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Evelyn Lanigan stood next to her father on deck of the U.S.S. Dunlevy. Liam Lanigan was a tall man with bright red hair and soft blue eyes. He owned the Dunlevy just like his father and grandfather before him. Evelyn loved him for that. She’d grown up on that ship just as her father had and loved every minute of it. Being the captain’s daughter, she was also the first mate, which irked many of the older male sailors who had been sailors longer than she was old.
That was the only thing Evelyn had in common with her father, besides her Irish background and accent, that is. She had long wavy hair that was browner than red but still retained some red highlights from her father. Her eyes were greener than the isle from which she originated. Her hair was always tied neatly into a tight braid from the nape of her neck, frequently folded back up so it didn’t hang down near as far. To keep the stray hair out of her eyes, she wore a red bandana around her head that was tied tightly beneath her braid.
Evelyn left her father’s side by the wheel and walked down the steps. She swung around to the outside of the ropes on the starboard side and climbed up to the crow’s nest. Her best friend Seamus was standing there and sort of watching the horizon. “Anythin’, Shamus?” Evelyn asked in her own Irish brogue.
“Nothin’s out thare ta be lookin’ far, Evelyn,” Seamus answered with a bored tone to his voice.
“Is thyt why ye stopped watchin’ the horizon,” she replied with a smirk, glancing over at the dark clouds that had appeared only ten minutes earlier.
“Aye, nothin’ but grain water ‘n’ blue skies,” he shrugged, turning his gray eyes to meet her green ones.
“Aye, some a thyt, but a couple a clyds, tu. A few in particulah ye moyht wish ta be takin’ a lookin’ ayt,” she said kindly, nodding toward the threatening clouds just above the horizon.
Seamus looked over. “Oh, shyt! Why didn’t ye say so!?” he exclaimed as he slammed the clapper of the alarm bell against the sides repeatedly. This alerted the entire crew instantaneously.
“It’s yar job, dundarhead,” Evelyn retorted, not angrily but a bit miffed, as she grabbed hold of a rope connected to the crow’s nest. “Ye think I want ye cast off in th’ next part like th’ cargo, Shamus?” She gave him an angry look before climbing back down to the deck quickly.
“I desarve it,” Seamus muttered to himself as he climbed down after her.
“Baiton thyt sail dyn!” Captain Lanigan yelled to two of his mates up on one of the sail rigs. The wind had picked up, and they were having some trouble keeping the sail from flapping about.
“Rourke! Shane! Hard ta starbard! The waves’re cresting!” Evelyn yelled as she sprinted onto the bridge to help the two large men with the helm.
“Aye, sar, hard starbard,” both men shouted in unison as they turned the massive wheel over.
“Dermot! Baitan dyn th’ haicthes!” Captain Lanigan shouted to the small cabin boy as he ran for cover from the ensuing rain.
“Aye, Cappin,” Dermot yelled over the roar of the waves and shouts of the rest of the crew. He ran down below to lock everything up.
The waves began to break against the sides of the ship, sending whitewater up onto the deck. The crew scrambled around, doing their best to keep the ship right side up and themselves in the process. Lightening suddenly lit up the sky, startling barely any of the crew. They were too busy to notice except for the sudden increase in light. The lightening flashes actually helped them see the riggings better since it had grown so dark in such a short amount of time. They could all navigate themselves around the ship with their eyes closed, but the light helped somewhat.
Evelyn was soaked through and through by the time she reached the back of the bridge. She looked down at the breaking ocean. “This inna gonna blow over,” she mumbled to herself as she watched the water just miss the deck. She turned back around in time to see lightening strike the mast. “Watch out!” She ran back across the bridge and hurried down the stairs. The ship lurched, and she fell to the deck, slamming into the low walls on the edge. She grunted in pain. She scrambled to her feet and dove out of the way as the mast came down in the very spot where she had been lying, crushing the wall and sliding mostly into the ocean. It pulled the ship along with it as it was still connected at the base just above the deck. The ocean surged, sending water up onto the deck, sending several of the crew either into the walls or into the ocean.
