Chapter 6
That evening Snoddy, Mush, Dutchy, and Specs sat quietly in the alley beside the lodging house discussing their plans.
"So, let me get dis straight," began Specs after Mush had finished telling them the idea. "You want us ta dig inta da cell at da jail house so dat da boys can escape t'rough da floor?"
"Dat's basically it, yeah," Snoddy said.
"What are we supposed ta dig wit, our hands?" Dutchy piped in.
"Naw, hows about we use shovels," said a voice behind the boys. They turned to see Jack standing in the opening of the alley, an amused smile on his face.
The boys proceeded to leap to their feet to greet him.
"You t'ink we'se got a good chance at dis, Cowboy?" Snoddy asked.
Jack nodded, "it all sounds good ta me. All we needs is some shovels."
"Wheah are we'se supposed ta get da shovels?" Asked Mush.
"Just so happens," answered Jack grinning, "I knows a guy wit shovels. Follow me boys."
The boys followed Jack through the darkness to the center of town where Jack stopped in front of a small blacksmith's shop. He knocked hard on the door and waited.
Moments later the door burst open and a soot covered man, whose head only reached the base of Jack's neck, stepped outside.
"Heya Mitch." Jack stuck out a hand, which the dirty man shook vigorously.
"Jack, haven't seen ya around dese parts much."
"Yeah well, I haven't had much need foah a blacksmith."
"So why now?"
"Me and my boys are tryin' ta bust some friends out a da slammah. We need some shovels."
"Shoah, how many?" The other boys were in awe that this blacksmith seemed so eager to help them.
"Two should be good." Jack replied.
The blacksmith nodded, "wait heah." And then he disappeared into the shop once again.
The boys waited in silence until Mitch emerged once again. "T'anks Mitch, I owes ya one," said Jack passing the shovels to Dutchy and Snoddy.
"Dat's t'ree ya owes me now, Jackie." Mitch laughed as he watched the boys disappear into the darkness.
The boys continued their trip to the abandoned store. Mush peeked into the windows of the jail as he passed by, and noticed three cops playing poker at a table opposite the stone cell Skittery and Blink were being held in.
They clambered into the dirty basement of the store and examined the wall they were to dig through.
"How do we even know dis will lead ta da cell?" asked Dutchy.
"Yeah, what if da cell floah is solid?" Specs added.
Mush opened his mouth to answer, but Jack interrupted, "It ain't. Deah's a few nice loose stones toward da back wall. I should know, I loosened dem." Jack grinned proudly.
"If we start right about," he paused to tap his shovel on the wall, "heah, den we'se should come up right beneat' dem. Alright boys, who wants ta start da diggin'?"
The boys worked out a system. Mush and Dutchy dug while the other three removed the excess dirt away.
Skittery lay on his back on the cold floor of the cell near the wall. He stared up at the leaking ceiling while listening to the deep breathing of Blink, who lay over on the bed, fast asleep.
The occasional laughter of the cops was the only thing that broke the silence in the pitch black room.
Skittery blinked his eyes opened, and through the tiny window near the ceiling he could see the first traces of dawn. Blink was stirring on the cot. The cops outside sounded cheerful and beside their raucous laughter the only other noise was a dull thud coming from somewhere beneath him.
It took Skittery a moment to realize that the noise below him was a new development and he dropped his ear to the floor to listen closer.
"What's goin' on?" asked Blink's groggy voice.
"Shh, I'se tryin' ta listen."
Blink jumped off of the cot and joined Skittery on the floor, mimicking Skittery's action and lowering his own ear to the floor. "What are we listenin' foah?" Blink asked in a whisper.
"Just listen."
There was another thud and the boys felt the stone beneath them shudder. They pulled their heads back with a start, and stared at the floor which seemed to be crumbling. Suddenly, one of the larger stones plummeted into the nothingness below, leaving a gaping hole.
"Skittery?" A voice echoed up through the hole.
Skittery peered down into the opening. "Dat you Mush?"
He heard Mush mutter something about it being them and then, "hold tight, we'se comin' ta get ya."
Skittery and Blink sat impatiently watching the stones fall one by one until there was a hole just big enough for them to crawl through.
"Come on through, fellas!" Dutchy said sticking his head out of the crack.
