Jack walked over the bridge to Brooklyn. Finding out that Stutters was a girl was a surprise, but finding out that Medda and Kloppman had known had ticked him off. He decided that talking to Spot might be a good idea. He slipped out before Kloppman had come to wake everyone and had covered most of the ground between the Lodging House and Brooklyn before mid morning. Jack figured that Spot's lookouts would tell him that he was coming and decided to just head toward the docks.
"So Jacky-boy decided to grace Brooklyn with youse presence?" Spot came up behind Jack causing him to jump. "What's got youse spooked?"
Jack turned to the leader of Brooklyn. "Hey Spot, how's it rolling?"
"Not bad, not bad. So what has the leader of the perpetually happy Manhattan newsies doing in Brooklyn? Ise don't see youse Walking Mouth, can't be a strike." Spot joked, which caused Jack to smile a bit.
"Nah no strike, Pulitzer knows betta then that. Actually Ise got a bit of a problem and figured youse might be able to help out."
"What sort of problem is that Jacky?"
"Well Spotty"
"Don't call me that Kelly."
"Then don't call me Jacky."
"Alright, so what's the problem Kelly?"
"See it's like this. Ise found out one of me newsies was hiding something big from the rest of us." Jack explained in vague terms. "Ise also found out that Kloppman and Medda knew that this newsie was hiding this stuff from us. But Ise already let the kid come back to selling."
"Well so theres youse problem. Youse let the guy back in too easy."
"Nah me problem is that the newsie is a goil." Jack's voice was flat though his eyes flashed.
"Youse got a goil as a newsie? Which of youse guys was saying that they was a guy? Ise thought youse knew most of those guys since youse first started."
"Ise know all my guys well. She was a new guy. Youse met her."
"Ise did?" Spot thought about it for a second, "Youse mean that kid, what's the name Stutters was a goil?"
"Yeah Stutters is a goil. But she don't like Stutters. Ise already told her she could stay. The guys are happy about that. Ise don't care about that, she's proved herself already. She can sell and fight with the best of them. Should have seen the bloody nose Race got for crossing her earlier this week." Jack's voice held a little bit of pride for the act.
"So what's the problem. Youse obviously don't mind her being there." Spot was a bit confused, and curious. A girl in the bunkroom would never work in Brooklyn, but it could feasibly work in Manhattan, those guys were just too easy going.
"The problem is that Medda and Kloppman knew. They could have told me, or given me some warning or something." Jack looked offended. Spot saw a bottle and pulled out his slingshot and took aim then let it go breaking the bottle. "Youse just gonna break bottles or do youse got some pearl of wisdom tucked in that pocket with youse marbles."
"Ise thinking. Well not much Ise can tell youse except good luck with a goil in the bunkroom. As for Kloppman and Medda, they's adults. They's probably figured that youse would figured it out on youse own sooner or later, and wanted youse to deal with it not them."
Jack nodded as he considered the advice, "What about the goil?"
"What about her? Youse seem to want to keep her around. Youse said she could sell papes and could fight. Let her stay, probably keep youse guys in line or something. Speaking of fights, where did youse get that nice bruise on youse chin?"
Jack's cheeks flushed, "Ise said she was a good fighter, she took a swipe at me for calling her Stutters that's all."
"Youse way too soft Jacky-boy what if it got round town that youse got soaked by a goil?"
"First off Ise didn't get soaked second, it was one swipe. And Ise ain't gonna let it get out, she does it again Ise soak her." Jack said off-handedly. "Thanks for the 'help' Conlon. See youse round."
Jack and Spot spit shook (Am I the only one who thinks this is totally disgusting?) and Jack made his way back to Manhattan. He left Brooklyn just a bit happier than when he had come in and now it was time to go find the girl and figure out what to do with her.
Katie went out with Race and Mush as always. She was waiting for them when they got up and the three left together to get their papers. Katie couldn't help but notice that Mush and Race were acting strange to her. They were treating her differently. She really couldn't put her finger on it but something had changed. After they had sold for a while it finally came to her. They were treating her like she was glass, and Katie was beginning to resent that. She didn't say anything though until they got to Tibby's and she noticed that all the newsies were treating her the same way.
