The door opened to a carriage in front of the World building. Denton, Snoddy, and Pie Eater emerged from it, and proceeded inside the building. A man behind a desk stopped them in the lobby.
"Sir…"
"Bryan Denton from the Sun. I'd like to talk with Mr. Seitz."
The man behind the desk stared unsurely. "Do you have an appointment? And why are these street rats with you?"
"I assure you good Sir that these are my apprentices. No, I do not have an appointment. I'm an acquaintance of Mr. Seitz." The tone in Denton's voice was becoming more on the edge. He'd met Seitz for a brief moment once at a party Pulitzer threw for all the newspaper companies, but they didn't know each other personally.
The male secretary looked suspiciously at Denton and the two 'street rats'. They all seemed to be nervous, but he called for Seitz to confirm the three.
"Who wants to see me, Frederick?" Seitz asked, appearing from the stairs. His face looked worn like he hadn't sleep in a couple days. Pie stared at him, interested in counting the new wrinkles around Seitz's eyes.
"These gentlemen would like to have a word with you." He waved his hand over to the guest. "The man claims to be Bryan Denton from the Sun."
Seitz took a good look at him and realized it was the real Bryan Denton. "Ah yes, Mr. Denton, what brings you by?" He glanced at the two boys along side the Ace War Correspondent, and had a feeling they were newsies by their demeanor.
Denton had finally built up more confidence. "I need to talk to you in concern of Mr. Pulitzer."
The older man didn't know what Denton wanted to know. Everyone in the entire city already had heard intense details about Pulitzer falling into a coma. But something made him trust that Denton was there on pure reasons, not just newspaper related.
"Follow me." Snoddy and Pie, who had stood there as still as they could be not to cause any trouble, walked timidly up the stairs and down winding hallways to a fairly large office about five stories up. Seitz sat behind the oak desk as Denton pulled up a chair from the wall. "You boys can sit on the couch if you'd like."
"Thank you" Snoddy said faintly, as the two made their way to the multi-colored sofa.
"Now, Mr. Denton, I don't exactly know why you're here. I have a feeling that those two are newsies." Seitz nodded his head in the direction of the boys. "If this is a phony scheme to make me take pity on the newsies, I'm sorry but my hands are tied with that. If this is about getting the inside scoop on Pulitzer's condition, I would like you to leave now."
Denton cracked a smile of ease after Seitz finished his speech. "I can inform you that we're here on personally business rather than newspaper stories or a compromise. We need something very rare."
"And what is that, Mr. Denton?"
"A picture of Mr. Pulitzer at around the age of fourteen."
The request was a rare one indeed for Seitz. He scrunched his face up in confusion. "Why would you want that?"
"It's…" Denton stalled to find an answer. "It's a little complicated. You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
Seitz leaned in, clamping his hands together and rested his elbows on his desk. "Try me."
******************
"Joe, where are we goin'?!" Shoe yelled, trying her best to fall in step with Joe, but he was walking too fast for her to catch up.
He replied, not even looking back. "To the World Building! I have to finish this before it gets too out of hand."
Shoe stopped in her tracks. "The Woild Building?! How the heck are you gonna get in there without them kickin' your rear to the curb?!"
Joe realized she had stopped, and he stopped as well. "I have a plan."
"Oh really?" Shoe looked fishy at him. "And you just so happen to come up with a plan from the time we left the goils' lodgin' house till now? In all of…five minutes?" Oh yeah, she was testing him.
"Yes." Joe nodded, bluntly.
Shoe blinked. He sounded sure of himself. "Okay. How can I doubt the mind of the biggest newspaper in New Yawk!" She notice Joe smiled slightly at that.
They continued on till they reached the World Building. There was one problem they did have……sneaking in.
"So, how we gonna get into the joint?" Shoe asked eagerly, full of hope that Joe's plan would work.
"I don't know."
"Whatcha mean you don't know, Mister 'I got a plan'!" She planted her hands on her hips, a little pissed now. "Dontcha have like a back door 'er something we can get into?"
Joe shook his head. "No, there's only one way in and one way out."
Shoe sighed in frustration. They stood there for a few minutes on the corner thinking. "Y'know, if we had a diversion then we could slip in without anyone knowin'." She finally said.
"HA! That's brilliant!" A broad smile grew on Joe's face. "Come on."
He pulled Shoe along to the front of the building. She'd never been that close to it before. The World was so big!
"Now wha's the diversion?"
"You are."
"HUH?" Shoe looked at Joe like he was crazy. "There ain't no way!"
"It's not that hard, okay? All you do is distract Frederick, who's the secretary, and I'll slip upstairs to get to my office."
"Sounds more complicated then you're makin' it out to be. Can't we go get Mush 'er Snoddy 'er someone to help?!"
Joe shook his head. This was more difficult then trying to get Shoe to believe he was the Joseph Pulitzer!
"We need to do this now. There's no time to go get any of the other newsies."
She peered through his seedy eyes that looked almost pleading by now. He couldn't be resisted. "All right, I'll do it. But, if I get sent to the Refuge and you don't come to get me out, I'll have every newsie from heah to Joisey City to soak you!" Shoe had slightly forgotten that he wasn't really a boy and blushed at the threat she just gave.
