I straightened my blouse and skirt, pulled my coat a little tighter around myself, and continued on my way to Tibby's. I might have stopped to look at the scenery again, but my mind was full of thoughts.
My cheeks were flushed, but not from the bite of winter air. What horrible thing had just happened to me? All at once it seemed like everything I had known about myself had just been brutally disproven, and I refused to believe it. "It must have been how scary she was," I said to myself. "It was just the.. the excitement of the moment, that's it! And really, I'm just the sort of girl who'd want to teach a man-- and certainly that is what she looked like, no self-respecting woman would dress
like that-- with such a cold heart to love again, so of course I'd be attracted to such a surly, dirty, completely masculine girl."
I felt justified then, and I picked up my pace and trotted along to Tibby's. After all, I had a job to do, despite what that girl had said, and looking after the fledgling Newsies was just as important as selling papers themselves. I put that girl right out of my mind and instead, I thought of Jack, and his wholesome good looks and gentle, cute little-boy smile, and what a good man he was, and how nice it was that he and Davey got along so well. I giggled, thinking that between David's selling papers and the occasional night when he stayed out too late and had to spend the night at the Lodging House, Jack spent more of his day with his best-pal-Davey than with me. I suppose I might have been jealous, but it was so nice for David to have such a close friend. Besides, Jack loved me. I knew he did.
I smiled as I approached the little cafe; even from outside I could see all the kids inside, laughing and eating and drinking. Lots of these children had been poor and overworked before the strike, and probably would never have had the time to come here, let alone break bread and just play with other kids. It was heartwarming to see them so carefree and happy.
I stepped in and searched for Jack and David in the bustling crowd, but I didn't see them among the Newsboys half of the room. Spot, one of the Brooklyn newsies I didn't know, and Racetrack were sitting around one of the tables, playing Poker and calling Race on his various tricks and cheats, so it seemed like everything was in order on that end. The rest of the room was divided up among the messengers, stable boys, shoeshiners, sweatshop kids, and God knows what else. I came over to Spot's -- the Brooklyn Newsies' representative -- table.
"Hi, Spot," I said.
"'Ey, skoit." He didn't look up from his cards. "Full house, Race. Pay up."
Racetrack's mouth curved up in a smug little smile. "Not so fast theah, your Majesty-- I believe that my superiah luck and Poker-playing skills have benefitted me once more." He laid down his cards. "Royal flush, oh King of the fine territory that is Brooklyn."
Spot hopped up and glared at Race's hand. "..... Roll up ya sleeves, Race, or I sweah ta Gawd..." He snapped his fingers.
The Brooklyn Newsie, whose name I later learned was Switch, stood up to his full 5-foot-10 and placed himself squarely behind Race. The poor boy was now trapped between Spot Conlon and a boy named after a knife. He rolled up his sleeves, and three cards fell out of them.
Spot glared at Race and collected his winnings. And Race's. "Don't try ta make a fool outta Brooklyn, Racetrack," Switch said. "It's not good for ya health."
Race picked up his cards and shuffled off to swindle some of the other Newsies. When he passed me, he smiled. "Jack an' Davey's on their way, they had to take care of some stuff at the lodgin' house."
I nodded. "Thanks, Race. Sorry about your loss, there.."
Race shrugged, leaned forward, and whispered conspiratorially. "I'd be more upset, but I swiped forty cents outta that big guy's pocket. Didn't notice a damn thing."
I wasn't sure what to say to that; I didn't approve of him stealing, but that's Racetrack for you. "Uh... congratulations?"
"Thanks!" he beamed. "Wanna come sit wit' me an' the guys 'til Jack an' David get heah?"
I nodded to him, and followed him to the far end of the room. A crowd had gathered around one of the back corner booths, and by the time Race and I made our way to the front of it, they were chanting "Go! Go! Go!". When we made it to where we could see what was going on, Race started taking bets and my heart dropped into my shoes.
An arm wrestling contest.
