It was late afternoon, the time that men would begin to rush for their homes from their jobs. Stopping for a paper from a newsie on the street corner. But today it would be difficult for there were fewer newsies on those corners. With the printers for the New York World and Journal on strike papers were hard to come by. Though it was late afternoon the few newsies who did sell had only gotten their regular number.
No one noticed the two figures heading toward the New York Sun's distribution office. The slighter one was a girl in pants instead of a skirt with her hair in braids. The second was a boy, around the same height as the girl, but not as slight, he had a cane in his hand and a slingshot in his back pocket. They walked in silence as they neared the building; the boy hanging back at the gate as the girl approached the window.
"Wes all out of papes…well hello there goilie, You come to eat the papes you didn't sell." The belligerent manager stated recognizing Kit from the morning.
"The name is Curly, and Ise hope youse like eating crow. Here is the money Ise owes you for the papes youse so generously spotted me this morning." Kit slapped the coins on the counter, there was considerably more than the 25 cents she owed him there, and in fact there was an entire dollar. "If youse count right youse see Ise sold all hundred of those papes, be for lunch even. Ise should have come by sooner, but Ise was detained."
The manager's jaw dropped, "You sold one hundred papes before lunch?" He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "How you do it?"
Kit couldn't resist winking at him as she replied, "A goil never reveals her secrets. Now if youse excuse Larry and me, wes got a pressing engagement in Brooklyn. Good day to you." And with that Kit picked up her money, minus what she owed, and her bundle turned on her heel and walked away. Spot waited for her to pass, tipping his hat to the manager, barely, and followed her down the street. When they were out of ear shot both burst out laughing.
"Youse see his face when youse dropped those coins? Ise thought he was gonna fall over when you said youse had finished before lunch."
Kit worked on catching her breath, "I know. Oh here is your dime back. I know he wouldn't have believed me if I hadn't had an entire dollar."
"No problem." As he pocketed the dime, Spot looked around, "So youse ready to go to Brooklyn?"
Kit instantly sobered, "Not really, you sure you want to do this? I can just find somewhere to sleep here in Manhattan."
Spot glanced at her as they walked. "Nah this is you best choice if youse want to work. Ise sure youse be safe. Just stick with me, and don't worry bout it." As he finished speaking a near by clock rang out the time, 7 chimes. "Kosei will lets youse sleep there if youse are only there a couple of days. Wes better hurry if wes want to get to Brooklyn before it's too late." Spot took Kit's bundle and they began to run for the bridge. Not caring about who they almost hit or what they almost got hit by.
While they raced Kit began to wonder why Spot was helping her? Didn't he dislike the idea of her working in Brooklyn? She was in a quandary, while she welcomed his help, as unexpected as it was, she wondered why exactly he was doing this. Part of her mind said to stay back, that trusting him would be risky but another, less sensitive part told her that she needed the money to survive and that the other options wouldn't be as open as this one was. She didn't notice they had left Manhattan till they were on the bridge.
"Well Kit better say goodbye now, Ise got a feeling that Jack ain't gonna let you come back any time soon." Kit didn't know whether to be happy or sad. She chose on indifferent as they entered Brooklyn.
As they entered Brooklyn two fairly young newsies, Jolly and Bait approached them.
"Ise thought youse was a Manhattan newsie?" Bait eyed Kit suspiciously.
"I was but I got kicked out cause I wanted to sell papes." Kit tried to give the best explanation with out giving a big long speech but Bait wouldn't let her.
"Why come here? Other papes sell in Manhattan don't they?"
"Yes other papes sell in Manhattan but I can't."
Bait turned and looked at questioningly at Spot, "Why does she have to come here? Can't she stay some where else?"
"Sorry Squirt she is staying with us."
"But why, if Cowboy kicked her out then she has to be trouble and Ise thought youse didn't trust trouble makers."
"Ise don't but Kit left cause she wanted to not cause Kelly kicked her out. Tonight she stays with us, but tomorrow she's gonna find a boarding house to stay at right Kit? Kit? Hey Kit wake up."
Kit was staring off into space when Spot turned to her. Her mind was about 3000 miles away. "Huh? Sorry I was think about something, what did you ask?"
"Youse gonna look for a boarding house tomorrow right?"
"Yeah, in the afternoon."
Jolly was a bit skeptical of a girl selling papers. It wasn't unheard of but it was quite unusual, especially to his eight-year-old mind, "Can youse really sell papes?"
"I sold 100 papes today, all by myself. But I usually only can push 50."
"REALLY? That is almost as go as Spot." Jolly and Bait both looked at her in awe. She smiled knowing she had won some fans, and hoped that the rest of Brooklyn would be this easy to win over.
Spot laughed out right at their looks, "But Ise only sold all 100 before lunch once. She did that her first day on her own." Jolly and Bait's jaws went slack as they digested that information.
