Chapter 9
The next day, everyone got up and got ready for work as usual. However, when Jack saw Lucy, he definitely noticed something new about her. He stopped her as everyone headed out the door.
"Ya seem…different some'ow Pink," he said to her. "Are you wearin' makeup, and, "he sniffed her, "perfume?"
"May-maybe a little," she responded, tucking some loose hair behind her ear.
"And ya hair! It's all neat and fancy in a ponytail." Her cheeks blushed. "Ooohh, I sees what dis is all about."
"Wh-what do you mean?"
"I think someone 'as a little crush on Davey."
"Wha-? I do not! That is ridic- I do not!" Jack's grin just grew the more she argued. Finally she gave in. "Oh just shut up!"
He laughed. "Don't worry, your secret's safe wid me."
"You guys coming?" Riley poked her head back in. "I've been waiting for ages."
"Yeah, yeah we'se comin'. Hold ya horses Geek," Jack joked with her, putting his arm around her and started walking. Lucy caught up with them and tugged at Riley's shirt. She looked to Lucy and Lucy gave her a look that said 'see?'. Riley just stuck her tongue out at her.
When they arrived at the distribution desk, they saw commotion.
"What's going on?" Riley asked.
"I think I know," Lucy whispered. She looked around at everyone and saw David. Their eyes connected and they smiled at each other. She waved at him and he waved back.
"They jacked up da price!" Blink announced when he saw the three. "You hear dat? Ten cents a hundred! It's bad enough we gotta eat what we don't sell. Now dey jack up da price!"
"This'll bust me. I'm barely makin' a living right now," Skittery said.
"I'll be back sleepin' on da streets," Boots followed.
"It don't make no sense," Mush added. "I mean, all da money Pulitzer's makin', why would he gauge us?"
"Cause he's a tightwad, dat's why," Race guessed.
"Jack, do something," Lucy pushed him forward.
"Pipe down! It's just a gag." He then walked up to Weasel. "So, why da jack-up Weasel?"
"Why not?" Weasel put his finger in his mouth to feel the breeze. "It's a nice day." He, Morris and Oscar laughed as Jack walked away. "Why don't you ask Mr. Pulitzer?"
Jack sat down on the steps. Lucy pushed Riley to sit next to him while she made her way to be next to David.
"Can none of you really afford these new prices?" David asked her.
"Nope. To you it may be another dime, to us it might as well be $20."
"Doesn't Pulitzer understand that?"
"I guess not." They turned back to the large group and noticed it was silent and everyone was looking at Jack.
"'Ey Jack, you done thinkin' yet?" Race questioned him.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Weasel called out from the desk. "World employees only on this side of the gate!" Everyone yelled at him until he left.
"Well listen," Jack spoke up, "one thing's for sure sure, if we don't sell papes den nobody sells papes. Nobody comes through dose gates until dey put da priceback ta where it was."
"What, like a strike?" David joked.
"Oh, you shouldn't have said that," Casey told him.
"Yeah like a strike!" Jack agreed.
"Are you outta your mind?" Racetrack prodded.
Riley's head snapped to Race. "Hey! It's a good idea! What else are we gonna do? Sit on our asses until they realize what they did is wrong?"
David ran down to Jack and got to his level. "Jack, I was kidding. We can't go on strike. We don't have a union."
"But if we go on strike then we are a union, right?" Jack questioned.
"Exactly!" Riley agreed.
"No," David told them. "We're just a bunch of angry kids with no money. Maybe if we got every newsie in New York…'
'Well den we organize!" Jack planned. "Crutchy you start a collection. We'll get all da newsies of New york togeddah." He started to walk out with everyone following him.
"Jack, this isn't a joke. Lucy, talk to him."
"Sorry Dave, but I actually agree with him. I think a strike is a good idea."
He sighed and rubbed his head, turning back to Jack. "You saw what happened to those trolley workers."
"Yeah, well dat's anudda good idea. Any newsie don't join wid us, we bust dere 'eads like da trolley workehs."
"Stop and think about this Jack. You can't just rush everyone into this."
"A'ight. Let me think 'bout it." Now they were outside and gathering around the square and Horace Greenly statue. "Listen," Jack spoke to the large group, "Dave's right. Pulitzer and Hearst and all dem other rich fellas, I mean, dey own dis city. So do dey really think a bunch'a street kids like us can make any difference? Da choice has got ta be yours. Are we just gonna take what dey give us or are we gonna strike?"
Everyone was silent for a few moments until Les shouted out, "Strike!" David tried to cover his mouth, but it was too late. The feeling was spreading through the group like wildfire.
"Keep talkin' jack. Tell us what ta do," Boots told him.
"Well, you tell us what ta do Davey," jack said to David, coming up next to him.
David wasn't sure what to do. He had words floating around in his head, but he wasn't sure if he should say them. He looked from jack to Riley to Lucy, lasting the longest on her. She just smiled and raised her eyebrows.
He sighed and started speaking, "Pulitzer and Hearst have to respect our rights."
Jack nodded then turned to the group. "Hey listen! Pulitzer and hearst 'ave ta respect da right of da woikin' boys of New York!" The group responded positively to the words. "Well dat woiked pretty good, so what else?"
David thought for a minute, then said, "Tell them they can't treat us like we don't exist."
Jack then climbed on the statue to continue his speech. "Pulitzer and Hearst, they think we're nothin'! Are we nothin'?"
