The Four Musketeers (Blink, Mush, Chance)

[Anthony Higgins]

It was about five o'clock in the afternoon, and the streets of New York City were beginning to quiet down. Businessmen made their way home from work, factory workers wearily made their way out of the gates and back to their tenements, however far away they might have been. And the papers that the Manhattan newsies carried with them dwindled in number, until the last penny was exchanged or unsold papers were unceremoniously thrown somewhere with a sigh and a grumble, and the promise to buy less tomorrow...if you had enough to get more for tomorrow.

The Manhattan newsies made their way back to the lodging house on Duane Street in pairs and groups. Others came back alone, to meet up with friends later. This was Racetrack Higgins' intent as he rounded the corner of Duane on his way home from Brooklyn and the Sheepshead Bay Races. Overall it had been a good day for him. He got his papers sold early and was able to win money back from a few of the races this time around. It was an anomaly he was home before seven, and here he was coming down Duane Street a few minutes after five o'clock.

He was in a pretty good mood, which only happened occasionally after he came back from the races. Usually it took him a few winning hands in poker to get back to himself again. Maybe he wouldn't have to take his friend's money tonight, he thought to himself smugly. Often he would play poker or craps with Mush, Kid Blink and Chance when he got back to the lodging house, but he figured he would spare them the loss for tonight.

Racetrack came in the lodging house, nodded hello to Kloppman and exchanged greeting with Snipeshooter and Boots, who were chatting at the base of the staircase. He moved past them toward the bunk room, hearing several familiar voices within. Turning into the doorway and taking a moment to strike a match on his shoe heel to light his cigar, he called into the room, "That you, Mush? Chance?" He could see them now, and waved out the match with a few flicks of his wrist. "Where's Blink? Still sellin', or with his girl?" He doubted a newsboy with Kid's skill would still be selling at this time, so he assumed he would be with the girlfriend he'd gotten recently.

[Mush]

Mush was at the Lodging House, chatting with some of the other boys there. Today was a semi-good day, despite the fact that pigeons tried to attack them. Otherwise, he sold all of his papers quickly, he got to see Nellie briefly and he was now home with some of his friends. He was telling them a very animated story about the pigeons attacking him. He was pretty sure he now had some sort of a fear of birds.

One of the boys he was talking to was Chance, one of the "newer" newsies you could say. He had only been apart of the boys for about a year and a half, but already he fit in with three of the closest-knit friendships there. Racetrack, Kid Blink and Mush.

"Where's Blink? Still sellin', or with his girl?"

Mush turned around and saw Racetrack, he grinned. Everytime Race was around you were ensured a laugh. "Ah, he's out with his girl...again." He said. Just recently Blink got a girlfriend, and they went out almost every night. Being best friends, Mush was the one who had to listen to the animated stories. Not that he minded, he had a girl of his own, Nellie. But since she lived in the Bronx he didn't get to see her as often as Blink saw whatever her name was. His girlfriend lived somewhere in Manhattan, a 'hop, skip and a jump away from the Lodging House' as Blink said. So he envied him for that reason, and that reason alone.

"So what have you been up to?" He asked.

[Chance]

Chance's face hurt from laughing so hard. A few of the boys were sitting around the lodging house, just hanging out and having a few laughs. Chance was telling the story of his latest adventure. Chance was known for being reckless and doing things other people wouldn't imagined doing. Some called him stupid, but most called him Chance. Today was no different. He'd been dared by one of the boys to something all of them though even he wouldn't dare doing. After every sale he was supposed to yell, "Fat people will rule the world!" Well, if you think about it, if Chance got 50 papers and sold all of them, that would be 50 times he would have to yell that. Therefore, 50 times he would get a crazy look from one of his customers. 50 times he was risking getting arrested for disturbing the peace. Basically, Chance was taking a big chance. He did it though, every time he sold a paper. He was proud of it and was now boasting about how he had pulled it off.

"That you, Mush? Chance? Where's Blink? Still sellin', or with his girl?"

Chance turned to the doorway and smiled. Mush did the same and answered Race's question. All three of them go along great, three of the four musketeers. They were always up to trouble and were always joking around with each other. Chance always felt excepted around them and carefree. It was always entertaining and he always laughed. Some found them annoying, for they were always laughing and pulling pranks, but they didn't care. They just went about their merry way.

Blink was with his girlfriend. In fact, Chance hadn't seen him all day. Chance had sold with Mush, and they had spent most of the day together. But now that Race was here, they could get down to the real fun. "So what have you been up to? Chance smirked and leaned back on the bunk he was sitting on. He waited for Race to answer the question before speaking.

