The Grave Digger

Chapter 8: The Shoe Shiner

   Spot noticed there were a lot of younger kids. Most of the newsies seemed to be 9 to 12 years old. There were the odd few 18 year olds, but most were younger. But he was absolutely thankful for Bones. Everyone seemed glad to welcome him in, and he was even offered a place in the lodging house. He was a little wary when Bones didn't go up there, and he learned she wasn't allowed because she was his only friend so far, but he became quickly acquainted with Chuckles and Rebel, and eventually, he was laughing with all of them. He didn't feel left out whatsoever.
   Bones was glad Spot settled in real well. She was a little nervous he might not fit in, since he was so quiet, but he easily broke out of his shell. And that was good. That meant, the next day when she brought him up to the distribution center, he could easily say, "good morning," to everyone.
   "Hey sunshine!" Bones yelled out to Spaz. It was something she started doing. She thought since he already hated her, she might as well make the best out of it. She laughed as he growled at her. Rebel snorted as he got his papers, and flicked her shoulder. Bones heart skipped. 'Not this again,' she thought.
   She bought Spot papers because she remembered Rebel doing so for her on her first day, and thought it was the right thing to do. After she bought them, she pulled him with her, and they left to find Race on his way to Sheepshead. She figured she should let Spot be acquainted with at least one of the Manhattan newsies, just in case anything happened. "Hey, losah, ovah here!" Race shouted at her. She smiled and dragged Spot after her. "Hey Race, dis is Spot, he's new," she turned her attention to Spot, and added, "dis is Racetrack, bu' jus' call him Race." Race looked Spot up and down, and it made Spot feel uncomfortable. He didn't know who this was. And if Race weren't almost as scrawny as Bones, he would have been terrified. Bones wrapped her free arm around Spot's shoulder, and said, "pay him no mind, he's annoyin'," she giggled as Race pouted his lip, and jabbed her side. Spot guessed they were really good friends. "Man, tha' ring mus' have mindreadin' pow-ahs, 'cause he nevah said nuttin' abou' bein' uncomftable." Race pointed at Bones' finger. Spot never noticed it before. "No, it was all ovah his face, an' I jus' gotten good at readin' espressions."
   After that, Bones and Race explained together the best ways to sell newspapers, and Spot picked up almost as quick as Bones had. They all went down to Sheepshead, and Spot learned the other ways they made money. He learned how best to pick pocket, and how to know who to pick pocket from. He also learned Bones' favorite ploy. It went something like this: she would walk up to a man, bat her eyelashes, and promise to give him a kiss if he gave her a quarter, and took one of her newspapers, and when he agreed, she'd pocket the quarter, give him the newspaper, then slap him and run away. The first time she did this, Spot actually laughed. It was pretty funny. And he learned how effectively it worked, considering most of the guys down at the tracks were drunk, anyway. Spot was glad he had thought to become a newsie.
   Bones couldn't believe she had been King for nearly two years, and Spot had been a newsie for almost one. They became pretty close, and Bones knew if anything happened, she'd need him to take charge. As good as friends she was with Rebel and Chuckles, she trusted Spot the most. He was one of the only people she had told her secret to. Now, she was walking through the streets of Brooklyn, on her way to meet Spot and Race over at Sheepshead so she could collect her winnings from her bet she was sure she didn't lose, when she stumbled across a kid. He was very small, and seemed to be around eight. He came up to her and asked if he could shine her shoes for her. She looked at him, then he looked at her feet, and looked right back into her eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn' know you ain't got shoes." She smiled, and replied, "it's a'ight," and gave him her last quarter, what she would have bought her lunch with. He looked at her, and thanked her. But before he could get away, she asked him what he was doing, shining shoes on the street. "My gramma's sick, an' it's jus' me an' her." Bones knew how hard it was to make money on the streets, and said, "I'm sure it ain't easy makin' money shinin' shoes. An' especially fo' a liddle kid. If ya want, ya can come a newsie, ya'd make more money. Wha's ya name?" "My name's Benjamin, bu' you can call me Ben." She looked at him and smiled. "How 'bout I call ya Boots? I'm'a guess ya abou' eight?" He nodded, still clutching onto the quarter she gave him. "Well, Boots, ya might wanna get on home, I'll walk wit ya, 'cause I's on my way ta Sheepshead fo' a second, ya can drop by wit me, an' I can make sure ya git home okay." "Thanks. Wha's your name?" He asked as they started to walk. "I'm Bones."
