Wednesday- August 2, 1899
"So, when's da others comin', kid?" Skittery asked. We all stood around the statue in Newsies Square. All that was there was Manhattan and Brooklyn. We were dead.
"They ain't coming. Ain't gonna be nobody but us," Jack announced.
Blink begged, "Come on, Jack."
"Have hope, Jack," I said. Les quietly walked to the edge of the square.
"When the circulation bell starts ringing, will we hear it?" He sang.
"Nah." I joined him. "What if the Delancey's come out swingin', will we hear it?"
"No!" Les gasped.
"'Atta boy!" Race said. He came up and messed up mine and Les's hair. We both scowled at him.
"When you've got a million voices singing, who can hear a lousy whistle blow? And the World will know!" We all turned and saw thousands of kids skipping work. They came and joined us in the square. I turned and saw other newsies coming. I cheered along with my friends.
We had spent the rest of the night and into the next day passing The Children's Crusade around to anyone who would take it. Hoping kids would come, we met up in Newsies Square. We all began to sing.
"The World will feel the fire and finally know! Strike, strike, strike!" Everyone began cheering. Jack picked up Les and put him on his shoulders as we pushed through the crowd. Right in front of the doors to the World building was a line of policemen. The doors opened and a man walked out. He gestured to me, Jack, and Davey. We followed him and walked inside.
"Mornin', gents!" Jack grinned as he slapped our paper on Pulitzer's desk.
"You're behind this," he spat. "I promised that if you defied me, I'd break you. I'll keep that promise, boy. Now, I gave you a chance to be free. I don't understand. Anyone who doesn't act in their own self interest is a fool." Pulitzer was going crazy over our paper, and not in a good way.
"Then what does that make you?" accused Davey.
Pulitzer looked between us three, confused. "What?" he questioned.
"Oh, this is our pal, Davey. The walkin' mouth," I proudly announced.
"We had a deal!" Pulitzer screamed.
"And it came with a money-back guarantee." Jack threw the rest of the money he was given on the table. "Oh, and thank you for the lesson on the power of the press." He stood back up and grinned at me.
One of Pulitzer's secretaries grabbed our paper and started reading it. "Did you read this, boss? These kids put out a pretty good paper! Very convincing," he mumbled.
"Written by Denton I presume." Pulitzer wearily rubbed his forehead.
"An' your very own granddaughter. I would sign her before some other pape grabs her." Jack slung his arm over my shoulders carefully.
Pulitzer stood up and slammed his hands on his desk. "I demand to know who defied my ban on printing strike-related material!"
"We're your loyal employees." Jack put his other hand on his chest as I continued.
"We would neva take our business elsewhere."
"That old printing press in the cellar..." the same secretary from before said.
"Ohhh," the other secretary muttered. She quickly backed away as Pulitzer started stalking towards us.
"I made you the offer of a lifetime. Anyone who does not act in his own self-interest is a fool." Pulitzer repeated.
"What does that make you?" Davey accused him again. "This all began because you wanted to sell more papers. But now your circulation is down seventy percent. Why didn't you just come talk to us?"
"Oh, 'cause Grandpa Joe don't talk to nobody like us." I sneered, pulling myself away from Jack and walking towards Pulitzer.
"But," Jack added. "A very wise girl once told me bein' a boss don't mean you got all the answers, just da smarts enough to snatch da right one when you hear it." We all turned to the window when we heard singing.
"Now is the time to seize the day. Stare down the odds and seize the day. Minute by minute that's how you win it. We will find a way but let us seize the day!" We walked towards the window and Pulitzer pulled the curtains back.
"Have a look out there, Joe. In case you ain't figured it out, we got ya surrounded," I taunted. Me, Davey, and Jack waved down at our boys.
"New York is closed for business. Paralyzed. You can't get a paper or a shoe shine," mocked Jack.
"You can't send a message, ride an elevator, or cross the Brooklyn Bridge. Hell, you can't even get out of your own office." I laughed at Pulitzer.
"So, what's your next move Joe?" asked Dave.