"No!" all the newsies shouted back.
"If we stick together like the trolley workers then they can't break us up," David added.
"Pulitzer and Hearst they think they got us! Do they got us?" Jack continued.
"No!" the newsies yelled again.
"We're a union now, the newsboys union. We need to start acting like a union," David continued preaching.
"We don't got no hats or badges, but we'se a union! And The World will know!"
"This is so weird that they're not singing," Riley whispered to Lucy.
"I know right?"
"What's to stop somebody else from sellin' our papes?" Boots brought up.
"Well, we'll talk wid 'em," Jack suggested.
"Some of 'em don't hear so good," Race pointed out.
"Den we'll soak 'em!"
"No, we can't beat up kids in the street. It'll give us a bad name," David argued.
"Jack, Dave's got a point. If we act just like the trolley workers, no one will take us seriously or support us," Lucy explained.
"'Ey, 'ey listen! What's it gonna take ta stop da wagons? Are we ready?"
"Yeah!" the newsies all yelled to their leader.
"No!" both David and Lucy countered.
"I thought you'se was on me side Pink."
"I am! But like David said, we can't just rush into this. We need to think some things through."
"De only thing I'm thinkin' 'bout is dat The World will know dat we been 'ere when we'se is through!" He jumped down and walked towards The World building with the other newsies following and cheering.
David and Lucy tried to talk sense into him, but then Riley joined in on the speech, "When the circulation bell starts ringing, will we hear it?"
"No!" the newsies yelled.
"Rie! What are you doing?" Lucy questioned.
"Standing my ground. You two may not be sure but I am."
"Dat's da spirit Geek! 'Ey! What if da Delancey's come out swingin'? Will we hear it?" Jack went on.
"No!"
"Our day has come and da time is now! Pulizter may own The World but he don't own us!"
"Pulitzer may crack the whip but he won't whip us!" Lucy and David just looked to each other, concerned for their friends. "The World will feel the fire and finally know!" All the newsies erupted into cheers, except for the two. "C'mon you guys." Riley held out her hand. After a breath, Lucy took it and held out her hand to David.
"It's now or never Davey."
"I-I don't know." She kept holding out her hand, and finally he took it. Lucy and Riley smiled, pulling him into the group. They joined jack in the front on the steps of the World building.
"We gotta get da woid out ta all da newsies of New York. I need some of dose…whadda ya call 'em?" He turned to David for the answer.
"Ambassadors?" he guessed.
"Right. Okay, you guys gotta be ambastards," Lucy and Riley snickered, "and go tell de ouddas dat we're on strike."
"Say Jack, I'll take Harlem," Blink volunteered.
"Yeah, I got Midtown," Race said.
"I got da Battery Jack," Mush stated.
"Hey, I'll take da Bronx," Cructhy offered.
Jack continued splitting people up, "A'ight. Bumlets and Specs and Skittery, you take Queens. Pie eater! Snoddy! East Side! Snipeshooter you go wid 'em. So, what 'bout Brooklyn? Who wants Brookyln?" Nobody answered. "C'mon Spot Conlon's territory." Still nothing. "What'sa matta? Ya scared of Brooklyn?"
"Oh my God, I'll go to Brooklyn!" Riley volunteered. "I should go. Spot actually listens to me and I don't take his crap."
"A'ight Geek, you can go. And I'll go along too as back up. Boots too. And dave can keep us company. And whadda ya say Pink? You in?"
"Of course she's in!" Riley said, wrapping an arm around her friend's shoulders. "As my best friend she goes every where with me, right?"
She glared at Riley. "I hate you."
"So it's settled, we'll go," Jack decided.
"Sure, just as soon as you take our demands to Pulitzer," David put in.
Jack looked dumbfounded. "Me? Ta Pulitzer?"
"You're the leader Jack."
Jack thought this over for a moment, then grabbed Les. "Maybe da kid'll soften him up." Everyone cheered and yelled as he flung open the door and the two walked inside.
As the group spread out, a man came up to talk to David, Lucy and Riley.
"Hey, what is this strike? What's happening?"
"We're bringing our demands to Pulitzer," David answered.
"What demands?"
"The newsies' demands. We're on strike."
"Byran Denton, I'm with The New York Sun. You seem like the kid in charge, what's your name?"
"David."
"David? As in David and Goliath? And who are you two?"
"I'm Lucy."
"I'm Riley."
"Are you two involved in the strike as well?"
'Of course?"
"Really? Girl newsies is already a rare thing, but for them to be involved in a strike…" He scribbled something down on a notepad. "You really think Old Man Pulitzer's going to listen to your demands?"
"He has to," David replied. And as soon as he did, Jack and Les got thrown out of the building.
"Oh yeah? And so's you old lady!" Jack yelled inside. "You tell Mr. Pulitzer dat he needs an appointment wid me!"
"Yeah!" Les yelled too, trying to be like Jack. The two joined the small group in the street,
"Well dat went well," Jack deadpanned.
"What happened in there?" Denton asked.
"Who are you?"
"Jack, this is New York Sun reporter Bryan Denton," Lucy introduced. "He's interested in our story."
"Really? I guess woid got around quickeh den I thought."
"Listen, why don't I buy you kids lunch and we can talk, huh? On me." They all agreed and off they went.
Another chap down, more to go. I know I'm posting like everyday, but if you're reading them, I would really appreciate some reviews. They really make my day
