Tenth Avenue Angel

"Welcome to New York"

is the greeting on top of that fifth Avenue bus.

Welcome to the city of contrast,

the exciting harbor,

the serene statue,

the turbulent roar of Broadway, and the peace of central park.

Tall buildings standing like sentinels on guard

over its playgrounds and museums.

This is riverside drive, uptown.

Nice, isn't it?

This is tenth Avenue, downtown.

Not so nice.

It was down here they tell a story typical of this city of contrast.

It was down here I first met a kid they called the tenth Avenue angel.

The year was 1936, one of the depression years.

Hey, you, will you keep out of the street?

Why? It's my street.

Watch your car, mister?

Yeah, watch your car?

No, thanks.

It's only a quarter, mister.

Uh... well, uh... On second thought.

Now you're smart.

Yeah.

You better not let your mother catch you working that business.

Aw, shut up.

Your old lady!

Give me that money.

Here, Flavia, give it to them people

tell them we're sorry.

All right.

Where you going?

Mister! Mister!

"With her apologies," Mrs. Masten said.

Uh-oh!

Well, it's her street, her neck.

Ok, Skeeter.

Paper, paper, read all about it.

I got 'em, Mac.

And soaking wet, I suppose.

Only the outside ones.

Man, I suppose wasn't for you,

I'd go out of business.

Oh, phooey. You don't need anyone.

Mother says you see more than half

with their eyes open.

You see through them, and that's important.

Oh, she does, does she?

And you're a very wise man, too.

Oh, am I?

What do you read?

Your bark's worse than your bite.

Who said that?

- I did. - Hmm.

Should I read the headlines?

Sure. What are they?

Dutch Smith--

Bumped off.

There. You know without me reading.

Hmm, anybody could see that was going to happen.

- Mac. - Yes.

Steve's coming home.

Steve? That's fine.

I always believed in Steve, always did.

It's nice to believe, isn't it, Mac?

It's a good thing.

I don't see, but I know what things are like.

I know what the street looks like.

And I know what you look like, too.

- How do you know? - I know it inside.

That's how you know things.

I guess that's the way I know things, too.

Like a 4-leaf clover,

that's lucky, or a horseshoe,

but it has to have a nail in it.

Mac, where can I find a 4-leaf clover?

Round here you better look for a horseshoe.

When you see a white horse and you wish on it, it comes true?

You can always wish.

Sometimes it comes true.

Oh, but it always does. My mama said so.

I have to go now, Mac.

Best of the afternoon!

- Good-bye. - Bye.

Paper, paper. What do you read?

They're all late.

Hello, Teddy.

Don't let my mother catch you doing that.

Why not?

Cause she'll put salt on your tongue,

then you won't get it back again.

Ah, you're crazy.

I am not.

I'm 8 years old, and...

That's normal. Now, let me by.

Hello, Flavia.

Hello, daddy.

Daddy, do you have time to discuss

- something important? - Well, not right now.

I've got to go give a music lesson. Talk to your mother.

Good-bye, Helen.

Oh, good-bye, Joseph.

Your feet wet?

Mm-mmm.

Mama, who went to school last, you or aunt Susan?

I'm 3 years younger. I guess I did.

Well, then listen, aunt Susan,

London is the capital of England,

and the Andes are the highest mountains in south America,

and the Chinese are members of the magnolia race.

Mongolian, honey.

Magnolia is a flower.

I didn't think it sounded exactly right.

Darling, what are you getting at?

Well, Steve's coming home from being all the way around the world,

and I'd like to be able to talk about the trip with him.

Don't you think you need to do your homework?

You really want me to do it, or want to get rid of me?

To be honest, little of both.

Now, run along.

I don't know why there's so many secrets here.

I'm a member of this family, too.

Brother, what'll she do if she finds out

Steve didn't go around the world,

that he's been in jail?

We've kept it from her so far.

What are you going to do about it?

Help him to forget,

show him in spite of what happened,

I love him more now than before he went away.

I'm sure he couldn't love you any more than before.

If he doesn't propose to you right away,

I'm afraid Flavia's will do it for him.

She's decided that you and Steve ought to get married next Thursday.

When did she decide?

She's been talking about you two

getting married for the last year or so.

Before then, she had another idea.

Such as?

She was going to marry Steve herself.

Oh ho ho!

There's a hen in Wisconsin that laid a triple-yolked egg.

Hmm, that's something to cackle about.

Does it seem like the trains

are running kind of slow this morning?

Hmm, now that you mention it.

Maybe he won't know me.

I'm 2 inches taller and almost a pound fatter,

but I'm wearing the same dress.

I was scared to ask mother if I could wear it,

but she had it all ironed when I woke up.

And very becoming.

Mac, look, there are people getting off!

Steve! Steve!

Steve!

Hey, Flavia!

Hey there, sweetheart!

Oh!

Hey, hey, what's going on here?

I'm crying.

You're crying? What for?

Because I'm so happy.

Crying because you're happy.

Oh, that's the silliest thing I ever heard of.

Come on, honey.

How are you, Steve?

We'd have rolled the carpet if we knew you were comin'.

- Hello, Dan. - Hiya, Mac.

Walks the same, talks the same, shakes hands the same.

- How does he look? - The same, only better.

We missed you, Steve.

The whole street missed you,

every single solitary person.

I wish I could believe that.

I can speak for the boys, Steve.

- Well, how are things going, old timer? - Fine, fine. I can't complain.

- Can I check my trunk here? - Sure, sure.

I'll be back for the afternoons, Mac.

- I'll look in on you later. - So long.

Oh, Steve.

It was rough getting sent up on your first job.

My last job.

We wanted to thank you.

That's all right. No need to.

We paid for our rides. So we're even.

It was nice of you dumbing up like that.

Me and the boys kind of had something figured.

Give me one paper, Mac.

Huh?

I ain't got no use for them coppers.

Come on, Steve. You've got to see everybody.

Sure we have. So long, Mac.

Ok, Steve.

Paper, paper. What do you read?

- Hello, Steve! - Oh, hello, Tom.

- You know my little cow? - Belinda?

She's got 37 cents in her stomach.

37 cents? Why, she's a plutocrat.

What are you going to do with all that money?

- Hello, Steve. - Oh, hello, Fred.