A U.S. bluejacket staggered through the thick odor and the rude sounds of the old port of Naples. A ragged urchin tugged and chanted at him: "You wanna girl, mister? I gotta my sister for you. Come on, Joe! Cheap!" the sailor pulled away, then slumped drunkenly to the sidewalk. Mouse-quick, the eight-year-old tried to grab the sailor's wallet, but the sailor weakly pushed him away. Unable to roll the man, the urchin sped away to sell him: in Naples bigger urchins pay 500 lire, perhaps 1,000 lire, for news of a likely victim...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
