Author's Note: First things first…due to popular demand, Smarts will be
sticking around…I'll just have to come up with something to do with him!
Ok, next, as requested by Pocket Skittery got a smallish part in this
chapter…(I had an opening)…several of you have made very good suggestions
that I will consider in later chapters…thanks guys…and now on to the
feature presentation!
Chapter 4
The next morning Smarts and Dodger woke up on time and headed down to the Distribution Center after grabbing breakfast from the nuns. Since Dodger had been on time that morning they arrived at the distribution center before the newsies. Dodger began to get fidgety; she had never been known for her patience. Dodger began to contemplate the statue they stood in front of. She scrunched up her eyebrows in concentration.
"I bet I could balance on the top of his head," she thought to herself. As soon as she finished the thought she began to climb up the statue. She slipped off her oversized shoes to make it easier to climb. She climbed into Horace Greeley's lap and then onto his shoulders. She carefully placed one bare-foot on the statue's baldhead. Just as she was pulling herself up she heard a shout.
"Hey, kid what do you think you're doing?" a voice called out. She looked and saw a group of newsies gathered at the bottom of the statue.
"What's it look like I'm doing?" she asked.
"It looks like you're trying to get your neck broken," one of the older newsies told her.
She just laughed and grinned down at the newsies. There was nothing that Dodger liked more than being the center of attention. She tried to think of a trick she could do to keep their attention.
She gently shifted her weight, but had not counted on the rounded top of the statue's head. She lost her footing and fell from the statue.
Instead of hitting the hard ground as she had expected, she landed softly in someone's arms. Startled she looked up at an older boy. He was blond, very fair and wore glasses. She fell instantly in love.
"Are you okay, kid?" he asked as he sat her on her feet.
"Y-yeah. Thanks," she stuttered.
"My name is Dutchy, what's yours?" he asked finally.
"I'm Dodger," she told him. "Jack's gonna make me a newsie. Are you a newsie?"
"Yep," he told her with a smile. "Jack's even a friend of mine. That is if you're talking about Jack Kelly."
"I don't know if Kelly's his last name, but he's the guy that looks like he wants to be a cowboy."
"That's Jack Kelly," Dutchy told her. "He'll be here soon. He got held up at the lodging house, his girl showed up."
"Jack's got a girl?" she asked.
He laughed. "Jack's got a million girls. Why? Were you hoping to be his girl?" he teased.
"No," she said wrinkling her nose. Then she asked, shyly, "How about you? Do you have a girl?"
Before Dutchy could answer her question they heard a scuffle on the other side of the statue. All the newsies ran to see what the new excitement was. They saw Snipeshooter and a boy they didn't recognize rolling on the ground. Dodger, who recognized both Smarts and Snipeshooter, knew that she should probably break up the fight. She would hate for Smarts to get hurt on their first day.
"I bet you a nickel that Snipes takes him," she heard one newsie say to another.
"Ah, Race I ain't betting against Snipes," the other boy told him.
"I'll take your bet," Dodger told him. She didn't think that Smarts could take the other boy but it was a matter of loyalty.
Race laughed. "You're on, kid."
They all stood back to watch the fight. Surprisingly, both boys were still going strong when Jack showed up.
"What's going on here?" he asked. Without waiting for an answer he waded into the fight and lifted both boys off the ground. Holding them apart he asked, "What is this all about?"
"He started it," they both claimed in unison.
"I don't care who started it. I want to know why you were fighting. Snipes, you tell me what happened," Jack commanded.
"This kid and his friend stole money from me yesterday," Snipeshooter told him.
"We gave it back," Smarts protested. Jack looked down at the unfamiliar boy.
"You wouldn't happen to be called Smarts, would you?" he asked.
"Yeah, how did you know?"
"My friend, Dave, had a little run in with your friend, Dodger, yesterday," he told him with a smile. "Where is she?"
"She's around somewhere," he said with a shrug.
"I'm right here," she said from behind them.
"You ready to get started?" he asked.
"Yep, we're ready," she told him. They walked to the front gates of the distribution center and reached it just as the bell rang.
"Okay, Dodger, you're going to go with me, and your friend is going to go with, well, does anyone want to volunteer to take the kid around and show him the ropes?" Jack asked. The newsies looked Smarts over, he wasn't as cute as Dodger or Les, but with the scrapes he had gotten during his fight with Snipeshooter he looked ragged enough to get some sympathy.
