~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~
"So Sara," Jack started, "ya evah do anyt'ing like dis before?" Jack was attempting to teach Sara how to sell papers, and I'll just say that they were making progress.
"Not really, but I think I'se getting' da hang o' it" Sara picked out a headline. "'Kid kicked out of school: Parents are taking it to court.' So it'd be somet'ing like dis, 'Terrorizin' Kid loose in school, Parents don't care.' Like dat?"
"Well, you'se might wann try, 'Kid Kicked out of school for having an affair with his teacher.' People always wanna hear about scandals and stuff. But with a lil' more practice, you'll be able ta sell wit da goils soon." Jack encouraged as he looked for Moneybags. On their way to the bridge, they would stop so often and sell their papers. As Jack was "teaching" Sara, Moneybags would go down a few corners and sell her papers there. "Okay, we'se gotta get a move on. The bridge should be an interestin' experience for ya." So Jack and Sara moved on down the steets, until they met up with Moneybags.
"We movin'?" Moneybags asked.
"Yeah. How many ya got left?" Jack was being to count his and Sara's.
"Umm," Moneybags counted hers. "About 37. You?"
"Beat ya, 32."
"Yeah, but ya got help. So dat doesn't count." Moneybags, Sara and Jack continued on their way to Brooklyn. "Hey ya know what?"
"What?" Jack and Sara both answered at the same time.
"Jinxed ya both." Moneybags laughed. "We'se gotta finda nickname fa sara here."
"Yeah, I was-" Jack was abruptly cut off.
"I told ya, ya can't talk." Moneybags rolled her eyes. "People these days …" so the trio once again continued their journey to Brooklyn, selling their papers when they could.
"So Sara, " Jack was warning her, "You'se jus gotta be a lil' careful 'round Spot. He over reacts about stuff, Moneybags know all about it, right?"
"Yeah, don't put your two bits in. it's a bad habbit I have, an' Spot must've been in a really bad mood dat day, because dere was dis big discussion goin on, an' I put me two bits in, den said something dat Spot didn't like, but I said it jokin'ly, right? But he flipped, an' if it wasn't fa Jack an' da oddah newsies, I woulda been gone. So me an' Spot don't get along very well, as you can imagine. I only cooperate when I'se gotta "
"Yeah, so just a lil' heads up fa Spot when ya meet 'im." Jack thought a moment. "Actually, I think ya did meet him, dat one day when ya came ta Tibby's."
Pretty soon they arrived at the bridge, where they continued to wait and sell their papers until Spot and Bitter decided to show up.
"Hey Jack." Spot said, spitting into his hand and reaching out to shake Jack's hand, who had done the same thing. Sara, who had never seen this before, look really congused and turned to Moneybags.
"What are dey doin'?"
"I'll explain more latah, but fa right now it's called a spitshake, newsies use it at seal deals an' stuff" Moneybags whispered in Sara's ear.
"You'se tawkin' 'bout me again, Money?" Spot was just staring icly at her.
"Sure, Spot. Cuase everybody knows dat I tawk about you all da time." She was going to say more, but with a look from Jack, she decided against it.Spot spit in his hand and reached out to Moneybags, who did the same, and they shook Spot wouldn't spitshook wit me if he wasn't mad at me, somebody give me tolerance tiday!
"So I heard about dat fight dat ya an' ya sis got in last week. Heard it got pretty bad." Spot smirked, waiting to see her reaction. She gave him a cold stare, then Moneybags walked over to talk to Bitter. Sara started to follow, but Spot stopped her. "An' who's dis, Jacey-Boy?"
"She's out newest membah, we'se figured day we'd take her ta Brooklyn ta meet ya." Jack explained.
"Oh, I see." Spot turned to Sara. "Haven't we met before?"
"Yeah, at dat Tibby's Place, I think." Sara started to twirl her cross.
"Oh yeah, right." Spot looked over to where Bitter and Moneybags were talking. "Bittah! Get ovah 'ere an' meet," Spot turned back to Sara. "What's yer ame again?"
"Sara" she replied, as Bitter and Moneybags walked over.
"Dat doesn't sound like a nickname ta me." Bitter spoke up "But glad ta meetcha anyways." Bitter, remembering her first spitshake, decide that she'd just shake, save the spit for later.
"We haven't really found one fa her, but tanight were all gonna brainstorm an' have a party of sorts." Jack went over to a by-stander and was sucessful in selling several more papers.
"So Money," Bitter was saying, "Why don't we give Sara a lil' tour o' Brooklyn? You still got some o' your papes left, and I think Jack does too."
"Yeah, give her more experience." Moneybags said as Bitter and Sara started across the Bridge.
"You'se comin'?" Bitter yelled back. Reluctantly, Jack and Spot followed.
Spot turned to Jack and said in a tone only Jack could hear, "Dis is gonna be one hell o' an aftanoon."
~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~
As the group enetered the lodging house that night, there was no laughter like there normally was. Jack and Spot were walking by themselves, Bitter and Sara tyring to walk with Moneybags who made sure she was as far away as she could be from Spot. The usual games were going on as they entered, and continued with a few "heys" and "how's it goin'?" came from some of the boys. Moneybags just went over to sign in, pay for her rent and went upstairs.
Hothead came over to Jack and demanded, "What did you do to her? She hasn't been that angry in such a long time, I-"
"What did I do? Listen, she's … had a … bad day, so I wouldn't go near her, especailly you. I think you'se da last person she wants ta see." Jack ordered. "an' if I catch ya buggin' her, I'm gonna have a lil' tawk wit Princess. Clear?"
Hothead just smiled. "Yessir." She had been waiting for this day, for such a long time.
