He gathered his newspapers and scanned over the yard as he walked down the platform. He frowned when he could not find his friend.
�Where is he?� he murmured under his breath.
For some reason, the newsies were crowding together this particular morning, rendering it nearly impossible to find only one person. Frowning, he shrugged and decided to look one last time.
�Hey, Mush!�
He turned to greet Bunny, his best friend of the past few months. He greeted her with a grin, yet curious of why she wasn�t with Racetrack.
�Mornin�, Bunny.� He said. �How come yer not with Race?�
�He�s goin� to the tracks today. Don�t wanna go or I�ll end up squandering my money too. You sellin� with anyone?�
�Not exactly. But I�m lookin� for Blink. Ya see �im?�
�Ya mean th� guy with the eye patch who�s just leaving with his girl?�
Instantly, he was at the gate, preventing Blink from leaving with his Brooklyn girl, Mimic, who was selling here for the day. He called his name, bringing both to a stop to wonder what was going on. Mush rushed to them.
��Ey guys.� He said. �Blink, can I talk t� ya for a sec?�
�I guess so.� He turned to Mimic. �Ya mind?�
�Not at all.�
Mush dragged Blink off to the side and out of Mimic�s earshot. �So, what�s this all about?� Blink wondered.
�Got plans t�night?�
�Kinda, why?�
�They not important enough t� ditch �em?�
�What?�
�I mean, can ya cancel �em?�
�Why?�
�Cuz I wanna show ya somethin�. Wanna come?�
�Whadda ya wanna show me?�
�Ya gotta come if ya wanna know!�
Blink shrugged and tapped his chin with a finger. �Lemme see. Whadda I see, a beautiful woman who loves me an� wants t� spend time with me, or my annoyin� buddy who wants t� show me somethin� �e won�t tell me about?�
Mush knew what to do in this situation. His lower lip protruded, and his eyes grew wide and sad. He was using his puppy look again, one that Blink was so desperate to block.
�No, don�t do it!�
�Blink�� he whined, using the most pitiful voice his could arrange.
Mumbling a number of vulgarities under his breath, Blink twisted around with a scowl decorating his face. Mimic was puzzled at his behavior and inquired of it.
�I gotta postpone our dinner t�night.� He moaned sulkily.
�Why?�
�Cuz my baby-faced best friend hadta pull �is puppy look on me an� suck me int� goin� somewhere wid �im t�night!�
Mimic was so desperate in hiding her giggles that she held a hand over her mouth to block them. Still, they surfaced through her nose in snorting sounds that Mush was able to hear. He cleared his face, smiled brightly and slung an arm around Blink.
�That�s m� best friend for ya!� he announced. �Always th� considerate one!�
It was then that Mimic burst out laughing, and Blink pressed his hand against Mush�s face and shoved him away. Then, he led Mimic from the yard, who still laughing at the situation. Mush laughed as well once they were out of sight, then rejoined Bunny to begin their day of selling.
* * *
�I can�t believe I�m doin� this.� Blink grumbled. �Mush, why won�tcha tell me what dis�s all about?�
�Cuz if I toldja, ya wouldn�t be interested.�
�I�m already not interested! If ya �adn�t pulled that look on me earlier, I�d be out wid Mimic at that new Italian restaurant down th� street!�
�Aw, come on. Ya guys cin do that another night. Yer always wit Mimic! Ya never hang around me anymore.�
�Is that what this�s all about?�
�Liddle bit. Not much, but yeah. Cuz yer always wid Mimic, ya never hang �round me as much. Now I like �er �n� all, but it�s a drag when ya give �er all th� attention an� we don�t hang out no more.�
�Aw, I neva meant t� hoit ya or make ya feel left out. But when ya got yerself a steady goil, ya jus� wanna be near �er all th� time. Ya�ll undastand once ya find a goil.�
��Ey! We�re here!�
He halted briefly, then gripped Blink�s sleeve and dragged him to a store window. When Blink inquired of it, Mush grinned.
