Chapter Nine

Kat woke the next morning to sunshine streaming through sheer lace curtains into her room and an annoying pounding on her closed door. Yawning, Kat stretched her arms and legs as far as they could reach. Last night was such a blur of colors, sounds, and smells that she didn't even remember falling asleep or even getting to Liberty, a small town several hours outside of New York City.

After the boys had given Kat their gifts, there had been a mad dashing around as each person tried to find their things. A sulking Kat was forced back up the stairs to her room to change out of the trousers that she had put on. She was going to go back to Liberty the way she had left it two years prior, as a tomboy in a skirt. Her bad mood didn't last long as the troop was soon out the door and on their way to the train station.

Spot and the Jacob brothers met them at the station with sacks thrown over their shoulders. Kat couldn't keep still as they waited to board the train. She was so excited that she was either twisting her skirt into knots or bouncing around patting each boy on the head as she went by. This ended with Race getting annoyed and him chasing Kat around the platform for nearly ten minutes. It was all Cole and Frank could do to calm the two down and get them on the train in one piece.

Kat was made to sit in a burgundy seat between Bob and Jim. Her excited grin was infectious as she sat grinning like a fool across from Blink, Crutchy, and Mush. When she started bouncing on the seat like a little two-year-old, Bob put a thick arm around her waist and pulled tight against his side. This brought suppressed laughter from her friends as she quickly deflated like a hot air balloon.

The last thing that Kat remembered from the time on the train till that morning was her head resting on Bob's chest with his warm arm protectively around her. His low baritone softly sang the sad ballad 'Bury Me not on the Lonely Prairie' while his hand softly stroked her soft curls. She closed her eyes with a happy sigh before letting the exhaustion of her day consumer her weary body.

Kat groaned as the banging began again only louder and harder. All her friends must have their fists slamming against the door.

"Katlin Annabelle James! Get youse lazy bum outa that there bed! The sun's been up for tree houras already. Hurry up!" Spot's Brooklyn accent rose above the din of banging fists. Laughter filtered through the pounds at Spot's use of her middle name.

With another groan, Kat searched the floor beside her bed for something to throw at the door. Ah, a boot. Perfect. At a momentary lapse in banging, she chucked the item with as much power as she could muster while lying in bed. At the loud thump that resounded from the shoe making contact, a fit of nervous laughter began outside her door. At least they knew they had succeeded in waking her up.

"Youse better get up, missy. Jesse done told us youse greatest weakness. Now, youse don't want us to have to use brut force now does youse?" Kat could just see the evil little grins splitting the faces waiting for her answer. She knew that they weren't joking about opening the door and making her get up.

"I have another shoe in here, Spot Conlon, and I ain't afraid ta use it!" Her answer brought another fit of laughter out of the bunch.

"What is youse one little shoe goin' ta do ta nine strong and relatively handsome fellows?" Spot was rewarded by that last part by an indignant snort on the other side.

"Handsome, my horse's butt!" Kat grinned evilly at the door. She heard several mock gasps of horror.

"Aw, now youse gone and done it! We's cut to the heart by that, Kat. Youse has tree seconds to get up and open dis door before we come in." Spot started counting on his fingers, "One…Two…Three!"

The newsie slammed the door open to see a lump snuggled deep within her quilts. He nodded to his friends before they let out a war whoop and attack the figure in bed. There was much laughter and shrieks before Jack threw back the covers to bring into view several specially arranged pillows. The astonishment on the faces of the mighty conquerors could have made Pulitzer burst out in laughter till he cried.

"Tisk, tisk," a light, triumphant voice sounded from the doorway. Kat stood there in her white nightgown with her hands full of cloths. "Boys, y'all should know by now that it is always smarter to look before ya leap. Now, if ya duffers would excuse me…" Kat wasn't aloud to finish as nine annoyed bodies leaped off the bed to chase after her shrieking figure.

Kat ran down the hall toward the washroom as fast her legs could carry her. She was able to bound inside and bolt the door behind her before the boys slammed into the hard oak wood. Her triumphant laugh filtered out between the cracks to the breathless, glaring figures on the other side.

