Finding A Home
About forty-five minutes after walking through the streets he arrived at a small run down building that said Newsboy Lodging House. Cautiously and slowly he opened the door and walked in.
"Can I help you?" Anthony started at the voice that unexpectedly came from the shadows. "Yeah, ummm. I'se lookin' fer a place ta stay. Ya got some room heah?" Anthony asked tentatively trying desperately to see who he was talking to.
"Yeah," said the voice as he came from the shadows. The voice belonged to a small, old man. He held a little smile on his face, and a friendly posture. His eyes twinkled with the prospect of having yet another newsie to become a father figure to. "What's your name child?" the old man asked kindly.
Anthony nervously fidgeted, and glanced around him, his eyes darting this way and that. "Me names Anthony, or I mean, Tony." He whispered as his eyes found his shoes and began to examine them.
"Well Tony, you got any money?"
"Ummmm. no."
"Okay then you can stay her tonight for free, but after that you've got to pay the rent." The twinkle in old man's eyes grew dim, as he began to feel the nervousness, and fear that came from this small, maybe ten year old, child.
"Okay." Anthony's heart sank. He had no way of getting money, and he didn't want to take advantage of the old man, but he really did need some place to stay.
The old man sensed the trouble that Anthony was in, and he kindly came towards him and put his arm around him. "Hey, look, ya wanna job?" Anthony eagerly nodded his head. "Okay, then we'll get you one. How 'bout being a newsie."
Anthony thought about that for a while, he remembered the newsie he'd ran into earlier that day.
I can't be that tough, he thought. If I've gotta be like that, mean and rude to every person I meet then, I don't think I can do that, but it does beat crime, and sleeping on the streets. "Okay, I'll be a newsie. But I don't really know how to be one."
"Well I'll have Jack show ya how that's done, you two can be selling partners." Anthony wondered who this Jack was, and if he were as tough and mean as the Spot he'd met earlier. "I asked ya how old you were, kid?"
"Oh, sorry, I'm eight, but I'll be nine, in about a month." The old man shook his head slightly. They get younger every time, he thought. "Well, Jack, and the others ought to be here soon."
True to his word, 'Jack and the others' soon burst throw the door.
"Heya Kloppman!!!" they cried happily. Today had been a good selling day.
"Sold seventy this time, Kloppman!" cried one of the younger ones. Anthony noticed the cowboy hat on his head, and the red bandanna around his neck, and wondered if this boy had come from the west.
"Hey, Jack, that's pretty good! Getting better all the time! But, I've got someone I want you to meet." Kloppman (the old man) led Jack over to where Anthony was sitting with wide eyes staring at the newsies around him.
"Hey Tony, this is Jack, Jack this is Tony." Kloppman casually introduced them. "Jack I want ya to teach Tony here the ropes, okay?"
"Yeah sure Kloppman." Jack replied nonchalantly. "So Tony how old are you?"
"I'm almost nine." Anthony replied. This. wait, what was his name? Cowboy, guess that works, this Cowboy sure is nothing like Spot whatever-his-name- was.
"How old are you, Cowboy?" Anthony asked, in return. Jack laughed at the name.
"Cowboy? He he! That's pretty good, Tony. Ya in the nickname business?" Jack only earned a confused look, so he quit laughing, and replied. "I'm thirteen, been a newsie for three years. Someday, I'll be the leader of this here gang, but for the moment, Harts, over there is." As he spoke he beckoned towards a much older looking guy. Maybe seventeen or eighteen, Anthony mused.
"Well, welcome to the newsies, Tony!"
About forty-five minutes after walking through the streets he arrived at a small run down building that said Newsboy Lodging House. Cautiously and slowly he opened the door and walked in.
"Can I help you?" Anthony started at the voice that unexpectedly came from the shadows. "Yeah, ummm. I'se lookin' fer a place ta stay. Ya got some room heah?" Anthony asked tentatively trying desperately to see who he was talking to.
"Yeah," said the voice as he came from the shadows. The voice belonged to a small, old man. He held a little smile on his face, and a friendly posture. His eyes twinkled with the prospect of having yet another newsie to become a father figure to. "What's your name child?" the old man asked kindly.
Anthony nervously fidgeted, and glanced around him, his eyes darting this way and that. "Me names Anthony, or I mean, Tony." He whispered as his eyes found his shoes and began to examine them.
"Well Tony, you got any money?"
"Ummmm. no."
"Okay then you can stay her tonight for free, but after that you've got to pay the rent." The twinkle in old man's eyes grew dim, as he began to feel the nervousness, and fear that came from this small, maybe ten year old, child.
"Okay." Anthony's heart sank. He had no way of getting money, and he didn't want to take advantage of the old man, but he really did need some place to stay.
The old man sensed the trouble that Anthony was in, and he kindly came towards him and put his arm around him. "Hey, look, ya wanna job?" Anthony eagerly nodded his head. "Okay, then we'll get you one. How 'bout being a newsie."
Anthony thought about that for a while, he remembered the newsie he'd ran into earlier that day.
I can't be that tough, he thought. If I've gotta be like that, mean and rude to every person I meet then, I don't think I can do that, but it does beat crime, and sleeping on the streets. "Okay, I'll be a newsie. But I don't really know how to be one."
"Well I'll have Jack show ya how that's done, you two can be selling partners." Anthony wondered who this Jack was, and if he were as tough and mean as the Spot he'd met earlier. "I asked ya how old you were, kid?"
"Oh, sorry, I'm eight, but I'll be nine, in about a month." The old man shook his head slightly. They get younger every time, he thought. "Well, Jack, and the others ought to be here soon."
True to his word, 'Jack and the others' soon burst throw the door.
"Heya Kloppman!!!" they cried happily. Today had been a good selling day.
"Sold seventy this time, Kloppman!" cried one of the younger ones. Anthony noticed the cowboy hat on his head, and the red bandanna around his neck, and wondered if this boy had come from the west.
"Hey, Jack, that's pretty good! Getting better all the time! But, I've got someone I want you to meet." Kloppman (the old man) led Jack over to where Anthony was sitting with wide eyes staring at the newsies around him.
"Hey Tony, this is Jack, Jack this is Tony." Kloppman casually introduced them. "Jack I want ya to teach Tony here the ropes, okay?"
"Yeah sure Kloppman." Jack replied nonchalantly. "So Tony how old are you?"
"I'm almost nine." Anthony replied. This. wait, what was his name? Cowboy, guess that works, this Cowboy sure is nothing like Spot whatever-his-name- was.
"How old are you, Cowboy?" Anthony asked, in return. Jack laughed at the name.
"Cowboy? He he! That's pretty good, Tony. Ya in the nickname business?" Jack only earned a confused look, so he quit laughing, and replied. "I'm thirteen, been a newsie for three years. Someday, I'll be the leader of this here gang, but for the moment, Harts, over there is." As he spoke he beckoned towards a much older looking guy. Maybe seventeen or eighteen, Anthony mused.
"Well, welcome to the newsies, Tony!"