She woke early the next morning, shivering. She sighed and remembered what it felt like
to sleep in a warm bed. On her long
walk back to the racetrack, she passed by a small building with a sign reading
"Newsboys Lodging House". She had
thought of going here before, but thought that she wouldn't be welcome since
she was a girl. She was about to keep
walking, but the memory of the freezing night was still fresh in her mind. She knew she wouldn't survive long in the
cold winter. She walked into the lodging
house and saw an old man behind a long wood counter.
"Why hello
there, young lady!" the old man greeted
her cheerfully. "Can I help you with
something?" Lorraine took a deep
breath.
"Look, I
know I shouldn't be here seeing as I'm not a newsboy, or even a boy, but I need
a place ta stay and if you kick me out, I'll prolly die in the cold and it'll
be on your head," she said in one breath.
"Oh, well,
I couldn't live with myself with that on my head! I guess you had better stay here!" the man said with a wink.
"So I can
stay?"
"There are
rule though. No smoking or swearing in
the house, and you have to sell newspapers everyday. If you're willing to do that, then you're welcome to stay," he pushed a large book toward her. "Just sign in here every night when you come
in. It's five cents for the week." Lorraine fished a nickel out of her pocket
and dropped it in the old man's hand. She thought for a second before signing the book. In scribbled handwriting, she signed 'Lucky
O'Reilly'. She vowed to never tell
anyone that Lucky had been the name of her family's dog in Ireland. "Well, Lucky, the boy's bunkroom is
upstairs, but since you're a girl, you'll stay in the bunkroom in the
basement." He pointed to a door, which she assumed led downstairs. "That's the girls' room." He smiled. "Just drop your things on any empty
bed. The washroom is upstairs in the
boys' room."
"Thanks,"
Lorraine started toward the basement door.
"By the
way, my name's Kloppman," he said. She
continued to the door and decended the stairs. The room was small and filled with bunks. Only about half the beds had things on them. Lorraine sat down on the closest empty
bed. She kicked herself for not coming
here sooner, since it was obvious that girls were allowed. At least she had a bed to sleep in
again. Lorraine remembered her original
mission and walked back up the stairs.
"I'll be
back later!" she waved to the old man on her way out the door. She continued on her way to the racetrack
with a spring in her step. Things
appeared to be looking better for her. She arrived at the tracks and placed her bet on Racer's Delight again.
"You
again?" she recognized the voice from behind her.
"Don't think
I'm happy to see you either," she retorted as she brushed past Race. She heard him check his pockets to make sure
she hadn't stolen anything. Lorraine
sat down and waited for her race to start.
"So yer
name is Bam now?" Race sat down a
couple seats away from her.
"If you
hate me so much, why do you keep bugging me?" Lorraine ignored his comment about her name.
"I ain't
got anyt'ing better ta do," he laughed smugly. He quieted down when the race started. Lorraine watched as Racer's Delight won again. Another easy five dollars, she thought. She wondered why she had never tried the tracks before, but
quickly remembered that her mother always taught her that gambling was a
sin. She pushed the memory out of her
mind and claimed her winnings. She
placed another bet, this time on a horse named Beast of War. She spent the whole day at the track,
placing bets on different horses, almost every time picking the winner. She fought to keep from grinning like a fool
as she made her way back to the lodging house. She was so caught up in her thoughts about the twenty dollars in her
pocket, that she didn't notice the person in front of her until he stopped
suddenly. She walked right into him.
"I'm so
sorry!" she exclaimed. He turned around
and she scowled.
"Ya know,
I'm startin' ta t'ink you're followin' me," Race said with a mocking laugh.
"You think
too highly of yourself," she snapped. She quickly walked ahead of him, hoping he would leave her alone. She made it to the lodging house and
stopped. Race was still behind
her. "I'm startin' to think YOU'RE
following ME!" she yelled at him.
"I'm just
goin' home! So if you'll 'scuse me," he
pushed past her and walked into the lodging house. He noticed her following him in, but didn't say anything until
she grabbed the sign-in book. He
watched as she signed her name. "You've
gotta be kiddin' me," he groaned. He
signed in under her name, noting that she had signed in as Lucky O'Reilly. "So you're Lucky O'Reilly now? What happen'd ta Mickie? And Bam?"
"Shut up,
I'll be gone in a week. Happy?" she didn't wait for an answer, instead
headed down the stairs.