Kat stepped out of the washroom completely dressed and ready to deal with anything thrown at her that day. She was so happy to be back in Liberty again that she couldn't help but skip into the busy kitchen while whistling 'Dixie.' The boys glowered at her bouncy form from where they sat stuffing their faces with Zerelda Mimms' biscuits and gravy. Her brothers and cousins were already gone. The sounds of hammers and saws could be heard from the front yard where they were settling up a dancing floor for the shindig that evening.

Zee smiled and laughed at Kat's boy trousers and shirt from her position by the warm stove. She dropped here stirring spoon before giving Kat a warm hug.

"Kat, ya look so much better in pants then ya ever did in a skirt. I was disappointed when Jesse carried your sleeping figure straight to your room last night. I have waited for ya ta come back for so long. I really missed my little 'sister.'" Zee then glanced at the boys sitting at the table. "Your friends were able to drag a very big secret from your big brothers this morning. I'd watch these fellows closely today."

This brought evil grins and glances from the nine at the table. Kat giggled nervously before grabbing a biscuit and rushing out the door.

"Thanks for breakfast Zee. Gotta run now. Things to do, horses to see!"

Zee chuckled before turning back to the oven to check the birthday cake that was slowly baking. Same old Kat, could never keep still, even to eat a decent breakfast.

There was a mad clatter at the nine boys downed the last of their breakfast before hastening after their friend who had already fled to the stable. The boys warily slowed their pace as they entered the dim interior of the barn. It was dead silent. There was no sign of Kat anywhere.

"Well, it's about time you bummers got here!" Kat's voice rang forth from above their heads. She stood high on a pile of hay bales with a thick rope in her hands. Their eyes followed the rope to where it was tied in several intricate knots to a thick rafter beam.

Kat's eyes gleamed at them with a strange eagerness as she wrapped her legs around the rope and grasped it tighter between her hands. She glanced nervously at the hard floor nearly fifty feet below her. The boys' eyes went wide as they watched her give them a wobbly grin before taking a deep breath and pushing off and jumping into the air. Time seemed to stand still as she gave a cowboy whoop and swung over her friends' heads and nearly touched the other side. Her sweeping arcs grew smaller and smaller as she lost her momentum bit by bit. Suddenly, she let go and landed with a loud thump on her feet right in front of Spot's nose.

Her triumphant grin was matched only by their numb expressions. The girl before them didn't look like a New York newsie any more. She stood in a long leather coat that swept about her sun-stained boots. Instead of a cloth hat tip to a jaunty angle, she wore a wide brim Stetson. Her long curls were pulled back into two matching braids that hung straight down her back. Her purple eyes were shining like never before.

"Y'all ready for your first lesson?"

Confused looks met this question. Kat sighed in frustration before pushing her way through the group and leading back into the sunshine. She marched over to where Bob and Jim were nailing in the last few planks to the floor. Jesse and Cole then pulled a rough carpet gray carpet piece over the wood, and all five men nailed it down. Stepping back to admire their handy work, Jim and Jesse noticed Kat and her friends watching with fascination.

Jesse stared at his little sister for a few moments before his eyes narrowed in mock rage. "Kat, why is my old leather coat now three inches shorter? And why is Jim's second best Stetson resting on your pretty head?"

Kat's cheeks tinged a light pink as she slowly back away from her advancing boys. "N-now Jesse, you and Jim know that y'all never wear these things anyway. So why can't someone, namely me, make good use out of them?"

"Because you know how much I like that hat, Kat!" Jim's gray-green eyes sparkled with anticipation of what was to come next.

Kat glanced between the two who were steadily coming closer. She saw a look in their eyes that she didn't like. So, she did the best thing a girl could do in this situation. She gave a shriek before doing a 180-degree spin and scrambled away from her pursuers as fast as her legs could take her. She didn't get very far because they had much longer legs then she did, and they didn't have a cumbersome coat getting tangled in her legs threatening to trip her as she ran.

