Chapter 4
Mystery and Firefly followed Jack and Racetrack over the Brooklyn Bridge. As the boys passed over it, they looked over they side and yelled. The two girls gave weird looks to Jack and Race. "What? It's a tradition to yell off the Brooklyn Bridge." Jack informed them. Firefly and Mystery just smiled, nodded, and followed the boys across the bridge.
When they reached the harbor, Mystery and Firefly looked around at their surroundings. They saw boys swimming in the water, and boys practicing shooting with a slingshot. "Now, that's what I want!" Mystery pointed to a slingshot.
"Yeah, no kidding." Firefly answered.
Just then a boy with dirty blond hair and sunken eyes jumped and landed down in front of them. Firefly strained her eyes, to try and figure out what color they were, and eventually noticed a hint of blue.
"Heya, Jacky-boy, who are dese goils?" the boy asked, pointing his cane in their direction.
"Well Spot, dis heah is Mystery, and Fiahfly. Dey're newsies in Manhattan. Goils, dis heah, is da famous, Spot Conlon." Jack answered.
"Goil newsies, eh?" Spot replied, putting his cane back through his suspenders.
Mystery rolled her eyes, and whispered to Firefly, "What is he, about 12? And why the heck does he need a cane, looks like he's walking alright to me."
"So um...Jacky-boy, what did ya need ta see me about?" Spot asked, taking out his slingshot, and fitting a rock into it. He then let it fly, and he hit a random bottle, breaking it to pieces.
Mystery looked in awe at the slingshot that now dangled from Spot's suspenders. Jack rolled his eyes at Spot's showing off. "I t'ought dat maybe you'se could teach dese goils how ta shoot a slingshot. Mystery and Fiahfly seeming interested in shootin' one since they saw one of yer boys walkin' around with one, an' it can't hoirt 'em any ta learn."
Spot nodded, "Well if dey can shoot decently well den I'll teach 'em. If dey got no aim, den I ain't gonna waste me time. Now lets get started."
Spot went into his lodging house really quick and came back out with two slingshots. "If you'se can shoot wid dem well enough by da end of da day, den dey're yers. If ya can't shoot worth beans, den ya can't keep 'em, got it?"
Mystery and Firefly nodded, and took the two slingshots. Spot gave them a couple of marbles, and showed them how to hold the slingshot. Then he told them how to aim, and then release it, so that the marble would go flying in that direction.
Spot pointed to another bottle sitting on top of a wooden box. "Alright, Fiahfly, let's see if ya can hit dat bottle ovah dere."
Firefly nodded, fit her marble into the sling, took aim, and let it go flying. She hit the bottle square in the middle, and broke it into many pieces.
Spot smirked in satisfaction, and then pointed out another bottle, and told Mystery to break it. Mystery put her marble into the sling, took aim, and then let it go flying. Like Firefly, she hit the bottle in the middle, breaking it in pieces.
Spot nodded, "yeah, you goils can shoot well enough. Dere ain't much more I'se can teach ya, all I'se gotta say, is fer ya ta practice."
"So we can keep the slingshots?" Firefly asked.
"Yeah, ya goils earned 'em." Spot answered.
Mystery and Firefly smiled as they stuck their slingshots into their suspenders. Jack and Race came over from where they were watching, and congratulated them.
The girls thanked Spot, and then they left Brooklyn.
"Hey, Race exactly, how old is Spot?" Firefly asked as they walked back to Manhattan.
"Well...I'se t'ink dat he's about 16, why?" Race answered.
"'Cause he looked more like 12." She answered.
Racetrack grinned, "I wouldn't advise ya tellin' dat ta Spot's face. He's got an ego dat's higher den da Brooklyn Bridge and he don't like ta get insulted."
"If he's so young, den why does he need a cane?" Mystery asked, Jack.
"'Cause he loiks ta show ya whose boss, and I guess he t'inks dat he's more intimidatin' wid dat t'ing." He answered.
"Heya, Spot! Dere's some people 'ere ta see ya!" a Brooklyn newsie called as soon as Jack, Race, Myst, and Fire had left.
"Who?" Spot asked, not particularly interested in seeing anyone at the moment. He was practicing with his slingshot.
"How's I supposed ta know? Just two guys," the boy answered.
"Fine, send them over," Spot answered absentmindedly. It was probably just a few newsies who saw the slingshot lesson and wanted one also. "What da ya want?" he asked when the two walked up to him.
"Ya just taught two girls how to use a sling shot," one pointed out.
"Very observant. Want a lesson?"
"No, we just want to know what you know about them," the other one said speaking up.
Spot turned around. "Why? Ya lookin' fer a date or something?" he grinned. "I know some other girls I could hook ya up with..."
"We're not looking for dates. Now just tell us what you know about them and we won't have to make you," The older one said threateningly.
"Who the heck are you?" Spot demanded, not intimidated.
"None of your business, now what can ya tell us about them?"
"Nothin'. Jus' taught 'em how ta use a slingshot. That's it," Spot said innocently, using the fact that he looked a lot younger than he was, to help him.
"Ya have ta know more than what you told us, you seemed like good friends with the two gentlemen."
"Nope, sorry. What do ya need them for anyway?"
"Business... something we need to take care of," one of them said, crossing his arms, making the Liberty symbol on his arm becoming visible.
Spot saw it but didn't say anything. "Yeah, I know where they're stayin'...and who they're with. Harlem, they're goin' wid two guys named Cactus and the other guy's name is Rebellion I believe." He knew the two guys from the Harlem LH and knew they'd help out and they'd know something about this gang, being gang members previously themselves.
"Ya betta be tellin' da truth," one of them told him before they turned and left. Spot waited about ten minutes, making sure they were gone until he headed to Manhattan.
