Land, actual land, felt good after almost two weeks on ship. There were so many people in the main building at Ellis Island, that many of the girls, whom had come from small towns or farms, were very intimidated. It was a little late in the evening, so the passengers were all lead to the cafeteria for supper.
"Next!" A man serving a foreign-looking food called. Lute stepped up, holding out her plate. The man dumped some white strings with a red sauce on her plate. She quickly moved on, getting a cup of milk and an apple before searching out her friends.
"Strider, have you any idea what this is?" Lute asked her fellow Irish friend, poking at the food with her fork.
"I haven't any idea, but it's better than baked potatoes every night," Strider replied, taking a bite.
Lute stuck her fork in the food and pulled up some of the strings, looking red from the sauce. After cutting them with her fork, she took a bite. "Oh wow, it's good! I think...the sauce, it tastes like tomatoes!"
A few minutes passed and others joined the table, Whisper last. "I've had this, once before!" she said excitedly. "There was a restraunt in London, owned by an Italian lady. She called this 'spagetti'!"
"Spagetti, eh? Interesting name, but good food! I've never had Italian food before," Gip said, enjoying the meal.
When they had all finished eating, a woman who worked there showed them to a room on the third story, lined with cots and hammocks, three tall. Lyf's brother and Lute's father had been taken to the other side of the building, where the men stayed. One wall was lined with water basins, and a room down the hall housed crude showers. They would be awoken at 7:00 the next morning, the women explained, and taken to an examination room to see how healthy they were. If approved, they would be taken downstairs to the "main lines", where they would await further approval to enter America.
Spot shoved his hands in his pockets as he crossed his beloved Brooklyn Bridge. It had hurt deeper than he wanted to admit to see Jack that sick and helpless. He paused in the middle of the bridge, remembering how he and Jack had started the tradition of yelling over the side. Lifting one boot-covered foot onto a ledge, then the other to lean over the bridge, he tried to yell. Nothing would come. He couldn't do it without his friend.
Daniel Nicoll opened the swinging door to Rich's Bar and walked up to the counter to sit next to Racetrack and Snoddy.
"What d'ya want?" The bartender asked him.
"Ah, I'll take a whiskey," he replied and took off his brown newsie hat.
Race turned to him. "Dan, I got dis tip tanight, a good one foah sure. Ya in?"
Dan smirked. "Nah, I gotta save me money."
"Shhh!" Snoddy said. "Moneybags is playing!" They turned to a corner of the bar that housed a piano.
Ragtime music sooned filled the bar, a few people even got up and danced. A few minutes later Moneybags was finished with the song, and applause filled the air, for she was quite good.
"How'd I do?" she asked Snoddy earnestly.
"It was wonderful!" Snoddy replied with a quick kiss. "Here, sit down, I'll buy ya a drink."
She nodded and took her seat. "No t'anks, Snod. Have any of ya been to da Lodgin' House dis afternoon?" The boys shook their heads. "Well, Dan...I guess it'll be a surprise, den."
Dan raised an eyebrow. "A surprise, eh? I like surprises."
"You might not like dis. Snoddy, can we go? Dat was my last performance of da night."
"Yeah, it's gettin' late, we should awl be headin' back," Snoddy said, standing up. "You headed foah da tracks, Race?"
Race shook his head. "Nah, couldn't raise enough money. Check da papes tamorrow, dis time I prob'ly woulda won."
Dan laughed. "C'mon, I wanna find out what dis 'surprise' is!" The four newsies walked two short blocks to the Lodging House. The lights were on inside, though most of the newsies were sitting outside. A few of the boys smoked, and a few girls talked, but for the most part they were all quiet.
"How's Cowboy doin'?" Race asked, to no one in particular.
'Ponine looked up at Race, her green eyes shining in the lamplight. "Go upstairs and check foah yourself. Or, bettah yet, send Dan up."
Dan shrugged. "Alright, I'll go check on him." He was halfway up the stairs before Sneaks caught up to him.
"DAN! You can NOT go in dere! Don't go see Cowboy right now!" She said quickly.
"Why not?" He asked without stopping.
"Cause, uh, he's asleep! Yeah, we don't want no one ta wake him up, either!"
Dan reached the boys' room. "I'll just see if he's still breathing, okay?"
"Nah, how 'bout I check? I'll be quieter than you," Sneaks replied desperatly. "You know how I'se can sneak around!"
"I'm just gonna poke my head in," Dan said, turning to walk in towards Jack's bunk.
"No! Stop! You don't-" Sneaks stopped when Dan stopped walking.
"Frankie?" He asked quietly, taking a slow step forward.
