AN: I'm back...*Scuffling noises are heard* Hey don't run away :( Here I go and write 2 chapters and you all run away. *pouts* oh where is the second chapter, it'll be up later. It is almost Midnight now and I want to do some more on my other backstory before I post it. But I should be posting that sometime this weekend, at least the first couple of chapters. I'll probably post the 8th chapter to SAIL(ain't it a cute shortcut?) Toward the beginning of next week, probably Tuesday, but until I post the first chater of my Kit story here is something to hold you over.
Race and Katie walked around Manhattan, Katie could tell that Race was purposefully trying to get her lost, but luckily she remembered a lot from when she lived there 2 years earlier. Finally he took her up to a building with a sign that read, "Newsboys Lodging House."
"Here youse be, youse new home. Come on in Ise guess Ise can show youse around." Race said with a sigh as he took the new 'guy' in. "Hey Kloppman, this here is Stutters, Jack said wes got room for him."
An older man came from a back room, "He did, did he? Well he's lucky that Ise gots room." He looked Katie up and down then winked at her, "So this is the new guy? Well Stutters hope youse don't mind these bums they make a mess and barely wake up in the morning."
Katie wondered if that wink meant what she thought it meant, "No I-I-Ise can always, 'help' wake them though if y-y-youse needs it." Katie smiled at the thought of waking up Jack or even Race.
"I'll keep that in mind. Well Race, show this new guy up to his bunk." Kloppman was trying not to laugh as he spoke.
"Come on Stutters, everyone else is gonna be at Medda's and Ise ain't miss that for youse." Race quickly showed Katie around, and she vowed that she would be up and ready to go long before the newsies were, there was no way she was going to get caught.
The walk to Medda's was a silent one, Race was more intent on just getting there then getting Katie lost, which she was happy about as she didn't know this part of the borough as well as the part near Tibby's and Newspaper Row. Race had been right it looked as if all the newsies in Manhattan had converged on Irving Hall. Race went to sit with his friends and Katie followed, a bit lost but willing to make the best of it.
She sat down at a table near the back and waited for a waitress or someone to come over for her to order a drink. As she sat looking at the stage she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to look and there stood Bryon, her cousin. He had gained a lot of height and muscle over the past two years and Katie guessed he was a bouncer because of his dress. "Hey there Brat, I thought I saw you come in. You gonna give me a hug?"
Katie debated how to answer her cousin, then motioned for him to sit down, "Bryon I am surprised you have the guts to even say hello to me. You know what I have been going through for the past two years?"
"Hey hold up there Kid I know you're mad but I had to lay low for a while. Medda don't even know I am only 17 you better not ruin it for me." Bryon sat back looking at the girl. Race noticed that something was going on at the table and came walking over.
"Hey Stutters this guy bugging youse?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I ain't bugging anyone here," Bryon started but Katie cut him off.
"H-h-he's my cousin, wes j-j-just having a bit of a family reunion that's all." Bryon raised his eyebrows in response to Katie's lowered voice and the stutter.
"Well if he bugs youse too much just come sit with the rest of us." Race seemed gracious in his offer.
"I-I-Ise do that, but Bryon is my c-c-cousin don't think he can bug me too much." Race nodded and went back to his table where the incident seemed to be forgotten.
Bryon on the other hand wasn't going to let the incident die, "Katie girl, these boys, they think you're a guy don't they?"
Katie nodded, "Yeah, I need a job and this is probably the best for me. You were a newsie why can't I be one?"
"I not so sure I want my cousin living with a bunch of guys." Bryon sat back with his arms crossed.
"You don't have much of a choice Bryon, and they think I am a guy. If you don't want me ruining your job you betta not ruin mine." Katie looked at him. Bryon nodded in agreement.
"So what are they calling you?"
"Stutters, I guess cause when I try to lower my voice I start to stutter." Katie looked a bit disgusted, "I want a new name, doubt I'll get it, though."
"Well then guess you are a newsie. Well I better get back to work, go join them Stutters. And don't worry I won't be ruining this for you."
"Thanks Bryon, I bet I'll see you a lot."
"Yeah the newsies are in here at least once every two weeks. Later my cousin."
"Later large overgrown oaf."
Katie ducked his swipe and walked over to the table where Mush, Race, Jack and Kid Blink were sitting with some other newsies playing poker. She pulled up a chair and sat in it backwards resting her chin on the back. She watched the game as it was being played, she could follow it for the most part and was intently watching everyone's poker faces to see who was the easiest to crack.