She finally stood up disgusted with their actions. "Alright all youse guys listen up." She got up on her chair and got the attention of all the newsies at the restaurant. "First off Ise not gonna let youse guys act like this. Just cause Ise now a goil doesn't mean Ise changed my personality. Just means Ise can't go around with me shirt off. Secondly Stop treating me like Ise gonna break if youse say something wrong. Did Ise start crying if youse bumped into me or if youse told a dirty joke before?"
The guys looked at each other then shook their heads. "Well if Ise didn't do it before then Ise not gonna do it now. Finally Ise want youse to call me Mills, not Stutters or Hey Youse Goilie. Got it? Ise not changed Ise don't wanna be treated any differently. And if youse start doing that youse might find me fist in youse face got it?" The guys nodded again. And Katie sat down in her chair again.
"So Stut...Ise mean Mills youse wanna hear this joke Ise heard while youse was gone?" Race leaned in and Mills nodded. Race went on to tell the joke while Mills just sat and listened. She laughed at the appropriate time, glad that at least in part she was back into the group. She knew that it would take time but hopefully the guys would see that she hadn't changed as a person even though she was now "officially" a girl.
Jack came in before everyone left and called for their attention. "Okay Ise gonna make this quick, wes gonna let the goil." He was interrupted by someone yelling, "IT'S MILLS"
"Alright then wes gonna let Mills stick around. But wes gonna lay some ground rules. No one is gonna treat her different. She is still the same person, just a goil." Jack was interrupted yet again, this time by Race.
"Hey Jack she already went over this. Wes ain't gonna treat her any differently and if wes do she's gonna soak us." This caused all the guys to laugh and Jack joined in as he made his way over to where Mills was sitting with Race and Mush.
"Well Mills Ise guess Ise gonna officially welcome youse into being a newsie. Don't give me to much trouble, Ise don't want to renew any of those shiners." Jack held out his hand with a wink about the shiner's comment. Mills stood up and surprised Jack by giving him a hug.
"Nah no more shiners for me thank youse very much. Now come on eat up or youse never gonna make a decent newsie." All the guys broke out in renewed laughter and Mills earned getting her hair ruffled.
***Two years later Same place, same people***
"So Mills how the headlines treating youse?" Jack came and sat next to the raven haired newsie who was now like a sister to almost every one present.
"They's treating this newsie well. Ise got them all sold off pretty quick today." Mills smirked and Jack pulled on a strand of hair that had escaped from her hat.
"Youse betta put that back up under the cap if youse wanna keep it up."
Mills shot him a dirty look, "Yeah sure hiding me hair up under a cap keeps people from seeing Ise a goil? Youse must be blind Jacky boy if youse think that."
"Hey Ise can dream can't I?" Jack laughed at her statement knowing how true it was. Over the past two years Katie O'Riely had begun to look more and more like a woman and less like the guy she had tried to impersonate when she had first started as a newsie.
Race came in soon followed by Mush and slowly the restaurant was filled with laughing newsies. They all ate quickly. "So Mills youse gonna sell the afternoon edition or youse wanna go to the track with me?" Race asked, when he didn't get an answer he looked up and saw that Mills was staring at something behind him. He turned to look and there in the doorway were two kids, both blondes one girl and one boy. They looked as if they were looking for something. The restaurant quieted down and the assembled newsies stared at the new comers.
Jack stood up first. Ise Jack Kelly, youse can call me Cowboy. Whose youse be?" And the rest is history.
AN: Yeah that is another one done!!. I guess I am really getting good at rushing the endings of these but I can only say I write poor endings. Some one has asked if Mills and Jack are related. No they aren't my only family relationships are the ones between Spot and the Twins, Mills and Bryon, Kit and her cousins, and Tack and her sisters. No one else is related. I have a feeling I didn't quite get my characterization right, but I wanted to bring Spot in some how and this was the only way I could. Sorry if Jack sounds like a bit like Luke Skywalker, whining about things he can't change, I don't mean anything by it. See I did say it would have a happy ending, and it did :) I do keep my promises. Hope you enjoyed it. Give me feedback
"So Jacky-boy decided to grace Brooklyn with youse presence?" Spot came up behind Jack causing him to jump. "What's got youse spooked?"
