Not Afraid of Pulitzer
Hello all! This is a story I wrote in my English class and I decided to put it up here! Yay! Anyways, this is my first story so please read and review (be nice please). It's based on The Secret Life of Walter Mitty which is a great short story if you don't know. Also this isn't exactly like the first draft, in class we could only have two pages so I had to cut some parts out but they're here don't worry! Oh and some things aren't historically correct I just couldn't think of what to say so don't be mean! Ok here goes! Please tell me what you think! Thank you!
"There were several different kinds of laborers at the turn of the century," droned Mrs. Harris.
Why does she have to make everything so boring? thought Charlotte. She looked around her history class at her cronies. Sam was falling asleep in the back, Kendall was inspecting her nails, and Kim was scribbling down notes as fast as she could.
"Hey, Mouse," whispered Charlotte's friend Joy. Mouse was Charlotte's nickname, Joy's is Panther. Charlotte named her that because most people were afraid of her, including Charlotte.
"What do you think about doing homework at my house tonight?" Joy continued.
"Sounds good,'" Charlotte whispered back. Mrs. Harris continued to talk about child labor and the different jobs kids could have.
"I think she likes to give lectures," Joy stated interrupting Charlotte's thoughts.
"Yea, would it kill her to just show a video though?" Charlotte whispered back. That's the thing about Mrs. Harris; she doesn't know how to work the projector so she relies on the old fashioned way of teaching. Sometimes it got on Charlotte's nerves a little bit.
"Like I said before," Mrs. Harris continued, "there were many different jobs for children at the turn of the century. Most children with families and homes went to work in the factories or as mail carriers, and the runaways worked as stagehands if they were lucky, or newsboys and girls,"…
Mouse ran down the newsboys lodging house stairs, eager to go buy her papers for the day. Even though the sign said newsboys, there was a separate room for girls. There weren't as many girls but Mouse didn't mind, that mean she could have her own sink in the morning.
"Hey Race," she yelled
"Heya Mouse how's it going he replied. Racetrack Higgins was one of the newsboys, and one of her best friends. He also had a knack for gambling
"Are you going to the tracks today?" she pondered.
"Ha, where else would I be?" Mouse laughed as Race started to chase Snipeshooter, apparently he'd stolen another cigar that morning.
Mouse ran to catch up to Panther who was trying not to be seen by Dutchy. Lately he had taken quite a liking to her and would not leave her alone.
"Hey Panther let's get to the distribution center, I know your dying to see Weasel today," She said sarcastically. Weasel is the man who runs the distribution office and a definite enemy of the newsies.
They got to the distribution center just in time and were the first ones up the ramp. Mouse greeted Weasel with an unfriendly glance before slamming down 50 cents and saying: "'hundred papes please."
"Sorry Mousey darling, I need ten more cents," Weasel said, with a victorious smirk on his face.
"What!" exclaimed Panther behind Mouse. Mouse turned to face her best friend and gave a stern look before turning back to Weasel.
"Listen Weasel, I don't know what kind of a game you're playing, but I don't like it, so give me my papes before I'm tempted to soak you," she snarled.
"No game Mouse, just ask Pulitzer," retorted Weasel. Mouse turned around to face all of her fellow newsies.
"What should we do?" she asked.
"We can't just let them do something like this to us, Mouse," Kid Blink started. "We've got to stand up to them, tell them whose boss!" he proclaimed. The newsies mumbled things like 'yea' and 'that's right'.
"Do you mean a strike?" David suggested.
"Yea, a strike," Panther repeated, "Come on Mouse, we can do this!" The newsies started to cheer as Mouse agreed. They walked out of the distribution center into Horace Greely square which abuts the distribution center.
"So listen," Panther started, "Pulitzer and Hearst, and all the other rich fellows, they've got to respect the rights of the working boys and girls of New York!"
"Yea, so we've got to start working together, like a union!" Mouse declared excitedly.
"We can't do this alone," Skittery warned. What a pessimist.
"Well we'll get all the newsies all over New York!" Mouse retaliated. Her suggestion was met with hoots and hollers coming from the newsies.
'Yea come on guys, we can do this!" Swifty yelled issuing mores cries from his friends.
"Alright, I'll take Harlem," yelled Kid Blink.
"Yea, I got Midtown," Race offered.
"I got the Battery, Mouse," said Mush.
"I'll take the Bronx," Crutchy said enthusiastically.
"Okay, Bumlets, Specs, Skittery you take Queens. Pie Eater, Snoddy, East Side, Snipeshooter you go with them!" Panther ordered. All the newsies obliged without a fight.
"What about Brooklyn? Who wants Brooklyn?" Mouse questioned. "Come on are you afraid of Brooklyn" she pried.
"Hey we aren't scared of Brooklyn!" Boots cried fervently. "Spot Conlon makes us a little nervous though," Mouse laughed. Everyone was scared of Spot Conlon he was indeed the most feared and respected newsie in all of New York.
"Well he doesn't make me nervous," Mouse lied. "So, you and me Boots, we'll go to Brooklyn, and Panther can keep us company," Panther threw up her hands in defeat…
"Class, please raise your hands if you have the answer," Mrs. Harris said indifferently. Charlotte groaned internally.
Why do I have to suffer through more of this? she thought to herself. Luckily she didn't have to wait any longer. She stood up as soon as the bell rang and headed out the door with Joy at her side.
"I had the coolest daydream." She started and proceeded to tell Joy about the strike.
A.N. Okay one more thing I forgot to add, the words that are underlined and bold are vocab words that I had to put in and I'm to lazy to fix them so deal with it. Again, please review and be nice thanks! (If you review you get (imaginary) virtual cookies!
Disclaimer: I do not own Newsies. I wish I did. Can I at least have spot? I wanna wash his hair! Okay fine Disney can keep him.