"So, how rough is this Spot Conlon and Graft?" Elizabeth gulped as they
walked across some creaky planks of wood as they headed down the docks.
Elizabeth looked around, noticing some of the boys staring at them, some in
an unfriendly mannor, making Elizabeth feel slightly uneasy about coming
there.
" Why, ya scared?" Torn mocked, though she wouldn't have attempted that she too was slightly jumpy around the Brooklyn gang.
" Well--It's just that," she started, then dropping her voice just low enough that Fantasy and Torn could hear, "they don't look that pleased." Elizabeth gave another nervous glance around as another kid got up and darted away.
" Well well well, what do we have heah?" a voice called as Fantasy turned around to see her pal Sling smiling up at her from the dock as she pulled herself up from the water.
" Slingshot," Fantasy smiled, helping her friend up as she dripped with water on the dock, and rang out her shirt. " How's Brooklyn treatin' ya?" she winked as the two hugged, causing the front of Fantasy's shirt to soak up with water.
" Well, I think we's going on strike wit Kelly's boys, but I ain't so sure. Spot is trying ta make sure dat dey don't wuss out." Sling explained.
" Strike that bad?" Torn said, more than questioning. She knew what the answer was going to be, so she didn't hesitate to listen to one. " It's all those rich snobs who think they can take what they want. They act like we're nothing." Torn kicked at dock, realizing that she had struck a nerve in Elizabeth.
" That is not true, we don't think you're nothing, we know your---" Elizabeth stopped before she said too much. Already half of the Brooklyn boys were staring at her, some even had clubs in their hands, which they kept hitting over and over again in their hand.
" Go on, Latch," Torn huffed, placing her hands on her hips, " Finish what you were gonna say," Torn snapped angerily as Fantasy's eyes grew wide, and Sling was left standing there in confusion.
" No!" Elizabeth shouted.
" What's going on heah?" a voice called out as Elizabeth turned around to hear a clinking noise behind her. A small boy dressed in a plaid shirt with red suspenders, a grayish blue newsie cap and a cane walked up behind her, his blue eyes sparkling with curiousity, which was glazed over with a raw toughness.
" Well well well, if it ain't Fantasy an' Torn. What ya doing on dis side 'o da Bridge?" Spot asked, leaning up against a pier post and his cane.
" We's lookin' foah Lookout, Spot," Torn replied as Spot shook his head.
" Left 'bout an hour ago, lookin' foah Grafter. We got a small problem here, ontop o' dis strike. Appears Sneaks got 'erself caught trying ta steal a meal foah us." Spot shook his head angerily. "One o' dese days..." he muttered to himself.
" Sneaks? In da refuge again?" Fantasy coughed, thinking she had misheard him. But she hadn't. It was written on his face.
" Whose Sneaks?" Elizabeth asked, striking a nerve with Spot at just mentioning her name.
" Who are you?" Spot shot back, getting close to her face, as Elizabeth tried to back up some, but bumped into another boy.
" This," Torn said, shooting Elizabeth an evil stare, "Is me old chum, Elizabeth. We call her Latch here on da street," Torn introduced.
" Well, you're dat rich goil Lookout was chripin' 'bout." Spot said, leaning away slightly and again, leaning on his cane, staring at Elizabeth's face.
" Well, if ya want to know who Sneaks is, she's Graft's sister," Sling spoke up.
" An' like a sista to me," Spot added. " Grafter ain't gonna be happy 'bout dis. I suggest eveyone stays away from him until he calms down." Spot spoke up loudly enough that the whole dock could hear him, though they were all listening anyway.
" Spot," A girl ran up to Spot and whispered something in his hear.
" Thank ya, Dewey," he said to the girl as he stood up, and looked at the girls. " Excuse me, I got some business with Graft," he said tipping his head polietly and walking off down the boards.
" How pissed is he?" Sling asked.
" Well, let's say dat dare's a pore 'lil Marbles whose gettin' a beating foah not warning Sneaks in time," Dewey replied, rocking slightly on her heal. " O' course, I don't blame Graft. Marbles is always going off on his own. Nevah looks out clear enough. Get dis, da kid saw a nutter kid playing Marbles so he walked ovah, away from his post an' a bull came by an' snagged Sneaks. When da kid turned 'round, Sneaks was kickin' an' cursing 'is name." Dewey shook her head. " Could you imagine what would happen if Snyder evah found out what Sneaks' real name is?" she shuttered at the thought, remembering the time she had over heard Graft and Spot talking in the warehouse when everyone else was sleeping, the first time Sneaks had gotten caught by the bulls.
