*** Disclaimer - I do not own any of the characters from the Disney movie
"Newsies". Any of the characters I come up with, obviously, I own.
Constructive criticism is welcome!***
Sadie sauntered down the bustling, crowded sidewalk swinging a sack by her side and whistling. It was early October in New York City, and the morning air had a snap to it. Her brother's oversized jacket provided some warmth, as did the long underwear she wore under her skirts. Jeremiah had told her to walk down to the butcher's and get some soup bones for Ma. Sadie hated it when her older brother ordered her around, but he usually did it with a wink and a smile.
They lived above a small tailor's shop where both her Ma and Jeremiah worked. Sadie helped out occasionally but spent most of her time working at the orphanage down the street. Her duties there included housekeeping, and helping out in the kitchen. Some days were better than others were, but she loved the youngest children. Sadie loved children in general, but the little ones never failed to make her smile.
"Buy me pape Miss?" Sadie exchanged fleeting smiles with the tall boy that she bought a paper from everyday for Jeremiah. He was about her age, sixteen with curly brown hair and laughing brown eyes. One of his legs was twisted, and he hopped about with a crutch. She knew the other boys in the area who worked at his profession of selling papers kept an eye out for him. He was in truth the only boy she felt comfortable buying a paper from in Manhattan. Sadie had told him as such one day, and he had laughed telling her that she should try Brooklyn if she thought Manhattan was bad.
"What's your name anyway," Sadie asked as she handed over a few pennies and tucked the paper under her arm. His ears turned red and he ducked his head, emitting a high-pitched, nervous titter. Gathering his composure, he swept off the brown cap he wore, and bowed slightly.
"They call me Crutchy on account of my crutch." Sadie tried to hide her giggle at the obvious statement and curtsied elegantly.
"My name's Sadie Pruett. Nice to meetcha." With a wave, she continued on her way down the sidewalk. Coming back from the butcher's she stopped in at a small candy shop and bought her Ma some penny candy. She had a fondness for peppermint sticks and lemon drops. Sadie wondered when the last time Crutchy had eaten candy was. Passing through the Square, she saw him and a bunch of his newsboy buddies congregating near a large statue.
A few were still trying to sell papers, while the rest were smoking cigarettes or cigars and talking. Crutchy stood near a tall boy with a red bandanna and a black cowboy hat hanging over the back of his black vest and a surprisingly well dressed boy with curly brown hair. The boy with the cowboy hat threw back his head and laughed at something the curly brown haired boy stated with an embarrassed, serious face. Crutchy looked over in Sadie's direction and saw her then, and he waved. That was enough for most of the boys to notice her, and they started whistling or taking off their caps. She felt her face burning as numerous pairs of eyes assessed her.
"C'mere Sadie and meet the fellas." Against better judgment, she walked over to him with a cautious smile on her face. Crutchy gave her an encouraging grin, and put his hand on her elbow.
"Fellas this is Sadie Pruett. Sadie, this is Jack and David," he said pointing first at the cowboy hat and then the embarrassed boy. "These are some of the other guys, Racetrack, Snoddy, Snitch, Snipeshootah, Specs, Dutchy, Bumlets, Kid Blink, and Mush. There's more but they ain't back from sellin' yet." Sadie nodded hello to them all and after quite a few of them kissed her hand, mostly the one named Racetrack, they continued on with their various conversations.
"So, I see you go to St. Mary's Orphanage every morning. I sell near there." Jack, the one dressed like a cowboy wiped his forehead on his red bandanna and lit a cigarette. Sadie set down her bag of soup bones and tucked her hands into the pockets of her coat.
"Yeah, I work there in the kitchen and do cleaning. Some days I'm lucky and the nuns let me help with the children." Jack's eyebrows rose in disbelief.
"Lucky? I was in a place like that once and those kids are no joy to be around." Crutchy snorted in agreement, David's face was a picture of innocence. She knew then that he must come from a better off family and wasn't used to street life like these boys, and even her.
