"Welcome, Abigail! We are so happy you have decided to come and stay with
us!" Mrs. Jacobs said.
Abby, who hated being called Abigail, let it go as she hugged her blond- haired Aunt Ester. How would she know that she wanted to be called Abby? After all, she did just see them for the first time in years.
"Here, I'll take your things," David said. Abby could see his curls clearly when he bent down to pick up her bags.
"Thanks." She said. David smiled at her.
"You know, Sean wanted to be here." David said.
Abby nodded. "I know. I'll see him soon enough, dough." Abby said, thinking of her older brother, Sean. As an after thought, she added, "Right?"
David laughed. "You'll see him tomorrow, when we go to sell our papers."
Abby smiled. "I can't wait until den."
They all walked out of the train station together, David carrying both her bags. As Abby watched, her younger cousin, Les, took a bag from David. She smiled sadly, thinking of HER younger brother. 'Stop,' she told herself sternly. 'That ain't gonna help.'
~*~
When they got to the Jacob's home, Abby's Aunt Ester started making dinner, and Abby went to unpack. She would be staying with Sarah in her room, and she came along to help.
"How was the trolley ride?" Sarah asked. Abby laughed at that.
"It was good. Ya know, I only came from Queens, I could've walked!"
"It would have been a long way, though." Sarah pointed out.
Abby shrugged. "I don't mind walking."
Sarah smiled. "Well, I hope you like it here."
"Anywheah's betta than Queens." Abby said. "I was stuck in dat stupid school all day! Well, until I ran away." she stopped short. "Listen, don't tell me brudders dat. Dey'd KILL me if dey knew I ran away from me school!"
"I won't. but you ran AWAY?! Why?!" Sarah asked.
"I had ta. I hated dat school. All dey taught was how ta sew and cook," Abby shivered. "It was torture. I wanted ta learn things dat I'd USE. So I ran away. I started sellin' papes in Queens, until I got dat lettah." Abby explained.
"Don't worry, I won't tell. I promise."
"Thanks, Sarah." Abby said.
"That's what family's for." Sarah said, laughing.
~*~
The next day, David, Les, and Sarah took Abby to meet the newsies, the ones that had just won the strike not more than a month ago. When they got to Newsies Square, the newsies were by the gate. One went right up to Sarah and kissed her, then said "So dis is yer cousin Abby."
"That's Jack," Davis said, then pointing out the rest, "There's Kid Blink, Specs, Bumlets, Swifty, Boots, Skittery, Crutchy, Dutchy, Itey, Snipeshooter, Mush, Pie Eater, and Snoddy. Oh, and that's Racetrack."
Racetrack had just walked up. "Hiya, kid," he said, hitting Les' hat over his eyes. He looked at Abby and said, "So, Abby, Davey's told us a lot about ya."
"Oh, yeah? Like what?" Abby asked.
"I ain't tellin ya fer free. I'll play ya a game of poker, you win, I tell ya." The newsies laughed.
"Race is a big gambler," David explained. "I'll be right back. I have to go get some papes before they run out."
"I'll come wit ya. I want ta sell some." Abby said.
"You can try. Wait here, I'll go get some." David left.
"So you gonna sell wit yer cousin, Les?" Jack asked.
"If she wants me to." Les said.
"If ya don't wanna, you can go wit Jack." Abby said.
"Really?! You don't mind?!" Les said.
"No, I don't mind." Abby smiled at him. "And you can go wit 'im too, Sarah."
"I usually don't sell." Sarah said.
"Yeah, da streets ain't a place for a lady." Jack said, kissing Sarah again.
Abby huffed. "So I ain't a lady?"
Jack laughed. "Nevah said ya weren't. I don't think you should be on da streets, either."
"Yeah, well, goils can do anythin' boys can." Abby said.
"Sure dey can." Jack said. "I like yer cousin, Dave. She's got a big mouth." He said as David walked up to rejoin them.
"Gee, thanks." Abby said. She laughed in spite of herself.
David turned towards her. He had bought 100 papes and gave 10 to Abby. "You sell those."
"I can sell more den 10, Dave." Abby said.
"Just try those, and if you want more, you can have them." David said.
Mush ran up to them. "Mind if I sell wit ya, Dave? Race went tad a tracks, and Kid's sellin' by 'imself..." Mush said.
"Of course, Mush." David said. "Bye Les! Be good! Bye Sarah!! Tell Mama Abby came with us. We'll be back before dinner."
Sarah nodded, and she headed back home. Les went off with Jack, and pretty soon Mush, David, and Abby were left alone.
Mush smiled and pulled Abby into a hug. "Ise missed ya, Ab."
Abby hugged him back. Her "Ise missed ya, too, Sean!" getting muffled in his shirt. She looked up at him and smiled. "Or should I say Mush?" she asked jokingly. Mush laughed but quickly became serious.
"Look, Abby, ya gotta be careful. I know you'll be safe wit Dave and his family, but ya can't go off alone. You're me little sistah, and I don't want nothin happenin to ya."
"I've been here less den a day and you're already lecturin me? I know da Crib's probably still lookin fer us, but who would guess we're brudder and sistah? Plus we've gotten oldah since dey saw us. and with Mike in Brooklyn..."
"Abby. Ya gotta be careful about what ya say, too. And all I'm sayin is ta be careful." Mush said, cutting her off.
"Mike knows I'm heah, right?" Abby asked to make sure.
"Yeah. Now, remember, don't call me Sean. Me name's Mush. And if ya see Mike, remember ya ain't supposed ta know 'im. And PLEASE remember ta call 'im Spot."
Abby laughed. "I'll remember."
Mush smiled. "It's great ta see ya again, dough." Mush hugged her again.
"We should go. Where are we selling today?" David asked.
"Bottle Alley or da harbor." Mush said as they left the alley.
"Bottle Alley." Abby said. They walked down the different streets, past bakerys and whatnot until they came upon Bottle Alley. Once there, they started selling their papes.
"Wacth dis." Abby said, then looked through one of the papes. "Heah's a good story." she mumbled then called out, "Extra! Extra! Train crashes and passengers stuck in da woods!!!" Mush and David looked through it too and found the story: 'Train Breaks-Down Near Woods.'
"She ain't dat bad." Mush said as Abby sold 7 of them. One guy gave her an extra dime and said, "For good luck." Abby looked up, saw Mush looking at her, winked and smiled.
'She hasn't changed.' Mush thought happily.
With Abby's help, all the papers were gone by lunch. They headed for Tibby's, taking a short cut that Mush knew of. All the newsies were already there.
"Youse were great, Abby." Mush told her as they walked up to the door. "Yer a born newsie."
Abby pushed him playfully. "You ain't dat bad, either, Mush."
They walked inside and saw Crutchy standing there.
"Hiya Dave. Did ya finish sellin yer papes?" Crutchy asked.
"Yeah, thanks. How was your day?" David answered, being polite as always.
"Alright. I selled all me papes, too." Crutchy said, smiling. "Oh, and Spot's heah. Him and Jack wanna talk to ya. Probably about Denton's party."
"Spot's heah?" Abby said excitedly.
"Have ya met 'im before?" Crutchy asked curiously.
"No. But I-I saw his picture in the newspaper." Abby said, thinking fast. "During da strike."
Crutchy nodded. "Wish I could've been dere. Anyway, dey're ovah at da bar."
"Thanks, Crutchy." David said. He and Abby walked up to Spot while Mush went and joined Racetrack and Kid Blink. "Hey, Spot."
Spot looked over at them. "It's da Walkin' Mouth. Who's dis?" Spot nodded at Abby without any expression, though inside he felt well, really happy.
"Spot, this is Abby. Abby, this is Spot. She's staying with my family." David said.
"Ise not JUST Spot. Ise Spot Conlon, head of da Brooklyn newsies." he said proudly.
Abby feigned stupid. "Wheah's Brooklyn?"
Spot glared at her. Abby knew that glare all to well. She was surprised at how happy she was to see it. When she was little, she would run away from him when that happened.
"Wheah's Brooklyn?! Ain't ya evah heard of da Brooklyn Bridge?!" Spot asked.
"Yeah, I have. And don't worry, I know wheah Brooklyn is." Abby said. "Da look on yer face." she trailed off, laughing.
Spot made to move towards her, but Jack held him back. "Come on, Spot. Leave 'er alone."
"Nobody makes me look stupid." Spot said.
"Nobody made ya look stupid. Now come on, we gotta figure dis out, and now we got Davey heah."
Abby smiled. "Go one Davey. Ise goin' outside for a second. I think I dropped something'."
David nodded. "Just don't go far."
Abby laughed and walked out. Nobody but Spot noticed, and after a few minutes, he went out after her, saying that he needed some air. Jack nodded, too distracted in the party preparations to notice.
"Yer lucky Jack held me back, Abby." Spot said angrily when he walked outside and joined Abby sitting on the curb.
