Chapter 2
The next morning, Kloppman went to wake the guys up as usual, and then went to wake up Firefly and Mystery. "Wake up, time ta sell da papes!" he said shaking them until they woke up.
Firefly grumbled, "What time is it?"
"Ah, it's 'bout 5:30," Kloppman told her, then went to Mystery, "C'mon get up, time ta sell da papes!"
"Five thirty?!?!?! Ya gotta be nuts!" Firefly exclaimed, reluctantly getting up and getting dressed. "Well, this certainly is a change," she mumbled to Mystery who was also getting ready.
"Yeah yer tellin' me, I got spoiled when we didn't 'ave ta get until 10," Mystery said between yawns. "Maybe this wasn't such a great idea."
"Nah, dis is a great idea, dere isn't any bettah way ta fit in 'round 'ere. Besides, it could be interesting, some of the guys are pretty cute..."
Mystery rolled her eyes. "Only you would say dat."
"Oh, c'mon, even ya have ta admit they're pretty cute... a lot cuter than Christian."
Mystery glared at her. "I thought we were going to forget Christian. But just so you know, no one is cuter than Christian..." she grinned, remembering the leader of the gang, that she had really liked.
"Yeah, yeah, c'mon, let's go, we don't want to be late." She left the room and walked into the washroom to brush her teeth, nodding to the guys. "Heya."
"Heya, Mystery, Firefly," Jack said when he saw them, "Have a hard time getting up?"
Mystery nodded, "Yeah, it was torture... don't know if I can stand getting up this early every day."
"You'll get used to it," Mush told her. "It's not all that bad if you don't stay out all night."
Crutchy came hobbling next to Mush, "Yeah, it ain't dat bad if ya guys don't stay up late."
The boys left the washroom, giving the girls space to brush their teeth.
When they were finished, they walked out of the washroom, and practically bumped into Race and Jack. "Heya guys, standing awful close to da washroom, ain't ya?" Mystery commented.
Jack laughed, "Yeah, well we'se was waitin fer ya two. Do ya goils wanna sell papes wid us taday?"
"Sure," Firefly answered.
"Alright, follow us to da Distribution Center." Race told them.
Race led them to the Distribution Center, and as usual, they were the first ones in line.
"Weasel! Mr. Weasel!" Jack called, knocking on the window.
Mystery and Firefly heard the footsteps of a heavy man from behind the window. "I'm coming, hold yer horses!"
Then the green door opened, and Mr. Weasel appeared. "I told you, Cowboy, it's Weisel! And you don't even need to ask, Cowboy, I didn't miss you. So how many?"
Jack laughed, and put down 50 cents. "Da usual."
Mystery came up behind him, and put down her 50 cents, "100 papes, please."
Weasel looked at the girl, and then at Jack. "Is this some joke? Girls aren't Newsies."
Jack went back up to Weasel, 'Well dere's a foirst time fer everyt'ing, roight? So just give her the papes."
Weasel sighed, and handed the papers to Mystery. Then Firefly came after her, and put down her 50 cents, "Same."
Racetrack came up, "Heya, do ya t'ink ya can spot me two bits? I know dat numbah t'ree's gonna win taday, I'se got a really hot tip."
Weasel sighed again, "You an' yer hot tips, when are dey gonna start payin' off?" And then handed Race his papers.
Racetrack took them, then walked towards Firefly, Mystery, and Jack, smiling. "Anddah successful mornin'," he said to Jack.
Jack grinned, "Yeah, ya do 'ave a way of weaselin' papes outta Weasel!"
"I'm guessin' dat ya don't do very well at da tracks?" Firefly commented.
"I do alright. Even if I do win, I'd neva tell Weasel," Racetrack admitted. "Den 'e would expect me ta pay fer my papes."
Firefly nodded. "Who are dose guys?" she asked pointing to two boys who had come up behind Weasel and were staring at them.
Jack turned around. "Oh dey're Morris an' Oscar. Weasel is dere uncle, I would stay away from dem, dey aren't da nicest people. Anyway where do ya want ta sell?"
Mystery shrugged. "I dunno... I don't really know dat many places 'round 'ere. Where would ya suggest?"
"'Ow 'bout Central Park? We got 'ere pretty early so dere won't be many of the other newsies dere," Racetrack suggested. The other nodded, and started calling out headlines as they started walking towards Central Park.
