Ch. 2
I finished my story, and the kids looked bored. "That's it?" a boy with
pale skin and shiny dark hair, named Esky, asked incredulously.
"That's it." I said. "I told you it was really nothing. I'm not a hero, and my story isn't even very sad."
"I thought it is a good story," a little girl by the name of Jump said, climbing into my lap. She was the only other girl besides me, one Dutchy had found unconscious on newspapers in an alley the week before. Dutchy was the one responsible for bringing in most of the kids to the Lodging house to sell for Manhattan. He just couldn't leave them there, it wasn't in his nature. Jump was a feisty spirit, and though we couldn't get her to talk about her past at all, she was friendly enough, cute as a button, and a hard worker if I ever saw one. I immediately claimed the girl as mine to teach and sell with, noticing her blonde ringlets, and bright blue eyes that she could use to charm the customers. She clung to me like static and seemed to live in fear of disappointing me.
"Thanks, Jump." I said. I looked around to find Dutchy, and to my surprise, found he wasn't in the room anymore. I figured he had gotten bored and went down to the common room to play cards, drink a bit, or whatever he wanted. It didn't concern me in the least-then.
"C'mon, kids. Ain't ya gettin tired yet?" Esky asked, watching a couple of boys yawning. The summer air in the night was seductive, and I was just about ready to plop, so I hoped the kids were tired. As they all denied they were sleepy, Esky, who was always leading them, started yelling at them again.
"C'mon now, kids, ya wanna be able to sell tomarra, doncha?" he asked, sounding just like the famous Jack Kelly, the Cowboy, the leader of the Manhattan newsies. They all yelled in protest, but spread out in the bunkroom to their bunks, and most were asleep by the time Jump and I had left the room. I swear she was never tired, and she slept with me in Mrs. Larson's room anyway. We made our way to the common room where Racetrack, Kid Blink, and Mush were playing poker. Or, I should say, Kid Blink and Mush were losing to Racetrack in a game of poker.
I did a quick once over of the room and sat down to be included in the next game, but I was picking up my cards as I stopped short and felt something wrong in the room. I stood up and looked around some more; unable to put my finger on what was bugging me.
"Miss, ya playin or are ya not?" Racetrack asked irritably.
"Race. where's Dutchy?" I asked, dropping my cards on the table.
"Guess not." Race muttered.
"I dunno Miss, I didn't see him come in, maybe he went outside?" Mush asked, laying his cards down as well.
"Well, ya can't freakin play pokah wit two people!" Race said in a tizzy. We ignored him.
"Mush, go look upstairs, I dunno, maybe he was up there and I didn't see him. And I'm gonna go look for him outside."
"Not alone, ya ain't." Blink said,
"Racetrack, watch her." I said, entrusting Jump to the seething gambler. Racetrack grumbled
Blink and I rushed out of the room.
"Whoa, whoa! Where you two going?" yelled Mr. Larson as Blink and I sprinted into the black night.
"Dutchy!" I yelled to Mr. Larson.
"Heh?" Mr. Larson shook his head and didn't worry about it. He'd had kids disappear before; it was no big deal for him, even though some of the other newsies took it hard. Sometimes they even came back.
Blink and I ran all the way around the New York City block, went through the alleys, and even asked members of the crowd that was leaving the theater after seeing Medda Larkson, the Swedish Meadowlark, a vaudeville performer. Most of them shunned us when we asked about a skinny, blonde, pale teenager, but the ones who helped us looked at us with such pity that it disgusted me, and we returned to the lodging house soon after.
Blink and I entered the common room to find that most newsies had either fallen asleep in their spots or gone up to the bunkroom. Race was one of the few that were awake. He was sitting with his back to Blink and me, staring out the window, stroking the hair of Jump, who was asleep in his lap. He might seem like the big scary gambler, always chewing on his stogies and trash talking his opponents, but we all knew he had a soft spot for kids. I smiled in spite of myself until I saw Mush heading my way.
"Miss, did ya find him? Cause he ain't here, we looked everywhere."
"We didn't see him, and we went all the way to Medda's. I don't know where he could be? I don't even know when he left." I got that sick feeling in my stomach that accompanied itself with crying. It was the feeling that I was weak and worth nothing. Racetrack had gotten up and was carrying Jump over to me. He had his poker face on again, and dumped her into my arms.
Mush slapped him on the back as he walked out of the room and he and Blink started rousing the sleeping newsies so they'd get up to the bunkroom. I laid Jump in a chair, amazed that she was still sleeping, and climbed out onto the fire escape, with some difficulty coming from my skirts. Mush laid a hand on my shoulder.
"Miss, he'll be back tomorrow, he ain't stupid. He needs ta sell so's he can stay here."
"But what if something happened to him? What was he thinking, just taking off like that?"
"Dunno but there ain't nothin we can do about it without riskin our tails so ya just get some sleep, and he'll be here in the morning wakin ya up like every day." I could tell even Mush wasn't sure of what he was saying, but what else could I do? It would be stupid, even for someone like Jack, to go out searching all over creation in the dark, when even the most alert fighter could be surprised and overtaken. So I gently carried Jump to our room with Mrs. Larson, careful not to wake either of them up, and laid in bed, staring at the ceiling until dawn, when I finally fell asleep.