[Kid Blink]

Kid Blink was elated. He'd had an excellent day. Selling had been a snap, and Oscar had been a bonehead, Morris, a muttonhead, and Wiesel had been, well, himself. He'd sold 50 papes of the morning edition, and had gotten a jitney from some geezer. And to top it all off, Blink had spent the entire afternoon with Bella.

Now there was someone to think about. "Bella," Blink thought with a smile. He reached up and adjusted his cap. Up ahead, along the right side of the alley, eight rickety wooden crates were stacked in a pyramid--four on the bottom, three odd on top of those, and one lone on top. To an unobservant passerby, who was not in the least bit curious or daring, the stack of eight rickety wooden crates was simply a stack of eight rickety wooden crates, unstable and dangerous. But to Kid Blink, who was curious, and a bit daring too, the stack of eight rickety wooden crates was a stack of eight rickety wooden crates that might collapse, and thus was worth climbing. As Crutchy put it, he liked living chancy.

"Isabella," Blink thought, and grinned broadly. He'd spent the entire afternoon with her, and he even had enough money to maybe take her out tomorrow night. Blink reached a hand into the breast pocket of his vest, to ensure that his day's earnings were secure. He was level with the stack of crates now, and on the spur of the moment, he jumped up onto the first level of the stack. Blink smirked, and then hopped up onto the second level, and gave a little gasp as his right foot broke through the top of one of the crates. He shook his head and carefully extracted his foot from the rough hole. He clambered up onto the topmost crate and then without hesitation leaped over the low wall concealed by the crates. "Well if it ain't the lodgin' house," Blink said aloud. He wasn't surprised though. He had discovered the short cut the previous day, after staying out with Bella, and then engaging Oscar Delancey in a thoroughly amusing fight, and then having the weasel and his brother chase him down the alley.

Blink jogged across the street to the lodging house, eager to get inside and sit down with Chance, Race, and Mush. Blink slipped inside and bounded up the stairs enthusiastically. Narrowly missing squashing Boot's hand, as he happened to be sitting upon the bottom step with Snipeshooter. Waving off Boot's glare and sarcastic remark, Blink stopped outside of the door to the bunk room. "Man, am I gonna get hell for being out with Bella again," Blink grinned. Chance would just look at Blink and give him that trademark smirk of his, Mush would grin widely, possibly make some mushy comment, and tease him the night through, and Racetrack would either don his best pokerface and give it all to Blink until even he could no longer hold a straight face, or he would just crack up and be sarcastic. Either way, Blink was gonna' get it from all of them.

Kid Blink pushed open the door to the bunk room and strode over to the circle of boys. "Heya guys! Miss me much?," he said with a grin.

[Anthony Higgins]

"Ah, he's out with his girl...again."

He sighed. "Shoulda guessed." Racetrack had been expecting that answer, but he rolled his eyes nonetheless. Race wasn't exactly known for his romanticism. He was void of almost all desire to have a girlfriend, at least for now. They didn't do much more than cause trouble, make you daydream when you should be doing something else, and make you late for card games. Both Kid Blink and Mush had gotten girls lately, and it was Race and Chance who had to listen to them gush when they were in that sort of mood. Race didn't know how Chance felt toward it, but a lot of times it made Race want to gag. He turned his attention to Mush. "You ain't gonna run outta here to see Nellie anytime soon, are ya, Mush? Cause if we'se in the middle of a card game and you get up to go all the way the hell to the Bronx, I'll be real ticked..."

"So what have you been up to?"

Race rolled his eyes, his face a sarcastic smirk. "Playin' my viola, Mush. What the hell d'ya think I been up to?" Race did essentially the same thing every day, and everyone knew about it. He took a drag on his cigar and took a seat with Mush and Chance. "Now I know why the fellas called ya Mush. It's what ya brains are made of..." Race relented there with a slight smirk. It was in his nature to make fun of his friends like that, and if you knew him well enough you knew not to take offense. He turned to Chance. "I'd ask him what he did with his day, but I don't wanna hear more about that girl of his. I figure I'm safe askin' you, Chance..."

"Heya guys! Miss me much?"

Race looked over toward the door as Kid Blink strode into the room. The look on his face told Race that Blink had indeed been with his girl. Bella or Bessie or something like that; Race couldn't recall. He had never met Blink's girl and for some reason could never get her name straight. "Heya, Kid," he said, moving himself to allow space between him and Chance for Blink to sit. "How goes it?"

[Mush]

"You ain't gonna run outta here to see Nellie anytime soon, are ya, Mush? Cause if we'se in the middle of a card game and you get up to go all the way the hell to the Bronx, I'll be real ticked..."