Kit sighed, and smiled knowing that this story would be told more than once in the next couple of days. "I only sold them because some poor fish vendor hadn't gotten enough papes this morning, that and I was a girl."
"Youse just gonna stand there or youse coming long?" Spot glanced up through the buildings at the sky, which had darkened ominously in the past ten minutes. "Wes better run for it, its gonna rain soon, and probably hard." As if to emphasize his point a crash of thunder was heard over the street noises.
They all looked at each other and began running. Kit raced with the guys always on their heels as they ran, effortlessly keeping up. Raindrops began to land with large plops on the ground and the newsies causing them all to run faster. But it was to no avail; all four were soaked by the time they reached the Brooklyn Newsies' lodgings.
Rounder was at the desk, "Spot youse back, How's Manhattan?" Then he Spotted Kit, "Well hello there, who might this picture of beauty be?"
Kit snorted as she squeezed the water out of her hair and shirt. "Kit."
Rounder came from behind the counter and stood in front of her "Why youse must be the prettiest goil that's walked through dose doors." He turned on the charm as he picked up her hand and brought it up for a kiss. "Ise Roundhouse, but most call me Rounder, but youse can call me anything youse want."
Kit took her and back, surprised by the 'gallantry' but not taken in. "It's a pleasure, I am sure." Her face showed that this was anything but, as she moved a bit closer to Spot and the younger boys.
"So this is why youse been going so much to Manhattan, here wes thought it was cause youse liked playing poker." Rounder addressed Spot as he went back to his side of the counter with a wink. "Ise assuming she's sleeping with youse then?"
Kit came to the counter. "First off I have a name. Secondly I am not sleeping with Spot, or anyone else for that matter. I'll pay for my own space." She slapped down 7 cents, signed the book, and stood back, daring anyone to contradict her.
"Ise sure that Rounder was just play with you Miss Kit. Youse can sleep in the bunk above mine." Jolly smiled at Kit, as tried to stop a fight from happening and to be nice to Kit at the same time.
"That's a really nice offer there Kiddo but Kit is staying in my bunk." Spot saw Kit begin to open her mouth, "Let me finish, then you can object. Ise sleeps with you guys. It gives her some privacy and us some thing less to think about."
"Kosei ain't gonna like this," Bait spoke as he paid and signed in.
"Kosei ain't here, and it ain't like she's staying." Spot pointed out as he paid then motioned to Kit. "Come on, Ise show youse you room and get youse some thing to change into." She nodded and followed him up the stairs wondering what was on the other side of that doorway.
No one noticed the two figures heading toward the New York Sun's distribution office. The slighter one was a girl in pants instead of a skirt with her hair in braids. The second was a boy, around the same height as the girl, but not as slight, he had a cane in his hand and a slingshot in his back pocket. They walked in silence as they neared the building; the boy hanging back at the gate as the girl approached the window.
"Wes all out of papes…well hello there goilie, You come to eat the papes you didn't sell." The belligerent manager stated recognizing Kit from the morning.
"The name is Curly, and Ise hope youse like eating crow. Here is the money Ise owes you for the papes youse so generously spotted me this morning." Kit slapped the coins on the counter, there was considerably more than the 25 cents she owed him there, and in fact there was an entire dollar. "If youse count right youse see Ise sold all hundred of those papes, be for lunch even. Ise should have come by sooner, but Ise was detained."
The manager's jaw dropped, "You sold one hundred papes before lunch?" He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "How you do it?"
Kit couldn't resist winking at him as she replied, "A goil never reveals her secrets. Now if youse excuse Larry and me, wes got a pressing engagement in Brooklyn. Good day to you." And with that Kit picked up her money, minus what she owed, and her bundle turned on her heel and walked away. Spot waited for her to pass, tipping his hat to the manager, barely, and followed her down the street. When they were out of ear shot both burst out laughing.
"Youse see his face when youse dropped those coins? Ise thought he was gonna fall over when you said youse had finished before lunch."
Kit worked on catching her breath, "I know. Oh here is your dime back. I know he wouldn't have believed me if I hadn't had an entire dollar."
"No problem." As he pocketed the dime, Spot looked around, "So youse ready to go to Brooklyn?"
Kit instantly sobered, "Not really, you sure you want to do this? I can just find somewhere to sleep here in Manhattan."
Spot glanced at her as they walked. "Nah this is you best choice if youse want to work. Ise sure youse be safe. Just stick with me, and don't worry bout it." As he finished speaking a near by clock rang out the time, 7 chimes. "Kosei will lets youse sleep there if youse are only there a couple of days. Wes better hurry if wes want to get to Brooklyn before it's too late." Spot took Kit's bundle and they began to run for the bridge. Not caring about who they almost hit or what they almost got hit by.