“Evelyn!” Captain Lanigan yelled, looking around for his daughter.
“I’m here, Áthair (AWE-hir),” Evelyn yelled back, squinting at the figure of her father across the deck of the ship.
Captain Lanigan had lost his hat in the wind, and his short hair was blowing into his eyes. “Pack up down b’low!” he yelled and pushed his hair out of his blue eyes that now had fear in them.
“Aye, Áthair,” Evelyn yelled back and ran toward the now fastened door down below. She ran inside, closing it securely and ran into the captain’s quarters and began packing up the small chest that had been locked just above the head of the bed. She packed in the photographs, daguerreotypes, jewels, and all other things of value that she and her father had acquired. She was just finishing up when Dermot fell into the room. “Come nye, Evelyn!” Dermot yelled over the roar of the crashing water. “We dunna have time!” He tugged at her sleeve hurriedly.
“Aye, Dermot. Give anuthar minute here,” Evelyn ordered and pushed him away.
“Evelyn,” Dermot pleaded, not liking the storm they’d run into. Being sixteen and only one and one-half years younger than Evelyn, he scared easily as such large storms. He’d only been in one other storm before, but it had been relatively small. He’d only been a sailor for about three years and had seen barely any of the life that Evelyn had seen.
“I heard ye, Dermot“ The ship lurched again and sent them both to the floor, one on top of the other. Evelyn moaned in pain because Dermot had hit her quite hard when he’d landed on her.
“Sorry,” Dermot apologized when he realized exactly where his hands had landed on her body.
“No time warryin’ abyt thyt nye, Dermot,” Evelyn replied, pushing him up and climbing to her feet herself. “Come nye. We baiter get back on deck.” She packed the chest into a pack and slung it over both her shoulders, securing it properly. She grabbed Dermot’s hand and pulled him out of the room just before a wave came crashing through the window, shattering the glass. They ducked away from the flying glass and rushing water and then ran back onto the deck.
“Tie dyn those riggings!” Captain Lanigan was yelling when the two bolted the door behind them. Captain Lanigan nearly fell over when a wave crashed as his feet, enveloping his knees. If he’d not spent his entire life on the ocean, he surely would have been thrown overboard.
Evelyn didn’t waste a second. She ran back onto the bridge to see that the wheel had been abandoned and was spinning around with nothing to stop it. “Shyt,” she mumbled under her breath. The rudder was gone. “Áthair,” she yelled to her father. Captain Lanigan looked over. “The rudder’s gyne! We canna sarvyve this! We nyd the life boats!” she yelled.
Captain Lanigan couldn’t hear what she was saying. “What?” he yelled back at her, gesturing that he couldn’t hear her. Evelyn repeated herself, yelling louder, but all her father could see was the movements of her lips. “What?” he said again.
Before Evelyn could repeat herself a second time, a giant wave climbed over the side of the ship and swept Captain Lanigan overboard. “Áthair!!” Evelyn screamed, grasping the railing in shock. She headed down to the deck, but Dermot grabbed her and held her back.
“Evelyn! No! You’ll go over, too!” he yelled and kept her from running after her father’s now unconscious body.
Seamus ran up to them now. “What nye, Captain?” he yelled, having seen Captain Lanigan go over.
Evelyn shook her head clear. “Get ta the lyfe boats!” she ordered, wiping the water off of her face.
“Aye,” Seamus obeyed, running off to the far end of the ship to relay the order.
“Abayndon ship!” Evelyn yelled as loud as she could, slamming the clapper on the bell repeatedly and as loudly as she could to make sure that everyone heard.
The crew began scrambling about faster than before. They put the boat in the water as fast as they could, but it had been badly damaged from banging up against the ship. As far as they could tell, there were no holes in it, but it could still be damaged. They got into it as fast as possible, too. Many of the crew had already been lost overboard, so the lifeboat wasn’t as full as it could hold by the time the last survivors were inside.
