Chapter 1
'It'll sure be nice ta get home.' Spot Conlon thought to himself as he walked towards the Brooklyn lodging house. 'All I wanna do is lie down in me bunk and go ta sleep.' Spot had had a rough day of selling newspapers, there were no good headlines and no one seemed to want to buy the ones he was making up. He slowly walked inside the lodging house and headed up to the bunkroom. "What's goin' on?" Spot commanded.
"Well we'se got a new goil. She wants ta be a newsie." Tracker, Spot's best friend, explained.
"Where is she?" Spot asked in a harsh voice. He wasn't in the mood to be dealing with newbies, especially girl newbies that night.
"Oveh there…" Tracker pointed out. "She's da one who looks real small and meek."
Spot looked over to where Tracker had pointed. Sure enough there was a tiny girl sitting on Spot's bunk. She had mousy brown hair and blue-green eyes. She didn't look like she could weigh anymore then 90 lbs.
"Whatdya mean by looks small and meek?" Spot questioned.
"What I mean is, before ya got 'ere Micky made a crack about 'er bein' a goil newsie and she took 'im out! Dat goil was powerful! Micky's still in da bathroom tryin ta get 'is nose ta stop bleedin'!" Tracker exclaimed.
"That goil beat up Micky? Micky one of my toughest fightehs? Are you sure you weren't dreamin'?" Spot laughed trying to picture this girl beating up Micky.
"True every woid of it! Ask anyone else in 'ere!" Tracker told him. Spot shook his head and walked over to the new girl.
"What's your name?" Spot asked her sternly.
"Bridget. What's yours?" She asked back. Spot looked at her in surprise. Everyone, newsie or not, knew his name in Brooklyn.
"Spot Conlon. So ya wanna join me newsies?" He asked her suspiciously.
"Yeah, ya gotta problem wit dat?" Bridget asked sarcastically.
"No, just as long as ya stay undeh me rule and me territory and outta me way." Spot told her.
"Fine, just show me where ta get my papes in da morning and I'll be fine." Bridget told him flowing with confidence.
"You eveh sold papes before?" Spot asked her.
"No, but it don't look like it's hard ta do. I mean there are seven year olds out dere sellin' papes."
"Well it is tough and do you'se 'ill hafta shadow one of da oudder newsies for da next week until dey report ta me dat ya know what you'se doin', cuz if you'se from Brooklyn you'se gotta be tough and mean and keep me reputation good. Ya got dat?" Spot told her in a no nonsense sort of voice.
"Fine." She said a bit unhappily.
"Now get outta me bed and go ta sleep." Spot commanded.
"Where am I suppose ta sleep den?" Bridget asked innocently. Spot looked around the room. All of the bunks were actually full, except the top bunk to his bed and the bottom bunk of Micky's bed.
"On da top bunk of dis bed." Spot told her. He narrowed his eyes at her in unhappiness. He didn't really want any one sleeping on his top bunk but he didn't figure putting her with Micky would be a good thing, if she really did beat him up. Spot then stripped down to his underwear and sat on his bed watching the other newsies. A minute late Micky walked out of the bathroom and his nose looked like it had been broken.
'Damn, that little girl sure has a big punch…' Spot thought to himself. "LIGHTS OUT!" Spot yelled. Quickly all of the newsies hopped into their bunks and Spot went around and blew out the candles and then slipped into his own bunk, hoping the next day would be a better selling day for him.