Jack, too, was feeling anxious. Selling papers could get so monotonous, always the same people, the same routine. He was craving change, excitement. That and he hadn't been with a girl in quite some time now. He couldn't help it; he was bored with them. They were all so much the same. Sure they were sweet and all, but they were so predictable. And all of them were so obsessed with love and marriage and motherhood. The second you kissed them they were ready to "settle down"and started talking your ear off about the future, life in a little cottage, where daddy put the bread on the table and husband and wife would sit together on the porch talking about nothing for eternity. No, he did not like New York girls, not that he was thinking about a girl from somewhere else, like maybe down south, well maybe a little. He couldn't understand why he was thinking about her at all. He'd gone over their conversation repeatedly and it confirmed his suspicion that she was entirely despicable. Nonetheless, he had to admit that she was kind of interesting, well different at least, and she was extremely attractive, well kind of pretty anyway, and she could be temptingly charming, even if it was an act. He felt like there was more to her than met the eye, he felt likeHe quickly pushed her from his mind; it was ridiculous for him to even think about a girl who he'd never see again when there were dozens of girls right here in New York. And tonight he was going to find one of his own.

"Awroit, let's git outta here," Jack announced shoving his chair back with his feet against the table and jumping out of his seat.

"Where are we gonna go?" Asked Race unenthusiastically. The rest of the boys didn't even stir.

"What, yous think der ain't nufin to do 'ere? We're in New Yawk, da capital of America fer gawsh sake!" Jack said, trying to wake them up.

"Actually, that's Washington DC," corrected Dave.

"Whudeva, look, I don't know about yous guys but I ain't gonna sit here on my butt tonight. I'm goin' out and da rests of yous old bums can just sit here if ya like. C'mon Mush." Jack said heading toward the door with fiery frustrated energy. Mush, Race, Blink, Fancy and Handsy followed while the rest of the boys stayed rooted.

* * *

They walked for a long time and they ended up in the luxurious end of town. No one asked where they were going, knowing full that their leader was as clueless as they were. He kept darting his head around anxiously but nothing was ever good enough, nothing he saw was what he wanted. Then they hit the corner of a well-lit street. In front of them was a huge ballroom building. Dozens of carriages lined the street and their owners walked up the glowing path to the warm light of the music-filled ballroom. The guests were dressed rather strangely. Some were decked in opulent array, while others seemed to be in rags. Some pretty girls donned wings and an old man had a dragons head made of jewels for a hat.

"It's a costume party," said Fancy, who had once belonged to a rich and prosperous family; until his Father went to jail bankrupt and his mother disappeared. The boys began to move on, but Jack headed toward the party.

"Dis is where we're goin' tonight," He said defiantly.

"Jack are yous kiddin' me?" questioned Race.

"Yea Jack, we'll be trworn out for sure," added Blink.

"Der's only one way ta find out," Jack retorted, still heading toward the enticing glow of the ball. The boys continued to protest and Jack turned to face them, "Boys, some peoples see life as a prison, but oders see it as an awl-expense paid hotel." And with that he turned around.

"Ya know," Fancy said, taking Jack's side, "there are so many people there that no one will recognize that we dont belong. And at costume parties they usually have a trunk of costumes for people who forget, so once we get in we can change, and then we wont be so obvious. And anyway there'll be free alcohol and food." The last part cinched it and the rest of the boys hurried in behind Jack.

They halted behind a carriage whose inhabitants were exiting. Jack entered the carriage from the opposite side and the boys followed. They exited a little behind the carriage's true owners so it would look as though they had arrived with them. They all stood very straight with their noses in the air with the look of contempt that most rich men they met often wore. They got in with no more then a slightly raised eyebrow from the doorman and Fancy easily found the promised box of costumes. They found an empty room with mirrors and quickly got dressed and practiced looking "gentlemanly" with Fancy giving them pointers. Jack had the most opulent costume of all, even though it wasn't really that nice. It consisted of a shimmery blue shirt and paints and an antique velvet robe with fir trim and a very dandy-ish silver crown. The boys had a good laugh over it and crowned him the prince of smelly shoes because the shoes that belonged to the costume were too small and ridiculously beaded to be worn so he was wearing his own old boots. Race was a pirate (to the jealousy of all boys present), Blink was a Knight in dull and heavy armor, Handsy had an Elizabethan something-or-other, tights and all, Fancy was a vampire and Mush, who'd got last pick, was a confederate solider, blood wounds and all.