Mush laughed, "Nah, she had somethin' to do tonight. So I'm all yours fellas!" He said, with a chuckle. Every moment he spent with Nellie was precious to him, because he didn't get to see her as often as Blink did with Bella.

"Now I know why the fellas called ya Mush. It's what ya brains are made of..."

He frowned slightly, he wasn't as 'quick' as you could say with jokes and such. He knew Racetrack was only joking, but he was probably the most sensitive one out of the four boys. Racetrack had gator skin, Blink was somewhat sensitive, and Chance was just crazy. Mush just laughed it off as usual, and didn't take it to heart.

"I'd ask him what he did with his day, but I don't wanna hear more about that girl of his. I figure I'm safe askin' you, Chance..."

He frowned again, "Hey..." He said with a laugh. "Heya Chance, how's your brother doin'?" He knew Chance had a twin brother who lived somewhere else, but he didn't know anything about him. He didn't even know his name, a bunch of the boys were secretive about their lives. He couldn't blame them.

"Heya guys! Miss me much?"

Mush grinned, "Heya Kid!! Where you out with whats-her-face again?" He asked, he didn't know the name of Blink's new girlfriend. So whats-her-face would have to do, it was her new name.

[Chance]

"You ain't gonna run outta here to see Nellie anytime soon, are ya, Mush? Cause if we'se in the middle of a card game and you get up to go all the way the hell to the Bronx, I'll be real ticked..."

Chance chuckled. Race was always good for a few laughs. But he was right. If Mush did that, both of them would hunt him down and soak him. Chance hated it when guys ditched other guys for their girls. Or maybe he was just jealous of the fact that Mush had a girl. Chance crinkled his nose and thought to himself. "I need a girl..." He thought.

Nah, she had somethin' to do tonight. So I'm all yours fellas!

Chance grunted and then said, "Dangit..." Turning to Mush, he grinned. "I mean, I'm glad." His grin widened, looking fake and forced. He continued to force his smile, waiting for Mush to tackle him. That is usually how Mush reacted to their playful banter. Violence.

Playin' my viola, Mush. What the hell d'ya think I been up to?"

Chance laughed and shook his head. Race playing a viola? That would be a sight.

"Now I know why the fellas called ya Mush. It's what ya brains are made of..."

Chance smirked and glanced at Mush. As usual, he had a bewildered look on his face. Mush was the slowest of the three of them. Then came Blink, then Chance, and of course Race. But Mush was always to pick on because he would never comment back. Instead, he would get this puzzled expresion and then would smile and laugh. It was very entertaining.

"I'd ask him what he did with his day, but I don't wanna hear more about that girl of his. I figure I'm safe askin' you, Chance..."

Chance gave him a mock look of shock. "Hey! I resent that! I've got plenty of girls. And plenty of mushy stories," he hesitated, but covered it up with a shrug. "I just choose not to share em." He shrugged again, as if he was making a point. Truthfully, Chance hadn't been on a date for a few weeks. He felt deprived.

"Heya Chance, how's your brother doin'?"

Immediately, Chance's throat tightened up. Not many people knew about his twin brother and even fewer knew about that fact that he worked for Mike. Mike was the epitome of the newsies most hated villain. He was everything the newsies hated. And Chance was ashamed to say that his brother worked for him. He shrugged, trying to hide the emotion he was feeling. "He's doin' fine. Haven't talked to 'im much." He shrugged again. Thankfully, Chance was a poker player and knew how to hide his emotions. He just hoped Racetrack wouldn't be able to notice this.

Kid walked in and Chance smiled. Mush and Racetrack greeted him. At last, the four musketeers together. Now the real fun would began. Chance smiled wickedly and glanced a Race. He winked and smirked, knowing Race caught his drift. "Where ya been, Blink?" Chance stood up and took a step toward Blink. "With your goil?" Chance continued to smile and took another step toward Blink. "Oh Blinky bear!" He exclaimed, in a very feminine tone. "I missed you!" By now, Chance was hanging on Blink. "How long has it been? Like, uh, a day!?!?" Chance was now running a hand throw Blink's hair and grinning goofily. He loved picking on Blink.

[Kid Blink]

"Heya, Kid, how goes it?"

Kid stopped at the foot of Racetrack's bunk and leaned against it casually, hands shoved in his pockets and a cheerful grin on his face. "Goin' good Race. Sellin' was a snap, an' I got a jitney from some geezer in the market." Blink was surprised that Race hadn't made any comment about his late appearance, but now that Blink thought about it, he remembered that Racetrack was not the one he'd have to worry about when it came to getting teased for being with Bella. Blink glanced warily at Chance, who was lounging innocently on a bunk near Mush. Blink scoffed, when had Chance ever been described as innocent? Never, because "innocent" for Chance always meant he had something, usually a prank, up his sleeve.

