A mother's admonisions

I remember so clearly what she said before I sailed away to America. DO NOT CARRY YOUR MONEY IN YOUR PURSE. There are so many Al Capone types in New York and they will rip off your purse if you carry it under your arm and they will cut off the straps if it is hanging by your side. I have found a pair of gloves with a zipper in the palm and that's where I want you to keep your money.

So my first day I decided to test her warning. I put two twenty dollar bills in my glove. I had some small change left over from the cab fare from yesterday, which I put in my pocket. Walked West a few blocks and came to Lexington Ave, which looked wide and clean and safe. I meet one of New York's finest, and asked him how I could get to Macys.

My stomach recoils just thinking of how scared he made me. He said 'Walk down to the next block. The entrance to the subway is there and you are going to go downtown to 42nd where you will transfer to a crosstown train and go to fifth and there you will transfer again and go south to 34th.from there you walk west to Macy's. I asked him how much that would cost and he told me I could do it all for a nickle. I didn't know what a nickle was but I surmised it was cheap.

Walking from the subway I discovered a Five and Ten Cents store where I made a puchase and met a friendly sales clerk who taught me about money. I bought one thing at Macy's and one more item when I returned to Lexington Ave. I will tell you about it next time.