Curiosity pulled David to the edge of the bridge to see…. Had she jumped?
Was this girl simply a figment of his imagination? The sun was just coming
up and the reflection off the water below was blinding. The fog had lifted
and David could finally see clearly.
Then he saw her. Below him and to his left, she hung there. She looked like she was screaming, but he couldn't hear a sound. David shook his head, still stuck in disbelief. Snap out of it! He had to do something.
He turned around and shouted for someone to help. "Hey! There's a girl down here! Someone help me!"
A few people ignored him, and walked on by. David grabbed the next passerby by the arm. "Mister, there's a girl hanging down there. Ya gotta help me save her!"
The man was about thirty and had a full grown beard and glasses. He seemed annoyed at first, but once he looked over the edge and saw her, he jumped to task. "What do we do?"
David pulled nervously at his suspenders, and then an idea hit him. He unbuttoned his suspenders, wrapped one around his waist, and tied the second one to the first and handed it to his partner. "You're going to repel down there?" the man asked incredulously. "Do you know how far it is down there?? No one has lived from that fall!"
David ignored the warning. "Here hold this end. Tie it to something. Make sure it stays." The suspenders were new. David suspected they wouldn't break.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Race hated Ophelia. He absolutely despised her after this latest prank. First, she flashes all his friends for money, then denies she knows him at the party, and now…. And now…
He assumed the count wouldn't take no for an answer. How could one girl get into so much trouble?
He lit one cigarette off another as he sat on the front steps of her boarding house. The lady of the house had told him if Opie had done what they thought she had, then she'd be forced to kick her out of the house. She said she wanted "a home for ladies," and couldn't maintain her reputation with girls "like Ophelia."
Race shook his head. He didn't have the energy to be her babysitter anymore. He felt like he owed her mother when she died earlier that year. She'd been sort of a neighborhood mother to him, and Opie his sister.
"You'se gonna sit 'ere all day?" Blink asked.
"Until she gets back, so's I kin soak 'er," he fumed.
"I gots ta go, Racetrack. I know she'll be alright. We can git dat count doh. Just give me a few hours to come up wit' a plan." Blink said. He got up and patted Race on the shoulder. "They're all trouble," he winked and strutted off.
Race decided he was never going to get married.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"I'll make it worth your while." Tommy sat at the edge of his Queen Anne chair with his elbows resting on his knees. Mush sat across from him, slouching back in a big fluffy floral chair. He didn't move. "Listen, Pullitzer isn't exactly the easiest guy to get involved with. I'm usin' one of me contacts ta even git to 'im. I 'ave a feelin' dat he'll 'elp take down anybody in da Gould family."
Mush made a face that asked the question "why?"
Timmy noticed and explained, "Pullitzer and Jay Gould, Peter's father, were enemies. Pullitzer has published hundreds of anti-Gould comic pages, headlines, and flyers. He hated the man. In fact, almost everybody did. 'E passed on a few years ago though. Now Peter runs 'is empire. I seriously doubt dere's any love between Peter and Joseph Pullitzer."
Mush finally became animated. He leaned forward, "So he'll help us?"
Timmy smiled. "If I ask 'im to, 'e might."
Mush sat back. "What do you want me to do?"
"Well." Timmy paused, thinking how to put it nicely. "Dere's dis barber in me section of town. He's causin' trouble. He don't want da family dere, an' usually we'd just force 'im out, but 'e won't leave. And what's worse, he's startin' a kinda union of store owners in da neighborhood to deny dere payments to us."
"Payments?" Mush asked.
"Yeah, it's a protection tax. I keep me boys posted in da area ta make sure no other gangs move in."
"And if they don't pay?"
"I want you an' Spot ta cause some damage if ya know what I mean," he lowered his voice when his mother walked by the door. "If ya do it, I'll talk ta Pullitzer AND git Spot off yer back. So you 'ave a chance at the championship."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The man stood there in shock at this sight. He had tied the suspenders to the railing, but decided, just in case, to hold the end.
David was on the other side if the railing, looking down for somewhere to put his foot. His shoes were discarded on the bridge, and he hoped the nervous sweat wouldn't make him slip. He prayed silently that he could pull this off.
One step onto the metal truss, he didn't slip. He took a deep breath and leaned back, hoping the suspenders held up. Time was of essence. Another step down, the suspenders seemed to be holding fine, but could they hold the weight of the girl too if he even got that far?
"Hey wait! Here!" The man from above was pulling his suspenders off as well. He fumbled with them, tying them together, and then threw one end down to David.
David sighed, "Thanks!" He took of his shirt first, and tied the second suspender around his chest. Then he stuffed his shirt under the suspenders to free his hand.
He took another step down. There was no going back now. He could almost reach her. He could hear her now. She was whimpering.