"Not all the kids are horrible there. Although come to think of it I'm sure I could name out a few recruits for you boys when they get old enough. Nasty little rotters."
"Hey!" Sadie burst into laughter at the indignation in Jack's voice. When he saw that she was teasing, he ran a hand through his brown hair sheepishly before flicking his cigarette away.
"Jack, what are you going to do about Spot?" Jack's face did cloud this time, and he silenced David with a glare. David looked affronted for about two seconds, before persisting once more.
"If he wants to fight with me he can, but I didn't take his girl. You can't take something that's willing to go" David's face paled, as did Crutchy's. Sadie felt like she was intruding, so making her excuses, she continued on her way home.
Ma and Jeremiah were fitting a gentleman for a new suit when she walked into the shop. Mr. Foster, the owner of the store who was apprenticing Jeremiah smiled and waved her through. Sadie stuck a lemon drop into her Ma's mouth past a few pins and waved the newspaper at Jeremiah before dropping it onto a chair. Clattering up the staircase, she hung up Jeremiah's coat and readied a pot to boil the soup bones in.
Hearing the door to the apartment creak open, she wiped her hands on a towel she had stuck into the waistband of her skirt, and turned towards the entryway. Mr. Foster's son Henry stood there, a smirk on his face. Sadie felt her heart drop to her feet. Henry was a year older than Jeremiah at twenty-two. He looked nothing like a tailor's son with his thick hands and broad shoulders. He worked in a smithy as a blacksmith's apprentice. He must have just come from work, because he still wore his stained leather apron and his face and muscular arms were dirty with soot.
"Hiya Sadie, my, my, my. Don't you look nice today." There was a feral glint in his dark brown eyes. Henry had been after her since they had moved in there when she was fourteen and barely more than a girl. Hell, she was still barely more than a girl. It wasn't that he was ugly, he was actually quite attractive. It was that he was one of the cruelest people she had ever met. Sadie had heard stories about him torturing neighborhood cats and dogs when he was a child, and forcing his attentions on girls. She had no idea how such a kindly man as Mr. Foster could have produced such demon spawn.
"Jeremiah told you to stay out of here, Henry. Take yourself elsewhere, I don't have time for you." Sadie stuck her chin out and put her hands on her hips, careful to keep a grip on the metal ladle in her fist. Henry chuckled, but his laugh was far from pleasant. Truthfully it sounded almost maniacal.
"Oh you proper girls. Don't know where the real fun's to be had. I saw you today, talking to those newsboys. Scum of the city. Hah, they think they have actual jobs? Cheating people out of change by lying about the news. Some job. You could do much better than that." Sadie felt hysteria rising up in her chest and knew that if he didn't leave soon she was either going to get hurt, or was going to try to hurt him. With each word he spoke, he had inched closer to her, backing her up against the kitchen wall.
"I'd have to say getting involved with one of them WOULD be doing better than you, you." Sadie squeaked but didn't flinch as he punched a fist into the wall next to her head. Henry grasped her chin in his hand and she noticed that he was trembling.
"You don't know what you're saying, Sadie. I'm the best thing that could ever happen to you. When are you going to see that?" she squirmed, and was about to cry out, when she heard Jeremiah's voice cold and quiet.
"Get the hell away from my sister." Henry jerked away from her like she was hot to the touch. Jeremiah was smaller than Henry in stature, but he knew how to fight having been born and bred on the streets of South Boston before they moved to Manhattan. Sadie could see murder shining in the gray eyes they both shared, and his black hair was damp with sweat. Henry spat on the kitchen floor her mother always made sure was spotless and stalked out of the apartment silently. She gulped in air and started to bend forward even as Jeremiah reached her and sat her down, instructing her to put her head between her legs.
"This is getting out of control," Sadie heard him murmur as he rubbed the tense muscles of her neck underneath her thick braid of hair.