Several hours later, the storm had subsided and was moving on. The survivors of the Dunlevy waited patiently in the lifeboat. No one had spoken since they’d rowed away from the ship, which they’d actually watched go under. Evelyn didn’t know what she was going to do now. She’d spent her entire life on that ship. She didn’t know what she was going to do now, not at all. She sighed and looked at her bandana between her hands. Her hair blew across her face as Seamus put his hand on her shoulder.
“Ye alright, Evey?” Seamus asked quietly.
Evelyn forced a smile. “I always thought I’d be captain when Áthair was old and gray, not from some squall when th’ Dunlevy goes dyn,” she answered and tied the bandanna back over her hair.
Seamus coughed up a mouthful of seawater. “Dunna worry, Evey. He died well,” he soothed her.
“I know, Seamus. I’ll miss him.” She turned back to the sea. “Good-bye, Father,” she added quietly. Seamus patted her shoulder and then looked out over the now calm ocean.
Several hours had passed before Evelyn realized what the date was. It may seem like a trivial matter to a crew of shipwrecked sailors, but it meant life or death to the bunch of them. Evelyn had suddenly remembered about a large passenger ship that was supposed to pass through their previous coordinates in two days. She might pick them up from the ocean and bring them to New York with her.
Evelyn determined their position that night by the stars and figured out the direction in which they had to row and for how long before they crossed the shipping lanes again. The squall had thrown them off course considerably, so they needed almost the two full days of rowing. Since there were sixteen survivors, they took turns at rowing to allow the others to rest and still keep moving. Wasted time could condemn them to live out the last of their days on the ocean in the middle of the Sargassom Sea with nothing else around but a bunch of seaweed if they were lucky. They also only had a small jug of fresh water. The lot of them would have to ration it, drinking only a sip or two every few hours, and those sips being only a few drops at the most.
They reached the coordinates by the time the passenger ship was in sight on the horizon. Evelyn was busy tending to Seamus who had become too sick to row anymore. She had been giving him her rations of water for the past several hours. He was getting worse. By the time the ship began to slow down in order to rescue them, Seamus was dead. The crew bid him goodbye and cast him off into the ocean. Evelyn gave him and those crewmembers who had died during the squall a proper funeral as the waited for the passenger ship.
The ship rescued them shortly thereafter. The captain dictated to them through several liaisons that they stay on the deck for the next few days since they had no quarters left on the ship. They were only three days from New York, so they didn’t have too much time on the ship. They also got medical care and food from the passenger ship. The captain approached them the next morning.
“I would like to speak to the man in charge,” the captain began, looking down his nose at the short man named Ultan.
Ultan nodded and looked over his shoulder toward Evelyn, Rourke, and Shane. Evelyn glanced up and stood slowly. The rest of the crew stood when she did. Ultan moved out of her way as she approached the captain.
“Aye, sir?” she inquired, looking up at him proudly.
“I’d like to speak with the leader, miss,” the captain reiterated.
“Ye are, Captain. Ye may be unaware, sir, of the hierarchy of a Tall Ship, byt, as first mate, I take over when the captain dies. Ye may not loyke speakin’ to a woman captain, sir, but I am the captain of the Dunlevy,” Evelyn informed him briskly.
“I apologize, Captain. I was unaware,” the captain replied, tipping his hat to her.
“Aye, sir,” Evelyn nodded. “What may I do far ye nye?”
“We need to discuss what is to be done with you and your crew once we reach New York,” the captain said.
“Ye needn’t warry ‘byt thyt, Captain. We’ll be out of yar hair as soon as we reach part. We won’t be any more trouble than extra weight on yar deck,” Evelyn said with a small smirk.
The captain nodded and continued to speak with her for about ten minutes more. They had a few other things to discuss, so the crew went back to their business of talking and playing cards.