"Heya Kid!! Were you out with whats-her-face again?"

Blink straightened up, giving Mush the same cheerful grin he gave Racetrack. "Yeah Mush, I'se out with Bella alright. I took her t'meet Medda." Blink could count on Mush to understand the desire to be with his girl, for Mush had a girl of his own. "Hey, Race," Blink smirked and flopped on a nearby bunk, "She's Italian y'know. From Venice. An' she speaks it too." Racetrack needed a girl, he thought absently. He'd have to talk to Chance about that later. Getting Racetrack a girl would be one hell of a prank, considering that Racetrack was known more for his biting sarcasm than romanticism. Racetrack was Racetrack, not Mush.

"Where ya been, Blink?"
Blink sat up and smirked. "I'se been playin' poker with Pulitzer, Chance. Nah, where'd you think I'se been?" Chance glanced at Racetrack and then turned back to face him. Blink looked from Chance to Race wondering if there was something he missed.

"With your goil?"
Chance had taken a step towards him after exchanging a glance with Race, and now advanced another step. Blink remembered his ealier thought, that Race was not the one he'd have to worry about when it came to getting teased for being with Bella. Blink raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I'se been with my goil. Why? You'se jealous ya don't have a goil of yer own, who's a knockout like Isabella?" he teased.

"Oh Blinky bear!"
Blink's good eye widened. "Chance, don't you ever call me Blinky bear! I swear, I'll do somethin' t'ya. I ain't a musketeer for nothin' y'know!" he said, using the term Race had used to describe their small group.

"I missed you!"
"Oh no. You're off your trolley!" Blink said as Chance grabbed his left arm and latched onto him, "Shove off, Chance!" Blink said with a glare. If he had been Race or Mush, he would have been able to see how ridiculous he looked with Chance hanging onto him mockingly.

"How long has it been? Like, uh, a day!?!?"
"I'm glad t'see ya missed me, Chance, but cut the crap, an'—hey! Get yer hands outta my hair!" Blink yelled, albeit with a grin. Blink twisted in an attempt to extricate himself from Chance's teasing embrace, and in the process, he spun around and toppled off the bunk, landing on the floor with a solid, "Oof!"

From his position on the floor, Kid Blink called out with a measured voice, "Now that we're all here... anybody gots some new pranks we'se can pull?"

[Anthony Higgins]

Mush proclaimed, "Nah, she had somethin' to do tonight. So I'm all yours fellas!"

"Dangit...I mean, I'm glad." Chance retorted.

Racetrack laughed. One of the best things about his friends was they weren't afraid to pick on each other. Everyone got messed with occasionally, no one was singled out, and they all had a good laugh. "Good thing, Mush. Boy, lemme tell ya. If I gotta sit through another time of you tellin' me what Nellie's smile look like or some crap like that..." He left the threat unfinished. Race didn't mind Nellie too much. She was better than other girls in the sense she could hold her own without trying too hard to be "one of the guys", and she didn't have too bad a personality, either.

"Hey! I resent that! I've got plenty of girls. And plenty of mushy stories. I just choose not to share em."

"Which is why I can stand you," Race said immediately, "and Mush gets on my nerves." He didn't mind the fact that Mush and Blink had girlfriends. That was their business, not his. But if they didn't keep their business, their business, by telling Race all about their girls day in and day out, they couldn't expect Race to keep his own opinions to himself. His honest opinion was, he couldn't stand hearing about their girlfriends. It drove him nuts how someone could go on and on about one girl, as if she was a queen or something. It was something he could never understand.

"Heya Chance, how's your brother doin'?" Mush asked.

"He's doin' fine. Haven't talked to 'im much."

Chance didn't really talk about his brother. Few people outside their small circle of friends even knew he had one. Race never bothered asking questions, usually. He was curious a lot of the time, especially with strangers, but rarely asked about family things. He figured if someone wanted to share with him, they would without his asking. So he didn't feel the need to comment further on the subject of Chance's brother.

"Goin' good Race. Sellin' was a snap, an' I got a jitney from some geezer in the market."

"A jitney, eh?" Race nodded his head, and slowly he grinned. "Well, ya feelin' lucky then, Blink?" Race reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a battered deck of cards. He figured that aside from pranking anyone who happened to be around, gambling was the number-two leisure time activity of the Four Musketeers. Race had dubbed their group of friends by that name, thinking that they had everything the Three Musketeers had...only, they had one more, which he figured made them even better.