Sling looked up quickly. "Dat's not my name anymore!" She grabbed her slingshot and a marble out of her pocket, lightening-fast, and shot Dan in the knee. He buckled over in pain, and by the time he looked up again, Sling was gone.
"Next!" A man serving a foreign-looking food called. Lute stepped up, holding out her plate. The man dumped some white strings with a red sauce on her plate. She quickly moved on, getting a cup of milk and an apple before searching out her friends.
"Strider, have you any idea what this is?" Lute asked her fellow Irish friend, poking at the food with her fork.
"I haven't any idea, but it's better than baked potatoes every night," Strider replied, taking a bite.
Lute stuck her fork in the food and pulled up some of the strings, looking red from the sauce. After cutting them with her fork, she took a bite. "Oh wow, it's good! I think...the sauce, it tastes like tomatoes!"
A few minutes passed and others joined the table, Whisper last. "I've had this, once before!" she said excitedly. "There was a restraunt in London, owned by an Italian lady. She called this 'spagetti'!"
"Spagetti, eh? Interesting name, but good food! I've never had Italian food before," Gip said, enjoying the meal.
When they had all finished eating, a woman who worked there showed them to a room on the third story, lined with cots and hammocks, three tall. Lyf's brother and Lute's father had been taken to the other side of the building, where the men stayed. One wall was lined with water basins, and a room down the hall housed crude showers. They would be awoken at 7:00 the next morning, the women explained, and taken to an examination room to see how healthy they were. If approved, they would be taken downstairs to the "main lines", where they would await further approval to enter America.
Spot shoved his hands in his pockets as he crossed his beloved Brooklyn Bridge. It had hurt deeper than he wanted to admit to see Jack that sick and helpless. He paused in the middle of the bridge, remembering how he and Jack had started the tradition of yelling over the side. Lifting one boot-covered foot onto a ledge, then the other to lean over the bridge, he tried to yell. Nothing would come. He couldn't do it without his friend.
Daniel Nicoll opened the swinging door to Rich's Bar and walked up to the counter to sit next to Racetrack and Snoddy.
"What d'ya want?" The bartender asked him.
"Ah, I'll take a whiskey," he replied and took off his brown newsie hat.
Race turned to him. "Dan, I got dis tip tanight, a good one foah sure. Ya in?"
Dan smirked. "Nah, I gotta save me money."
"Shhh!" Snoddy said. "Moneybags is playing!" They turned to a corner of the bar that housed a piano.
Ragtime music sooned filled the bar, a few people even got up and danced. A few minutes later Moneybags was finished with the song, and applause filled the air, for she was quite good.
"How'd I do?" she asked Snoddy earnestly.
"It was wonderful!" Snoddy replied with a quick kiss. "Here, sit down, I'll buy ya a drink."
She nodded and took her seat. "No t'anks, Snod. Have any of ya been to da Lodgin' House dis afternoon?" The boys shook their heads. "Well, Dan...I guess it'll be a surprise, den."
Dan raised an eyebrow. "A surprise, eh? I like surprises."
"You might not like dis. Snoddy, can we go? Dat was my last performance of da night."
"Yeah, it's gettin' late, we should awl be headin' back," Snoddy said, standing up. "You headed foah da tracks, Race?"
Race shook his head. "Nah, couldn't raise enough money. Check da papes tamorrow, dis time I prob'ly woulda won."
Dan laughed. "C'mon, I wanna find out what dis 'surprise' is!" The four newsies walked two short blocks to the Lodging House. The lights were on inside, though most of the newsies were sitting outside. A few of the boys smoked, and a few girls talked, but for the most part they were all quiet.
"How's Cowboy doin'?" Race asked, to no one in particular.
'Ponine looked up at Race, her green eyes shining in the lamplight. "Go upstairs and check foah yourself. Or, bettah yet, send Dan up."
Dan shrugged. "Alright, I'll go check on him." He was halfway up the stairs before Sneaks caught up to him.
"DAN! You can NOT go in dere! Don't go see Cowboy right now!" She said quickly.
"Why not?" He asked without stopping.
"Cause, uh, he's asleep! Yeah, we don't want no one ta wake him up, either!"
Dan reached the boys' room. "I'll just see if he's still breathing, okay?"
"Nah, how 'bout I check? I'll be quieter than you," Sneaks replied desperatly. "You know how I'se can sneak around!"
"I'm just gonna poke my head in," Dan said, turning to walk in towards Jack's bunk.
"No! Stop! You don't-" Sneaks stopped when Dan stopped walking.
"Frankie?" He asked quietly, taking a slow step forward.
Sling looked up quickly. "Dat's not my name anymore!" She grabbed her slingshot and a marble out of her pocket, lightening-fast, and shot Dan in the knee. He buckled over in pain, and by the time he looked up again, Sling was gone.