�Look.� He pointed in the window.
At first, Blink couldn�t tell what it was that Mush was trying to show him. Then, he saw. Placed atop a cardboard box on display was a pair of shoes. These were not just any shoes, these were made of fine leather, and the interior, from what Blink could see, was soft. These shoes were of a newer design, with no need of a buttonhook to lace the shoes. And the laces were a matching royal blue color.
��Member th� pair �f shoes wid matchin� laces?�
Blink nodded.
�Found �em. I tried �em on, they�re jus� a liddle big f� my feet, but they�re still growin� a bit. An� they�re real comf�terble too. Th� inside�s all soft �n� cozy, �n� my feet jus� love �em.�
�They�re real nice.� Blink murmured. �How much they cost?�
�Ten dollars.�
�Ten dollars! How do you expect to get them?�
�I�ll get �em, don�t worry.�
�But how?�
�I talked wid th� clerk. �E said �e�d be able t� order a pair �specially f� me if I put a down payment on �em, then pay th� rest when they come in.�
�How ya gonna pay for �em, though?�
�I got some life savin�s. Thirteen dollars �n� sixty-eight cents.�
�Then why don�tcha buy �em now?�
�Cuz I wanna wait till I got at least five bucks left in my savin�s. Don�t wanna be solid broke cuz �f these shoes.� He glanced at his own. �Hope I make th� other buck �n� thoity-two cents soon.�
He was somewhat saddened as he glanced down at his own shoes. They had survived the winter, although he had been forced to stuff them with newspaper and cardboard to block the gaping holes that were expanding a little more every day. With so much to block the cold, his feet were cramped and often blistered. These shoes that he longed for so much were durable and would last long.
He pressed a hand against the glass and admired the shoes longer. Just the fact of knowing he would have brand new shoes brought him joy in knowing they could last so long.
�I tell ya, Mush.� Blink snapped him back to reality. �My shoes is still going strong, but I�d probly buy a pair if I �ad th� money too.�
�Not surprised. Can�t wait till I make more money!�
They lingered by the window for another few minutes, then returned in the direction of the lodging house. However, Mush had an urging inside his head to go home by another route. And surprisingly, he did so. Thankfully, Blink hadn�t noticed.
�So, ya interested in any goils?� Blink spoke up.
�Not really. Most�ve th� goils got guys already, or another�s got �is eye on �em.�
�What about Indigo? Don�t look like no one�s got �is eye on �er.�
�That�s cuz she�s always gone. Ya ever notice that? She�s usually th� foist one up an� in gettin� �er papes, an� she don�t come back till late. She ain�t around enough for anyone t� really get t� know �er.�
�Maybe she�s a spy for th� government.� He joshed.
�Very funny. I wish she�d stick �round more often though, she seems like a real nice goil.�
�I wouldn�t know that either. When she is �round us, she usually separates �erself from us. Kinda anti-social.�
�Well, she�s only been a newsie for�what, three months?�
�Pretty much.�
�I think she�s jus� shy.�
�Maybe, but that�s no excuse f� not bein� around us at all.�
A cool breeze blew, and Mush hugged his coat tighter around his body. The snow had melted completely just the other day, but the temperatures were still lingering in the cool degrees. Hopefully, spring would finally bring its warm temperatures within the week.
Even as Mush thought of warm weather, he began to feel warm inside. Then, he unexpectedly halted in his steps. His face was thoughtful and rather confused. Blink also stopped to wonder why Mush was acting the way he was.
�What�s goin� on?� he inquired.
�Nothin�.� He continued walking. �Thought I �eard somethin�.�
It wasn�t long before he stopped again. This time, he was frowning, although this was yet another thoughtful frown. Now Blink could sense that something strange was happening.
