Ch9-Working Man Blues

CHAPTER NINE Working Man Blues. Dipper stopped playing. The three boys stopped singing. Jack and Annie stopped drumming. There was silence. They all crept to the open doorway and stepped outside. The rain had stopped, and the wind had died down. The air felt clean and cool. Stars shone overhead. The pirate ghosts were gone.

"Whoa, that was something!" said Little Mack. "What just happened?" "Was it a dream?" asked Big Nose Sidney. "Were those ghosts real?" "I don't know," said Dipper. "But I'll tell you this: you'll never, ever get me back in that shop again." Everyone laughed. Even Happy looked happy. "Hey, Dipper, how'd you get so good on that horn?" he asked, grinning. "I practiced for two years at the Waif's Home," said Dipper. "That's how." "You got to blow that horn while we sing!" said Big Nose Sidney. "Come with us now! We really do have an important gig tonight on a riverboat!"

"A riverboat?" Jack and Annie said together. They looked at each other. Their research book said that Louis Armstrong developed his musical talents performing on riverboats! "That's right," said Little Mack. "Oh, wow, Dipper, you have to go with them!" said Annie. "Yeah, man!" said Jack. But Dipper just shook his head. "Sorry, folks, but I can't play tonight. I have to get up early in the morning to haul coal." "Aww, Dipper," said Little Mack. "Aww, Dipper," said Jack.

"Don't y'all worry about me," said Dipper. "Have a good time on the boat, fellas. Hang on to that smile, Happy." "I'll try," said Happy. "See you later," said Big Nose Sidney. "So long to y'all, too," Little Mack said to Jack and Annie. "Bye," said Jack. "Good luck on your gig," said Annie. The three boys waved and took off. Dipper looked after them for a long moment. Then he turned to Jack and Annie. "Here's your horn back," he said. "Thanks for letting me play it." He handed the trumpet to

Annie. "Do you want to keep it?" she said. "No, thanks. I have my own horn back at my house, a cornet they gave me at the Waif's Home," said Dipper. "Someday when I'm grown, maybe I'll bring it out again." "I think you should have gone with the fellas, Dipper," said Jack, "to share your musical gifts—" "I know, I know," said Dipper, "to share my musical gifts with the world." He shook his head as if he were shaking off the thought. Then he beamed a big smile at Jack and Annie. "Hey! Weren't we talking about dessert a little while back? That's a gig I can get behind and still get some sleep. Come on!"

As Dipper led Jack and Annie down the rain-slicked street, the wet sidewalks glistened like silver. Life had returned to the French Quarter. Horses and mules splashed through puddles. Streetlamps burned brightly outside dance halls and restaurants. Waiters carried tables and chairs back outside. When Dipper, Jack, and Annie came to Jackson Square, they found kids playing music again. A band was playing a song Jack knew: "When the Saints Go Marching In." A few people in costumes were wandering about. Dipper led Jack and Annie to the back door of the River Café. "The cook here is a friend of mine. So don't worry about the waiters," he said with a