Chapter Two
"Hey Jack! Youse awake?" Race called out from across the room.
"Whaddya want?" Jack mumbled. It was early and Jack knew that he would have to get up to sell papes soon.
"Smell the air. Someone's cookin something." Race replied. Suddenly all the boys started waking up to the smell of food.
"It's probably coming from the outside." Skittery said not letting his hopes get up, as he laid staring at the ceiling.
"Nah. It's too strong." Mush argued, praying to God that it was from inside the LH.
"You don't think that it's..?" Blink asked but was interrupted by Katie appearing in the doorway.
"If ya boys don't hurry, ya breakfast'll get cold." Katie grinned watching all the boys jump out of bed.
"Youse a goddess!" Racetrack cried out, tugging his shirt on.
"Yeah, yeah. Just come to the kitchen when youse all are ready." Katie laughed and headed back to finish the pancakes and sausage she was cooking. It didn't take long for the boys to come rushing into the kitchen,having gotten dressed in record speed.
"Whoa! Slow down boys. Food's not gonna disappear." Katie said placing the plates stacked with pancakes and sausage on the table in front of them. Many of them grabbed the food and went back to the bunkroom to make room for the others.
"I stick by what I'se said earlier. Youse a goddess, Sky! Absolute Goddess!" Racetrack said piling his plate with food.
"Youse only sayin' that cause she's feedin' you." Jack said coming into the kitchen followed by a sleepy 7 year old boy.
"What's goin' on?" the boy yawned. Katie swept him up in her arms and set him down on top of the table.
"An' who might you be?" Katie asked as the boy looked up at her with wide eyes.
"My names Cap." He said proudly.
"Well Cap, I'm Katie but these boys here call me Sky." Katie grinned and handed him a plate of food.
"Youse sellin' wit us today?" Jack asked giving Katie a brotherly peck on the cheekas he reached around her to grab a plate for himself.
"No, not today." Katie said filling the sink with water to wash the dishes with.
"But you used ta always sell wit us!" Mush complained finishing off his breakfast. Katie silently wondered if these boys even tasted the food since they ate so fast.
"You see Mush, Sky here's too good to sell papes now." Jack said putting his arm around his best friend's shoulders.
"Oh don't you start wit me, Jack," Katie threatened.
"Come sellin' wit us, Sky," Blink begged.
"Pweese?!" Cap joined in, his mouth full of food.
"But who's gonna do the dishes?" Katie asked looking at the dirty pile that had gathered as the boys finished off the food.
"We will. Now go up to your room an' get changed!" Race commanded piling the dishes in the soapy water.
"Get changed? What's wrong with what I'm wearin' now?" Katie teased wiping Cap's sticky face with a cloth.
"Sky, youse wearin' a dress." Blink said looking at her like she was daft.
"Can't get anything past you, eh Blink?" Katie laughed and headed up to her room. Racetrack got set to working on the dishes as most of the others stood around watching.
"Hey, you guys noticed how much Sky's changed?" Mush asked drying the dishes Race had already cleaned.
"Changed how?" Jack asked leaning on the counter.
"I dunno. I guess I never noticed how pretty she was before. She was always one of the guys before an' now she's..a goil." Mush shrugged.
"Sounds ta me that you fancy her, Mush." Race smirked handing him a wet dish.
"No! You knows that I love Marie!" Mush said defensively. Marie, Mush's girl, worked in a factory in Brooklyn.
"We know. we'se jus' teasin', Mush." Jack laughed.
"He's right, though. Sky's gone and growed up." Blink stated.
"Yeah 'n so have we. we jus' don't notice it 'cause we'se around each uddah all da time," Jack replied.
"I guess ya right, Jack." Mush said placing the last dish in the cabinet
"Course I'm right! I'm always right!" Jack declared.
"Ha. That's a laugh." Katie said from the doorway. She was wearing her old clothes, the ones she used to wear before she left for school. It was the basic newsie apparel, minus the hat; her hair was now too long and thick to fit it underneath.
"Now that looks more like the Sky I used ta know!" Jack stated.
"Why thank you sir. Now we must be off before they run out of papers." Katie said and the boys followed her out of the lodging house and onto the streets.