�What now?�
�I know I �eard somethin�.�
�What�d it sound like?�
�Listen! I �eard it again!�
Blink shrugged, yet opened his ears to listen to everything. He heard the breeze blowing overhead, a cat tousle in a nearby alley, and the lack of footsteps because no one was walking this way. It was then that Blink was aware of the fact that only he and Mush were around. Something wasn�t right.
He listened even more carefully, and heard only the tousle between the two alley cats. Yet as he listened closer, he thought he heard yet another cat. Although this did not sound like a cat completely. It sounded like�whimpering.
�Hear that?� Mush asked.
�I know I hear somethin�. C�mon, let�s investigate.�
�Whaddaya think it is?�
�Sounds like cryin� almost.�
�That�s what I thought.�
�Maybe someone�s hurt.�
The trotted away from the cobblestone street to search for whatever was making the noise. As Blink went toward the nearby alley, Mush took to the sidewalk to search along there. For several minutes, they were unable to find what this noise was, even as it was growing louder. Now it sounded like a soft crying.
Mush finally advanced toward what looked like a pile of snow that hadn�t melted yet. Yet as he drew nearer toward it, the crying grew louder. As he stood directly before it, he looked down. It was a heavily bundled baby, crying and squirming in the blankets.
�Blink! Git over here!� he screeched.
Hunkering down, he lifted the baby from the sidewalk. Once the baby saw his face, its crying ended. It was now breathing quickly, resulting in hiccups as its eyes dried.
As Mush examined it, he found that it could be no older than four or five months. However, the blankets were still warm, as was the baby. The mother must have just left it there only minutes ago. Blink finally caught up and froze in shock at what Mush was holding.
�Is that what I think it is?� he stammered.
�Yeah.�
�Well�whadda we do with it?�
�I think it was abandoned. Let�s take it to th� lodging house an� see what Kloppman �as t� say.�
He cradled the baby gently in his arms, supporting the head on his forearm. The baby snuggled into his warmth and fell asleep quickly. Blink glanced at it again.
�Boy �r girl?� he wondered.
�Dunno.�
�How ya gonna find out?�
�I�ll find out later, an� I�m not gonna be th� one who�s gonna do it, either!�
* * *
The infant crying in Mush�s arms was quite a surprise for Kloppman when he and Blink came thumping in later than usual. He stared at the bundle in Mush�s arms and his eyes widened.
�What do you have there, young man?�
Shrugging, Mush exposed the baby�s face. �It was abandoned on th� street.�
�That�s a baby.�
�That�s right. What�m I gonna do, Kloppman?�
�First off, that crying needs to stop.�
�I got it some milk on th� way back. That seemed t� calm it a while, but now it�s cryin� all over again!�
�Before we continue,� Kloppman said softly, �what do you plan on doing with that baby?�
�I dunno yet. I�ll probly drop it by �n orphanage in a few days.�
The old man silenced briefly. �Are you planning on keeping it?�
�Dunno. Not really lookin� int� it, but it�s �n option.�
�Mush, before you make that decision, you need to look at it this way. This is a baby, a human being. Not some puppy or kitten you newsies sometimes bring in. Babies are different. They need constant care, and they need an education as they get older. You�ll need lots and lots of money to keep this baby, and a lot of help as well. I want you to consider that instead of keeping the baby.�
�I will. So, whadda I do �bout th� cryin�?� he shifted the baby a little.
�First off, what is it?�
He shrugged. �I, uh�haven�t checked yet.�
�Well then, check the baby�s diaper. My guess is that it�s a wet diaper.�
�So long!� Blink voiced, rushing up the stairs.
Frowning, Mush set the baby on the nearby desk and began to remove the many blankets used to keep the baby warm. Whoever the mother was must have wanted the baby to be warm and comfortable in case it was out overnight. Then a piece of paper fell away along with a blanket. He picked it up and read it.
This is Samantha, and I loved her.