While they raced Kit began to wonder why Spot was helping her? Didn't he dislike the idea of her working in Brooklyn? She was in a quandary, while she welcomed his help, as unexpected as it was, she wondered why exactly he was doing this. Part of her mind said to stay back, that trusting him would be risky but another, less sensitive part told her that she needed the money to survive and that the other options wouldn't be as open as this one was. She didn't notice they had left Manhattan till they were on the bridge.
"Well Kit better say goodbye now, Ise got a feeling that Jack ain't gonna let you come back any time soon." Kit didn't know whether to be happy or sad. She chose on indifferent as they entered Brooklyn.
As they entered Brooklyn two fairly young newsies, Jolly and Bait approached them.
"Ise thought youse was a Manhattan newsie?" Bait eyed Kit suspiciously.
"I was but I got kicked out cause I wanted to sell papes." Kit tried to give the best explanation with out giving a big long speech but Bait wouldn't let her.
"Why come here? Other papes sell in Manhattan don't they?"
"Yes other papes sell in Manhattan but I can't."
Bait turned and looked at questioningly at Spot, "Why does she have to come here? Can't she stay some where else?"
"Sorry Squirt she is staying with us."
"But why, if Cowboy kicked her out then she has to be trouble and Ise thought youse didn't trust trouble makers."
"Ise don't but Kit left cause she wanted to not cause Kelly kicked her out. Tonight she stays with us, but tomorrow she's gonna find a boarding house to stay at right Kit? Kit? Hey Kit wake up."
Kit was staring off into space when Spot turned to her. Her mind was about 3000 miles away. "Huh? Sorry I was think about something, what did you ask?"
"Youse gonna look for a boarding house tomorrow right?"
"Yeah, in the afternoon."
Jolly was a bit skeptical of a girl selling papers. It wasn't unheard of but it was quite unusual, especially to his eight-year-old mind, "Can youse really sell papes?"
"I sold 100 papes today, all by myself. But I usually only can push 50."
"REALLY? That is almost as go as Spot." Jolly and Bait both looked at her in awe. She smiled knowing she had won some fans, and hoped that the rest of Brooklyn would be this easy to win over.
Spot laughed out right at their looks, "But Ise only sold all 100 before lunch once. She did that her first day on her own." Jolly and Bait's jaws went slack as they digested that information.
Kit sighed, and smiled knowing that this story would be told more than once in the next couple of days. "I only sold them because some poor fish vendor hadn't gotten enough papes this morning, that and I was a girl."
"Youse just gonna stand there or youse coming long?" Spot glanced up through the buildings at the sky, which had darkened ominously in the past ten minutes. "Wes better run for it, its gonna rain soon, and probably hard." As if to emphasize his point a crash of thunder was heard over the street noises.
They all looked at each other and began running. Kit raced with the guys always on their heels as they ran, effortlessly keeping up. Raindrops began to land with large plops on the ground and the newsies causing them all to run faster. But it was to no avail; all four were soaked by the time they reached the Brooklyn Newsies' lodgings.
Rounder was at the desk, "Spot youse back, How's Manhattan?" Then he Spotted Kit, "Well hello there, who might this picture of beauty be?"
Kit snorted as she squeezed the water out of her hair and shirt. "Kit."
Rounder came from behind the counter and stood in front of her "Why youse must be the prettiest goil that's walked through dose doors." He turned on the charm as he picked up her hand and brought it up for a kiss. "Ise Roundhouse, but most call me Rounder, but youse can call me anything youse want."
Kit took her and back, surprised by the 'gallantry' but not taken in. "It's a pleasure, I am sure." Her face showed that this was anything but, as she moved a bit closer to Spot and the younger boys.
"So this is why youse been going so much to Manhattan, here wes thought it was cause youse liked playing poker." Rounder addressed Spot as he went back to his side of the counter with a wink. "Ise assuming she's sleeping with youse then?"
Kit came to the counter. "First off I have a name. Secondly I am not sleeping with Spot, or anyone else for that matter. I'll pay for my own space." She slapped down 7 cents, signed the book, and stood back, daring anyone to contradict her.
"Ise sure that Rounder was just play with you Miss Kit. Youse can sleep in the bunk above mine." Jolly smiled at Kit, as tried to stop a fight from happening and to be nice to Kit at the same time.
"That's a really nice offer there Kiddo but Kit is staying in my bunk." Spot saw Kit begin to open her mouth, "Let me finish, then you can object. Ise sleeps with you guys. It gives her some privacy and us some thing less to think about."
"Kosei ain't gonna like this," Bait spoke as he paid and signed in.
"Kosei ain't here, and it ain't like she's staying." Spot pointed out as he paid then motioned to Kit. "Come on, Ise show youse you room and get youse some thing to change into." She nodded and followed him up the stairs wondering what was on the other side of that doorway.