"How many times does he come up here like that?" she shrugged and laughed mirthlessly. Wiping her face on the sleeve of her blouse, she sat up straight.
"At least once or twice a week when he sees that you or Ma are busy downstairs with a customer. That week you went back to Southie to visit Grandpa he was up here almost every day. Thankfully Ma was always coming and going asking me for my help so I wasn't usually alone. "
"Damnit Sadie why didn't you tell me he was this bad before?"
"Why so we could all get kicked out? No thanks, Miah, I can take care of myself." Jeremiah laughed and this time it was an honest, amused sound.
"Sure just like you were a few minutes ago, aye? No good baby Sis. We gotta find you somewhere else to go." Miserably they contemplated places she could stay. Jeremiah suggested the orphanage, he knew of maids who lived there in the nun's dorms. Sadie made a face at that idea. Sighing, she pulled her raven braid into a bun and secured it with a few hairpins.
"I'm going for a walk, I need to talk to Becca. Maybe she can let me stay with her and Sam." With that she pulled on her shawl and headed off to Brooklyn to see her best friend and her husband. The afternoon sun was golden and bright, promising that it wouldn't last for too much longer as she slunk out of the store and out onto the street. Fearing that Henry might follow; she set off at a fast pace towards the Bridge.
"Hello there, Sadie." Sadie couldn't help but smile back at Sam's round, friendly face. She had met Becca when she had started working in the kitchen at the orphanage. She in turn introduced her to Sam, her young husband. He had a shock of pumpkin orange hair and bright blue eyes that always shone when he talked to or about Becca. He was a plain man, but he was the kind of man that few women ever find. Honest, reliable, and a hard worker. He held their infant son Daniel on his shoulder, a burping cloth flung underneath him to protect his vest.
"Who's there Sam?" He turned and held the door open wider so she could slide underneath his arm. Becca looked up from the small table she was setting for dinner, and seeing Sadie's troubled face silently added a third plate before coming over to embrace her. She had more lines on her still slightly youthful face, and her blonde hair was faded. But her whiskey colored eyes sparkled with life and she knew that she would be okay.
Becca tried to pry out of her what was wrong, but she was reluctant to talk about it over dinner. Sam was talking about his decision to take over as manager at a Newsboy lodging house in Brooklyn. Becca wasn't thrilled, but Sam was eager to take the job.
"It'll be fine Sweetheart. The 'leader' as they call him assured me that I wouldn't have to stay the night, but he wants me there to keep track of money and other various things that the building needs. The good news is that we can live there. More room. We'd get a whole floor to ourselves."
"How did this young hooligan acquire such a building?" Sam frowned thoughtfully and paused, a piece of ham hanging perilously from his fork.
"You know, I'm not sure. He said it was a needed move from the warehouse they lived in by the docks, and that it had been left to him by a friend. He's bringing the deeds over tonight to make sure that I believe him. We move in this weekend, if I agree. You know how I feel about boys like this. I was one of them once." Becca smiled fondly at her husband.
"You were never like them, Sam. You have a heart, this Mr. Conlon most certainly doesn't." Becca started clearing away the dishes, and Sadie began to help her. Sam bounced Daniel on his knee in the living room area.
"So," Becca began as she filled the sink with water and started lathering a rag up with a bar of rough soap. She cringed, and found a dry clean rag to wipe off the dishes with.
"What's going on, Sadie?"
"It's Mr. Foster's son, Henry. He won't leave me alone, Becca. He's always coming around when he knows I'm by myself, and trying to get me to do things with him that I don't want to do. I know one day he's not going to take no for an answer." Becca made a face and dropped a plate into the dirty sudswater. Wiping her hands clean onto her apron she made a decision in her mind.
