They lay off me." "I got a break." "Yeah?" "How?" "The old pump." "It ain't no good." "The heart, I mean." "I'm lucky." "Yeah, I guess you are." "I didn't think you brought me down here to listen to my charming conversation." "Charlie, don't let what I've said give you the impression it has anything to do with our friendship." "I'm not asking you to do a thing you don't want to do." "You're only asking me to sacrifice my job to become the goat for reform movement." "That's not the idea at all." "What I want you to do is to be a man." "You know what conditions in this school are now." "You know how badly you need the money from this bond issue to correct them." "And I know you feel the way I do." "You'd like to see things improve." "You'd like to see these kids given a chance." "Wouldn't you?" "I could bring about these changes." "But only by arousing public interest." "By printing the truth." "Now listen, Charlie, This is something that's got to be done." "I can't do it." "I'm not asking you to do it." "Now on Thursday I'll appear at the school unexpectedly." "With a pass." "You don't know anything about it, how I got it." "All I'm asking is that you let me see with my own eyes conditions as they really are." "Not the Sunday School act you put on for visitors." "Will you do this, Charlie?" "I've got to be going, Frank." "Well, Frank, I'll see you Thursday." "Thanks, Charlie." "Hey, Jimmy." "I'm gonna give you two now." "That's what all us old timers do." "Supposing I don't catch 'em?" "Oh, you'll just smash a finger." "Oh, is that all?" "Sure, what do you care?" "You got ten of them." "I caught 'em." "Okay, big boy." " What, again?" " Sure, you gotta get used to it." "Well, guess that's all." "Well, I'll be seeing you in a couple of minutes." " Where are you going?" " Get more bricks." "More bricks?" "Sure." "You're just warming up." "Boy, they sure make you work in this place." "Yeah." "Say, ain't you the guy with the connections?" "Yeah, what of it?" "I thought your friend was gonna get you out of this." "Well he is, and it's none of your business." "Hey." "You want me to show you how to pile up those bricks so it'll be easy on you?" "All right." "Hey, Jack, here's the new kid." "Let's show him how to pile up the bricks." " New kid, eh?" " Yeah." "This is gonna be swell for your muscles too." "Pretty strong, all right." "Yeah." "You oughta see me when I first did this." "There!" "Now let's see your influential friend get you out of this." "Hey, what's the big idea?" " Who did that?" " I did it!" "You can't do that to him." "He's my pal." "What's going on?" "You do you boys think this is, a playground?" "Now, just for this monkey business you'll get no recreation hour." "Now get going!" "Come on there, you!" "What's the good of my standing over our stove half the day if you don't eat something?" "I'm not hungry." "I don't see what Jimmy could have done." " But Mr. Kelly thought..." " Mr. Kelly!" "While he thought and we sat here..." "Maybe we could have done something." "Now, Emmie, Mr. Kelly did everything he could." "He used all of his influence and he couldn't do nothing." "What could we have done?" "At least we can go up to the school and see him as soon as Mr. Kelly gets us that pass." "Hiya, baby, baby, baby!" "Oh, stop it!" "What's the matter with you?" "I just washed my hands and can't do a thing to do with them." "Say, get a pipe of that new backdrop, will you?" "Gee!" "I bet you had to fight the women off every step of the way." "No, I fixed that." "I got a police car." "Have you heard from Jimmy?" "No, not a word." "Well, I guess he's gone for good." "You know, I can't get that poor kid off my mind." "How could a boy just disappear?" "I don't know." "I can't figure it." "Haven't I tried everything?" "Police, hospitals, Sheriff's office." " I guess he just beat it." " I don't know." " I was just wondering if..." " Just like I told you, sweetheart." "He perhaps got tired of the city and homesick for the old town and just blew it." "You know how kids are." "They don't think." "Say..." "How's it for you getting into that Derby of yours?" "We got a lot of staying up to do tonight." "Just a minute." "What a heel you are, Kelly." "Hey, Jimmy." " Yeah?" " How are you coming?" "All right." "But gosh it's hard writing in the dark." "I hope Mr. Kelly will be able to read it." " Say, Shorty?" " Yeah?" "I don't see how this'll ever get to him if I don't sign it or address it." "Okay, big boy." "You see, I slip it to this guy in the hospital and tell him the address." "Then he writes it on the envelope when he gets it outside." "Say, Shorty, how do you spell "terrible"?" "Oh, never mind how you spell it, just write it." "I'm coming to the part about getting you out too." "We're gonna stick together." "Okay, big boy." " What's the matter with you?" " I swallowed a couple of peas." "You're lucky