   When they got to Sheepshead, Race was grinning from ear to ear, and Spot looked frustrated. "What?" She asked, confused. "My horse won. I believe I'll be takin' tha' cigar now." He held out his hand. Bones scowled, and dug through her empty pockets to grab it. "How 'bout, Race, ya come back, an' we play pokah tu-night?" She said, hoping to win her cigar back, and knowing full well no one said no if Bones asked them to play poker. "A'ight. It's on. Jus' you an' me. I'll bring my cigars I been collectin', and you use yours." Race wasn't afraid. If he had finally won a bet on a horse, he felt he was lucky enough to win against Bones in poker. He knew she wasn't a sore loser, so he wasn't worried about if he did win. And he was really excited, because he'd been asking Bones to play poker with him for months, and she kept saying she was too busy. He watched her leave, and he told Spot. Spot just laughed, and said that Bones hadn't lost a game of poker in over a year, and Race knew it was true, but he felt good about that day.
   Bones walked all the way to the small apartment Boots and his Grandmother lived in, but did not go in. But before she left Boots, she told him that if he ever needed anything, to go down to the docks, and she would probably be there. If she wasn't, then ask any of the boys, and they would either help, or tell him where she was. He nodded, and hugged her. She ruffled his hair, and watched him run inside, before walking away.
   She took the long way back, so that she could check and see if her newsies were where they were supposed to be, guarding the entrances of Brooklyn, and so she could see if Rebel was still over by the navy yard, and walk back to the pier with him. He was, and they did walk back together, joking the whole way.
   When they got back, the sun was starting to sink in the sky. She grabbed her bag of cigars for poker, and planted herself at the foot of the bridge, waiting for Race. Not long after, she saw him waltzing over with a huge smile plastered on his face, and his bag of cigars. A few minutes later, they were on the dock, playing their poker faces, as well each other's minds.
   It was nearly half an hour later, when Race affirmed, "all in," pushing the rest of his cigars in between the two. Bones looked up over her cards, expressionless. 'Why, Race, why?, she thought, 'I have the worst hand imaginable, he probably has a straight flush.' In her head, she took a deep breath. 'Time for the ultimate bluff. Maybe he'll fold.' And she went for it. "All in," and she did exactly as he had. But as she did so, she looked him in the eye, still expressionless, and she saw him sink. He was going to fold, and it was all going to her. And she was right. "Fold," he hastily put his cards down, and looked at his feet. Bones giggled. He looked at her. "What?" "I win. An' you gave up a flush. I had one pair of threes, a seven, a two, and a nine." She smirked at him.
   Race couldn't believe he folded. The way she looked in his eyes, she had to have had a straight flush. Why did he let her win? Now he had no cigars. And they were the good ones, too. The ones you couldn't find anywhere. He was still mad when he got to the lodging house. Mud immediately noticed. "So, did ya win?" he asked, laughing. Race was fuming. "No, she bluffed, tha whole time. I swear, she could easily git through life on a bluff. How does she do it? Ev'ry time I bluff, it's like she can sniff it out a mile away, bu' ya can nevah tell when she does it." Race plopped down on his bed. Mud was still laughing, and Jack, and Blue, another of the newsies, joined in. "Wow, she's gotcha real mad, huh?" Mud jested. But Race ignored him, and laid down.
   Bones was glad she won. She couldn't believe he didn't call her bluff. She thought it was pretty obvious. But it was late, and she was tired. It must have been around one in the morning, when she felt someone tapping her shoulder, trying to wake her. Her eyes fluttered open to see Boots standing over her, and she sat up. "Hey, is ev'rythin' a'ight?" He shook his head. "My gramma died." This realization slapped over Bones like the wind on a winter's day. She had never known the woman, but she felt horrible for this child. She hugged him as he cried into her chest for just about an hour, before pulling away, and saying, "we shoul' fin' somewhere ta bury her." He nodded, and she told him to stay there. She ran up into the lodging house, and violently shook Rebel awake. He jumped, and she shushed him. He blinked a few times, but got up without asking any questions, as she went to wake up Spot and Chuckles. The four walked out of the building, and over to where Boots was. Bones explained everything, and the other three agreed to help bury Boots' grandmother.
   It was a really hard job, they had to find shovels, and enough land, and then they had to dig a deep enough hole. By the time they were finished, the sun was starting to peek above the buildings. Bones and Boots stayed behind as the other three left to hurry to the distribution center. Bones looked at the little kid, and wished she could do something else. Then she realized she could. "Hey, Boots, ya know how I said oilier abou' ya sellin' newspapahs? I think ya shoul', but I ain't sure Brooklyn's tha righ' place fo' you. If you go across da bridge, an' ya turn on Duane street, jus' passed da graveyard, ya'd see some newsies ovah dere. Ya can go up ta any of 'em, tell 'em ya name, an' say Bones sent ya, an' they'll help ya out." Boots nodded, and Bones patted his back as they set off, eventually splitting up.