The way jack saw it was, it made no difference to pagan if she went around the city alone or with a whole bunch of them. Pagan's a floatah, he thought, as they went around manhattan selling papes. She got along well with any old group- sometimes bummin' around with racetrack and skittery, sometimes sustaining long conversations with david, and he heard that she sometimes went to Brooklyn to see spot as well, although she never mentioned the nature of that relationship and jack wouldn't dare bring it up with either of them. She liked to be all over and she didn't go around playing favorites or nuttin' like that. A damn good woikah if theah evah was one, he added to himself. She sold papers like a hurricane, sometimes she would disappear from his side and reappear like she never left. Jack had always respected that in pagan, and moreover the fact that she didn't gain her newsie skills from him.
She knew a lot of things about skittery, and seemed to genuinely like being around him even if he always went around being glum. Jack could only get so much of the guy, even if he was his friend. Just that skittery was always too...heavy for him. Too jaded. Pagan didn't seem to mind.
But what did jack or any of the others know of her? They didn't find her in no alley, that was for sure. She just...sort of happened.
Jack checked to see if she was at his side, and wasn't surprised when he didn't see her there. But, seeing where he was heading to, didn't find this strange.
Church. that was one fact the newsies knew about her, as far as he was concerned. She never went. She never wanted to hear the word, she never wanted to be near them. Hence, the nickname.
" well, what are you, an atheist?" david asked her once.
To which pagan said, " just because I don't go to church doesn't mean I am."
David had remarked that he's been surprised she even knew what the word "atheist" meant.
Smart like davy, jack though to himself as he absently handed a pape to a man just stepping out of church.
He shook his head to himself, as a thought occurred to him. Selling with pagan was great because they covered so much territory in half the time, and...? And what else? What else, cowboy? He thought, trying to bully himself into some kind of acceptable answer.
Before the obvious could hit him over the head, pagan smacked him on the arm, falling into step with him. David was with her. He and jack exchanged knowing smiles over pagan's head. David saw the church too, and decided to go along with pagan to the other side.
David had to admit, at first he didn't feel comfortable with pagan. He didn't know her that well- she was really more of racetrack and jack's friend. However, he found her to be...well, smarter than the other fellows. She was somebody david didn't have to keep introducing things to. He could talk to her about books- actual ones, not the ones bought at a five and dime; and she would never miss a beat. She wasn't any slouch when it came to literature and things like that, even if she did talk like the rest of the lodging house newsies. She held her own, even if most of the time, they disagreed. Insight, david thought. That's what she has. He had to admire that.
When most of their papes were sold, they stopped for a bit to rest. They realized they haven't talked much during the day, even if they did agree to sell together. Lost in our own thoughts, david thought.
" okay, you guys, " pagan finally spoke up, breaking the silence. "you haven't spoken a woid all day." Except to shout out headlines, neither one of them said much during the day. It wasn't an uncomfortable or awkward kind of silence, it was more of a heavy, "I'm thinkin'" kind of silence.
Jack and david looked back at her apologetically. " yeah," david said. " we have been a bit spaced out, haven't we?"
Pagan nodded, as if understanding the whole thing without having anything explained to her. Why does she do that? David didn't know it, but jack was asking himself the same question.
When all papes were gone, they went to irving hall to see medda. Pagan didn't really like the lady, especially that perfume she wore, but she went because she liked the darkness of the theatre. And some of medda's acts were pretty good too.
On the way, she and david were arguing good naturedly about "Dracula". He found it disturbing but she had argued that Dracula was just a soldier whose heart was broken. When david and pagan started talking like that, it was usual for jack to have a hard time keeping up in the conversation. except for a few wisecracks in between, he said little. those two couldn't help bein' so smart, jack observed. Rather than feeling like a dope, jack felt the opposite. By listening he actually learned a lot and it fascinated him that discussion produced such excitement for david and pagan.
" it's a metaphaw, david," pagan said, stressing her point. "I'm sahprized yah even missed seein' dat!"
metaphor. It was scary the way pagan threw around words like that. Jack vaguely knew what it meant, but it wasn't a word he of used in his daily vocabulary.
"ah-hah?" david scoffed. " you're weird, pagan. really weird."
When they started for home, it was after dark already. David and pagan left irving hall still talking, but they weren't arguing. They were raving madly about the musicians medda had auditioned that day. A young Indian girl named Cynthia blue cloud. David had been ecstatic and pagan walked as if still hearing the music in her head.
Jack and pagan didn't go straightaway home though. They decided to take the long way home around the city. Even though she was tired, pagan jumped at the opportunity to spend some time alone with jack. it was getting cold anyway, so a walk would be good.
" you didn't think Cynthia was pretty?" she asked him, rubbing her hands together for warmth.
Jack shrugged." She is, but she's more of david's style."
"really?' pagan said. " I thought she was beautiful. Like she could do magic. maybe she's a shaman."
" what, like a witch doctah?" jack asked.
" sortah," pagan said. Pagan was glad jack didn't seem to find cynthia pretty. At least I don't gotta to be jealous of her, she added to herself. She shivered.
Jack glanced at her." Hey," he said. "you cold?"