"Ya gotta move foist, Dutchy," Mush's voice called up.
Dutchy grinned sheepishly and pulled his head back down.
Skittery turned to Blink. "You go foist," he said.
Blink obeyed and soon had disappeared down the hole as well.
Skittery followed and landed next to Mush, who guided him to another small opening. "Da uddahs are waitin' out deah foah ya."
"What about you'se?"
"Weah, right behind ya."
Skittery got onto his hands and knees and crawled through the small cave like tunnel. Two sets of hands helped pull him out when he reached the end.
He straightened himself out when he exited.
"Welcome back," Jack said clapping him on the shoulder and sending a fresh layer of dirt into the already dusty air.
"Took ya long enough," Skittery scolded.
"Yeah well, we kept votin' on weat'er or not ta bust ya out, but it kept comin' out a tie." Snoddy laughed.
Mush and Dutchy joined their group again soon after.
"What kept ya?" Blink asked.
"We'se just cleanin' up a bit." Mush and Dutchy shot each other knowing grins. "We propped da stones back inta place. Dey'll nevah figure out how you'se escaped!"
"Now what?" Blink asked.
"Now we'se gotta get you'se inta hidin'," Specs explained.
"I'se got just da place," Snoddy stated, matter of factly.
The boys made their way out of the building into the cool morning air. The streets were silent except for a few business men. Snoddy led them to the outskirts of town and into another alley where he opened a street level window, this one as dusty as the ones at the abandoned store.
"What is dis place, Snoddy?" Skittery asked once they were inside.
They found themselves in a small room that was empty except for a small cot and a broken table.
"I found dis when I foist started bein' a newsie. A few of da big guys used ta chase me, so I always came heah." Skittery patted Snoddy's shoulder, sympathetically.
"You'se stay down heah and we'll bring ya food. We'se gotta get back so dey can't pin anyt'in' on us," said Jack.
The boys said their goodbyes and then exited through the window.
"Snoddy!" Skittery ran to the window and yelled up. Snoddy stopped and turned back around. "Bring me back me Square, okay?"
Snoddy smiled and nodded, "shoah."
Skittery closed the window and sat down next to Blink on the bed.
That evening Snoddy, Mush, Dutchy, and Specs sat quietly in the alley beside the lodging house discussing their plans.
"So, let me get dis straight," began Specs after Mush had finished telling them the idea. "You want us ta dig inta da cell at da jail house so dat da boys can escape t'rough da floor?"
"Dat's basically it, yeah," Snoddy said.
"What are we supposed ta dig wit, our hands?" Dutchy piped in.
"Naw, hows about we use shovels," said a voice behind the boys. They turned to see Jack standing in the opening of the alley, an amused smile on his face.
The boys proceeded to leap to their feet to greet him.
"You t'ink we'se got a good chance at dis, Cowboy?" Snoddy asked.
Jack nodded, "it all sounds good ta me. All we needs is some shovels."
"Wheah are we'se supposed ta get da shovels?" Asked Mush.
"Just so happens," answered Jack grinning, "I knows a guy wit shovels. Follow me boys."
The boys followed Jack through the darkness to the center of town where Jack stopped in front of a small blacksmith's shop. He knocked hard on the door and waited.
Moments later the door burst open and a soot covered man, whose head only reached the base of Jack's neck, stepped outside.
"Heya Mitch." Jack stuck out a hand, which the dirty man shook vigorously.
"Jack, haven't seen ya around dese parts much."
"Yeah well, I haven't had much need foah a blacksmith."
"So why now?"
"Me and my boys are tryin' ta bust some friends out a da slammah. We need some shovels."
"Shoah, how many?" The other boys were in awe that this blacksmith seemed so eager to help them.
"Two should be good." Jack replied.
The blacksmith nodded, "wait heah." And then he disappeared into the shop once again.
The boys waited in silence until Mitch emerged once again. "T'anks Mitch, I owes ya one," said Jack passing the shovels to Dutchy and Snoddy.
"Dat's t'ree ya owes me now, Jackie." Mitch laughed as he watched the boys disappear into the darkness.
The boys continued their trip to the abandoned store. Mush peeked into the windows of the jail as he passed by, and noticed three cops playing poker at a table opposite the stone cell Skittery and Blink were being held in.