" I still can't believe kids are still callin' Graft wit his last name," Sling added.
" Anyway, I got some more spying ta do, Manhattan dis time." Dewey smiled. " Gotta meet up with Sweet Anne, she's been watching da boys at the square."
" We'll come with ya," Torn offered. "Lookout ain't here," she said tossing the bag to Sling. "Give dis to 'er?" she asked as Sling nodded. " I suppose we 'ought to tell Cowboy 'bout Sneaks." Torn nodded, knowing that the only person who could ever get Sneaks out was Jack Kelly.
***
When they got back to Manhattan the square was filling up with kids running out of the World.
" Crutchy!" Race yelled as Torn pulled Elizabeth out of the way as she tried to look at what was going on.
" What da devil?" Dewey whispered as someone else called out.
" Dewey, ovah here!" Dewey turned around and ran towards a girl who was running with the rest of the boys.
" Sweet Anne, what happened?" Dewey called as the girls ran after her.
" Well, Manhattan here sure is showing stregth. Went in an' trashed da place!" Sweet Anne called following a group of boys, a three of which Elizabeth recongized as David, Jack and Boots. They finally came to a stop at a Lodging House as the boys walked in, beckoning the girls to follow.
" Welcome to the boys Lodging House," Torn breathed in Elizabeth's ear, attempting to catch her breath.
" Fancy meetin' you here," Jack smiled as he wiped some sweat from his forehead as a boy ran in.
" Cowboy, we got a problem," he stampered out.
" Didn't Crutchy get out?" Dewey asked, looking at him.
" Race, what?" Jack stepped in as Dewey gave a weak smile and backed away.
" Crutchy didn't get out in time. Oscar an' Morris got 'im. Dat reporter tried to help, but the bulls wouldn't let him." Racetrack replied, his face white.
" What'do we do?" David asked, taking a glance out Elizabeth.
" We get him out, dat's what we do," Jack said.
" Well then," Torn cleared her throat. " Then you wouldn't mind getting Sneaks out too," she gave a weak smile as everyone turned and stared at her. They're expressions said everything.
" Why, ya scared?" Torn mocked, though she wouldn't have attempted that she too was slightly jumpy around the Brooklyn gang.
" Well--It's just that," she started, then dropping her voice just low enough that Fantasy and Torn could hear, "they don't look that pleased." Elizabeth gave another nervous glance around as another kid got up and darted away.
" Well well well, what do we have heah?" a voice called as Fantasy turned around to see her pal Sling smiling up at her from the dock as she pulled herself up from the water.
" Slingshot," Fantasy smiled, helping her friend up as she dripped with water on the dock, and rang out her shirt. " How's Brooklyn treatin' ya?" she winked as the two hugged, causing the front of Fantasy's shirt to soak up with water.
" Well, I think we's going on strike wit Kelly's boys, but I ain't so sure. Spot is trying ta make sure dat dey don't wuss out." Sling explained.
" Strike that bad?" Torn said, more than questioning. She knew what the answer was going to be, so she didn't hesitate to listen to one. " It's all those rich snobs who think they can take what they want. They act like we're nothing." Torn kicked at dock, realizing that she had struck a nerve in Elizabeth.
" That is not true, we don't think you're nothing, we know your---" Elizabeth stopped before she said too much. Already half of the Brooklyn boys were staring at her, some even had clubs in their hands, which they kept hitting over and over again in their hand.
" Go on, Latch," Torn huffed, placing her hands on her hips, " Finish what you were gonna say," Torn snapped angerily as Fantasy's eyes grew wide, and Sling was left standing there in confusion.
" No!" Elizabeth shouted.
" What's going on heah?" a voice called out as Elizabeth turned around to hear a clinking noise behind her. A small boy dressed in a plaid shirt with red suspenders, a grayish blue newsie cap and a cane walked up behind her, his blue eyes sparkling with curiousity, which was glazed over with a raw toughness.
" Well well well, if it ain't Fantasy an' Torn. What ya doing on dis side 'o da Bridge?" Spot asked, leaning up against a pier post and his cane.