to get peas." "What about it?" "I need it in print shop, tied." "Does it bother you any?" "No, but I didn't think it would be good for me to keep on working." "Work won't hurt you." "There's only one thing that would fix you up." "I'm beginning to feel fine." "The water's over there." "Next." "I keep on getting them dizzy spells." "You're the kid that got that bump on the head." "Yeah, in the brickyard." "You'll have to wait till Tuesday when the doctor comes up." "But here's some aspirin." "Next." "Next." "Hey, you!" "You're next." "Well, what's the matter now?" "I thought maybe you could give me some of that medicine the doctor gives me." "Oh, I don't feel so awful bad now." "I think maybe I could come back when the doctor's here." "Come here." "Unbutton your coat." "Come on." "All right, let's have it." "Why, your writing is nothing like this." " Now who wrote that?" " I did!" "It looks like that." "You see, I wrote it in the dark." "Now listen." "You've been here long enough to know it's a serious offense to try to sneak a letter out." "Especially one that criticizes the school." "Now you tell me who wrote this and I'll go easy on you." "If you don't..." "If you don't, I'm gonna give you solitary." "I did it, I tell you." "All right, have it your own way." "You wrote it so you'll get six days in solitary confinement." "You couldn't put me in solitary..." "Then tell me who wrote this letter." "All right, take him away." "Come on." "Have you got 13144 here?" "Over there." "13144?" " 13144?" " Yes, sir." "How would you like to be a monitor?" "Oh, I don't know." "We need more monitors and you've been recommended." "If I were you, I'd take it." "You get better food, better sleeping quarters and special privileges." "Of course you'll get your responsibilities." " I guess so." " Well, come on." "Where's Shorty?" "How should I know?" " You're supposed to relieve me?" " Yes, sir." "Those on the mourner's bench have got two hours more to go." "You've got to see that they keep their eyes on that line every minute of it." "Those on the chalk line can loosen up in 45 minutes more." "There you are." " You're the new monitor, ain't you?" " Yes sir." "Guards!" "Guards!" "How do you do, Mr. Gebhardt?" "How do you do?" "I'm sorry to have to tell you that Mr. Thompson won't be able to take you through the school personally." "However, he's instructed me to see that you go wherever you want to go." " I see." " Now, what would you like to see first?" "Oh, it doesn't matter." "Now, this is our correction room." "The boys are made to study during the recreation period." "What do you use the white line for?" "That?" "Well, occasionally a disobedient boy is made to stand with his toes to that line while he studies." "Now, these are our punishment cells." "Is there anyone in them?" "No." "We only use these in case of emergency." "More comfortable than I expected." "Get back till I call you." "Now, would you like to see the dormitories?" "No, thanks." "I think not." "Well, Charlie, I've seen your Sunday School." "So, you've lost your nerve." "You double-crossed me." " What was the matter before?" " Never mind." "Number 5." "Hey, buddy." "Hey, wake up!" "Shorty!" "Shorty, what's the matter?" "Guard!" "Guard!" "It's Shorty, something's happened to him." "He's just lying here." " Get someone quick!" " Give him that water, I'll be back right away." " Shorty!" " Don't worry, Mom." " Shorty!" " Oh, don't cry, Mom." "It's me, don't you know me?" "Gee, Mom, Jimmy's gonna be disappointed if Mr. Kelly doesn't get that letter." "Stop talking like that, Shorty." " Of course, it's different with him." " Come on, listen to me!" "Listen!" "Jimmy... what's the matter?" "Atta boy, Shorty." "Now you're talking." "How did you get here, Jimmy?" " I was bringing your supper, and you were just..." " Oh, gee..." "Gee, that's great!" "I thought maybe they got you, too." "Got me?" "What for?" "Is that why you're in here?" "Did they find that letter?" "Yeah, only I wasn't gonna tell you." "Shorty, you're doing this for me." "It's my fault." "I'm gonna tell them." "I'll go tell them I wrote it." "Then you can get out." "That won't do any good." "They'll never let me off." "On account of I wouldn't tell them who wrote it." "Oh, I'll make them get you off." "I'll tell them myself." "Aw, don't do that, Jimmy." "That won't help any." "That'll just put you in solitary, too." "I'll be all right." "The doc can fix me up." "He won't fix you up." "You told me yourself they could never fix you up in this place." "You need good doctors, and hospitals and everything." "I'll be all right." "I know what I'll do." "I'll run away." "I'll get out." "I'll get to Mr. Kelly." "I'll tell him all." "He'll get you out." "Shorty..." "Shorty, do you..." "Do you think you can stand it until I get a chance?" "Is that all right?" "Okay, big boy." "Shorty!" " Gee, it's