"So Sara," Jack started, "ya evah do anyt'ing like dis before?" Jack was attempting to teach Sara how to sell papers, and I'll just say that they were making progress.
"Not really, but I think I'se getting' da hang o' it" Sara picked out a headline. "'Kid kicked out of school: Parents are taking it to court.' So it'd be somet'ing like dis, 'Terrorizin' Kid loose in school, Parents don't care.' Like dat?"
"Well, you'se might wann try, 'Kid Kicked out of school for having an affair with his teacher.' People always wanna hear about scandals and stuff. But with a lil' more practice, you'll be able ta sell wit da goils soon." Jack encouraged as he looked for Moneybags. On their way to the bridge, they would stop so often and sell their papers. As Jack was "teaching" Sara, Moneybags would go down a few corners and sell her papers there. "Okay, we'se gotta get a move on. The bridge should be an interestin' experience for ya." So Jack and Sara moved on down the steets, until they met up with Moneybags.
"We movin'?" Moneybags asked.
"Yeah. How many ya got left?" Jack was being to count his and Sara's.
"Umm," Moneybags counted hers. "About 37. You?"
"Beat ya, 32."
"Yeah, but ya got help. So dat doesn't count." Moneybags, Sara and Jack continued on their way to Brooklyn. "Hey ya know what?"
"What?" Jack and Sara both answered at the same time.
"Jinxed ya both." Moneybags laughed. "We'se gotta finda nickname fa sara here."
"Yeah, I was-" Jack was abruptly cut off.
"I told ya, ya can't talk." Moneybags rolled her eyes. "People these days …" so the trio once again continued their journey to Brooklyn, selling their papers when they could.
"So Sara, " Jack was warning her, "You'se jus gotta be a lil' careful 'round Spot. He over reacts about stuff, Moneybags know all about it, right?"
"Yeah, don't put your two bits in. it's a bad habbit I have, an' Spot must've been in a really bad mood dat day, because dere was dis big discussion goin on, an' I put me two bits in, den said something dat Spot didn't like, but I said it jokin'ly, right? But he flipped, an' if it wasn't fa Jack an' da oddah newsies, I woulda been gone. So me an' Spot don't get along very well, as you can imagine. I only cooperate when I'se gotta "
"Yeah, so just a lil' heads up fa Spot when ya meet 'im." Jack thought a moment. "Actually, I think ya did meet him, dat one day when ya came ta Tibby's."
Pretty soon they arrived at the bridge, where they continued to wait and sell their papers until Spot and Bitter decided to show up.
"Hey Jack." Spot said, spitting into his hand and reaching out to shake Jack's hand, who had done the same thing. Sara, who had never seen this before, look really congused and turned to Moneybags.
"What are dey doin'?"
"I'll explain more latah, but fa right now it's called a spitshake, newsies use it at seal deals an' stuff" Moneybags whispered in Sara's ear.
"You'se tawkin' 'bout me again, Money?" Spot was just staring icly at her.
"Sure, Spot. Cuase everybody knows dat I tawk about you all da time." She was going to say more, but with a look from Jack, she decided against it.Spot spit in his hand and reached out to Moneybags, who did the same, and they shook Spot wouldn't spitshook wit me if he wasn't mad at me, somebody give me tolerance tiday!
"So I heard about dat fight dat ya an' ya sis got in last week. Heard it got pretty bad." Spot smirked, waiting to see her reaction. She gave him a cold stare, then Moneybags walked over to talk to Bitter. Sara started to follow, but Spot stopped her. "An' who's dis, Jacey-Boy?"
"She's out newest membah, we'se figured day we'd take her ta Brooklyn ta meet ya." Jack explained.
"Oh, I see." Spot turned to Sara. "Haven't we met before?"
"Yeah, at dat Tibby's Place, I think." Sara started to twirl her cross.
"Oh yeah, right." Spot looked over to where Bitter and Moneybags were talking. "Bittah! Get ovah 'ere an' meet," Spot turned back to Sara. "What's yer ame again?"
"Sara" she replied, as Bitter and Moneybags walked over.
"Dat doesn't sound like a nickname ta me." Bitter spoke up "But glad ta meetcha anyways." Bitter, remembering her first spitshake, decide that she'd just shake, save the spit for later.
"We haven't really found one fa her, but tanight were all gonna brainstorm an' have a party of sorts." Jack went over to a by-stander and was sucessful in selling several more papers.
"So Money," Bitter was saying, "Why don't we give Sara a lil' tour o' Brooklyn? You still got some o' your papes left, and I think Jack does too."
"Yeah, give her more experience." Moneybags said as Bitter and Sara started across the Bridge.
"You'se comin'?" Bitter yelled back. Reluctantly, Jack and Spot followed.
Spot turned to Jack and said in a tone only Jack could hear, "Dis is gonna be one hell o' an aftanoon."
~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~
As the group enetered the lodging house that night, there was no laughter like there normally was. Jack and Spot were walking by themselves, Bitter and Sara tyring to walk with Moneybags who made sure she was as far away as she could be from Spot. The usual games were going on as they entered, and continued with a few "heys" and "how's it goin'?" came from some of the boys. Moneybags just went over to sign in, pay for her rent and went upstairs.
Hothead came over to Jack and demanded, "What did you do to her? She hasn't been that angry in such a long time, I-"
"What did I do? Listen, she's … had a … bad day, so I wouldn't go near her, especailly you. I think you'se da last person she wants ta see." Jack ordered. "an' if I catch ya buggin' her, I'm gonna have a lil' tawk wit Princess. Clear?"
Hothead just smiled. "Yessir." She had been waiting for this day, for such a long time.