The ship finally reached port some days later. Evelyn and her crew offloaded with the steerage passengers. They were last. The foreign passengers had to go through Ellis Island, so Evelyn and her crew followed the rest of them there. Rourke and Sean went through the line and decided to head down the coast, looking for another ship to work on. Ultan went up to Canada to see what all he could find to do up there. He’d always wanted to see the country. Shane, Dylan, and Aiden went out west, traveling on the good natures of train conductors or just walking out there. They split up before any of them reached St. Louis, however. None of them ever saw or heard from Aiden again. The others promised they’d write once they reached their destinations, sending the letter to the post office where Evelyn could pick them up without an address other than that of the post office. She and Dermot had decided to stay in New York.
Once they left Ellis Island, Evelyn and Dermot tried to navigate their way around New York City. Needless to say, they weren’t having the easiest of times. They could read the language, so that wasn’t a problem, but they did have difficulty finding people who would help them. They basically did look like ruffians who had just washed up from a shipwreck, which was very much the truth.
“Do ye know whare we’re going, Cappin?” Dermot asked as they walked down the street together.
“Aye, Dermot,” Evelyn answered for the fifth time. He dropped back a few steps while she approached a well-dressed gentleman. “Pardon me, sar, but would ye know whare“
“Get away from me you filthy, little street-rat,” the gentleman said forcefully, stepping away from her quickly.
“But, sar“
“Do not ever come near me again, or I will have you arrested,” the man ordered angrily.
Evelyn walked away from him, not turning her back to him yet. “Aye, sar,” she mumbled, finally turning back to Dermot. “Let’s go.” He nodded, and they left the gentleman alone.
“Nye what?” Dermot asked, looking around.
Just then, the trolley clambered down the street. Dermot didn’t notice. Evelyn grabbed his shirt collar and yanked him out of the way. Unfortunately, she knocked them both over in the process. She moaned in slight pain when he landed on top of her.
“Ya bettah watch dose trollies dere,” a thin girl with long brown hair said as she extended both hands down toward them.
“Thank ye,” Evelyn said as she took hold of the girl’s hand. Dermot did the same, and the girl pulled them both to their feet in a quick motion.
“Sure, anytime. Whatta you two doin’ dodgin’ da trollies in Brooklyn anyhow?” the girl asked with a kind smile and a slight chuckle.
Evelyn smiled a little. “Lookin’ far a place ta stay and some wark, actually,” she answered.
“Ya ran inta da right person den,” the girl smirked.
“How’s thyt?” Evelyn asked as she brushed the dirt off her clothes.
“The name’s Anna Duntryn. I live here in Brooklyn. I’m actually on my way ta Queens. They got lodgin’ houses fer both girls ‘n’ boys. Girl named Birdie I think runs ‘em there. She’s real good. How ‘bout it, huh?” Anna explained with a smile.
Dermot looked at Evelyn quickly, very much wanting to go along with the pretty leader. Evelyn just glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “Lodging houses, ye say?” she inquired. Anna nodded once. “Aye,” Evelyn nodded back.
“Follah me den,” Anna said and headed down toward Queens. “What’d ya say yer names were?” she called back to them.
“Captain Evelyn Lanigan, ‘n’ this is Dermot,” she answered.
“Captain? That yer nickname er d’ya actually own a ship?” Anna laughed.
“I used ta,” Evelyn answered bluntly. Anna nodded but said nothing. They all just continued down to the docks and took the ferry across the river.
Not too much later the three acquaintances left Brooklyn and headed deep into Queens. They walked only a block when Anna found just the person she was looking for. She waved to him.
“Heya, Mac!” she yelled across the street.
The boy looked up and nodded to her, smiling a little. “Heya, Anna!” he yelled, tucking his papers away and trotting over to the three of them. “Did ja bring me a welcomin’ gift?” he asked and looked at Evelyn and Dermot. Evelyn narrowed her eyes at that.
“Naw, Mac. Ya get da kid. Birdie gits da girl,” Anna answered, chuckling a little and then spitting in her palm.
Mac did the same and shook Anna’s hand. “Couldn’t we switch jist dis once? Da girl’s kinda pretty,” he smiled, glancing over at her.
