Chapter 1
Grace Nolan took a deep breath and stared up at the boarding house. "There it is," she thought to herself. She crossed her fingers and rushed up the stairs. Though she tried to keep it soft, the door creaked loudly when she opened it. The old man was still there, all right, and he turned his head towards her when she entered. "Gracie?" he whispered, "Is that you?"
"Hiya, pops!" she giggled softly. "I'm back!"
"You've grown so much since we last saw ya! Come 'ere an' give yer old Pops a hug!"
The boys beat him to it. Spot Conlon was visiting and he and Racetrack Higgins were engaged in conversation. At the sight of Grace, though, Spot shut up immediately. "Heya, Spot? Whatsamattah, you look like you seen a ghost or somethin'!"
"Race, tell me I'm not seein' things!" He pointed over at the girl, a smile forming on his dirty face.
Racetrack followed his hand to the pretty girl standing by the door. "Sweet- face? Oh, my God, you're back!" The two boys rushed over and wrapped her up in a big bear hug.
"Uh.hey, fellas, what's new?"
"What's new? Why, you missed the whole war, didn't cha?"
Grace raised a curious eyebrow at Racetrack as Spot pulled her towards the stairs. "Hey, ya New York rats! Get in line, we got ourselves a visitor!" Spot yelled up the stairs. Troops of boys pushed and shoved their way down, all stopping at the mere sight of their only female friend, the first and only girl newsie there ever was. She was like a sister to all of them, but she had been gone so long she seemed more like an angel. In a big ruckus, they greeted her heartily.
"Hey, Sweets, what happened? You look like a goil all of a sudden!"
"Hey, shut up, Snoddy, I can still soak ya! Besides.I kinda like this dress! Heya, Crutchie, why don't you come out on the steps with me! At least Iyou're/I a gentleman!" She pulled the gimp outside and boosted herself up on the rail. "So, where's Jack?"
"Oh, Jack's at Davey's, of course! He has dinner there every night now."
"Davey? Who's Davey?"
"Oh, that's right! You weren't here! Him an' Davey stopped the world!"
"What?"
"I'll tell ya what. Why don't you ask Racetrack to show you over dere? I ain't walkin' so good an' I could nevah git up dos stairs!"
"All right, Crutchie." She pulled the door opened and yelled for Racetrack. "Hey, thanks for your help!"
"Any time, Sweet-face, any time!" The cripple limped back inside, squeezing around Racetrack. Arm-in-arm, the two Newsies wandered down the streets and alleys of New York City towards the Jacob residence.
The night was cool and calm, but a trace of excitement still hung in the air. "So, how've ya been, girlie?" Race asked, lighting up his cigar.
"Good. My father got us a real nice place out west, but I wan'ed ta stay 'ere. I'm a big-city kinda girl, ya know?"
"Yeah. Welp, 'ere we are! Hold on, just stand right down der, I'll be right back. He opened the door and disappeared up the stairs. Grace held her breath, trying to push back the butterflies in her stomach. She smoothed out her dress and closed her eyes tight. It had been so long, maybe too long. Had he forgotten her?
Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned to see Jack, frozen in his place on the stairs, staring at her. "Heya, Kelley."
"Grace?" He squinted, then his jaw dropped and he ran forward, thrusting her up in the air and spinning around with her in his arms. He kissed her and hugged her tight. "I can't believe it, you're actually back! I missed you so much!"
"I know, I missed you, too!" She buried her nose in his shoulder, indulging herself in his smell once again.
"I think I'll just, uh, leave you two alone now.if dat's all right." Racetrack walked briskly away.
Jack kissed her again, not wanting to let her go. When he finally pulled away, he took a good look at her. "What's dis?" he asked, tugging at her dress.
"It's my dress, do you like it?"
"I dunno, I never saw you like dis before, all done up beautiful-like."
"Well, what's wrong with me lookin' like a lady once in a while?"
"You ain't no lady! Now c'mon, we got a lot of catchin' up ta do!"
"So how was it? The, ah, west an' all?" Jack threw a stone out across the river and watched it skip along the surface.
"It sure weren't New York, dat's for sure. It was all big, just a bunch a sand that went on for miles. But I dunno, I didn't like it, but my Pop sure did. He's got dees crazy ideas, ya know, like he wants to be a cowboy er some'in-" She caught herself suddenly, realizing what she had just said. "Not dat.dair's anythin' wrong with bein' a cowboy,.Cowboy."
"Listen, Grace, I gotta ask ya some'in." He took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his dirty hair. "Did, uh.did you ever care if I, uh.well, what ah'm tryin' ta say is dat, um.you nevah cared if I stayed or if I goed, did ya?"
"Oh, Kelley!" She slipped her hand in his and rested her head on his shoulder. "You always said you wanned ta be free. Who'm I ta stand in ya way?"
"I know, but.Listen, sweets, I gotta go. Are you stayin' at the boardin' house tonight?"
"Yeah, as far as I know, dat is if Pops'll let me."
"Poifect. C'mon, let's go." He helped her up and put his arm lovingly around her waist. Her return had changed everything, but how was he going to tell her that?