After a considerable amount of laughter and merriment the boys decided it was time for the free food and entered the ballroom. It was as gorgeous as would be expected; the crowning piece was the enormous crystal chandelier that hung from the ceiling at the center. The room was filled with dozens of beautiful and valuable people. Some dancing, some engaged in witty conversation while older people sat and stared critically and disapprovingly at the young folks above glasses of champagne.

The boys made a beeline to the food and drinks, which they immediately pronounced in whispers were the best things they'd ever tasted. They found their own little corner were they could laugh at themselves and those around them without being found out.

As Jack stumbled up to get a third glass of champagne, which was, as Blink had pronounced "so good it was worth getting drunk for." He noticed someone looking curiously at him across the room. It was a young lady, surrounded by gentlemen who were trying to catch her attention. He immediately recognized the wavy golden hair, colorful eyes and look of frustration that hung on her face behind the mask of manners. He smiled at her and tipped his head in a very mocking way. She politely dismissed herself from the crowd and despite protests from her admirers she walked carefully over to where Jack stood at the bar. Her dress was silver and beaded from bustline to toe and on her head she had a fairylike jeweled crown. Geez, she has gorgeous eyes thought Jack as he sipped his fresh glass of champagne, then he angrily shook his head as if in hopes the thought would tumble out.

"Don't I know you," she asked in a sucrose-sweet voice as she tilted her head trying to place him.

It suddenly occurred to Jack that she honestly didn't know who he was. He tried to decide if that was good or bad. "No, I don't think you do miss," he said, trying to look away until he figured out whether it would be a good idea to let her know who he was.

"Oh, I must know who you are," she said teasingly, "you see I'm new here and I don't know many people, but I do declare I recognize your face. Have you ever visited down South?" She questioned sweetly. Jack didn't like this phony persona she pit on, he liked the fiery girl who emerged when she let her guard down.

"Perhaps your just pulling one of those tricks girls pull these days, where they pretend they don't know someone just because they're so smitten that they can't wait to be introduced properly," he responded trying to swallow his accent and his nervousness with another glass of champagne. An angry look crossed her face and Jack smiled, pleased. But she quickly covered it up with another of her endless plastic smiles.

"My you do have quite an ego sir," she said smiling. He was tired of games; he didn't want her to talk to him like she did with silly gentleman. Besides, the buzz from the champagne was making it difficult to behave with such constraint.

"Oh, now I remember," Jack said, feigning realization.

"Remember what?" She asked, feigning delighted interest.

"How we met," he continued, "yous had just come to New Yawk and yous were lost I think."

The shocking realization hit her and her face paled, then it turned red and her eyes flashed in anger.

"Why of all the! You should have let me know! You're that disgusting"-Jack flinched but kept smiling- "boy who gave me all that trouble. Why, what are you doing here? I could of sworn you were"- she stopped short realizing she had run away with herself-and in public!

"A street rat?" He finished for her, requesting a glass of wine.

"Well, yes," she said smiling tactfully in case he wasn't.

"Will you please remove that phony smile from off your face, it's disturbing." Jack demanded.

The girl wasn't used to being spoken to in such a way, she tried to comply but her breeding told her otherwise. Jack finished his glass of wine, and it was really starting to kick in. He wasn't much of a drinker and he hadn't expected the wine and champagne to have such an affect on him. The girl ordered another drink for herself and the serum of truth began to work its magic.

"Anyways, I am a street rat, case yous were wonderin'," he confessed. A look of excited shock swept across her face and her cheeks grew rosy as her eyes glowed daringly.

"Really?" She asked barely able to control her interest as she gulped down her wine and requested another glass. "I've never met a real"-she paused and then said daringly-"street rat before, we don't have any down South, and even if we did, I'd never be allowed to converse with them. Please, tell me what it's like." Her face had a very tempting hungry look to it. Jack was a great storyteller and was only too happy to comply. He wove stories of humor, tragedy, love and hope as they sat together continuously drinking improper amounts of wine to complement the stories.

After a long while, the young lady pronounced that it was far too hot and noisy in the ballroom, and couldn't Jack show her the city. "I've never seen it on foot before!" she exclaimed excitedly as they attempted to sneak discreetly into the open air. They ran stealthily away from the false light of the ballroom. As soon as they were safely away they erupted into fits of giggles at their drunken cleverness. Jack tried to point out some of the sites to her but he made a very bad tour guide as he kept mixing up words and stopping halfway and forgetting what he was talking about, which only brought on more fits of giggles.