Anna kept her eyes locked with Mac’s. “Captain Evelyn Lanigan, Dermot, dis’s da leadah a da Queens boys ‘n’ one a da biggest jerks I know, Mac Scurelli,” she said quickly, her eyes narrowed at Mac as well.
Mac chuckled and held his hand out to both Irishmen. Dermot shook his hand first. Evelyn finally decided that he was harmless and shook his hand also. “Noyce ta meet ye,” Evelyn said plainly, not yet believing that Mac was sincere in his actions.
“Hey, Evelyn,” Anna began, “don’t mind Mac none. He’s hawmless.” She chuckled at that. “So long as you leave his girls alone a bit.”
“An’ don’t mind Anna none. She don’t got no brains,” Mac scowled at her.
“I have so got brains! I’ve got more ‘an you do any day!” Anna shot back.
“If ya’s so smawt, why ain’t ya had a boyfriend in three years, huh?” Mac argued.
“That doesn’t have anythin’ ta do with havin’ brains, Mac,” Anna protested, beginning to get angry with him.
“Excuse me!” Evelyn shouted and stepped between the two of them. They both looked at her oddly. “Moyht either of ye mind showing Dermot and me whare we moyht be living?” she asked, eyeing the two squabbling teens.
Mac groaned and looked over his shoulder. “Hey! Wren!” he yelled up the street. The dark-haired boy ran toward them from a corner up the street.
“Heya, Mac, Anna. Who’re da new kids?” the blue-eyed Wren asked curiously, seeing Dermot first and not yet Evelyn. When he did see her, his mouth nearly fell to his knees. She wasn’t the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, not by far, but she was very pretty.
“Heya, Wren,” Anna greeted with a nod of her head. “I found these kids in Brooklyn. The short one’s Dermot. The girl’s Captain Evelyn Lanigan.” She gestured to them as she spoke.
Wren offered his hand to both Irishmen. “Pleased ta meet cha, Cap’n, Dermot,” he greeted while both shook his hand in turn. Evelyn nodded to him.
“You, too,” Dermot grinned. He was beginning to like the friendship being shown to him by the inhabitants of New York. He was mildly naïve about much of the world.
“Ya mind takin’ da kids home, Wren?” Mac continued after the introductions were over and done with.
“Nah, I’ll do it. Ya comin’ along, Anna?” Wren answered, smirking a little and looking over at the girl with a cool look in his eyes. “Ya think I’d come ta Queens without visitin’ Birdie?!” Anna replied, looking utterly horrified at such an assumption.
Wren chuckled. “Right, right, right,” he mumbled, still smirking. He turned back to Mac. “We’ll see ya latah tanight den, huh, Boss?” he asked. Wren had a habit of calling his leaders Boss since he’d been involved in organized crime out in Chicago for a few years.
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be back at da house by lights out,” Mac answered. He nodded to them, tipping his hat to the girls and headed off on his way.
“Dis way,” Wren said once Mac was gone and headed off toward the girl’s lodging house. The three outsiders followed Wren toward the lodging house slowly. None of them were in any real hurry. It was still fairly early.
The four of them walked into the lobby of the Queens girls lodging house. “Birdie!” Anna yelled up the stairs.
The auburn-headed leader poked her head out of the bunkroom. “Anna?!” she exclaimed, quite astonished and wondering what the Brooklyn girl was doing in her territory.
“I got a new one fer ya, Birdie,” the girl informed, nodding back to Evelyn. “Where’s Lilah?” She was, of course, referring to the landlady Mrs. Lilah Stevenson.
“I’m right here, Anna,” Lilah said as she came into the lobby.
Anna turned. “Heya, Lilah. I got a new one fer ya taday,” she replied and leaned on the desk.
Lilah nodded and pulled out her ledger book. “You write?” she asked Evelyn. Evelyn nodded and took the pen handed to her. She wrote her name into the book in her elegant handwriting. Lilah took the pen and book back and looked at the new writing. “Aab-lyn?” she asked, not sure about the name.
Evelyn smiled. “Nay, Evelyn,” she corrected, shaking her head a few times.
