Charlotte Higgins
"Excuse me, sir," a young girl wearing a navy blue dress with gold buttons and black curls swept back from her brown eyes placed her hand gently on the book-keeper's arm. "Do you know anyone by the name of Higgins?"
"Shore. He sells roight down by dat coinah."
The girl craned her neck but could not see anyone there. "Do you know where he lives?"
"Where all dem guys live. In da boys' house roight down dat way t'ree blocks. On da left."
"Thank you," the girl flashed him a dazzling smile and headed in the direction he pointed.
Sells what? she wondered. I bet he's rich. Even richer than he was before. I wonder if he remembers…
But the girl had no time left to wonder. She had arrived at her desired destination.
"The boys' house," she whispered quietly reading every sign on the buildings. The only one that came close was 'The Newsboys' Lodging House.' Deciding that it certainly wouldn't hurt to try she slowly opened the door and stepped inside from the now-growing-dark city.
She could hardly believe her eyes. There were boys everywhere! And from every age from 12 to 18.
"Excuse me," she spoke to the first boy she came across. "Is there a Mr. Higgins here?"
"Higgins? Yeah. Upstaihs."
"Thank you," the girl said climbing the stairs. She was growing a bit more uncomfortable with every boy she saw. She entered the room directly across from the stairs where loud voices were so muffled by one another that it was impossible to understand anyone.
The girl tried to remember what the boy in the picture looked like. Was there a boy here who even resembled him?
She walked from group to group, studying each face. Then she saw him, playing poker with a cigar hanging from the right corner of his mouth. She approched him as he laughed and scooped all the money on the table towards him.
"Mr. Higgins?"
"Yeah?" A boy with a hat pushed back enough to see his dark curls turned and froze when he felt himself staring into a face nearly identical to his own. She looked like…"Charlotte?"
The girl eagerly nodded, a smile splitting her face.
"Yer…alive?"
Again the girl nodded. "How long has it been?"
"Ages. Look, uh…dey call me Race here."
Charlotte smiled. "Well, I'm still Charlotte."
Race laughed and pulled her into a hug. "Yer goigeous. How didja find me?"
"A man knew your name. He told me where I could find you. Look." Charlotte reached for the picture and unfolded it. She held it out to Race.
Race reached for his pocket watch opened the lid, and showed it to Charlotte, who smiled in delight when she saw the same picture.
"I didn't know ya servived da fire. I watched da house boin ta da ground wid me own eyes."
Without warning, tears pooled in Charlotte's eyes and poured down the sides of her face. "I'm just glad to have my brother back!" she cried into Race's shoulder.
Well, should I keep going? Please review my story and let me know!
