The Newsies
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Things in Santa Fe were quite different then the way Jack imagined them. As he walked along the dusty roads of the odd town he noticed that the people all stared at him. He realized after awhile that the reason why they stared was because they didn't recognize his face but did recognize his clothes. Tired and hungry, Jack made his way to a small house where he saw that the people must be friendly, for they had a "Welcome" sign placed on the front door. Jack stretched his arm out to the hard wooden door and knocked. But something odd happened. Even when he knocked the only noise that came was a small click of his bony knuckles. But to the family living there, it sounded like a knock, for they came to the door and opened it wide.
"Howdy, son. What brings you here?" A tall lean man asked. He was dressed in all leather, from head to foot. The man's face had to have been the friendliest face (especiallly now) Jack had ever seen.
"Well, I saw your house and I was gettin' tired of walkin'.... So I--" Suddenly Jack realized how dry his throat was and he coughed really loud. The pressure built up in his forehead. He turned red from pressure and couldn't take it much longer, so he bent over to settle his weak arms. The man immediately reacted to this and with one big heave he carried Jack inside to lay him on the soft couch.
"Papa, who is that?" Jack heard a girl's voice say. Her accent was not as dramatic as her father's, but still had a tone of southern in it.
"A stranger in need of help, and we're going to help him!" This almost brought tears to Jack's eyes. He realized how much love and care meant to people, and that even people who he didn't know could show this kind of love. His thoughts were broken when the man's deep voice sounded again.
"Now please, Belle. Get the young boy some food and water. He looks exhausted." The young woman obeyed immediately. He peeked his head over to see what she looked like but could only see her back. He layed his head back down and closed his stinging eyes.
"Son," The man said again. "I'd like to introduce myself and my family." Smiling, the man turned around and called to the hallways. Jack thought of how nice it'd be to have a family... "Marge, Joseph, Thomas, Wendy! Come here, I have someone to show to you!" He turned back around and faced Jack once more.
"What about Belle?" Jack asked with a quivering chapped smile.
"Oh, yes... Belle, be ready to be introduced when you come back." Belle replied by rushing towards him and kissing her father on the cheek. She set the food and drink on the table. Her beautiful blue eyes met with Jack's as her face lit up. She sat down and placed her hands beside her. "Sweetheart, the boys are coming! Wendy is just about done cleaning her room." A womanly voice called, daintily, back to the man. A stunning lady wearing a blue dress and deerskin shoes plopped in the chair next to the man and smiled.
"Hello, there. I am Marge Williams! Or Mrs. Williams. Most of my children's friends just call me Mama." The lady said, smiling beautifully at Jack. Jack nodded and smiled. Two young boys, one about Jack's age the other maybe near 10, came stumbling over laughing about the last joke one had said. One leaned over the edge of the couch and looked at Jack, the older one leaned against the wall and smirked a friendly smirk. Lifting his hand up and waving, the older one said,
"Hello, there. I'm Joseph. That is my younger brother Thomas and my sister Wendy." As Joseph said this, a small girl, about 12, peeked out from the corner and stared at Jack. She slowly made her way over to the side of the couch and curtsied politely.
"Just call me Papa!" The man said, shaking Jack's cold weak hand. Belle slowly gave Jack a sip of water.
"And son, what is your name?" Papa said, smiling brightly.
"Uh-- Jack Kelly... I- I'm not really from around here." This triggered the young girl, Wendy, and the small boy, Thomas, to plop to their knees and wait for a story. Jack smiled, "Well, I come a long way!" Jack told them all about the Smugglers and New York and the train ride. What he didn't tell them was how he abandoned his friends.
"So, how many boys were with you?" Thomas, with a look of curiousity, asked.
"A lot. All from the Lodging House in New York. My best friends though are Skittery, Kid Blink, Mush, Spot and--" Jack stopped himself from talking any further. Thomas looked confused at the sudden stop. Wendy spoke up,
"Who is the last one?" She asked sweetly. Jack looked down at his hands.