" We's lookin' foah Lookout, Spot," Torn replied as Spot shook his head.
" Left 'bout an hour ago, lookin' foah Grafter. We got a small problem here, ontop o' dis strike. Appears Sneaks got 'erself caught trying ta steal a meal foah us." Spot shook his head angerily. "One o' dese days..." he muttered to himself.
" Sneaks? In da refuge again?" Fantasy coughed, thinking she had misheard him. But she hadn't. It was written on his face.
" Whose Sneaks?" Elizabeth asked, striking a nerve with Spot at just mentioning her name.
" Who are you?" Spot shot back, getting close to her face, as Elizabeth tried to back up some, but bumped into another boy.
" This," Torn said, shooting Elizabeth an evil stare, "Is me old chum, Elizabeth. We call her Latch here on da street," Torn introduced.
" Well, you're dat rich goil Lookout was chripin' 'bout." Spot said, leaning away slightly and again, leaning on his cane, staring at Elizabeth's face.
" Well, if ya want to know who Sneaks is, she's Graft's sister," Sling spoke up.
" An' like a sista to me," Spot added. " Grafter ain't gonna be happy 'bout dis. I suggest eveyone stays away from him until he calms down." Spot spoke up loudly enough that the whole dock could hear him, though they were all listening anyway.
" Spot," A girl ran up to Spot and whispered something in his hear.
" Thank ya, Dewey," he said to the girl as he stood up, and looked at the girls. " Excuse me, I got some business with Graft," he said tipping his head polietly and walking off down the boards.
" How pissed is he?" Sling asked.
" Well, let's say dat dare's a pore 'lil Marbles whose gettin' a beating foah not warning Sneaks in time," Dewey replied, rocking slightly on her heal. " O' course, I don't blame Graft. Marbles is always going off on his own. Nevah looks out clear enough. Get dis, da kid saw a nutter kid playing Marbles so he walked ovah, away from his post an' a bull came by an' snagged Sneaks. When da kid turned 'round, Sneaks was kickin' an' cursing 'is name." Dewey shook her head. " Could you imagine what would happen if Snyder evah found out what Sneaks' real name is?" she shuttered at the thought, remembering the time she had over heard Graft and Spot talking in the warehouse when everyone else was sleeping, the first time Sneaks had gotten caught by the bulls.
" I still can't believe kids are still callin' Graft wit his last name," Sling added.
" Anyway, I got some more spying ta do, Manhattan dis time." Dewey smiled. " Gotta meet up with Sweet Anne, she's been watching da boys at the square."
" We'll come with ya," Torn offered. "Lookout ain't here," she said tossing the bag to Sling. "Give dis to 'er?" she asked as Sling nodded. " I suppose we 'ought to tell Cowboy 'bout Sneaks." Torn nodded, knowing that the only person who could ever get Sneaks out was Jack Kelly.
***
When they got back to Manhattan the square was filling up with kids running out of the World.
" Crutchy!" Race yelled as Torn pulled Elizabeth out of the way as she tried to look at what was going on.
" What da devil?" Dewey whispered as someone else called out.
" Dewey, ovah here!" Dewey turned around and ran towards a girl who was running with the rest of the boys.
" Sweet Anne, what happened?" Dewey called as the girls ran after her.
" Well, Manhattan here sure is showing stregth. Went in an' trashed da place!" Sweet Anne called following a group of boys, a three of which Elizabeth recongized as David, Jack and Boots. They finally came to a stop at a Lodging House as the boys walked in, beckoning the girls to follow.
" Welcome to the boys Lodging House," Torn breathed in Elizabeth's ear, attempting to catch her breath.
" Fancy meetin' you here," Jack smiled as he wiped some sweat from his forehead as a boy ran in.
" Cowboy, we got a problem," he stampered out.
" Didn't Crutchy get out?" Dewey asked, looking at him.
" Race, what?" Jack stepped in as Dewey gave a weak smile and backed away.
" Crutchy didn't get out in time. Oscar an' Morris got 'im. Dat reporter tried to help, but the bulls wouldn't let him." Racetrack replied, his face white.
" What'do we do?" David asked, taking a glance out Elizabeth.
" We get him out, dat's what we do," Jack said.
" Well then," Torn cleared her throat. " Then you wouldn't mind getting Sneaks out too," she gave a weak smile as everyone turned and stared at her. They're expressions said everything.
