Author's Note: Well, here's another chapter…I'm still not sure about this
fic…it's longer than I thought it would be and well, I'm just not sure
where it's going but I'm pretty sure it's nearing the end. But in other
news I have now surpassed my first fic (a Mighty Ducks one). I'm so
happy…*does happy dance*.
Anyway…here we go!!!
Chapter 11
For the next week the newsies were distracted as they sold. They were all gearing up to go to Brooklyn. Some bought fewer papes so they wouldn't have to worry about losing money if they had to eat them. Others bought more papes so they would have more money to bet. Race didn't go to the track for the first time in months so that he would have money to bet at the poker game. The excitement level at the lodging house that week was very high. Brooklyn poker games were often the highlight of the newsies' month.
On the night of the game, they all left in a big group, it was safer to travel that way at night. Smarts and Dodger were both excited about the poker game but not because they enjoyed poker, instead they were excited about going to Brooklyn. Dodger had never been to Brooklyn, it was too dangerous for smaller kids to risk it alone. Smarts had never been there because he had never been anywhere outside of Manhattan.
When they reached the Brooklyn Lodging House Robin greeted them outside the building.
"Hey, Manhattan, took you guys long enough to get here," he said. "We though you were going to be no-shows."
Jack just shrugged. The newsies began filing in the house. There were several games already in progress. The Manhattan newsies dispersed through out the room, chatting with friends from other boroughs, watching games, joining in when they could.
The younger newsies who didn't want to play were expected to stay out of the way. They either played games like marbles or watched the poker games. Dodger played with some of the younger newsies and then watched the older ones play poker for a while.
Before long she became bored with the poker game and went out side and sat down next to the front steps and leaned against the railing. She looked up at the sky and tried to pick out stars.
As Dodger sat there she heard the door open and two people come out onto the front steps of the lodging house. They were hidden from her view by the high cement sides of the steps. She tried to listen to see if she could tell who it was.
"So, Spot, what's did you want to talk to me about?" a voice asked. She recognized it as Jack's voice.
"Well, Jackie-boy, I need to ask you. Do you have any new newsies living with you in Manhattan?" another voice asked. This one Dodger didn't recognize.
"Yeah, I got a couple. A girl and a boy that came in a couple of weeks ago," Jack said. "Why?"
"Well, it seems that there are a couple of new girl newsies that are poaching on my territory. Could one of these girls be your girl?" the voice asked.
"No, I sell with Dodger everyday," Jack told him. "Except one day last week that she sold with Race and went to the track with him. What do the poachers look like?"
"Well, River had a run in with them a couple of days ago. One was a tall redhead and the other was a short brunette," the voice said. "Both of them were wearing pants."
"I know who you're talking about!" Dodger exclaimed, standing up. "I saw them a week or so ago."
Both Jack and the other boy jumped at her voice coming unexpectedly from below them. Years of street training had both of them going into defensive stances. Jack relaxed when he saw who it was.
"You know who Spot's talking about, Dodger?" he asked.
"Yeah, I saw them at the square a few weeks ago. I even talked to them," she told them with a grin.
"What did you say to them?" the boy called Spot asked her.
"Well, I heard one ask the other who you guys were. I told them you were newsies and I even offered to introduce them. They said that was okay and then I left."
"Can you tell us anything else about them?" Jack asked.
"Well they were both pretty and the tall one had an accent," she told them.
"What kind of accent?" Spot asked her.
"I don't know I never heard it before. She talked slow, and she called me sugar, but she said it funny, like sugah" Dodger said drawling the word out. "She said wondering, funny too, sort of like wanderin'."
"Sounds like she was from the south," Jack commented to Spot.
"That would go along with what River said. He told me she called him a Yankee." Turning back to Dodger he asked, "What about the other one? Did she talk like that too?"
"She didn't talk at all, but I noticed that she looked a little like those people in your book about Santa Fe, Jack."
"You mean she looked like a cowboy," he said.
"No the other people, the ones who don't wear hardly any clothes and lots of feathers, except she had on clothes. They were boy's clothes, but still clothes."
"What people aren't hardly wearing any clothes in your book, Jack?" Spot asked bewildered. Jack took the book out and flipped to a page.
"Is this the people you're talking about?" he asked, pointing to a picture of an Indian.
"Yeah, that's what she looked like, except she was wearing normal clothes."
"Okay, so you've got poachers. One is a southerner and the other is an Indian. They both wear pants. And that's all we know about them." Jack said.
"They also have a cat, a big gray cat," Dodger told them. "At least it was there with them the day I saw them and it left with them when they followed you, Jack."
"Wait, they followed me, when did they follow me?"
"The day that I saw them. They were sitting on the statue looking at everybody then the tall one pointed at you and then they jumped down and followed you," she told him.
"Why were they following you, Jackie Boy?" Spot asked.
"I don't know, Spot. I guess they just liked what they saw," he said with a grin.
Spot laughed, "Whatever. Anyway, so now that I know something about my poachers, I guess we can go in now."
"What are you going to do about them?" Jack asked.
"I'm gonna wait and see if they plan to take over more territory or stick to the little bit they've got. If they stick with what they've got then it's no skin off my back but if they expand, then I'll have to tell them to get lost."
"Sounds like a good idea, Spot," Jack told him. "Is there anything else you wanted to talk to me about?"
"No, not really, but I may be stopping by Manhattan in a few days, just to check up on you boys."
"Well, you know you're always welcome to stop by our place anytime." Having finished their discussion the three headed back inside the lodging house. None of them had noticed the two dark figures who were standing at the corner of the building listening to them. As they went inside the figures went up the fire escape toward the rooftop of the Brooklyn Lodging House.