"Nice ta see ya, too." Abby said, not looking up.
Spot smiled. "I see ya decided ta dress like a goil, huh?" he gestured at her skirt.
"Ise am a goil, Spot. Makes sense." Abby said.
"Yeah, but da Abby I knew nevah wore skirts. If I remembah right, she said she nevah would." Spot said, smiling.
Abby smirked. "Yeah, well, tell dat ta Sarah. She made me wear it."
Spot laughed. "Maybe it's safer dat way." Abby groaned. "Well, dey won't be lookin' for someone like you. Now listen, Abby, promise me."
"Mush already gave me a lecture. I'll be careful." Abby cut in.
"Promise me." Spot said sternly.
"I promised Aunt Ester and Uncle Mayer, I promised David, I promised Mush, heck I even promised Les, dat I'd be careful. And I'm promising ya, too, but now ya have ta promise me. Ise ain't da only one dat could get hoit."
"I promise." Spot said seriously. Then, just as seriously, he added, "I missed ya Abby."
Abby smiled. "I missed ya, too, Conlon. But we bettah get back inside before someone notices we ain't dere."
~*~
Later that night at the Lodging House, some of the newsies started a game of poker. Naturally, that's where was Racetrack was.
"Can I play?" Abby asked him as he dealt out the cards.
"Ya sure ya want ta play? He always wins." Kid Blink cautioned.
"Don't worry. I wanna play." Abby sat down and picked up the cards handed to her.
"Youse know how ta play, right?" Racetrack asked.
"'Course I do. I wouldn'ta asked if I didn't." she said. "I used ta play all da time." 'And won most of da time.' She added in her head. She smiled, remembering how one of her father's friends had taught her everything she would need to know about poker. As the game went on, Abby looked at everybody. This was a trick she learned. Most people don't realize it, but they do something to show if they have a bad or good hand. She had gotten good at figuring them out, too. By the end of the first game, which Racetrack won, she knew all the signs. Except Race's. He must have known that trick, too. They played a few more games with Racetrack winning them all.
"We warned ya." Kid said as Racetrack grabbed his winning for the fifth time in a row.
"One more game, winner takes all." Race said, smoking his cigar.
"Awww. Come on, Race. Yer jist gonna win anyway. Der's no point in playin." Specs complained.
"Ya ain't gotta play." Race retorted, dealing out the cards again. Specs shrugged and stayed where he was.
When the game was almost over, Abby saw she had a good hand. And by the looks of it, she was the only one. Except for Racetrack. His face was the way it had been through the whole game. But when they all laid their cards down, everyone playing stared at Abby's in disbelief. She had won! Race looked shocked.
"Hey Race! Youse was beat by a goil!" Mush shouted, making sure all the newsies heard. Everyone laughed.
"Heah's yer money." Kid Blink pushed the winnings towards her, but she shook her head.
"No. Ya need it more den me. Split it up."
"Ya won. Take it." Racetrack said. "We play fair."
"No. I don't even want it."
"'Course ya want it! It's money! Ya won. So take it." Racetrack said.
"No." Abby thought hard. "Remember when ya said David told ya a lot about me? Well, ya wouldn't tell me fer free, and dat you'd play a game of poker for it. Well, Ise won, so now youse gotta tell me."
"But..." he started, and Abby shook her head. He smiled. "Fine. I'll tell ya. He said dat 'is cousin Abigail was comin' ta live wit 'em, and dat we bettah not try anythin' wit her."
"Dat's what he said?" Abby asked.
Race shrugged. "He told us you were sixteen. But other den dat, dat's what 'e said."
Abby laughed. "Dat was nice of 'im."
"Dat's what I said. Well, a version of dat." Racetrack smirked.
"Well, I see ya listened ta 'im." Abby said.
"Yeah, but you've only been heah for a day." Race grinned, and Abby laughed again.
"I'll remembah nevah ta get stuck alone wit any of ya, den." Abby said, joking.
"Good idea. Ya wouldn't wanna get stuck wit RACE." Specs said.
"And definitely not wit dis kid." Kid Blink said, hitting Specs hat over his eyes and causing his glasses to fall onto the table.
"Hey!" Specs said, pushing his hat up and feeling around for his glasses. "Ya know I can't see witout 'em."
"Dat was da whole point, Specs." Race said. "Nice job, Kid."
Specs found his glasses and put them back on. "Dat's bettah." He looked around the room, and saw David stand up and start looking around. "Looks like Davey wants ta leave, Abby."
Abby glanced to where Specs was pointing and saw David looking around for her and Les. "Looks like yer right, Specs." Abby got up. "I'll be seein' ya, den. Good game, Racetrack!" She waved to David and headed his way, grabbing Les from his game of marbles with Snipeshooter.
"Call me Race!" he called to her.
~*~
Four weeks later, Abby was still selling papes, but always with someone else, Spot's orders. So she sold with Mush, David, or Racetrack. Ever since that poker game the two had started talking more, and by this time, they were good friends. They went to sell at the racetracks most of the time, and She loved them almost as much as Race. But Racetrack wasn't the only one she had become friends with. by this time, she was friends with most of the newsies and spent all her free time after selling at the Lodging House, and lunch at Tibby's with the rest of the newsies.
One night, all the newsies were at Tibby's. It was getting late and Abby was getting tired. The week had been a long one, and a cold one. She hadn't slept that much the night before because Les was getting a cough, and she had stayed up with her Aunt to help her. She got up from her table, where she had been sitting with Skittery, Itey, and Dutchy, saying that she was tired, and that she'd see them tomorrow. They nodded and she looked around for David. She finally found him sitting with Jack and Kid Blink.
"Hey, David." she said.
"Hey, Abby." David said, looking up at her. He patted the seat next to him. "Want to sit with us?"
She shook her head. "I'm actually gonna go home."
"Is anyone coming with you?" he asked.
"No, but I'll be fine. Ise know me way dere it ain't far." He didn't look convinced. She added, "I won't go in any alleys." Still, he shook his head. She rolled her eyes. "And I promise I won't talk ta any strangers. Good enough?"
David smiled, giving in. "Fine."
Abby smiled. "Thanks, Dave. Don't wanna make anyone leave. I'm just gonna go say by ta Race."
David nodded, and Jack laughed as Abby walked away.
"What?" David asked.
"I wondah when dey're gonna get tagether." Jack said.
"Get together?" David asked.
"Don't tell me ya can't see it. Dey like eachothah, Dave." Jack said, laughing again.
David laughed with him. "I noticed that."
Abby walked over to Race's table.
"Hey, Abby. Ya comin' ta join us?" Mush asked.
She shook her head. "Nah, I'm actually gonna leave. I'se kinda tired."
Mush lowered his cards. "Is anyone goin' wit you?"
Abby shook her head again. "I don't wanna ruin anyone's night."
"Good idea." Race said. "Nobody's want ta go wit you, anyway."
Abby smiled. "It's bettah den havin' you wit me."
Race smiled, but still didn't look up. Instead, he asked, "Do you wanna sell papes wit me tommorra at da tracks?" while looking at his cards.
"Sure." Abby walked out, and waved to everybody at the door. She looked over at Mush and noticed the worried expression on his face but just waved and smiled.
As she promised, she didn't go in any alleys. Not that she would if she hadn't promised. She looked up at the sky and pulled her shawl closer around her, since it had started to snow. Winter was definitely there. When she was halfway home, she took out her watch. It was already 9:30! She groaned. It would probably be another late night, and she had to get up early again tomorrow and sell in the cold and snow. AT this rate, she would get sick, too. She sighed. That was the life of a newsie. She went to put her watch back into her pocket but it slid out of her hand and into the snow that was covering the ground. She bent down to look for it, and saw it almost right away next to the garbage can beside her. She picked it up and dusted the snow off it, but then froze, hearing voices in the alley. She crept to the edge of it to hear what they were saying.
"What are we gonna do again, Oscar?" someone said.
"Listen, Morris, ya dope! Uncle Weas is mad dat da newsies won da strike, we're mad, da crib's mad, even Pulitzer's mad! So we'se gonna do somethin about it. And I think da perfect thing would be ta break up dat party dere havin, da one fo' dat newspaper man. It'll be like da rally, but we'll kill em all!"
Abby frowned, realizing who was talking. It was Oscar and Morris Delancey, part of the Crib! She had seen them before, at the news stand. And they were talking about the party the newsies were having for Denton, who was coming home from his latest assignment for the newspaper.
"We can't jus' kill 'em, Oscar." Morris said.
"I didn't really mean KILL 'em." Oscar said. "But we'll hoit 'em, hoit 'em real good. So dat can't walk, like dat gimp."
Abby had to grab onto the fire escape stairs in front of her to stop herself from jumping out at them. How could they talk about Crutchy like that!
"Won't we get in trouble fo' dat? We woik fo' da bulls, but dey neva told us ta do dis." Morris said.