They clambered into the dirty basement of the store and examined the wall they were to dig through.
"How do we even know dis will lead ta da cell?" asked Dutchy.
"Yeah, what if da cell floah is solid?" Specs added.
Mush opened his mouth to answer, but Jack interrupted, "It ain't. Deah's a few nice loose stones toward da back wall. I should know, I loosened dem." Jack grinned proudly.
"If we start right about," he paused to tap his shovel on the wall, "heah, den we'se should come up right beneat' dem. Alright boys, who wants ta start da diggin'?"
The boys worked out a system. Mush and Dutchy dug while the other three removed the excess dirt away.
Skittery lay on his back on the cold floor of the cell near the wall. He stared up at the leaking ceiling while listening to the deep breathing of Blink, who lay over on the bed, fast asleep.
The occasional laughter of the cops was the only thing that broke the silence in the pitch black room.
Skittery blinked his eyes opened, and through the tiny window near the ceiling he could see the first traces of dawn. Blink was stirring on the cot. The cops outside sounded cheerful and beside their raucous laughter the only other noise was a dull thud coming from somewhere beneath him.
It took Skittery a moment to realize that the noise below him was a new development and he dropped his ear to the floor to listen closer.
"What's goin' on?" asked Blink's groggy voice.
"Shh, I'se tryin' ta listen."
Blink jumped off of the cot and joined Skittery on the floor, mimicking Skittery's action and lowering his own ear to the floor. "What are we listenin' foah?" Blink asked in a whisper.
"Just listen."
There was another thud and the boys felt the stone beneath them shudder. They pulled their heads back with a start, and stared at the floor which seemed to be crumbling. Suddenly, one of the larger stones plummeted into the nothingness below, leaving a gaping hole.
"Skittery?" A voice echoed up through the hole.
Skittery peered down into the opening. "Dat you Mush?"
He heard Mush mutter something about it being them and then, "hold tight, we'se comin' ta get ya."
Skittery and Blink sat impatiently watching the stones fall one by one until there was a hole just big enough for them to crawl through.
"Come on through, fellas!" Dutchy said sticking his head out of the crack.
"Ya gotta move foist, Dutchy," Mush's voice called up.
Dutchy grinned sheepishly and pulled his head back down.
Skittery turned to Blink. "You go foist," he said.
Blink obeyed and soon had disappeared down the hole as well.
Skittery followed and landed next to Mush, who guided him to another small opening. "Da uddahs are waitin' out deah foah ya."
"What about you'se?"
"Weah, right behind ya."
Skittery got onto his hands and knees and crawled through the small cave like tunnel. Two sets of hands helped pull him out when he reached the end.
He straightened himself out when he exited.
"Welcome back," Jack said clapping him on the shoulder and sending a fresh layer of dirt into the already dusty air.
"Took ya long enough," Skittery scolded.
"Yeah well, we kept votin' on weat'er or not ta bust ya out, but it kept comin' out a tie." Snoddy laughed.
Mush and Dutchy joined their group again soon after.
"What kept ya?" Blink asked.
"We'se just cleanin' up a bit." Mush and Dutchy shot each other knowing grins. "We propped da stones back inta place. Dey'll nevah figure out how you'se escaped!"
"Now what?" Blink asked.
"Now we'se gotta get you'se inta hidin'," Specs explained.
"I'se got just da place," Snoddy stated, matter of factly.
The boys made their way out of the building into the cool morning air. The streets were silent except for a few business men. Snoddy led them to the outskirts of town and into another alley where he opened a street level window, this one as dusty as the ones at the abandoned store.
"What is dis place, Snoddy?" Skittery asked once they were inside.
They found themselves in a small room that was empty except for a small cot and a broken table.
"I found dis when I foist started bein' a newsie. A few of da big guys used ta chase me, so I always came heah." Skittery patted Snoddy's shoulder, sympathetically.
"You'se stay down heah and we'll bring ya food. We'se gotta get back so dey can't pin anyt'in' on us," said Jack.
The boys said their goodbyes and then exited through the window.
"Snoddy!" Skittery ran to the window and yelled up. Snoddy stopped and turned back around. "Bring me back me Square, okay?"
Snoddy smiled and nodded, "shoah."
Skittery closed the window and sat down next to Blink on the bed.