"Heya Kid!! Were you out with whats-her-face again?" Mush asked. Race was glad to not be the only one to not remember Blink's girl's name. He couldn't keep track of everything, for Pete's sake...

"Yeah Mush, I'se out with Bella alright. I took her t'meet Medda."

Bella, that was it. Race made a mental note as he slipped the cards out of the box and began to box shuffle them absently. "She lookin' to dance or somethin' at Irving, then?" he asked. A lot of the girls around here who had some kind of talent turned to Irving Hall for employment. But usually it was only good if you knew Medda, and obviously going with a newsboy increased your chances of that.

"Hey, Race. She's Italian y'know. From Venice. An' she speaks it too."

Race looked at Kid Blink. "No kiddin'?" he said. His mother and grandmother were both born in Italy, and his grandmother taught him to speak Italian when he was a kid. Lately he'd been trying to think in Italian, to keep himself sharp. "Boy, she wouldn't be so bad to talk to. So I don't gotta keep confusing you morons when I speak it." He gave a grin and fanned the cards with one hand. "Anybody up for poker?"

Before Race could get a reply, Chance was on his feet and going for Blink. "Where ya been, Blink?"

"I'se been playin' poker with Pulitzer, Chance. Nah, where'd you think I'se been?"

"Poker with Pulitzer?" Race echoed. "Wouldn't that be somethin'! Hey, I could beat 'em...and you got any idea how much that fella must bet?" he grinned and passed his gaze over his friends.

"With your goil?"

"Yeah, I'se been with my goil. Why? You'se jealous ya don't have a goil of yer own, who's a knockout like Isabella?"

Race scoffed. "She's a knockout, all right. Every time I see her I wish I was knocked out!" He laughed at his own joke. He was kidding, of course. He has seen Bella and knew she was just about as pretty as Blink said she was. But any opportunity at all to make fun of his friends, Race took. Blink might hit him for it, but it was worth getting off a good joke.

"Oh Blinky bear!"

"Chance, don't you ever call me Blinky bear! I swear, I'll do somethin' t'ya. I ain't a musketeer for nothin' y'know!"

Race burst out laughing at Chance's antics. He figured tonight was Blink's night to be picked on, considering most of the insults had been aimed toward him and now Chance was off on what Race liked to call a "Chance-tangent". He knew the kid wouldn't let up until Kid Blink either stopped protesting or hit him. "You're a musketeer 'cause you got a mouth and at least half a brain to go with it!" he exclaimed, still grinning widely at Chance.

"I missed you!"

"Oh no. You're off your trolley! Shove off, Chance!"

"How long has it been? Like, uh, a day!?!?"

"I'm glad t'see ya missed me, Chance, but cut the crap, an'—hey! Get yer hands outta my hair! Oof!"

Blink spun off the bunk, lost his balance, and fell to the floor. Race broke out into hysterical laughter, falling back on the bunk he sat on and covering his reddening face with his hands. He sat back up and gasped, "That made my day, Blink. Made my day..." his shoulders were still shaking with laughter as he relented.

"Now that we're all here... anybody gots some new pranks we'se can pull?"

Race rolled his eyes. "Why should I share, eh? You fellas always shoot down my best ideas." Granted, what Racetrack considered best ideas usually involved a bit of pain for the party involved, but as long as they weren't bleeding, broken or dead, it was pretty damn funny. "But I say we try somethin' in the lodging house. Ya know, pull somethin' on one of the other kids..."

[Mush]

"Yeah Mush, I'se out with Bella alright. I took her t'meet Medda."

Mush made a face, what type of a name is 'Bella'? Oh well, at least he knew her name now. He thought it irritated Blink when he called her by the wrong name. But his head was too far shoved up into the clouds that he didn't know anything about the guy anymore.

"Which is why I can stand you, and Mush gets on my nerves."

Mush scowled, "Hey, at least I put up with you and your gamblin' problem!" He retorted. It was just their personalities, each one of them were so different that it brought something great to the table. That's how they got along. If they were all alike they would get on each other's nerves, but being different meant they each had their own traits, peeves, quirks and all that jazz.

"Boy, she wouldn't be so bad to talk to. So I don't gotta keep confusing you morons when I speak it."

His ears perked up a bit, this girl knew a foreign language? Hm, that's interesting. He respected girls with knowledge, even if it was as simple as knowing a different language. It was one more thing they knew over him.

"She's a knockout, all right. Every time I see her I wish I was knocked out!"

Leave it to Racetrack to say something like that. Mush had never seen Bella, and he assumed Blink would force him to meet her. Maybe even go on a double date, or something like that.

"I missed you!"

"Oh no. You're off your trolley! Shove off, Chance!"

"How long has it been? Like, uh, a day!?!?"