Firefly opened up one of her papers trying to look for a good headline to call out, or a good one to improve. "Remembah," Jack reminded her when he saw her looking for a headline, "headlines don't sell papes, newsies sell papes."
"Yeah," Firefly said and then mumbled, "but da headlines sure do help..."
Mystery sold some of her papers on the way to Central Park. "This isn't dat hard," She commented about thirty minutes later when she and Firefly only had a few papers left each.
"Not once ya get da hang of it," Jack answered, he had already finished selling all of his papers, and he was sitting on a bench, waiting for them to finish. "I'll introduce ya ta Medda when yer done."
"Her show should be startin' soon, so maybe we can even catch some of 'er act," Race added, "Thank ya," he said selling his last pape to a lady walking nearby.
"Done," Firefly said as she finished up selling her papers, Mystery sold her last one a few minutes later. "So how'd ya end up at da lodgin' house?"
"Ah, dey needed a leader an' dey knew I'd be poirfect fer da job, so dey came an' asked me," Jack said with a smile.
"Now dat's an exaggeration, dat's not how ya got ta da lodgin' house," Racetrack informed them. "He got put in da refuge fer stealin' some food, den 'e busted out, an' came ta da lodgin' house. We didn't go an' get 'im. As fer 'im becomin' leader, dat jus' sorta 'appened when da old leadah left."
"What 'bout ya?" Mystery asked Racetrack. "How'd ya get ta da lodgin' house?"
Race shrugged. "Jus' didn't 'ave anywhere else ta go dat's all. 'Ere we are. Dis is Irving Hall." He held the door open for them, and they went in. "Medda? Ya 'ere?"
Medda walked out from behind the stage. "Racetrack? Jack? Hello boys!"
Medda was dressed in a purple colored dress, which looked a little small for her, and her reddish colored hair was pulled up and held up by a purple hair piece. In her hand she held a very large purple feather, and she wore a lot of makeup. "She looks like she could go a little easier on the makeup," Firefly whispered to Mystery, who nodded in agreement.
"Medda dis is Mystery an' Firefly. Dey're newsies, dat are now stayin' at da lodgin' house," Jack said introducing them.
"It's a pleasure to meet you!" Medda said smiling. "Velcome to Irving Hall! How are you?"
"Fine thanks," Mystery replied.
"Vell, the show is about to start, why don't you find a seat and enjoy it?" She said motioning to the rows of seats behind her with her feather.
"Sounds good, see you later, Medda," Racetrack said taking a seat in one of the last rows. Firefly sat down next to him, and Jack and Mystery sat down next to her.
Mystery and Firefly watched in disgust as they watched the immodest Medda flutter about the stage, waving her feather at young boys. They looked over at the boys, and saw them watching the purple blob dance around on the stage.
"What the heck do they see in her?" Mystery whispered to Firefly.
"Beats me, I can't stand watching her any longer. I'm going outside till the show's over, want to come?" Firefly answered.
"Yeah, anything is better then watching that her flutter around the stage." Mystery answered, then turning to Jack, she whispered, "Firefly and I are going to go outside for some fresh air for a little while, see you after the show."
Jack turned his eyes from the stage, "alright, see you in a little while. We'll be right out after the show, don't go very far, or you might get lost."
Mystery nodded, and waited till Firefly finished telling Race they were going outside for a while.
When they were outside, Mystery looked at Firefly, "You know I've been thinking, I kind of feel bad about leaving Richie so suddenly, and not telling him where we were going. I mean he has to be wondering where we are after not seeing us for a few days."
Firefly nodded, "Yeah, I've been thinking the same thing. I mean he's been a good friend to us for years, I think that he deserves to know where we are. I guess we should write a letter and explain things to him."
Mystery and Firefly sat down on some seats next to the door of the Hall, and waited for the boys to come out.
About half an hour later, Jack and Race came out of the building. "Heya, ya two. Are ya ready ta go back to da lodging house?"
"Yeah, we'se ready." Firefly answered.
The four of them went back to the lodging house, and Mystery and Firefly went to their room. "Night, see ya in da mornin'" Mystery said.
The next morning, Firefly got up early and wrote the letter to Richie, and she and Mystery signed it before taking it over to the post office. "I made sure to tell him that he couldn't tell anyone," Firefly said, as she dropped the letter in the box. "Hopefully he won't." Mystery nodded in agreement and they both went to get their papers.