"You can stay here, Sadie, I really don't think Sam will mind." Sam voiced his objections from the living room, but with some explanation from Becca, he decided that it was the best course of action for her as well. So it was that the next morning Sadie was lugging her clothes over to Becca's in a large canvas sack, with Jeremiah helping. My Ma had been upset; she didn't understand why she was leaving. She told her Becca needed help taking care of Daniel, since it was her first child and she was young. There was a note from Becca saying that they were over at the building where they and the newsboys were to be living. Jeremiah and Sadie trudged over there, arms and shoulders aching by the time they reached the place. It was close to the docks still, and there were numerous street rats swarming the front stoop carrying Becca's furniture inside. Sam stood in the cart he must have rented, handing down furniture with the help of a broad shouldered boy. Becca was no where in sight.
"Can I help ya?" Her eyes shot up to where a boy stood on the sidewalk, arms crossed supervising the movers. He wasn't that tall, probably a little over 5"5. He had a narrow, cold face with piercing blue eyes. A few stray locks of dirty blonde hair showed out from under his gray cap. He wore a red gingham shirt with a stained white undershirt, red suspenders, and dark brown pants. A gold-topped black cane was stuck through a belt loop, and the top of a slingshot peeked out of a back pocket.
"Who're you?" Her brother dropped her bag and looked at the boy levelly. Sam looked down from the cart then, and calling out for a break, leapt to the sidewalk lightly for a man of his round stature.
"Spot, this is Sadie Pruett and her brother Jeremiah. Sadie's going to be staying with us. Sadie and Jeremiah, this is Spot Conlon. He's the one in charge of this group of newsboys. " Jeremiah held out a hand to Spot. He looked at it consideringly, before clasping it in his own and shaking. Turning his attention to her, he raised an eyebrow when Sadie stuck her hand out as well. She met his eyes and didn't waver until he shook she hand.
"Well. Becca's inside, Sadie. I'm sure she'd love your help." She nodded at Sam, before saying good-bye to her brother. He seemed satisfied about something as he absently hugged her and walked away without looking back. Spot hollered at a husky boy with red curly hair and masses of freckles, who stopped slouching against the building and hefted both her bags up onto his shoulders.
Sadie sauntered down the bustling, crowded sidewalk swinging a sack by her side and whistling. It was early October in New York City, and the morning air had a snap to it. Her brother's oversized jacket provided some warmth, as did the long underwear she wore under her skirts. Jeremiah had told her to walk down to the butcher's and get some soup bones for Ma. Sadie hated it when her older brother ordered her around, but he usually did it with a wink and a smile.
They lived above a small tailor's shop where both her Ma and Jeremiah worked. Sadie helped out occasionally but spent most of her time working at the orphanage down the street. Her duties there included housekeeping, and helping out in the kitchen. Some days were better than others were, but she loved the youngest children. Sadie loved children in general, but the little ones never failed to make her smile.
"Buy me pape Miss?" Sadie exchanged fleeting smiles with the tall boy that she bought a paper from everyday for Jeremiah. He was about her age, sixteen with curly brown hair and laughing brown eyes. One of his legs was twisted, and he hopped about with a crutch. She knew the other boys in the area who worked at his profession of selling papers kept an eye out for him. He was in truth the only boy she felt comfortable buying a paper from in Manhattan. Sadie had told him as such one day, and he had laughed telling her that she should try Brooklyn if she thought Manhattan was bad.
"What's your name anyway," Sadie asked as she handed over a few pennies and tucked the paper under her arm. His ears turned red and he ducked his head, emitting a high-pitched, nervous titter. Gathering his composure, he swept off the brown cap he wore, and bowed slightly.
"They call me Crutchy on account of my crutch." Sadie tried to hide her giggle at the obvious statement and curtsied elegantly.
"My name's Sadie Pruett. Nice to meetcha." With a wave, she continued on her way down the sidewalk. Coming back from the butcher's she stopped in at a small candy shop and bought her Ma some penny candy. She had a fondness for peppermint sticks and lemon drops. Sadie wondered when the last time Crutchy had eaten candy was. Passing through the Square, she saw him and a bunch of his newsboy buddies congregating near a large statue.
