(A/N: Okay, so far I have used to term "girl" instead of "goil," and stuff
like that. I've used some newsie dialect, but not it all, because I felt it
looked too hard to decipher. But, I figure you die-hard Newsie fans can
figure it out, right? :D And if you don't know what I'm saying, let me
know, or just say it aloud)
We returned to the lodge house late that night, after the sun had gone down. I was exhausted, sunburned, and starving. All we'd had to eat was some bread early in the morning, and some bread with butter for dinner. Mush seemed perfectly content with the meager servings, and I didn't want to seem ungrateful by complaining. We'd had an eventful day: I'd met more of his newsies friends, including David and Les (who had a family but needed the work) and Spot, who was from Brooklyn and therefore didn't sleep in the same house as the rest of the boys I knew. Mush had taken me under his wing and, even though I wasn't any good at selling papers, hadn't gotten angry with me.
"You did great ta'day, Daffodil!" he chirped happily as we entered Kloppman's lodging house.
"I did not," I answered sadly. "I can't do anything! I should have stayed home. You were right."
"What'chu talkin' 'bout? You was wonderful!" he said, kissing my cheek. "Them cust'mers sure like goils that talk all fancy! I sold lots of papes today, thanks to you!"
"Hey, hey, no girls in here," Kloppman said, giving me a smile. "You know that, Mush." He turned to show me outside.
"Please, Kloppman!" Mush objected, putting his arm around my shoulders and turning me back to the inside. "She ain't got no where's else to go!"
"What about the girls' house down the street?"
"Kloppman, please?" Mush said, looking at the older man sadly.
"Yeah, Klopp. Give 'er a break!" Kid Blink shouted, and soon all the newsies were yelling for me. I smiled and ducked my head.
"Why would you boys want a girl in your room?" Kloppman wondered.
"Why wouldn' we?!" Snitch shouted back. He gave me a grin. Since that day when he'd tried to steal my money and then found out I really did know Mush, he'd been trying to make it up to me.
"But there's no extra bed," Kloppman protested.
"She can have Crutchy's bed fer now, and once he's back from da refuge, den we'll take toins sleepin' on the ground!" Snap suggested. "Daffodil's like a sistah t' us, Kloppman! Ya cain't just make 'er leave!"
Kloppman looked at me and relented. "All right, boys. But you'd better respect her, and I don't want to hear another word. If she comes out with even one bruise from the hands of you boys, I'll take her myself down to the girls' house." All the guys hooted and agreed. "And you, Daffodil? Come with me, I'll show you my washroom. You can use that in the mornings. I'm always up long before the boys." He showed me the room, then I climbed the stairs to the big room the boys slept in.
When I got in there, all the boys were kneeling on one knee, holding out a daffodil to me. "We gaves money t' Jackie boy t' buy 'em fer ya. He jus' got back in time; he was nearly too late!" Mush said. He was right in front, and he held three of the flowers. It was such an incredible sight, all those boys on one knee, offering me flowers, that I burst into tears.
"Golly!" Skittery said, as Mush jumped up and gave me a hug.
"Wha's wrong? Don' ya like 'em?" he asked, closing my fingers over the flowers' stems.
"Of course I do," I answered, sniffling. "But you boys don't need to spend your hard-earned money on me. In fact, I don't want you to." I looked around at all the faces. "Thank you so very much, but please, keep your money." Mush pulled away and gave me a sweet grin. All the boys crowded around, giving me their flowers.
"To Daffodil!" Racetrack shouted, lifting his flower into the air. "The first goil to penetrate this heah newsie nest!" He handed me the flower with a bow.
"To Daffodil!" the rest shouted, laughing. Then they began to strip down to their underclothes to sleep.
Mush pulled his shirts off and threw them next to his bed. He winked at me. "Wha', Miss Victoria?" he called teasingly. "You gonna sleep in that fancy red numbeh?" My face flushed as all the newsies, some half-dressed, turned to look at me and smirk.
"Of course I'm not," I answered haughtily, and began to unbutton it. The guys all began to holler and Mush threw his head back and laughed. When I finally got down to only my lacy shirt and underskirts, they all cheered. I giggled along with them. If only my parents could have seen me at that moment.
"Daffodil is wondoiful!" Boots shouted.
"Daffodil's magnificent!" added Jack loudly.
"Daffodil is going to sleep!" I called out. Mush's laugh sounded, loud and triumphant, from across the room, as everyone climbed into their beds. "So… keep down the noise!"
"Keep down da noise?" Bumlets said, laughing. "Who says that?"
"A word to the wise, Angelface!" Snap called. "The phrase is 'cheese it'!"
There was a long pause while everyone waited. So finally I shouted, "CHEESE IT!" Everyone laughed again. I smiled to myself as candles were blown out and I curled up under the sheet on Crutchy's bed.
In my dream that night, I was selling papers with Mush when my grandfather walked by. He didn't recognize me, even though he bought a paper from me. Then I began crying, and Mush comforted me while members of my family paraded in front of us, turning up their noses at me. "Oh yeah?" he shouted at them as they passed. "Well, you can just cheese it!"
