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Morning Edition~o~
Evening Edition~o~
Extry Extry! ~o~
Others Selling Corners~o~
Yeaahhh lets bust Crutchy outta the Refuge!!
Great Escapes...^_^
EXT./INT. HOUSE OF REFUGE/BUNKROOM - NIGHT
David watches from the roof as Jack taps on a window. An inmate, TENPIN, 9, looks up and grins.
TENPIN
Cowboy! Ya miss the joint?
JACK
Whattayasay, Tenpin. You got a new guy, Crutchy --
TENPIN
The gimp? I'll get him for ya.
Jack takes a railroad spike from his belt and begins prying at the bars, talking conversationally to David, who's terrified someone's going to hear them.
JACK
That's Tenpin -- s'posed to get out last Christmas, but Snyder keeps tackin' more time on his sentence --
DAVID
(shushing frantically)
Be quiet -- they'll hear you--!
Crutchy appears, grinning at Jack dangling on the rope
CRUTCHY
Hey, whattaya hanging around here for? That Dave up there? Hiya Dave!
David pleads for silence, Jack pries at the bars.
JACK
Go get your hat, Crutch. Kiss Snyder good-bye
CRUTCHY
(evasively)
Yeah... hey, you shoulda seen me in court today -- old Judge Movealong Monahan hisself! Took him two minutes to move me along to Snyder for 'my own good'
JACK
Later Crutchy -- get your stuff.
Crutchy stops Jack's hand prying at the bars
CRUTCHY
Listen Jack... truth is, I ain't walkin' so good. Oscar and Morris kinda worked me over a little.
JACK
They hurt you...? Don't worry, we'll carry you --
CRUTCHY
(vehemantly)
I don't want nobody carryin' me -- never!
Jack looks up: Crutchy's eyes flash with pride. Then he smiles, softens.
CRUTCHY
It ain't so bad here. Get three squares, sorta, and there's some swell fellas...
(up to David)
They still talk about how Jack rode outta here on that coach!
DAVID
(sigs, resigned)
Teddy Roosevelt's. Right?
CRUTCHY
You already heard the story.
DAVID
You mean it's true --?
Crutchy hears something and quickly shushes them; Jack disappears from the window; Crutchy slumps into a bunk and pretends to sleep -- just as Snyder comes into the room. Utter silence --
--except for Snyder's FOOTSTEPS as he walks slowly down the aisle between the bunks. He stops at the window, his back to it. Crutchy sneaks open his eyes to see--
-- Jack, behind Snyder, swinging past the window, arms stretched in balletic arabesque--
-- Crutchy struggles not to laugh; Tenpin and some others see what's going on. They all fight laughter as --
-- Jack swings back and forth behind Snyder, striking different poses as he passes the window: the breast stroke, running on air, a bird with flapping wings...
-- From the roof, David looks down in disbelief: the smiles -- nothing Jack does would surprise him any more.
-- Snyder glares suspiciously at the boys, sensing something is going on. Behind him, Jack floats past as an angel -- Snyder wheels around, looks --
-- but the window is empty. Puzzled, he walks out of the room. The instant he's gone, the boys explode in stifled laughter. We MOVE IN ON Crutchy as he laughs untill the tears come --
EXT. NEARBY STREET - NIGHT (LATER)
Jack and David move down the deserted street.
JACK
Crutchy won't last in there... I've seen stronger guys than him not make it.
DAVID
Did you really escape in Teddy Roosevelt's coach?
JACK
Not in it. On it.
DAVID
What was he doing at the Refuge?
JACK
Runnin' for governor. Showin' his concern, like all pols during elections.
DAVID
Teddy's not like other politicians. He's the biggest hero in our country.
JACK
Anyway, he's there. I see his fancy coach waitin' for him, so I sneaks on top of it. Teddy gets in, and he's wavin' goodbye, and all the guys are wavin' goodbye, and Snyder's wavin -- "Good - byeeee, Colonel Roosevelt!", So just as we're goin' out the gate, I stands up and --
(waves)
"Good-byeeeee Warden Snyder!" It was in the papes and everything.
DAVID
(laughs; then)
He's governor now. I don't see how he could see that place and not do anything --
JACK
He only seen what Snyder wanted him to -- good food, everything the city usually pays for that Snyder usually steals.
DAVID
I bet if he just knew -- I mean, he's a hero --
JACK
Last year he was a hero. This year he's a politician.
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