�Oh boy.� Mush breathed. �Kloppman?�
�Yep?�
�It�s a girl.�
�Found out?�
�No, there�s a note �ere. It says �er name�s Samantha.�
�Samantha.� Kloppman echoed. �That�s a pretty name.�
�Well, hello Samantha.� Mush continued as he discarded the final blanket. �My name�s Mush an� I�ll be takin� care �f ya for th� next few days.�
Samantha continued to cry and was now waving her arms around. Something was seriously troubling her, and Mush was completely unsure of what. Yet when he lifted her up, an odor was evident.
Wrinkling his nose, he lifted the baby higher and turned her around. One tiny little sniff was all that was needed.
�WHOA!� he shrieked. �Kloppman!�
�What?�
He extended the baby further from his face. �We have a winner!�
�So it�s not just wet, it�s soiled, eh?�
�Whatever it is, it don�t smell human!�
�Then this means you�ll have to change her diaper.�
�Me?!�
Kloppman chuckled. �You�re the one who brought her in! She�s your responsibility as long as she stays here.�
�But�this is a girl! I can�t change no girl�s diaper! An� how�m I supposed t� change a diaper, anyway?�
�Take her into the back room. Thankfully I have some diaper changing things in the cellar, and I�ll bring them to you. Just get her to calm down.�
Whining beneath his breath, Mush turned the baby around again so she was facing him. He held her out as far as he could and entered the back room. He set her on the bed inside, then went back out to the lobby to fetch one of the blankets. Then he returned to the room, rolled Samantha over and set the blanket underneath her.
He pulled the edges out from under her so that there would be room for the diaper she was wearing when it was removed. Then he began to pace around the room, wringing his hands worriedly. How could he change a diaper for a baby girl? A boy he wouldn�t mind changing, but�a girl? This wasn�t right for a seventeen year old young man to be doing!
Kloppman finally returned with some items in his hands. Included were a clean cloth diaper, two safety pins, some powder, and a damp rag. He set them on the bed and retreated back to the lobby.
�Hey! Where ya goin�?� Mush called after him.
�The baby�s your responsibility, not mine!�
�But I�ve never changed a diaper in my life!�
�You�ll have to learn, then!�
Whining again, Mush examined the diaper. It was pinned on both sides around Samantha�s hips, and it was snug so that it wouldn�t come apart. He stood there for several minutes before he could work up the courage to even touch the diaper. Yet once he touched a safety pin, Samantha stopped crying.
�I guess ya know what�s comin�, eh?� he asked her.
With her being calm, it would be easier for him to deal with what was coming. He unfastened the first safety pin, then the second. And finally, he pulled the cloth away.
�OH MAN!�
Kloppman burst through the door, and Samantha began to cry again. �What�s wrong?�
�I�m looking at a doity mess, an� it ain�t pretty!�
He waved a hand in front of his face. �Should I find you a girl to help?�
�Get a goil, get a guy, I don�t care! Jus� get me someone who�ll know what t� do!�
He threw the cloth back over the mess and backed away. As Samantha�s crying grew louder, he could tell that the newsies above were suspecting something. He hoped that no one would be coming down to investigate.
Before long, Kloppman returned, and he wasn�t alone. Thankfully, he had brought Palomino with him. When she saw the baby, her eyes widened.
�What�s all this?� she wondered.
�You said you�ve worked with babies before.� Kloppman prompted. �Mush needs a little help with this little one.�
�I don�t know what t� do!� Mush griped.
Rolling her eyes, Palomino came over to examine Samantha. As she removed the diaper, she shrugged, knowing why Mush was so uncomfortable.
�Where�d you find her?�
�On th� street. �Er name�s Samantha.�
�Did you name her?�
�Naw, there was a note.�
�I see.� She gathered the diaper changing items together. �Are you gonna watch or not?�
�Not gonna.�
�Mush, you need to know how if you�re gonna take care of her.�
�But I don�t wanna change a goil�s diaper! That�s a sin!�
She laughed aloud. �It is not a sin! There�s absolutely nothing wrong with changing a girl�s diaper. Girls change boys� diapers all the time.�
�But my tummy couldn�t take it! I�d throw up!�
�I�m losing my patience, Mush! Now you come over here and watch me, cuz this is the only time I�m doing this for you!�
Groaning, he reluctantly joined Palomino as she demonstrated everything that needed to be done. She explained the process in simple terms, and proceeded slowly so he could observe and learn everything she was doing. Once she pinned on the clean diaper, Samantha�s crying ceased. Mush sighed with relief.