I awoke with a smile on my face.
We returned to the lodge house late that night, after the sun had gone down. I was exhausted, sunburned, and starving. All we'd had to eat was some bread early in the morning, and some bread with butter for dinner. Mush seemed perfectly content with the meager servings, and I didn't want to seem ungrateful by complaining. We'd had an eventful day: I'd met more of his newsies friends, including David and Les (who had a family but needed the work) and Spot, who was from Brooklyn and therefore didn't sleep in the same house as the rest of the boys I knew. Mush had taken me under his wing and, even though I wasn't any good at selling papers, hadn't gotten angry with me.
"You did great ta'day, Daffodil!" he chirped happily as we entered Kloppman's lodging house.
"I did not," I answered sadly. "I can't do anything! I should have stayed home. You were right."
"What'chu talkin' 'bout? You was wonderful!" he said, kissing my cheek. "Them cust'mers sure like goils that talk all fancy! I sold lots of papes today, thanks to you!"
"Hey, hey, no girls in here," Kloppman said, giving me a smile. "You know that, Mush." He turned to show me outside.
"Please, Kloppman!" Mush objected, putting his arm around my shoulders and turning me back to the inside. "She ain't got no where's else to go!"
"What about the girls' house down the street?"
"Kloppman, please?" Mush said, looking at the older man sadly.
"Yeah, Klopp. Give 'er a break!" Kid Blink shouted, and soon all the newsies were yelling for me. I smiled and ducked my head.
"Why would you boys want a girl in your room?" Kloppman wondered.
"Why wouldn' we?!" Snitch shouted back. He gave me a grin. Since that day when he'd tried to steal my money and then found out I really did know Mush, he'd been trying to make it up to me.
"But there's no extra bed," Kloppman protested.
"She can have Crutchy's bed fer now, and once he's back from da refuge, den we'll take toins sleepin' on the ground!" Snap suggested. "Daffodil's like a sistah t' us, Kloppman! Ya cain't just make 'er leave!"
Kloppman looked at me and relented. "All right, boys. But you'd better respect her, and I don't want to hear another word. If she comes out with even one bruise from the hands of you boys, I'll take her myself down to the girls' house." All the guys hooted and agreed. "And you, Daffodil? Come with me, I'll show you my washroom. You can use that in the mornings. I'm always up long before the boys." He showed me the room, then I climbed the stairs to the big room the boys slept in.
When I got in there, all the boys were kneeling on one knee, holding out a daffodil to me. "We gaves money t' Jackie boy t' buy 'em fer ya. He jus' got back in time; he was nearly too late!" Mush said. He was right in front, and he held three of the flowers. It was such an incredible sight, all those boys on one knee, offering me flowers, that I burst into tears.
"Golly!" Skittery said, as Mush jumped up and gave me a hug.
"Wha's wrong? Don' ya like 'em?" he asked, closing my fingers over the flowers' stems.
"Of course I do," I answered, sniffling. "But you boys don't need to spend your hard-earned money on me. In fact, I don't want you to." I looked around at all the faces. "Thank you so very much, but please, keep your money." Mush pulled away and gave me a sweet grin. All the boys crowded around, giving me their flowers.
"To Daffodil!" Racetrack shouted, lifting his flower into the air. "The first goil to penetrate this heah newsie nest!" He handed me the flower with a bow.
"To Daffodil!" the rest shouted, laughing. Then they began to strip down to their underclothes to sleep.
Mush pulled his shirts off and threw them next to his bed. He winked at me. "Wha', Miss Victoria?" he called teasingly. "You gonna sleep in that fancy red numbeh?" My face flushed as all the newsies, some half-dressed, turned to look at me and smirk.
"Of course I'm not," I answered haughtily, and began to unbutton it. The guys all began to holler and Mush threw his head back and laughed. When I finally got down to only my lacy shirt and underskirts, they all cheered. I giggled along with them. If only my parents could have seen me at that moment.
"Daffodil is wondoiful!" Boots shouted.
"Daffodil's magnificent!" added Jack loudly.
"Daffodil is going to sleep!" I called out. Mush's laugh sounded, loud and triumphant, from across the room, as everyone climbed into their beds. "So… keep down the noise!"
"Keep down da noise?" Bumlets said, laughing. "Who says that?"
"A word to the wise, Angelface!" Snap called. "The phrase is 'cheese it'!"
There was a long pause while everyone waited. So finally I shouted, "CHEESE IT!" Everyone laughed again. I smiled to myself as candles were blown out and I curled up under the sheet on Crutchy's bed.
In my dream that night, I was selling papers with Mush when my grandfather walked by. He didn't recognize me, even though he bought a paper from me. Then I began crying, and Mush comforted me while members of my family paraded in front of us, turning up their noses at me. "Oh yeah?" he shouted at them as they passed. "Well, you can just cheese it!"
I awoke with a smile on my face.