great to be home, Mom." " Shorty!" " It ain't nothing to die." " You're not going to die!" "Here, get out of the way!" "Take him to the hospital." "The doctor's on his way over." " Get back to your work." " Oh, let me go with him." " Get back to your work!" " I'm going with Shorty." "Wait a minute." "If you're not careful, you'll lose that." "I don't want it!" "I hate it!" "Driving kids till they can't stand up!" "Making them look to the line till they fall on the floor!" "Treating them like they weren't human beings!" "Like Shorty." "I'm going with him!" "Let me go!" "Let me go!" "Let me go!" "Did you hear about Shorty?" "Nothing." "They won't let you anywhere near the hospital." " You think he'll die?" " No!" "Pick 'em up, you mug!" "All right, you don't have to help me." "I'll do it myself." "You're darn tootin', you will." "I'm not letting my dinner get cold." "Get going." " How about it?" " Let her go!" " 13141." " Here." " 13142." " Here." " 13143." " Here." "13144." "13144." "I don't see what good it does you to read the same thing over and over again." "I was just trying to see.." "Jimmy!" " Oh, my darling!" " Jimmy!" "..." "Don't please." "I got a lot to do..." "Is Mr. Kelly home?" "He don't live here, anymore." "But they're after you, don't you know that?" "I don't care!" "I gotta get Mr. Kelly right away." "Where is he?" "We don't know." "But what good could he do?" "Don't let them take you back again." "I don't care for that as long as I don't get help for Shorty!" " Shorty?" " Yeah, I gotta get Mr. Kelly right away!" "Get my coat and a shirt." "I think I know where I can find him!" "Let me wipe your face." "Hold your head up, Jimmy!" "Hold your face." "My goodness but you're dirty!" "How in the world did you get that all over you?" " Jimmy!" " Is Mr. Kelly here?" " Better close the door." " Why, Jimmy, where have you..." " Mr. Kelly!" "Well, well, well, how's the weather in China?" "Say, you oughta let your friends know when you duck out like that." "You had us worried." "I tried to let you know in the quiet like you told me." "But after the cops got me I didn't have a chance." "Shorty tried to get a letter out of the Reform School, but..." " Reform School?" " Say, they sent you to the Reform School?" "Yeah, when I wouldn't tell them your name." "What does this mean?" "Well, when the cops broke in and found all that liquor... of course I knew right away they were trying to get something on you, counting your connections." "I didn't want to see you about that." "But there's something you gotta do, Mr. Kelly." "Not for me." "But for a kid that's still up there, Shorty." "He's sick and unless we get him out of there right away, I'm afraid he's gonna die." "That's why I ran away." "Won't you do something, Mr. Kelly?" "Gee, Shorty's a swell kid." "You'd be crazy about him." "We got to do something quick before they catch me and take me back." "You're not going back!" "No, Jimmy." "You're not going back." "I'll get in touch with the right..." "Now wait a minute, let me think." "I got it." "Frank Gebhardt of the Times." "Just the man." "I'll go right down and see him..." " Gee, Mr. Kelly!" " Why don't you phone him?" "You can't settle a thing like this over the phone." "Phone him and see if he's there." "Say, that's a good idea." "Never mind." "I know the number." "Hello?" "Mr. Gebhardt, please." "Hello?" "Mr. Kelly calling Mr. Gebhardt." "Sure, he'll know." "Hello, Frank?" "This is Kelly." "Kelly, what Kelly?" "Why, couldn't be better." "How are you?" "Say, who is this?" "Say, Frank, I wanna come right down and see you." "Listen..." "I got some real front page dope for you." "Yeah." "I got State Reform School stuff." "Well, all right." "Come down and see me." "Oh, no, Frank, I can't come to dinner." "Thanks." "But I'll be right down." "And, so long." "Well, let's go!" "You're not doing him any good by not telling us where he went." "The soonest you tell us the better will be for him." "You don't want him to get into any more trouble, do you?" "I tell you we don't know where he went." "He said he was going to see Mr. Kelly, a friend of his who used to be our boarder." " Where does this man Kelly live?" " We don't know, and Jimmy didn't either." "He just uh... thought he could find him." " I guess they're on the up and up." " I guess so." "Now listen, if that kid comes back here tonight you keep him here and call Police Headquarters." "Yes, sir." "Yes, sir." " Well, Emmie!" " Don't you go well-Emmying me!" "You know a guy named Kelly that used to live over there?" "Sure." "Looking for him?" "Yeah." "Will you come in, Mr. Kelly?" "Hello, Frank." "What's your game?" "What's the idea of calling me Frank?" "Well, I'll tell you, Mr. Gebhardt." "I've been reading your column so long I... just got the feeling like I knew you." "Hm-hmm." "You know, what I told you over the phone... the front