"That's it." I said. "I told you it was really nothing. I'm not a hero, and my story isn't even very sad."
"I thought it is a good story," a little girl by the name of Jump said, climbing into my lap. She was the only other girl besides me, one Dutchy had found unconscious on newspapers in an alley the week before. Dutchy was the one responsible for bringing in most of the kids to the Lodging house to sell for Manhattan. He just couldn't leave them there, it wasn't in his nature. Jump was a feisty spirit, and though we couldn't get her to talk about her past at all, she was friendly enough, cute as a button, and a hard worker if I ever saw one. I immediately claimed the girl as mine to teach and sell with, noticing her blonde ringlets, and bright blue eyes that she could use to charm the customers. She clung to me like static and seemed to live in fear of disappointing me.
"Thanks, Jump." I said. I looked around to find Dutchy, and to my surprise, found he wasn't in the room anymore. I figured he had gotten bored and went down to the common room to play cards, drink a bit, or whatever he wanted. It didn't concern me in the least-then.
"C'mon, kids. Ain't ya gettin tired yet?" Esky asked, watching a couple of boys yawning. The summer air in the night was seductive, and I was just about ready to plop, so I hoped the kids were tired. As they all denied they were sleepy, Esky, who was always leading them, started yelling at them again.
"C'mon now, kids, ya wanna be able to sell tomarra, doncha?" he asked, sounding just like the famous Jack Kelly, the Cowboy, the leader of the Manhattan newsies. They all yelled in protest, but spread out in the bunkroom to their bunks, and most were asleep by the time Jump and I had left the room. I swear she was never tired, and she slept with me in Mrs. Larson's room anyway. We made our way to the common room where Racetrack, Kid Blink, and Mush were playing poker. Or, I should say, Kid Blink and Mush were losing to Racetrack in a game of poker.
I did a quick once over of the room and sat down to be included in the next game, but I was picking up my cards as I stopped short and felt something wrong in the room. I stood up and looked around some more; unable to put my finger on what was bugging me.
"Miss, ya playin or are ya not?" Racetrack asked irritably.
"Race. where's Dutchy?" I asked, dropping my cards on the table.
"Guess not." Race muttered.
"I dunno Miss, I didn't see him come in, maybe he went outside?" Mush asked, laying his cards down as well.
"Well, ya can't freakin play pokah wit two people!" Race said in a tizzy. We ignored him.
"Mush, go look upstairs, I dunno, maybe he was up there and I didn't see him. And I'm gonna go look for him outside."
"Not alone, ya ain't." Blink said,
"Racetrack, watch her." I said, entrusting Jump to the seething gambler. Racetrack grumbled
Blink and I rushed out of the room.
"Whoa, whoa! Where you two going?" yelled Mr. Larson as Blink and I sprinted into the black night.
"Dutchy!" I yelled to Mr. Larson.
"Heh?" Mr. Larson shook his head and didn't worry about it. He'd had kids disappear before; it was no big deal for him, even though some of the other newsies took it hard. Sometimes they even came back.
Blink and I ran all the way around the New York City block, went through the alleys, and even asked members of the crowd that was leaving the theater after seeing Medda Larkson, the Swedish Meadowlark, a vaudeville performer. Most of them shunned us when we asked about a skinny, blonde, pale teenager, but the ones who helped us looked at us with such pity that it disgusted me, and we returned to the lodging house soon after.
Blink and I entered the common room to find that most newsies had either fallen asleep in their spots or gone up to the bunkroom. Race was one of the few that were awake. He was sitting with his back to Blink and me, staring out the window, stroking the hair of Jump, who was asleep in his lap. He might seem like the big scary gambler, always chewing on his stogies and trash talking his opponents, but we all knew he had a soft spot for kids. I smiled in spite of myself until I saw Mush heading my way.
"Miss, did ya find him? Cause he ain't here, we looked everywhere."
"We didn't see him, and we went all the way to Medda's. I don't know where he could be? I don't even know when he left." I got that sick feeling in my stomach that accompanied itself with crying. It was the feeling that I was weak and worth nothing. Racetrack had gotten up and was carrying Jump over to me. He had his poker face on again, and dumped her into my arms.
Mush slapped him on the back as he walked out of the room and he and Blink started rousing the sleeping newsies so they'd get up to the bunkroom. I laid Jump in a chair, amazed that she was still sleeping, and climbed out onto the fire escape, with some difficulty coming from my skirts. Mush laid a hand on my shoulder.
"Miss, he'll be back tomorrow, he ain't stupid. He needs ta sell so's he can stay here."
"But what if something happened to him? What was he thinking, just taking off like that?"
"Dunno but there ain't nothin we can do about it without riskin our tails so ya just get some sleep, and he'll be here in the morning wakin ya up like every day." I could tell even Mush wasn't sure of what he was saying, but what else could I do? It would be stupid, even for someone like Jack, to go out searching all over creation in the dark, when even the most alert fighter could be surprised and overtaken. So I gently carried Jump to our room with Mrs. Larson, careful not to wake either of them up, and laid in bed, staring at the ceiling until dawn, when I finally fell asleep.