"NO! Da bulls won't care! Dey'll be happy, it'll get dose street rats off da streets." Oscar said.
"How will it get 'em off da streets?" Morris asked.
"Look, Medda will call da bulls, right? We'll have someone watchin' 'er, and when she calls, we leave. Simple as dat." Oscar said, sounding pleased with himself.
"What if we don't get out in time?" Morris asked.
"We will." Oscar said.
"Den the newsies 'ill just tell da bulls dat we did it." Morris said.
"I'll figure it out latah, Morris." Oscar said, getting angry. They started walking back out of the alley, and Abby tried shrinking into the shadows underneath the fire escape. But just as they were passing her, she stepped on a piece of paper on the ground. She cursed and started running, but Morris was too fast for her. He grabbed her arm and pushed her up againist the wall. "Did ya hear us?" he growled.
Abby almost smiled in spite of herself- he Morris may not be fast when it comes to mental stuff, but when it came to physical, it was a whole different story. She stopped herself, however, and didn't answer him, trying to figure out how to get away. Fighting wouldn't help too much- they definitely had an advantage. Morris shook her.
"Answer me." He said.
"No, I didn't." Abby said.
"Liar." he looked at her closely, and then smiled. "Why, ain't it little Davey's cousin."
Oscar laughed. "Lookit dat, it is. I remember when we had his sistah in an alley like dis- but dis time, no one's heah ta help ya."
"Who's Davey?" Abby asked, mentally hitting herself, but that was all she could think of: playing stupidity.
Oscar laughed again. "Don't be an idiot, I'se seen ya wit da great and mighty newsies. But nevah fear, dey won't be like dat for long."
"It won't woik." Abby said.
"So ya did hear us!" Morris said, and that actually caused Abby to laugh a little, but Oscar must have heard it- he punched her in the stomach. She closed her eyes for a second, and kept her head down.
Oscar turned her head toward him. " That hoit, didn't it?" Abby shook her head. It had hurt, but she wasn't about to tell them. Oscar nodded to Morris, who grinned and reached into his pocket, pulling out his brass knuckle. He put it on slowly, making sure that Abby was watching, and then punched her full on in the stomach. Abby sank to the ground, but Morris didn't stop. He kicked her a few times at different places. Oscar stood by and laughed for awhile, watching as Morris hurt her. Abby felt her mouth where he had kicked her and found that it was bleeding. She groaned as Morris kicked her in her stomach again, and then surprisingly, he stopped. Abby stared up at the two of them, and then felt Oscar lifting her up to her feet and holding her there.
Morris smiled as he pulled his hand back. "Just remembah, if youse tell anyone, we'll find dat little cousin of yours, and you'll nevah see him again. Alive, dat is!" Oscar laughed, and Abby closed her eyes instead of watching as Morris' fist flew at her, and she felt a moment of searing pain, and then she blacked out.
~*~
Back at the restaurant, Racetrack had won another game of poker.
"Sorry, boys. Looks like dis is mine." he said as he put all the money into his bag.
"I don't know why Ise still playin, I neva win." Mush grumbled.
"Dat ain't yer fault. Maybe youse'll win next time." Race said.
"Dat'll nevah happen if you're heah." Specs said.
"It's yer lucky day, den. Ise goin back ta da Lodgin' House." He smiled. "See ya dere." He got up and waved towards the cards lying on the table. "Jus' bring dose back for me, huh, kids?" He waved over to Jack and shouted good-bye to the rest and walked out of the restaurant that had become their third home since the strike. First, of course, was the Lodging House, and then it was Irving Hall- and now Tibby's. Race smiled and thought about the strike while walking down the street. He laughed and punched the wall next, pretending it was either Oscar or Morris. He was about a block away when he heard somebody talking up ahead of him.
"We haven't had dat good of a beatin' in a long time." Morris exclaimed.
"Dat's 'cause da bulls had ta watch us, gov'ner's orders." Oscar said.
Racetrack frowned, but ducked into the shadows of a doorway. It was the Delancey brothers, and he didn't feel like fighting. Besides, he wanted to know who they had beaten up.
"It proves ta you dat me plan will woik. Da newsies are getting' soft, dey're off dere guard. If dat beatin' didn't prove dat to ya, nothin' will." Oscar said.
Morris laughed. "Maybe yer right, Oscar."
He gritted his teeth. He hated them. So it was a newsie they hurt, was it? They'd pay for that, alright. He waited until the turned the corner and then headed the way that the brothers had come from. He looked down every alley he passed, figuring that's where he would find anyone if they were hurt. In about the 5th one he looked in, he thought he saw something lying under the fire escape, not moving. "Oh, I'll soak 'im good fer dis. I'll kill 'em!" he said to himself. He walked down the alley and looked under the stairs, wondering who it could be. He couldn't tell from where he was, however, because the stairs threw a shadow on them. He leaned down closer, and pulled back instantly. It looked like. but no, it couldn't be. He leaned in again hit the wall above him. It was Abby.
Her face looked bloody, and she had a bruise and a cut on the right side of her face. Her shirt was ripped in a few places, and he could see a few boot marks on it. Her shawl was on the ground next to her, and he picked it up, dabbing at the cut on her face.
"Abby, wake up." he whispered. She moaned. Race frowned, but kept rubbing the blood away, though it didn't seem to be helping. He threw the shawl on top of her and picked her up.
"Race?" she whispered.
"I'm gettin' ya help, Abby. You'll be fine." Race said, glancing down at her. But she didn't answer him, and he went a little faster, heading towards the Lodging House. Kloppman would know what to do.
When Race walked in, the old man looked up, saw Abby, and went to his cabinet to grab the first aid kit. "Bring her upstairs."
Racetrack carried her up and laid her on a bunk. As Kloppman started to look at the cuts, he went back downstairs to the empty lobby. Everyone else was still at Tibby's. He sat down in a chair, waiting for them to come back. He couldn't believe he had let her walk home by herself when it was getting dark. He didn't let the younger newsies walk home by themselves, but he let a girl, who happened to be one of his good friends. What was he thinking?!?! He held his head in his hands.
Just then, the doors opened and David, Mush, Jack, Snipeshooter, Skittery, and Kid Blink walked in, laughing and talking. But they quickly stopped when they saw Race.
"Wat's a matta, Race?" Jack asked.
Race looked up and sighed. "Dave, youse betta come wit me." David looked confused, but followed him. When they got to the bunk room, David saw Abby, lying in a bunk. Kloppman was just finishing putting a bandage on the cut on her face.
"Wha..What happened?" David asked.
"Da Delancey's dat's what." Race said. "I found 'er in an alley."
David sat down. "Will she be alright?"
"She will be." Kloppman answered. "She needs some rest, but she ain't hurt that bad. Just a few bruises and the like." He got up and left.
Racetrack and David sat in silence. After a few minutes, they heard footsteps on the stairs and then Mush banged the door open. "Kloppman told us she was hoit. Will she be ok? What happened? Who did it? Oh, I'll soak em!"
"Calm down, Mush. She'll be fine!" Race exclaimed.
"It was the Delancey brothers. Race found her in an alley." David explained.
"You're sure it was dem?" he asked.
"Yeah. I saw dem afta." Race said.
"Dis is all me fault. When Spot finds out, 'e'll kill me." Mush sank onto a bed. "How could I have let dis happen?"
"Spot?" Race asked, totally confused. "Wat's Spot gotta do wit Abby?"
"Long story." Mush said.
David looked over at him. "Should we tell him?"
"Youse tell 'im, Dave." Mush said. "I can't."
"Alright. But first, you have to promise you won't tell anyone." Race still looked confused, but nodded. "Ok. Well, I guess I'll start from the beginning. Abby is Mush's sister. And, actually, Spot's sister, too. See, Mush's mom died giving birth to him. But Mush survived. And Spot's dad died at a factory a few weeks after he was born. They knew eachother, their parents, because Spot's mom and Mush's dad traveled here together from Ireland. They were on the same boat. They kept in touch, and after they died, they visited eachother. Spot's mom moved closer to them, and after awhile, they got married. They weren't even one years old yet, Spot and Mush. Anyway, about a year later, Abby was born."
Race cut in. "Why can't I tell anyone dat? It ain't bad."
"Just listen, Race. I'll explain." Mush said. "Me faddah was part of da crib. Da one in Harlem. Dat's where we lived. But 'e quit, 'e didn't like woikin fer dem. Hoitin people, ya know? So 'e started woikin againist dem. Tryin ta stop em. Dey were all mad at 'im. Dey couldn't believe it. 'E was dere friend and all, and now he was tryin' ta get 'em in jail! So one night dey came ta our house, burned it ta da ground. Dey killed me parents and me little brudder, but me Mike and Abby got away."
Yet again Racetrack cut in. "Mike?"
