"Alright Antonio, your father and I will be right back. Stay here and wait for us. We should be back by nightfall."
The two-year-old nodded and the parents left him in an alleyway in Lower East Side, Manhattan. When nightfall came his parents still weren't back and Antonio was starting to get scared. He started sobbing and cried himself to sleep.
Antonio woke up to someone shaking him. "Hey kid! Wake up!" He opened his eyes and saw an older boy with dark skin kneeling in front of him. Nervous, he scooted away.
"Hey. Calm down kid, I ain't gonna hurt ya. Ya got any parents?"
Antonio, not knowing why his parents hadn't come to get him, shrugged. The boy gave him a reassuring smile.
"Dat's ok, I don't either. Ya wanna place ta stay? Youse can be a newsie like me. Wese sell newspapers ta make money. Wese use dat money for food and lodging at da Lodging House."
Antonio slowly nodded. The boy handed him some newspapers and took his hat off to reveal black hair. He put the hat on Antonio's head.
"Da boys call me General. I's fifteen. How 'bout you?"
"Two. 'tonio. Friends?"
General grinned at him. "Youse young kid but, wese can most definitely be friends. If youse stays wit' da newsies youse can 'ave a whole group of bruddahs, Antonio."
Antonio grinned widely. General then started yelling the "headline" of the "newspaper". With a two-year-old and a fifteen-year-old, the two sold out quickly. General then took the time to teach Antonio some other words and how to read and write. Finally, it was lunch time.