"I'll take him," Skittery finally piped up. Jack nodded; Skittery was fairly responsible, even if he was a little grumpy at times. He would keep up with the kid and teach him everything he needed to know.
"Okay, so Dodger's coming with me and Smarts is going with Skittery. Let's go get some papes," he told them. Jack led the way because he had earned the right of getting his papes first every morning.
"Hey Weasel, how's it going this morning," Jack asked the man behind the counter, as picked up a paper so he could peruse the merchandise.
"It's Wiesel, Cowboy, W-I-E-S-E-L. Wiesel!" the man growled. "How many do you want?"
"The usual plus another thirty for my new partner," he told Weasel, pointing to Dodger.
"A hundred and thirty for the Cowboy and his little girlfriend," he told Morris. Morris slammed the papers down on the counter.
"Hey, Cowboy, couldn't you get a girl your own age?" Morris taunted.
Dodger broke in, "Like you can talk! You probably can't get a girl to talk to you with that ugly mug of yours."
He growled down at her. She stuck her tongue out at him as Jack dragged her away, carrying their papes.
***
"Okay, kid," Jack said. "Show me again."
Dodger gave a couple of realistic coughs and looked up at Jack.
"Buy me last pape, mister?" she looked at him, tears pooling in her eyes.
"That's good, kid, real good," Jack said with a grin. "You're a natural."
"Thanks," she said with a matching grin.
***
1
2 "Ok, first thing you gotta know is that headlines don't sell papes, newsies sell papes," Skittery told Smarts. "You got that?"
Smarts nodded his head.
"See this headline," Skittery said pointing to one that read "Mayor Shows Mrs. Roosevelt Around the City"
"Yeah," the boy answered.
"Well, now this is how you sell this one," Skittery walked out to the street corner and shouted. "EXTRA! EXTRA! MAYOR SEEN ABOUT TOWN WITH MARRIED WOMAN!!"
Five people rushed up to buy papers from him. He did quick business and turned back to Smarts.
"Think you can handle that?"
"Isn't that lying," Smarts asked innocently.
"No, it's just improving the truth," Skittery corrected him.
Another Author's Note: Okay a few things in reference to Spanish Newsies and the Newsies DVD
Stage: I totally agree the voices are hilarious, esp. Spot's
Carly: I had to order my copy of the DVD through my local Hastings store…you might tried on-line at Barnes and Noble or even Amazon…personally I prefer B&N because you don't have to give your credit card out over the 'net.
Chapter 4
The next morning Smarts and Dodger woke up on time and headed down to the Distribution Center after grabbing breakfast from the nuns. Since Dodger had been on time that morning they arrived at the distribution center before the newsies. Dodger began to get fidgety; she had never been known for her patience. Dodger began to contemplate the statue they stood in front of. She scrunched up her eyebrows in concentration.
"I bet I could balance on the top of his head," she thought to herself. As soon as she finished the thought she began to climb up the statue. She slipped off her oversized shoes to make it easier to climb. She climbed into Horace Greeley's lap and then onto his shoulders. She carefully placed one bare-foot on the statue's baldhead. Just as she was pulling herself up she heard a shout.
"Hey, kid what do you think you're doing?" a voice called out. She looked and saw a group of newsies gathered at the bottom of the statue.
"What's it look like I'm doing?" she asked.
"It looks like you're trying to get your neck broken," one of the older newsies told her.
She just laughed and grinned down at the newsies. There was nothing that Dodger liked more than being the center of attention. She tried to think of a trick she could do to keep their attention.
She gently shifted her weight, but had not counted on the rounded top of the statue's head. She lost her footing and fell from the statue.
Instead of hitting the hard ground as she had expected, she landed softly in someone's arms. Startled she looked up at an older boy. He was blond, very fair and wore glasses. She fell instantly in love.
"Are you okay, kid?" he asked as he sat her on her feet.
"Y-yeah. Thanks," she stuttered.
"My name is Dutchy, what's yours?" he asked finally.
"I'm Dodger," she told him. "Jack's gonna make me a newsie. Are you a newsie?"
"Yep," he told her with a smile. "Jack's even a friend of mine. That is if you're talking about Jack Kelly."
"I don't know if Kelly's his last name, but he's the guy that looks like he wants to be a cowboy."
"That's Jack Kelly," Dutchy told her. "He'll be here soon. He got held up at the lodging house, his girl showed up."
"Jack's got a girl?" she asked.
He laughed. "Jack's got a million girls. Why? Were you hoping to be his girl?" he teased.
