Ch2-Money Blues

CHAPTER TWO Money Blues. The hot, muggy air was filled with noise. Jack and Annie heard the clippity-clop of horses' hooves. They heard voices calling out "Crawfish pies!" "Buttermilk!" "Gumbo for sale here!" Jack looked down at his and Annie's clothes. They were both wearing white shirts and dark trousers with suspenders. Jack's backpack had

turned into a cloth bag. Neither Jack nor Annie was wearing shoes. "Wow, we're barefoot. That's cool," said Annie. "And at least I can run in these pants. I like them a lot better than the dress I wore on our last mission." "Yeah." Jack smiled, remembering Annie's long, frilly dress in Vienna and his velvet coat and white wig. "I like being barefoot, too," he said. "But what year did we come to? I can't tell from our outfits." Jack and Annie looked out the window. The tree house had landed in a grove of palm trees. Not far away, steamboats churned down a river. Below them was a bustling city scene. Rows of stores

lined both sides of a wide street. Vendors were selling food from carts. Women shoppers wore long skirts, and men wore white suits and hats. Mule carts and horse-drawn buggies bumped alongside a few antique-looking cars. Moving down the middle of the street were red and green train cars. Each one was attached to an electric line overhead. "This is definitely a long time ago," said Jack. "But when exactly?"

"I can't tell," said Annie. "Maybe our research book can help us," said Jack. "I'll look up Louis Armstrong." Jack looked

in the index of A History of New Orleans Music and found a chapter on Louis Armstrong. He read: Born in New Orleans in 1901, Louis Armstrong grew up to be one of the greatest jazz musicians who ever lived. A photo showed an African American man playing a trumpet. His cheeks were puffed out and his eyes were closed. Stage lights were shining on him. The caption under the photo read Louis Armstrong, King of Jazz. "So what is jazz exactly?" asked Annie. "It's a kind of music," said Jack. "Well, yeah, but what kind?" said Annie.

Jack looked up jazz in the glossary of their book. He read: Jazz began in New Orleans in the early 1900s and was first played by African Americans. It is a style of music that has a strong beat and is played with lots of feeling. Jazz melodies are often made up on the spot. "Got it," said Annie. "Read more about Louis." Jack flipped back to the pages about Louis Armstrong and read: As a young teenager, Louis Armstrong often performed with "kid bands" on the streets of the city. Eventually he played