It all started with one little dot. Reddish brown. Popped up on the
arm of some kid down in Queens, rumor has it. Although some say it all
started on the hand of a fellow in the Bronx. A few even speculate that a
newsie in Brooklyn got it first, but that's nonsense. Everyone knew they
had an epidemic like it in Brooklyn before, five years earlier. So people
there were, then, immune. Whatever the case, Manhattan was one of the last
places hit with it.
Measles was going around the working class world of New York City. The disease spread rapidly through the closed and cramped factories, infecting most everybody who hadn't had it already. Chimney sweeps seemed to be getting pneumonia from it; their lungs were filled with black dust that made breathing harder for them then usual. Kids working at odd jobs, selling their service on the streets every day, became less frequent as more and more became ill. The sickness spread like wildfire, and of course it affected some of the newsboys and girls, and the kids working in the presses.
The first girl at the boarding house to become sick was Mending Girl. In a few days others got it, too, and the nuns affected a quarantine almost immediately. Little kids, especially, were infected, and the ones that weren't were distressed that nobody was there to play with them, or fix ripped dollies. They began seeking out the older children for entertainment. So one night Lids was telling the kids a story.
"You know," she began, "something like this sickness happened a long time ago, in a distant land. And there were lots of people in this land, and most all of them were sick. And the great, powerful, respected king of this land had no idear what to do. So he put all the sick folks in a huge fortress, and caught one big awful dragon to guard the place. And people were free to go into the fortress anytime they wanted, but leaving was a different story. Nobody left until the sickness was over."
Lids looked around. Bronx sat on an armchair, one little girl snuggled into her lap. Zelly was on the floor, chin propped on hands, legs folded, amid a flock of small children. Others her age were tending to the kids while listening to Lids' story. Lids was, herself, surrounded by girls.
She continued her tale. "People were falling ill all over the place. The king offered a great reward to whoever could find a cure. One by one, folks from around the kingdom took a go at it, but nobody could get it right.
"Then one day, out of the blue it seems, a knight came strolling into the kingdom, swinging his sword by his side. He was strutting around like there was no tomorrow, and he was so quiet and grand and full of hisself that everybody split to both sides of the road when he came near. So he gets to the palace, and walks right up to the guards and looks at 'em, and they melted into little quiverin' heaps at his feet and he goes right on in. He walked straight into the king's private rooms and announced, without any bravado or nuthin', that he was going to cure all the people in the land and he wanted part of the kingdom in return. The king, he just kinda blinked, and the knight nodded and then he was gone.
"A few days later the knight strolled right casual into the fortress and past the dragon with a whole caravan of people and carts at his back." Here one of the little kids asked what a caravan was. Lids explained, and the story continued. "He brought all kinds of magical stuffs with him, and for some reason he couldn't get sick, and neither could anybody he had brought with him. So the knight started the hard business of getting the sick better. The first thing he pulled out were huge bottles of water, kinda like potions, and he made everybody drink lots of the stuff every day. Then he put special rags on the face. When they were wet, they cooled down fevers. He did lots of stuff like that, and in a while everybody in the whole fortress was better, and there wasn't any sickness in the kingdom anymore." The little kids cheered.
"So the knight went to get his reward, and the king was so happy he offered the knight a choice of any section of the kingdom he wanted. So the knight, he chose to have absolute control of anything that had to do with the presses. And that's the end." Lids looked around. Everyone seemed happy with her story.
As soon as Lids' tale was done, the little girl sitting on Bronx's lap whispered up into her ear "I don't feel so good." Bronx felt the young girl's head, then gave Zelly a look and, interpreting it correctly, Zelly got up and together with Bronx quietly escorted the little girl out of the room. Nobody but Lids noticed, and she had already started another story about the brave knight's adventures.
Zelly led the way out into the corridor up two flights of stairs. Bronx tagged along behind, holding the hand of the little girl reassuringly. At the third floor, Zelly turned down a hallway and rapped on one of the nuns doors. It opened, and Bronx knelt down beside the little girl. "Your gonna hafta go with the nun now, sweety." The little girl cringed. "What's your name?"
"Mary," she said. "Mouse."
"Mary Mouse?"
"You can just call me Mouse. Everyone does. It's my nickname."
"An' my name's Bronx, Mouse. This here's Zelly. Now can ya go with the nun? She'll make ya feel all better."
"I guess. Will I see ya again, Bronx?"
