It was dusk as the girls finally finished all of their papers. Jack was done awhile before them so he stayed close by and offered suggestions for improvement. Pleased with their selling day, the group made their way back to the Lodging House.
"How'd it go?" asked Kloppman upon their arrival.
"They did well," Jack spoke for them. "Hey Klop, Medda's havin' a show tonight-"
"Yeah I already heard. Don't worry, I'll let you in even if you're late," the old man smiled. "Every other day, girls, I only let them in before half past ten. After that, you're sleeping on the curb."
Hail and Melody nodded, then observed how Jack signed the ledger and did the same.
"Don't forget," added Kloppman. "You girls have to pay me at the end of the week."
"We'll remember," promised Melody and they headed upstairs. In the bunkroom, the boys were excitedly preparing for that evening's show. Disappointed that she didn't have anything nice to wear, Hail instead focused on her hair. She brushed it out, then pinned it back as best she could. Hail examined herself in the mirror and decided she was satisfied with the results, as was Melody, who appeared over her shoulder in the mirror.
"Looks nice," she said. "But you're not wearing that, are you?"
"It's all I've got," Hail admitted, noting that her friend was now wearing a skirt. Mel just looked her up and down for a moment before speaking again.
"Tell ya what," she finally said. "If you can get my hair to look like yours, I've got some extra clothes you can borrow."
"Deal," Hail grinned and set to work on Melody's hair. After taming it and pulling it back into a more lady-like twist, Hail got a skirt to wear and finished getting ready for the night out.
"Gents, look sharp, we got some ladies in our midst," Specs shouted out and Melody punched him playfully.
"Fellas, let's head out!" Jack led the group downstairs and out of the Lodging House into the cool night air. The newsies soon reached a building called Irving Hall. Above the doorway, Hail noticed a large sign reading "Medda Larkson, the Swedish Meadowlark" and depicting a red-haired woman sporting a large, purple feather.
"I guess that's the famous Medda," Hail nudged Mel and pointed. Melody barely had time to glance up before being shuffled inside along with the crowd. The lobby of Irving Hall was much nicer than she expected, but Hail was more distracted by the swarms of kids within it.
"Hey Melody, Hail, there's someone you gotta meet!" Jack grabbed them by the wrists and dragged them further into the crowd. "Girls, this is Spot Conlon, leader of the Brooklyn newsies. Spot meet Melody and Hail, our newest additions."
At first glance, Hail did not see how this slim boy could lead anything, but one look at his piercing gaze quickly convinced her otherwise. Spot smirked before theatrically kissing each girl's hand.
"Charmed, I'm sure," he said sarcastically before turning back to Jack. "I've got to go keep an eye on my boys Cowboy. Try to get good seats on the floor with us." The two boys spit in their hands and shook before parting ways. Hail was slightly disgusted by this and glanced at her friend, but she didn't seem to have noticed. Instead, she was staring after the Brooklyn leader.
"I think we made a mistake," she whispered to Hail. "We should have gotten off the train in Brooklyn instead." Hail only grinned and followed the Manhattan boys into the concert hall.