Lodging House Surprises
Chapter 1 Meet the Newsies
It was a normal chaotic Monday morning for the Manhattan Newsies, already turning into a hot July day. The boys waited in line patiently to get their papes, goofing off cheerfully.
"I sure will be glad when 'dis heat wave is ovah," Kid Blink said, fanning himself with his cap. His dirty blond hair stuck was sticking to his forehead from the sweat. With his free hand, he wiped off the sweat that was forming under his eye patch.
His best friend, Mush Myers, nodded and stuck his hands in his pockets, trying to forget about the heat. "I hardly feels like woikin when it's like 'dis."
Blink agreed. "I barely gots enough money ta buy me papes dis mornin, let alone eat latah."
Racetrack overheard their conversation. "Ya know, fellas.if ya need some money, I could lend ya," he said, shrugging modestly. Racetrack, though a well-known gambler, was secretly very generous with his money. He'd do anything for a buddy.
Mush put his hand on his shoulder. "Thanks, Race.I think we'll be ok for taday though, don't you Kid?"
He nodded. "Thanks for da offa, though."
Jack Kelly, who had been first in line as usual and already had bought his normal hundred papers, strolled up to them casually. "Heya fellas," he greeted them, looking like the heat didn't bother him. Everyone admired and respected Jack. He was a tough guy. The heat probably didn't even dare to get to him.
"Hiya Cowboy," Racetrack said. "How's da headlines?"
Jack shook his head. "Gonna hafta do some real actin today, Race." Not that this would be hard for the Newsies. Ninety-nine percent of their work was acting.
Mush sighed. "News sure is slow."
Jack nodded. "Hey, any of you'se know dat fella back dere?" he asked, tilting his head towards the back of the line.
They peered in that direction and saw a very slender boy, about their age. He was wearing a black cap and appeared to be all bundled up, despite the warm conditions.
Kid shrugged. "Must be crazy, though! Wearing a heavy jacket like dat?"
"Yeah, nevah saw him before," Mush agreed. He squinted at the boy. "He looks kinda scrawny, maybe he's sickly or somepin'."
"I guess I'll go introduce meself," Jack shrugged. He walked to the back of the line. "Hi," he said, sticking his hand out to the newcomer. "Name's Jack Kelly."
The kid looked at him strangely. "Hi," he took Jack's hand. "I'se, uh, Oliver. Oliver Allegretti."
"So, ah.ya new round dese parts?" Jack asked.
Oliver nodded. "Ya wouldn't happen ta know a place I could stay?"
"As a matta of fact, I live wit a bunch a udda guys in a Newsie lodgin house. It's only bout a block away.once ya get ya papes we could show ya," Jack said, taking on the role of Newsie Mother that was very familiar to him. As the unsaid leader of the Manhattan Newsies, Jack took care of his "wards" and kept an eye on them.
Oliver nodded with uncertainty. "Alright."
Soon Kid Blink, Mush, and Racetrack joined them. They all were introduced.
"So, ya wanna sell with Blink and me taday, Oliver?" Mush offered.
Oliver looked at them strangely. "Why?"
"Well we Newsies always sell in groups.dat way if one of us gets in trouble, we gots back up," Mush explained.
"Oh.ok," Oliver replied, shifting uneasily. Soon he got his papers and he, Mush, and Blink were off to check Oliver into the boarding house. Once that was settled, they all went off selling.
"Where we goin, fellas?" Oliver asked them.
Blink shrugged. "Wherever we want ta. We gots the whole city."
Mush grinned. "Ain't it a fine life, Oliver?"
Jack and Racetrack had gone selling near where their friends, the Jacobs, lived. David and Les Jacobs used to be Newsies, but since their father's injury healed, they had to go back to school. Sarah, however, didn't go to school any more. Sarah was a year younger than David and about six years older than Les. Jack had liked Sarah since the moment he first laid eyes on her. He liked to daydream about her, which was what he was doing as they walked towards the Jacobs's apartment building.
"So whaddaya think'a this Oliver?" Racetrack asked him.
Jack got out of his daydream quickly. "Seems nice enough."
Race nodded. "I think Mush was right though, seems sickly."
"Why's dat?" Jack asked him.
"Cuz when I shook da guy's hand, he barely had any grip at all. Seemed kinda weak," Racetrack shrugged.
Jack nodded. "Yeah, I thought so too. And skinny...and, I dunno, but somethin's the matta wit dat kid."