�That was close.� He breathed.
�Close to what?�
�Close t� losin� my dinner!�
�Well now, I suggest you take her upstairs and clean her. Her legs got a little messy.�
�Aw no, not that!�
�She�s your responsibility! If you want to keep her, you have to take care of her!�
�Who says I�m keepin� �er?�
�Even if it is for a few days, you�re the one who has to care for her!�
She left the room and Mush with Samantha. Samantha was examining her surrounding, and every so often, she would squeal with fascination of something or other. Mush finally picked her up, careful of what needed to be cleaned on her legs.
�C�mon, Samantha.� He said. �Let�s get ya upstairs an� get ya all cleaned up.�
He walked softly up the stairs, hoping not to draw any attention to him or the baby he was carrying when he entered the bunkroom. He knew that if anyone saw him, unless Blink had told them, that they would be suspicious of whatever he told them.
Thankfully, once he peered into the bunkroom, most of the guys were occupied with some activity or another and did not hear him enter. He slunk inside and tiptoed over to the washroom. He exhaled heavily with relief and set Samantha on the counter.
He pumped some water into the basin and grabbed a washcloth and some soap. Wetting down the cloth, he rubbed soap on it and began to clean the mess on Samantha�s legs. At first he thought she would cry the entire time, but she was more fascinated with her fingers and intent with chewing on them.
Suppressing a giggle, he continued to clean her, then rinsed and dried. And still, she hadn�t made a sound except for the gurgling as she chewed her fingers. He tossed the cloths away and dried his own hands before returning his attention back to Samantha. For the first time, he took in her appearance.
By his estimation, she was at least four months old. Her arms, legs and cheeks were rather chubby, and her hands and feet were very tiny. She had light brown hairs covering her head completely and beautiful, deep blue eyes. He lifted her from the counter and supported her in his arms.
She too appeared to be studying him, almost as though he was the father she had never met. She cooed and garbled gleefully as she played with her arms, and then pressed a tiny hand up to his heart. Mush hadn�t noticed at first, and when he did, to him, it felt as though she was saying �I love you.�
�I wonder why her mother left her on the streets if she loved her so much.� He thought. �A more responsible woman should have taken her to an orphanage, not left her on the streets.� Then again, finding babies on the sidewalk was rather unusual, and would bring more attention to bystanders. Perhaps the mother left her there so she would be found and taken care of.
�Guess I�ll be your parent for th� next few days.� He murmured. �Bedder give ya a nickname. Ya like th� name �Sweetpea?��
She appeared to understand and a wide smile stretched across her mouth. He grinned and shifted her some.
�Alright. I�ll call ya Sweetie for short. C�mon, short stuff, I�ll intr�duce ya t� th� guys.�
He returned to the bunkroom, cradling little Samantha in his arms. Blink was the first to notice and understood what he was going to do. Then Race took notice of Mush and his jaw dropped.
��Ey Mush,� he stammered, �what�s that thing ya got?�
Every head turned to see what it was that Mush was holding. Most of them were just as shocked as Race had been. And Mush grinned as his introduced Samantha to the guys.
�Guys,� he announced, �this is Sweetie. She�s gonna be stayin� �ere a few days.�
As expected, he was mobbed by questions of where he had found the baby, and he explained the entire story as they calmed. He also told them that he would be caring for her only a few days before taking her to the nearest orphanage.
�Ya guys cin tell that I can�t keep �er �ere. So that�s why I�ll take �er t� the orphanage. But f� now, she�s gonna be stickin� wit me.�
