Margaret was up early again, she was always up before the other newsies. Jack laughed at her for it but she liked the quiet right before everyone got up. As she was skillfully stuffing her hair inside her cap Kloppman, the owner, came into the bunkroom, sighing when he found the boys still in bed.
"Up early again Ms. Maggie?" He chucked, Margaret hid her grimace, she hated being called Maggie. Her name was Margaret Rose, she didn't have a last name... not one that she knew of anyway. Either call her Margaret or call her nothing, only Jack got away with calling her Margaret Rose. Kloppman chuckled before turning to the rest of the newsies; he was a nice old man who let her stay in the lodging house, despite the fact that she was a girl.
"Boots! Skittery! Skittery! Skittery!" He yelled shaking Skittery
"Wha..I didn't do it!" Cried the groggy boy, Margaret giggled
"What do you mean you didn't do it?" Demanded Kloppman.
"Will you get up? When you get up, it's time to get up! Snitch! Get up! Get up! Everybody's sleeping. They sleep their lives away these kids! The presses are rolling! Sell the papers, sell the papers! Come on, come on. You dreaming about selling papers?" Kloppman said shaking Jack.
"Mmmmmm? What's the matta with you?" Jack groaned
"What's the matter with me?" Kloppman cried
"What's the matta with you? Wanna..go..back..to.."
"Come on!" Kloppman said giving Jack a shove
"Get away from me, you're mad!" Jack cried
"Ha, ha. Get up boy!" Kloppman laughed
"Come on. Alright! Carry the banner! Sell the papers!" Kloppman shouted. Meanwhile, Racetrack looked around for his cigar, noticing that Snipeshooter had it.
"That's my cigar!" Racetrack cried
"You'll steal anudder!" Said Snipeshooter
"Hey bummers, we got work tah do!" Said Kid Blink as Margaret grabbed the cigar.
"Margaret!" The boys cried
"I'm sick of you two fightin' o'er these!" Margaret said
"'Sides, it's not good for ya"
"Since when did you become me mudder?" Asked Specs
"Aww, stop your bawling!" Said Crutchy
"Hey, who asked you?" Shouted the newsies.
"So, how'd you sleep Jack?" Mush asked as Margaret threw his shirt at his face.
"On me back Mush." Jack said
"Ha ha. Hear that fellas? Hear what Jack said? I asked Jack how he slept and he said 'On me back Mush.'" Margaret rolled her eyes just then Racetrack grabbed a worn five-cent notebook from under Margaret's pillow.
"Whatta we 'ave 'ere?" Racetrack jeered waving the notebook at Margaret.
"Racetrack, you give that back!" Margaret cried lunging for the notebook just as Racetrack yanked it out of her reach.
"Give it!"
"Give it!" Racetrack mimicked
"C'mon Racetrack, give Margaret Rose her notebook back" Jack said grabbing the notebook from the boy and handing it back to the girl.
"Thanks Jack" Margaret said hugging the book to her chest.
"No problem, what's in there anyways?" Jack asked
"Just a story I'm working on" Margaret said
"Can I read it?" Jack asked
"No"
"Why not?" Jack asked
"It's not ready yet." Margaret said tucking the book back into its hiding spot. Just then Crutchy came up
"Jack, when I walk, does it look like I'm faking it?" He asked
"No. Who says you're faking it?" Jack asked
"I dunno. Its just there's so many fake crips on the street today, a real crip ain't got a chance. I gotta find me a new selling spot where they ain't used to seeing me."
"Try Bottle Alley or the harbor" Said Mush
"Try Central Park, it's guaranteed" Chimed in Racetrack
"Try any banker, bum, or barber" Said Jack
"They almost all knows how to read" Said Skittery
"I smell money" cried Kid Blink
"You smell foul!" Laughed Crutchy
"Met this girl last night…" Mush began grabbing Margaret from behind and earning an elbow to the stomach.
"Move your elbow!"
"Pass the towel!"
"For a buck I might!" Margaret rolled her eyes while she waited for the boys to finish getting ready.
"Ain't it a fine life carrying the banner through it all? A mighty fine life carrying the banner tough and tall Every morning, we goes where we wishes We's as free as fishes Sure beats washing dishes what a fine life carrying the banner home- free all!" Finally, the newsies left the Lodging House and headed towards Newsies Square.
"It takes a smile as sweet as butter" Jack smiled
"The kind the ladies can't resist," Crutchy smirked winking at Margaret
"It takes an orphan...with a stutter" said Racetrack
"That ain't afraid to use his-"
"Fist!"
"Summer stinks and winter's waiting welcome to New York boy, ain't nature fascinating when youse gotta walk? Still, it's a fine life carrying the banner with me chums a mighty fine life blowing every nickel as it comes!"
"I'm no snoozer sitting makes me antsy I likes living chancy" Crutchy said
"Harlem tah Delancey what a fine life carrying the banner through the slums." The Newsies came upon the good sisters that provided them with their breakfast each morning, the youngest nun spoke as she pressed a pastry into Margaret's hand.
"Blessed children though you wonder lost and depraved Jesus loves you, you shall be saved!" She said,
"Just give me half a cup" Racetrack mumbled
"Something to wake me up" added Blink
"I gotta find an angle"
"I gotta sell more papes" muttered Crutchy
"Papers is all I got Wish I could catch a breeze Sure hope the headline's hot All I can catch is fleas God help me if it's not Somebody help me, please..." Margaret noticed Patrick's mother milling about, Patrick had died a few months ago. She felt bad for the woman,
"Patrick,darling Since you left me, I am undone Mother loves you God save my son!" She heard the woman say as she looked for her dead son. The Newsies soon moved on to get their papers for the day
"If I hate the headline, I'll make up the headline And I'll say anything I hafta 'Cause it's two for a penny, if I take too many Weasel just makes me eat 'em afta" the Newsies said squinting up at the headlines
"Look! They're putting up the headline!" Margaret cried
"They call that a headline? I get better stories from the copper on the beat!"
"I was gunna start with twenty but a dozen'll be plenty Tell me, how'm I gonna make ends meet?" Crutchy said
"What's it say?" Cried Boots
"That won't pay! So where's your spot? God, it's hot! Will ya tell me how'm I gonna make ends meet?"
"We need a good assassination! We need an earthquake or a war!"
"How 'bout a crooked politician?" Asked Snipeshooter
"Hey, stupid, that ain't news no more!" Cried the newsies
"Uptown to Grand Central Station Down to City Hall we improves our circulation Walkin' 'til we fall!"
"Still we'll be out there carrying the banner man to man! Yes, we'll be out there soaking every sucker that we can! See the headline newsies on a mission kill the competition sell the next edition while we're out there carrying the banner is the...
"Look, they're putting up the headline they call that a headline the idiot who wrote it must be working for the Sun Didja hear about the fire? Heard it killed old man Maguire! Heard the toll was ever higher why do I miss all the fun? Hitched it on a Trolley meetcha Forty-Fourth and Second little Italy's a secret Bleecker's further than I reckoned at the courthouse near the stables on the corner someone beckoned and I..." suddenly the Delancey brothers, Oscar and Morris, appeared
"Dear me! What is that unpleasant aroma? I fear the sewers may have backed up during the night." Cried Racetrack.
"Nah, too rotten to be the sewers." Said Boots
"It must be the Delancey brudders." Laughed Crutchy
"Hiya boys!"
My first Newsies fanfic, God I love like movie! Please Review!