Mystery and Firefly followed Jack and Racetrack over the Brooklyn Bridge. As the boys passed over it, they looked over they side and yelled. The two girls gave weird looks to Jack and Race. "What? It's a tradition to yell off the Brooklyn Bridge." Jack informed them. Firefly and Mystery just smiled, nodded, and followed the boys across the bridge.
When they reached the harbor, Mystery and Firefly looked around at their surroundings. They saw boys swimming in the water, and boys practicing shooting with a slingshot. "Now, that's what I want!" Mystery pointed to a slingshot.
"Yeah, no kidding." Firefly answered.
Just then a boy with dirty blond hair and sunken eyes jumped and landed down in front of them. Firefly strained her eyes, to try and figure out what color they were, and eventually noticed a hint of blue.
"Heya, Jacky-boy, who are dese goils?" the boy asked, pointing his cane in their direction.
"Well Spot, dis heah is Mystery, and Fiahfly. Dey're newsies in Manhattan. Goils, dis heah, is da famous, Spot Conlon." Jack answered.
"Goil newsies, eh?" Spot replied, putting his cane back through his suspenders.
Mystery rolled her eyes, and whispered to Firefly, "What is he, about 12? And why the heck does he need a cane, looks like he's walking alright to me."
"So um...Jacky-boy, what did ya need ta see me about?" Spot asked, taking out his slingshot, and fitting a rock into it. He then let it fly, and he hit a random bottle, breaking it to pieces.
Mystery looked in awe at the slingshot that now dangled from Spot's suspenders. Jack rolled his eyes at Spot's showing off. "I t'ought dat maybe you'se could teach dese goils how ta shoot a slingshot. Mystery and Fiahfly seeming interested in shootin' one since they saw one of yer boys walkin' around with one, an' it can't hoirt 'em any ta learn."
Spot nodded, "Well if dey can shoot decently well den I'll teach 'em. If dey got no aim, den I ain't gonna waste me time. Now lets get started."
Spot went into his lodging house really quick and came back out with two slingshots. "If you'se can shoot wid dem well enough by da end of da day, den dey're yers. If ya can't shoot worth beans, den ya can't keep 'em, got it?"
Mystery and Firefly nodded, and took the two slingshots. Spot gave them a couple of marbles, and showed them how to hold the slingshot. Then he told them how to aim, and then release it, so that the marble would go flying in that direction.
Spot pointed to another bottle sitting on top of a wooden box. "Alright, Fiahfly, let's see if ya can hit dat bottle ovah dere."
Firefly nodded, fit her marble into the sling, took aim, and let it go flying. She hit the bottle square in the middle, and broke it into many pieces.
Spot smirked in satisfaction, and then pointed out another bottle, and told Mystery to break it. Mystery put her marble into the sling, took aim, and then let it go flying. Like Firefly, she hit the bottle in the middle, breaking it in pieces.
Spot nodded, "yeah, you goils can shoot well enough. Dere ain't much more I'se can teach ya, all I'se gotta say, is fer ya ta practice."
"So we can keep the slingshots?" Firefly asked.
"Yeah, ya goils earned 'em." Spot answered.
Mystery and Firefly smiled as they stuck their slingshots into their suspenders. Jack and Race came over from where they were watching, and congratulated them.
The girls thanked Spot, and then they left Brooklyn.
"Hey, Race exactly, how old is Spot?" Firefly asked as they walked back to Manhattan.
"Well...I'se t'ink dat he's about 16, why?" Race answered.
"'Cause he looked more like 12." She answered.
Racetrack grinned, "I wouldn't advise ya tellin' dat ta Spot's face. He's got an ego dat's higher den da Brooklyn Bridge and he don't like ta get insulted."
"If he's so young, den why does he need a cane?" Mystery asked, Jack.
"'Cause he loiks ta show ya whose boss, and I guess he t'inks dat he's more intimidatin' wid dat t'ing." He answered.
"Heya, Spot! Dere's some people 'ere ta see ya!" a Brooklyn newsie called as soon as Jack, Race, Myst, and Fire had left.
"Who?" Spot asked, not particularly interested in seeing anyone at the moment. He was practicing with his slingshot.
"How's I supposed ta know? Just two guys," the boy answered.
"Fine, send them over," Spot answered absentmindedly. It was probably just a few newsies who saw the slingshot lesson and wanted one also. "What da ya want?" he asked when the two walked up to him.
"Ya just taught two girls how to use a sling shot," one pointed out.
"Very observant. Want a lesson?"
"No, we just want to know what you know about them," the other one said speaking up.
Spot turned around. "Why? Ya lookin' fer a date or something?" he grinned. "I know some other girls I could hook ya up with..."
"We're not looking for dates. Now just tell us what you know about them and we won't have to make you," The older one said threateningly.
"Who the heck are you?" Spot demanded, not intimidated.
"None of your business, now what can ya tell us about them?"
"Nothin'. Jus' taught 'em how ta use a slingshot. That's it," Spot said innocently, using the fact that he looked a lot younger than he was, to help him.
"Ya have ta know more than what you told us, you seemed like good friends with the two gentlemen."
"Nope, sorry. What do ya need them for anyway?"
"Business... something we need to take care of," one of them said, crossing his arms, making the Liberty symbol on his arm becoming visible.
Spot saw it but didn't say anything. "Yeah, I know where they're stayin'...and who they're with. Harlem, they're goin' wid two guys named Cactus and the other guy's name is Rebellion I believe." He knew the two guys from the Harlem LH and knew they'd help out and they'd know something about this gang, being gang members previously themselves.
"Ya betta be tellin' da truth," one of them told him before they turned and left. Spot waited about ten minutes, making sure they were gone until he headed to Manhattan.