Grace Nolan took a deep breath and stared up at the boarding house. "There it is," she thought to herself. She crossed her fingers and rushed up the stairs. Though she tried to keep it soft, the door creaked loudly when she opened it. The old man was still there, all right, and he turned his head towards her when she entered. "Gracie?" he whispered, "Is that you?"
"Hiya, pops!" she giggled softly. "I'm back!"
"You've grown so much since we last saw ya! Come 'ere an' give yer old Pops a hug!"
The boys beat him to it. Spot Conlon was visiting and he and Racetrack Higgins were engaged in conversation. At the sight of Grace, though, Spot shut up immediately. "Heya, Spot? Whatsamattah, you look like you seen a ghost or somethin'!"
"Race, tell me I'm not seein' things!" He pointed over at the girl, a smile forming on his dirty face.
Racetrack followed his hand to the pretty girl standing by the door. "Sweet- face? Oh, my God, you're back!" The two boys rushed over and wrapped her up in a big bear hug.
"Uh.hey, fellas, what's new?"
"What's new? Why, you missed the whole war, didn't cha?"
Grace raised a curious eyebrow at Racetrack as Spot pulled her towards the stairs. "Hey, ya New York rats! Get in line, we got ourselves a visitor!" Spot yelled up the stairs. Troops of boys pushed and shoved their way down, all stopping at the mere sight of their only female friend, the first and only girl newsie there ever was. She was like a sister to all of them, but she had been gone so long she seemed more like an angel. In a big ruckus, they greeted her heartily.
"Hey, Sweets, what happened? You look like a goil all of a sudden!"
"Hey, shut up, Snoddy, I can still soak ya! Besides.I kinda like this dress! Heya, Crutchie, why don't you come out on the steps with me! At least Iyou're/I a gentleman!" She pulled the gimp outside and boosted herself up on the rail. "So, where's Jack?"
"Oh, Jack's at Davey's, of course! He has dinner there every night now."
"Davey? Who's Davey?"
"Oh, that's right! You weren't here! Him an' Davey stopped the world!"
"What?"
"I'll tell ya what. Why don't you ask Racetrack to show you over dere? I ain't walkin' so good an' I could nevah git up dos stairs!"
"All right, Crutchie." She pulled the door opened and yelled for Racetrack. "Hey, thanks for your help!"
"Any time, Sweet-face, any time!" The cripple limped back inside, squeezing around Racetrack. Arm-in-arm, the two Newsies wandered down the streets and alleys of New York City towards the Jacob residence.
The night was cool and calm, but a trace of excitement still hung in the air. "So, how've ya been, girlie?" Race asked, lighting up his cigar.
"Good. My father got us a real nice place out west, but I wan'ed ta stay 'ere. I'm a big-city kinda girl, ya know?"
"Yeah. Welp, 'ere we are! Hold on, just stand right down der, I'll be right back. He opened the door and disappeared up the stairs. Grace held her breath, trying to push back the butterflies in her stomach. She smoothed out her dress and closed her eyes tight. It had been so long, maybe too long. Had he forgotten her?
Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned to see Jack, frozen in his place on the stairs, staring at her. "Heya, Kelley."
"Grace?" He squinted, then his jaw dropped and he ran forward, thrusting her up in the air and spinning around with her in his arms. He kissed her and hugged her tight. "I can't believe it, you're actually back! I missed you so much!"
"I know, I missed you, too!" She buried her nose in his shoulder, indulging herself in his smell once again.
"I think I'll just, uh, leave you two alone now.if dat's all right." Racetrack walked briskly away.
Jack kissed her again, not wanting to let her go. When he finally pulled away, he took a good look at her. "What's dis?" he asked, tugging at her dress.
"It's my dress, do you like it?"
"I dunno, I never saw you like dis before, all done up beautiful-like."
"Well, what's wrong with me lookin' like a lady once in a while?"
"You ain't no lady! Now c'mon, we got a lot of catchin' up ta do!"
"So how was it? The, ah, west an' all?" Jack threw a stone out across the river and watched it skip along the surface.
"It sure weren't New York, dat's for sure. It was all big, just a bunch a sand that went on for miles. But I dunno, I didn't like it, but my Pop sure did. He's got dees crazy ideas, ya know, like he wants to be a cowboy er some'in-" She caught herself suddenly, realizing what she had just said. "Not dat.dair's anythin' wrong with bein' a cowboy,.Cowboy."
"Listen, Grace, I gotta ask ya some'in." He took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his dirty hair. "Did, uh.did you ever care if I, uh.well, what ah'm tryin' ta say is dat, um.you nevah cared if I stayed or if I goed, did ya?"
"Oh, Kelley!" She slipped her hand in his and rested her head on his shoulder. "You always said you wanned ta be free. Who'm I ta stand in ya way?"
"I know, but.Listen, sweets, I gotta go. Are you stayin' at the boardin' house tonight?"
"Yeah, as far as I know, dat is if Pops'll let me."
"Poifect. C'mon, let's go." He helped her up and put his arm lovingly around her waist. Her return had changed everything, but how was he going to tell her that?