"Spot. Anyway, one of 'em saw us and followed us. It happened ta be me dad's best friend, Nick Jenkins. We got away, but we knew dey'd come afta us. Dey wanted our whole family killed. We'se know what dey really do for a livin', we'se know everything dey keep from da governor. Dey were afraid we'd woik against 'em, too, so dey wanted ta kill us. Aftah da strike dey started to again. Roosevelt saw a little of what da crib does, and now dey're scared. Dey'll be lookin' for us. I've noticed a few things, and so has Spot, to get us thinkin' dat dey're lookin' for us again. So we got Abby out of Queens, where she went ta Boarding School, and moved 'er in wit our only family. And dat's what ya can't tell nobody." Mush looked at him. "You're sure it was da Delanceys? Ya didn't see anyone else dat coulda done it?"
"It was da Delanceys. I'se sure of it. And don't worry, I won't tell nobody." Race said. "Do ya want me ta get Spot?" he asked, saying the first thing that came into his head.
Mush groaned and sighed. "No, I'll get 'im. I'm his brudder, it's betta dat way." Mush got up. "We'll be back soon."
David and Racetrack nodded. Neither said anything for a while. Race was still thinking through everything David and Mush had told him. Now a lot of things made sense, like why Spot had been coming in so much, and why Mush was selling with David a lot now. But then he thought about their dad, and something occurred to him. The Delanceys were part of the crib. They'd have to be wary of them, especially now.
David, meanwhile, was blaming himself for letting her walk home by herself. What had he been thinking? "Why'd I let her walk home by herself? Even without the Delancey's there was a lot of danger for her."
"It ain't yer fault, Dave. I let her go, too. And so did Mush. And it ain't like she's dyin'."
"Well, I guarantee Spot will be mad." David said.
"Look, I'll go back downstairs and tell 'em what happened, so you won't have ta deal with 'em, if yer so worried about Spot." Race offered. "Dough I'd rather take Spot, since he's so agreeable, ya know?"
David laughed. "Thanks, Race." David said.
Race walked down the stairs. It seemed like all the newsies were back by then, and had all heard that Abby was hurt.
"Is she gonna be ok?" Crutchy asked.
"Yeah. Just a few bruises and cuts. She's sleepin' now. So don't be so loud. I bet Spot could heah ya from his Lodging House in Brooklyn." Race said. A few of the boys rolled their eyes, but smiled. Obviously, Abby wasn't hurt as bad as they had thought.
"Who's up fer a game of poker?" Race asked, looking around.
"Yer kiddin'. We already lost all our money to ya in Tibby's." Kid Blink said.
"Ya gotta have some money left, youse were still playin' when I left." Race said.
"Yeah, but den Mush won it all." Specs grumbled.
"Speakin' of Mush, where'd he go?" Jack asked. "Is he still upstairs?"
"No, He-he went ta tell Dave's family wat happened. Ise goin dere now, too. I've been meanin' ta bring Les some of me old marbles ta play wit while he's sick. So if Dave asks, dats where I am." Race grabbed his coat. "I gotta say, Mush took da bettah way dere: da fire escape. He didn't have ta get through all of youse foist." He laughed and walked out the door, but a second later he walked back in. "I'se forgot da marbles."
Everyone laughed, but Race ignored them and walked behind the counter. He pulled open one of the drawers and pulled his marbles out of it.
"Dat's where ya hid 'em!" Snipeshooter shouted.
"Yeah, I didn't want ya findin' 'em and losin' all of 'em." Race said, smiling. He walked out the door, and this time headed in the direction of the Jacob's house.
He was glad he thought about that, or else the Jacob's would be really worried. They probably were worried right now. He sped up a little and finally reached the Jacob's apartment building. He walked inside and up the stairs, ignoring the people staring at him from their doorways. He was beginning to wonder why he hadn't just taken the fire escape why he reached the Jacob's door. He knocked and heard footsteps almost instantly behind the closed door, and then heard a lock being unlocked, and then he stood face to face with Mrs. Jacobs.
"Racetrack, what on earth are you doing here? Where's David and Abby? They aren't hurt, are they?" Mrs. Jacobs said.
Race half-smiled. "Well, Dave ain't hoit."
"So Abby is? Will she be alright? What happened? Who did it?" Mrs. Jacobs asked, and Racetrack noticed the fear that came into her eyes when she heard that Abby was hurt.
"She'll be fine. It was dose Delancey's again. Dey can't stand ta leave us alone." Racetrack said.
Mrs. Jacobs nodded. "No, they never do. Is there anything I can do?"
"Nah, Kloppy took care of her. But I think he wants her ta stay at da Lodgin' House for a while."
Mrs. Jacobs smiled at him. "Well, it looks like I lost one of my helpers."
Racetrack laughed. "How's Les doin'?"
"Oh, he's getting better, but he still has a cough. I don't want to let him out of the house for at least a week."
"Dat long? Well, I have somethin' he might like." Race pulled out his bag of marbles. "I don't use 'em much anymore, and I figured Les'd be bored of sittin' at home and doin' nothin'."
Mrs. Jacobs smiled. "That's nice of you, Racetrack. Why don't you come in a give them to him?"
"I'd love ta." Racetrack said, stepping inside. Mrs. Jacobs closed the door behind him, and led him over to where Les sat on the bed with Sarah. "Heya Sarah."
Sarah smiled. "Hello, Race. How come you're here?"
"I came ta give Les dese." Racetrack handed the bag of marbles to Les, and he poured them onto his bed.
"Marbles! Wow, thanks, Race!" Les exclaimed.
"No problem, kid. Ya feelin' any bettah?" he asked.
"Yeah, but Mama won't let me leave this bed. I even eat here!" Les said, very happy to see someone besides his family.
"No kiddin'? Dey let ya eat in bed? Wait 'til I tell everyone dat ya get ta eat in bed. Kloppy nevah lets us eat in bed." Race said, laughing. "Den again, he hardly lets us sleep in 'em either."
Sarah laughed. "That's only because you all go to bed so late. He just makes sure you get up on time."
"I bettah get goin', dough. Kloppy won't want me out too late."
"Tell David to come home tomorrow for lunch, I want to hear about Abby." Mrs. Jacobs said.
Racetrack nodded. "Sure thing, Mrs. Jacobs."
"What happened to Abby?" Mr. Jacobs asked from the table.
"Da Delancey's, as usual." Race said.
"Will she be alright?" Sarah asked.
"Yeah, she'll be fine. But Kloppy wants her at da Lodgin' House." Race explained again. He messed up Les' hair and got up. "I'll se ya latah. You be sure and get bettah, Les." Les nodded and Sarah went back to reading to him while Les put the marbles back into the bag.
Mrs. Jacobs walked him to the door, and Mr. Jacobs joined them. "Are you sure it was the Delancey's, Racetrack?"
"Yeah, I'm sure." Racetrack said. "It was dem. Believe me, it wasn't who ya think it was."
Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs stared at him. "How do you know.?"
"I can read minds." Racetrack said, and then smiled. "Dave and Mush just told me."
Mrs. Jacobs looked him up and down and sighed. "Be careful, Racetrack."
"I will."
~*~
As Mush got closer to the Brooklyn Lodging House, he got nervous. He wasn't exactly afraid of the newsies; he had met most of them at one time or another. But he knew Spot would be mad, most likely at him or David. He took the longest way he knew how, but when he got there the lights were still on. He had been hoping that they would be asleep, and he could climb the fire escape and go into Spot's room unnoticed. But now Spot would probably be downstairs with the rest of the newsies instead of up in his room. "Oh, great, now they'll get at see me get killed by Spot." he mumbled to himself. But he opened the door and walked in.
All the newsies looked at him. "Can I help you?" The man behind the counter asked. He looked younger than Kloppman, but didn't seem to be as, well, cheerful. But that's how it usually was in Brooklyn. "Do you need a place to stay? It's ten cents a night."
Mush shook his head. "Ise looking fer Spot."
The mand stared at him suspiciously. "He's upstairs."
"Alright." Mush trailed off, not sure if he was supposed to go look for him or not.
"I'll get him." The man got up and walked up the stairs, leaving them alone.
"Why'd ya want ta talk ta Spot?" someone asked him coldly. Mush didn't know who it was, he had never met him. He looked tough and a lot meaner than the Brooklyn newsies he had met. "And where're ya from, anyway?"
"Dat ain't yer business." Mush said with more courage than he felt.
"Oh, really? Do ya tink so?" the boy asked, moving towards him. Mush cowered back, but just then, Spot walked down the stairs. The man moved back behind the counter, ignoring what was happening, but Spot stood there surveying the scene.
"Leave im alone, Green." Spot said. He looked at Mush. " Green, take ovah for da night if I'm not back in five minutes. I might have somewhere ta go. Let's go talk outside."
Mush nodded and followed him out the door. When they were on the sidewalk, Mush spoke. "It's Abby, Spot. Da Delanceys beat er up. She'll be awlright, but I knew ya'd want ta know." Before he had finished, though, Spot started running towards Manhattan, with Mush right behind.