"Mr. Pulitzer!" A third secretary ran in, out of breath. "The mayor is here, along with the reporter Denton, and... you'll never believe who else!" In walked four people.
"Good morning, Mr. Pulitzer, I think you know the governor," said the mayor.
"Governor Roosevelt!" Pulitzer gasped.
Theodore Roosevelt walked over to him chiding, "Joseph, Joseph, Joseph...What have you done now?"
"I'm certain when you hear my explanation, you'll know exactly-"
Roosevelt stopped him. "Thanks to Miss Medda Larkin and Denton coming to my office, I already have a thorough grasp on the situation- Graphic illustrations included!" He showed Jack's illustrations to the rest of the room. I quietly grasped Jack's hand in my own. "'Bully', is the expression I usually employ to show approval, but in your case, I simply mean 'bully'!" The governor pointed to me and Jack. "And are these the children of whom you spoke? How are you, kids? I'm told we once shared a carriage ride." He laughed loudly and held his hand out for a handshake.
"Pleasure's ours, Mr. Governor," I stated as we shook his hand. Jack turned back to us with a shocked look on his face. He held one of his hands in the other and Dave laughed at him.
"Well, come along, Joe. Don't just stand there letting those children sing... endlessly. Give them the good news!"
"What good news?" Pulitzer asked.
"That you've come to your senses and rolled back prices. Unless, of course, you want to invite a full state Senate investigation into your employment practices?" Roosevelt threatened.
"You wouldn't dare," growled Pulitzer.
"After the pressure you wielded to keep me from office, I'd do it with a smile." I giggled at the bright grin on the governor's face. "Come along Joseph? There is one thing worse than a hard heart, and that's a soft head. Think of the happiness you'll bring those children..." He turned to us with a frown. "He doesn't do happiness, does he?"
Pulitzer sighed. "Mr. Sullivan, Katherine, if I may speak to you, alone?" As everyone else left, the lady secretary walked past us quietly applauding.
Governor Roosevelt walked over to us saying, "Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground. You can do this."
Pulitzer looked away once everyone left. "I cannot put the price back where it was. I'm sorry, I can't, there are other considerations."
"I get it, Joe. You use the same face in front of all these folks. We'se young but we ain't stupid," I started saying.
"Thank you for-" Pulitzer was cut off.
"But I'm a constituent with a legitimate gripe!" Jack pushed, hitting his hand on Pulitzer's desk.
"What if I reduce the raise by half, and get the other to do the same? It's a compromise we can all live with!" Pulitzer offered.
"But... you eat our losses. From now on, every pape we can't sell, you buy back. Full price!" I counter offered.
"That's never been on the table!" Pulitzer yelled. "And what's to keep newsies from taking hundreds of papers they cannot sell? My costs will explode!"
"No newsie is gonna break his back carryin' around papes he can't sell. But... if he can take a few extra with no risk, he might actually sell those and then your circulation will begin to grow," explained Jack.
"It's a compromise we can all live with," I gruffly mocked, scoffing.
Pulitzer looked at us in shock. "That's not a bad head you got on your shoulders."
"Deal." Jack and I both spit in our hands and offered them to him.
"That's disgusting."
"Well that's just the price..." Jack started.
"Of doin' business." I finished
After he reluctantly spit-shook with us, Dave, Jack, and I walked out to the others. We all went to the distribution center. Jack stood on the high balcony with his hand in mine.
"Newsies of New York! We won!" Jack yelled out across the square. He lifted up both our hands as everyone cheered. "And now, I would like to introduce my very own personal pal, Governor Theodore Roosevelt, himself." He pulled me down the steps to our family. We all exchanged hugs and kept cheering. The whole time Jack still kept my hand in his.
"Each generation must, at the height of its power, step aside and invite the young to share the day. You have laid way to our world. Now, I believe the future, in your hands, will be bright and prosperous." Roosevelt looked down at Jack. "And your drawings, son, have brought another matter to an end. Officers, if you please!" A whistle blew. The newsies all stepped aside to let more kids through.
"Hey, Jack, Storm, look! It's Crutchy!" Race called. Crutchy came limping in.