They arrived at a small private park with a brook and flowers which the girl loudly gushed was "the prettiest thing she'd ever seen." They climbed the hedged fence to get in. The girl tore her dress coming down and Jack threw his crown into the brook. They laughed as the dizzily tried to walk but realizing their failure, ended up reclining on a bench by the brook, in hopes that the world would stop spinning.

The girl laughed gaily at a duck that'd landed in the brook and began nibbling on Jack's borrowed crown. Jack looked over at her. Her face was bright with joy and her cheeks handsomely red from exertion. Her chest heaved in laughter and her eyes danced with happiness. He was caught by her lips, bewitchingly red and fleshy, curled in a sweet smile. She stopped her laughter and noticed his attention. She looked into his eyes, which were golden and seemed to be alight with flame, and then to his lips that hung open expectantly. She tilted back her head and opened her mouth and he did not disappoint her. Her kissed her so hard that it reached inside her. She dropped back against the bench as he leaned over her, demanding more and she readily complied. Their lips were sweet and their touch euphoric in their drunken dreamlike state. They lived the silently dream of their locked up hearts that night on the bench, touching and holding each other with an innocence and a force that amazed them. They spent every last breath and every last hope until they finally fell asleep in each others arms.

* * *

The next morning Jack awoke alone on a park bench. He sat up confused and then the memories flooded back to him and settled as a permanent weight on his heavy heart.

"I just need to go to sleep," he reasoned, "I need to go to sleep and not wake up until dis is awl ober." And with that resolution in mind he arrived at the lodging house.

He entered, walking very strangely with his face oddly slack as he rubbed his forehead, his hair in disarray and his cape still hanging limply off his shoulders.

"Hail da conquering hero!" Cried Handsy, tired yet jovial. Jack flinched at his loud tone. All the boys crowded round.

"So," said Race, asking the question on everyone's mind, "where'd ya disapea' to last nite?

"Yea, where'd ya go?" Asked Mush and Blink at the same time.

"Nowheres," Jack replied, exhaustedly heading upstairs. A chorus of upset cries followed. Jack knew he'd never get off with 'nowhere.' "I got kicked out," he lied.

"Really?" Asked Fancy incredulously.

"Yeah, dey noticed da shoes and dey knew I wasn't wurdey of der Company," Jack explained.

"Oh, man yous really missed out," Blink informed him, "we told some of the giols der dat we was really newsboys and dey was all ober us. Dose goils really 'ave joneses for poor guys, dey didn't mean anyting by it, but it was fun to fool 'round wit 'em."

"Yeah, I'll bet," said Jack, as he headed up the stairs, his head pounding from hangover and humiliation.

"Wats da madda wit him?" Asked Skittery.

"Aww, he probly just drank too much, he'll snap out of it," explained Race.

But time passed and Jack didn't snap out of it. He constantly had this funny statement on his face, like he had something on his mind that he couldn't quite figure out. He never paid attention when anyone spoke to him; he was really jumpy all the time. He went to bed early and had to be reminded to eat. The only time he was nearly himself was when he was selling papers, but even then he seemed mechanical and masked. By the end of the week ever newsie at the lodging house knew Jack was keeping something from them and they decided to give Race the task of finding it out.

Jack was sitting alone on the steps outside the lodging house smoking a cigarette in long, hungry drags. Race checked that the coast was clear then walked out to sit beside him.

"So, ya sick?" Race wasn't exactly the king of tact.

"No," said Jack listlessly as he stared off at the horizon.

"Well yer actin' funny," Race straightfowardly announced.

Jack took a long drag on his cigarette and slowly blew it out. Then he looked at Race for the first time. "Is dat so?" He asked nonchalantly.

"Yeah, eva since we went to dat party yous been actin' strangely, yous ain't bin yerself," Race answered.

"Huh," said Jack disinterestedly drawing in the sand with his toe.

"Is der anyting yous wanna tawk about?" Asked Race with true concern.

Jack looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, then looked away. "Not a ting," he lied.

Race studied him for a moment then got up to walk back inside, he turned around just as he reached the door. "Yous know, of course, that people who don't tawk to people about der problems fester and rawt," Jack didn't move. As Race walked through the door he mumbled, "some people see life as a prison"

Jack continued to smoke on the porch. He wanted to tell Race but he was embarrassed. Ashamed of what he'd done, the way he'd acted, ashamed of having feelings for someone who didnt care about him at all. He decided then and there that he'd force himself to be cheerful even if it killed him.

