The next morning in Manhattan was filled with the usual pandemonium of boys fighting over sinks and stalls. Jostling to be the first one ready to spend the they bored. Amazingly Mills slept oblivious to it all. And two bored newsies took notice.
"Hey Mush youse thinking what Ise thinking?" Race elbowed Mush and nodded at the sleeping Mills.
"Youse got to be kidding Race. She'll kill you." Mush actually looked a bit frightened.
"Nah jus youse watch." Race filled a cup with water and went over to Mills' bunk. "Millie youse need ta wake up."
Mills mumbled something unintelligible as she pulled the blanket over her head. Her sleep was ruined as the water from Race's cup poured over her head. She screeched as she sat up "Racetrack Higgens youse get back her so Ise can soak youse."
"Mills youse already soaked. Now don't get mad at me." Race began to back up, "All Ise did was pour a little bit of water on youse."
"A little water. Race Ise swear that's the last straw. Ise leaving and moving to Medda's." Mills turned back to her bed and began to gather her things placing them into her pillowcase. After she had everything together she grabbed the make shift suitcase, "If youse want ta talk to me Ise gonna be at Medda's and Ise ain't gonna be back." She left leaving the guys gapping at each other in stunned silence.
The silence didn't last long as the guys began to look for someone to blame. The first choice was obvious, Race. "What you do that for Race? Wes lucky if wes ever see her again." Blink turned throwing his pillow at Race. Race threw it back, but missed Blink and got Boots instead.
A yell of "PILLOW FIGHT" rang in the room and the room was filled with two dozen pillows flying in the air. In the end all the newsies sat on the floor or draped themselves over the furniture. Feathers were drifting down here and there and every once in a while a handful would be thrown at a person.
Jack and Cray sat leaning against the wall discussing Mills' walk out. Cray was relating the night before and Medda's offer. "I think Mills was just waiting for a reason to leave. Race gave it to her."
"Youse right, she's was mentioning that she was looking for a place to live. Wes not gonna tell Race though."
"Tell Race what? He doesn't need to know he isn't the reason she left. I better go find her, I supposed to help her with some stuff at work."
"Wes coming down later after lunch."
"Fine I'll tell Medda to lock the place up." Jack threw a fist full of feathers at Cray, which fell very short of their target and laughed as he went.
Cray stepped over and around the newsies lying on the floor and headed for Medda's. Along the way he passed a newsies selling copies of "The World".
"Hey kid when did "The World" start selling?"
"Just today. The workers got tired of not working and just all showed up ta work yesterday."
"I didn't hear about this, you sure?"
"Ise selling papes for the "World" ain't I?"
Cray held back a glare, "Yeah thanks for the news."
"Youse gonna buy a pape?"
"Oh yeah, here." Cray knew that a paper would be the needed proof as he walked back toward the lodging house.
As he walked up the stairs Cray stopped all the newsies he stopped all the newsies he saw saying he had big news.
"Cray Ise thought youse had to get ta work?"
"Well I was going to work when I ran into a newsie selling this." He held out the paper.
"Ise hope a newsies would be selling papes. Big deal." Race countered.
"Wes normally sell these if they were the "World". Crutchy added.
"Well then look at the Banner you chumps." Cray was a little disgusted with them.
"It says "THE WORLD Aug 2, 1901" big deal. HOLY COW. It's a "World" pape." Crutchy almost fell after reading it.
"Were youse get that Cray?" Jack and the rest crowed around Cray in an attempt to tell if it was real or not.
"I told you from a newsie, where else I gonna get a pape?" Cray waited for the news to sink in.
"This means what I think it means Jacky?" Crutchy called out from the back of the circle, after everyone had gone around him to see the copy of "The World".
"Ise guessing this means the strike be over. What this kid tell youse Cray?"
"Just that the workers showed up at the printing presses yesterday. No reason Just like the past month and a half hadn't happened." Cray shrugged.
"Well Ise guess we got papes to sell this afternoon. But first wes got ta clean this place up." Jack started assigning jobs to people.
"Jack I'm going to really go to Medda's and tell Mills."
"That's fine Cray. Ise betting youse two will only be selling in the morning."
"I am guessing your right. Swan you want ta come?"
"Nah I think I'm going over to Brooklyn. I'll sell tomorrow." Swan gathered up his had before leaving.
"Tell Kit I say hi?" Cray called after him.
"Will do." Swan headed off in the direction of Brooklyn while Cray headed for Medda's.
Cray entered Medda's slightly out of breath. He heard Medda practicing and after listening for a while went to find Mills. She wasn't in either the dressing rooms or the kitchen. He ran into Bryon and decided to ask him where she was.
"You're Katie's cousin, Bryon, right?"
"Yeah youse the new bouncer, Crale?"
"I am not that new but yeah I'm Crale. I was wondering if Katie was around?"
"I think that Medda put her up stairs. No man is allowed up there though." Bryon turned to the girls hanging around the bar, "Crystal, could you go get Katie and tell her a friend wants to see her." Crystal nodded and went up stairs, coming down five minutes later followed by Mills. At least Cray thought it was Mills.
She had taken a bath and her hair was now done up, plus she was wearing rouge and a skirt. The skirt threw Cray. "Katie?"
Mills smiled, "Youse think youse never seen a goil before." She reached over and closed Cray's open mouth. "Don't want ta let anything fall out do we?"
Cray opened his mouth, but should have left it closed, "You look like a girl."
"I am one stupid." Mills gave him a look.
"But now you look it." Cray let out foolishly.
"Girl or not I can still soak you." She looked ready to follow through but Bryon grabbed her arm.
"Now Katie, he just meant you look nice. Now Crale surely you didn't come just to admire Katie's new look." Bryon couldn't help teasing both Cray and Mills.
Cray finally came out of his trance " Oh yeah, Katie, the World is up and running again. Jack wants to know if you plan on selling still or what exactly is going on."
His eyes never left the toes of his shoes. Mills sighed she had hoped that the dress would produce more than a stunned silence.
"Ise guess Ise can keep selling in the morning. But Ise gonna live here."
"Fine with me. I'll tell Jack when he comes in today. Unless you want ta tell him." Cray looked up.
"Youse can tell him. Ise got some work to do. See youse later Crale, Bryon." Mills turned around and headed back up the stairs and out of sight. After she had ascended Cray shook his head as if to clear the cobwebs.
"Welcome to the land of the living, I'm watching you Crale, she's me cousin and I wan t nothing happening to her."
"Sure I won't be hurting her if I can help it. I need to get to work. Tell her I'll talk to her later." Cray left with a shake of his head trying to figure out what just happened and how he was going to deal with what he had just realized.