Chapter 10 Part 1 Chapter 1 Brooklyn (2)

Francie and Neeley went down to the basement every night and emptied the elevator racks of the day's junk.Francie and Neeley's mother was a cleaner, so the children had the privilege of going down to the basement.They remove paper, cloth, and recycled bottles from the shelves.Paper is worthless.Ten pounds for a penny.Cloth costs two cents a pound, and iron costs four cents a pound.Copper was a good commodity, selling for a dime a pound.Sometimes Francie hits her luck and finds the bottom of a discarded clothes cooker.She would break it off with a can opener, fold it, beat it, fold it again, beat it again.

As soon as nine o'clock on a Saturday morning, children emerged from the streets and alleys and flocked to Manhattan Avenue, the main thoroughfare.They walked slowly down Manhattan Avenue to Scholes Street.Some children hold the rags directly in their hands.Some were dragging soap boxes made of wood with very stable wooden wheels on the bottom of the box.There are also a few pushing baby carriages, which are full. Francie and Neeley packed the junk into a sack, each carrying a corner, and dragged it down the street, along Manhattan Avenue, passing Moggie Street, Vine Ayek Street, Stagg Street, Finally came to Scholes Street.These are ugly streets with pretty names.Ragged children would emerge from every side street and alley, join the army of junk, and head to Carney's garbage dump.On the way they go, they will meet children who have returned empty-handed.These children have sold their junk and spent all their money until there is nothing left.Now they swaggered back, laughing at the other kids.

"Pick up the rags! Pick up the rags!" Hearing this scolding, Francie blushed immediately.She knew that these scolders picked up trash themselves, but it didn't help.In fact, after a while, my younger brother will come back with his little friends, empty-handed, and also laugh at the people behind him, but this can't comfort her, she just panicked with embarrassment. Carney started a recycling business out of a crumbling stable.Rounding the corner, Francie saw the two large doors, hooked and amicably ajar; the needle of the plain-looking analog scale swung in what Francie imagined was a gesture of welcome.She saw Carney, rust-colored hair, rust-colored beard, rust-colored eyes, by the scales.Carney prefers girls.When he reached out to pinch the girl's cheek, if the girl didn't flinch, he would give him an extra penny.

Given the possibility of this added bonus, Neeley stepped aside while Francie dragged the sack into the stable.Carney jumped forward, dumped the contents of the bag on the ground, and squeezed Francie's face first.Francie's eyes, unaccustomed to the darkness, blinked a little as he loaded the rags onto the scale, trying to adjust.She could feel the smell of moss in the air and the stink of wet cloth heads.Carney glanced at the pointer of the scale, and then said two words, which was his bid.Francie knew he was not allowed to haggle, so she nodded yes.Carney flipped the tatters off the scale and told her to wait.He stacked the waste paper in one corner, threw the cloth ends in another corner, and sorted out the metal.When all this was done, he reached into his pocket, pulled out an old leather bag tied with wax thread, and pulled out a penny.The pennies were all green and looked tattered.She whispered: "Thank you." At this time, Carney gave her a cheap look, and then reached out and squeezed her face hard.She insisted on not responding.He smiled and gave her another penny.Then his demeanor changed suddenly, he was bluffing, and his hands and feet were quick and quick.

"Come here," he called to the next boy in line, "get the lead out!" He waited for the boys to laugh. "I don't mean tattered!" The children laughed very cooperatively.The laughter sounded like the bleating of lost lambs, but Carney seemed content.