And he did, but everyone felt there was something missing, Jack most of all. Late one night he ran out into the city, to the place where the ball had been. He got lost a couple times on the way and when he finally arrived the place looked dark, dreary and hollow. He tried to find the park he'd gone to with the girl but he just ended up going in circles. He finally gave up as he realized "yous ain't gonna find what your lookin' for der. It's gone forever." He then walked slowly home.

Jack arrived on the boy-filled docks of Brooklyn with a scowl that drove off the catcalls he usually received from the rough and tough Brooklyn gang. Jingles summoned Spot, the resident leader, from a nearby warehouse and, as usual, he was all smug smiles.

"Jack my boy, yous look a little paler den usual," Spot joked, "have the people quit buyin' in Manhattan or are yous just missin' a certain sword?" He asked revealing Les' sword from behind his back. Jack nodded and took the sword.

"I figuad you'd be comin' to gets it...so hows things down in old Manhattan?" Spot asked conversationally.

"Same ole same, howabout Brooklyn- not treatin' ya too bad I hope?" Jack asked and Spot smiled.

"Naw, actually we "ad quite an interestin' nite. Just so happens we got ourselves a funny little visitor. Come 'ere," he motioned, directing Jack up the docks. "A runaway goil ran into one of my boys and usually I'd send 'em packin', y' know, I ain't no charity ward, but dis goilwell, you'll see. Anyways she said she knew a newsie and demanded to stay, I thought maybe it mighta been one of your boys," by now they were standing inside the big warehouse next to a little closed room. Jack imagined it was probably one of the dopey girls Mush dated. Spot knocked lightly on the door. "Heya Puss, I got somebody I'd like for you to meet."

You may enter, said a muffled voice from behind the door. Spot smiled and pushed the door open. A young girl was sitting up very straightly on a dirty chair. She had on a very delicate, thin white dress with a blue sash and a very western looking necklace with a garnet and two sparkling turquoise-jeweled earrings. Her golden wavy hair was pinned up and her colorful eyes grew as she recognized her visitor, who nearly fell to the floor in shock.

"Spot, could you please give us a moment alone?" The girl asked quickly and precisely. Spot looked confusedly from one to the other, shrugged his shoulders and said to Jacks surprise "Certainly miss." And with that he shut the door.

The girl avoided Jacks eyes. "Now there's a gentleman," she said.

"And yous like dat don't yous," Jack said bitterly as he took a seat next to her.

"If your implying that my relationship with Mr. Conlon is anything but neutral then you're entirely wrong," she said fiddling with her dress, "I want you to be sure to recognize that I am not a fast woman." She said and her voice quivered beneath his gaze.

"I beg to disagree," Jack said, his voice full of angry emotion.

"Please don't be upset at me," she asked and her voice cracked, "I've never donewhat I did with youwith anyone elseI don't know how I'm supposed to act." Although he couldnt see her eyes she sounded as though she were about to cry.

"Don't act," he advised, lifting her face with his hands and staring into her eyes in a way that could only be described as deeply. "Be honest, like dis" he took a deep breath, "I know I don't really know yous and what we did together was probably da wrong idea for a first date," she smiled, "da kissin' and fallin' asleep in each others arms and all that," he said, his voice getting a hungry tone, "but I know dat eber since den I've beenthinkin' about yous. And I know it don't make sense, but I kinda missed you. I missed your temper, and your laughter, and da way yous make me feel better den I am, the way yous make everyfing feelbetter." He stopped and waited for her to speak with his heart in his throat.

"I know that I'm we'll I'm," he nodded encouragement, "that I'm not a real person sometimes, well, nearly all the time. And most boys expect that and like it but youyou forced me to be me even when I didn't know there was a me. You liked me despite my faults and saw me for what I could be, instead of what I was. And I feel like, with you I could be myself, my real self, temper and all, and not have to worry that you wouldn't be their tomorrow if I made a mistake. And I think that, that I could love you."

They were both overcome with emotion and Jack reached over and held her hand in his and kissed it softly, then he lifted it up to his face and held it against his cheek. She laughed happily.

"Y'know I've never really tried this whole honesty thing before," she said.

"Yea, me nidder," he smiled.

"I think I actually may like it."

"Me too," he agreed, "but not awl da time."

"Definantly," she laughed.

"Y'know wats funny?" She shook her head, "I don't eben know your name."

