Chapter Ten

Author's Note: Wee! Here I am again, and back home, too. I see that I have blown people's minds with the idea of both stories tying together. Did I mention that this story is where I got that story to happen? I was writing this story and then realized that the story in it would make a great story all by itself. It was amazing. At any rate, you will now hear the rest of this summary of the story in this chapter, and I implore you, as I said in the last chapter, implore you to read this because it will have different details and some other insights. Just read it! So here is Chapter Ten, and I want you to read it because of what I said a few sentences ago. Read on...

"Tommy Cat hated cripples.(As some of you already have found out.) I was in favor of this opinion. Den one day, I started, as dey all say, actin' funny. Tommy Cat noticed, ta my dissapointment. He made da oders spy on me. Bu' none of dem evah foun' out 'bout what I was hidin'. An' den, one day, Tommy foun' out 'bout wha' I was hidin'. I had, if ya haven't guessed it yet, a cripple in me bedroom.

'Well, den Tommy Cat got real mad. He stormed inta me room, an' so did all da oders. I stood in fron' of da cripple, so dat he couldn't see da boy. Den, Tommy came up ta me.

"'Move it, Blink!" he yelled, bu' I didn'. I would pay for dat.

'Tommy pushed me, an' den da two of us starte' ta fight. I was angry, an' dat helped me figh' him. Den, we stopped. I moved back in front of da bed. Tommy den pushed me down, hard, real hard, an' I yelled at him. Bu' Tommy Cat had already seen da cripple inside da bed. Dat boy had brown hair, green eyes, an' was skinny. He was tall lookin' fer 'is age. Tommy roared in anger, an' I den felt two hands hol' me down. Tommy was lookin' at da boy in disbelief.

"'What is dis?" he yelled at me.

"'Is foun' him at da door. He was scared. Den I take 'im in. But Is couldn' tell youse." I replied.

'Den da cripple on da bunk looked up at Tommy Cat. I tink he was impressed wid da leader. He was only 10. Bu' Tommy Cat ha' no sympathy for him. He looked at me again.

"'I gonna hurt him, not youse. But youse are gonna watch, an' so's everyone else.'" Tommy Cat said. I was held down an' couldn't do nothin'.

'Tommy Cat started ou' by takin' a stick, a branch, tossed ta him by anudder boy, an' started ta beat da boy wid it. Tommy tortured 'im. I didn't know what ta do, an' when he finished, I stood up an' was ready ta injure Tommy as bes' as possible. Da cripple on da bed, he was cryin'. Tears, I mean, sobbing. I stared Tommy down.

"'Let dis one in a' least!'" I yelled.

'Tommy Cat only gave in dat day 'cause da cripple didn't look like he'd make it. He was cryin' an' in pain, so none of da oders or Tommy though' dat he would make it.

'Bu' I was all ovah da cripple. Dat was one of da few times I would evah see da cripple cry. Me an' Tommy had real arguements, 'bout three, aftah dat. Da cripple survived, an' we ha' ta give him a name. An' wese did. Dat was the only time I be seein' Crutchy cry fer a long time aftah dat. An' eventually, he grew.

'At da age of 12, he was tall few his own good. Taller den me, almost. But he wasn't. 'Cause if he hadn't da crutch, he'd be tall. Tommy Cat forgave me an' den became friends wid Crutchy. I, we all, loved 'im, Crutchy, I mean. He was wonderful. He is da most optimistic newsie I'll evah meet. Den Tommy Cat an' anudder newsie, named Red got put in da refuge. (Yes, you will hear more about that in my other story.) I became da leader. But dat's how Crutchy came inta da newsie world." finished Blink.

I sat there, thinking. Crutchy hadn't gone into that much detail earlier when he had told how he had become a newsie to me. But then again, I had left out details as well when I had been describing how my life had been early on to him, so it seemed fair and square that neither of us had gone into much detail.

Blink sat back and I could see the worry on his face. He was pretty much exhausted, and I knew that he was really worried. I didn't know what to say, but then I decided not to say anything. Blink wouldn't want to hear what I had to say anyway, because it didn't matter now.

Two days later, the court case happened. It was interesting how we had gotten there, because it had involved a lot of force.

Early in the morning, the police men had come. Kid Blink had confronted them in a ferocious manner and had told them to go away, which they of course, did not. Then they made their way into the

lodging house and grabbed me and Crutchy. Don clapped irons on me and dragged me out, and John did the same to Crutchy. Blink was angry, but Racetrack held him back. The other newsies were yelling and I saw that they were being held back by other policemen, or "bulls" in our world. Kid Blink tried to break through, but a bull hit him on the head and I think he went unconscious. Crutchy and I were dragged to a wagon, and shoved in.

I lay on the floor next to him, and we didn't move. I was in pain, and I am sure he was as well. In a lot of it, that is. And now we had to go to this court case. Kloppman, I had heard from Blink before we left, was making sure that the newsies went to the courtroom, and that he was as well. I knew that the old man was nice enough to do this, considering he had been concerned for me and Crutchy in the first place.

But now everything looked like it wasn't going to get any better. I had no idea why we had to do this; it was over a silly thing. But I guess that the Downings weren't going down without a fight, and neither were we, or so I hoped. There had to be a way out of this. Somehow, we had to survive and come through this unscathed and without having caused major trouble. But I doubted that we would.

And so, we went on our way to the court house. I had no idea what would happen, and I didn't think that it would be a great or good outcome. The coach stopped at the courthouse and we got out, struggling with our crutches. The police had brought these for us, and I figured not out of concern or sympathy.

Crutchy and I hobbled slowly to the door of the room of the courthouse. The bulls kept us out there for a few minutes, then instructed us to go to the courtroom that we would be in, giving us directions. Crutchy looked at me and I grinned grimly back at him, knowing that this was extremely painful for him and not just me. We entered the door of the courtroom and stood there for a moment, long enough for me to take in the people all around the room.

Author's Note: So there is Chapter Ten. I hope you enjoyed reading it, and I hope you read the story summary because it is worth it. Maybe that was a little bit more of a gloomy chapter... I don't know, I guess it's just because of what has happened. Well, the next chapter will be coming up, and please review this chapter!