Abby, who hated being called Abigail, let it go as she hugged her blond- haired Aunt Ester. How would she know that she wanted to be called Abby? After all, she did just see them for the first time in years.
"Here, I'll take your things," David said. Abby could see his curls clearly when he bent down to pick up her bags.
"Thanks." She said. David smiled at her.
"You know, Sean wanted to be here." David said.
Abby nodded. "I know. I'll see him soon enough, dough." Abby said, thinking of her older brother, Sean. As an after thought, she added, "Right?"
David laughed. "You'll see him tomorrow, when we go to sell our papers."
Abby smiled. "I can't wait until den."
They all walked out of the train station together, David carrying both her bags. As Abby watched, her younger cousin, Les, took a bag from David. She smiled sadly, thinking of HER younger brother. 'Stop,' she told herself sternly. 'That ain't gonna help.'
~*~
When they got to the Jacob's home, Abby's Aunt Ester started making dinner, and Abby went to unpack. She would be staying with Sarah in her room, and she came along to help.
"How was the trolley ride?" Sarah asked. Abby laughed at that.
"It was good. Ya know, I only came from Queens, I could've walked!"
"It would have been a long way, though." Sarah pointed out.
Abby shrugged. "I don't mind walking."
Sarah smiled. "Well, I hope you like it here."
"Anywheah's betta than Queens." Abby said. "I was stuck in dat stupid school all day! Well, until I ran away." she stopped short. "Listen, don't tell me brudders dat. Dey'd KILL me if dey knew I ran away from me school!"
"I won't. but you ran AWAY?! Why?!" Sarah asked.
"I had ta. I hated dat school. All dey taught was how ta sew and cook," Abby shivered. "It was torture. I wanted ta learn things dat I'd USE. So I ran away. I started sellin' papes in Queens, until I got dat lettah." Abby explained.
"Don't worry, I won't tell. I promise."
"Thanks, Sarah." Abby said.
"That's what family's for." Sarah said, laughing.
~*~
The next day, David, Les, and Sarah took Abby to meet the newsies, the ones that had just won the strike not more than a month ago. When they got to Newsies Square, the newsies were by the gate. One went right up to Sarah and kissed her, then said "So dis is yer cousin Abby."
"That's Jack," Davis said, then pointing out the rest, "There's Kid Blink, Specs, Bumlets, Swifty, Boots, Skittery, Crutchy, Dutchy, Itey, Snipeshooter, Mush, Pie Eater, and Snoddy. Oh, and that's Racetrack."
Racetrack had just walked up. "Hiya, kid," he said, hitting Les' hat over his eyes. He looked at Abby and said, "So, Abby, Davey's told us a lot about ya."
"Oh, yeah? Like what?" Abby asked.
"I ain't tellin ya fer free. I'll play ya a game of poker, you win, I tell ya." The newsies laughed.
"Race is a big gambler," David explained. "I'll be right back. I have to go get some papes before they run out."
"I'll come wit ya. I want ta sell some." Abby said.
"You can try. Wait here, I'll go get some." David left.
"So you gonna sell wit yer cousin, Les?" Jack asked.
"If she wants me to." Les said.
"If ya don't wanna, you can go wit Jack." Abby said.
"Really?! You don't mind?!" Les said.
"No, I don't mind." Abby smiled at him. "And you can go wit 'im too, Sarah."
"I usually don't sell." Sarah said.
"Yeah, da streets ain't a place for a lady." Jack said, kissing Sarah again.
Abby huffed. "So I ain't a lady?"
Jack laughed. "Nevah said ya weren't. I don't think you should be on da streets, either."
"Yeah, well, goils can do anythin' boys can." Abby said.
"Sure dey can." Jack said. "I like yer cousin, Dave. She's got a big mouth." He said as David walked up to rejoin them.
"Gee, thanks." Abby said. She laughed in spite of herself.
David turned towards her. He had bought 100 papes and gave 10 to Abby. "You sell those."
"I can sell more den 10, Dave." Abby said.
"Just try those, and if you want more, you can have them." David said.
Mush ran up to them. "Mind if I sell wit ya, Dave? Race went tad a tracks, and Kid's sellin' by 'imself..." Mush said.
"Of course, Mush." David said. "Bye Les! Be good! Bye Sarah!! Tell Mama Abby came with us. We'll be back before dinner."
Sarah nodded, and she headed back home. Les went off with Jack, and pretty soon Mush, David, and Abby were left alone.
Mush smiled and pulled Abby into a hug. "Ise missed ya, Ab."
Abby hugged him back. Her "Ise missed ya, too, Sean!" getting muffled in his shirt. She looked up at him and smiled. "Or should I say Mush?" she asked jokingly. Mush laughed but quickly became serious.
"Look, Abby, ya gotta be careful. I know you'll be safe wit Dave and his family, but ya can't go off alone. You're me little sistah, and I don't want nothin happenin to ya."
"I've been here less den a day and you're already lecturin me? I know da Crib's probably still lookin fer us, but who would guess we're brudder and sistah? Plus we've gotten oldah since dey saw us. and with Mike in Brooklyn..."
"Abby. Ya gotta be careful about what ya say, too. And all I'm sayin is ta be careful." Mush said, cutting her off.
"Mike knows I'm heah, right?" Abby asked to make sure.
"Yeah. Now, remember, don't call me Sean. Me name's Mush. And if ya see Mike, remember ya ain't supposed ta know 'im. And PLEASE remember ta call 'im Spot."
Abby laughed. "I'll remember."
Mush smiled. "It's great ta see ya again, dough." Mush hugged her again.
"We should go. Where are we selling today?" David asked.
"Bottle Alley or da harbor." Mush said as they left the alley.
"Bottle Alley." Abby said. They walked down the different streets, past bakerys and whatnot until they came upon Bottle Alley. Once there, they started selling their papes.
"Wacth dis." Abby said, then looked through one of the papes. "Heah's a good story." she mumbled then called out, "Extra! Extra! Train crashes and passengers stuck in da woods!!!" Mush and David looked through it too and found the story: 'Train Breaks-Down Near Woods.'
"She ain't dat bad." Mush said as Abby sold 7 of them. One guy gave her an extra dime and said, "For good luck." Abby looked up, saw Mush looking at her, winked and smiled.
'She hasn't changed.' Mush thought happily.
With Abby's help, all the papers were gone by lunch. They headed for Tibby's, taking a short cut that Mush knew of. All the newsies were already there.
"Youse were great, Abby." Mush told her as they walked up to the door. "Yer a born newsie."
Abby pushed him playfully. "You ain't dat bad, either, Mush."
They walked inside and saw Crutchy standing there.
"Hiya Dave. Did ya finish sellin yer papes?" Crutchy asked.
"Yeah, thanks. How was your day?" David answered, being polite as always.
"Alright. I selled all me papes, too." Crutchy said, smiling. "Oh, and Spot's heah. Him and Jack wanna talk to ya. Probably about Denton's party."
"Spot's heah?" Abby said excitedly.
"Have ya met 'im before?" Crutchy asked curiously.
"No. But I-I saw his picture in the newspaper." Abby said, thinking fast. "During da strike."
Crutchy nodded. "Wish I could've been dere. Anyway, dey're ovah at da bar."
"Thanks, Crutchy." David said. He and Abby walked up to Spot while Mush went and joined Racetrack and Kid Blink. "Hey, Spot."
Spot looked over at them. "It's da Walkin' Mouth. Who's dis?" Spot nodded at Abby without any expression, though inside he felt well, really happy.
"Spot, this is Abby. Abby, this is Spot. She's staying with my family." David said.
"Ise not JUST Spot. Ise Spot Conlon, head of da Brooklyn newsies." he said proudly.
Abby feigned stupid. "Wheah's Brooklyn?"
Spot glared at her. Abby knew that glare all to well. She was surprised at how happy she was to see it. When she was little, she would run away from him when that happened.
"Wheah's Brooklyn?! Ain't ya evah heard of da Brooklyn Bridge?!" Spot asked.
"Yeah, I have. And don't worry, I know wheah Brooklyn is." Abby said. "Da look on yer face." she trailed off, laughing.
Spot made to move towards her, but Jack held him back. "Come on, Spot. Leave 'er alone."
"Nobody makes me look stupid." Spot said.
"Nobody made ya look stupid. Now come on, we gotta figure dis out, and now we got Davey heah."
Abby smiled. "Go one Davey. Ise goin' outside for a second. I think I dropped something'."
David nodded. "Just don't go far."
Abby laughed and walked out. Nobody but Spot noticed, and after a few minutes, he went out after her, saying that he needed some air. Jack nodded, too distracted in the party preparations to notice.
"Yer lucky Jack held me back, Abby." Spot said angrily when he walked outside and joined Abby sitting on the curb.
"Nice ta see ya, too." Abby said, not looking up.