Jesse and Jim caught up and picked her up between them like a sack of grain. Jim held her front end while Jesse tried to keep a grasp on her protesting legs. Kat twisted, shrieked, and fought to get free as they carried her back to the evilly grinning group of males. She knew what would happen if they got a hold of her. The closer they got, the harder she struggled. Jim and Jesse were laughing so hard they could barely keep a tight grip on her. But, unfortunately, all her struggle was in vain.

With out much courteous grace, the two dropped Kat in the middle of the dance floor. She glared up at the five men who surrounded her as she rubbed her soar back side.

Jesse stood with his forehead puckered in thought, "Gents, what shall we do with this little gutter snipe?"

This brought an evil shine into the other four's eyes. Kat lost all her fight and went pale at this. "No, uh-uh, you ain't doin' that ta me!" She scrambled backward like a crab, trying to get out of the tight circle. Bob watched with laughter glinting in his eyes before bringing her to a halt by stepping on the tail of her coat. This brought her reeling back into their waiting hands.

Shrieks and gasps of laughter escaped Kat's lips as they used her own weakness against her. They tickled her for all she was worth. It made her just collapse. She couldn't do a single thing to stop it. Kat laughed and screamed with mirth till tears ran down her face and she felt like she would die. Finally, the tickling hands stopped and five grinning faces stepped back to give Kat room to breath.

She lay there grinning breathlessly up at their triumphant faces while trying to regain some of her lost pride. Bob reached out a hand to pull her to her feet, which she gratefully excepted. She brushed the dust and dirt from her cloths and slowly regained her composure and her breath. When her gaze met that of her friends, she knew that this was one secret they wouldn't soon forget. Kat closed her eyes and groaned at the horror of the idea.

"Now, what were ya bringing your little troop to ask us earlier?" Cole brought their minds back to reality.

"I just wanted some help in teaching these city slickers how to dance at a shindig." Kat's eyes gleamed excitedly at the mention of the party later.

Spot and the others seemed insulted at her implied fact that they couldn't dance. "Now jest a minute, Kat! We 'city slickers' can dance jest fine witout youse teachin' us nuttin'" Race's insulted voice rang out from the back of the group. The rest of the newsies shook their heads in agreement.

"I knows youse ken dance, Race. It's jest that we's have a few numbus that are different then what youse have in the city." Kat's 'New York accent' brought surprised smiles to the five men behind her. "Now, will youse cooperate, or am I gonna have ta use force?"

The boys finally gave in with defeat as Jesse, Frank, Bob, and Cole grabbed an array of banjos, guitars, and fiddles and made themselves busy with tuning them. Jim grabbed Kat's hand and pulled her toward the far end of the stage. The newsies leaned their sulking figures against the floor. Kat was quick to shed her long coat and hat before taking Jim's hands and prancing around the stage without music to make sure that they could actually dance.

Then Frank stuck up a lively tune with his guitar, which was soon joined by the rest of the instruments. The newsies couldn't sulk for long. How could they when their toes were tapping and their eyes were following a bright-eyed girl spinning across the floor with laughter bubbling from deep within her throat? They now understood what she meant by the dance steps being more difficult then those in the city. Jim and Kat's feet went flying in several quick successive numbers before they went spinning around once again.

Zee had heard the music and had come out to watch the fun. Kat noticed this and said something to Jim in his ear. They broke apart still prancing to the music while Jim pulled Zee onto the floor and Kat chose Blink. With eyes on his feet and Kat's low instructions, Blink was soon swinging Kat around like Jim with Zee. Kat was laughing and her eyes were shining as Blink stepped back for Spot to take his place.

Two hours went by before everyone had gotten to dance and were tuckered out. By then, it was getting late and there was still much to do before people began to arrive.

Two hours before the party, Zee whisked Kat away and locked themselves in Kat's bedroom, leaving nine bored boys sulking around the Younger place. It didn't take long for the boys to congregate in hall outside Kat's room, leaning against the walls or sitting on the floor. They were so bored, and the fact that the ladies were having a good time behind the closed door didn't help much. Rounds of gay laughter filtered through the door. There were times when the voices were hushed or silent like a secret was being shared before another giggle fest was started.

"Ow! Zee! Watch what your doin' with those pins! That hurt!" The outburst was answered by Zee's soft apology.

