Spot shook his head vehemently, "Cowboy, you're crazy!"
"C'mon, Spot, you can do it faster than anyone else in the city, I need your help!" Jack was a hair away from desperation; Spot had been his quickest solution to the problem.
Spot whirled away from Jack, picked up a bottle, and threw it against the side of a building. Then he turned to his newsies, watching the proceedings with measured caution, "Half-Pint, Mud, Knots, Irish, Spits, Cheep, and Red go spread the word, Manhattan and Ice are having problems with each other. Anyone who doesn't want trouble with Manhattan doesn't let her work in his territory. Go!" Watching the boys, the smallest of Brooklyn's arsenal, run off the docks, Jack breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thanks, I owe you." He said, spitting on his hand and holding it out.
"Yeah, you do," said Spot, "and you're telling me right now why I just did that." He crossed his arms and looked pointedly at Jack's outstretched hand.
Jack wiped his hand off and explained the brilliance that had come to him while debating with Ice over street loyalties. "If the rest of the city thinks that we're fighting, she doesn't have anyone else to turn to, 'cept Manhattan." Spot raised an eyebrow; meaning Jack might want to clarify further. He did so quickly, "I'm sending my boys out with the rumor that when I went to pay her back, she insulted me in some grievous way, thereby allowing me to "fight" her without losing any of me honor. Hopefully all the other boroughs will turn her away, forcing her back to Manhattan and right where I want her. If they don't turn her away, I find out which ones have "problems" with me that need to be settled."
Spot looked impressed, "You surprise me Jackie-Boy, here I was thinking that all your borough's brains were with that Walking Mouth of yours. You got yourself a win-win situation; she doesn't have allies, and you do. But," Spot looked serious, "You never told me why you were setting this up."
Jack looked down, "She insulted me, insulted my boys, an' I'm getting her back for it."
"Look at me Jack," Spot commanded. Jack complied, meeting Spot's sharp eyes with his own guilty ones. "You're trying to save another one, aren't you?" asked the Brooklyn leader. When Jack didn't respond, Spot pulled out his slingshot and began lining up a shot at Jack's head. "You know," he said, "its rude not to respond when asked a question. Especially when the person asking is me!" At the last word he released the shot, the marble snapping Jack's ear in its flight to the bottle right behind him.
Hissing through his teeth, Jack brought his fingers down from his ear and, seeing blood on them, said, "So what if I'm trying to help her? I won't just abandon her like...other people will."
"Didn't you hear a word I said to you yesterday?" Spot demanded. "She's dangerous and you're a fool for going after her like this. How do you know she won't turn on you and take it out on your boys? Huh, Jack? Did you even think about them?" Stepping back, he said, "Get out of here Cowboy, before I really lose my temper at you." With that final word he turn and started walking back through the docks, leaving Jack wondering where he, and Manhattan, stood with Brooklyn.
**************************************************************************** **
When he reached the Lodging House later that night he called everyone into a meeting. Standing by his bunk he recapped the story, "...so I talked to Brooklyn about it and he sent runners to tell the other boroughs that we've got a bone to pick with Ice. When you're talking to them, agree, say we don't want Ice in any territory friendly to us. But if you see her our territory, come tell me, and I'll handle it. We are not against her, but we need the others to think we are, got it?"
Race raised his hand. "Yeah, Race." Race stood cocked his head to one side and said, "This sure is a hell of a lot of trouble just to save another street rat, don't you think Jack?"
"Race," Jack replied with exasperation, "if I thought that I wouldn't be doing this, now would I?"
"Just a question," Race muttered, disgruntled.
Jack raised his head and looked around, "Any others?" he asked. When no one spoke up, "Ok, then lets all turn in, its late and I hear Kloppman coming up the stairs." Muttering, all the newsies began to undress, leaving Jack alone in the center of the room. Deciding to check on David, he quietly moved downstairs.
**************************************************************************** *
"....and, uh...that's how we're gonna get her." Jack finished explaining everything for the third and hopefully final time that day.
David closed his eyes, clearly exhausted and Jack moved to leave when they suddenly flew open and David said, "Hey, Jack.."
Jack turned, "Yeah?"
"What're you going to do once to have her?"
"Go to sleep, Mouth, you look tired."
"Jack?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you know yet?"
"Not exactly."
"Oh," said David as he closed his eyes, "Well, good luck...and Jack?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
"Sure Davey"
As Jack closed the door to the sick room he grimaced as he realized that he actually didn't know what to do with Ice once he had her trapped. 'Talk to her.' He decided, 'and find out why she's so...cold.' Satisfied with himself, he returned to his bunk and fell fast asleep.
