As Pip and Hazel approached they saw that the porch was full of guys. The
guys on the porch raised their heads in surprise as they noticed the girls.
"What the heck is going on here?" Pip asked as she counted noses and saw
that one of the number was missing.
"What do you mean what the heck is going on here? Who are you?" Jack asked.
"Penelope Donnelly, and you are?" Pip asked, even though she was already pretty sure who every guy was.
"Jack Kelly, you're the girl that Conlon wrote aren't you?"
"Yeah that would be me." Pip agreed, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Kelly. So do you know where Conlon is?"
"He went into town to pick you up." Another guy said stepping down from the porch.
"Well we must have missed him." Pip said ironically.
"Racetrack Higgins, all I can say is if I had been Conlon I wouldn't leave a girl like you out on your lonesome." Race said being as suave as possible.
"That is so sweet," Skittery said snidely as came off the porch, "How did you girls get here?"
Hazel spoke, "We went to the general store and Pip asked how to get to Conlon's place."
"Who are you?" Jack asked suddenly.
"Hazel Montgomery." Hazel said simply.
"Oh shit," Kid Blink said as he came off the porch.
"Oh shit indeed," Pip seemed to be smiling enjoying the trouble she had just started to cause.
"You must be Aaron Parker?" Hazel asked moving closer to the now silent Kid Blink. Blink nodded slowly as if wondering how to act around the new development. Hazel smiled sweetly before smacking him on the cheek with her hand.
Blink nodded slowly, he mumbled "I deserved that," as he walked away.
"Okay now that that is out of your system can we please discuss why the heck you are here and now, when the rest of the girls aren't supposed to arrive for at least another two weeks?" Jack asked moving to circle the girls.
Pip kept eye contact with Jack as he moved around them, "Were you a vulture in another life or something Kelly? Well I can't say why Hazel here is early but Spot asked me to come out early, something about me helping you guys get ready for the rest of the girls that were coming out."
"So you really do know Spot then? I though he was just joking when he mentioned knowing you." Jack asked as he come to stand in front of the girls crossing his arms.
"Yeah I would know him pretty well, considering he's my brother." Pip said raising an eyebrow as she looked around the farm.
"Conlon you got a sister?" Jack yelled loudly. Pip turned and was greeted by the sight of two people riding on a very tired looking horse.
"Yeah I got a sister." Spot said as he pulled the horse to a stop. He glanced around the yard and his eyes fell on where Pip and Hazel were standing. "Oh Shit."
"Shit indeed Benjamin, how have you been?" Pip asked coming to stand next to the saddle and patted Spot's leg.
Spot jumped off and helped the girl behind him off next. The girl looked a bit nervous as she looked around. "I've been pretty good, I guess I should do some introductions. Guys this is my wife, Calyx Conlon. Dear these are my friends, and roommates, Jack Kelly, Racetrack Higgins, Skittery Jansen, Mush Lincoln, Bumlets Lopez, Kid Blink Parker and my sister Penelope Conlon- Donnelly. I didn't quite catch the other young woman's name."
"This delightful young lady is Miss Hazel Montgomery. She is to become Mrs. Parker soon I imagine." Pip smiled sweetly to her brother.
"I am not becoming anyone besides Hazel Montgomery until someone tells me what the heck is going on here." Hazel said as she crossed her arms.
Pip realized that both Hazel and Calyx were feeling a bit lost. "Okay let's back up a bit so you can get the full advantage of knowing the entire story. First off these seven guys grew up in New York City. They hadn't even known where Bloomington, Texas was until a little thing called the Newsie Strike happened. Suddenly these guys are promoted from being obscure newsies" a few "Hey's" interrupted her.
"I am sorry, obscure outside of their own territories. They were suddenly on the most wanted kids in New York City. They had brought down an empire and now everyone wants a piece of them. They got the street kids to organize a union. Anyway they figured it was time to save their skins about the time that a couple of the guys started getting roughed up pretty bad. So they get on a train and head west.
From what Spot wrote I am assuming their luck ran out about here. I am guessing the railroad cops spotted them and they got off to avoid more trouble. They settled here and after a year of living in their own filth and eating food that no normal person would feed to dogs they got fed up. They put an ad in the city-wide papers advertising for a wife. Of course you can't have one girl coming out to live with seven guys, I guess they even got some morals so they each decided to take a girl.
Hazel you said you responded to the ad, and I'm here because my other brothers decided it was time for me to get married. I'm trying to figure out how the new Mrs. Conlon-Donnelly fits in to all of this." Pip took a breath as all eyes turned to the girl who was fiddling with the ribbons on her bonnet.