The next morning, Kloppman went to wake the guys up as usual, and then went to wake up Firefly and Mystery. "Wake up, time ta sell da papes!" he said shaking them until they woke up.
Firefly grumbled, "What time is it?"
"Ah, it's 'bout 5:30," Kloppman told her, then went to Mystery, "C'mon get up, time ta sell da papes!"
"Five thirty?!?!?! Ya gotta be nuts!" Firefly exclaimed, reluctantly getting up and getting dressed. "Well, this certainly is a change," she mumbled to Mystery who was also getting ready.
"Yeah yer tellin' me, I got spoiled when we didn't 'ave ta get until 10," Mystery said between yawns. "Maybe this wasn't such a great idea."
"Nah, dis is a great idea, dere isn't any bettah way ta fit in 'round 'ere. Besides, it could be interesting, some of the guys are pretty cute..."
Mystery rolled her eyes. "Only you would say dat."
"Oh, c'mon, even ya have ta admit they're pretty cute... a lot cuter than Christian."
Mystery glared at her. "I thought we were going to forget Christian. But just so you know, no one is cuter than Christian..." she grinned, remembering the leader of the gang, that she had really liked.
"Yeah, yeah, c'mon, let's go, we don't want to be late." She left the room and walked into the washroom to brush her teeth, nodding to the guys. "Heya."
"Heya, Mystery, Firefly," Jack said when he saw them, "Have a hard time getting up?"
Mystery nodded, "Yeah, it was torture... don't know if I can stand getting up this early every day."
"You'll get used to it," Mush told her. "It's not all that bad if you don't stay out all night."
Crutchy came hobbling next to Mush, "Yeah, it ain't dat bad if ya guys don't stay up late."
The boys left the washroom, giving the girls space to brush their teeth.
When they were finished, they walked out of the washroom, and practically bumped into Race and Jack. "Heya guys, standing awful close to da washroom, ain't ya?" Mystery commented.
Jack laughed, "Yeah, well we'se was waitin fer ya two. Do ya goils wanna sell papes wid us taday?"
"Sure," Firefly answered.
"Alright, follow us to da Distribution Center." Race told them.
Race led them to the Distribution Center, and as usual, they were the first ones in line.
"Weasel! Mr. Weasel!" Jack called, knocking on the window.
Mystery and Firefly heard the footsteps of a heavy man from behind the window. "I'm coming, hold yer horses!"
Then the green door opened, and Mr. Weasel appeared. "I told you, Cowboy, it's Weisel! And you don't even need to ask, Cowboy, I didn't miss you. So how many?"
Jack laughed, and put down 50 cents. "Da usual."
Mystery came up behind him, and put down her 50 cents, "100 papes, please."
Weasel looked at the girl, and then at Jack. "Is this some joke? Girls aren't Newsies."
Jack went back up to Weasel, 'Well dere's a foirst time fer everyt'ing, roight? So just give her the papes."
Weasel sighed, and handed the papers to Mystery. Then Firefly came after her, and put down her 50 cents, "Same."
Racetrack came up, "Heya, do ya t'ink ya can spot me two bits? I know dat numbah t'ree's gonna win taday, I'se got a really hot tip."
Weasel sighed again, "You an' yer hot tips, when are dey gonna start payin' off?" And then handed Race his papers.
Racetrack took them, then walked towards Firefly, Mystery, and Jack, smiling. "Anddah successful mornin'," he said to Jack.
Jack grinned, "Yeah, ya do 'ave a way of weaselin' papes outta Weasel!"
"I'm guessin' dat ya don't do very well at da tracks?" Firefly commented.
"I do alright. Even if I do win, I'd neva tell Weasel," Racetrack admitted. "Den 'e would expect me ta pay fer my papes."
Firefly nodded. "Who are dose guys?" she asked pointing to two boys who had come up behind Weasel and were staring at them.
Jack turned around. "Oh dey're Morris an' Oscar. Weasel is dere uncle, I would stay away from dem, dey aren't da nicest people. Anyway where do ya want ta sell?"
Mystery shrugged. "I dunno... I don't really know dat many places 'round 'ere. Where would ya suggest?"
"'Ow 'bout Central Park? We got 'ere pretty early so dere won't be many of the other newsies dere," Racetrack suggested. The other nodded, and started calling out headlines as they started walking towards Central Park.
