CHAPTER SEVEN
"Who?"
"Spot Conlon. Dat guy you ran inta in Brooklyn. He's da leadah of da Brooklyn newsies."
Annalise nods. "I could tell. But he seemed kind of..."
"Scrawny? Mean? Yeah, but don' let dat fool yas. He knows what he's doin'... must've da time." Jack nods slightly, then his eyes move out to the other newsies in the restaurant that were staring curiously at them. She hadn't heard of Spot Conlon? Where was this girl from? "So're you ready at meet da uddah guys?"
Annalise's green eyes swept over the group apprehensively, it was a lot of faces. A lot of boys. She looked back to Jack. "Uhh yeah, I guess so..."
Jack calls over the chatter of the other newsies, "Heya felas! I want youse t'pay attention!! Dis heah's Annalise'n she's gonna be stayin' wid us! She's gonna be a newsie, awright?"
A smaller boy in one of the corners questions in a surprisingly deep voice for his age, "A goil?"
"Yeah, a goil." His voice is firm, settling any dispute before it arose, and he looks at them, a warning in his eyes. "And ya ain't gonna give her no trouble, eithah, ya heah? Any of youse."
Most of the boys nodded in agreement, some stayed silent. The kid in pink with wild hair was heard muttering to the boy next to him, "Goil bein' a newsie..." There was plenty of curious glances and chatter.
Jack starts pointing around the room, first towards the two boys who had led her in, who were some of the older ones in the room. "You've already met Mush and Kid Blink..."
"And dat guy ovah dere wid da dice is Racetrack..." Racetrack grinned and nodded towards her before rolling the dice onto the table as Jack points out the other boys involved in the game. "Dat's Dutchy, and Swifty, Itey, and Pie Eatah..."
"Who's that over there?" She asked, nodding towards the kid in the pink long underwear, who glared slightly at her.
"Oh. Dat's Skittery... why?"
She made a mental note to stay away from Skittery, he seemed to be the one most opposed to her becoming a newsie. But she decided not to tell Jack this, it was better to make as little trouble as possible after he had taken her in off the streets. "Oh. no reason really."
"Awright... and then there's Snipeshootah, Bumlets's on da table ovah dere, Jake..." Annalise was surprised. One of them actually had a real name instead of a nickname. "...Boots, Snitch, Snoddy..." A boy with a crutch and a rather prominent limp moves forward to greet her, offering a hand to shake.
"An' I'm Crutchy!" He said excitedly as he beamed and shook her hand.
She couldn't help but smile at him and his enthusiastic manner. "Hi Crutchy." Racetrack gives a yell and jumps up from the table. He had won the game.
Jack looks over at her. "So youse got all dat?"
Annalise looks around at the faces in Tibby's a bit bewildered. They expected her to remember all those names right away? "Nooo..." she says hesitantly, looking worriedly to Cowboy, who just laughs. The other boys laugh as well hearing her answer.
"Don' worry, Anna. You'll loin 'em eventually!" Crutchy reassures her, grinning himself.
Racetrack struts over to the table, his pockets fat with the winnings from his game. "Heya Jack, you done now? C'n we go home, or ahre we gonna stay heah all night?"
Jack looks up at him and shakes his head, getting to his feet. Annalise followed suit. "Yeah, yeah... we c'n go now. Keep ya shoit on." He tipped his cowboy hat up onto his head and started toward the door, Anna pressed close behind, and all the other newsies following after.
"Who?"
"Spot Conlon. Dat guy you ran inta in Brooklyn. He's da leadah of da Brooklyn newsies."
Annalise nods. "I could tell. But he seemed kind of..."
"Scrawny? Mean? Yeah, but don' let dat fool yas. He knows what he's doin'... must've da time." Jack nods slightly, then his eyes move out to the other newsies in the restaurant that were staring curiously at them. She hadn't heard of Spot Conlon? Where was this girl from? "So're you ready at meet da uddah guys?"
Annalise's green eyes swept over the group apprehensively, it was a lot of faces. A lot of boys. She looked back to Jack. "Uhh yeah, I guess so..."
Jack calls over the chatter of the other newsies, "Heya felas! I want youse t'pay attention!! Dis heah's Annalise'n she's gonna be stayin' wid us! She's gonna be a newsie, awright?"
A smaller boy in one of the corners questions in a surprisingly deep voice for his age, "A goil?"
"Yeah, a goil." His voice is firm, settling any dispute before it arose, and he looks at them, a warning in his eyes. "And ya ain't gonna give her no trouble, eithah, ya heah? Any of youse."
Most of the boys nodded in agreement, some stayed silent. The kid in pink with wild hair was heard muttering to the boy next to him, "Goil bein' a newsie..." There was plenty of curious glances and chatter.
Jack starts pointing around the room, first towards the two boys who had led her in, who were some of the older ones in the room. "You've already met Mush and Kid Blink..."
"And dat guy ovah dere wid da dice is Racetrack..." Racetrack grinned and nodded towards her before rolling the dice onto the table as Jack points out the other boys involved in the game. "Dat's Dutchy, and Swifty, Itey, and Pie Eatah..."
"Who's that over there?" She asked, nodding towards the kid in the pink long underwear, who glared slightly at her.
"Oh. Dat's Skittery... why?"
She made a mental note to stay away from Skittery, he seemed to be the one most opposed to her becoming a newsie. But she decided not to tell Jack this, it was better to make as little trouble as possible after he had taken her in off the streets. "Oh. no reason really."
"Awright... and then there's Snipeshootah, Bumlets's on da table ovah dere, Jake..." Annalise was surprised. One of them actually had a real name instead of a nickname. "...Boots, Snitch, Snoddy..." A boy with a crutch and a rather prominent limp moves forward to greet her, offering a hand to shake.
"An' I'm Crutchy!" He said excitedly as he beamed and shook her hand.
She couldn't help but smile at him and his enthusiastic manner. "Hi Crutchy." Racetrack gives a yell and jumps up from the table. He had won the game.
Jack looks over at her. "So youse got all dat?"
Annalise looks around at the faces in Tibby's a bit bewildered. They expected her to remember all those names right away? "Nooo..." she says hesitantly, looking worriedly to Cowboy, who just laughs. The other boys laugh as well hearing her answer.
"Don' worry, Anna. You'll loin 'em eventually!" Crutchy reassures her, grinning himself.
Racetrack struts over to the table, his pockets fat with the winnings from his game. "Heya Jack, you done now? C'n we go home, or ahre we gonna stay heah all night?"
Jack looks up at him and shakes his head, getting to his feet. Annalise followed suit. "Yeah, yeah... we c'n go now. Keep ya shoit on." He tipped his cowboy hat up onto his head and started toward the door, Anna pressed close behind, and all the other newsies following after.