The Grave Digger

Chapter 5: The Brooklyn Newsies

   She looked around. Dozens of kids were running, jumping, and yelling all around her. And she couldn't feel more at peace. It was all so different, so new. She loved it. "This is da dock. We's all hang out here afta we's sells our papahs," Paddy explains as the three of them approach. "Who're da liddle run's, Paddy?" An older kid asked, coming up to them. Before Paddy could say a word, she- Bones answered. "Who ya calling a runt?" The kid backed down. "Sorry, jus' ain't nevah seen ya aroun' here," he turned his attention to Paddy, and whispered, "shoul' I's be afraid o her, 'cause I is, a liddle." Paddy chuckled. "Rebel, you's scared o everythin'." Rebel rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatevah. Paddy, ya needin' any help here? I can train one o 'em." Paddy looked relieved. "Thanks Rebel. Could ya take Bones? She migh' be easiah to train." She looked at Rebel, and smiled. He gave a half smile back. She looked at Racetrack. He was still taking it all in, and he seemed pretty intimidated. But now, she knew, she was going to be the best. She wouldn't let anything stand in her way, and someday, she was going to be King of Brooklyn. 
   It was starting to get dark, and Paddy offered Racetrack a place in the lodging house. Bones wasn't allowed because she was a girl, but she was just fine with that. It meant no one would ask her where she was going when she went to her other job. And as soon as all the others were tucked away in bed, she took off.
The next morning, she was pretty upset. She hadn't gotten to find anything because some guy was patrolling the graveyard she went to, and she couldn't go to another because it was too late. But she was ready to learn how to be a newsie. Rebel walked up behind her, and she turned around to face him. "How'd ya sleep, Bones?" "Pretty good," she lied. He nodded, then looked up and breathed in the air. "I can smell a good headline." Bones looked at him and laughed. He was funny. "So, Bones, it ain't that hard ta sell newspapahs, bu', ya know, folks can be pretty harsh," He explained to her as they walked to the distribution center. He explained all the prices, but he bought her papers anyway. Really, he bought 100 papers and they each got 50.
   As they were walking, he kept explaining. "So, ya's gotta have ya own spot. Mine's down by da Navy Pier. Dey's all even know my name, I been sellin' down there fo' so long. Bu' fo' tu-day, ya can sell down here wit me." Bones smiled, but didn't really know what to say. "Ya don't talk much, huh? Fo' someone wit sass like you?" She shrugged. "I save my words for when dey're needed."
   Not much happened the rest of the day. Rebel taught Bones all the tricks he knew, and she caught on rather quickly. He never had to explain things more than once, and sometimes she even caught on before he finished explaining something. In fact, Rebel started to enjoy her company. She was real funny, and she was sassy, meaning she could somehow persuade, or even guilt trip, anyone into doing what she wanted. She was growing to be more like his sister, rather than some random child he felt obligated to help. And after they were done selling, in which they sold every last paper, they got some bread, and walked back to the dock. "Hey Bones, ya wanna sell wit me tu-morrow?" Bones hadn't been expecting that, but she wasn't going to pass up that opportunity. She felt protected around Rebel, and she wasn't worried about having to figure out the headline on her own. "Of course. That'd be real nice."
   After they returned to the docks, and saw Paddy and Racetrack there, the former and Rebel decided they should introduce her and Racetrack to all the Newsies. There were so many, she wasn't sure how she was going to remember them all. There was Chuckles, Marbles, and Magnet, all about her age. Then there was Raven, Goat, and Ace, and they were only a little older. And there was Gizmo, Teddy, and Viper. The only other ones she could remember were Blaze, Lock, and Don, but there were so many more. That night, after they were all in bed, she started walking to the graveyard. "Well," she said to herself, "these are the Brooklyn Newsies."