"Later. I promise. But I gotta go now. Okay?"
"Okay." Mouse trotted over to the nun. As she closed the door, smiling at Bronx and Zelly, Mouse waved to them from behind the nun's skirt. "See ya, Bronx. And Zelly."
"Bye Mouse. See ya later!" The two girls walked down the hallway.
"Ya think she'll be all right, Zelly?" Bronx asked.
"Dunno. Cute little tyke. Reminds me o' me own sister. Hope she'll be fine."
The girls opted for going straight their room instead of heading back towards the fire downstairs. There, Zelly dropped straight into bed and fell fast asleep. Bronx stayed up awhile. She lifted the loosened floorboard and pulled out a deck of cards. Dejectedly, she played a one- sided game of poker with herself. Even though poker isn't really a lady's game. Or for that matter, a one-person game. She thought to herself. She was glad when Lids slid quietly into the room.
"Zelly asleep?" she asked, whispering. Bronx nodded. "That girl can sleep anywhere, anytime." Lids shook her head in amazement.
"You mean everywhere, all the time." Bronx said ruefully. Lids laughed. "And I really wanted some company, too."
"Whatsa matter?" Lids asked.
"Just lonely, I guess," Bronx relpied.
"Bothers ya, don't it? That all the kids are dropping off, getting sick." Lids asked.
"Yea. I mean, what is this anyway? Probably soon they'll quarantine this place, and I won't have any money for food 'cause I can't go work, and then I'll starve 'cause the food here really ain't that great." Bronx sniffed. Lids gave her a playful shove.
"Ya great softy. Look, I been thinking. There's somebody I know might be able ta help us. But I'm gonna hafta get off the island for a few days. Cover for me, will ya?" Bronx looked at her friend.
"Where're ya goin'?"
"I don't really know, but I got a rough idea. Just do my chores for me while I'm gone, 'kay?"
Bronx thought a second. "Only if I get to eat your share of the food. I'm not doing more work for nothing."
"It ain't for nothing, but go ahead. Food'll go more rotten than it already is 'fore I get back," Lids said. Then she crawled to her cot. "Wake me when you get up. I'm leaving early tomorrow." With that, she fell into bed. Bronx dealt another set of cards, muttering to herself.
"Yeah right, her wake up, hah. Why does everybody in my room seem to have a sleep disorder? Gimme two cars, Bronx. What, you're taking three? Must have a pretty bad hand."
Measles was going around the working class world of New York City. The disease spread rapidly through the closed and cramped factories, infecting most everybody who hadn't had it already. Chimney sweeps seemed to be getting pneumonia from it; their lungs were filled with black dust that made breathing harder for them then usual. Kids working at odd jobs, selling their service on the streets every day, became less frequent as more and more became ill. The sickness spread like wildfire, and of course it affected some of the newsboys and girls, and the kids working in the presses.
The first girl at the boarding house to become sick was Mending Girl. In a few days others got it, too, and the nuns affected a quarantine almost immediately. Little kids, especially, were infected, and the ones that weren't were distressed that nobody was there to play with them, or fix ripped dollies. They began seeking out the older children for entertainment. So one night Lids was telling the kids a story.
"You know," she began, "something like this sickness happened a long time ago, in a distant land. And there were lots of people in this land, and most all of them were sick. And the great, powerful, respected king of this land had no idear what to do. So he put all the sick folks in a huge fortress, and caught one big awful dragon to guard the place. And people were free to go into the fortress anytime they wanted, but leaving was a different story. Nobody left until the sickness was over."
Lids looked around. Bronx sat on an armchair, one little girl snuggled into her lap. Zelly was on the floor, chin propped on hands, legs folded, amid a flock of small children. Others her age were tending to the kids while listening to Lids' story. Lids was, herself, surrounded by girls.
She continued her tale. "People were falling ill all over the place. The king offered a great reward to whoever could find a cure. One by one, folks from around the kingdom took a go at it, but nobody could get it right.
"Then one day, out of the blue it seems, a knight came strolling into the kingdom, swinging his sword by his side. He was strutting around like there was no tomorrow, and he was so quiet and grand and full of hisself that everybody split to both sides of the road when he came near. So he gets to the palace, and walks right up to the guards and looks at 'em, and they melted into little quiverin' heaps at his feet and he goes right on in. He walked straight into the king's private rooms and announced, without any bravado or nuthin', that he was going to cure all the people in the land and he wanted part of the kingdom in return. The king, he just kinda blinked, and the knight nodded and then he was gone.