"No," she said wrinkling her nose. Then she asked, shyly, "How about you? Do you have a girl?"
Before Dutchy could answer her question they heard a scuffle on the other side of the statue. All the newsies ran to see what the new excitement was. They saw Snipeshooter and a boy they didn't recognize rolling on the ground. Dodger, who recognized both Smarts and Snipeshooter, knew that she should probably break up the fight. She would hate for Smarts to get hurt on their first day.
"I bet you a nickel that Snipes takes him," she heard one newsie say to another.
"Ah, Race I ain't betting against Snipes," the other boy told him.
"I'll take your bet," Dodger told him. She didn't think that Smarts could take the other boy but it was a matter of loyalty.
Race laughed. "You're on, kid."
They all stood back to watch the fight. Surprisingly, both boys were still going strong when Jack showed up.
"What's going on here?" he asked. Without waiting for an answer he waded into the fight and lifted both boys off the ground. Holding them apart he asked, "What is this all about?"
"He started it," they both claimed in unison.
"I don't care who started it. I want to know why you were fighting. Snipes, you tell me what happened," Jack commanded.
"This kid and his friend stole money from me yesterday," Snipeshooter told him.
"We gave it back," Smarts protested. Jack looked down at the unfamiliar boy.
"You wouldn't happen to be called Smarts, would you?" he asked.
"Yeah, how did you know?"
"My friend, Dave, had a little run in with your friend, Dodger, yesterday," he told him with a smile. "Where is she?"
"She's around somewhere," he said with a shrug.
"I'm right here," she said from behind them.
"You ready to get started?" he asked.
"Yep, we're ready," she told him. They walked to the front gates of the distribution center and reached it just as the bell rang.
"Okay, Dodger, you're going to go with me, and your friend is going to go with, well, does anyone want to volunteer to take the kid around and show him the ropes?" Jack asked. The newsies looked Smarts over, he wasn't as cute as Dodger or Les, but with the scrapes he had gotten during his fight with Snipeshooter he looked ragged enough to get some sympathy.
"I'll take him," Skittery finally piped up. Jack nodded; Skittery was fairly responsible, even if he was a little grumpy at times. He would keep up with the kid and teach him everything he needed to know.
"Okay, so Dodger's coming with me and Smarts is going with Skittery. Let's go get some papes," he told them. Jack led the way because he had earned the right of getting his papes first every morning.
"Hey Weasel, how's it going this morning," Jack asked the man behind the counter, as picked up a paper so he could peruse the merchandise.
"It's Wiesel, Cowboy, W-I-E-S-E-L. Wiesel!" the man growled. "How many do you want?"
"The usual plus another thirty for my new partner," he told Weasel, pointing to Dodger.
"A hundred and thirty for the Cowboy and his little girlfriend," he told Morris. Morris slammed the papers down on the counter.
"Hey, Cowboy, couldn't you get a girl your own age?" Morris taunted.
Dodger broke in, "Like you can talk! You probably can't get a girl to talk to you with that ugly mug of yours."
He growled down at her. She stuck her tongue out at him as Jack dragged her away, carrying their papes.
***
"Okay, kid," Jack said. "Show me again."
Dodger gave a couple of realistic coughs and looked up at Jack.
"Buy me last pape, mister?" she looked at him, tears pooling in her eyes.
"That's good, kid, real good," Jack said with a grin. "You're a natural."
"Thanks," she said with a matching grin.
***
1
2 "Ok, first thing you gotta know is that headlines don't sell papes, newsies sell papes," Skittery told Smarts. "You got that?"
Smarts nodded his head.
"See this headline," Skittery said pointing to one that read "Mayor Shows Mrs. Roosevelt Around the City"
"Yeah," the boy answered.
"Well, now this is how you sell this one," Skittery walked out to the street corner and shouted. "EXTRA! EXTRA! MAYOR SEEN ABOUT TOWN WITH MARRIED WOMAN!!"
Five people rushed up to buy papers from him. He did quick business and turned back to Smarts.
"Think you can handle that?"
"Isn't that lying," Smarts asked innocently.
"No, it's just improving the truth," Skittery corrected him.
Another Author's Note: Okay a few things in reference to Spanish Newsies and the Newsies DVD
Stage: I totally agree the voices are hilarious, esp. Spot's
Carly: I had to order my copy of the DVD through my local Hastings store…you might tried on-line at Barnes and Noble or even Amazon…personally I prefer B&N because you don't have to give your credit card out over the 'net.