"not really," she said, trying not to shiver or show any weakness, but it was really getting cold.
"c'mon then," jack said. Breathing into his palms, jack rubbed them together and then placed both his hands on either side of pagan's face. His fingers covered her ears in his attempt to warm her. She looked into his eyes, and jack smiled back at her. Once more, pagan shivered, but not from the cold.
She knew a lot of things about skittery, and seemed to genuinely like being around him even if he always went around being glum. Jack could only get so much of the guy, even if he was his friend. Just that skittery was always too...heavy for him. Too jaded. Pagan didn't seem to mind.
But what did jack or any of the others know of her? They didn't find her in no alley, that was for sure. She just...sort of happened.
Jack checked to see if she was at his side, and wasn't surprised when he didn't see her there. But, seeing where he was heading to, didn't find this strange.
Church. that was one fact the newsies knew about her, as far as he was concerned. She never went. She never wanted to hear the word, she never wanted to be near them. Hence, the nickname.
" well, what are you, an atheist?" david asked her once.
To which pagan said, " just because I don't go to church doesn't mean I am."
David had remarked that he's been surprised she even knew what the word "atheist" meant.
Smart like davy, jack though to himself as he absently handed a pape to a man just stepping out of church.
He shook his head to himself, as a thought occurred to him. Selling with pagan was great because they covered so much territory in half the time, and...? And what else? What else, cowboy? He thought, trying to bully himself into some kind of acceptable answer.
Before the obvious could hit him over the head, pagan smacked him on the arm, falling into step with him. David was with her. He and jack exchanged knowing smiles over pagan's head. David saw the church too, and decided to go along with pagan to the other side.
David had to admit, at first he didn't feel comfortable with pagan. He didn't know her that well- she was really more of racetrack and jack's friend. However, he found her to be...well, smarter than the other fellows. She was somebody david didn't have to keep introducing things to. He could talk to her about books- actual ones, not the ones bought at a five and dime; and she would never miss a beat. She wasn't any slouch when it came to literature and things like that, even if she did talk like the rest of the lodging house newsies. She held her own, even if most of the time, they disagreed. Insight, david thought. That's what she has. He had to admire that.
When most of their papes were sold, they stopped for a bit to rest. They realized they haven't talked much during the day, even if they did agree to sell together. Lost in our own thoughts, david thought.
" okay, you guys, " pagan finally spoke up, breaking the silence. "you haven't spoken a woid all day." Except to shout out headlines, neither one of them said much during the day. It wasn't an uncomfortable or awkward kind of silence, it was more of a heavy, "I'm thinkin'" kind of silence.
Jack and david looked back at her apologetically. " yeah," david said. " we have been a bit spaced out, haven't we?"
Pagan nodded, as if understanding the whole thing without having anything explained to her. Why does she do that? David didn't know it, but jack was asking himself the same question.
When all papes were gone, they went to irving hall to see medda. Pagan didn't really like the lady, especially that perfume she wore, but she went because she liked the darkness of the theatre. And some of medda's acts were pretty good too.
On the way, she and david were arguing good naturedly about "Dracula". He found it disturbing but she had argued that Dracula was just a soldier whose heart was broken. When david and pagan started talking like that, it was usual for jack to have a hard time keeping up in the conversation. except for a few wisecracks in between, he said little. those two couldn't help bein' so smart, jack observed. Rather than feeling like a dope, jack felt the opposite. By listening he actually learned a lot and it fascinated him that discussion produced such excitement for david and pagan.
" it's a metaphaw, david," pagan said, stressing her point. "I'm sahprized yah even missed seein' dat!"
metaphor. It was scary the way pagan threw around words like that. Jack vaguely knew what it meant, but it wasn't a word he of used in his daily vocabulary.
"ah-hah?" david scoffed. " you're weird, pagan. really weird."
When they started for home, it was after dark already. David and pagan left irving hall still talking, but they weren't arguing. They were raving madly about the musicians medda had auditioned that day. A young Indian girl named Cynthia blue cloud. David had been ecstatic and pagan walked as if still hearing the music in her head.
Jack and pagan didn't go straightaway home though. They decided to take the long way home around the city. Even though she was tired, pagan jumped at the opportunity to spend some time alone with jack. it was getting cold anyway, so a walk would be good.
" you didn't think Cynthia was pretty?" she asked him, rubbing her hands together for warmth.
Jack shrugged." She is, but she's more of david's style."
"really?' pagan said. " I thought she was beautiful. Like she could do magic. maybe she's a shaman."
" what, like a witch doctah?" jack asked.
" sortah," pagan said. Pagan was glad jack didn't seem to find cynthia pretty. At least I don't gotta to be jealous of her, she added to herself. She shivered.
Jack glanced at her." Hey," he said. "you cold?"
"not really," she said, trying not to shiver or show any weakness, but it was really getting cold.
"c'mon then," jack said. Breathing into his palms, jack rubbed them together and then placed both his hands on either side of pagan's face. His fingers covered her ears in his attempt to warm her. She looked into his eyes, and jack smiled back at her. Once more, pagan shivered, but not from the cold.