Author's Note: More soon in the meantime R&R.
Anyway…here we go!!!
Chapter 11
For the next week the newsies were distracted as they sold. They were all gearing up to go to Brooklyn. Some bought fewer papes so they wouldn't have to worry about losing money if they had to eat them. Others bought more papes so they would have more money to bet. Race didn't go to the track for the first time in months so that he would have money to bet at the poker game. The excitement level at the lodging house that week was very high. Brooklyn poker games were often the highlight of the newsies' month.
On the night of the game, they all left in a big group, it was safer to travel that way at night. Smarts and Dodger were both excited about the poker game but not because they enjoyed poker, instead they were excited about going to Brooklyn. Dodger had never been to Brooklyn, it was too dangerous for smaller kids to risk it alone. Smarts had never been there because he had never been anywhere outside of Manhattan.
When they reached the Brooklyn Lodging House Robin greeted them outside the building.
"Hey, Manhattan, took you guys long enough to get here," he said. "We though you were going to be no-shows."
Jack just shrugged. The newsies began filing in the house. There were several games already in progress. The Manhattan newsies dispersed through out the room, chatting with friends from other boroughs, watching games, joining in when they could.
The younger newsies who didn't want to play were expected to stay out of the way. They either played games like marbles or watched the poker games. Dodger played with some of the younger newsies and then watched the older ones play poker for a while.
Before long she became bored with the poker game and went out side and sat down next to the front steps and leaned against the railing. She looked up at the sky and tried to pick out stars.
As Dodger sat there she heard the door open and two people come out onto the front steps of the lodging house. They were hidden from her view by the high cement sides of the steps. She tried to listen to see if she could tell who it was.
"So, Spot, what's did you want to talk to me about?" a voice asked. She recognized it as Jack's voice.
"Well, Jackie-boy, I need to ask you. Do you have any new newsies living with you in Manhattan?" another voice asked. This one Dodger didn't recognize.
"Yeah, I got a couple. A girl and a boy that came in a couple of weeks ago," Jack said. "Why?"
"Well, it seems that there are a couple of new girl newsies that are poaching on my territory. Could one of these girls be your girl?" the voice asked.
"No, I sell with Dodger everyday," Jack told him. "Except one day last week that she sold with Race and went to the track with him. What do the poachers look like?"
"Well, River had a run in with them a couple of days ago. One was a tall redhead and the other was a short brunette," the voice said. "Both of them were wearing pants."
"I know who you're talking about!" Dodger exclaimed, standing up. "I saw them a week or so ago."
Both Jack and the other boy jumped at her voice coming unexpectedly from below them. Years of street training had both of them going into defensive stances. Jack relaxed when he saw who it was.
"You know who Spot's talking about, Dodger?" he asked.
"Yeah, I saw them at the square a few weeks ago. I even talked to them," she told them with a grin.
"What did you say to them?" the boy called Spot asked her.
"Well, I heard one ask the other who you guys were. I told them you were newsies and I even offered to introduce them. They said that was okay and then I left."
"Can you tell us anything else about them?" Jack asked.
"Well they were both pretty and the tall one had an accent," she told them.
"What kind of accent?" Spot asked her.
"I don't know I never heard it before. She talked slow, and she called me sugar, but she said it funny, like sugah" Dodger said drawling the word out. "She said wondering, funny too, sort of like wanderin'."
"Sounds like she was from the south," Jack commented to Spot.
"That would go along with what River said. He told me she called him a Yankee." Turning back to Dodger he asked, "What about the other one? Did she talk like that too?"
"She didn't talk at all, but I noticed that she looked a little like those people in your book about Santa Fe, Jack."
"You mean she looked like a cowboy," he said.
"No the other people, the ones who don't wear hardly any clothes and lots of feathers, except she had on clothes. They were boy's clothes, but still clothes."
"What people aren't hardly wearing any clothes in your book, Jack?" Spot asked bewildered. Jack took the book out and flipped to a page.
"Is this the people you're talking about?" he asked, pointing to a picture of an Indian.
"Yeah, that's what she looked like, except she was wearing normal clothes."
"Okay, so you've got poachers. One is a southerner and the other is an Indian. They both wear pants. And that's all we know about them." Jack said.
"They also have a cat, a big gray cat," Dodger told them. "At least it was there with them the day I saw them and it left with them when they followed you, Jack."
"Wait, they followed me, when did they follow me?"
"The day that I saw them. They were sitting on the statue looking at everybody then the tall one pointed at you and then they jumped down and followed you," she told him.
"Why were they following you, Jackie Boy?" Spot asked.
"I don't know, Spot. I guess they just liked what they saw," he said with a grin.
Spot laughed, "Whatever. Anyway, so now that I know something about my poachers, I guess we can go in now."
"What are you going to do about them?" Jack asked.
"I'm gonna wait and see if they plan to take over more territory or stick to the little bit they've got. If they stick with what they've got then it's no skin off my back but if they expand, then I'll have to tell them to get lost."
"Sounds like a good idea, Spot," Jack told him. "Is there anything else you wanted to talk to me about?"
"No, not really, but I may be stopping by Manhattan in a few days, just to check up on you boys."
"Well, you know you're always welcome to stop by our place anytime." Having finished their discussion the three headed back inside the lodging house. None of them had noticed the two dark figures who were standing at the corner of the building listening to them. As they went inside the figures went up the fire escape toward the rooftop of the Brooklyn Lodging House.
Author's Note: More soon in the meantime R&R.