Lilah looked at the name again. “How do you get Evelyn from that, dear?” she asked, not seeing it.
“It’s Oy-rish, madam,” Evelyn answered simply. Lilah mumbled something and nodded, still not really seeing it but understanding that it was the girl’s name. Evelyn turned back to the lobby as the landlady put the book away.
“I’m gonna take da kid on home,” Wren spoke up. “See ya latah, Boidie, Anna, Cap’n.” He tipped his hat to Evelyn. The eyebrows of both the two friends reached their hairlines when they saw Wren’s simple action. The two boys left and headed toward their lodging house.
Evelyn looked back at the two stunned girls. “What?” she asked, not understanding.
“Wren never tips ‘is hat!” Birdie stated obviously.
“Don’t get us wrong, Evelyn. He’s a real sweet guy. He just never tips ‘is hat is all,” Anna shrugged.
“I asked ‘im one time why ‘e did it like that. He said it was cuz ‘e does it ta people ‘e respects ‘n’ all a dat,” Birdie explained.
“He likes ya, Evelyn,” Anna cooed in a singsong voice. The two friends smiled and giggled a little.
Evelyn had a thoughtful look on her face and glanced at the door. “Aye, parhaps he does, but I parhaps do back,” she thought to herself and smirked a little.
“Oh! Hey! In all the excitement, I fergot ta introduce meself!” Birdie laughed. Evelyn turned back to her quickly. “The name’s Jillian Elizabeth Kelley, but I go by Birdie ‘round here.” She offered her hand.
“Captain Evelyn Lanigan,” she answered back and shook Birdie’s hand firmly.
“Well, now that we’re all acquainted, let’s chat,” Birdie mentioned and beckoned for the girls to go up to the bunkroom.
The next morning, the blue-eyed Wren returned to the girls’ lodging house and entered cautiously. He removed his old woolen cap to reveal his shaggy brown hair and allowed it to fall into his eyes. He pushed it out of his face with a tanned hand slowly as he looked around the lobby.
“Hello?” he called, still looking around a bit.
“Hello,” Lilah called back and walked out into the lobby.
“Da girls still here?” Wren asked, almost nervously.
Lilah nodded. “Yeah, they’re still upstairs,” she answered. “Ya wanna go up?”
Wren shook his head. “Naw, I’ll wait down heh’,” he answered and sat down silently on a chair. The landlady nodded and went back to her work.
A few moments later, Evelyn, Birdie, and several of the other girls headed down the stairs. Wren stood at their presence. Birdie stopped short when she noticed him. Rhythm and Patches ran right into her. Evelyn was surprised to see him and came to a slower stop. The girls behind her were a bit more grateful for that.
“Wren, hello,” Evelyn greeted quietly.
“Mornin’, Cap’n,” Wren replied with a bit of a smile.
Once Birdie came to her senses, she spoke. “What’re you doin’ back here, huh, Wren?” she asked with a laugh.
Wren shrugged. “I figured I could show the cap’n ‘round, teach ‘er how ta sell,” he answered.
Birdie raised a pleased eyebrow and glanced back at her girls. “Sure, Wren, if ya like,” she answered with a nod. She turned to Evelyn. “Captain?”
Evelyn shrugged and nodded. “I dunna see a problem with thyt,” she answered in a soft voice. Wren smiled a little.
“Hey, Wren, why don’t cha run ahead. We gotta tawk ‘bout a couple things before we get ta sellin’,” Birdie said.
Wren nodded. “See ya latah, Cap’n… ladies,” he answered, bowing his head politely to them and going out the door, placing his hat back onto his head once he was out the door.
A few of the younger girls squealed gleefully. Evelyn touched her temple in slight pain. “Wow, Captain, Wren’s really taken to ya. I mean, he’s always polite, but ‘e ain’t always dat polite, ya know what I mean?” Birdie explained.
Evelyn hesitated and then nodded. “Parhaps so,” was all she said. She turned and glanced out the door. “What’s his real name anyway?” she wondered, suddenly curious.