"Yeah," Racetrack nodded. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something was different about Oliver. He didn't feel like thinking about it though. "Hey, ain't dat Sarah ovah dere?" he pointed his stack of papes towards the stoop of an apartment building. Sarah was folding laundry, looking lovely as usual.
Jack smiled, ready to put on his normal charm. "Yeah.it sure is."
"So, Oliver.where ya from, huh?" Kid asked after selling his last pape.
"Uh.actually, I'm from all ova da place.but I spent most of my time all ova New York City," Oliver replied. "Me mudda died when I was just a little kid, and I ran away from me fadda a few years ago."
"Why?" Mush asked. He had finished selling his papes a long time ago, and was now helping Oliver with a few of his.
Oliver looked up. "He hated me. He used ta get drunk every night and hit me. I hated dat bastard!"
Kid nodded. "Well you'se safe wit us," he said, putting his hand on his shoulder.
Oliver smiled. "It's almost 2:00, shouldn't we be eatin soon?" he said, looking at the huge clock on a nearby bank.
Mush shrugged. "I ain't gots enough money to buy me lunch taday."
Blink shook his head sadly. "Me eithah."
Oliver sighed. "I'll pay for it. You'se guys been such a big help ta me taday..."
"You gots enough money for dat?" Mush asked with surprise.
He nodded. "I been savin up for me big move back ta Manhattan for a long time."
"What'd ya do before ya came heah?" Kid asked him.
"Well, before I was livin in Yonkas, woikin as a newsie dere too," Oliver replied. "But there's a lot less money to be made in Yonkas, and me fadda lived sorta near there. I liked it, but I had ta get out. I didn't wanna spend all me days bein afraid dat I would bump inta him."
"Oh," Kid said in understanding. "Heya, ain't there a lotta goil Newsies in Yonkas?"
"Uh.I s'pose so," Oliver replied.
Mush grinned. "Wish some of dem goil Newsies would come heah."
Kid nodded. "Dere ain't hardly any goil Newsies in dese parts, at least none dat don't go to school in da mornins. I wondah why?"
Oliver shrugged. "Maybe dere ain't no places for dem ta live round heah."
"I guess dat could be it," Kid agreed. "I bet you'll miss em, dough."
"I s'pose so," Oliver rolled his eyes.
Chapter 1 Meet the Newsies
It was a normal chaotic Monday morning for the Manhattan Newsies, already turning into a hot July day. The boys waited in line patiently to get their papes, goofing off cheerfully.
"I sure will be glad when 'dis heat wave is ovah," Kid Blink said, fanning himself with his cap. His dirty blond hair stuck was sticking to his forehead from the sweat. With his free hand, he wiped off the sweat that was forming under his eye patch.
His best friend, Mush Myers, nodded and stuck his hands in his pockets, trying to forget about the heat. "I hardly feels like woikin when it's like 'dis."
Blink agreed. "I barely gots enough money ta buy me papes dis mornin, let alone eat latah."
Racetrack overheard their conversation. "Ya know, fellas.if ya need some money, I could lend ya," he said, shrugging modestly. Racetrack, though a well-known gambler, was secretly very generous with his money. He'd do anything for a buddy.
Mush put his hand on his shoulder. "Thanks, Race.I think we'll be ok for taday though, don't you Kid?"
He nodded. "Thanks for da offa, though."
Jack Kelly, who had been first in line as usual and already had bought his normal hundred papers, strolled up to them casually. "Heya fellas," he greeted them, looking like the heat didn't bother him. Everyone admired and respected Jack. He was a tough guy. The heat probably didn't even dare to get to him.
"Hiya Cowboy," Racetrack said. "How's da headlines?"
Jack shook his head. "Gonna hafta do some real actin today, Race." Not that this would be hard for the Newsies. Ninety-nine percent of their work was acting.
Mush sighed. "News sure is slow."
Jack nodded. "Hey, any of you'se know dat fella back dere?" he asked, tilting his head towards the back of the line.
They peered in that direction and saw a very slender boy, about their age. He was wearing a black cap and appeared to be all bundled up, despite the warm conditions.
Kid shrugged. "Must be crazy, though! Wearing a heavy jacket like dat?"
"Yeah, nevah saw him before," Mush agreed. He squinted at the boy. "He looks kinda scrawny, maybe he's sickly or somepin'."
"I guess I'll go introduce meself," Jack shrugged. He walked to the back of the line. "Hi," he said, sticking his hand out to the newcomer. "Name's Jack Kelly."
