"She's from Boston - y'know, up north?"
Startled, I turned my head and saw Kloppman standing behind me, ladling out stew for everyone. I gave him a quick smile and returned to the gaze of the brown - eyed boy.
"Oh, yeah? So, uh, why'dya come heah?" He scooped a spoonful of stew off his plate and shoveled it into his mouth. "Ain't Boston nicah den dis place?"
"Well, actually, I was sent here," I replied before I had a chance to get nervous about talking to this tremendously good-looking boy, "so I didn't have much choice in the matter."
Most of the boys had quieted down now and seemed to be very interested in what I was saying.
"B-but I like it here, so far," I added quickly, taking another sip of water.
The boy smiled and nodded his head. "Good."
All at once there was a flood of questions from both ends of the table.
"Who sentcha?"
"Why'd dey bring ya HEAH?"
"Why ah y'livin' wit us?"
A tiny lad sitting at the other end of the table, near Racetrack, asked, "You ain't gonna be our mudda now, are ya?"
That lightened the mood (or at least calmed my trembling nerves) significantly, and as we laughed, Racetrack grinned and rumpled the kid's hair. I couldn't help but notice that he didn't seem as interested in my arrival as all the others did...but then, I couldn't expect everyone to like me straight away.
I answered all their questions happily.
"Well, you see I've been living with my great-aunt ever since my parents died, and she - well, she decided that it would be best for me to....move, and since Kloppman's my uncle, she sent me here to live with him."
"Kloppman, you never told us you had a niece," Dutchy said, smiling.
"Grandniece. She ain't old enough to be my niece. Prolly yaw age, Cowboy." He pointed to the brown - eyed boy across from me.
'Cowboy?' I thought, although I wasn't surprised. 'A name like Katie must be considered foreign around these parts.'
The rest of dinner flew by smoothly, and upon finishing I had many pairs of hands reach for my plate, offering to put it in the washbasin for me. "Why, thank you," I said, delighted that they were not all devoid of manners. 'I think I'm going to like it here,' I thought as I left the table in the direction of the kitchen. Kloppman was washing dishes.
"'Tsa mattah?" He turned to me, smiling. "Ya still hungry?"
"No, no...can I help you with these?" I started to roll up my sleeves.
"Oh." He looked startled. "I didn't tink you'd know howta do dishes...don't your aunt have maids fa that?"
I smiled, amused. "Well, of course, but it can't be that hard. What do I do first?"
My uncle laughed. "Yaw coitanly eagah ta do chores! But I tink - I tink maybe tanight ya bettah enjoy da fresh air." He gestured toward the front door. "Da boys usually hang around outside for awhile before dey go to bed."
"Oh! Well, that sounds nice. You're right, I could use some fresh air." What could I say? I was eager to meet the boys! After all, who wouldn't be?
As I walked through the doorway, the cool night air hit me. I rolled down my sleeves and watched them. They were playing some kind of game where they all ran around trying to catch each other. It was very amusing to watch. One group of boys wasn't playing, though. I observed as "Cowboy" and a few others walked casually over to where I stood, still fiddling with my shirt sleeve.
"Hiya," the one called "Cowboy" said as the others formed a circle around me. He was easily the tallest.
"Hello." I couldn't help but smile; I was surrounded by incredibly handsome faces! "Cowboy" cleared his throat.
"Seein' as yaw new around heah, we figya'ed y'outta know who everybody is," he began. "Lemme introduce everyone"- he pointed to each of them in turn -"dis heah's Blink, Mush, and Crutchy"- they all nodded, muttering various greetings. "...I heah you already met Bumlets, Specs, Snipes, Boots, 'n Dutchy..."
"Um, yes, I think so." It was very hard to keep those names straight...especially when they were all so ODD.
"...I'm Jack," he pointed to himself.
"Oh?" I interrupted. "I thought you were 'Cowboy.'"
"Oh." His face lit up in a wide smile. "Yeah, some o' the fellas call me dat...dat 'n a lotta othah things. But you can call me Jack, if you wanna."
"Pleasure to meet you all," I said truthfully.
"Oh, and dat's Race-" Jack pointed to the small dark-haired boy. He was leaning against a beam in front of a building, by himself, smoking a cigarette. "He says he already met you." Jack and Blink were donning sly smiles, but I didn't know why. My face grew dim with the thought of the meeting that had happened earlier that day. Had I said something wrong? Had there been something in my teeth? Was it my dress? My hair? I quickly ran a hand through my locks and turned to Jack.
"Yes, we've met. Tell me...is he...a bit shy, sometimes?" I twirled my hair nervously.
Jack's grin grew wider. All four boys were smiling now, except for Mush, who struck me as a might oblivious.
"Aw, Race only gets shy around goils he-" He stopped, looking for an instant like a little boy who had just realized he was in trouble. He coughed. "Uh, yeah, he's shy sometimes."
Curious about what he had been going to say but not in the mood to try and find out, I mumbled, "I see," and turned toward the Lodging House.
"Oh, hey, and if y'evah wanna know somethin', we're da ones ta ask," Jack offered. He pointed to the group playing the chasing game. "If y'evah wanna know theah names, just ask an' I'll introduce you."
"Thanks." I smiled as best I could, and entered the house once more.
