A tall, slender, brown haired boy of boy 16 walked briskly down the streets
of Brooklyn, towards the bridge. He was Spot Conlon, the leader of the
Manhattan Newsboys. The scowl on his face made it appear the he was in a
foul mood, which he was. Yesterday he had broken up with the girl he had
been seeing, not that it bothered him that much. The thing that was eating
him was the Bronx. It had gotten a new leader, and the new leader was
stirring up trouble with Brooklyn. In all things just weren't going Spot's
way lately.
"'Eya spot, hows it rollin'?" Someone called to him about half way across the Brooklyn Bridge. Spot looked up to see his best friend Jack. Jack was the leader of the Manhattan newsboys.
"Not so good Jacky boy" Spot admitted. The two boys had been friends since they were kids. They had grown up together in Brooklyn, and had become newsies when they were 8.
"The Bronx giving you trouble too?" Jack questioned. Spot nodded. "It's that damn new leader dey got, Spot said angrily, 'e thinks dat he controls all of new yawk"
"Yea" jack said, Ya know spot, dis is the foist time we've had any trouble wit da Bronx newsies since, he paused to think for a minute, well since Rawsie was 'ere."
Spot grunted thinking of the girl jack spoke of. Rawsin, or Rawsie as most people called her, was not the usual girl. She was a girl that he, Jack, and Kidblink, another Manhattan newsies, had known since they were kids.
"I wonder how she is, or were she is, Jack said bitterly, thinking of he had begged her to stay with them. He remembered how she had been kidnapped by the Bronx newsies during the last territory war. He could almost feel the anger he felt rip through him when the taunting note arrived from Ronder, the Bronx leader. He remember how Spot and himself prepared to murder her captors if she was harmed, and he remember how unfair it was, that they had to take her. He recalled how Spot had gathered every newsies that had loyalties in Brooklyn and Manhattan and was arranging a plan of attack in the Brooklyn Lodging House....
"Da foist thing is ta get Rawsie, we don't know what dey've done to her, so we'll have to be careful, Jack announced to the group, with a great deal of tension in his voice.
"yea den I'm gonna get me hands on Ronder and he wont know what's hit him, da bastard, taking a goil because he cant fight like a man, Spot rambled angrily, but da important think is ta get her back"
The rest of the boys murmured in agreement with their leaders, for they had all grown to love the girl throughout the years. She would come and go, breezing into town like she never left, never staying permanently, only for a few months or so. She often would joke that it was because she couldn't stand to stay around "dose loud mouthed newsies for too long," but no one really knew why she didn't stay. She had once told Jack that she was a wanderer, someone who is always searching for themselves, and never seeming to be able to find whatever it is that they're looking for. While the boys did miss her in her absences, they knew she would come back eventually.
"Just remember guys this is not about the Bronx, it's about her," Blink reiterated to the crowd.
The boys shouted their agreements; Jack stood up and shouted, "So lets go den!" Everyone was just standing up when a clear voice from the back of the room calmly said "danks for caring, but dat wont be necessary " About 70 or more pairs of eyes whipped around to stare at the speaker.
"Rawsin!" Spot exclaimed clearly startled, "how did you..." "I took care of dem already" she said smugly, making her way to the center of the room where Jack and Spot were sitting. She stumbled a bit, but managed to sit safely next to the two boys.
Jack took her hands in his own studying her. She had many large bruises visible, and a scratch or two, but otherwise looked fine. "You never cease to amaze me, Jack said, but how did you take on the Bronx newsies by yourself?"
"Well dey obviously underestimated the power of a goil. She grinned weakly, Last night dey were celebrating something so Ronder tied me up in 'is room and den when he and 'is cronie Count came back dey were drunk and thought dat dey could have a little fun wit me but..." "dos bastards!" Spot cried out "its ok Spot dey didn't get to do anything, she assured him and the other boys who were listening with rapt attention, he relaxed somewhat, So den dey tried to rip off clothes, but I was tied to a chair, so dey could do anything so Ronder left da room for a minute and Count untied me and I soaked him real bad, he was unconscious, and then when Ronder came back in a told him that Count had passed out, so he tried to use me too, but I kicked him real hard where it hurts and then punched him and he passed out, I don't know whether it was from da liquor or from da punch, den I climbed on the roof and then over to the next roof and went down the fire escape and began to walk back here, but I ran into da Delancy's on da bridge but I took care of den too."