"I'm glad t'see ya missed me, Chance, but cut the crap, an'—hey! Get yer hands outta my hair! Oof!"

Mush raised one eyebrow as he watched the conversation go on between Blink and Chance. When Blink fell off the bunk, he couldn't help but crack up. Maybe that would get his head out of the clouds and back into reality. He needed it badly, in Mush's opinion. Whereas Blink thought so or not, that was his problem.

"But I say we try somethin' in the lodging house. Ya know, pull somethin' on one of the other kids..."

He grinned, "We should pull one on Jack, he loves us enough not to kill us. Either that or one of the goils. They're real easy to get, 'specially some of the ones our age." He paused, looking at his friends faces to see if they followed where he was going with this. "It would be a lot of fun." Then again, pulling a prank on anyone with his best friends would be one of the greatest things in the world.

[Chance]

Chance smiled brightly as the others laughed. That had gone better than planned. Blink was in a heap on the floor. Chance started to laugh at Blink's face. He looked confused and then somewhat shocked. Chance's chuckled soon turned into an all out laughing fit. He bent at the waist and held his side as his whole body shook with his laughs. Several newsies stopped and stared, but soon were on their way. They knew of the antics of the four musketeers.

"But I say we try somethin' in the lodging house. Ya know, pull somethin' on one of the other kids..."

Chance stopped laughing immediately. Now this is what he was talking about. Pranks and Chance went hand and hand. He was like the king of pranks. If the four of them could get something together and pull it off, they would have the best prank the lodging house had ever seen. Chance suddenly got really excited. "I agree!" He jumped onto the bunk next to Race, looking like a child

"We should pull one on Jack, he loves us enough not to kill us. Either that or one of the goils. They're real easy to get, 'specially some of the ones our age. It would be a lot of fun."

Chance thought for a moment. Pulling something on Jack seemed weak, especially with everything that was going on with Jack. He was an easy target. But if they were to start a major prank war, that would be the way to go. "Our... we could start a prank war. Jack would be an easy target." He shrugged and turned to Race, wanting to see his reaction.

[Kid Blink]

"A jitney, eh? Well, ya feelin' lucky then, Blink?"

Gambling his day's earnings? No way. Blink had learned from experience that if one was to gamble with Racetrack, it was best to save up at least two day's earnings. That way, if you lost all your money for a day, then you'd still be able to eat. "I ain't feelin' lucky--I am lucky. But I've learned my lesson. Give me a day an' maybe then I'll have enough to risk gamblin' with you," Blink said with a grin. The first time Blink he had gambled with Race, he ended up going all-out in a last ditch attempt to win back some more of his money, and had ended up losing what little he had left anyways.

"She lookin' to dance or somethin' at Irving, then?"

Blink turned to look a Racetrack. "Nah. Well, maybe. Something like that." Blink decided not to mention exactly what type of performer she was, and also, left out the reason why she didn't like her current work venue. The audience, if you could call them that, were awful. He had seen past the paint smudges on her face and arms, to the bruises beneath. Blink was usually lighthearted, but when it came to those he cared about, he was all business. He would not let Bella be beaten anymore.

"No kiddin'? Boy, she wouldn't be so bad to talk to. So I don't gotta keep confusing you morons when I speak it."

Blink was relieved. They seemed to have accepted Bella as far as she being his girl. And now Race was interested in talking to her? This was reassuring. "It ain't mean we'se morons just 'cause we don't speak Italian! Yer about the only one who knows anudder language Race!"

"Anybody up for poker?"

"Nah. Ask me t'morrow, and maybe then I'll play. It's been a while since we pranked someone..." he said. Blink was looking forward to pulling something on some unsuspecting person. Well, if it was anyone in the lodging house, then they probably would be expecting something. Everyone was usually expecting something from the Musketeers, waiting to see what they would pull next, and who would be the victim. No one really wanted to be the subject of one of their pranks, but for the most part, everyone laugh it off eventually.

"Poker with Pulitzer? Wouldn't that be somethin'! Hey, I could beat 'em...and you got any idea how much that fella must bet?"

He considered the possibilities for a moment, before replying. "Probably enough t'buy you a permanent box at the races. That's yer dream, ain't it Race?" Blink smirked. With the kind of money that Pulitzer was likely to bet, Blink could likely do anything. He wasn't sure what he'd do, but he figured he'd have enough time to figure out what'd he'd do with the money before he ever got the chance to play poker with the Newspaper tyrant.

"With your goil?"
"Yeah, I'se been with my goil. Why? You'se jealous ya don't have a goil of yer own, who's a knockout like Isabella?"

"She's a knockout, all right. Every time I see her I wish I was knocked out!"