page news, that's on the level." "I know a kid who just escaped from the Reform School." "This kid?" " Yep." " Your boy?" " Well, no, he's a pal of mine." "What do you want out of it?" "Not a thing." "Except that he don't go back up there." "I can't promise that." " All right, the deal's off." " Now, wait!" "I can't say what I can do until I've heard the story." "But I'll do what I can." " He's outside now." " Bring him in." "Miss Maxwell, bring your book." "Herman, break down the front page." "Yes... yes, never mind about that now." " Jimmy, this is Mr. Gebhardt." " How are you, Jimmy?" "Sit down." "Take my chair." "Jimmy, could you tell me how you got into the Reform School and what happened then?" " Yes, sir." " Take this, please." "All right, tell me about it." "Well, when I first came to live with Uncle Henry and Aunt Emma..." "Say, Joe." "Did you haul Kelly, his girl and a kid in the last half hour?" " No." " Have you seen anything of them?" "No, not me." "Say, Art!" " Who did you haul last?" " Why, a young couple and a kid." "And when I got to Mr. Kelly I told him how badly Shorty needs help and he brought me down here." "I guess that's all." " Just transcribe that as quickly as possible, Miss Maxwell." " Yes, sir." "Yes?" "Telegraph desk just got a wire on the Reform School, Mr. Gebhardt." "A kid died up there this afternoon." "They say it was a case of bad heart." " We're getting pictures." " All right." "I'll call you back later." "Jimmy, will you wait in the outer office?" "There's something I want to talk to Mr. Kelly about." "Yes, sir." " Mr. Gebhardt..." " Yes, Jimmy?" "You and Mr. Kelly will do everything you can to get Shorty out of there right away, will you?" "We'll do everything for him we possibly can." "Thank you, sir." "Everything we possibly can." "Kelly, that phone call..." "Shorty just died." "Aw, gee, that'll be tough on the kid." "I can keep Jimmy from going back to the Reform School." "But I can't do it alone, Kelly." " You've got to help me." " What do you mean?" "Just this." " I want a signed confession from you clearing the boy." " What's the idea of getting me mixed up in this?" "The only way we can save him is by proving he was ignorant as to the nature of your business." "That means that you will have to admit what it is" " and how you deceived the boy." " I won't do it!" " You want that kid to go back up there?" " But I ain't going to Leavenworth and that's that!" " Hello, Jimmy." " Hello." " That's him." " Come along!" "Call Mr. Gebhardt quick!" "Mr. Gebhardt!" "Well, gentlemen?" "This kid ran away from Reform School, Mr. Gebhardt, and we're taking him back." "Wait a minute, boys." "I'm interested in this case." "Will you sit down here for about 5 minutes?" " Jimmy won't run away, will you, Jimmy?" " No, sir." " How about it?" " Well, I guess..." " Thanks." " Yes..." "Well?" "Jimmy'll be starting back in 5 minutes." "I can't do it." "Oh, you can't do it." "You made the kid believe you're the greatest guy on earth." "And then you hid behind him to save your own skin." "You let him go to Reform School because he wouldn't squeal when you told him not to." "And now you've got a chance to be the man he thinks you are, what are you going to do about it?" "Are you going to let him down?" "What are you, Kelly?" "A man or a rat?" "You're a rat!" " Will you come in here a minute, Jimmy?" " Yes, sir." "It'll be all right boys." "Jimmy..." "You've got to go back to the Reform School." "There's only one man in the world who can help you." "And he won't." "What do you mean?" "Jimmy, you didn't know it." "But the man you were working for was a bootlegger." "The liquor in that place wasn't planted there." "It belonged to him." "And now he's too small, too mean, too cowardly... to do for you what you did for him." "Are you talking about Mr. Kelly?" " Yes!" " Listen, Mr. Gebhardt," "He may have been a bootlegger." "That may have been his liquor, but when you say he wouldn't do the same for me as I would for him, it's... it's a lie!" "You're right, Jimmy." "You're right." "You see, Frank's a great kidder." "He's got to have his little joke." " I didn't think he was kidding." " Sure he was, Jim." " Get Peggy, will you?" " Let me." "Well, kid, looks like I gotta go away for a long time." " To... to..." " Yeah." "Yep." "But after all, it's no more than I got coming to me." "But, gee, Mr. Kelly," "Oh, now, look at it this way, kid." "We're pals, ain't we?" " Sure!" " Sure we are." "And you took it on the chin, didn't you?" "Well, now I'm gonna take it on the chin." "And what happens?" "Mr. Gebhardt gets a chance to clean up that Reform School and do things for a lot of kids." "That's the way to look at it, ain't it?" "Yeah, yeah, that's the way to look at it." " And Shorty..." " Sure, that's it." "Think of Shorty." "Oh, please don't, babe." "How is it now, Shorty?" "Okay, big boy."