"R-Racetrack..." Papa realized his resistance to the name and saved him.
"Um, boys, why don't you get the guest room bed ready. Wendy, please go down to the market and pick up more broth and vegetables." Papa said, and was followed by many, 'Yes Papa's.
"Darling, I'll go get the stove ready and milk the cow." Mama said smiling. Papa leaned close to Jack and whispered.
"Don't mind the boys and Wendy, they are a little nosey." At this Papa stood up and began to speak to Belle. "Sweetie, you stay here and take care of the boy. I must get to work." Jack watched as Belle's eyes twinkled with love for her wonderful father.
"Of course, Papa!" She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. Jack clenched the silver pin on his shirt while a hot tear built in his eye he remembered the warm comforting hand of his father from infancy. He missed that warm rough hand against his small cheek. He knew better than to cry around a woman and immediately pressed his lips tight together. His hand too weak to wipe the tears away, his conscious too clenched in sorrow to hold the tears back. Belle turned around and saw Jack's wet eyes. She quickly ran to him to comfort him.
"There, there, Jack Kelly." She said wiping away the long forgotten tears. "Don't fret. I'm right here. I'll take care of you." She said. This made him tear up more. Not from sorrow of himself, but for being so mean to his friends. He lay down watching this stranger speak from her heart the words of brotherly compassion and sweet speech. Jack thought of Race, gasping for breath, pale and weak. He thought of how he may have already said his last words and breathed his last breath. He didn't once stop and think about himself during this long trail of thoughts. He thought only of what mattered to him, his best friend in the world, Racetrack.
"Belle," Jack began to speak to her for the first time, "Thank you! Thank you for showing me your care..." He said this as he reached out to hold her hand. He clenched it tight once it was in his grip. But even with all his strength, it was no more than a light squeeze. His cold pale hand rested in her lively browned hand. As his eyes slowly blinked, he drifted off into a deep sleep of which would soon heal him of all wounds. (Even the abstract ones)
Things in Santa Fe were quite different then the way Jack imagined them. As he walked along the dusty roads of the odd town he noticed that the people all stared at him. He realized after awhile that the reason why they stared was because they didn't recognize his face but did recognize his clothes. Tired and hungry, Jack made his way to a small house where he saw that the people must be friendly, for they had a "Welcome" sign placed on the front door. Jack stretched his arm out to the hard wooden door and knocked. But something odd happened. Even when he knocked the only noise that came was a small click of his bony knuckles. But to the family living there, it sounded like a knock, for they came to the door and opened it wide.
"Howdy, son. What brings you here?" A tall lean man asked. He was dressed in all leather, from head to foot. The man's face had to have been the friendliest face (especiallly now) Jack had ever seen.
"Well, I saw your house and I was gettin' tired of walkin'.... So I--" Suddenly Jack realized how dry his throat was and he coughed really loud. The pressure built up in his forehead. He turned red from pressure and couldn't take it much longer, so he bent over to settle his weak arms. The man immediately reacted to this and with one big heave he carried Jack inside to lay him on the soft couch.
"Papa, who is that?" Jack heard a girl's voice say. Her accent was not as dramatic as her father's, but still had a tone of southern in it.
"A stranger in need of help, and we're going to help him!" This almost brought tears to Jack's eyes. He realized how much love and care meant to people, and that even people who he didn't know could show this kind of love. His thoughts were broken when the man's deep voice sounded again.
"Now please, Belle. Get the young boy some food and water. He looks exhausted." The young woman obeyed immediately. He peeked his head over to see what she looked like but could only see her back. He layed his head back down and closed his stinging eyes.
"Son," The man said again. "I'd like to introduce myself and my family." Smiling, the man turned around and called to the hallways. Jack thought of how nice it'd be to have a family... "Marge, Joseph, Thomas, Wendy! Come here, I have someone to show to you!" He turned back around and faced Jack once more.
"What about Belle?" Jack asked with a quivering chapped smile.