Blink turned his gaze from Chance to Race. "Hey Race, you really wish you was knocked out? 'Cause I'd love to help ya..."

"You're a musketeer 'cause you got a mouth and at least half a brain to go with it!"

He turned to look at Race again. Some of Racetrack's jokes just confused him, and sometimes his insults didn't seem that much like insults. This was one of those cases. He wasn't quite sure what Race was getting at, and fixed him with a confused expression. "Yeah, I've got at least half of brain. I've got a whole one y'moron. How's that an insult?" Those few seconds in which he drew his attention from Chance, cost him. He spun off the bunk, lost his balance, and fell to the floor. He could here the others cracking up, laughing hysterically.

"That made my day, Blink. Made my day..."

"Glad I can provide a lil'humor in yer life Race. Next time maybe it'll be you who falls off," Blink said with a smirk. He should have know this was coming the moment Chance started towards him.

"Why should I share, eh? You fellas always shoot down my best ideas. But I say we try somethin' in the lodging house. Ya know, pull somethin' on one of the other kids..."

"We should pull one on Jack, he loves us enough not to kill us. Either that or one of the goils. They're real easy to get, 'specially some of the ones our age; It would be a lot of fun."

Mush was right. Pulling pranks on Jack would be fun, especially since, as he said, Jack loved them enough not to soak them too badly. And pranking the girls was always entertaining if only reap the enjoyment from seeing them freak out differently from the other guys.

"I agree!"

Blink rolled his eyes. Chance was usually always exuberant when it came to pranks. That was what made him fun. "Chance, hold yer knickers. One day you're gonna get so excited yer gonna bash through the roof," he said with a grin. Hah! Chance. Knickers. It was a good joke in his opinion.

"Our... we could start a prank war. Jack would be an easy target."

A prank war? Blink looked up at his friend, his wide, trademark grin spreading across his face. He sat up straight and looked at Race and Mush. "Now that's something we've not done before. I like it...," Blink paused, thinking about who would make a good candidate for the first prank. "Jack," he said decidedly, "We ought t'prank Jack first. Give 'im the honor of being the first t'be pranked since he's the leader, an' this is something big!"

[Anthony Higgins]

"Hey, at least I put up with you and your gamblin' problem!"

Race rolled his eyes. "I do not have a gamblin' problem..." he asserted. He didn't think it was too much of a problem as much as a passion. It was a little compulsive, admittedly, but he didn't think of it as a problem. It was just something he liked to do, and it was only a problem as much as Mush had a problem pining after girls.

"Nah. Ask me t'morrow, and maybe then I'll play. It's been a while since we pranked someone..."

Race nodded in agreement. It had been a while, and since it had been everyone was sort of on their toes in anticipation. "We got David not too long ago," Race recalled with a smirk, remembering how they managed to dump water on him from a high window. Perfect aim, boy. "But we gotta be smart about it. People got their eyes out..." The last thing they needed was someone finding out about anything they were planning.

"Probably enough t'buy you a permanent box at the races. That's yer dream, ain't it Race?"

Well, it was. It would be something else to be able to sit in his own box instead of pressing himself against the railing, bumping into all of creation and getting the wind knocked of him. "Sure is, Blink. An' one day I promise you all. I will beat Pulitzer at a game of five cards." He was joking, of course, but he just wanted to say it so if the opportunity ever presented itself, he would be able to say told you so.

"Hey Race, you really wish you was knocked out? 'Cause I'd love to help ya..."

Good one, Blink, Race thought to himself. But he replied back smartly, "Thanks for the offer! But havin' to look at your girl I think I'd be desperate enough t'do it myself..." Race shifted his weight, getting ready to flee if Blink lunged at him. At this point he was only trying to get Blink a little riled up. He knew as well as any of them there that Bella was a pretty girl.

"Yeah, I've got at least half of brain. I've got a whole one y'moron. How's that an insult?"

Race chuckled. He hadn't meant the statement insultingly, but apparently that was how it was taken. "Boy, maybe I should lay off you fellas. It looks like everything I say is an insult now. Who's the moron here, Blink? I wasn't tryin' a slam, nothin' doin'!"

"We should pull one on Jack, he loves us enough not to kill us. Either that or one of the goils. They're real easy to get, 'specially some of the ones our age; It would be a lot of fun."
"I agree!"
"Chance, hold yer knickers. One day you're gonna get so excited yer gonna bash through the roof."

"I'd pay t'see that," Race said with a chuckle. "Go fer one of the goils, I says. I love seein' 'em have a cow..." Girls who pretended they were tough stuff didn't do that all to much when they were getting pranked. It only went to show that a girl was a girl even if you dressed her in trousers. And it also further went to prove that girls were the most confusing things on the planet, and Race didn't want to concern himself them. At least not yet.