A few were still trying to sell papers, while the rest were smoking cigarettes or cigars and talking. Crutchy stood near a tall boy with a red bandanna and a black cowboy hat hanging over the back of his black vest and a surprisingly well dressed boy with curly brown hair. The boy with the cowboy hat threw back his head and laughed at something the curly brown haired boy stated with an embarrassed, serious face. Crutchy looked over in Sadie's direction and saw her then, and he waved. That was enough for most of the boys to notice her, and they started whistling or taking off their caps. She felt her face burning as numerous pairs of eyes assessed her.
"C'mere Sadie and meet the fellas." Against better judgment, she walked over to him with a cautious smile on her face. Crutchy gave her an encouraging grin, and put his hand on her elbow.
"Fellas this is Sadie Pruett. Sadie, this is Jack and David," he said pointing first at the cowboy hat and then the embarrassed boy. "These are some of the other guys, Racetrack, Snoddy, Snitch, Snipeshootah, Specs, Dutchy, Bumlets, Kid Blink, and Mush. There's more but they ain't back from sellin' yet." Sadie nodded hello to them all and after quite a few of them kissed her hand, mostly the one named Racetrack, they continued on with their various conversations.
"So, I see you go to St. Mary's Orphanage every morning. I sell near there." Jack, the one dressed like a cowboy wiped his forehead on his red bandanna and lit a cigarette. Sadie set down her bag of soup bones and tucked her hands into the pockets of her coat.
"Yeah, I work there in the kitchen and do cleaning. Some days I'm lucky and the nuns let me help with the children." Jack's eyebrows rose in disbelief.
"Lucky? I was in a place like that once and those kids are no joy to be around." Crutchy snorted in agreement, David's face was a picture of innocence. She knew then that he must come from a better off family and wasn't used to street life like these boys, and even her.
"Not all the kids are horrible there. Although come to think of it I'm sure I could name out a few recruits for you boys when they get old enough. Nasty little rotters."
"Hey!" Sadie burst into laughter at the indignation in Jack's voice. When he saw that she was teasing, he ran a hand through his brown hair sheepishly before flicking his cigarette away.
"Jack, what are you going to do about Spot?" Jack's face did cloud this time, and he silenced David with a glare. David looked affronted for about two seconds, before persisting once more.
"If he wants to fight with me he can, but I didn't take his girl. You can't take something that's willing to go" David's face paled, as did Crutchy's. Sadie felt like she was intruding, so making her excuses, she continued on her way home.
Ma and Jeremiah were fitting a gentleman for a new suit when she walked into the shop. Mr. Foster, the owner of the store who was apprenticing Jeremiah smiled and waved her through. Sadie stuck a lemon drop into her Ma's mouth past a few pins and waved the newspaper at Jeremiah before dropping it onto a chair. Clattering up the staircase, she hung up Jeremiah's coat and readied a pot to boil the soup bones in.
Hearing the door to the apartment creak open, she wiped her hands on a towel she had stuck into the waistband of her skirt, and turned towards the entryway. Mr. Foster's son Henry stood there, a smirk on his face. Sadie felt her heart drop to her feet. Henry was a year older than Jeremiah at twenty-two. He looked nothing like a tailor's son with his thick hands and broad shoulders. He worked in a smithy as a blacksmith's apprentice. He must have just come from work, because he still wore his stained leather apron and his face and muscular arms were dirty with soot.
"Hiya Sadie, my, my, my. Don't you look nice today." There was a feral glint in his dark brown eyes. Henry had been after her since they had moved in there when she was fourteen and barely more than a girl. Hell, she was still barely more than a girl. It wasn't that he was ugly, he was actually quite attractive. It was that he was one of the cruelest people she had ever met. Sadie had heard stories about him torturing neighborhood cats and dogs when he was a child, and forcing his attentions on girls. She had no idea how such a kindly man as Mr. Foster could have produced such demon spawn.