Spot smiled. "I see ya decided ta dress like a goil, huh?" he gestured at her skirt.
"Ise am a goil, Spot. Makes sense." Abby said.
"Yeah, but da Abby I knew nevah wore skirts. If I remembah right, she said she nevah would." Spot said, smiling.
Abby smirked. "Yeah, well, tell dat ta Sarah. She made me wear it."
Spot laughed. "Maybe it's safer dat way." Abby groaned. "Well, dey won't be lookin' for someone like you. Now listen, Abby, promise me."
"Mush already gave me a lecture. I'll be careful." Abby cut in.
"Promise me." Spot said sternly.
"I promised Aunt Ester and Uncle Mayer, I promised David, I promised Mush, heck I even promised Les, dat I'd be careful. And I'm promising ya, too, but now ya have ta promise me. Ise ain't da only one dat could get hoit."
"I promise." Spot said seriously. Then, just as seriously, he added, "I missed ya Abby."
Abby smiled. "I missed ya, too, Conlon. But we bettah get back inside before someone notices we ain't dere."
~*~
Later that night at the Lodging House, some of the newsies started a game of poker. Naturally, that's where was Racetrack was.
"Can I play?" Abby asked him as he dealt out the cards.
"Ya sure ya want ta play? He always wins." Kid Blink cautioned.
"Don't worry. I wanna play." Abby sat down and picked up the cards handed to her.
"Youse know how ta play, right?" Racetrack asked.
"'Course I do. I wouldn'ta asked if I didn't." she said. "I used ta play all da time." 'And won most of da time.' She added in her head. She smiled, remembering how one of her father's friends had taught her everything she would need to know about poker. As the game went on, Abby looked at everybody. This was a trick she learned. Most people don't realize it, but they do something to show if they have a bad or good hand. She had gotten good at figuring them out, too. By the end of the first game, which Racetrack won, she knew all the signs. Except Race's. He must have known that trick, too. They played a few more games with Racetrack winning them all.
"We warned ya." Kid said as Racetrack grabbed his winning for the fifth time in a row.
"One more game, winner takes all." Race said, smoking his cigar.
"Awww. Come on, Race. Yer jist gonna win anyway. Der's no point in playin." Specs complained.
"Ya ain't gotta play." Race retorted, dealing out the cards again. Specs shrugged and stayed where he was.
When the game was almost over, Abby saw she had a good hand. And by the looks of it, she was the only one. Except for Racetrack. His face was the way it had been through the whole game. But when they all laid their cards down, everyone playing stared at Abby's in disbelief. She had won! Race looked shocked.
"Hey Race! Youse was beat by a goil!" Mush shouted, making sure all the newsies heard. Everyone laughed.
"Heah's yer money." Kid Blink pushed the winnings towards her, but she shook her head.
"No. Ya need it more den me. Split it up."
"Ya won. Take it." Racetrack said. "We play fair."
"No. I don't even want it."
"'Course ya want it! It's money! Ya won. So take it." Racetrack said.
"No." Abby thought hard. "Remember when ya said David told ya a lot about me? Well, ya wouldn't tell me fer free, and dat you'd play a game of poker for it. Well, Ise won, so now youse gotta tell me."
"But..." he started, and Abby shook her head. He smiled. "Fine. I'll tell ya. He said dat 'is cousin Abigail was comin' ta live wit 'em, and dat we bettah not try anythin' wit her."
"Dat's what he said?" Abby asked.
Race shrugged. "He told us you were sixteen. But other den dat, dat's what 'e said."
Abby laughed. "Dat was nice of 'im."
"Dat's what I said. Well, a version of dat." Racetrack smirked.
"Well, I see ya listened ta 'im." Abby said.
"Yeah, but you've only been heah for a day." Race grinned, and Abby laughed again.
"I'll remembah nevah ta get stuck alone wit any of ya, den." Abby said, joking.
"Good idea. Ya wouldn't wanna get stuck wit RACE." Specs said.
"And definitely not wit dis kid." Kid Blink said, hitting Specs hat over his eyes and causing his glasses to fall onto the table.
"Hey!" Specs said, pushing his hat up and feeling around for his glasses. "Ya know I can't see witout 'em."
"Dat was da whole point, Specs." Race said. "Nice job, Kid."
Specs found his glasses and put them back on. "Dat's bettah." He looked around the room, and saw David stand up and start looking around. "Looks like Davey wants ta leave, Abby."
Abby glanced to where Specs was pointing and saw David looking around for her and Les. "Looks like yer right, Specs." Abby got up. "I'll be seein' ya, den. Good game, Racetrack!" She waved to David and headed his way, grabbing Les from his game of marbles with Snipeshooter.
"Call me Race!" he called to her.
~*~
Four weeks later, Abby was still selling papes, but always with someone else, Spot's orders. So she sold with Mush, David, or Racetrack. Ever since that poker game the two had started talking more, and by this time, they were good friends. They went to sell at the racetracks most of the time, and She loved them almost as much as Race. But Racetrack wasn't the only one she had become friends with. by this time, she was friends with most of the newsies and spent all her free time after selling at the Lodging House, and lunch at Tibby's with the rest of the newsies.
One night, all the newsies were at Tibby's. It was getting late and Abby was getting tired. The week had been a long one, and a cold one. She hadn't slept that much the night before because Les was getting a cough, and she had stayed up with her Aunt to help her. She got up from her table, where she had been sitting with Skittery, Itey, and Dutchy, saying that she was tired, and that she'd see them tomorrow. They nodded and she looked around for David. She finally found him sitting with Jack and Kid Blink.
"Hey, David." she said.
"Hey, Abby." David said, looking up at her. He patted the seat next to him. "Want to sit with us?"
She shook her head. "I'm actually gonna go home."
"Is anyone coming with you?" he asked.
"No, but I'll be fine. Ise know me way dere it ain't far." He didn't look convinced. She added, "I won't go in any alleys." Still, he shook his head. She rolled her eyes. "And I promise I won't talk ta any strangers. Good enough?"
David smiled, giving in. "Fine."
Abby smiled. "Thanks, Dave. Don't wanna make anyone leave. I'm just gonna go say by ta Race."
David nodded, and Jack laughed as Abby walked away.
"What?" David asked.
"I wondah when dey're gonna get tagether." Jack said.
"Get together?" David asked.
"Don't tell me ya can't see it. Dey like eachothah, Dave." Jack said, laughing again.
David laughed with him. "I noticed that."
Abby walked over to Race's table.
"Hey, Abby. Ya comin' ta join us?" Mush asked.
She shook her head. "Nah, I'm actually gonna leave. I'se kinda tired."
Mush lowered his cards. "Is anyone goin' wit you?"
Abby shook her head again. "I don't wanna ruin anyone's night."
"Good idea." Race said. "Nobody's want ta go wit you, anyway."
Abby smiled. "It's bettah den havin' you wit me."
Race smiled, but still didn't look up. Instead, he asked, "Do you wanna sell papes wit me tommorra at da tracks?" while looking at his cards.
"Sure." Abby walked out, and waved to everybody at the door. She looked over at Mush and noticed the worried expression on his face but just waved and smiled.
As she promised, she didn't go in any alleys. Not that she would if she hadn't promised. She looked up at the sky and pulled her shawl closer around her, since it had started to snow. Winter was definitely there. When she was halfway home, she took out her watch. It was already 9:30! She groaned. It would probably be another late night, and she had to get up early again tomorrow and sell in the cold and snow. AT this rate, she would get sick, too. She sighed. That was the life of a newsie. She went to put her watch back into her pocket but it slid out of her hand and into the snow that was covering the ground. She bent down to look for it, and saw it almost right away next to the garbage can beside her. She picked it up and dusted the snow off it, but then froze, hearing voices in the alley. She crept to the edge of it to hear what they were saying.
"What are we gonna do again, Oscar?" someone said.
"Listen, Morris, ya dope! Uncle Weas is mad dat da newsies won da strike, we're mad, da crib's mad, even Pulitzer's mad! So we'se gonna do somethin about it. And I think da perfect thing would be ta break up dat party dere havin, da one fo' dat newspaper man. It'll be like da rally, but we'll kill em all!"
Abby frowned, realizing who was talking. It was Oscar and Morris Delancey, part of the Crib! She had seen them before, at the news stand. And they were talking about the party the newsies were having for Denton, who was coming home from his latest assignment for the newspaper.
"We can't jus' kill 'em, Oscar." Morris said.
"I didn't really mean KILL 'em." Oscar said. "But we'll hoit 'em, hoit 'em real good. So dat can't walk, like dat gimp."
Abby had to grab onto the fire escape stairs in front of her to stop herself from jumping out at them. How could they talk about Crutchy like that!
"Won't we get in trouble fo' dat? We woik fo' da bulls, but dey neva told us ta do dis." Morris said.
"NO! Da bulls won't care! Dey'll be happy, it'll get dose street rats off da streets." Oscar said.
