No newsies were harmed in the creation of this story.
In Which Luna Tells A Story, and Two-bit Gets A Dollar
The lodging house that night was unusually quiet. Luna Morgan, from the Bridge house, was staying the night ("On business," she proclaimed enigmatically), which meant Katie and Mouse were hanging on her every word, which meant, Luna felt more obligated than usual to keep up her steady stream of outrageous stories. A group of boarders, including Katie, Mouse, Goosey, a bored-looking Alleycats, and Sugar, was gathered around her in a ragged circle, listening to Luna's current episode of derring-do.
"So it was me, Hastings, an' Hastings' gun, face-to-face," Luna was saying in a low voice as Two-bit and Middy dragged in. "All I had wit me was me slingshot"—her hand automatically strayed to her pocket, where the infamous slingshot lived—"an' me wits." She pointed to her head, then leaned in closer. "An' ya know what I done?"
"What?!" Katie burst out, looking nerve-wracked.
Two-bit and Middy exchanged a knowing glance and walked to the table, where Angles and Stubby were sitting with a deck of cards between them.
"Heya, guys," Angles greeted them. "Whatcha been up to? You'se late."
"We were unavoidably detained," Middy declared.
"Pssh. Just because she works for the newspaper, she thinks she's smarter than the rest of us," Two-bit sneered.
"Well, she sure talks prettier than the rest of us," Stubby replied with a smile for Middy. "Seriously, where were you two?" She pushed a thick swath of hair over her shoulder and leaned her elbows on the table. "Sellin' was good today."
"Maybe for you," Middy replied.
"I took me a day off," Two-bit said earnestly. "Come to think of it, I'll be takin' another day off about this time next week, too…" she smiled. Middy snorted loudly.
"Oh, honestly, Two-bit. Where d'ya get the money to slack off so much?" Angles asked, unceremoniously picking her teeth.
Two-bit shrugged and scratched her head. "As long as Murphy keeps winnin' and I keep getting' hold'a saps like Alleycats…I'll be livin' like a Vanderbilt."
"That is, unless you finally get yourself killed," Middy interjected dramatically.
Stubby frowned. "Why would Two-bit get killed?" she asked. Something occurred to her, and she slammed her palms onto the table, looking dead into Two-bit's face. "Two-bit, don't tell me you're mixed up with the mob—"
"NO, no, no," Two-bit interrupted quickly, waving her hands. "Middy's just mad because some drunken ass tried to get a little something at the Midtown fight."
"Well, if you hadn't egged him on," said Middy irritably.
"Oh, please! It was self-defense. I'm just a poor, helpless little orphan girl…" Two-bit put her hand to her forehead in a mock swoon. "…and me mouth's me only weapon."
"Too bad it can't shoot to kill," Middy mumbled sarcastically. Angles snickered. "I can't believe you called him ass to his face."
Two-bit banged her elbows onto the table. "Well, whose brilliant idea was it to go for a drink in the first place, Middy?!"
Middy glared at Two-bit. Two-bit glared back. Middy growled and showed her teeth. Angles and Stubby giggled.
They heard an exasperated sigh from Luna's group. Sugar Valenci sucked her teeth impatiently and stood up. "Well, I, for one, think that this story is ridiculous," she said loudly, with a haughty toss of her head, and flounced off to the boys' bunks, no doubt to have a little entertainment of her own.
Luna blinked, stone faced, then pretended to fire a gun at Sugar's retreating figure. Then she continued in her deep, suspenseful voice: "I ducked, kicked the bastard's feet out from under 'im, grabbed the gun where he dropped it, an'—"
"Shot him! I knew it!" Katie exclaimed.
"KATIE!" the rest of the group chorused, exasperated.
"Sorry, guys," she said meekly.
Luna laughed, then stood up to stretch, snapping her suspenders into place. "Well, kids, I'm about storied out," she declared, her eyes twinkling. She was obviously pleased by all the attention she was getting.
"Who you callin' kid, kid?" Alleycats asked her, tugging a long raven lock playfully.
Goosey rolled her eyes. "Careful, Alley, your unbridled passion is showing," she teased him. Alleycats stuck his tongue out at her.
Katie sighed. "Luna, won't you tell me more about Spot?"