The girls shrugged. “Nobody knows,” Kit spoke up.
“Yeah, nobody. He jist came inta town ‘n’ interduced ‘imself as Wren. Nothin’ more,” Cobblestone added with a bit of a shrug.
“Yeah, I mean, he don’t volunteer da infermation, so we don’t ask eiddah,” Patches smiled. “He’s a good kid, but we all got our secrets. I mean, me ‘n’ Birdie, we got ours dat we don’t wanna share. It ain’t dat weird fer ‘im not ta announce it, ya know.” She shrugged.
Evelyn nodded. “Thyt I undarstand. I have moyne own secrets…” She smirked and looked out the door again. “Today will be very interesting,” she remarked. The girls giggled and headed out the door. Evelyn’s bunkmate, Kit, grabbed Evelyn’s wrist and pulled her out into the street with the others.
Later that afternoon, Evelyn and Wren had gotten to be fairly good acquaintances. It was obvious that Wren was a bit more than fond of her, but Evelyn still wasn’t entirely sure. She’d been around men her entire life and never had been able to tell how they felt about her, mainly because most of them had tried to use her for various purposes.
“Hey, Wren, cain I aisk ye somethin’?” Evelyn wondered, turning her thin stack of papers over in her hands.
“Sure, Evelyn, ya kin ask me anythin’,” he answered. It had taken him all day to finally call her by her first name and not her title.
“What’s yar real name?” she asked curiously.
Wren swallowed slowly and looked around the street. He took her arm and led her into an alleyway. “Ya gotta promise ta keep it ta yerself,” he whispered.
Evelyn watched his sapphire-blue eyes carefully. There was a reason why he never told anyone his name. “Aye,” she nodded assuredly.
Wren glanced around again. “Well, ya see, nobody knows me name cuz a people who’re lookin’ fer me. I didn’t exactly leave well, ya see. No body leaves da family alive. I tried. Dey ain’t found me yet. So, ya see, ya gotta keep me name ta yaself. Da only reason I’m gonna tell you is cuz I like ya.” He paused and blushed a bit. “But ya still gotta swear dat ya won’t tell nobody ‘bout me past,” he finished.
“Aye, on the Dunlevy I sware,” she promised, placing one hand on her chest.
Wren looked around again. “Quinton Toliver. Me name’s Quinton Toliver. I used ta work fer the mob out in Chicago. Now I’m a newsie here. I been tryin’ ta keep outta da way a da mob heh’ cuz a what dey can send back ta Chicago, so ya see how I gotta keep me name a secret,” he explained quietly.
“Aye, thayt I undarstand, and I will keep yar name to meself,” she promised.
Wren smiled. “Thanks, Evey,” he whispered.
“Please dunna call me thyt,” she said with a troubled look in her eyes.
Wren furrowed his brow curiously. “How come? Ya don’t like it?” he asked.
Evelyn swallowed. “An old friend called me thyt… He’s dead,” she answered, keeping her tears out of her eyes.
Wren placed a hand on her shoulder. “Den I won’t call ya dat, Evelyn,” he smiled reassuringly. She smiled back as his compassion. He was everything Birdie and the other girls had said he was.
Later that evening, Wren and Dermot came into the girls’ lodging house looking for Evelyn. She was in the shower, so they had to wait downstairs. Dermot was more anxious to see her than Wren was. Dermot had news from the crew.
When Evelyn got out of the shower, the dark-haired Myth was there to greet her, as were Cobblestone and Dragon Fly. Evelyn looked at them all while she dried her hair a bit with the towel. She watched them as they spoke, and she finished dressing.
“Hey, Evelyn, that boy a yers is downstairs,” Myth mentioned.
“Wren, too,” Dragon Fly chimed in with a sparkle in her eyes. Evelyn chuckled at her excitement.
“I’ll be dyn directly,” Evelyn answered and pulled her shirt on over her head. The three girls nodded and left, leaving Evelyn alone in the bunkroom. She wondered why the two boys would be visiting her, but she didn’t worry about it. She’d find out in a few minutes.