"How will it get 'em off da streets?" Morris asked.
"Look, Medda will call da bulls, right? We'll have someone watchin' 'er, and when she calls, we leave. Simple as dat." Oscar said, sounding pleased with himself.
"What if we don't get out in time?" Morris asked.
"We will." Oscar said.
"Den the newsies 'ill just tell da bulls dat we did it." Morris said.
"I'll figure it out latah, Morris." Oscar said, getting angry. They started walking back out of the alley, and Abby tried shrinking into the shadows underneath the fire escape. But just as they were passing her, she stepped on a piece of paper on the ground. She cursed and started running, but Morris was too fast for her. He grabbed her arm and pushed her up againist the wall. "Did ya hear us?" he growled.
Abby almost smiled in spite of herself- he Morris may not be fast when it comes to mental stuff, but when it came to physical, it was a whole different story. She stopped herself, however, and didn't answer him, trying to figure out how to get away. Fighting wouldn't help too much- they definitely had an advantage. Morris shook her.
"Answer me." He said.
"No, I didn't." Abby said.
"Liar." he looked at her closely, and then smiled. "Why, ain't it little Davey's cousin."
Oscar laughed. "Lookit dat, it is. I remember when we had his sistah in an alley like dis- but dis time, no one's heah ta help ya."
"Who's Davey?" Abby asked, mentally hitting herself, but that was all she could think of: playing stupidity.
Oscar laughed again. "Don't be an idiot, I'se seen ya wit da great and mighty newsies. But nevah fear, dey won't be like dat for long."
"It won't woik." Abby said.
"So ya did hear us!" Morris said, and that actually caused Abby to laugh a little, but Oscar must have heard it- he punched her in the stomach. She closed her eyes for a second, and kept her head down.
Oscar turned her head toward him. " That hoit, didn't it?" Abby shook her head. It had hurt, but she wasn't about to tell them. Oscar nodded to Morris, who grinned and reached into his pocket, pulling out his brass knuckle. He put it on slowly, making sure that Abby was watching, and then punched her full on in the stomach. Abby sank to the ground, but Morris didn't stop. He kicked her a few times at different places. Oscar stood by and laughed for awhile, watching as Morris hurt her. Abby felt her mouth where he had kicked her and found that it was bleeding. She groaned as Morris kicked her in her stomach again, and then surprisingly, he stopped. Abby stared up at the two of them, and then felt Oscar lifting her up to her feet and holding her there.
Morris smiled as he pulled his hand back. "Just remembah, if youse tell anyone, we'll find dat little cousin of yours, and you'll nevah see him again. Alive, dat is!" Oscar laughed, and Abby closed her eyes instead of watching as Morris' fist flew at her, and she felt a moment of searing pain, and then she blacked out.
~*~
Back at the restaurant, Racetrack had won another game of poker.
"Sorry, boys. Looks like dis is mine." he said as he put all the money into his bag.
"I don't know why Ise still playin, I neva win." Mush grumbled.
"Dat ain't yer fault. Maybe youse'll win next time." Race said.
"Dat'll nevah happen if you're heah." Specs said.
"It's yer lucky day, den. Ise goin back ta da Lodgin' House." He smiled. "See ya dere." He got up and waved towards the cards lying on the table. "Jus' bring dose back for me, huh, kids?" He waved over to Jack and shouted good-bye to the rest and walked out of the restaurant that had become their third home since the strike. First, of course, was the Lodging House, and then it was Irving Hall- and now Tibby's. Race smiled and thought about the strike while walking down the street. He laughed and punched the wall next, pretending it was either Oscar or Morris. He was about a block away when he heard somebody talking up ahead of him.
"We haven't had dat good of a beatin' in a long time." Morris exclaimed.
"Dat's 'cause da bulls had ta watch us, gov'ner's orders." Oscar said.
Racetrack frowned, but ducked into the shadows of a doorway. It was the Delancey brothers, and he didn't feel like fighting. Besides, he wanted to know who they had beaten up.
"It proves ta you dat me plan will woik. Da newsies are getting' soft, dey're off dere guard. If dat beatin' didn't prove dat to ya, nothin' will." Oscar said.
Morris laughed. "Maybe yer right, Oscar."
He gritted his teeth. He hated them. So it was a newsie they hurt, was it? They'd pay for that, alright. He waited until the turned the corner and then headed the way that the brothers had come from. He looked down every alley he passed, figuring that's where he would find anyone if they were hurt. In about the 5th one he looked in, he thought he saw something lying under the fire escape, not moving. "Oh, I'll soak 'im good fer dis. I'll kill 'em!" he said to himself. He walked down the alley and looked under the stairs, wondering who it could be. He couldn't tell from where he was, however, because the stairs threw a shadow on them. He leaned down closer, and pulled back instantly. It looked like. but no, it couldn't be. He leaned in again hit the wall above him. It was Abby.
Her face looked bloody, and she had a bruise and a cut on the right side of her face. Her shirt was ripped in a few places, and he could see a few boot marks on it. Her shawl was on the ground next to her, and he picked it up, dabbing at the cut on her face.
"Abby, wake up." he whispered. She moaned. Race frowned, but kept rubbing the blood away, though it didn't seem to be helping. He threw the shawl on top of her and picked her up.
"Race?" she whispered.
"I'm gettin' ya help, Abby. You'll be fine." Race said, glancing down at her. But she didn't answer him, and he went a little faster, heading towards the Lodging House. Kloppman would know what to do.
When Race walked in, the old man looked up, saw Abby, and went to his cabinet to grab the first aid kit. "Bring her upstairs."
Racetrack carried her up and laid her on a bunk. As Kloppman started to look at the cuts, he went back downstairs to the empty lobby. Everyone else was still at Tibby's. He sat down in a chair, waiting for them to come back. He couldn't believe he had let her walk home by herself when it was getting dark. He didn't let the younger newsies walk home by themselves, but he let a girl, who happened to be one of his good friends. What was he thinking?!?! He held his head in his hands.
Just then, the doors opened and David, Mush, Jack, Snipeshooter, Skittery, and Kid Blink walked in, laughing and talking. But they quickly stopped when they saw Race.
"Wat's a matta, Race?" Jack asked.
Race looked up and sighed. "Dave, youse betta come wit me." David looked confused, but followed him. When they got to the bunk room, David saw Abby, lying in a bunk. Kloppman was just finishing putting a bandage on the cut on her face.
"Wha..What happened?" David asked.
"Da Delancey's dat's what." Race said. "I found 'er in an alley."
David sat down. "Will she be alright?"
"She will be." Kloppman answered. "She needs some rest, but she ain't hurt that bad. Just a few bruises and the like." He got up and left.
Racetrack and David sat in silence. After a few minutes, they heard footsteps on the stairs and then Mush banged the door open. "Kloppman told us she was hoit. Will she be ok? What happened? Who did it? Oh, I'll soak em!"
"Calm down, Mush. She'll be fine!" Race exclaimed.
"It was the Delancey brothers. Race found her in an alley." David explained.
"You're sure it was dem?" he asked.
"Yeah. I saw dem afta." Race said.
"Dis is all me fault. When Spot finds out, 'e'll kill me." Mush sank onto a bed. "How could I have let dis happen?"
"Spot?" Race asked, totally confused. "Wat's Spot gotta do wit Abby?"
"Long story." Mush said.
David looked over at him. "Should we tell him?"
"Youse tell 'im, Dave." Mush said. "I can't."
"Alright. But first, you have to promise you won't tell anyone." Race still looked confused, but nodded. "Ok. Well, I guess I'll start from the beginning. Abby is Mush's sister. And, actually, Spot's sister, too. See, Mush's mom died giving birth to him. But Mush survived. And Spot's dad died at a factory a few weeks after he was born. They knew eachother, their parents, because Spot's mom and Mush's dad traveled here together from Ireland. They were on the same boat. They kept in touch, and after they died, they visited eachother. Spot's mom moved closer to them, and after awhile, they got married. They weren't even one years old yet, Spot and Mush. Anyway, about a year later, Abby was born."
Race cut in. "Why can't I tell anyone dat? It ain't bad."
"Just listen, Race. I'll explain." Mush said. "Me faddah was part of da crib. Da one in Harlem. Dat's where we lived. But 'e quit, 'e didn't like woikin fer dem. Hoitin people, ya know? So 'e started woikin againist dem. Tryin ta stop em. Dey were all mad at 'im. Dey couldn't believe it. 'E was dere friend and all, and now he was tryin' ta get 'em in jail! So one night dey came ta our house, burned it ta da ground. Dey killed me parents and me little brudder, but me Mike and Abby got away."
Yet again Racetrack cut in. "Mike?"
