The Newsies
Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
The eerie screeching of the stubby man's scream and the thud that sounded so loud when he hit the wide tree trunk haunted Jack day and night as the train rolled on to Santa Fe. The rest of the kids knew that the Smugglers had 21 instead of 18. A new discovery was that the Smugglers 21 had been following them and were hiding in a car. This frightened the kids to the point of sleeping with their pocket knives in hand. (This was soon an abolished idea after Mush tried to kill Jerry in the middle of the night during one of Jerry's water breaks, for he thought Jerry was a smuggler.)
"Hey-uh---....Jack?" Racetrack's small voice cracked as he spoke. It was a gloomy night (and a long one at that), the sound of boys snores rung in the ears of the awakened ones. The loud screech of the train tracks and the dramatic bump, which tossed the boys in the air, kept Jack and Race awake.
"Yeah?" Jack said, turning around onto his back to look at Race, who was propped up on his elbow.
"I...I can't sleep. Can you?" Race asked, his voice sounding hoarse and dry.
"Yeah, no.. I can't. Why'dya ask?" Jack looked directly into Race's dark coal colored eyes and watched the moonlight gleam inside them.
"Well... I was thinkin'.. Didn'tya say that your dad moved to Santa Fe at some point?"
"Uh, yeah..." Jack looked back down at the floor.
"Uh, well... Elizabeth told me that when she was taken to an orphanage, she saw the Smugglers 18 raid her town," Race turned Jack back over to look at him. "It was in Santa Fe...She said she saw a 'cowboy'. Jack, this 'cowboy' fella, he saved her life. She got a good look at him, and..." Race stopped himself and thought for awhile. Jack became eager to know the rest. Almost shouting, Jack quickly said,
"And what?!" Race smacked his hand over Jack's mouth to quiet him. Putting a finger up to his own lips, Race began to speak again.
"She said he looked like one of us... I pointed to you and she nodded.. Jack, I think..." Jack made an angry face. Again, the fire of fury built up in his body, making him have an urge to threaten the vulnerable. (In this case: Racetrack.)
"What? That my father was a lousy ol' scoundrel? HUH!?" Jack grabbed Race's collar. "You don't even know your parents, Higgins!" (Higgins was Race's last name.) "I knew mine! They are not bad people!" Again, Jack saw the moonlight gleaming in his friends eyes. Race was astonished that Jack had called him by his last name. This filled Race with sadness, for Jack and him had been best friends ever since infancy.
"Sorry... At least you had someone there for you.." Race said, now thinking about his parents. Race had been an abandoned child. His mother was too young when she had him and wasn't even married. She gave him to the doctor until he was about 4. He was then sent to the Boys Lodging House and he had stayed there ever since.
"No, Race! I've never had someone there for me! NEVER! Santa Fe is all I got, now that there gone. And, I actually have no clue where my parents are! I have nothing..." Jack said, feeling sorry for only himself and not even thinking once about what Race went through. Suddenly, Race grabbed Jack's hands and lowered them from his collar. Looking him directly in the eye, Race said,
"You have us..." Race's face lit up in his sweet way. Jack's did the opposite. He didn't frown, didn't smile or laugh. He just made this awful face that meant, "No Mercy."
"What if I don't want you!?" Jack suddenly said, tossing Race over and shooting up. Jack threw on his hat and plopped down on a pile of boxes away from the rest of the boys. Pulling his hat over his face, Jack positioned himself for rest. Race pushed himself to sit up. He looked at Jack, who now was half asleep (If you've had a brother or perhaps you are a boy you'll understand how fast they sleep.), and began to feel a bursting pain in his stomach. Race thought about every word Jack said. He thought about Jack never having anyone and him not knowing where his parents were. He thought his hardest, however, on the sentence 'I don't want you'. This made Race feel horrible. Almost guilty. He loved Jack as his friend for his whole life and knew that he'd be no where, and get no where, without his best pal.
"Hey, its okay Race. Just try to get back to sleep." Mush said to him, slapping his back and handing him a metal cup of water. They had sneaked back and forth into the bathroom of the train to get the water for everyday purposes. Mush knew that Race didn't feel too well, so he gave up his water break to him.
"Ey, thanks Mush." Race drank some water and laid back down. He closed his eyes and suddenly drifted to sleep.
A woman, dressed in a night gown, ran through a burning town, snuggling a newborn infant close. Her face was distressed and her scream was loud. Suddenly, a man dressed in a cowboy hat in spurs with a badge that had an eagle on it pulled out a gun and shouted,
"Valerie! Give him back! I'm warning you!" He waited awhile and then immediately an echo of a gunshot sounded and a loud scream of a woman screeched. The man held the baby and rubbed his warm soft cheek saying,
"I've got ya Francis...I've got ya.." Suddenly, out of nowhere, a voice followed by a loud sound of a train shot out and made Race jump. Race realized that he had been dreaming and saw that the boys were throwing on their clothes and running to the door. Mush looked back and called to Race,
"Racetrack, you comin'?" He shouted, his voice cracking as always. Race nodded and looked at Jack. He saw a Jack pick up a badge with an eagle on it and slap it on.
"Yeah...I'm comin'." Race said, and they were off.