They whole group was staring at her in awe. Just then a figure had entered the back of the room, the figure was a girl with a hat pulled low over her eyes, no one really noticed her except for Spot and Rawsin. The girl made her way over to Spot and whispered something to him, and then left quickly, bearly noticed by anyone. "I have just been told by a little bird dat Ronder and Count, the two leaders of da Bronx had to go to da hospital, due to head injuries."
"'Eya spot, hows it rollin'?" Someone called to him about half way across the Brooklyn Bridge. Spot looked up to see his best friend Jack. Jack was the leader of the Manhattan newsboys.
"Not so good Jacky boy" Spot admitted. The two boys had been friends since they were kids. They had grown up together in Brooklyn, and had become newsies when they were 8.
"The Bronx giving you trouble too?" Jack questioned. Spot nodded. "It's that damn new leader dey got, Spot said angrily, 'e thinks dat he controls all of new yawk"
"Yea" jack said, Ya know spot, dis is the foist time we've had any trouble wit da Bronx newsies since, he paused to think for a minute, well since Rawsie was 'ere."
Spot grunted thinking of the girl jack spoke of. Rawsin, or Rawsie as most people called her, was not the usual girl. She was a girl that he, Jack, and Kidblink, another Manhattan newsies, had known since they were kids.
"I wonder how she is, or were she is, Jack said bitterly, thinking of he had begged her to stay with them. He remembered how she had been kidnapped by the Bronx newsies during the last territory war. He could almost feel the anger he felt rip through him when the taunting note arrived from Ronder, the Bronx leader. He remember how Spot and himself prepared to murder her captors if she was harmed, and he remember how unfair it was, that they had to take her. He recalled how Spot had gathered every newsies that had loyalties in Brooklyn and Manhattan and was arranging a plan of attack in the Brooklyn Lodging House....
"Da foist thing is ta get Rawsie, we don't know what dey've done to her, so we'll have to be careful, Jack announced to the group, with a great deal of tension in his voice.
"yea den I'm gonna get me hands on Ronder and he wont know what's hit him, da bastard, taking a goil because he cant fight like a man, Spot rambled angrily, but da important think is ta get her back"
The rest of the boys murmured in agreement with their leaders, for they had all grown to love the girl throughout the years. She would come and go, breezing into town like she never left, never staying permanently, only for a few months or so. She often would joke that it was because she couldn't stand to stay around "dose loud mouthed newsies for too long," but no one really knew why she didn't stay. She had once told Jack that she was a wanderer, someone who is always searching for themselves, and never seeming to be able to find whatever it is that they're looking for. While the boys did miss her in her absences, they knew she would come back eventually.
"Just remember guys this is not about the Bronx, it's about her," Blink reiterated to the crowd.
The boys shouted their agreements; Jack stood up and shouted, "So lets go den!" Everyone was just standing up when a clear voice from the back of the room calmly said "danks for caring, but dat wont be necessary " About 70 or more pairs of eyes whipped around to stare at the speaker.
"Rawsin!" Spot exclaimed clearly startled, "how did you..." "I took care of dem already" she said smugly, making her way to the center of the room where Jack and Spot were sitting. She stumbled a bit, but managed to sit safely next to the two boys.
Jack took her hands in his own studying her. She had many large bruises visible, and a scratch or two, but otherwise looked fine. "You never cease to amaze me, Jack said, but how did you take on the Bronx newsies by yourself?"
"Well dey obviously underestimated the power of a goil. She grinned weakly, Last night dey were celebrating something so Ronder tied me up in 'is room and den when he and 'is cronie Count came back dey were drunk and thought dat dey could have a little fun wit me but..." "dos bastards!" Spot cried out "its ok Spot dey didn't get to do anything, she assured him and the other boys who were listening with rapt attention, he relaxed somewhat, So den dey tried to rip off clothes, but I was tied to a chair, so dey could do anything so Ronder left da room for a minute and Count untied me and I soaked him real bad, he was unconscious, and then when Ronder came back in a told him that Count had passed out, so he tried to use me too, but I kicked him real hard where it hurts and then punched him and he passed out, I don't know whether it was from da liquor or from da punch, den I climbed on the roof and then over to the next roof and went down the fire escape and began to walk back here, but I ran into da Delancy's on da bridge but I took care of den too."
They whole group was staring at her in awe. Just then a figure had entered the back of the room, the figure was a girl with a hat pulled low over her eyes, no one really noticed her except for Spot and Rawsin. The girl made her way over to Spot and whispered something to him, and then left quickly, bearly noticed by anyone. "I have just been told by a little bird dat Ronder and Count, the two leaders of da Bronx had to go to da hospital, due to head injuries."