"Oh, yes... Belle, be ready to be introduced when you come back." Belle replied by rushing towards him and kissing her father on the cheek. She set the food and drink on the table. Her beautiful blue eyes met with Jack's as her face lit up. She sat down and placed her hands beside her. "Sweetheart, the boys are coming! Wendy is just about done cleaning her room." A womanly voice called, daintily, back to the man. A stunning lady wearing a blue dress and deerskin shoes plopped in the chair next to the man and smiled.
"Hello, there. I am Marge Williams! Or Mrs. Williams. Most of my children's friends just call me Mama." The lady said, smiling beautifully at Jack. Jack nodded and smiled. Two young boys, one about Jack's age the other maybe near 10, came stumbling over laughing about the last joke one had said. One leaned over the edge of the couch and looked at Jack, the older one leaned against the wall and smirked a friendly smirk. Lifting his hand up and waving, the older one said,
"Hello, there. I'm Joseph. That is my younger brother Thomas and my sister Wendy." As Joseph said this, a small girl, about 12, peeked out from the corner and stared at Jack. She slowly made her way over to the side of the couch and curtsied politely.
"Just call me Papa!" The man said, shaking Jack's cold weak hand. Belle slowly gave Jack a sip of water.
"And son, what is your name?" Papa said, smiling brightly.
"Uh-- Jack Kelly... I- I'm not really from around here." This triggered the young girl, Wendy, and the small boy, Thomas, to plop to their knees and wait for a story. Jack smiled, "Well, I come a long way!" Jack told them all about the Smugglers and New York and the train ride. What he didn't tell them was how he abandoned his friends.
"So, how many boys were with you?" Thomas, with a look of curiousity, asked.
"A lot. All from the Lodging House in New York. My best friends though are Skittery, Kid Blink, Mush, Spot and--" Jack stopped himself from talking any further. Thomas looked confused at the sudden stop. Wendy spoke up,
"Who is the last one?" She asked sweetly. Jack looked down at his hands.
"R-Racetrack..." Papa realized his resistance to the name and saved him.
"Um, boys, why don't you get the guest room bed ready. Wendy, please go down to the market and pick up more broth and vegetables." Papa said, and was followed by many, 'Yes Papa's.
"Darling, I'll go get the stove ready and milk the cow." Mama said smiling. Papa leaned close to Jack and whispered.
"Don't mind the boys and Wendy, they are a little nosey." At this Papa stood up and began to speak to Belle. "Sweetie, you stay here and take care of the boy. I must get to work." Jack watched as Belle's eyes twinkled with love for her wonderful father.
"Of course, Papa!" She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. Jack clenched the silver pin on his shirt while a hot tear built in his eye he remembered the warm comforting hand of his father from infancy. He missed that warm rough hand against his small cheek. He knew better than to cry around a woman and immediately pressed his lips tight together. His hand too weak to wipe the tears away, his conscious too clenched in sorrow to hold the tears back. Belle turned around and saw Jack's wet eyes. She quickly ran to him to comfort him.
"There, there, Jack Kelly." She said wiping away the long forgotten tears. "Don't fret. I'm right here. I'll take care of you." She said. This made him tear up more. Not from sorrow of himself, but for being so mean to his friends. He lay down watching this stranger speak from her heart the words of brotherly compassion and sweet speech. Jack thought of Race, gasping for breath, pale and weak. He thought of how he may have already said his last words and breathed his last breath. He didn't once stop and think about himself during this long trail of thoughts. He thought only of what mattered to him, his best friend in the world, Racetrack.
"Belle," Jack began to speak to her for the first time, "Thank you! Thank you for showing me your care..." He said this as he reached out to hold her hand. He clenched it tight once it was in his grip. But even with all his strength, it was no more than a light squeeze. His cold pale hand rested in her lively browned hand. As his eyes slowly blinked, he drifted off into a deep sleep of which would soon heal him of all wounds. (Even the abstract ones)