The eerie screeching of the stubby man's scream and the thud that sounded so loud when he hit the wide tree trunk haunted Jack day and night as the train rolled on to Santa Fe. The rest of the kids knew that the Smugglers had 21 instead of 18. A new discovery was that the Smugglers 21 had been following them and were hiding in a car. This frightened the kids to the point of sleeping with their pocket knives in hand. (This was soon an abolished idea after Mush tried to kill Jerry in the middle of the night during one of Jerry's water breaks, for he thought Jerry was a smuggler.)
"Hey-uh---....Jack?" Racetrack's small voice cracked as he spoke. It was a gloomy night (and a long one at that), the sound of boys snores rung in the ears of the awakened ones. The loud screech of the train tracks and the dramatic bump, which tossed the boys in the air, kept Jack and Race awake.
"Yeah?" Jack said, turning around onto his back to look at Race, who was propped up on his elbow.
"I...I can't sleep. Can you?" Race asked, his voice sounding hoarse and dry.
"Yeah, no.. I can't. Why'dya ask?" Jack looked directly into Race's dark coal colored eyes and watched the moonlight gleam inside them.
"Well... I was thinkin'.. Didn'tya say that your dad moved to Santa Fe at some point?"
"Uh, yeah..." Jack looked back down at the floor.
"Uh, well... Elizabeth told me that when she was taken to an orphanage, she saw the Smugglers 18 raid her town," Race turned Jack back over to look at him. "It was in Santa Fe...She said she saw a 'cowboy'. Jack, this 'cowboy' fella, he saved her life. She got a good look at him, and..." Race stopped himself and thought for awhile. Jack became eager to know the rest. Almost shouting, Jack quickly said,
"And what?!" Race smacked his hand over Jack's mouth to quiet him. Putting a finger up to his own lips, Race began to speak again.
"She said he looked like one of us... I pointed to you and she nodded.. Jack, I think..." Jack made an angry face. Again, the fire of fury built up in his body, making him have an urge to threaten the vulnerable. (In this case: Racetrack.)
"What? That my father was a lousy ol' scoundrel? HUH!?" Jack grabbed Race's collar. "You don't even know your parents, Higgins!" (Higgins was Race's last name.) "I knew mine! They are not bad people!" Again, Jack saw the moonlight gleaming in his friends eyes. Race was astonished that Jack had called him by his last name. This filled Race with sadness, for Jack and him had been best friends ever since infancy.
"Sorry... At least you had someone there for you.." Race said, now thinking about his parents. Race had been an abandoned child. His mother was too young when she had him and wasn't even married. She gave him to the doctor until he was about 4. He was then sent to the Boys Lodging House and he had stayed there ever since.
"No, Race! I've never had someone there for me! NEVER! Santa Fe is all I got, now that there gone. And, I actually have no clue where my parents are! I have nothing..." Jack said, feeling sorry for only himself and not even thinking once about what Race went through. Suddenly, Race grabbed Jack's hands and lowered them from his collar. Looking him directly in the eye, Race said,
"You have us..." Race's face lit up in his sweet way. Jack's did the opposite. He didn't frown, didn't smile or laugh. He just made this awful face that meant, "No Mercy."
"What if I don't want you!?" Jack suddenly said, tossing Race over and shooting up. Jack threw on his hat and plopped down on a pile of boxes away from the rest of the boys. Pulling his hat over his face, Jack positioned himself for rest. Race pushed himself to sit up. He looked at Jack, who now was half asleep (If you've had a brother or perhaps you are a boy you'll understand how fast they sleep.), and began to feel a bursting pain in his stomach. Race thought about every word Jack said. He thought about Jack never having anyone and him not knowing where his parents were. He thought his hardest, however, on the sentence 'I don't want you'. This made Race feel horrible. Almost guilty. He loved Jack as his friend for his whole life and knew that he'd be no where, and get no where, without his best pal.
"Hey, its okay Race. Just try to get back to sleep." Mush said to him, slapping his back and handing him a metal cup of water. They had sneaked back and forth into the bathroom of the train to get the water for everyday purposes. Mush knew that Race didn't feel too well, so he gave up his water break to him.
"Ey, thanks Mush." Race drank some water and laid back down. He closed his eyes and suddenly drifted to sleep.
A woman, dressed in a night gown, ran through a burning town, snuggling a newborn infant close. Her face was distressed and her scream was loud. Suddenly, a man dressed in a cowboy hat in spurs with a badge that had an eagle on it pulled out a gun and shouted,
"Valerie! Give him back! I'm warning you!" He waited awhile and then immediately an echo of a gunshot sounded and a loud scream of a woman screeched. The man held the baby and rubbed his warm soft cheek saying,
"I've got ya Francis...I've got ya.." Suddenly, out of nowhere, a voice followed by a loud sound of a train shot out and made Race jump. Race realized that he had been dreaming and saw that the boys were throwing on their clothes and running to the door. Mush looked back and called to Race,
"Racetrack, you comin'?" He shouted, his voice cracking as always. Race nodded and looked at Jack. He saw a Jack pick up a badge with an eagle on it and slap it on.
"Yeah...I'm comin'." Race said, and they were off.