Jack turned to the leader of Brooklyn. "Hey Spot, how's it rolling?"
"Not bad, not bad. So what has the leader of the perpetually happy Manhattan newsies doing in Brooklyn? Ise don't see youse Walking Mouth, can't be a strike." Spot joked, which caused Jack to smile a bit.
"Nah no strike, Pulitzer knows betta then that. Actually Ise got a bit of a problem and figured youse might be able to help out."
"What sort of problem is that Jacky?"
"Well Spotty"
"Don't call me that Kelly."
"Then don't call me Jacky."
"Alright, so what's the problem Kelly?"
"See it's like this. Ise found out one of me newsies was hiding something big from the rest of us." Jack explained in vague terms. "Ise also found out that Kloppman and Medda knew that this newsie was hiding this stuff from us. But Ise already let the kid come back to selling."
"Well so theres youse problem. Youse let the guy back in too easy."
"Nah me problem is that the newsie is a goil." Jack's voice was flat though his eyes flashed.
"Youse got a goil as a newsie? Which of youse guys was saying that they was a guy? Ise thought youse knew most of those guys since youse first started."
"Ise know all my guys well. She was a new guy. Youse met her."
"Ise did?" Spot thought about it for a second, "Youse mean that kid, what's the name Stutters was a goil?"
"Yeah Stutters is a goil. But she don't like Stutters. Ise already told her she could stay. The guys are happy about that. Ise don't care about that, she's proved herself already. She can sell and fight with the best of them. Should have seen the bloody nose Race got for crossing her earlier this week." Jack's voice held a little bit of pride for the act.
"So what's the problem. Youse obviously don't mind her being there." Spot was a bit confused, and curious. A girl in the bunkroom would never work in Brooklyn, but it could feasibly work in Manhattan, those guys were just too easy going.
"The problem is that Medda and Kloppman knew. They could have told me, or given me some warning or something." Jack looked offended. Spot saw a bottle and pulled out his slingshot and took aim then let it go breaking the bottle. "Youse just gonna break bottles or do youse got some pearl of wisdom tucked in that pocket with youse marbles."
"Ise thinking. Well not much Ise can tell youse except good luck with a goil in the bunkroom. As for Kloppman and Medda, they's adults. They's probably figured that youse would figured it out on youse own sooner or later, and wanted youse to deal with it not them."
Jack nodded as he considered the advice, "What about the goil?"
"What about her? Youse seem to want to keep her around. Youse said she could sell papes and could fight. Let her stay, probably keep youse guys in line or something. Speaking of fights, where did youse get that nice bruise on youse chin?"
Jack's cheeks flushed, "Ise said she was a good fighter, she took a swipe at me for calling her Stutters that's all."
"Youse way too soft Jacky-boy what if it got round town that youse got soaked by a goil?"
"First off Ise didn't get soaked second, it was one swipe. And Ise ain't gonna let it get out, she does it again Ise soak her." Jack said off-handedly. "Thanks for the 'help' Conlon. See youse round."
Jack and Spot spit shook (Am I the only one who thinks this is totally disgusting?) and Jack made his way back to Manhattan. He left Brooklyn just a bit happier than when he had come in and now it was time to go find the girl and figure out what to do with her.
Katie went out with Race and Mush as always. She was waiting for them when they got up and the three left together to get their papers. Katie couldn't help but notice that Mush and Race were acting strange to her. They were treating her differently. She really couldn't put her finger on it but something had changed. After they had sold for a while it finally came to her. They were treating her like she was glass, and Katie was beginning to resent that. She didn't say anything though until they got to Tibby's and she noticed that all the newsies were treating her the same way.
