"Did ya sleep well, m'lady?" Racetrack asked as I walked out the door of my tiny room.
"Aye, don't be bothering me this morning, After that twist Cowboy put on my arm last night, it's swollen and black and blue." I said in all seriousness. The last thing I needed was pity, and that is, none from Racetrack. I mean, yeah, sure, he was nice for a newsie, but he better not get too close…
"Lay off there, Racetrack. You don't have to chase her the second she wakes up. Let her have something small to eat before you make her sick! Besides, she's gonna sell with me and you for a day." Cowboy stated in the few seconds before Racetrack ran after him.
We took to the streets with the other newsies, Cowboy and Racetrack leading me through a maze of houses, built as if they were one building copied over and over again. We jumped around, laughed and sang as we went, leading the pack and dodging the Delancey brothers. The guys knew that I was a bit different than the newsies they worked with before. I was a girl. However, I was a girl who soaked Jack, their leader. Sure, I looked a bit different and talked in a higher pitch, but if you could fight like the boys, you could die like the boys.
The second the circulation bell rang, we were in the front of the line to get papes. Cowboy got a hundred while Racetrack and I each bought 50. The day was started and it was time to get selling. Cowboy led me to the site that we would be selling at and I immediately saw my first customers. There, standing together and talking, were 5 business men.
"Hello, sirs, would any of you like to buy a newspaper from a poor girl?" I asked, taking a curtsy and putting on my best puppy face. The men started to nudge each other.
"Well, yes, I believe each of us would, young lady. Thank you for the paper, and here, have a quarter to put towards a new dress." The youngest of the men handed me the money.
"Thank you sir; I very much appreciate your kindness."
"Anything for a lady," the man replied as he walked away.
"See that, Jackieboy? She didn't even have to use a fake headline." Racetrack said, impressed.
"Well now, it aint headlines that sell papes; newsies sell papes." I added.
"Keep that 25 cents kid, we're going to see Medda's show tonight," Jack said. "Ta show off what a prize we've got here!"