Luna ruffled Katie's hair. "I don't tink dat's the kinda stuff kids oughta be hearin'," she said, chuckling. "Fer now I tink it'd be best if we all hit the sack, okay?" She smiled at the group at the table and walked over, pulling a cigarette out from behind her ear. The rest of the kids dispersed to their respective sides of the lodging house, creating a pleasant rumble of conversation as they went.
Luna sat down at the head of the table and perched her cigarette between her lips. She quickly struck a match, lit it, shook out the match, then glanced at Two-bit and Middy. "So you two'se finally decided to join the party, huh?"
"Actually, we just came from one," Middy said sweetly, with one last acerbic glance for Two-bit. "Two-bit's great at starting parties, aren't you, Bitkins? Hmm?"
"Oh, for Chrissake, lay off," Two-bit grumbled, pushing her glasses up on her nose. "It wasn't my fault he was drunk."
Luna raised her eyebrows and leaned forward in her chair. "Sounds thrillin'. Is it somethin' I oughta hear?"
"Nah. We ran into a little trouble with a Mick at the Four Horses in Midtown. But we got out with our skin," Two-bit looked pointedly at Middy, "so I say we can forget it ever happened."
"The Four Horses, huh?" A thoughtful look had come over Luna's face. She leaned back on her chair legs and released a mouthful of smoke.
Two-bit nodded. "Yeah, little place over by the old Packard-Mooney warehouse on 49th."
"They make a pretty penny during the fights, then, I'm sure," Stubby commented. Two-bit nodded.
Two-bit threw a glance at Middy. "You saw how that dandified girly-boy tried to pin it all on us, didn't ya?"
"I was there, Two-bit," said Midnight placidly.
Two-bit ignored this. "I swear, the way he talked you'd think we'd started an all-out brawl and burned the place down!"
Luna chuckled. "You'll kick his ass someday, Two-bit," she said encouragingly, then stood up and yawned. "Well, it's been good talkin'," she said, passing her half-smoked cigarette to Middy, "but I guess I'll turn in. See you'se guys in the mornin'…I got a little business to take care of in the neighborhood, but I oughta be back for breakfast."
"Breakfast?" Angles barked, standing up. "You mean, watered-down coffee and corn cakes?"
"If dat's what ya got," Luna replied.
"I think Mrs. Winkler is on strike," Angles said with a frown. "Either that or she's finally gone to the poorhouse. We ain't had nothin' good here since April."
"Ah, quit yer whinin'," Stubby said good-naturedly. "At least it's food, right?"
"I need my money," said Two-bit suddenly, standing up so fast that her chair tipped precariously.
The others got up as well, and meandered towards the girls' bunkroom, Luna singing softly to herself.
Two-bit headed down the hall in the opposite direction and paused outside of the boys' room, peering in surreptitiously. The boys were all in various stages of undress, but seeing as no one was completely starkers, Two-bit pushed the door open and went in.
"What's your business, Two-bit?" Leo asked, sounding a little wary. He'd just emerged from the water closet.
"I've come to collect," she responded, scanning the room for Alleycats and locating him sitting cross-legged on his top bunk.
"Heya, Cats," Two-bit said conversationally, ambling over to Alleycats with a grin. He was in the process of slipping his suspenders off over his shoulders.
"Heya, Two-bit," he replied, matching her amiable tone. "What brings you in here so late?"
"Oh, nothin' much," she answered, casually leaning against the bedpost. "I just seem to remember you puttin' down a good buck on Ripken earlier, an' seein' as Ripken didn't win—why, that means you're out and"—she hoisted herself up to stand on the edge of the empty bunk below him—"I want my money." She paused. "That was a pretty nasty trick you pulled, Arthur old boy, disappearing right after me man won. Tsk tsk."
"Uh-oh, Alley," B Hamilton called mockingly from his own bunk. "Hey, Two-bit, do we get to see another knuckle round right here?"
"Only if this sap don't pay up," Two-bit said, maintaining an exaggeratedly solemn face. She held out her hand. "Right here, Alley. Lay it down. Let's get it over with, huh?"
Alleycats' face melted into a grin, and he reluctantly fished a crumpled bill from his pocket. "There ya go, little lady," he said sweetly. "Don't you go spendin' it all in one place now, ya hear?" He reached down and pulled her cap over her eyes. "Now get out of here."
"Don't gotta tell me twice," Two-bit muttered as she straightened her cap and hopped back down to the floor.