Author's Note: This story was written for the Newsies Pape Selling Competition. The task was to write about a newsie's favorite superhero or a newsie being someone's hero. I did a sort of combo. The Red Rider and all his affiliated characters are fictional. I based them off early crime-fighter heroes, but that sort of popularity didn't come about until the 1920's/30's. Adelaide is also an original character, who has shown up in other one-shots of mine, and will eventually get her own, big story, as soon as I finish it. :-)
"Ah-ha!" Tumbler yelled, holding his hand in the shape of a gun and pointing it at Race. "I have found Evil Mandrake's secret lair! Put 'em up!"
"Oh, look," Race deadpanned, reading the racing form. He was reclining on his bunk as the newsies around them were getting ready for bed. "You got me."
Tumbler sighed and dropped his hand. "Race...you promised!"
"I promised that I wouldn't move until you found me. You found me." He turned the page in the racing form. "Huh...Winter's Ball is back in action."
"Snipes!" Tumbler called. "Race isn't playing' along!"
"Come on, Race!" Snipeshooter called, poking his head out of the washroom, a shaving cream mustache on his face, and his hair greased back. "The Red Rider has to bring the Evil Mandrake back to City Hall for justice!"
Race sighed. "Get Boots or Skittery to play with youse guys."
"It's almost time for bed anyway," said Skittery as he walked by on his way to the washroom.
Tumbler sighed and took off his hat and hung it on his bunk.
"Oh come on, Skittery, just a little longer?" asked Snipeshooter.
Skittery laughed when he saw Snipeshooter. "Afraid not. His sister will kill me if she hears I let him stay up all night playing cops and robbers with you guys."
"But we're not playing cops and robbers," said Tumbler. "We're playing-"
"Red Rider," Skittery and Tumbler finished in unison.
"I know," said Skittery. "Tell you what - you wash up and get to bed, and I'll buy you the new Red Rider when it comes out."
"Really? Okay!" Tumbler grinned and bolted into the washroom.
Snipeshooter sighed and began wiping the mustache off his face.
Between Tumbler, Snipeshooter, Boots, and Shadow, the boys had every Red Rider illustrated dime novel ever printed. They would save their money and splurge when a new one came out. They would read it until they had it memorized. Only then would they reenact their favorite scenes in the bunk room, each taking turns being the Mayor, Police Chief, and the hero, Red Rider.
Skittery's promise proved effective. Tumbler was washed up and in bed un under two minutes.
"And after that, the Red Rider has to fight off THREE of Evil Mandrake's henchman before he's able to tie up the Evil Mandrake himself and get him to City Hall!" Tumbler excitedly rambled as he, his sister, Adelaide, and Skittery all walked to their selling corner the next morning.
"That sounds pretty exciting," said Adelaide, humoring her brother with interest.
"And Skittery says he's buyin' me the next one when it comes out!"
Adelaide looked up at Skittery and raised an eyebrow. Skittery shrugged. "It was an easy way to get him into bed after their would-be villain disappointed them."
Adelaide chuckled. "Hope it was worth it when you have to bribe him with the one after that when he tries to reenact this next one."
"Didn't think about that," said Skittery.
"Red Rider isn't afraid of anyone or anything," said Tumbler. "Because he has justice on his side!" Tumbler walked through the streets, having imaginary gunfights with invisible henchmen everywhere."
Adelaide looked up at Skittery. "You don't have to do that, you know."
Skittery shrugged. "I want to."
Adelaide grinned up at him and planted a kiss on his cheek. "You're too good."
"I try," Skittery winked at her. "Alright...time to sell some papes."
Skittery, who'd been holding the big stack for the three of them, gave Adelaide a handful and grabbed a handful for Tumbler.
"Where'd he go?" Skittery asked.
He and Adelaide both began looking around.
"He was just here...Mikey!" Adelaide called.
"SKITTERS!" they both heard Tumbler's voice from down the street. Skittery dropped his papers and ran toward the sound of Tumbler's voice.
He saw Tumbler on the ground and two kids older than him. One was on top of Tumbler, hitting him, and the other was next to him, laughing and taunting.
"Hey!" Skittery yelled.
"Skittery!" Tumbler yelled, and tried to wriggle out from underneath the bigger kid, but was pinned down.
"Hey!" Skittery yelled. He reached the boys and pulled the one off Tumbler and hit him smack in the jaw.
Before Skittery could turn around, the other boy ran away.
"Tumbler," said Skittery, kneeling by the boy's side.
Tumbler was holding his side, his tears mixing with the dirt and blood on his face.
"MIKEY!" Adelaide screamed as she raced over and knelt down. "Mikey!"
"He's okay," said Skittery. "He's okay." Skittery picked him up and Adelaide grabbed his dropped hat and followed Skittery.
"It's okay, buddy," Skittery said to Tumbler. "It's gonna be okay."
"What hurts, Mikey?" Adelaide asked.
"Everything," said Tumbler.
"Does anything feel broken?" she asked.
"I dunno," he sniffed.
"We'll get you home and cleaned up and you'll be good as new," said Skittery.
Skittery got him back to the lodging house as quickly as possible. Adelaide went into the washroom and wet a few cloths and walked back into the bunk room where Skittery had set Tumbler on his bunk. She slowly began cleaning his face.
"Can you move everything?" Skittery asked.
Tumbler wiggled his fingers and kicked his legs and nodded.
"Good," said Skittery. "You took a pretty good soaking."
"They called me stupid," Tumbler sniffed. "They said only babies like Red Rider. I tried to ignore them, like you told me to do, but they wouldn't let me alone. They wanted me to fight them."
"You did the right thing, callin' for me and trying to run away," said Skittery.
"I lost all my papes too," said Tumbler, fresh tears spilling onto his cheeks. "I still had fifty papes to sell!"
"Don't worry about those," said Adelaide.
"You're safe, and that's more important than some papes," said Skittery.
"Then Skittery rushes over and beat up both guys by himself!" said Tumbler, punching out imaginary bullies, as he told the tale of Skittery's heroism to the small crowd of newsies at Tibby's. After an afternoon of rest, he had rebounded as well as any kid his age. He sported a shiner on his left cheek, but seemed no worse for the wear.
"Sounds like Tumbler's got a new hero," Race chuckled.
Skittery just grinned and rolled his eyes.
Adelaide grinned and looked up at Skittery. "You've always been his hero," she whispered.