Chapter Four
Leah awoke early the next morning, getting ready with the girls who would be selling papers.
"You selling with us again today?" Magpie asked, as she and Ghost passes on their way out the door.
"Not a chance." Leah replied with a dry but amused laugh. "I'll go broke trying to sell newspapers."
"So what are you going to do?" Callie asked, listening to the girls footsteps on the stairs.
"Leah shrugged, I don't know, I gotta figure something out. I guess I'll look for a job." Leah answered, pulling her hair up into a knot, and grimacing at how greasy it was becoming. She was in desperate need of a bath.
"Well, good luck." Callie said, straightening her skirt, "I'll see you back here for lunch?"
"Yeah, see you later." Leah spent a few more minutes in front of the mirror before turning to go. She left the lodging house and turned down the street, not really paying attention to where she was going. She ran her choices through her mind, factory worker… or factory worker. "Well, at least I know where to start." She muttered to herself, still absentmindedly walking. "Oof!"
"Ow! Hey, watch- Leah? Is that you? You gotta quit runnin into people like that, it's not healthy."
"Racetrack! I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going"
"Yeah, I can tell." Race said, stooping to pick up the papers he had dropped. "Are you selling today?"
"Nah, sellings not for me."
"So what are ya gonna do?"
Leah shrugged, squinting in the bright sunlight. "I dunno. Something. There's gotta be something I can do to earn a little money."
"You should try down on 42nd. There's a lot of factories on that block… or… you know, I just passed a milliner's shop, there was a sign in the window about wanting help. Maybe you could try that."
"Yeah, thanks. I will. Good luck selling today."
Race smiled, "Thanks, try to look up when you walk, you'd hit less people"
Leah laughed, turning down the street in the direction Race had indicated. She kept her attention on where she was going this time, scanning the windows, and sure enough, halfway down the street a sign in the window of a milliner's shop advertised their need for help. Leah smoothed her hair down before pushing the door open and going in.
The bell above the door jingled, announcing her entrance. Leah looked around her, hats of all kinds lined the walls, extravagant colors, with many flowers and ribbons adorned the front, while the more sensible hats and bonnets were kept towards the back of the shop.
A short robust woman with rosy cheeks came from the back of the shop, with a handful of hats.
"Hello, dear, can I help you find something?" She asked, with a distinctive Scottish accent. She had a halo of red curls, and clear blue eyes, that twinkled in good humor.
Leah smiled at her nervously, "No ma'am, I saw the sign in the window, and I was wondering if you still needed help."
"Well, yes, dear, we do. Do you have any experience?"
Leah looked down, biting her lip, "No, ma'am, but I can learn real quick if you only give me the chance."
The woman looked at her for a minute, seeming to measure her up, "Very well then, can you start today?"
"Yes, ma'am"
"And that's enough of that ma'am stuff. You can call me Becky." She said with a smile. "And what might you're name be, Lass?"
Leah smiled back, "Leah."
"Leah, what a lovely name. And a Bible name at that. The other lass that works here is named Rachel, sweet lass, a bit shy. OH! Imagine that, a Leah and Rachel working together, with me, a Rebekah!"(AN: Leah and Rachel are sisters in the Bible, Jacob, was in love with Rachel, but was tricked by her father to marry Leah first. He did eventually marry Rachel, but had to work a total of 14 years for her father's permission… Rebekah was Jacob's mother.)
Leah smiled at her again, wondering what she was talking about.
"Well, come along to the back then, we'll get you started" She led the younger girl to the back of the little shop, and showed her the table where she would be working. "And this is Rachel," She said, indicating a young girl about Leah's age.
The girl looked up and blushed, before whispering a faint "Hello" and bowing her head before her work again.
"She'll show you all you need to know. I'm going to head upstairs. There's an apartment up there, where I live with my husband, John and my children. Oh, they're darling lads, you'll meet them later on, when they return from work at the factory."
Leah smiled at the bubbly woman, as she turned and mounted the stairs in the corner of the room. Then she looked at Rachel, as the quiet girl showed her how to fold bits of ribbon, and manipulate pieces of silk into pretty roses.
After several hours of work, Becky came from where she had been working in the front of the store, and smiled at the girls. "Alright dears, you can take a break for lunch."
Leah got up from where she had been sitting, and stretched her back, "When should I be back?"
"Would an hour be enough time for you to eat and get back here?"
"Yes, ma'am, thank you." Leah said, turning and going out the door.
"What did I tell you about that ma'am stuff, it's Becky."
Leah grinned over her shoulder at her, then was out the front door, and down the street, walking as fast as she could towards to lodging house.
"Callie!" She exclaimed when she burst through the front door, finding Callie standing in the lobby, talking with Kid Blink, Racetrack, and another newsie Leah didn't know. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."
"Nah, don't worry about it, we was just talkin'" Said the third newsie, "Da name's Jack Kelly, and who might you be?"
Leah cleared her throught regarding this boy carefully. He was tall, with dirty brown hair, and brown eyes. A red handkerchief was carelessly tied around his neck, and a black cowboy had hung from a string down his back. Leah generally didn't like those of the male sex, and this one looked awfully smug. "Leah. I just- I just moved here."
"What were you so excited about?" Callie asked, bringing Leah back to what she had come bursting in the door for.
"OH! I got a job, down at the milliner's shop! Becky-That's the owner- she's gonna pay me six dollars a week!"
"That's great!" Racetrack said.
"Well I owe it all to you!" Leah said, beaming at Race.
"Are you all hungry?" Blink asked, reminding them all what they were even at the lodging house for.
"Let's go to Tibby's, to celebrate" Callie said, smiling warmly at Leah.
Leah pulled back, remembering the flood of memories that had washed over her last time she had seen that resturaunt. She bit her lip, thinking to herself, I'll always have memories of mama, no matter where I go, or what I do. I can't stop living my life because of it. "That sounds great." She said aloud, returning Callie's smile. Together the five of them walked to Tibby's. Several newsies joined them along the way, always looking for a good excuse to eat at Tibby's, whether it put more of a strain on their small wallets or not.