A Twist Of Fate
McGinneys
Jack and Lizzie sat for several moments after Jack announced knowledge of the truth about Lizzie and her family. Jack waited patiently while he observed Lizzie and her reaction. After a few more awkward moments, Lizzie spoke.
"Where did you find this out?" She asked.
"I got connections." He replied.
"There is a baby." She said. "But its not my son."
"Why do I find that hard to believe?"
"You would." Lizzie scoffed. "My mom just barely had the baby when she died." She explained. "I have two sisters, Mary Kate and Ashley Joanne. They're twins, 10 years old. One brother, Stephen Alexander, hes 12. Baby Mac, hes just about two years old so he wont be a baby any longer. When Snyder took my family he must have assumed Mac was my son and wrote him down that way." She sighed.
"I think I believe you on that." Jack said. "You looked like you were ready to cry."
"I am." Lizzie said. "I'm thinking of my family. Mac never knew mom and dad, so as far as he's concerned I AM his mother." She sighed. "I only worked one day so I haven't made any money to get them out." She sighed again. "It's like climbing to the top of a hole when the holes just getting deeper." She said to Jack.
"I know how that feels. I always wanted to go to Santa Fe myself." Jack said. "A whole new life."
Lizzie nodded.
"I thought girls couldnt work." Jack said. "Girls are expected to stay home and sew and make cookies with mom and dad."
"I have no mom to make cookies with. Most of what you call the newsies girl scab army have no familys to worrry about them." Lizzie said. "I'm ready to go now." She said abruptly got up. She gathered what leftovers she could take off her plate, and placed them in a large napkin. She robbed some rolls off a neighboring table and added that to the bunch. She tied it together and stuck it together hoping none of it would leak out. She rushed out the door. The morning would come sooner than she thought it would. Jack paid quickly, and ran to try to keep up with her.
"What are you gonna do now?" He asked as he caught up with her.
"What can I do?" She asked. "I gotta do what I gotta do."
"I told you I was going to change your mind about the strike." Jack said. "I still intend to do that."
"How?" Lizzie asked.'
"Meet me aferwards tomorrow." Jack said. "We have nothing planned for you tomorrow. After today, we'll just be a well placed pain in the butt."
"You warned me about today." Lizzie said. "I guess I can take you word about tomorrow."
"You better." Jack said. "I'm fairly realiable."
"I'll see about that." Lizzie said as they walked the rest of the way to Lizzies home. "See ya."
"See ya." Jack said holding out his hand. Lizzie looked at it skeptically. "I don't bite."
She looked at him and at his hand. She slowly put out her hand and placed it in his. She lightly shook it.
"Good night." Lizzie said walking up the stairs. She opened the door. She looked back at Jack before she went in. Jack watched her until she was out of sight.
Lizzie quickly ran up the stairs to her room. She stopped at the top to catch her breath. She smiled a little thinking of Jack. He was sorta cute, but hey, hes still the enemy, a part of her told herself. If it had been another time and another place, then things would be diffrent. Who knows, she might even go to Santa Fe with him, and her family.
She put her hand on the doorknob to her place. She slowly unlocked it.
But then a thought struck her cold as she stood in the hallway. She paused before she opened it as the thought became clear to her. "If Jack and his friend found out the truth about her and her family, then how long before someone else found it out?"
She shook her head. Utter nonsense. He hadn't told anyone, who else would know? Sadly, unbeknownst to her,she was about to find out. She opened the door to her room to find three fellows standing in the middle of the room. Two were large, and the third was a slight fellow. A lawyer perhaps? Bookkeeper? He had glasses, which made Lizzie think he could be of either profession.
"Elizabeth McCarthy?" The smaller man asked.
"Yes?" She answered hesistantly She couldnt understand it but suddenly she was very frightened.
"So glad we found you." He said. "Our boss has been looking for you all day."
"Whos your boss and what does he want from me?" She asked putting her food in her box. All three men watched every action she made.
"Our boss is Joseph Pulitzer, and he wants to see you...NOW."
Lizzie looked at the men in shocked. "Why?"
"You'll find that out soon enough."
"I don't want to go." Lizzie said. "Anything he wants to tell me he can tell me in the morning."
"No. Now means now Ms McCarthy. That is why I have these lovely men with me, so they can help you into the wagon." The man said as the men advanced. "They dropped us off here. They'll be back.
"No!" Lizzie said disapearing out the door. She tried to run down the stairs but her skirts inhibited her movement. She made it to the bottom of the stairs as fast as she could but she was soon overtaken by Pulitzers goons. They picked her up by the armpits and carried her out the door. "Let's go, the wagon is on is way back here."
