A Twist Of Fate
Jack and the others watched on in shock as the army of girl newsies emerged from the gate. Jack was interested in one of the girl newsies in particular, Lizzie.
She stood at the front of the group. She had her hair pinned back off of her face. She held a stack of papers. The guys moved back as the girls approached, not one tried to stop the girls from trying to sell her wares.
Pulitzer watched from his seat at his office window.
"It's working." He told his lackeys. "Not a single boy is trying to stop the girls."
"You are brilliant Mr Pulitzer." One of them spoke.
"Indeed." Pulitzer said. "A simple plan. Sure the newsies would try to stop the regular 'scabs'. They would soak them, thats what I hear anyway." He said. "But there is not one boy who would do anything to hurt a pretty girl."
"Papes!" One redhead cried. "Get ya papes here!"
"Only a penny a pape!" Another cried while passing Mush.
"Three headed baby!" Lizzie said as she held up her own paper. "Read all about it! Get your papes here!" She said as she passed Jack. Jack took her by the arm.
"You are working for Pulitzer." He spat angrily. "Nuthin but a lousy scab. I knew it."
"Let me go Jack." Lizzie said trying to shake him off.
"I thought you wished us luck. I thought you supported our cause." Jack said. "I see you got different, as David would say, priorities."
"I do." Lizzie said standing in his face. "I got priorities." She said. "I have a cause. One cause only. Me, and my family." She said unflinching from Jacks hard gaze. "You asked me where my sisters and brothers are. I'll tell you. The refuge. Well, not the prison one but its more of an orphange but its run by the same people." She said. "My mom and dad died in a car accident when we were young. I managed to make it on my own, but a man saw different for my sisters and brothers. Mr Snyder."
The name rang a bell in Jacks mind. Snyder had been after Jack for a long time for things he had done in his past to survive. Snyder was still after him to this day.
"What did he do?"
"He took my family away. He put them in the refuge. He told me that if I made enough money to support us all, then he would let them out." She said walking away from him. "Another couple months and I would have made it too. I lost my job, and now its possible my family will be there for a very long time."
"I'm sorry but..."
"Don't be sorry, it's not like you can do a thing about it." Lizzie said angry tears starting to fill the brims of her eyelids. "Pulitzer promised me and these other girls a lot of money to do this. He promised to help me!" She said. "I don't care about your cause. If I'm going to get my sisters and brothers out, then this is what I'm going to do." She went up to two girls. "Rosie, Jeannie, let's go. We can cover Central Park."
Jack silently watched her go, as he felt several different things to say popping into his head. Mush, Les and David approached him.
"We gotta do something about this." David said.
"But what?" Mush asked. "They're girls. And they're so pretty."
"There has to be something." David said. "Come on, Jack. We gotta do some thinking."
"Right." Jack muttered.
"Are you all right?" David asked.
"I'm fine." Jack said. "Some girls aren't who you think they really are." He said to Les. "Remember that."
"Girls?" Les said. "Yuck!"
"Good for you Les, just keep thinking that." Jack laughed.
The trio of boys went off to think of a plan to defeat the new girl scab newies army.
Pulitzer stood as his window with a disapproving look.
"One of the girl newsies." He pointed. "Her. I just saw her talking to the co leader of the strike, that fellow right there."
"Jack Kelly I believe sir." One of his lackeys said.
"I don't like that." He said. "And it seemed like they knew each other."
"Thats not good either." The lackey replied.
"Maybe, maybe not." Pulitzer said. "Maybe we can use this alliance
to our advantange. Is Snyder still in town?"
"I believe so."
"Get him up here." Pulitzer said. "I think I have a way to get both
Kelly and this strike out of our hair for good."
to be continued...
Jack and the others watched on in shock as the army of girl newsies emerged from the gate. Jack was interested in one of the girl newsies in particular, Lizzie.
She stood at the front of the group. She had her hair pinned back off of her face. She held a stack of papers. The guys moved back as the girls approached, not one tried to stop the girls from trying to sell her wares.
Pulitzer watched from his seat at his office window.
"It's working." He told his lackeys. "Not a single boy is trying to stop the girls."
"You are brilliant Mr Pulitzer." One of them spoke.
"Indeed." Pulitzer said. "A simple plan. Sure the newsies would try to stop the regular 'scabs'. They would soak them, thats what I hear anyway." He said. "But there is not one boy who would do anything to hurt a pretty girl."
"Papes!" One redhead cried. "Get ya papes here!"
"Only a penny a pape!" Another cried while passing Mush.
"Three headed baby!" Lizzie said as she held up her own paper. "Read all about it! Get your papes here!" She said as she passed Jack. Jack took her by the arm.
"You are working for Pulitzer." He spat angrily. "Nuthin but a lousy scab. I knew it."
"Let me go Jack." Lizzie said trying to shake him off.
"I thought you wished us luck. I thought you supported our cause." Jack said. "I see you got different, as David would say, priorities."
"I do." Lizzie said standing in his face. "I got priorities." She said. "I have a cause. One cause only. Me, and my family." She said unflinching from Jacks hard gaze. "You asked me where my sisters and brothers are. I'll tell you. The refuge. Well, not the prison one but its more of an orphange but its run by the same people." She said. "My mom and dad died in a car accident when we were young. I managed to make it on my own, but a man saw different for my sisters and brothers. Mr Snyder."
The name rang a bell in Jacks mind. Snyder had been after Jack for a long time for things he had done in his past to survive. Snyder was still after him to this day.
"What did he do?"
"He took my family away. He put them in the refuge. He told me that if I made enough money to support us all, then he would let them out." She said walking away from him. "Another couple months and I would have made it too. I lost my job, and now its possible my family will be there for a very long time."
"I'm sorry but..."
"Don't be sorry, it's not like you can do a thing about it." Lizzie said angry tears starting to fill the brims of her eyelids. "Pulitzer promised me and these other girls a lot of money to do this. He promised to help me!" She said. "I don't care about your cause. If I'm going to get my sisters and brothers out, then this is what I'm going to do." She went up to two girls. "Rosie, Jeannie, let's go. We can cover Central Park."
Jack silently watched her go, as he felt several different things to say popping into his head. Mush, Les and David approached him.
"We gotta do something about this." David said.
"But what?" Mush asked. "They're girls. And they're so pretty."
"There has to be something." David said. "Come on, Jack. We gotta do some thinking."
"Right." Jack muttered.
"Are you all right?" David asked.
"I'm fine." Jack said. "Some girls aren't who you think they really are." He said to Les. "Remember that."
"Girls?" Les said. "Yuck!"
"Good for you Les, just keep thinking that." Jack laughed.
The trio of boys went off to think of a plan to defeat the new girl scab newies army.
Pulitzer stood as his window with a disapproving look.
"One of the girl newsies." He pointed. "Her. I just saw her talking to the co leader of the strike, that fellow right there."
"Jack Kelly I believe sir." One of his lackeys said.
"I don't like that." He said. "And it seemed like they knew each other."
"Thats not good either." The lackey replied.
"Maybe, maybe not." Pulitzer said. "Maybe we can use this alliance
to our advantange. Is Snyder still in town?"
"I believe so."
"Get him up here." Pulitzer said. "I think I have a way to get both
Kelly and this strike out of our hair for good."
to be continued...