"Hey Jack! Youse awake?" Race called out from across the room.
"Whaddya want?" Jack mumbled. It was early and Jack knew that he would have to get up to sell papes soon.
"Smell the air. Someone's cookin something." Race replied. Suddenly all the boys started waking up to the smell of food.
"It's probably coming from the outside." Skittery said not letting his hopes get up, as he laid staring at the ceiling.
"Nah. It's too strong." Mush argued, praying to God that it was from inside the LH.
"You don't think that it's..?" Blink asked but was interrupted by Katie appearing in the doorway.
"If ya boys don't hurry, ya breakfast'll get cold." Katie grinned watching all the boys jump out of bed.
"Youse a goddess!" Racetrack cried out, tugging his shirt on.
"Yeah, yeah. Just come to the kitchen when youse all are ready." Katie laughed and headed back to finish the pancakes and sausage she was cooking. It didn't take long for the boys to come rushing into the kitchen,having gotten dressed in record speed.
"Whoa! Slow down boys. Food's not gonna disappear." Katie said placing the plates stacked with pancakes and sausage on the table in front of them. Many of them grabbed the food and went back to the bunkroom to make room for the others.
"I stick by what I'se said earlier. Youse a goddess, Sky! Absolute Goddess!" Racetrack said piling his plate with food.
"Youse only sayin' that cause she's feedin' you." Jack said coming into the kitchen followed by a sleepy 7 year old boy.
"What's goin' on?" the boy yawned. Katie swept him up in her arms and set him down on top of the table.
"An' who might you be?" Katie asked as the boy looked up at her with wide eyes.
"My names Cap." He said proudly.
"Well Cap, I'm Katie but these boys here call me Sky." Katie grinned and handed him a plate of food.
"Youse sellin' wit us today?" Jack asked giving Katie a brotherly peck on the cheekas he reached around her to grab a plate for himself.
"No, not today." Katie said filling the sink with water to wash the dishes with.
"But you used ta always sell wit us!" Mush complained finishing off his breakfast. Katie silently wondered if these boys even tasted the food since they ate so fast.
"You see Mush, Sky here's too good to sell papes now." Jack said putting his arm around his best friend's shoulders.
"Oh don't you start wit me, Jack," Katie threatened.
"Come sellin' wit us, Sky," Blink begged.
"Pweese?!" Cap joined in, his mouth full of food.
"But who's gonna do the dishes?" Katie asked looking at the dirty pile that had gathered as the boys finished off the food.
"We will. Now go up to your room an' get changed!" Race commanded piling the dishes in the soapy water.
"Get changed? What's wrong with what I'm wearin' now?" Katie teased wiping Cap's sticky face with a cloth.
"Sky, youse wearin' a dress." Blink said looking at her like she was daft.
"Can't get anything past you, eh Blink?" Katie laughed and headed up to her room. Racetrack got set to working on the dishes as most of the others stood around watching.
"Hey, you guys noticed how much Sky's changed?" Mush asked drying the dishes Race had already cleaned.
"Changed how?" Jack asked leaning on the counter.
"I dunno. I guess I never noticed how pretty she was before. She was always one of the guys before an' now she's..a goil." Mush shrugged.
"Sounds ta me that you fancy her, Mush." Race smirked handing him a wet dish.
"No! You knows that I love Marie!" Mush said defensively. Marie, Mush's girl, worked in a factory in Brooklyn.
"We know. we'se jus' teasin', Mush." Jack laughed.
"He's right, though. Sky's gone and growed up." Blink stated.
"Yeah 'n so have we. we jus' don't notice it 'cause we'se around each uddah all da time," Jack replied.
"I guess ya right, Jack." Mush said placing the last dish in the cabinet
"Course I'm right! I'm always right!" Jack declared.
"Ha. That's a laugh." Katie said from the doorway. She was wearing her old clothes, the ones she used to wear before she left for school. It was the basic newsie apparel, minus the hat; her hair was now too long and thick to fit it underneath.
"Now that looks more like the Sky I used ta know!" Jack stated.
"Why thank you sir. Now we must be off before they run out of papers." Katie said and the boys followed her out of the lodging house and onto the streets.
