“They’re mostly children from Italy. Either they’ve run from their families or have been turned out to earn money for them.” A lump rose in my throat. “They’re so young. How on earth can they make a wage?” Thomas grew very quiet. Too quiet for a young man who enjoyed sharing facts on every subject imaginable. I noticed his fingers weren’t tapping their usual incessant beat, either. I looked out the window again and suddenly knew what he couldn’t bring himself to say. Those boys—those children—would have no choice but to turn to a life riddled with crime. They’d fight, steal, or subject
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