Disclaimer: I don't own Newsies, sadly, they belong to Disney. Mac, however, is my own creation. I also own Smiler and Snaps, and Romeo is 'borrowed' (to me, he is the kid who is last to receive bread from the nuns in the movie). Please read and review!

I love being a Newsie. It might be a hard, hot job and I may have only been doing it for a very short time, but I still love it. It's fun, and I love the feel of money in my pockets. Yes, my Mama would give me money if I needed it, but it's nicer if you've been out and earned it. I especially love the days when Jack lets me sell with him. This is a rare treat, as he usually sells alone or with my brother, David, and he always lets me give the customers their papers and collect the money. Sometimes, he even gives me a few of his papes and lets me sell them on my own (though always within his sight)!

Oh, to be a Newsie.

When I'm not selling with Jack, I usually go with Mac and Tumbler, Snipes and/or Boots, or – very rarely – to Sheepshead with Race. But I don't mind who I go with, because they're all like brothers to me and treat me like one of their own and look out for me, and I am always very happy in their company. They've even started calling me 'Pipsqueak' rather than 'Les', which I rather like!

Oh, to be a Newsie.

In between selling the morning and afternoon editions, us younger Newsies (and the older ones, actually) like to play. Tumbler, my particular friend, has a wooden sword just like mine, and we like to play fight with them, often competing with Skittery and Bumlets, who also like to play fight, but with big sticks. And if it's raining, we go back to the Lodging House, where we younger ones – Snipes, Tumbler, Boots, Romeo and me – play Marbles or Hide-and-Seek (which is surprisingly fun, considering most of us know where all the best hiding places are). The older ones usually play Poker and other card games, which can be fun to watch, especially if Mac is (literally) giving Race a run for his money, which Race doesn't like. (Especially if he knows she's cheating! But then, who taught her how to play in the first place? Race did. So it's his own fault.) But as soon as it's dried up again, we all file back out into the sun, ready to start all over again.

Oh, to be a Newsie.

Of course, there are bad points, and rotten days. First of all, there are the Delancey brothers. Though I hate to admit it, those guys terrify me, especially when they grin at me when they think Jack and David aren't looking. I saw the damage they can do to a person when they beat up my brother during the strike, and even though I pretended I was really brave, chasing away the 'evil monsters', I was really quaking in my boots.

Then there's the Bulls, who chase after you if you so much as breathe when they're around, but then, some of us get a thrill out of running away from these big, burly (and usually rather slow) men, so I suppose they're not so bad.

And then of course there's the weather. On days when it is set to be bad all day, Mama won't even let me go out, and she only reluctantly allows David out. But sometimes, we'll get caught in a downpour which not only means that we are soaking, but that our papes are soggy and useless. Which of course isn't good news.

Oh, to be a Newsie.

But in general, life as a Newsie is the best thing ever, and I wouldn't want to give it up; not for anything! It's the best job ever, I have loads of new friends, and I can spend almost all day, every day outdoors! What more could a little boy want?

And at the end of the day, when I go home to my parents and sister and show them how much I've earned, nothing makes me prouder than to be a Newsie.