"Jeremiah told you to stay out of here, Henry. Take yourself elsewhere, I don't have time for you." Sadie stuck her chin out and put her hands on her hips, careful to keep a grip on the metal ladle in her fist. Henry chuckled, but his laugh was far from pleasant. Truthfully it sounded almost maniacal.
"Oh you proper girls. Don't know where the real fun's to be had. I saw you today, talking to those newsboys. Scum of the city. Hah, they think they have actual jobs? Cheating people out of change by lying about the news. Some job. You could do much better than that." Sadie felt hysteria rising up in her chest and knew that if he didn't leave soon she was either going to get hurt, or was going to try to hurt him. With each word he spoke, he had inched closer to her, backing her up against the kitchen wall.
"I'd have to say getting involved with one of them WOULD be doing better than you, you." Sadie squeaked but didn't flinch as he punched a fist into the wall next to her head. Henry grasped her chin in his hand and she noticed that he was trembling.
"You don't know what you're saying, Sadie. I'm the best thing that could ever happen to you. When are you going to see that?" she squirmed, and was about to cry out, when she heard Jeremiah's voice cold and quiet.
"Get the hell away from my sister." Henry jerked away from her like she was hot to the touch. Jeremiah was smaller than Henry in stature, but he knew how to fight having been born and bred on the streets of South Boston before they moved to Manhattan. Sadie could see murder shining in the gray eyes they both shared, and his black hair was damp with sweat. Henry spat on the kitchen floor her mother always made sure was spotless and stalked out of the apartment silently. She gulped in air and started to bend forward even as Jeremiah reached her and sat her down, instructing her to put her head between her legs.
"This is getting out of control," Sadie heard him murmur as he rubbed the tense muscles of her neck underneath her thick braid of hair.
"How many times does he come up here like that?" she shrugged and laughed mirthlessly. Wiping her face on the sleeve of her blouse, she sat up straight.
"At least once or twice a week when he sees that you or Ma are busy downstairs with a customer. That week you went back to Southie to visit Grandpa he was up here almost every day. Thankfully Ma was always coming and going asking me for my help so I wasn't usually alone. "
"Damnit Sadie why didn't you tell me he was this bad before?"
"Why so we could all get kicked out? No thanks, Miah, I can take care of myself." Jeremiah laughed and this time it was an honest, amused sound.
"Sure just like you were a few minutes ago, aye? No good baby Sis. We gotta find you somewhere else to go." Miserably they contemplated places she could stay. Jeremiah suggested the orphanage, he knew of maids who lived there in the nun's dorms. Sadie made a face at that idea. Sighing, she pulled her raven braid into a bun and secured it with a few hairpins.
"I'm going for a walk, I need to talk to Becca. Maybe she can let me stay with her and Sam." With that she pulled on her shawl and headed off to Brooklyn to see her best friend and her husband. The afternoon sun was golden and bright, promising that it wouldn't last for too much longer as she slunk out of the store and out onto the street. Fearing that Henry might follow; she set off at a fast pace towards the Bridge.
"Hello there, Sadie." Sadie couldn't help but smile back at Sam's round, friendly face. She had met Becca when she had started working in the kitchen at the orphanage. She in turn introduced her to Sam, her young husband. He had a shock of pumpkin orange hair and bright blue eyes that always shone when he talked to or about Becca. He was a plain man, but he was the kind of man that few women ever find. Honest, reliable, and a hard worker. He held their infant son Daniel on his shoulder, a burping cloth flung underneath him to protect his vest.
"Who's there Sam?" He turned and held the door open wider so she could slide underneath his arm. Becca looked up from the small table she was setting for dinner, and seeing Sadie's troubled face silently added a third plate before coming over to embrace her. She had more lines on her still slightly youthful face, and her blonde hair was faded. But her whiskey colored eyes sparkled with life and she knew that she would be okay.