David realized that he couldn't expect to pull her up with the shirt like he'd planned. Her hands were shaking so badly, he was sure it was a matter of seconds before she dropped into the river. He had to go down further.
Then he saw her. Below him and to his left, she hung there. She looked like she was screaming, but he couldn't hear a sound. David shook his head, still stuck in disbelief. Snap out of it! He had to do something.
He turned around and shouted for someone to help. "Hey! There's a girl down here! Someone help me!"
A few people ignored him, and walked on by. David grabbed the next passerby by the arm. "Mister, there's a girl hanging down there. Ya gotta help me save her!"
The man was about thirty and had a full grown beard and glasses. He seemed annoyed at first, but once he looked over the edge and saw her, he jumped to task. "What do we do?"
David pulled nervously at his suspenders, and then an idea hit him. He unbuttoned his suspenders, wrapped one around his waist, and tied the second one to the first and handed it to his partner. "You're going to repel down there?" the man asked incredulously. "Do you know how far it is down there?? No one has lived from that fall!"
David ignored the warning. "Here hold this end. Tie it to something. Make sure it stays." The suspenders were new. David suspected they wouldn't break.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Race hated Ophelia. He absolutely despised her after this latest prank. First, she flashes all his friends for money, then denies she knows him at the party, and now…. And now…
He assumed the count wouldn't take no for an answer. How could one girl get into so much trouble?
He lit one cigarette off another as he sat on the front steps of her boarding house. The lady of the house had told him if Opie had done what they thought she had, then she'd be forced to kick her out of the house. She said she wanted "a home for ladies," and couldn't maintain her reputation with girls "like Ophelia."
Race shook his head. He didn't have the energy to be her babysitter anymore. He felt like he owed her mother when she died earlier that year. She'd been sort of a neighborhood mother to him, and Opie his sister.
"You'se gonna sit 'ere all day?" Blink asked.
"Until she gets back, so's I kin soak 'er," he fumed.
"I gots ta go, Racetrack. I know she'll be alright. We can git dat count doh. Just give me a few hours to come up wit' a plan." Blink said. He got up and patted Race on the shoulder. "They're all trouble," he winked and strutted off.
Race decided he was never going to get married.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"I'll make it worth your while." Tommy sat at the edge of his Queen Anne chair with his elbows resting on his knees. Mush sat across from him, slouching back in a big fluffy floral chair. He didn't move. "Listen, Pullitzer isn't exactly the easiest guy to get involved with. I'm usin' one of me contacts ta even git to 'im. I 'ave a feelin' dat he'll 'elp take down anybody in da Gould family."
Mush made a face that asked the question "why?"
Timmy noticed and explained, "Pullitzer and Jay Gould, Peter's father, were enemies. Pullitzer has published hundreds of anti-Gould comic pages, headlines, and flyers. He hated the man. In fact, almost everybody did. 'E passed on a few years ago though. Now Peter runs 'is empire. I seriously doubt dere's any love between Peter and Joseph Pullitzer."
Mush finally became animated. He leaned forward, "So he'll help us?"
Timmy smiled. "If I ask 'im to, 'e might."
Mush sat back. "What do you want me to do?"
"Well." Timmy paused, thinking how to put it nicely. "Dere's dis barber in me section of town. He's causin' trouble. He don't want da family dere, an' usually we'd just force 'im out, but 'e won't leave. And what's worse, he's startin' a kinda union of store owners in da neighborhood to deny dere payments to us."
"Payments?" Mush asked.
"Yeah, it's a protection tax. I keep me boys posted in da area ta make sure no other gangs move in."
"And if they don't pay?"
"I want you an' Spot ta cause some damage if ya know what I mean," he lowered his voice when his mother walked by the door. "If ya do it, I'll talk ta Pullitzer AND git Spot off yer back. So you 'ave a chance at the championship."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The man stood there in shock at this sight. He had tied the suspenders to the railing, but decided, just in case, to hold the end.
David was on the other side if the railing, looking down for somewhere to put his foot. His shoes were discarded on the bridge, and he hoped the nervous sweat wouldn't make him slip. He prayed silently that he could pull this off.
One step onto the metal truss, he didn't slip. He took a deep breath and leaned back, hoping the suspenders held up. Time was of essence. Another step down, the suspenders seemed to be holding fine, but could they hold the weight of the girl too if he even got that far?
"Hey wait! Here!" The man from above was pulling his suspenders off as well. He fumbled with them, tying them together, and then threw one end down to David.
David sighed, "Thanks!" He took of his shirt first, and tied the second suspender around his chest. Then he stuffed his shirt under the suspenders to free his hand.
He took another step down. There was no going back now. He could almost reach her. He could hear her now. She was whimpering.
David realized that he couldn't expect to pull her up with the shirt like he'd planned. Her hands were shaking so badly, he was sure it was a matter of seconds before she dropped into the river. He had to go down further.