“Cappin!” Dermot exclaimed as Evelyn started down the stairs, her wet hair and in the process of being braided.
“Aye, Dermot?” she replied when she reached the landing.
“I stopped by the post box. I have letters from the crew,” he answered.
Evelyn dropped her hands to her sides, leaving her hair only half-braided, and hurried down the stairs. She snatched the letters out of Dermot’s hands and tore open the first one slowly as she sat down on the floor. She placed the rest of the letters on her knee and read the first one.
Captain Evelyn Lanigan,
Sean and I have reached the port in New Orleans. We have found
several ships to work on, but they will not hire us without a recommendation
or proof from our previous employer. Since Captain Lanigan is now deceased, rest
his soul, and you are the Captain of the Dunlevy, would you be so kind as to
write us such letters so that we can find work. Since we are not Americans,
they wish to make sure that we are also not pirates, I believe. That is the only
reason I can think of for them to require this letter. Thank you, Captain
Lanigan.
Sincerely,
Rourke O’Malley and Sean Donovan
Evelyn nodded and folded the letter back up, slipping it back into the envelope. She set it aside and turned to the next letter. The others waited patiently to hear what all the letters were about.
Dear Evelyn, I have made it safely to San Francisco. I wanted to tell you that I have
made it here safely so that you would not worry. We were never very nice to
you onboard, but I wanted to make it up to you. I will send you half of my
wages over the next several months to pay off the insurance debt we owe. I
advise you to tell the rest of the crew about it. From what I know about
insurance companies and ships sinking in squalls, they will ask for a great deal
of money. You should not have to pay it off by yourself. My address is on the
outside of the envelope. Please write back to confirm your address.
Sincerely,
Shane McAlastar
Evelyn smiled at that. “Aye, Shane, thyt I will,” she mumbled as she stuffed the letter back into its envelope.
The rest of the letters were very much the same all in all. Dylan wrote and said that he was in Montana, working on a ranch with a nice family. Ultan was up in Ontario learning how to run machines in a factory. He’d said it wasn’t the best work, but he was being paid decent wages. He didn’t mind it too much then. Evelyn wrote them all back and informed them of Shane’s comments about the insurance company, the company she would have to visit the next morning. She even wrote two glowing letters of recommendation about Sean and Rourke. She didn’t even speak until someone asked what it was all about.
“Uh, Cappin…” Dermot spoke up.
“Hmm?” Evelyn asked and looked up at the cabin boy.
“What do they say?” he asked curiously.
“Everyone is foyne, Dermot. Rourke and Sean are looking far wark in New Orleans. Dylan is warking in Montana. Shane is in San Francisco. Ultan is up in Ontario. I’ve heard nothing from Aiden. Parhaps the others have heard from him. I’ve asked,” she answered with a shrug.
“It’s not loyke Aiden to leave his captain in the dark abyt whare he is. He seemed ta always like you,” Dermot mentioned.
Evelyn glanced over at the wall. “Aye, ‘t’is not loyke him ‘t’all,” she thought to herself. She doubted they would ever hear from Aiden, but she did ask if anyone knew about him, just in case.
“Hey! Who’s up fer some music?” Shamrock spoke up excitedly. Everyone looked over at her oddly. She shrugged. “I’m in da mood fer a good time…”
“An’ who says we can’t have one, huh?” Birdie added with a smile. The girls grinned and began to get into the spirit of a good time.
Wren turned to Evelyn once someone had begun playing some music. “Ya wanna dance?” he asked with a sweet smile.
Evelyn chuckled and nodded. “Aye,” she answered.
Wren offered his hand and pulled her to her feet. They joined into the dancing and festivities of the others. They were all laughing and having a good time. They were all having a wonderful time.
“We’ve found a home, Dermot,” Evelyn thought to herself. “We have a home here with these newsies. For the first time ever, we have a home on land, a permanent one.” She smiled at that. Queens was going to be good for them. She knew it.
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