A large wagon came to a halt in front of the Petre Manor in New Rochelle, NY. All the newsies' eyes were set on the gigantic two story mansion before them. The red bricks could hardly be seen through the lush, green ivy that covered the outside walls. A wooden deck protruded out of the second story, and at the bottom, a porch wrapped around.
Jack Kelly hopped out of the wagon first. He gestured for the other newsies to join him on the ground. The group consisted of Skittery, Kid Blink, Racetrack, Mush, Boots, Specs, Jake, Itey, and Dutchy. The rest of the newsies who lived at the lodging house on Duane St. either stayed in Manhattan or were going to join the rest at the manor later.
"I can't believe Kloppman owned this!" Jake exclaimed, shaking his head, trying to comprehend the whole situation.
"Well, believe it" Racetrack retorted. He lit a cigar and stuck it firmly between his teeth.
Specs looked up at the mansion. He felt rather uneasy about moving to a place that hadn't been occupied in twenty years. The mansion being located a half-mile from any civilization didn't help either. A figure in the far right window of the second floor caught his eyes. Specs stared at the figure, a shiver running down his back as he did. He jumped ten feet when a hand clamped down on his shoulder.
"Dutchy! Don't do that!" Specs yelled, shrugged his coat back onto his shoulder that had slipped off when he flinched.
Dutchy looked wounded as he held up his hands as a peace offering. "Sorry, Specs. I didn't mean to scare you."
Specs nodded. "That's all right."
Just then, the white mansion door swung open and a tall, balding man appeared. He smiled in delight seeing the new residence had arrived. "Welcome! You must be Kloppman's newsboys."
"Yeah, that's us" Jack answered, his fingers hooked in his belt loop as he walked over to the man.
"I am Mr. Petre, Mr. Kloppman was my brother-in-law" the balding man explained from his perch on the porch. He waved the newsies come into the mansion. "Please, make yourselves at home since this will be your home till further notice. As of Eugene's wishes, I furnished the manor with the finest living equipment."
The newsies strolled into the parlor, walking on marble tiled floors.
"Kloppman had this much money?" Mush asked, eyes widening in surprise.
Mr. Petre nodded, as they moved into the main room. "Actually, he married into money. My sister, Annabelle, inherited this manor from our parents. I inherited the family manor in upstate New York. Annabelle and Eugene lived here for years until the incident."
All the newsies stopped their sightseeing of the main room to look at Mr. Petre. "What incident?" Jack asked.
"Twenty years ago, my niece, Helena, threw herself off the second floor and died from breaking her neck. She was a very troubled girl." Mr. Petre lowered his head, sorrowful. "She was only eighteen years old. My dear sister mourned herself to death when Helena died. After Annabelle's death, Eugene decided to leave for Manhattan to help youth as yourself. Now that he is gone as well, the manor was placed in the care of the occupants of his Lodging House."
"Hey, that's us!" Boots stated the obvious.
Mr. Petre smiled slightly at the excitement the boy's had. He gave them a tour of the mansion showing them everything including the furnished bathrooms with actual running water that would heat up. They all trudged outside to find there were six horses for them to ride around the manor or to the town a mile away.
After so, Mr. Petre left. The newsies went in search of their rooms. They each had their own room which was a giant change from having to sleep in one narrow bunkroom with over a dozen others.
Dutchy threw himself onto the king size bed. The primly tucked, deep blue bed sheets wrinkled on impact. Mr. Petre had his servants clean the mansion and repairs before the newsies arrived. So, all the beds had new bed sheets on them.
"This is the life, huh, Skittery?" Dutchy sighed, lying back and tossing his hat to the floor.
"Yeah, Dutch. Not in a million years I would of thought we'd be livin' it up like this!" Skittery replied. He set down his small bag of belongings to look around the large room.
"I wonder why Kloppman never told us he was rich?" Dutchy said, sitting up.
Skittery shrugged. "Don't know. Maybe he wanted to keep it a secret so we wouldn't take advantage of him."
Dutchy laughed. "Yeah, sure. Good one, Skittery."
"Wha'?" Skittery scrunched his face, hurt from the comment. Before he could retort, the first notes of "Greensleeves" reached their ears. It sounded as if it were coming from an organ from the bottom floor.
"Who's playing that?" Dutchy asked, getting off the bed and walking over to the door to get a better listen.
"I didn't know any of us could play an organ" Skittery stated, joining him.
Mush and Jake appeared out of the room across the hall from theirs. They looked as puzzled too.
"Do you know who's downstairs?" Mush asked.
"Naw" Skittery replied. "I thought we all came up heah."
"Let's go check it out" Jake suggested, walking towards the stairs first.
The four headed downstairs, the rest of the other newsies joining them as well. They were all accounted for save one - Specs. He'd seemed to have disappeared since they had all split to find a bedroom.
The song ended just as the newsies rounded the corner to the music room. Several feet away from the organ was Specs standing still, almost as if frozen in place. He acted like he didn't even hear the rest of the newsies come in.
"Hey Specs" Jack called. When he didn't respond, Jack walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
Specs suddenly let out a deep heave at the touch. The others watched as he turned around to face them. His skin was as white as snow and his eyes wide under his rimmed glasses. The stunned look on his face was eerie, sending a chill down all the newsies' spines.