"Spot. Anyway, one of 'em saw us and followed us. It happened ta be me dad's best friend, Nick Jenkins. We got away, but we knew dey'd come afta us. Dey wanted our whole family killed. We'se know what dey really do for a livin', we'se know everything dey keep from da governor. Dey were afraid we'd woik against 'em, too, so dey wanted ta kill us. Aftah da strike dey started to again. Roosevelt saw a little of what da crib does, and now dey're scared. Dey'll be lookin' for us. I've noticed a few things, and so has Spot, to get us thinkin' dat dey're lookin' for us again. So we got Abby out of Queens, where she went ta Boarding School, and moved 'er in wit our only family. And dat's what ya can't tell nobody." Mush looked at him. "You're sure it was da Delanceys? Ya didn't see anyone else dat coulda done it?"
"It was da Delanceys. I'se sure of it. And don't worry, I won't tell nobody." Race said. "Do ya want me ta get Spot?" he asked, saying the first thing that came into his head.
Mush groaned and sighed. "No, I'll get 'im. I'm his brudder, it's betta dat way." Mush got up. "We'll be back soon."
David and Racetrack nodded. Neither said anything for a while. Race was still thinking through everything David and Mush had told him. Now a lot of things made sense, like why Spot had been coming in so much, and why Mush was selling with David a lot now. But then he thought about their dad, and something occurred to him. The Delanceys were part of the crib. They'd have to be wary of them, especially now.
David, meanwhile, was blaming himself for letting her walk home by herself. What had he been thinking? "Why'd I let her walk home by herself? Even without the Delancey's there was a lot of danger for her."
"It ain't yer fault, Dave. I let her go, too. And so did Mush. And it ain't like she's dyin'."
"Well, I guarantee Spot will be mad." David said.
"Look, I'll go back downstairs and tell 'em what happened, so you won't have ta deal with 'em, if yer so worried about Spot." Race offered. "Dough I'd rather take Spot, since he's so agreeable, ya know?"
David laughed. "Thanks, Race." David said.
Race walked down the stairs. It seemed like all the newsies were back by then, and had all heard that Abby was hurt.
"Is she gonna be ok?" Crutchy asked.
"Yeah. Just a few bruises and cuts. She's sleepin' now. So don't be so loud. I bet Spot could heah ya from his Lodging House in Brooklyn." Race said. A few of the boys rolled their eyes, but smiled. Obviously, Abby wasn't hurt as bad as they had thought.
"Who's up fer a game of poker?" Race asked, looking around.
"Yer kiddin'. We already lost all our money to ya in Tibby's." Kid Blink said.
"Ya gotta have some money left, youse were still playin' when I left." Race said.
"Yeah, but den Mush won it all." Specs grumbled.
"Speakin' of Mush, where'd he go?" Jack asked. "Is he still upstairs?"
"No, He-he went ta tell Dave's family wat happened. Ise goin dere now, too. I've been meanin' ta bring Les some of me old marbles ta play wit while he's sick. So if Dave asks, dats where I am." Race grabbed his coat. "I gotta say, Mush took da bettah way dere: da fire escape. He didn't have ta get through all of youse foist." He laughed and walked out the door, but a second later he walked back in. "I'se forgot da marbles."
Everyone laughed, but Race ignored them and walked behind the counter. He pulled open one of the drawers and pulled his marbles out of it.
"Dat's where ya hid 'em!" Snipeshooter shouted.
"Yeah, I didn't want ya findin' 'em and losin' all of 'em." Race said, smiling. He walked out the door, and this time headed in the direction of the Jacob's house.
He was glad he thought about that, or else the Jacob's would be really worried. They probably were worried right now. He sped up a little and finally reached the Jacob's apartment building. He walked inside and up the stairs, ignoring the people staring at him from their doorways. He was beginning to wonder why he hadn't just taken the fire escape why he reached the Jacob's door. He knocked and heard footsteps almost instantly behind the closed door, and then heard a lock being unlocked, and then he stood face to face with Mrs. Jacobs.
"Racetrack, what on earth are you doing here? Where's David and Abby? They aren't hurt, are they?" Mrs. Jacobs said.
Race half-smiled. "Well, Dave ain't hoit."
"So Abby is? Will she be alright? What happened? Who did it?" Mrs. Jacobs asked, and Racetrack noticed the fear that came into her eyes when she heard that Abby was hurt.
"She'll be fine. It was dose Delancey's again. Dey can't stand ta leave us alone." Racetrack said.
Mrs. Jacobs nodded. "No, they never do. Is there anything I can do?"
"Nah, Kloppy took care of her. But I think he wants her ta stay at da Lodgin' House for a while."
Mrs. Jacobs smiled at him. "Well, it looks like I lost one of my helpers."
Racetrack laughed. "How's Les doin'?"
"Oh, he's getting better, but he still has a cough. I don't want to let him out of the house for at least a week."
"Dat long? Well, I have somethin' he might like." Race pulled out his bag of marbles. "I don't use 'em much anymore, and I figured Les'd be bored of sittin' at home and doin' nothin'."
Mrs. Jacobs smiled. "That's nice of you, Racetrack. Why don't you come in a give them to him?"
"I'd love ta." Racetrack said, stepping inside. Mrs. Jacobs closed the door behind him, and led him over to where Les sat on the bed with Sarah. "Heya Sarah."
Sarah smiled. "Hello, Race. How come you're here?"
"I came ta give Les dese." Racetrack handed the bag of marbles to Les, and he poured them onto his bed.
"Marbles! Wow, thanks, Race!" Les exclaimed.
"No problem, kid. Ya feelin' any bettah?" he asked.
"Yeah, but Mama won't let me leave this bed. I even eat here!" Les said, very happy to see someone besides his family.
"No kiddin'? Dey let ya eat in bed? Wait 'til I tell everyone dat ya get ta eat in bed. Kloppy nevah lets us eat in bed." Race said, laughing. "Den again, he hardly lets us sleep in 'em either."
Sarah laughed. "That's only because you all go to bed so late. He just makes sure you get up on time."
"I bettah get goin', dough. Kloppy won't want me out too late."
"Tell David to come home tomorrow for lunch, I want to hear about Abby." Mrs. Jacobs said.
Racetrack nodded. "Sure thing, Mrs. Jacobs."
"What happened to Abby?" Mr. Jacobs asked from the table.
"Da Delancey's, as usual." Race said.
"Will she be alright?" Sarah asked.
"Yeah, she'll be fine. But Kloppy wants her at da Lodgin' House." Race explained again. He messed up Les' hair and got up. "I'll se ya latah. You be sure and get bettah, Les." Les nodded and Sarah went back to reading to him while Les put the marbles back into the bag.
Mrs. Jacobs walked him to the door, and Mr. Jacobs joined them. "Are you sure it was the Delancey's, Racetrack?"
"Yeah, I'm sure." Racetrack said. "It was dem. Believe me, it wasn't who ya think it was."
Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs stared at him. "How do you know.?"
"I can read minds." Racetrack said, and then smiled. "Dave and Mush just told me."
Mrs. Jacobs looked him up and down and sighed. "Be careful, Racetrack."
"I will."
~*~
As Mush got closer to the Brooklyn Lodging House, he got nervous. He wasn't exactly afraid of the newsies; he had met most of them at one time or another. But he knew Spot would be mad, most likely at him or David. He took the longest way he knew how, but when he got there the lights were still on. He had been hoping that they would be asleep, and he could climb the fire escape and go into Spot's room unnoticed. But now Spot would probably be downstairs with the rest of the newsies instead of up in his room. "Oh, great, now they'll get at see me get killed by Spot." he mumbled to himself. But he opened the door and walked in.
All the newsies looked at him. "Can I help you?" The man behind the counter asked. He looked younger than Kloppman, but didn't seem to be as, well, cheerful. But that's how it usually was in Brooklyn. "Do you need a place to stay? It's ten cents a night."
Mush shook his head. "Ise looking fer Spot."
The mand stared at him suspiciously. "He's upstairs."
"Alright." Mush trailed off, not sure if he was supposed to go look for him or not.
"I'll get him." The man got up and walked up the stairs, leaving them alone.
"Why'd ya want ta talk ta Spot?" someone asked him coldly. Mush didn't know who it was, he had never met him. He looked tough and a lot meaner than the Brooklyn newsies he had met. "And where're ya from, anyway?"
"Dat ain't yer business." Mush said with more courage than he felt.
"Oh, really? Do ya tink so?" the boy asked, moving towards him. Mush cowered back, but just then, Spot walked down the stairs. The man moved back behind the counter, ignoring what was happening, but Spot stood there surveying the scene.
"Leave im alone, Green." Spot said. He looked at Mush. " Green, take ovah for da night if I'm not back in five minutes. I might have somewhere ta go. Let's go talk outside."
Mush nodded and followed him out the door. When they were on the sidewalk, Mush spoke. "It's Abby, Spot. Da Delanceys beat er up. She'll be awlright, but I knew ya'd want ta know." Before he had finished, though, Spot started running towards Manhattan, with Mush right behind.