Brooklyn Baby | Spot Conlon ¹

Chp. 19: the Biltmore

"Are we all ready then?" Anne says, looking at our small bags that didn't hold many things. Jack was already in the coach, sulking. The boys were giving us a hard time about leaving, and Sarah cried at his leave.

"Yeah, hold on," I walk back into the lodging house, ignoring the glares from some of the newsies. I walk over to Race, who's pouting in the newsies room.

"Race,"

He ignores me.

"Race, I know you's mad at us, but we gotta go. I love ya, Race, just remember that. We'll see each otha' again, soona' than ya think. Bye."

I walk out, and into the coach. Anne closes the door, and I settle next to Jack, across from her. She smiles at us, and I smile weakly back. I didn't know leaving would be so hard.

"So, when we get to the estate, we'll get you two cleaned up and ready lunch. Every day, we all have lunch in the Great Hall, next to the library. You two will both have your own rooms, next to each other of course. Someone will put your things away while you clean up," Anne said.

Wow, this certainly was different.

"Anne, if you was close to our parents, why did ya neva' help them out?" Jack says.

"Well, your father and my husband got into a bit of a falling out, and haven't spoken since." She says. "By the way, you will both have English lessons every day at three."

"English lessons?"

"Yes, we need to fix that accent of yours!" She laughs.

After a two day journey, we make it to Asheville, North Carolina. The coach pulls up to a huge mansion, that's probably bigger than New York. I've never seen anything like it. Jack and I look at each other, while being pulled inside by Anne. Two servants take our small bags and scurry up a grand staircase.

"Now, come meet your uncle," She says, leading us through hallways until we reach a parlor room, similar to Pulitzer's. "William, meet Francis and Kendall. Your god-children,"

"Well, aren't you two just replicas of your parents?" He booms. "William Vanderbilt,"

We shake his hand and nod. I don't know why they call us by our full name, but I guess it's more formal. After meeting William, we're pulled away by servants to huge bedrooms. I swear, my room is the size of the lodging house. The bed is made of silk sheets and satin pillows. The bathrooms are the size of the newsies' room at the lodging house.

"You can wash up and then put these on for lunch, miss." The young woman says, laying layers of clothes on my new bed. I nod, and walk into the bathroom, peeling off my dirty clothes.

What should be waiting there for me, but a porcelain tub.

After washing in extremely hot water, I put on the clothes. A long dress with lace at the sleeves, and a tight corset around my waist that suffocates me. I meet Jack outside my room, who's wearing scabber-like clothing.

"Look at us," He says.

"I can't, I might cry if I do," I say.

We walk down the halls, my stupid heels clacking on the marble floor. In the 'Great Hall', the table is already filling. Anne introduces me to her brother-in-law, Cornelius, who is the actual owner of the estate.

Lunch is duck, which Jack and I have never had. There's so much food, the newsies could last on it for a week. With seconds.

"So, Francis, Kendall, what did you do in New York?" Cornelius asks us.

"We sold newspapas'," Jack says. I nod.

"So you were apart of the strike, yes?" His wife, Sophia, asks us.

"Yes ma'am," I say, trying to be as formal as possible.

"How old are you, Kendall? You're quite the beauty," She asks.

"Fifteen, almost sixteen."

"Jack, you are..?"

"Seventeen, ma'am." He replies. I nudge him under the table as to compliment him on his manners.

"Cornelius, pass the salt?"

After dinner, we got undressed into 'under-garments', which we sleep in, apparently. I got into my large bed, and pulled the sheets over my body. As hard as I tried, I could not sleep. I tossed and turned.

Finally, I got up, and walked over to the desk in my room. I lit the candle, and pulled out a quill pen from the drawer. I started to write on some crisp paper.

Dear Spot,

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and thats the end. jk.