Startled, I turned my head and saw Kloppman standing behind me, ladling out stew for everyone. I gave him a quick smile and returned to the gaze of the brown - eyed boy.
"Oh, yeah? So, uh, why'dya come heah?" He scooped a spoonful of stew off his plate and shoveled it into his mouth. "Ain't Boston nicah den dis place?"
"Well, actually, I was sent here," I replied before I had a chance to get nervous about talking to this tremendously good-looking boy, "so I didn't have much choice in the matter."
Most of the boys had quieted down now and seemed to be very interested in what I was saying.
"B-but I like it here, so far," I added quickly, taking another sip of water.
The boy smiled and nodded his head. "Good."
All at once there was a flood of questions from both ends of the table.
"Who sentcha?"
"Why'd dey bring ya HEAH?"
"Why ah y'livin' wit us?"
A tiny lad sitting at the other end of the table, near Racetrack, asked, "You ain't gonna be our mudda now, are ya?"
That lightened the mood (or at least calmed my trembling nerves) significantly, and as we laughed, Racetrack grinned and rumpled the kid's hair. I couldn't help but notice that he didn't seem as interested in my arrival as all the others did...but then, I couldn't expect everyone to like me straight away.
I answered all their questions happily.
"Well, you see I've been living with my great-aunt ever since my parents died, and she - well, she decided that it would be best for me to....move, and since Kloppman's my uncle, she sent me here to live with him."
"Kloppman, you never told us you had a niece," Dutchy said, smiling.
"Grandniece. She ain't old enough to be my niece. Prolly yaw age, Cowboy." He pointed to the brown - eyed boy across from me.
'Cowboy?' I thought, although I wasn't surprised. 'A name like Katie must be considered foreign around these parts.'
The rest of dinner flew by smoothly, and upon finishing I had many pairs of hands reach for my plate, offering to put it in the washbasin for me. "Why, thank you," I said, delighted that they were not all devoid of manners. 'I think I'm going to like it here,' I thought as I left the table in the direction of the kitchen. Kloppman was washing dishes.
"'Tsa mattah?" He turned to me, smiling. "Ya still hungry?"
"No, no...can I help you with these?" I started to roll up my sleeves.
"Oh." He looked startled. "I didn't tink you'd know howta do dishes...don't your aunt have maids fa that?"
I smiled, amused. "Well, of course, but it can't be that hard. What do I do first?"
My uncle laughed. "Yaw coitanly eagah ta do chores! But I tink - I tink maybe tanight ya bettah enjoy da fresh air." He gestured toward the front door. "Da boys usually hang around outside for awhile before dey go to bed."
"Oh! Well, that sounds nice. You're right, I could use some fresh air." What could I say? I was eager to meet the boys! After all, who wouldn't be?
As I walked through the doorway, the cool night air hit me. I rolled down my sleeves and watched them. They were playing some kind of game where they all ran around trying to catch each other. It was very amusing to watch. One group of boys wasn't playing, though. I observed as "Cowboy" and a few others walked casually over to where I stood, still fiddling with my shirt sleeve.
"Hiya," the one called "Cowboy" said as the others formed a circle around me. He was easily the tallest.
"Hello." I couldn't help but smile; I was surrounded by incredibly handsome faces! "Cowboy" cleared his throat.
"Seein' as yaw new around heah, we figya'ed y'outta know who everybody is," he began. "Lemme introduce everyone"- he pointed to each of them in turn -"dis heah's Blink, Mush, and Crutchy"- they all nodded, muttering various greetings. "...I heah you already met Bumlets, Specs, Snipes, Boots, 'n Dutchy..."
"Um, yes, I think so." It was very hard to keep those names straight...especially when they were all so ODD.
"...I'm Jack," he pointed to himself.
"Oh?" I interrupted. "I thought you were 'Cowboy.'"
"Oh." His face lit up in a wide smile. "Yeah, some o' the fellas call me dat...dat 'n a lotta othah things. But you can call me Jack, if you wanna."
"Pleasure to meet you all," I said truthfully.
"Oh, and dat's Race-" Jack pointed to the small dark-haired boy. He was leaning against a beam in front of a building, by himself, smoking a cigarette. "He says he already met you." Jack and Blink were donning sly smiles, but I didn't know why. My face grew dim with the thought of the meeting that had happened earlier that day. Had I said something wrong? Had there been something in my teeth? Was it my dress? My hair? I quickly ran a hand through my locks and turned to Jack.
"Yes, we've met. Tell me...is he...a bit shy, sometimes?" I twirled my hair nervously.
Jack's grin grew wider. All four boys were smiling now, except for Mush, who struck me as a might oblivious.
"Aw, Race only gets shy around goils he-" He stopped, looking for an instant like a little boy who had just realized he was in trouble. He coughed. "Uh, yeah, he's shy sometimes."
Curious about what he had been going to say but not in the mood to try and find out, I mumbled, "I see," and turned toward the Lodging House.
"Oh, hey, and if y'evah wanna know somethin', we're da ones ta ask," Jack offered. He pointed to the group playing the chasing game. "If y'evah wanna know theah names, just ask an' I'll introduce you."
"Thanks." I smiled as best I could, and entered the house once more.