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Post by Prince on Jul 23, 2007 3:28:06 GMT -5
From high class button up boots to the brown shoes that some newsies wear, you can get it all here at Calvin's.
If it's foot wear, it's everywhere!
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Post by clara on Aug 11, 2008 1:25:42 GMT -5
Slip-Shoe leaned back against a lamp post, counting her pennies. She'd made a fair amount this morning, selling almost all her papers to the customers of Calvin's. She really ought to cut them a commission. After all, they really were the reason she made any money at all. She worried her bottom lip, should she? For a moment, Slip considered leaving them a penny or two, but then decided against it. They made a small fortune for each customer, in comparison to her mere pennies. And perhaps some repeat customers bought from them because of the kindly newsgirl out front. Slip nodded to herself, smiling. "Perhaps, indeed."
Slip-Shoe hadn't had a very tiring day. She'd woken early, bought her 100 papers and rushed to Calvin's, where she perched herself atop a crate near the door and sold to various customers and passersby. The area was perfect for pushing papers, because most of the folks wandering about had cash on their person. The easiest sells were the young mothers'; you just tell them how positively charming or lovely their little brats were, and they fold. It was just Slip-Shoes luck that the day she decided to loiter outside the footwear store was the same day it seemed half the tots in New York decided they desperately needed new shoes and their mothers willingly obliged them.
Pocketing her earnings, she pushed off the lamp post and after a slight stumble, began pacing back and forth before the shop, whisting tunelessly all the while.
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Post by rhoda on Aug 12, 2008 23:37:35 GMT -5
Rhoda walked up to the shoe store hand in hand with her little sister, Harriett. She had worked as fast as she possibly could at the factory all morning and had met her quota very early in order to take Harriett in to get new shoes. Normally, she wouldn't have been allowed to leave until her shift was over later in the day, despite the fact that she had already met quota, but her shift manager had a daughter of his own around Harriett's age and agreed to let her leave early just this once. She and her mother had decided the night previous that the new shoes had become a necessity. They were tight on money and they had waited as long as they possibly could to get her new shoes but when the old ones had begun to scrape off the skin on the back of her feet, they decided that they could wait no longer.
As she walked up to the door, she noticed a newsie pacing around outside of the store. Her best friend, Gwennie, was a newsie, so she felt comfortable around them, no matter how much older than her they were. She didn't have any extra money to buy a paper with but, before going into the store, she stopped near where the girl was walking and waved in greeting "Hi" she said, smiling amiably as Harriett, who wasn't very fond of strangers, clung to her skirts for protection.
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Post by clara on Aug 13, 2008 1:42:03 GMT -5
Slip was startled mid-march by a young girls voice. She faltered, but managed to regain her footing. She turned sharply on her heel toward the source, and found a small girl looking at her. She sighed imperceptibly, she wasn't going to get a sale with a child.
At closer inspection, however, Slip saw that it was two children. There was another girl, this one tinier than the first. The impossibly tiny girl (Slip couldn't fathom ever being that small) seemed to be trying to become part of her sister's (or so Slip assumed) skirt.
The newsgirl frowned. She wasn't that scary. Sure, she was a considerable bit bigger, but in comparison to the other folks who inhabited the city Slip must have seemed as harmless as an old Granny. Slip didn't like it when people didn't like her. She'd have to fix this.
Slip gave the older sister a small curtsy. "Hello, miss." She strode forward a bit and crouched down to the level of the smaller girl. She smiled, trying to comfort the obviously shaken child. "And who might you be, dear?"
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Post by rhoda on Aug 13, 2008 9:20:36 GMT -5
Rhoda smiled, amused at the girl's antics. Harriett, on the other hand, upon realizing the girl had noticed her, gave a small squeal of terror and hid herself completely behind her sister's body. However, when the girl crouched down to her level she peeked timidly out from behind her human hiding place. She cautiously observed the girl, checking for any sign of a threat. Unable to find one now that the girl was no longer a giant, when the girl asked what her name was she stuck out a still shaky hand and introduced herself "I'm Harriett" she stated in her high, squeaky voice. ((and here's a picture of Harriett because I'm a big enough loser to find pictures of all of my characters whether I have separate accounts for them or not. www.fileden.com/files/2008/7/13/2001142/751386282_8521cc9f5b_o.jpg )) |
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Post by clara on Aug 13, 2008 12:00:51 GMT -5
"I'm Harriett"
Slip put her hands on her hips and beamed at the girl; she'd realized she wasn't scary. Slip could come to like this girl. She took the small girl's offered hand and shook it gently, "Hello, Miss Harriet." Slip worried her bottom lip, what to do now? She tapped her fingers against her leg, surprised by the jingle of coins she heard. A brilliant idea struck Slip. She dropped her hand into her pocket a fished out a coin.
Slip tapped Harriet on the shoulder, recapturing her attention. Coin grasped between her pointer finger and thumb, she extended her hand toward the girl. "Would you like to see a trick?"