**************************************************************************** **
"C'mon, Spot, you can do it faster than anyone else in the city, I need your help!" Jack was a hair away from desperation; Spot had been his quickest solution to the problem.
Spot whirled away from Jack, picked up a bottle, and threw it against the side of a building. Then he turned to his newsies, watching the proceedings with measured caution, "Half-Pint, Mud, Knots, Irish, Spits, Cheep, and Red go spread the word, Manhattan and Ice are having problems with each other. Anyone who doesn't want trouble with Manhattan doesn't let her work in his territory. Go!" Watching the boys, the smallest of Brooklyn's arsenal, run off the docks, Jack breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thanks, I owe you." He said, spitting on his hand and holding it out.
"Yeah, you do," said Spot, "and you're telling me right now why I just did that." He crossed his arms and looked pointedly at Jack's outstretched hand.
Jack wiped his hand off and explained the brilliance that had come to him while debating with Ice over street loyalties. "If the rest of the city thinks that we're fighting, she doesn't have anyone else to turn to, 'cept Manhattan." Spot raised an eyebrow; meaning Jack might want to clarify further. He did so quickly, "I'm sending my boys out with the rumor that when I went to pay her back, she insulted me in some grievous way, thereby allowing me to "fight" her without losing any of me honor. Hopefully all the other boroughs will turn her away, forcing her back to Manhattan and right where I want her. If they don't turn her away, I find out which ones have "problems" with me that need to be settled."
Spot looked impressed, "You surprise me Jackie-Boy, here I was thinking that all your borough's brains were with that Walking Mouth of yours. You got yourself a win-win situation; she doesn't have allies, and you do. But," Spot looked serious, "You never told me why you were setting this up."
Jack looked down, "She insulted me, insulted my boys, an' I'm getting her back for it."
"Look at me Jack," Spot commanded. Jack complied, meeting Spot's sharp eyes with his own guilty ones. "You're trying to save another one, aren't you?" asked the Brooklyn leader. When Jack didn't respond, Spot pulled out his slingshot and began lining up a shot at Jack's head. "You know," he said, "its rude not to respond when asked a question. Especially when the person asking is me!" At the last word he released the shot, the marble snapping Jack's ear in its flight to the bottle right behind him.
Hissing through his teeth, Jack brought his fingers down from his ear and, seeing blood on them, said, "So what if I'm trying to help her? I won't just abandon her like...other people will."
"Didn't you hear a word I said to you yesterday?" Spot demanded. "She's dangerous and you're a fool for going after her like this. How do you know she won't turn on you and take it out on your boys? Huh, Jack? Did you even think about them?" Stepping back, he said, "Get out of here Cowboy, before I really lose my temper at you." With that final word he turn and started walking back through the docks, leaving Jack wondering where he, and Manhattan, stood with Brooklyn.
**************************************************************************** **
When he reached the Lodging House later that night he called everyone into a meeting. Standing by his bunk he recapped the story, "...so I talked to Brooklyn about it and he sent runners to tell the other boroughs that we've got a bone to pick with Ice. When you're talking to them, agree, say we don't want Ice in any territory friendly to us. But if you see her our territory, come tell me, and I'll handle it. We are not against her, but we need the others to think we are, got it?"
Race raised his hand. "Yeah, Race." Race stood cocked his head to one side and said, "This sure is a hell of a lot of trouble just to save another street rat, don't you think Jack?"
"Race," Jack replied with exasperation, "if I thought that I wouldn't be doing this, now would I?"
"Just a question," Race muttered, disgruntled.
Jack raised his head and looked around, "Any others?" he asked. When no one spoke up, "Ok, then lets all turn in, its late and I hear Kloppman coming up the stairs." Muttering, all the newsies began to undress, leaving Jack alone in the center of the room. Deciding to check on David, he quietly moved downstairs.
**************************************************************************** *
"....and, uh...that's how we're gonna get her." Jack finished explaining everything for the third and hopefully final time that day.
David closed his eyes, clearly exhausted and Jack moved to leave when they suddenly flew open and David said, "Hey, Jack.."
Jack turned, "Yeah?"
"What're you going to do once to have her?"
"Go to sleep, Mouth, you look tired."
"Jack?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you know yet?"
"Not exactly."
"Oh," said David as he closed his eyes, "Well, good luck...and Jack?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
"Sure Davey"
As Jack closed the door to the sick room he grimaced as he realized that he actually didn't know what to do with Ice once he had her trapped. 'Talk to her.' He decided, 'and find out why she's so...cold.' Satisfied with himself, he returned to his bunk and fell fast asleep.
**************************************************************************** **