Race waited for what seemed like eternity for the boys to stampede over
one another up the stairs and into the bunk room. Mush, the first one
through the worn out, wooden door that creaked as he joyfully swung it open
stopped immediately, causing a domino effect like back-up and a few nasty
words that I care not to say.
"Hey, fellas!" Mush yelled. "There's a goil!"
After a lot of pushing and commotion the large group of the Manhattan newsies had crowded around Race's bed and were all yammering with excitement. Jack, who was the leader of the Manhattan newsies, asked Race, "Whatser name?" The other boys nodded and quieted down enough at least for race to be heard.
"Her name's Gale. She's unconscious as yous can see, and yous is gunna havta keep it down around her."
The boys scowled but quickly stopped pouting long enough to ask a few more questions. "How old is she?"
"Looks about fourteen or fitteen, like most of us."
"Where'd she come from?"
"Dunno, don even think she really knows where she is."
"She yous' goil?"
"No, wouldn't mind it though."
"She livin anywhere?"
"Don't think so, when I found her she was just lyin' in da road. Thought we was on da frontier!"
"Ya know Kloppman aint gunna let 'er stay. No goils allowed."
"Ah, shut up Blink. Kloppman'll say its fine. One goil aint gunna be a big deal."
Race straightened up slowly and shooed the boys away so that he could go on taking care of Gale diligently.
"Boys!" an old but strong voice called from downstairs. "Come on down for dinner!"
As the boys all clambered downstairs to eat Race pulled one of the smaller boys aside. 'Hey, Ise need yous to tell Kloppman dat I'm gunna skip dinna' tonight."
The boys innocent eyes widened and he said curiously, "Yous' gunna stay up here wid da broad?"
Race kindly slapped the brim of the boy's hat down onto his face and smiled. "Yeah, Ise is gunna stay up here wid da broad."
The boy grinned and tumbled out the door for dinner. Race returned to his seat sitting close to Gale and looked down at her. Her face was so peaceful; she looked as though she had never been so at rest in her life. He guessed she had a lot to worry about, her face held light forms of worry wrinkles and tiny indentations of previous times where her faced had been wincing in pain.
Race casually looked down at her arms that were lying limp at her side and gasped. They were covered in thick, dark, massive bruises. They looked so painful Race almost cried looking at them. They were like huge welts, wrapped around her arms that were fresh and showed a grotesque shade of coarse amethyst.
Race could only imagine that most of her body looked like this, and he didn't want to imagine how it got there. His fingers reached down and gently stroked one of the bruises but he quickly pulled his hand away when even through her peaceful trance her body convulsed in pain.
For some reason, he hoped with all his might that Gale wasn't living anywhere, that she needed a place to stay, and that she would choose the lodging house. He glanced at the pile of clothes Kloppy had placed aside after taking them off of Gale.
They were just like the ordinary clothes that the newsies would wear now, but there was something odd about them. They seemed different, like a different making of some sort. He swept the curiousness out of his mind quickly. It was probably something she had bought at some odd store, or made herself.
Race's eyes wandered down to meet Gale's tranquilly lidded ones. He smiled and cocked his head to the side in a content sort of way. Suddenly, he started, surprised.
The eyelids were opening. . . . . . . . . . . .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hope you liked that chapter and my secretive way of slipping in an enervated ambrosial cliff hanger! Harherharherharher! *pushes glasses up to nose* *snorts* PLEASE review, and, coughmakeitagoodonecough. *looks around innocently* What? Did I say something? I didn't say anything. You must be going crazy. : D I love ya all so much! You rock!!!
"Hey, fellas!" Mush yelled. "There's a goil!"
After a lot of pushing and commotion the large group of the Manhattan newsies had crowded around Race's bed and were all yammering with excitement. Jack, who was the leader of the Manhattan newsies, asked Race, "Whatser name?" The other boys nodded and quieted down enough at least for race to be heard.
"Her name's Gale. She's unconscious as yous can see, and yous is gunna havta keep it down around her."
The boys scowled but quickly stopped pouting long enough to ask a few more questions. "How old is she?"
"Looks about fourteen or fitteen, like most of us."
"Where'd she come from?"
"Dunno, don even think she really knows where she is."
"She yous' goil?"
"No, wouldn't mind it though."
"She livin anywhere?"
"Don't think so, when I found her she was just lyin' in da road. Thought we was on da frontier!"
"Ya know Kloppman aint gunna let 'er stay. No goils allowed."
"Ah, shut up Blink. Kloppman'll say its fine. One goil aint gunna be a big deal."
Race straightened up slowly and shooed the boys away so that he could go on taking care of Gale diligently.
"Boys!" an old but strong voice called from downstairs. "Come on down for dinner!"
As the boys all clambered downstairs to eat Race pulled one of the smaller boys aside. 'Hey, Ise need yous to tell Kloppman dat I'm gunna skip dinna' tonight."
The boys innocent eyes widened and he said curiously, "Yous' gunna stay up here wid da broad?"
Race kindly slapped the brim of the boy's hat down onto his face and smiled. "Yeah, Ise is gunna stay up here wid da broad."
The boy grinned and tumbled out the door for dinner. Race returned to his seat sitting close to Gale and looked down at her. Her face was so peaceful; she looked as though she had never been so at rest in her life. He guessed she had a lot to worry about, her face held light forms of worry wrinkles and tiny indentations of previous times where her faced had been wincing in pain.
Race casually looked down at her arms that were lying limp at her side and gasped. They were covered in thick, dark, massive bruises. They looked so painful Race almost cried looking at them. They were like huge welts, wrapped around her arms that were fresh and showed a grotesque shade of coarse amethyst.
Race could only imagine that most of her body looked like this, and he didn't want to imagine how it got there. His fingers reached down and gently stroked one of the bruises but he quickly pulled his hand away when even through her peaceful trance her body convulsed in pain.
For some reason, he hoped with all his might that Gale wasn't living anywhere, that she needed a place to stay, and that she would choose the lodging house. He glanced at the pile of clothes Kloppy had placed aside after taking them off of Gale.
They were just like the ordinary clothes that the newsies would wear now, but there was something odd about them. They seemed different, like a different making of some sort. He swept the curiousness out of his mind quickly. It was probably something she had bought at some odd store, or made herself.
Race's eyes wandered down to meet Gale's tranquilly lidded ones. He smiled and cocked his head to the side in a content sort of way. Suddenly, he started, surprised.
The eyelids were opening. . . . . . . . . . . .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hope you liked that chapter and my secretive way of slipping in an enervated ambrosial cliff hanger! Harherharherharher! *pushes glasses up to nose* *snorts* PLEASE review, and, coughmakeitagoodonecough. *looks around innocently* What? Did I say something? I didn't say anything. You must be going crazy. : D I love ya all so much! You rock!!!