"Someone was playin' the organ, but nobody was there" Specs mumbled out, in a voice not quit his own.
Jack Kelly hopped out of the wagon first. He gestured for the other newsies to join him on the ground. The group consisted of Skittery, Kid Blink, Racetrack, Mush, Boots, Specs, Jake, Itey, and Dutchy. The rest of the newsies who lived at the lodging house on Duane St. either stayed in Manhattan or were going to join the rest at the manor later.
"I can't believe Kloppman owned this!" Jake exclaimed, shaking his head, trying to comprehend the whole situation.
"Well, believe it" Racetrack retorted. He lit a cigar and stuck it firmly between his teeth.
Specs looked up at the mansion. He felt rather uneasy about moving to a place that hadn't been occupied in twenty years. The mansion being located a half-mile from any civilization didn't help either. A figure in the far right window of the second floor caught his eyes. Specs stared at the figure, a shiver running down his back as he did. He jumped ten feet when a hand clamped down on his shoulder.
"Dutchy! Don't do that!" Specs yelled, shrugged his coat back onto his shoulder that had slipped off when he flinched.
Dutchy looked wounded as he held up his hands as a peace offering. "Sorry, Specs. I didn't mean to scare you."
Specs nodded. "That's all right."
Just then, the white mansion door swung open and a tall, balding man appeared. He smiled in delight seeing the new residence had arrived. "Welcome! You must be Kloppman's newsboys."
"Yeah, that's us" Jack answered, his fingers hooked in his belt loop as he walked over to the man.
"I am Mr. Petre, Mr. Kloppman was my brother-in-law" the balding man explained from his perch on the porch. He waved the newsies come into the mansion. "Please, make yourselves at home since this will be your home till further notice. As of Eugene's wishes, I furnished the manor with the finest living equipment."
The newsies strolled into the parlor, walking on marble tiled floors.
"Kloppman had this much money?" Mush asked, eyes widening in surprise.
Mr. Petre nodded, as they moved into the main room. "Actually, he married into money. My sister, Annabelle, inherited this manor from our parents. I inherited the family manor in upstate New York. Annabelle and Eugene lived here for years until the incident."
All the newsies stopped their sightseeing of the main room to look at Mr. Petre. "What incident?" Jack asked.
"Twenty years ago, my niece, Helena, threw herself off the second floor and died from breaking her neck. She was a very troubled girl." Mr. Petre lowered his head, sorrowful. "She was only eighteen years old. My dear sister mourned herself to death when Helena died. After Annabelle's death, Eugene decided to leave for Manhattan to help youth as yourself. Now that he is gone as well, the manor was placed in the care of the occupants of his Lodging House."
"Hey, that's us!" Boots stated the obvious.
Mr. Petre smiled slightly at the excitement the boy's had. He gave them a tour of the mansion showing them everything including the furnished bathrooms with actual running water that would heat up. They all trudged outside to find there were six horses for them to ride around the manor or to the town a mile away.
After so, Mr. Petre left. The newsies went in search of their rooms. They each had their own room which was a giant change from having to sleep in one narrow bunkroom with over a dozen others.
Dutchy threw himself onto the king size bed. The primly tucked, deep blue bed sheets wrinkled on impact. Mr. Petre had his servants clean the mansion and repairs before the newsies arrived. So, all the beds had new bed sheets on them.
"This is the life, huh, Skittery?" Dutchy sighed, lying back and tossing his hat to the floor.
"Yeah, Dutch. Not in a million years I would of thought we'd be livin' it up like this!" Skittery replied. He set down his small bag of belongings to look around the large room.
"I wonder why Kloppman never told us he was rich?" Dutchy said, sitting up.
Skittery shrugged. "Don't know. Maybe he wanted to keep it a secret so we wouldn't take advantage of him."
Dutchy laughed. "Yeah, sure. Good one, Skittery."
"Wha'?" Skittery scrunched his face, hurt from the comment. Before he could retort, the first notes of "Greensleeves" reached their ears. It sounded as if it were coming from an organ from the bottom floor.
"Who's playing that?" Dutchy asked, getting off the bed and walking over to the door to get a better listen.
"I didn't know any of us could play an organ" Skittery stated, joining him.
Mush and Jake appeared out of the room across the hall from theirs. They looked as puzzled too.
"Do you know who's downstairs?" Mush asked.
"Naw" Skittery replied. "I thought we all came up heah."
"Let's go check it out" Jake suggested, walking towards the stairs first.
The four headed downstairs, the rest of the other newsies joining them as well. They were all accounted for save one - Specs. He'd seemed to have disappeared since they had all split to find a bedroom.
The song ended just as the newsies rounded the corner to the music room. Several feet away from the organ was Specs standing still, almost as if frozen in place. He acted like he didn't even hear the rest of the newsies come in.
"Hey Specs" Jack called. When he didn't respond, Jack walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
Specs suddenly let out a deep heave at the touch. The others watched as he turned around to face them. His skin was as white as snow and his eyes wide under his rimmed glasses. The stunned look on his face was eerie, sending a chill down all the newsies' spines.
"Someone was playin' the organ, but nobody was there" Specs mumbled out, in a voice not quit his own.