She finally stood up disgusted with their actions. "Alright all youse guys listen up." She got up on her chair and got the attention of all the newsies at the restaurant. "First off Ise not gonna let youse guys act like this. Just cause Ise now a goil doesn't mean Ise changed my personality. Just means Ise can't go around with me shirt off. Secondly Stop treating me like Ise gonna break if youse say something wrong. Did Ise start crying if youse bumped into me or if youse told a dirty joke before?"
The guys looked at each other then shook their heads. "Well if Ise didn't do it before then Ise not gonna do it now. Finally Ise want youse to call me Mills, not Stutters or Hey Youse Goilie. Got it? Ise not changed Ise don't wanna be treated any differently. And if youse start doing that youse might find me fist in youse face got it?" The guys nodded again. And Katie sat down in her chair again.
"So Stut...Ise mean Mills youse wanna hear this joke Ise heard while youse was gone?" Race leaned in and Mills nodded. Race went on to tell the joke while Mills just sat and listened. She laughed at the appropriate time, glad that at least in part she was back into the group. She knew that it would take time but hopefully the guys would see that she hadn't changed as a person even though she was now "officially" a girl.
Jack came in before everyone left and called for their attention. "Okay Ise gonna make this quick, wes gonna let the goil." He was interrupted by someone yelling, "IT'S MILLS"
"Alright then wes gonna let Mills stick around. But wes gonna lay some ground rules. No one is gonna treat her different. She is still the same person, just a goil." Jack was interrupted yet again, this time by Race.
"Hey Jack she already went over this. Wes ain't gonna treat her any differently and if wes do she's gonna soak us." This caused all the guys to laugh and Jack joined in as he made his way over to where Mills was sitting with Race and Mush.
"Well Mills Ise guess Ise gonna officially welcome youse into being a newsie. Don't give me to much trouble, Ise don't want to renew any of those shiners." Jack held out his hand with a wink about the shiner's comment. Mills stood up and surprised Jack by giving him a hug.
"Nah no more shiners for me thank youse very much. Now come on eat up or youse never gonna make a decent newsie." All the guys broke out in renewed laughter and Mills earned getting her hair ruffled.
***Two years later Same place, same people***
"So Mills how the headlines treating youse?" Jack came and sat next to the raven haired newsie who was now like a sister to almost every one present.
"They's treating this newsie well. Ise got them all sold off pretty quick today." Mills smirked and Jack pulled on a strand of hair that had escaped from her hat.
"Youse betta put that back up under the cap if youse wanna keep it up."
Mills shot him a dirty look, "Yeah sure hiding me hair up under a cap keeps people from seeing Ise a goil? Youse must be blind Jacky boy if youse think that."
"Hey Ise can dream can't I?" Jack laughed at her statement knowing how true it was. Over the past two years Katie O'Riely had begun to look more and more like a woman and less like the guy she had tried to impersonate when she had first started as a newsie.
Race came in soon followed by Mush and slowly the restaurant was filled with laughing newsies. They all ate quickly. "So Mills youse gonna sell the afternoon edition or youse wanna go to the track with me?" Race asked, when he didn't get an answer he looked up and saw that Mills was staring at something behind him. He turned to look and there in the doorway were two kids, both blondes one girl and one boy. They looked as if they were looking for something. The restaurant quieted down and the assembled newsies stared at the new comers.
Jack stood up first. Ise Jack Kelly, youse can call me Cowboy. Whose youse be?" And the rest is history.
AN: Yeah that is another one done!!. I guess I am really getting good at rushing the endings of these but I can only say I write poor endings. Some one has asked if Mills and Jack are related. No they aren't my only family relationships are the ones between Spot and the Twins, Mills and Bryon, Kit and her cousins, and Tack and her sisters. No one else is related. I have a feeling I didn't quite get my characterization right, but I wanted to bring Spot in some how and this was the only way I could. Sorry if Jack sounds like a bit like Luke Skywalker, whining about things he can't change, I don't mean anything by it. See I did say it would have a happy ending, and it did :) I do keep my promises. Hope you enjoyed it. Give me feedback