The kid looked at him strangely. "Hi," he took Jack's hand. "I'se, uh, Oliver. Oliver Allegretti."
"So, ah.ya new round dese parts?" Jack asked.
Oliver nodded. "Ya wouldn't happen ta know a place I could stay?"
"As a matta of fact, I live wit a bunch a udda guys in a Newsie lodgin house. It's only bout a block away.once ya get ya papes we could show ya," Jack said, taking on the role of Newsie Mother that was very familiar to him. As the unsaid leader of the Manhattan Newsies, Jack took care of his "wards" and kept an eye on them.
Oliver nodded with uncertainty. "Alright."
Soon Kid Blink, Mush, and Racetrack joined them. They all were introduced.
"So, ya wanna sell with Blink and me taday, Oliver?" Mush offered.
Oliver looked at them strangely. "Why?"
"Well we Newsies always sell in groups.dat way if one of us gets in trouble, we gots back up," Mush explained.
"Oh.ok," Oliver replied, shifting uneasily. Soon he got his papers and he, Mush, and Blink were off to check Oliver into the boarding house. Once that was settled, they all went off selling.
"Where we goin, fellas?" Oliver asked them.
Blink shrugged. "Wherever we want ta. We gots the whole city."
Mush grinned. "Ain't it a fine life, Oliver?"
Jack and Racetrack had gone selling near where their friends, the Jacobs, lived. David and Les Jacobs used to be Newsies, but since their father's injury healed, they had to go back to school. Sarah, however, didn't go to school any more. Sarah was a year younger than David and about six years older than Les. Jack had liked Sarah since the moment he first laid eyes on her. He liked to daydream about her, which was what he was doing as they walked towards the Jacobs's apartment building.
"So whaddaya think'a this Oliver?" Racetrack asked him.
Jack got out of his daydream quickly. "Seems nice enough."
Race nodded. "I think Mush was right though, seems sickly."
"Why's dat?" Jack asked him.
"Cuz when I shook da guy's hand, he barely had any grip at all. Seemed kinda weak," Racetrack shrugged.
Jack nodded. "Yeah, I thought so too. And skinny...and, I dunno, but somethin's the matta wit dat kid."
"Yeah," Racetrack nodded. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something was different about Oliver. He didn't feel like thinking about it though. "Hey, ain't dat Sarah ovah dere?" he pointed his stack of papes towards the stoop of an apartment building. Sarah was folding laundry, looking lovely as usual.
Jack smiled, ready to put on his normal charm. "Yeah.it sure is."
"So, Oliver.where ya from, huh?" Kid asked after selling his last pape.
"Uh.actually, I'm from all ova da place.but I spent most of my time all ova New York City," Oliver replied. "Me mudda died when I was just a little kid, and I ran away from me fadda a few years ago."
"Why?" Mush asked. He had finished selling his papes a long time ago, and was now helping Oliver with a few of his.
Oliver looked up. "He hated me. He used ta get drunk every night and hit me. I hated dat bastard!"
Kid nodded. "Well you'se safe wit us," he said, putting his hand on his shoulder.
Oliver smiled. "It's almost 2:00, shouldn't we be eatin soon?" he said, looking at the huge clock on a nearby bank.
Mush shrugged. "I ain't gots enough money to buy me lunch taday."
Blink shook his head sadly. "Me eithah."
Oliver sighed. "I'll pay for it. You'se guys been such a big help ta me taday..."
"You gots enough money for dat?" Mush asked with surprise.
He nodded. "I been savin up for me big move back ta Manhattan for a long time."
"What'd ya do before ya came heah?" Kid asked him.
"Well, before I was livin in Yonkas, woikin as a newsie dere too," Oliver replied. "But there's a lot less money to be made in Yonkas, and me fadda lived sorta near there. I liked it, but I had ta get out. I didn't wanna spend all me days bein afraid dat I would bump inta him."
"Oh," Kid said in understanding. "Heya, ain't there a lotta goil Newsies in Yonkas?"
"Uh.I s'pose so," Oliver replied.
Mush grinned. "Wish some of dem goil Newsies would come heah."
Kid nodded. "Dere ain't hardly any goil Newsies in dese parts, at least none dat don't go to school in da mornins. I wondah why?"
Oliver shrugged. "Maybe dere ain't no places for dem ta live round heah."
"I guess dat could be it," Kid agreed. "I bet you'll miss em, dough."
"I s'pose so," Oliver rolled his eyes.