"Once you hear it you'll wish you hadn't asked," she said good-naturedly, "it's Eugenia Geneveve Rodd-Christy," she answered with mock dignity.

He laughed, "Dats nearly as bad as mine," he then switched to a tone of dignified snobbery, "Eugenia, may I presentmyself, Mister Francis Sullivan." She laughed mischievously and he pretended to be offended.

When their laughter died down she confided, "when I was younger I used to imagine myself living on a ranch out west and I imagined my name would be Garden, that's what I want to be called from now on."

"It's purfect Garden," he said tugging on one of the loose curls around her face and watching it bounce back into place, "meself, I go by Jack Kelly."

"Jack," she said smiling as she tested it out. He moved in and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

"So," Jack asked, "how'd yous end up here?"

"I wanted to escape," Garden shared. "I've spent my whole life sitting by a window putting on rouge while the whole world passed by. I want to control my life, I want to make choices, I want to live." She said growing excited.

"I can't argue wit dat." He replied. "Wat are yous gonna do now dat your free."

"I was thinking I might kiss you and then" she shrugged her shoulders as she leaned over him. Just as their lips touched the door swung open and in walked a very surprised Spot.

"Tsk, tsk, I shoulda know betta den to leave Jacky- boy alone wit a priddy goil," he said smiling.

"We know eachuder," Jack explained.

Spot raised his eyebrows, "apparently so," he commented. It was silent.

"Well," Jack said, rising up out of his seat, "guess I betta git goin', I got da sword and all." He waved the little wooden sword in the air lazily.

"And I better come with you," Garden quickly added grabbing his arm. Spot's eyebrows leaped higher. Garden collected her bags and said awkwardly, "Well, guess I'll see you around, and thanks for the room." She gave Spot a kiss on the cheek.

"Yea, bye Spotty," Jack said, as they left arm in arm.

When there were out of earshot Spot mumbled, "weirdoes," and went back to the docks.

"What are your dreams?" Garden asked after a moment of silence, "I mean what do you want more then anything else?"

"Well, besides you," he said smiling, "wellI used to dream 'bout goin' ta Santa Fe, New Mexico and gettin' a ranch, y'know, livin' off da land and all that."

"What made you change your mind?" she questioned.

"Well, I gess I just figured dat I could change da tings around me but dat wouldn't change wedder I was happy or nawt. Dat I could be just as happy 'ere as der. Plus, I got family 'ere, da newsboys I mean. And at da time I 'ad a girl." He answered thoughtfully.

"How did that go?" She asked, trying to sound nonchalant. He smiled at her poorly masked attempt.

"Well, I tink I was more in love wit da idea of her den I was wit her. I was good friends wit her family, and myself bein' an orphan, I really wanted a part of dat, y'know," he replied honestly. She nodded.

"I can't stay in New York," she confessed, looking at him sadly, "they'll be looking for me, I can't hide forever."

Jack stopped in his tracks. She couldn't leave him, not when he'd waited this long and cared for her so much. He picked up a pebble and threw it, trying to think of a way he could solve this problem so they could be together. "Where will you go?" He asked.

"Everywhere," she replied wistfully, "I want to head out west and work my way from place to place. I want be alive! I want to have adventures!" she cried throwing her arms wide as if to challenge the world. Jack smiled at the determined look on her face; he liked this girl better and better every minute. She turned to him slowly and looked up into his golden eyes. "But love is the greatest adventure of all, if you truly think you could really love me, I'll stay forever locked in a closet and wait for you to come to me in the night and kiss me to sleep," she said romantically as she threw herself into his arms and laughed at her own love struck foolishness.

He laughed too and kissed her violently on the lips until she fell limp in his arms. He helped her sit down on a bench laughed at the affect his kiss had had on her.

"I think I kin solve our problem," she listened eagerly, "I'll go wit yous."

Her eyes lit up and she jumped out of her seat so fast that she quickly fell back down again. She grabbed his cheeks and kissed him and dubbed him "the most wonderful boy there ever was!" After she calmed down she asked him soberly, "are you sure you want to this?"

He thought for a second. "Yes." He answered definitively. "I can't stay 'ere forever and nidder kin de oder bois. Somebodys gotta be da foist to go, it may as well be me. Besides me and da bois will see eachuder. Well come visit whenever we kin." He said starting to get excited.

"So were doing it?" she asked, clapping her hands together.

"Were doing it!" He replied. Then he kissed her so passionately that several people stopped on the street to watch with salivating tongues.