Jack, Race, Kid Blink and a guy that Katie hadn't met yet had the best poker faces out of the five playing. The other boy couldn't seem to keep a smile off of his face and it was obvious that he was losing. The game was almost over when Katie had joined the table and before she could get to bored it was over with Race winning. Mush took it upon himself to introduce Katie to the rest of the table. "Guy this here is Stutters, Stutters this is Crutchy, and Skittery, they's from Manhattan. The rest of the guys here is from Brooklyn, that's Rounder, Falcon, and the illustrious leader Spot Conlon."
Katie spit shook with the guys, saving Spot Conlon for last. He wasn't much to look at, kinda short and also kinda cute. But he had an air about him that seemed to say don't mess with me. Katie shook hands with him also but was cautious about where she looked. She remembered hearing stories about a Conlon at the Refuge and she figured he wasn't a guy that she should cut up too.
"So Stutters, youse ever played poker?" Race asked.
Katie shrugged, "Once or twice before."
"Here wes deal youse in." Race began to shuffle the cards.
"I-I-Ise don't got dough." Katie tried to find a way out of playing, it wasn't that she didn't want to play she just figured that playing with her only dollar would be a bad idea. Before she could say much more though some change was slapped down on the table near her.
"I'll pay for Stutters game." Katie looked up and into Bryon who was grinning at her like an idiot. She glared at him before shrugging and gathering up the change.
"N-N-Never mind than I-I-Ise in." She picked up the cards that Race had dealt her and soon the game was under way. She won some of the smaller pots but not wanting to lose Bryon any money pulled out to watch rather early.
"Youse scared to play Stutters?" Race taunted as she pulled out.
"N-N-no just don't need to show y-y-youse up me first day here." She countered with a smile. Race was a bit flabbergasted but Medda's appearance on stage kept him from retaliating.
Katie took the opportunity to watch the newsies as they watched Medda perform. They all seemed to be entranced by the older woman, especially the older ones. They knew all the words to all the songs that Medda performed and Katie realized that audience participation was a big part of the performance. She turned back to the stage and watched all the while wishing to be back at the Lodging House and in a bed to catch a couple hours of sleep.
The night ended much to late in Katie's opinion but she kept that to herself as the newsies started back to the Lodging House. No one asked her opinion of the night or really talked to her, which caused Katie to fight to stay awake. They made it back to the lodging house just in time, Katie climbed wearily to the top of the stairs and fell into the bunk that was hers asleep as her head hit the pillow. Drifting off to a dream world where playing cards and whiskey bottles danced the can-can.
Race and Katie walked around Manhattan, Katie could tell that Race was purposefully trying to get her lost, but luckily she remembered a lot from when she lived there 2 years earlier. Finally he took her up to a building with a sign that read, "Newsboys Lodging House."
"Here youse be, youse new home. Come on in Ise guess Ise can show youse around." Race said with a sigh as he took the new 'guy' in. "Hey Kloppman, this here is Stutters, Jack said wes got room for him."
An older man came from a back room, "He did, did he? Well he's lucky that Ise gots room." He looked Katie up and down then winked at her, "So this is the new guy? Well Stutters hope youse don't mind these bums they make a mess and barely wake up in the morning."
Katie wondered if that wink meant what she thought it meant, "No I-I-Ise can always, 'help' wake them though if y-y-youse needs it." Katie smiled at the thought of waking up Jack or even Race.
"I'll keep that in mind. Well Race, show this new guy up to his bunk." Kloppman was trying not to laugh as he spoke.
"Come on Stutters, everyone else is gonna be at Medda's and Ise ain't miss that for youse." Race quickly showed Katie around, and she vowed that she would be up and ready to go long before the newsies were, there was no way she was going to get caught.
The walk to Medda's was a silent one, Race was more intent on just getting there then getting Katie lost, which she was happy about as she didn't know this part of the borough as well as the part near Tibby's and Newspaper Row. Race had been right it looked as if all the newsies in Manhattan had converged on Irving Hall. Race went to sit with his friends and Katie followed, a bit lost but willing to make the best of it.
She sat down at a table near the back and waited for a waitress or someone to come over for her to order a drink. As she sat looking at the stage she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to look and there stood Bryon, her cousin. He had gained a lot of height and muscle over the past two years and Katie guessed he was a bouncer because of his dress. "Hey there Brat, I thought I saw you come in. You gonna give me a hug?"
Katie debated how to answer her cousin, then motioned for him to sit down, "Bryon I am surprised you have the guts to even say hello to me. You know what I have been going through for the past two years?"