Becca tried to pry out of her what was wrong, but she was reluctant to talk about it over dinner. Sam was talking about his decision to take over as manager at a Newsboy lodging house in Brooklyn. Becca wasn't thrilled, but Sam was eager to take the job.
"It'll be fine Sweetheart. The 'leader' as they call him assured me that I wouldn't have to stay the night, but he wants me there to keep track of money and other various things that the building needs. The good news is that we can live there. More room. We'd get a whole floor to ourselves."
"How did this young hooligan acquire such a building?" Sam frowned thoughtfully and paused, a piece of ham hanging perilously from his fork.
"You know, I'm not sure. He said it was a needed move from the warehouse they lived in by the docks, and that it had been left to him by a friend. He's bringing the deeds over tonight to make sure that I believe him. We move in this weekend, if I agree. You know how I feel about boys like this. I was one of them once." Becca smiled fondly at her husband.
"You were never like them, Sam. You have a heart, this Mr. Conlon most certainly doesn't." Becca started clearing away the dishes, and Sadie began to help her. Sam bounced Daniel on his knee in the living room area.
"So," Becca began as she filled the sink with water and started lathering a rag up with a bar of rough soap. She cringed, and found a dry clean rag to wipe off the dishes with.
"What's going on, Sadie?"
"It's Mr. Foster's son, Henry. He won't leave me alone, Becca. He's always coming around when he knows I'm by myself, and trying to get me to do things with him that I don't want to do. I know one day he's not going to take no for an answer." Becca made a face and dropped a plate into the dirty sudswater. Wiping her hands clean onto her apron she made a decision in her mind.
"You can stay here, Sadie, I really don't think Sam will mind." Sam voiced his objections from the living room, but with some explanation from Becca, he decided that it was the best course of action for her as well. So it was that the next morning Sadie was lugging her clothes over to Becca's in a large canvas sack, with Jeremiah helping. My Ma had been upset; she didn't understand why she was leaving. She told her Becca needed help taking care of Daniel, since it was her first child and she was young. There was a note from Becca saying that they were over at the building where they and the newsboys were to be living. Jeremiah and Sadie trudged over there, arms and shoulders aching by the time they reached the place. It was close to the docks still, and there were numerous street rats swarming the front stoop carrying Becca's furniture inside. Sam stood in the cart he must have rented, handing down furniture with the help of a broad shouldered boy. Becca was no where in sight.
"Can I help ya?" Her eyes shot up to where a boy stood on the sidewalk, arms crossed supervising the movers. He wasn't that tall, probably a little over 5"5. He had a narrow, cold face with piercing blue eyes. A few stray locks of dirty blonde hair showed out from under his gray cap. He wore a red gingham shirt with a stained white undershirt, red suspenders, and dark brown pants. A gold-topped black cane was stuck through a belt loop, and the top of a slingshot peeked out of a back pocket.
"Who're you?" Her brother dropped her bag and looked at the boy levelly. Sam looked down from the cart then, and calling out for a break, leapt to the sidewalk lightly for a man of his round stature.
"Spot, this is Sadie Pruett and her brother Jeremiah. Sadie's going to be staying with us. Sadie and Jeremiah, this is Spot Conlon. He's the one in charge of this group of newsboys. " Jeremiah held out a hand to Spot. He looked at it consideringly, before clasping it in his own and shaking. Turning his attention to her, he raised an eyebrow when Sadie stuck her hand out as well. She met his eyes and didn't waver until he shook she hand.
"Well. Becca's inside, Sadie. I'm sure she'd love your help." She nodded at Sam, before saying good-bye to her brother. He seemed satisfied about something as he absently hugged her and walked away without looking back. Spot hollered at a husky boy with red curly hair and masses of freckles, who stopped slouching against the building and hefted both her bags up onto his shoulders.