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Post by rhoda on Aug 13, 2008 12:22:06 GMT -5
"sure" answered Harriett slightly less timidly, emerging a bit more from behind her sister. "She loves magic tricks" offered Rhoda,"she went to see a magic show for her birthday didn't you, Harriett?" she asked in an attempt to embolden her sister by bringing her into familiar territory conversationally. "Yeah" she answered, a faint undertone of enthusiasm in her voice "he pulled a real live rabbit outta his hat"
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Post by clara on Aug 13, 2008 12:58:02 GMT -5
"Did you really now?" Slip patted her pockets. "Well, I'm afraid I haven't any rabbits on me today," Slip's face adopted a look of mock seriousness. "But, I can make this coin disappear. Would you like to see?"
Her trick wouldn't seem very impressive now, not in comparison to a professional. But mayhaps the parlor trick would still amuse the girl, even if it didn't amaze her.
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Post by rhoda on Aug 13, 2008 15:14:04 GMT -5
"Yeah" answered Harriett, smiling shyly yet expectantly at the older girl. She stepped out he rest of the way from behind Rhoda in order to get a better view of the coin.
Rhoda put her hands on Harriett's shoulders, proud that she had been brave enough to come out into the open. She was a shy girl and Rhoda and her mother worried about her disinterest in making friends. The only non family members who she really interacted with were Rhoda and Maude's friends and the old lady who watched her during the day. They had never dealt with this problem before since Maude had been, and still was, a very sociable child. It made her happy to see that Harriett was capable of interacting with new people, even though it took her awhile.
((Maude is their other sister))
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Post by clara on Aug 13, 2008 15:30:26 GMT -5
Maintaining her very serious expression, Slip looked the young girl in the eye, taking care to show her spectator the year marking on the coin, "Are you watching closely?" Pulling her hand back towards her, Slip began her trick.
With a flourish, Slip opened the original hand, revealing it was empty. "Oh, but wherever might it be?" Slip asked Harriet, tapping a finger to her chin, looking puzzled. Suddenly, she smiled, and with a soft "Aha!" she pulled the coin out from behind the small girl's ear. "And here it is!" She showed the penny to Harriet, allowing her to examine it and confirm it was in fact the same coin.
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Post by rhoda on Aug 13, 2008 17:10:32 GMT -5
Harriett giggled, looking at the coin to make sure it was the same one "wow how did ya do that?" she asked with a mixture of awe and amusement " are you magic? Rhoda has a cat that's magic, his name's Walter, nobody can see him but her an' Gwennie, that her friend, she's a newsie too"
Rhoda was surprised that Harriett was so talkative at the moment, she hardly ever talked that much even at home she was fairly reserved. It was nice to see her so excited about something, especially in front of someone she had just met.
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Post by clara on Aug 13, 2008 19:50:13 GMT -5
Slip grinned at the girl's enthusiasm. Most she came in contact with nowadays were newsies, and they didn't find much anything entertaining lately, what with the price hike.
She looked up at the older girl, Rhoda. "You've a magic cat? Well, isn't that impressive." Slip herself had an imaginary pet as a child. Course, her's was a turtle who didn't do very much (his name was Caleb) but she'd loved him all the same.
"Me? Perhaps I am, perhaps I'm not," Slip teased, patting the girl's head. "Can't tell you, can I? Would ruin the wonder." Slip nodded toward the coin still in the girl's hands. "Since that was in your ear, it seems only proper you get to keep it." Slip put her hands on her hips, again crouching down to Harriet's level, "What do you think?"
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Post by rhoda on Aug 13, 2008 20:52:44 GMT -5
Rhoda smiled at the girl's compliment, she new that Walter wasn't actually real but he was real to her and it was a comfort to have something that was all hers. She watched as Harriett nodded vigorously, a very serious look on her face. "Oh, boy I'd really like that!" she said staring at the coin for a moment as if it were worth a million dollars before holding it up for Rhoda to see "Look Rhoda, I got my very own money" she said enthusiastically, placing the coin in her pocket with as much care as she could muster through her excitement.
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Post by clara on Aug 13, 2008 23:13:14 GMT -5
Slip-Shoe watched the young girl, treating the penny like some sort of precious stone. Harriet was so excited, so thrilled. It made Slip regret giving her away her dinner money slightly less.
"You put that to good use, dear." Slip stood up, and dusted off the front of her skirt. "Have a wonderful day, you two," Slip nodded at the girls. She then turned and began to walk back toward the Lodging House, hungry but smiling.
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Post by rhoda on Aug 13, 2008 23:32:27 GMT -5
"Bye" said Harriett waving vigorously "I will" she assured her, determined to get something really important with it "Hey Rhoda" she asked as the nice girl walked away "when's Mama's birthday? I wanna buy her something now that I've got money." Rhoda smiled at her generosity "In awhile" she answered "maybe you, Maude and I can pool our extra money and get her something really great" she suggested, knowing that a penny really wouldn't buy much that a grown up would want. "Sure that sounds great, we should ask Maude tonight" replied Harriett in a very excited voice as they entered the store.
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(c)Red