"Our... we could start a prank war. Jack would be an easy target."
"Now that's something we've not done before. I like it..."

A prank war, eh? Sounded like a good idea. "Me, too," Race chimed in. "Although it might be a little one sided, if ya know what I mean..." he added with a smirk. Anyone warring against the Four Musketeers didn't have a chance.

"Jack. We ought t'prank Jack first. Give 'im the honor of being the first t'be pranked since he's the leader, an' this is something big!"

Race nodded in agreement. "This is somethin' big, so we gotta plan it good. The first prank's gotta be a blowout, see? Somethin' real jim-dandy..."

[Mush]

"I do not have a gamblin' problem..."

Mush smirked, "Whatever helps ya sleep at night, Race." He said with a chuckle. Everybody except for Race knew that he had a gambling problem. Then again, who didn't nowadays? Mush even heard of some of the girls that had gambling problems, and such things. He had even heard of some girls that behaved worse than he did.

"We got David not too long ago, But we gotta be smart about it. People got their eyes out..."

Mush beamed, that was one of his favorite pranks. He respected David and all, but he could be a stick in the mud most of the time. So Mush was very glad they got to prank him, maybe it would loosen him up a bit. "Which is exactly why we gotta get them when they ain't lookin'." Mush said, people did have their eye out for everything, but they would just have to change that.

"Sure is, Blink. An' one day I promise you all. I will beat Pulitzer at a game of five cards."

Mush could almost feel the eyebrows raising in the room. "Sure ya will, Race. And when you do, I'll look out my window and see pigs fly." He said sarcastically. Race probably did have a good chance of beating Pulitzer, the old codger was probably half blind.

"Chance, hold yer knickers. One day you're gonna get so excited yer gonna bash through the roof."
"I'd pay t'see that, Go fer one of the goils, I says. I love seein' 'em have a cow..."

Chance really did have a problem staying still, he was just so crazy. That was one of the things all of the boys enjoyed about Chance, he kept things fun loving. As for the girls, they would have a cow. "'Specially the ones who think they're all tough and stuff!" Mush exclaimed, he did have a problem with some of the girls that thought they were tougher than him. He liked his girls to be lady like, but have some sort of a backbone. They didn't need to be all in or anything.

"Although it might be a little one sided, if ya know what I mean..."

A prank war sounded like a lot of fun, even if it was somewhat unfair. "Ah well, its their fault for messin' with us." Mush said with a grin.

"Jack. We ought t'prank Jack first. Give 'im the honor of being the first t'be pranked since he's the leader, an' this is something big!"

This is somethin' big, so we gotta plan it good. The first prank's gotta be a blowout, see? Somethin' real jim-dandy..."

Mush nodded, "Yeah! We gotta pull out all the stops, and then some." They needed to get all of their pranks together, old and new if they were going to pull this off. "We gotta get some more pranks together, some that people wouldn't even expect comin' from us!" He was nearly yelling, but hey, this was an exciting event.

[Chance]

"Chance, hold yer knickers. One day you're gonna get so excited yer gonna bash through the roof."
"I'd pay t'see that, Go fer one of the goils, I says. I love seein' 'em have a cow...
"'Specially the ones who think they're all tough and stuff!"
"Although it might be a little one sided, if ya know what I mean..."
"Ah well, its their fault for messin' with us."
"Jack. We ought t'prank Jack first. Give 'im the honor of being the first t'be pranked since he's the leader, an' this is something big!"
This is somethin' big, so we gotta plan it good. The first prank's gotta be a blowout, see? Somethin' real jim-dandy..."
"Yeah! We gotta pull out all the stops, and then some.""We gotta get some more pranks together, some that people wouldn't even expect comin' from us!"

Chance remained quiet through all of this, deep in thought. A prank war? This was heaven to him. Having a major prank war with three of his best friends, oh boy, this was heaven. When everyone was quiet, thinking about the best prank to pull, Chance took his turn to talk. "Okay, so who should we prank first? Jack or the girls?" Personally, Chance wanted to prank Spot Conlon, but that was out of the question. None of them would have to guts to pull a prank on Conlon, maybe expect Race. But Jack would be a start. Maybe later on he could talk them into moving up to Brooklyn. Now that would be a real prank war.

Chance leaned back in the bunk, trying to compose himself. This was exciting. Finally, the our musketeers would gain some respect, or loose some. Either way, they would be winning. No one could defy the four musketeers! Chance smirked evilly at this thought. They were going down.


{Ack, brain freeze}