Itey laughed at my attempt at an accent.
"Yeah, she and Jacky fight like cats'n dogs. Dis happens almost every day." All of us were now walking away from the Lodging House with Jack and Raven in the lead; they were still going at it. Every now and then we'd hear little tidbits from their argument;
"I said I was sorry! It ain't my fault I didn' wake up early enough!"
"Yeah, well, fine. Just don' expect me ta help ya da next time ya need a hand. Came heah ta help ya sell, didn' I?"
"Yeah, ya did. But not ta boss me around like you was me mudda."
There was a pause; I had a pretty clear view of Raven's profile now, and her face was a storm about to erupt.
"Alright, if dat's how ya gonna be, dat's just fine! Guess it's different heah - cuz in Brooklyn, most everybody'll do anytin' ta get an advantage. Guess you'se Manhattan bummas ain't quite fit fa da job!" She had yelled this last statement into the herd of boys following her and her adversary, and from the crowd there came random "boos" and other noises.
"Hey, who you callin' bummas?" Crutchy shouted, waving his fist.
"Yeah, we'se fit fa da job, alright!" Blink added.
"Oh, I see," the girl continued, brushing her auburn hair out of her face. "You'se fellas are alright - it's jus' Cowboy who ain't got no skills!"
Jack laughed. "Yeah, dat's why I move 500 papes a week, Rav, right?" He gave her a playful pat on the head, which she returned with a hard punch in the arm. "Dontchu get handsy wit me, Cowboy, I'll have ya head! An' hey - let's see how y'do on dese streets wit me sellin' against ya, huh?" Let's just see!" She ran ahead, like she was trying to beat him in a race. It was then that I realized that I had followed them all the way to a square amid stores and restaurants and such. I was in downtown New York, and I had no idea where I was going or what I was doing. Itey must have seen the overwhelmed expression I wore.
"Hey, you alright? Ya look a lil' confused." He stood with me as I watched the boys stream toward a humongous iron gate a few yards ahead. "Yes...I am confused." I looked at him as if crying for help. "I don't know what-how to get back to..."
"Oh, okay," he nodded, smiling. "Well, c'mon, we'll hand ya ovah ta Cowboy. He'll know what ta do with ya."
'What? Hand me over? I don't like the sound of that.' But there was no turning back as I followed Itey like a lost sheep through those humongous gates and into "Da Distribution Centah." There was a long line of boys standing on a platform that ran from some sort of booth to the edge of the gates. Jack was standing at the very head of the line, talking to a man inside the strange booth.
"Hey, Jacky-Boy!" Itey ran over to him with me following close behind.
"How 'bout da usual foah taday, Weas? It feels like a good 'un." Jack grinned and jumped down from the platform. "So, we got a new charge taday, Itey?" He was still grinning.
"Yeah, I'll leave 'er to you, then-'s 'at okay?"
"Yeah, shoah-say, I got'n idea." He was scanning the crowd for someone.
"Arright, den-see ya 'round, Katie!"
"Bye, Itey! And thank you!" I waved and turned back to Jack. "Hi, Jack. You don't have to take me back if it's too much trouble. Just show me the way, I'm pretty sure I can find my way back..."
He gave me a strange look. "Whadda ya tawkin' about? Yaw wit us taday, aren'tcha?" Before I could answer, his eyes shot back to the crowd. He had apparently found who he was looking for, because he started waving his hands above his head and screamed, "Hey! Hey, Rave, c'meah fa a second!"
The fiery young woman with dark eyes looked up from the bunch of boys that surrounded her. She quickly adopted a fierce expression when she spotted Jack. "'Ey, Kelly, what'd I tell ya 'bout askin' fa help?" She leaped off the platform and stomped over to where we stood. At first sight, she had been a bit intimidating, but upon getting a closer look I saw that she was only a little taller than me, and very pretty. I was surprised; from the way she had castigated Jack a moment ago, I had expected her to look more like one of the boys. Jack rolled his eyes. "Don' worry, I won't be needin' you ta hold my hand when I'm sellin'-I ain't askin' ya fa help, I just wanna see if you'd do me a favah."
"Yeah, well what is it?" She hadn't seen me yet. Jack grabbed my arm, pulling me closer to the two of them.
"Dis heah's Katie." He made a friendly gesture towards me. "She's Kloppman's niece-or grandniece, or somethin', and she's stayin' at da lodge wit us."
Raven stared at me, wide-eyed. "Yaw livin' with DEM?" She jerked her thumb in the boys' direction. She chuckled. "How do ya survive it in deah? I wouldn' last a week widdose smelly toads."