Jack was walking slowly toward his building when he saw a wagon speed past him. He turned to see where it was going. It turned a corner and stopped in front of a building. Lizzies building. Jack snuck up around the corner and hid himself by a street lite. Three men emerged from building. Two were carrying a woman was thrashing around trying to escape from them. The third was small, almost the size of Mush. Jack could tell there was one driver. Jack squinted. The woman stopped thrashing around as the two men threw her in the back of the wagon. He could see her clearly now. "Lizzie." Jack said. "Some weirdos got Lizzie."
Jack was about to move from his spot when he felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Kloppman. He must have heard the commotion.
"Time to go in."
"But I think someones got Lizzie." Jack said as he reluctantly went with him as the wagon took off. "I have to do something....find out where shes goin..."
"In the morning lad." Kloppman said. "Things can be done better after some sleep. Don't worry. I'm sure shes safe."
"I'm not so sure."Jack said. "I think I know those men. They were at Pulitzers office the day me and Les got thrown out."
The Office
Lizzie was brought into a large office. It was decorated with pictures and with headlines from papers. It seemed like she was alone. She looked around as she waited for Pulitzer. She walked forward and put his hands on the desk. She sighed.
"Good evening Lizzie." Pulitzer said turning around in his seat. "May I call you Lizzie?"
"You are already, why stop?"
"Good point." He said.
"What I am doing here?" She asked him.
"Speak only when I speak to you!" He shouted. She cringed. "Do you understand. Well, answer me!"
"I understand."
"Good." "Pulitzer said. He opened a desk drawer and removed a cigar and a lighter. He lit a cigar and briefly puffed on it before he continued.
"I hired you and your little friends to sell papers. Hopefully I thought this would end the strike. It's only been two days and its not going well. Thats why I brought you here." He said. "I hear you are consorting with Jack Kelly."
"Just talking, we're not friends."
"Shut up!" He said. "I do not want you talking to him." He continued. "Check that, I have a new idea. I want you to talk to him. To get him to stop the strike. Do anything you can."
"Why would I want to do that?" She asked.
"Because I have something you want." He replied as someone came into the room behind him. "I want to make you an offer, that you cannot refuse."
Lizzie turned and looked at the man who just entered the room. She knew him all too well.
"You."
"Sit down Lizzie, and I will tell you what I'm willing to do for you, if you help me." Pulitzer said. "You can either make it easy or hard, its your choice."
Lizzie turned around from the dark figure and looked at Pulitzer. She closed her eyes for a minute. She then sat down in one of the chairs.
"Thats better." He said. "Miss Stark, get the lady something to drink and eat. She may be here a while."
to be continued...
McGinneys
Jack and Lizzie sat for several moments after Jack announced knowledge of the truth about Lizzie and her family. Jack waited patiently while he observed Lizzie and her reaction. After a few more awkward moments, Lizzie spoke.
"Where did you find this out?" She asked.
"I got connections." He replied.
"There is a baby." She said. "But its not my son."
"Why do I find that hard to believe?"
"You would." Lizzie scoffed. "My mom just barely had the baby when she died." She explained. "I have two sisters, Mary Kate and Ashley Joanne. They're twins, 10 years old. One brother, Stephen Alexander, hes 12. Baby Mac, hes just about two years old so he wont be a baby any longer. When Snyder took my family he must have assumed Mac was my son and wrote him down that way." She sighed.
"I think I believe you on that." Jack said. "You looked like you were ready to cry."
"I am." Lizzie said. "I'm thinking of my family. Mac never knew mom and dad, so as far as he's concerned I AM his mother." She sighed. "I only worked one day so I haven't made any money to get them out." She sighed again. "It's like climbing to the top of a hole when the holes just getting deeper." She said to Jack.
"I know how that feels. I always wanted to go to Santa Fe myself." Jack said. "A whole new life."
Lizzie nodded.
"I thought girls couldnt work." Jack said. "Girls are expected to stay home and sew and make cookies with mom and dad."
"I have no mom to make cookies with. Most of what you call the newsies girl scab army have no familys to worrry about them." Lizzie said. "I'm ready to go now." She said abruptly got up. She gathered what leftovers she could take off her plate, and placed them in a large napkin. She robbed some rolls off a neighboring table and added that to the bunch. She tied it together and stuck it together hoping none of it would leak out. She rushed out the door. The morning would come sooner than she thought it would. Jack paid quickly, and ran to try to keep up with her.
"What are you gonna do now?" He asked as he caught up with her.
"What can I do?" She asked. "I gotta do what I gotta do."
"I told you I was going to change your mind about the strike." Jack said. "I still intend to do that."
"How?" Lizzie asked.'
"Meet me aferwards tomorrow." Jack said. "We have nothing planned for you tomorrow. After today, we'll just be a well placed pain in the butt."
"You warned me about today." Lizzie said. "I guess I can take you word about tomorrow."
"You better." Jack said. "I'm fairly realiable."
"I'll see about that." Lizzie said as they walked the rest of the way to Lizzies home. "See ya."