"How ya doin', fellas? Did ya miss me? Oh, and look, look what I got yas! A gift, straight from the refuge. Hey, bring him in boys!" The bulls dragged in Snyder. The boys all gasped and yelled.
"It's Snyder the Spider!" Race yelled.
"He ain't so tough no more, is he?" Mush taunted.
"Jack," we turned back to the governor. "With those drawings, you made an eloquent argument for shutting down the refuge. Be assured that Mr. Snyder's abuses will be fully investigated. Officers, take him away!"
Crutchy stopped him. "Please, Your Highness, may I do the honors?" Roosevelt grinned and nodded.
"You have got to be joking," Snyder fumed.
"Then you'll be laughing, all the way to the pen, little man." Crutchy cuffed him and then used his bad leg to kick him along. "So long, sucker!" I ran over and carefully hugged him. Jack joined me, conscious of both our wounds.
"Thank you, Governor!" I called up to him.
"Hey, if one of your drawings convinced the Governor to close down the refuge, what about a daily political cartoon to expose the dealings in our own government back rooms? What do you say, Teddy? Care to let this young man's artistry shine a light behind your closed doors?" Pulitzer was, surprisingly, offering Jack a job.
"Hey, hey. Don't sweat it Gov'. With the strike settled, we should probably be hitting the road," Jack reminded me.
"Yeah, we should go," I agreed.
Davey rolled his eyes. "Don't you ever get tired of singing the same old tune? What's Santa Fe got that New York ain't? Tarantulas?"
"Or better yet- What's New York got that Santa Fe ain't? Me!" Race's cocky voice rang out.
"New York's got us, and we're family," Crutchy said as he put his arm around Jack's shoulder as Spot slowly did the same to me.
"Didn't I hear something about a strike getting settled?" Pulitzer called.
"Papes for the newsies! Line up, boys! These papes ain't gonna sell themselves," Weasle demanded.
"Come along, governor. Show me the back seat I've heard so much about." Medda led Roosevelt away and winked at me.
"Well don't just stand there, you'se got a union to run. Besides, didn't someone just offer you a pretty excitin' job?" Spot prompted Jack.
"You mean working for your grandfadder?
"We already work for our grandfadder," I deadpanned.
"Oh... yeah."
"And you've got one more ace up you'se sleeve," Blink pushed.
"And what would that be?" I asked, slightly smiling.
"Us," Mush answered. "Wherever you guys go, we'll be there, right by your side."
"Don't take much to be a dreamer. All you do is close your eyes," Jack sang.
"But some made up world is all you'll ever see," Davey added.
"Now my eyes is finally open and my dreams..." I sang.
"They'se average size." Spot came in.
"But they don't much matter..." Skittery joined us.
"If you'se ain't with me." We sang together.
"Well, Jack, Storm. Are you in or out, huh?" Dave asked. All the newsies started cheering and prompting us to hurry. We both ran up and slammed our quarters on the box.
"The usual!" Jack yelled.
"Hundred papes for Queenie! Hundred papes for Cowboy!" Jack and I both grinned and grabbed our papes. I opened one. The headline read, "Elizabeth Swept by a Tornado''.
"How's the headline?" Jack asked from behind me. He carefully laid his chin over my shoulder.
"Headlined don't sell papes, newsies sell papes," I commented. Jack rolled his eyes and sat up. He pulled me close. Electricity filled me as his lips connected with mine.
"Look!" I heard Les say. Cheers surrounded us.
"'Bout time," grumbled Spot.
"Get a room!" Skittery yelled.
I grinned into the kiss as Jack pulled me closer. His ego was boosted by the cheers all around us. Pulling away reluctantly, he grabbed a cigarette from his pocket. He lit it, put it in his mouth, and grabbed my hand again.
"Newsies, hit da streeets!" I called. We all walked out of the distribution center.
"Ready?" Jack asked.
"Always." I replied.
I turned to my family and smiled as they laughed, joking around with each other. I turned back to look at Jack. The sun shined through his hair as he messed with the rope holding his papes. He looked up at me and grinned, cigarette stuck between his teeth. In that second I knew I was looking at the love of my life, my dream, my Santa Fe.