"Yeah, she and Jacky fight like cats'n dogs. Dis happens almost every day." All of us were now walking away from the Lodging House with Jack and Raven in the lead; they were still going at it. Every now and then we'd hear little tidbits from their argument;
"I said I was sorry! It ain't my fault I didn' wake up early enough!"
"Yeah, well, fine. Just don' expect me ta help ya da next time ya need a hand. Came heah ta help ya sell, didn' I?"
"Yeah, ya did. But not ta boss me around like you was me mudda."
There was a pause; I had a pretty clear view of Raven's profile now, and her face was a storm about to erupt.
"Alright, if dat's how ya gonna be, dat's just fine! Guess it's different heah - cuz in Brooklyn, most everybody'll do anytin' ta get an advantage. Guess you'se Manhattan bummas ain't quite fit fa da job!" She had yelled this last statement into the herd of boys following her and her adversary, and from the crowd there came random "boos" and other noises.
"Hey, who you callin' bummas?" Crutchy shouted, waving his fist.
"Yeah, we'se fit fa da job, alright!" Blink added.
"Oh, I see," the girl continued, brushing her auburn hair out of her face. "You'se fellas are alright - it's jus' Cowboy who ain't got no skills!"
Jack laughed. "Yeah, dat's why I move 500 papes a week, Rav, right?" He gave her a playful pat on the head, which she returned with a hard punch in the arm. "Dontchu get handsy wit me, Cowboy, I'll have ya head! An' hey - let's see how y'do on dese streets wit me sellin' against ya, huh?" Let's just see!" She ran ahead, like she was trying to beat him in a race. It was then that I realized that I had followed them all the way to a square amid stores and restaurants and such. I was in downtown New York, and I had no idea where I was going or what I was doing. Itey must have seen the overwhelmed expression I wore.
"Hey, you alright? Ya look a lil' confused." He stood with me as I watched the boys stream toward a humongous iron gate a few yards ahead. "Yes...I am confused." I looked at him as if crying for help. "I don't know what-how to get back to..."
"Oh, okay," he nodded, smiling. "Well, c'mon, we'll hand ya ovah ta Cowboy. He'll know what ta do with ya."
'What? Hand me over? I don't like the sound of that.' But there was no turning back as I followed Itey like a lost sheep through those humongous gates and into "Da Distribution Centah." There was a long line of boys standing on a platform that ran from some sort of booth to the edge of the gates. Jack was standing at the very head of the line, talking to a man inside the strange booth.
"Hey, Jacky-Boy!" Itey ran over to him with me following close behind.
"How 'bout da usual foah taday, Weas? It feels like a good 'un." Jack grinned and jumped down from the platform. "So, we got a new charge taday, Itey?" He was still grinning.
"Yeah, I'll leave 'er to you, then-'s 'at okay?"
"Yeah, shoah-say, I got'n idea." He was scanning the crowd for someone.
"Arright, den-see ya 'round, Katie!"
"Bye, Itey! And thank you!" I waved and turned back to Jack. "Hi, Jack. You don't have to take me back if it's too much trouble. Just show me the way, I'm pretty sure I can find my way back..."
He gave me a strange look. "Whadda ya tawkin' about? Yaw wit us taday, aren'tcha?" Before I could answer, his eyes shot back to the crowd. He had apparently found who he was looking for, because he started waving his hands above his head and screamed, "Hey! Hey, Rave, c'meah fa a second!"
The fiery young woman with dark eyes looked up from the bunch of boys that surrounded her. She quickly adopted a fierce expression when she spotted Jack. "'Ey, Kelly, what'd I tell ya 'bout askin' fa help?" She leaped off the platform and stomped over to where we stood. At first sight, she had been a bit intimidating, but upon getting a closer look I saw that she was only a little taller than me, and very pretty. I was surprised; from the way she had castigated Jack a moment ago, I had expected her to look more like one of the boys. Jack rolled his eyes. "Don' worry, I won't be needin' you ta hold my hand when I'm sellin'-I ain't askin' ya fa help, I just wanna see if you'd do me a favah."
"Yeah, well what is it?" She hadn't seen me yet. Jack grabbed my arm, pulling me closer to the two of them.
"Dis heah's Katie." He made a friendly gesture towards me. "She's Kloppman's niece-or grandniece, or somethin', and she's stayin' at da lodge wit us."
Raven stared at me, wide-eyed. "Yaw livin' with DEM?" She jerked her thumb in the boys' direction. She chuckled. "How do ya survive it in deah? I wouldn' last a week widdose smelly toads."