"A few days later the knight strolled right casual into the fortress and past the dragon with a whole caravan of people and carts at his back." Here one of the little kids asked what a caravan was. Lids explained, and the story continued. "He brought all kinds of magical stuffs with him, and for some reason he couldn't get sick, and neither could anybody he had brought with him. So the knight started the hard business of getting the sick better. The first thing he pulled out were huge bottles of water, kinda like potions, and he made everybody drink lots of the stuff every day. Then he put special rags on the face. When they were wet, they cooled down fevers. He did lots of stuff like that, and in a while everybody in the whole fortress was better, and there wasn't any sickness in the kingdom anymore." The little kids cheered.
"So the knight went to get his reward, and the king was so happy he offered the knight a choice of any section of the kingdom he wanted. So the knight, he chose to have absolute control of anything that had to do with the presses. And that's the end." Lids looked around. Everyone seemed happy with her story.
As soon as Lids' tale was done, the little girl sitting on Bronx's lap whispered up into her ear "I don't feel so good." Bronx felt the young girl's head, then gave Zelly a look and, interpreting it correctly, Zelly got up and together with Bronx quietly escorted the little girl out of the room. Nobody but Lids noticed, and she had already started another story about the brave knight's adventures.
Zelly led the way out into the corridor up two flights of stairs. Bronx tagged along behind, holding the hand of the little girl reassuringly. At the third floor, Zelly turned down a hallway and rapped on one of the nuns doors. It opened, and Bronx knelt down beside the little girl. "Your gonna hafta go with the nun now, sweety." The little girl cringed. "What's your name?"
"Mary," she said. "Mouse."
"Mary Mouse?"
"You can just call me Mouse. Everyone does. It's my nickname."
"An' my name's Bronx, Mouse. This here's Zelly. Now can ya go with the nun? She'll make ya feel all better."
"I guess. Will I see ya again, Bronx?"
"Later. I promise. But I gotta go now. Okay?"
"Okay." Mouse trotted over to the nun. As she closed the door, smiling at Bronx and Zelly, Mouse waved to them from behind the nun's skirt. "See ya, Bronx. And Zelly."
"Bye Mouse. See ya later!" The two girls walked down the hallway.
"Ya think she'll be all right, Zelly?" Bronx asked.
"Dunno. Cute little tyke. Reminds me o' me own sister. Hope she'll be fine."
The girls opted for going straight their room instead of heading back towards the fire downstairs. There, Zelly dropped straight into bed and fell fast asleep. Bronx stayed up awhile. She lifted the loosened floorboard and pulled out a deck of cards. Dejectedly, she played a one- sided game of poker with herself. Even though poker isn't really a lady's game. Or for that matter, a one-person game. She thought to herself. She was glad when Lids slid quietly into the room.
"Zelly asleep?" she asked, whispering. Bronx nodded. "That girl can sleep anywhere, anytime." Lids shook her head in amazement.
"You mean everywhere, all the time." Bronx said ruefully. Lids laughed. "And I really wanted some company, too."
"Whatsa matter?" Lids asked.
"Just lonely, I guess," Bronx relpied.
"Bothers ya, don't it? That all the kids are dropping off, getting sick." Lids asked.
"Yea. I mean, what is this anyway? Probably soon they'll quarantine this place, and I won't have any money for food 'cause I can't go work, and then I'll starve 'cause the food here really ain't that great." Bronx sniffed. Lids gave her a playful shove.
"Ya great softy. Look, I been thinking. There's somebody I know might be able ta help us. But I'm gonna hafta get off the island for a few days. Cover for me, will ya?" Bronx looked at her friend.
"Where're ya goin'?"
"I don't really know, but I got a rough idea. Just do my chores for me while I'm gone, 'kay?"
Bronx thought a second. "Only if I get to eat your share of the food. I'm not doing more work for nothing."
"It ain't for nothing, but go ahead. Food'll go more rotten than it already is 'fore I get back," Lids said. Then she crawled to her cot. "Wake me when you get up. I'm leaving early tomorrow." With that, she fell into bed. Bronx dealt another set of cards, muttering to herself.
"Yeah right, her wake up, hah. Why does everybody in my room seem to have a sleep disorder? Gimme two cars, Bronx. What, you're taking three? Must have a pretty bad hand."