"Hey hold up there Kid I know you're mad but I had to lay low for a while. Medda don't even know I am only 17 you better not ruin it for me." Bryon sat back looking at the girl. Race noticed that something was going on at the table and came walking over.
"Hey Stutters this guy bugging youse?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I ain't bugging anyone here," Bryon started but Katie cut him off.
"H-h-he's my cousin, wes j-j-just having a bit of a family reunion that's all." Bryon raised his eyebrows in response to Katie's lowered voice and the stutter.
"Well if he bugs youse too much just come sit with the rest of us." Race seemed gracious in his offer.
"I-I-Ise do that, but Bryon is my c-c-cousin don't think he can bug me too much." Race nodded and went back to his table where the incident seemed to be forgotten.
Bryon on the other hand wasn't going to let the incident die, "Katie girl, these boys, they think you're a guy don't they?"
Katie nodded, "Yeah, I need a job and this is probably the best for me. You were a newsie why can't I be one?"
"I not so sure I want my cousin living with a bunch of guys." Bryon sat back with his arms crossed.
"You don't have much of a choice Bryon, and they think I am a guy. If you don't want me ruining your job you betta not ruin mine." Katie looked at him. Bryon nodded in agreement.
"So what are they calling you?"
"Stutters, I guess cause when I try to lower my voice I start to stutter." Katie looked a bit disgusted, "I want a new name, doubt I'll get it, though."
"Well then guess you are a newsie. Well I better get back to work, go join them Stutters. And don't worry I won't be ruining this for you."
"Thanks Bryon, I bet I'll see you a lot."
"Yeah the newsies are in here at least once every two weeks. Later my cousin."
"Later large overgrown oaf."
Katie ducked his swipe and walked over to the table where Mush, Race, Jack and Kid Blink were sitting with some other newsies playing poker. She pulled up a chair and sat in it backwards resting her chin on the back. She watched the game as it was being played, she could follow it for the most part and was intently watching everyone's poker faces to see who was the easiest to crack.
Jack, Race, Kid Blink and a guy that Katie hadn't met yet had the best poker faces out of the five playing. The other boy couldn't seem to keep a smile off of his face and it was obvious that he was losing. The game was almost over when Katie had joined the table and before she could get to bored it was over with Race winning. Mush took it upon himself to introduce Katie to the rest of the table. "Guy this here is Stutters, Stutters this is Crutchy, and Skittery, they's from Manhattan. The rest of the guys here is from Brooklyn, that's Rounder, Falcon, and the illustrious leader Spot Conlon."
Katie spit shook with the guys, saving Spot Conlon for last. He wasn't much to look at, kinda short and also kinda cute. But he had an air about him that seemed to say don't mess with me. Katie shook hands with him also but was cautious about where she looked. She remembered hearing stories about a Conlon at the Refuge and she figured he wasn't a guy that she should cut up too.
"So Stutters, youse ever played poker?" Race asked.
Katie shrugged, "Once or twice before."
"Here wes deal youse in." Race began to shuffle the cards.
"I-I-Ise don't got dough." Katie tried to find a way out of playing, it wasn't that she didn't want to play she just figured that playing with her only dollar would be a bad idea. Before she could say much more though some change was slapped down on the table near her.
"I'll pay for Stutters game." Katie looked up and into Bryon who was grinning at her like an idiot. She glared at him before shrugging and gathering up the change.
"N-N-Never mind than I-I-Ise in." She picked up the cards that Race had dealt her and soon the game was under way. She won some of the smaller pots but not wanting to lose Bryon any money pulled out to watch rather early.
"Youse scared to play Stutters?" Race taunted as she pulled out.
"N-N-no just don't need to show y-y-youse up me first day here." She countered with a smile. Race was a bit flabbergasted but Medda's appearance on stage kept him from retaliating.
Katie took the opportunity to watch the newsies as they watched Medda perform. They all seemed to be entranced by the older woman, especially the older ones. They knew all the words to all the songs that Medda performed and Katie realized that audience participation was a big part of the performance. She turned back to the stage and watched all the while wishing to be back at the Lodging House and in a bed to catch a couple hours of sleep.
The night ended much to late in Katie's opinion but she kept that to herself as the newsies started back to the Lodging House. No one asked her opinion of the night or really talked to her, which caused Katie to fight to stay awake. They made it back to the lodging house just in time, Katie climbed wearily to the top of the stairs and fell into the bunk that was hers asleep as her head hit the pillow. Drifting off to a dream world where playing cards and whiskey bottles danced the can-can.