"See ya." Jack said holding out his hand. Lizzie looked at it skeptically. "I don't bite."
She looked at him and at his hand. She slowly put out her hand and placed it in his. She lightly shook it.
"Good night." Lizzie said walking up the stairs. She opened the door. She looked back at Jack before she went in. Jack watched her until she was out of sight.
Lizzie quickly ran up the stairs to her room. She stopped at the top to catch her breath. She smiled a little thinking of Jack. He was sorta cute, but hey, hes still the enemy, a part of her told herself. If it had been another time and another place, then things would be diffrent. Who knows, she might even go to Santa Fe with him, and her family.
She put her hand on the doorknob to her place. She slowly unlocked it.
But then a thought struck her cold as she stood in the hallway. She paused before she opened it as the thought became clear to her. "If Jack and his friend found out the truth about her and her family, then how long before someone else found it out?"
She shook her head. Utter nonsense. He hadn't told anyone, who else would know? Sadly, unbeknownst to her,she was about to find out. She opened the door to her room to find three fellows standing in the middle of the room. Two were large, and the third was a slight fellow. A lawyer perhaps? Bookkeeper? He had glasses, which made Lizzie think he could be of either profession.
"Elizabeth McCarthy?" The smaller man asked.
"Yes?" She answered hesistantly She couldnt understand it but suddenly she was very frightened.
"So glad we found you." He said. "Our boss has been looking for you all day."
"Whos your boss and what does he want from me?" She asked putting her food in her box. All three men watched every action she made.
"Our boss is Joseph Pulitzer, and he wants to see you...NOW."
Lizzie looked at the men in shocked. "Why?"
"You'll find that out soon enough."
"I don't want to go." Lizzie said. "Anything he wants to tell me he can tell me in the morning."
"No. Now means now Ms McCarthy. That is why I have these lovely men with me, so they can help you into the wagon." The man said as the men advanced. "They dropped us off here. They'll be back.
"No!" Lizzie said disapearing out the door. She tried to run down the stairs but her skirts inhibited her movement. She made it to the bottom of the stairs as fast as she could but she was soon overtaken by Pulitzers goons. They picked her up by the armpits and carried her out the door. "Let's go, the wagon is on is way back here."
Jack was walking slowly toward his building when he saw a wagon speed past him. He turned to see where it was going. It turned a corner and stopped in front of a building. Lizzies building. Jack snuck up around the corner and hid himself by a street lite. Three men emerged from building. Two were carrying a woman was thrashing around trying to escape from them. The third was small, almost the size of Mush. Jack could tell there was one driver. Jack squinted. The woman stopped thrashing around as the two men threw her in the back of the wagon. He could see her clearly now. "Lizzie." Jack said. "Some weirdos got Lizzie."
Jack was about to move from his spot when he felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Kloppman. He must have heard the commotion.
"Time to go in."
"But I think someones got Lizzie." Jack said as he reluctantly went with him as the wagon took off. "I have to do something....find out where shes goin..."
"In the morning lad." Kloppman said. "Things can be done better after some sleep. Don't worry. I'm sure shes safe."
"I'm not so sure."Jack said. "I think I know those men. They were at Pulitzers office the day me and Les got thrown out."
The Office
Lizzie was brought into a large office. It was decorated with pictures and with headlines from papers. It seemed like she was alone. She looked around as she waited for Pulitzer. She walked forward and put his hands on the desk. She sighed.
"Good evening Lizzie." Pulitzer said turning around in his seat. "May I call you Lizzie?"
"You are already, why stop?"
"Good point." He said.
"What I am doing here?" She asked him.
"Speak only when I speak to you!" He shouted. She cringed. "Do you understand. Well, answer me!"
"I understand."
"Good." "Pulitzer said. He opened a desk drawer and removed a cigar and a lighter. He lit a cigar and briefly puffed on it before he continued.
"I hired you and your little friends to sell papers. Hopefully I thought this would end the strike. It's only been two days and its not going well. Thats why I brought you here." He said. "I hear you are consorting with Jack Kelly."
"Just talking, we're not friends."
"Shut up!" He said. "I do not want you talking to him." He continued. "Check that, I have a new idea. I want you to talk to him. To get him to stop the strike. Do anything you can."
"Why would I want to do that?" She asked.
"Because I have something you want." He replied as someone came into the room behind him. "I want to make you an offer, that you cannot refuse."
Lizzie turned and looked at the man who just entered the room. She knew him all too well.
"You."
"Sit down Lizzie, and I will tell you what I'm willing to do for you, if you help me." Pulitzer said. "You can either make it easy or hard, its your choice."
Lizzie turned around from the dark figure and looked at Pulitzer. She closed her eyes for a minute. She then sat down in one of the chairs.
"Thats better." He said. "Miss Stark, get the lady something to drink and eat. She may be here a while."
to be continued...