Firefly opened up one of her papers trying to look for a good headline to call out, or a good one to improve. "Remembah," Jack reminded her when he saw her looking for a headline, "headlines don't sell papes, newsies sell papes."
"Yeah," Firefly said and then mumbled, "but da headlines sure do help..."
Mystery sold some of her papers on the way to Central Park. "This isn't dat hard," She commented about thirty minutes later when she and Firefly only had a few papers left each.
"Not once ya get da hang of it," Jack answered, he had already finished selling all of his papers, and he was sitting on a bench, waiting for them to finish. "I'll introduce ya ta Medda when yer done."
"Her show should be startin' soon, so maybe we can even catch some of 'er act," Race added, "Thank ya," he said selling his last pape to a lady walking nearby.
"Done," Firefly said as she finished up selling her papers, Mystery sold her last one a few minutes later. "So how'd ya end up at da lodgin' house?"
"Ah, dey needed a leader an' dey knew I'd be poirfect fer da job, so dey came an' asked me," Jack said with a smile.
"Now dat's an exaggeration, dat's not how ya got ta da lodgin' house," Racetrack informed them. "He got put in da refuge fer stealin' some food, den 'e busted out, an' came ta da lodgin' house. We didn't go an' get 'im. As fer 'im becomin' leader, dat jus' sorta 'appened when da old leadah left."
"What 'bout ya?" Mystery asked Racetrack. "How'd ya get ta da lodgin' house?"
Race shrugged. "Jus' didn't 'ave anywhere else ta go dat's all. 'Ere we are. Dis is Irving Hall." He held the door open for them, and they went in. "Medda? Ya 'ere?"
Medda walked out from behind the stage. "Racetrack? Jack? Hello boys!"
Medda was dressed in a purple colored dress, which looked a little small for her, and her reddish colored hair was pulled up and held up by a purple hair piece. In her hand she held a very large purple feather, and she wore a lot of makeup. "She looks like she could go a little easier on the makeup," Firefly whispered to Mystery, who nodded in agreement.
"Medda dis is Mystery an' Firefly. Dey're newsies, dat are now stayin' at da lodgin' house," Jack said introducing them.
"It's a pleasure to meet you!" Medda said smiling. "Velcome to Irving Hall! How are you?"
"Fine thanks," Mystery replied.
"Vell, the show is about to start, why don't you find a seat and enjoy it?" She said motioning to the rows of seats behind her with her feather.
"Sounds good, see you later, Medda," Racetrack said taking a seat in one of the last rows. Firefly sat down next to him, and Jack and Mystery sat down next to her.
Mystery and Firefly watched in disgust as they watched the immodest Medda flutter about the stage, waving her feather at young boys. They looked over at the boys, and saw them watching the purple blob dance around on the stage.
"What the heck do they see in her?" Mystery whispered to Firefly.
"Beats me, I can't stand watching her any longer. I'm going outside till the show's over, want to come?" Firefly answered.
"Yeah, anything is better then watching that her flutter around the stage." Mystery answered, then turning to Jack, she whispered, "Firefly and I are going to go outside for some fresh air for a little while, see you after the show."
Jack turned his eyes from the stage, "alright, see you in a little while. We'll be right out after the show, don't go very far, or you might get lost."
Mystery nodded, and waited till Firefly finished telling Race they were going outside for a while.
When they were outside, Mystery looked at Firefly, "You know I've been thinking, I kind of feel bad about leaving Richie so suddenly, and not telling him where we were going. I mean he has to be wondering where we are after not seeing us for a few days."
Firefly nodded, "Yeah, I've been thinking the same thing. I mean he's been a good friend to us for years, I think that he deserves to know where we are. I guess we should write a letter and explain things to him."
Mystery and Firefly sat down on some seats next to the door of the Hall, and waited for the boys to come out.
About half an hour later, Jack and Race came out of the building. "Heya, ya two. Are ya ready ta go back to da lodging house?"
"Yeah, we'se ready." Firefly answered.
The four of them went back to the lodging house, and Mystery and Firefly went to their room. "Night, see ya in da mornin'" Mystery said.
The next morning, Firefly got up early and wrote the letter to Richie, and she and Mystery signed it before taking it over to the post office. "I made sure to tell him that he couldn't tell anyone," Firefly said, as she dropped the letter in the box. "Hopefully he won't." Mystery nodded in agreement and they both went to get their papers.