"What do you mean what the heck is going on here? Who are you?" Jack asked.
"Penelope Donnelly, and you are?" Pip asked, even though she was already pretty sure who every guy was.
"Jack Kelly, you're the girl that Conlon wrote aren't you?"
"Yeah that would be me." Pip agreed, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Kelly. So do you know where Conlon is?"
"He went into town to pick you up." Another guy said stepping down from the porch.
"Well we must have missed him." Pip said ironically.
"Racetrack Higgins, all I can say is if I had been Conlon I wouldn't leave a girl like you out on your lonesome." Race said being as suave as possible.
"That is so sweet," Skittery said snidely as came off the porch, "How did you girls get here?"
Hazel spoke, "We went to the general store and Pip asked how to get to Conlon's place."
"Who are you?" Jack asked suddenly.
"Hazel Montgomery." Hazel said simply.
"Oh shit," Kid Blink said as he came off the porch.
"Oh shit indeed," Pip seemed to be smiling enjoying the trouble she had just started to cause.
"You must be Aaron Parker?" Hazel asked moving closer to the now silent Kid Blink. Blink nodded slowly as if wondering how to act around the new development. Hazel smiled sweetly before smacking him on the cheek with her hand.
Blink nodded slowly, he mumbled "I deserved that," as he walked away.
"Okay now that that is out of your system can we please discuss why the heck you are here and now, when the rest of the girls aren't supposed to arrive for at least another two weeks?" Jack asked moving to circle the girls.
Pip kept eye contact with Jack as he moved around them, "Were you a vulture in another life or something Kelly? Well I can't say why Hazel here is early but Spot asked me to come out early, something about me helping you guys get ready for the rest of the girls that were coming out."
"So you really do know Spot then? I though he was just joking when he mentioned knowing you." Jack asked as he come to stand in front of the girls crossing his arms.
"Yeah I would know him pretty well, considering he's my brother." Pip said raising an eyebrow as she looked around the farm.
"Conlon you got a sister?" Jack yelled loudly. Pip turned and was greeted by the sight of two people riding on a very tired looking horse.
"Yeah I got a sister." Spot said as he pulled the horse to a stop. He glanced around the yard and his eyes fell on where Pip and Hazel were standing. "Oh Shit."
"Shit indeed Benjamin, how have you been?" Pip asked coming to stand next to the saddle and patted Spot's leg.
Spot jumped off and helped the girl behind him off next. The girl looked a bit nervous as she looked around. "I've been pretty good, I guess I should do some introductions. Guys this is my wife, Calyx Conlon. Dear these are my friends, and roommates, Jack Kelly, Racetrack Higgins, Skittery Jansen, Mush Lincoln, Bumlets Lopez, Kid Blink Parker and my sister Penelope Conlon- Donnelly. I didn't quite catch the other young woman's name."
"This delightful young lady is Miss Hazel Montgomery. She is to become Mrs. Parker soon I imagine." Pip smiled sweetly to her brother.
"I am not becoming anyone besides Hazel Montgomery until someone tells me what the heck is going on here." Hazel said as she crossed her arms.
Pip realized that both Hazel and Calyx were feeling a bit lost. "Okay let's back up a bit so you can get the full advantage of knowing the entire story. First off these seven guys grew up in New York City. They hadn't even known where Bloomington, Texas was until a little thing called the Newsie Strike happened. Suddenly these guys are promoted from being obscure newsies" a few "Hey's" interrupted her.
"I am sorry, obscure outside of their own territories. They were suddenly on the most wanted kids in New York City. They had brought down an empire and now everyone wants a piece of them. They got the street kids to organize a union. Anyway they figured it was time to save their skins about the time that a couple of the guys started getting roughed up pretty bad. So they get on a train and head west.
From what Spot wrote I am assuming their luck ran out about here. I am guessing the railroad cops spotted them and they got off to avoid more trouble. They settled here and after a year of living in their own filth and eating food that no normal person would feed to dogs they got fed up. They put an ad in the city-wide papers advertising for a wife. Of course you can't have one girl coming out to live with seven guys, I guess they even got some morals so they each decided to take a girl.
Hazel you said you responded to the ad, and I'm here because my other brothers decided it was time for me to get married. I'm trying to figure out how the new Mrs. Conlon-Donnelly fits in to all of this." Pip took a breath as all eyes turned to the girl who was fiddling with the ribbons on her bonnet.