This was the last thing really heard from the pair for the next hour. Jesse and Frank came in and had to force the boys away from the door to get ready themselves. The boys were given some clean shirts, ties and trousers that looked more like the clothes worn by Frank then the ratty street cloths they were used too. Frank forced them all to take full body baths with good smelling soap, and those who had to were given razors to shave away any bristles. Then, Jesse came in with some cologne that he said made the women go wild. He helped the boys tie their western ties and gave them all a vote of approval. The long, full-length mirror in Zee's room showed the boys that they looked darn good.

After another hour of waiting, Jesse marched out of the boys' room and stomped down the hall to his sister's closed door.

Just as he was going to kick the door in, Zee's voice stopped his foot in midair, "Jesse James! You kick that door in, and I will personally shoot you myself!"

Her blue eyes were blazing with warning as she stood with her hands planted firmly on her small hips. She was wearing a light blue dress brought out her eyes. Its sleeves were short and puffed, like a peasant blouse. Her hair was piled in golden curls on the top of her head with matching blue ribbons running in between them.

Jesse turned to face his girl; "I want to see what torture you've put my little tomboy under!"

"Torture? Jesse, Kat asked me to make her pretty tonight. If you haven't noticed, she sixteen. She's growing up. She can't remain a tomboy forever." Zee's eyes softened, as she understood why Jesse was so worked up.

Jesse let his shoulders fall in defeat, "I know that Zee. I just don't want to lose her, ya know what I mean?"

Zee smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek, "Yeah, I know. Don't you worry. No matter how much dressing up that girl does tonight, nothing is going to take away her tomboyish spark. Now, go get those boys and finish the preparations as I finish up with our belle of the ball."

Jesse gave Zee a quick kiss before herding the stupefied group of boys out into the yard. Once the hall was clear, Zee picked up the basket of roses that she had placed on the floor and entered the Kat's room.

Ten minutes later, the group of newsies, James brothers, and Younger brothers were putting up the last of the lights and decorations when Zee stepped out into the dimming light and cleared her throat. All attention was immediately focused on her.

"Gentlemen, allow me to introduce the belle of the ball, Katlin James." Her dramatic flare ended with a pause before reached inside the doorway and gave a rough pull to bring out a rather reluctant Kat into their sight.

Every male gave a collective gasp. Before their amazed view was a proper young lady, not the tomboy who had beaten the crap out of the Delancys two months prior. Kat stood in the soft lamplight nervously wringing her hands. She was dressed in a soft cream colored dress that barely missed sweeping the ground with its hem. Her pale shoulders lay bare against the warm breeze since the dress was designed to lay off the shoulders. The only bright color on the dress was a few burgundy/violet ribbons laced in along the edges and intertwined in the lace. The bodice was tight fitting, showing off Kat's excellent figure with sleeves that were cut short at the elbow but had lace flowing down her arms to touch her fingertips. She wore burgundy slippers upon her feet.

The gazes that perused her appearance finally came to her face. Her soft black curls were piled on her head in tight ringlets. Running among the tresses were several of the hair ribbons she had received as gifts from the newsies. To finish off the amazing hair do were two roses, dark red and cream, tucked and pinned in her hair right above her left ear.

Kat's eyes slowly rose from her fascination of the dirt beneath her feet to see their reactions. The looks on their faces made her blush with embarrassment before she returned her gaze to her feet. The blush that added to her shining eyes made Kat the prettiest picture many of them had ever seen.

Crutchy felt something swell up inside his heart when he realized that Kat was wearing his silver locket clasped around her ivory neck. He knew that there was nothing quite as beautiful as his shining girl was tonight. Wait, did he just call Kat his girl again? What the heck was wrong with him?

The spell cast by Kat was broken as the first wagons started to arrive. Kat hurried off with Zee to bring out several dishes of food while her brothers and cousins greeted the guests and put the newsies to work caring for the animals.

Help! I'm having writer's block! Give me some ideas where to go from here! Should I describe the party or just have her remember it after waking up the next day? Give me some help! Oh, please Review!