Mush sat in one of the seats, sleeves rolled up, straining to pin the hand of the very same girl I had run into on the way here! His cheeks were flushing pink and he was biting his lip against the strain. It looked like an even match, but I wasn't paying attention to that. She had lost her dirty coat and hat, and now I could see so much more of her body.. Her clothes were still stained in places with that black soot, but her skin and hair were a little cleaner. Her whole body was ropy and lean and cut, and as she strained against Mush's beefy arm I could see the muscles in her arm flex. Her eyes-- they were glass-green, I saw now-- stayed directly forward, staring Mush down even as her thin lips pulled back in a snarling canine grin. Her wispy blonde ponytail hung around her shoulderblades.
I realized that I was staring when Mush's hand finally hit the table, and the roar of the crowd made me tear my eyes away from the curves of her chest.
"Oy, Sarah!" I turned, relieved and somehow, in the back of my mind, irritated that Jack was here, David a half-step behind him. He gave me a quick hug. "What's goin' on here?" he asked, motioning to the huge crowd.
"Mush jus' got beat by a GOIL!" Blink howled. "Didja see it, Jack? He got beat by a goil, in a ARM WRESTLIN' contest!"
"What?!" Jack laughed. "What goil? Medda?"
The crowd of newsies moved away to let Jack see. Mush was rubbing his arm-- she was too, I noticed-- and looking like he couldn't decide whether to grin or to scowl at her. "Naw, naw, one a' the coal miners from upstate, she's heah for the meetin'," he said.
"I got a name, you know," she said. She nodded towards Jack. "Who's dis schmuck?"
"Dat's Jack Kelly, our leader!" Mush said proudly. "He's the guy who thought up this whole thing. He's prolly the most famous newsie in New Yawk, 'cep fa Spot maybe, but they's chums so it's okay."
"It was David's idea, Mush. He's done a lot fa this cause," Jack said. "Don't forget 'im." I giggled when David's ears turned pink. "Anyway," said Jack, "yeah, I'm Jack Kelley and me an' Davey run things around here. The coal miners never sent nobody here before. What's your name and whaddya need?"
"Everybody calls me Cody," she said. She cleared her throat. "I'm heah ta represent da Youth Coal Digger's union... They was gonna send Boss Sharpe, but his shaft fell in on 'im an' they didn't botha tryin'a dig 'im out, so dey sends me instead. I'm sure youse thrilled." She offered her hand, and Jack took it.
Mush's big brown eyes widened. "That poor guy!"
David frowned. "The mine shaft collapsed on your boss? His poor family.."
She smiled at Mush, but looked down. "Nah, nah, we- I mean, he didn't have no kids or folks or nothin... He was only what, eighteen? We's called 'im Boss 'cause he sorta ran things undaground, but da real head honchos don't go down da mines.. Dat's what I wanna tawk to youse about. There's a lotta kids gettin' seriously hoit an even killed down in dose mines, sometimes real little ones, an' dey got us by the tails.. They's down there all day, breathin' coal dust and swingin' picks an' gettin' sick, but they can't leave 'cause their families gotta eat.. the ones that's got families, anyways... we tried ta organize but they threatened ta fire all the parents that work in the fact'ries who gots kids in the mines. We can't do it alone.. so we thought we'd see if the famous Newsies Strikers might know how to help.."
Jack looked at David, and David looked at Jack. "We'll help," they said in unison. They make such a great team!
"So how long do ya have to be stayin' to discuss this matter of business?" Jack asked.
Cody gave him an apologetic smile. "I got today an' tomorrow, dey only gave me two days ta 'mourn' fa Boss.."
Mush got up from the table to give them room and to tell Blink all about the arm wrestling match as if he hadn't been there to see it. As the three of them sat down to discuss the details of the Coal Miner's plight and address them at the meeting, I stepped aside and let myself really look at her. Part of me wanted to be furious with the supervisors at the mines for only letting her have two days to mourn someone she was so obviously close to, and not even retrieve his body from the mine. But, admittedly, guiltily, part of me was so happy that I would see her again tomorrow.