"Thanks." Joe smiled, and for once, he seemed happy.
The two planned out just how they'd work out this plan. After a few minutes, they were ready. Both of them walked causally up to the front doors. Shoe took a deep breathe.
"Are you ready?" Joe asked.
She nodded, and slipped into the building. Frederick, the secretary guy, spotted her right away.
"Hey, what are you doing in here?!"
Shoe managed to crack a grin then ran into an unknown room to her. Frederick took off in pursuit of her. Joe peeked in the door. No one was there in the lobby. It was now or never, he ran in and started up the long way to his office.
"Sir…"
"Bryan Denton from the Sun. I'd like to talk with Mr. Seitz."
The man behind the desk stared unsurely. "Do you have an appointment? And why are these street rats with you?"
"I assure you good Sir that these are my apprentices. No, I do not have an appointment. I'm an acquaintance of Mr. Seitz." The tone in Denton's voice was becoming more on the edge. He'd met Seitz for a brief moment once at a party Pulitzer threw for all the newspaper companies, but they didn't know each other personally.
The male secretary looked suspiciously at Denton and the two 'street rats'. They all seemed to be nervous, but he called for Seitz to confirm the three.
"Who wants to see me, Frederick?" Seitz asked, appearing from the stairs. His face looked worn like he hadn't sleep in a couple days. Pie stared at him, interested in counting the new wrinkles around Seitz's eyes.
"These gentlemen would like to have a word with you." He waved his hand over to the guest. "The man claims to be Bryan Denton from the Sun."
Seitz took a good look at him and realized it was the real Bryan Denton. "Ah yes, Mr. Denton, what brings you by?" He glanced at the two boys along side the Ace War Correspondent, and had a feeling they were newsies by their demeanor.
Denton had finally built up more confidence. "I need to talk to you in concern of Mr. Pulitzer."
The older man didn't know what Denton wanted to know. Everyone in the entire city already had heard intense details about Pulitzer falling into a coma. But something made him trust that Denton was there on pure reasons, not just newspaper related.
"Follow me." Snoddy and Pie, who had stood there as still as they could be not to cause any trouble, walked timidly up the stairs and down winding hallways to a fairly large office about five stories up. Seitz sat behind the oak desk as Denton pulled up a chair from the wall. "You boys can sit on the couch if you'd like."
"Thank you" Snoddy said faintly, as the two made their way to the multi-colored sofa.
"Now, Mr. Denton, I don't exactly know why you're here. I have a feeling that those two are newsies." Seitz nodded his head in the direction of the boys. "If this is a phony scheme to make me take pity on the newsies, I'm sorry but my hands are tied with that. If this is about getting the inside scoop on Pulitzer's condition, I would like you to leave now."
Denton cracked a smile of ease after Seitz finished his speech. "I can inform you that we're here on personally business rather than newspaper stories or a compromise. We need something very rare."
"And what is that, Mr. Denton?"
"A picture of Mr. Pulitzer at around the age of fourteen."
The request was a rare one indeed for Seitz. He scrunched his face up in confusion. "Why would you want that?"
"It's…" Denton stalled to find an answer. "It's a little complicated. You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
Seitz leaned in, clamping his hands together and rested his elbows on his desk. "Try me."
******************
"Joe, where are we goin'?!" Shoe yelled, trying her best to fall in step with Joe, but he was walking too fast for her to catch up.
He replied, not even looking back. "To the World Building! I have to finish this before it gets too out of hand."
Shoe stopped in her tracks. "The Woild Building?! How the heck are you gonna get in there without them kickin' your rear to the curb?!"
Joe realized she had stopped, and he stopped as well. "I have a plan."
"Oh really?" Shoe looked fishy at him. "And you just so happen to come up with a plan from the time we left the goils' lodgin' house till now? In all of…five minutes?" Oh yeah, she was testing him.
"Yes." Joe nodded, bluntly.
Shoe blinked. He sounded sure of himself. "Okay. How can I doubt the mind of the biggest newspaper in New Yawk!" She notice Joe smiled slightly at that.
They continued on till they reached the World Building. There was one problem they did have……sneaking in.
"So, how we gonna get into the joint?" Shoe asked eagerly, full of hope that Joe's plan would work.
"I don't know."
"Whatcha mean you don't know, Mister 'I got a plan'!" She planted her hands on her hips, a little pissed now. "Dontcha have like a back door 'er something we can get into?"
Joe shook his head. "No, there's only one way in and one way out."
Shoe sighed in frustration. They stood there for a few minutes on the corner thinking. "Y'know, if we had a diversion then we could slip in without anyone knowin'." She finally said.
"HA! That's brilliant!" A broad smile grew on Joe's face. "Come on."
He pulled Shoe along to the front of the building. She'd never been that close to it before. The World was so big!
"Now wha's the diversion?"
"You are."
"HUH?" Shoe looked at Joe like he was crazy. "There ain't no way!"
"It's not that hard, okay? All you do is distract Frederick, who's the secretary, and I'll slip upstairs to get to my office."
"Sounds more complicated then you're makin' it out to be. Can't we go get Mush 'er Snoddy 'er someone to help?!"
Joe shook his head. This was more difficult then trying to get Shoe to believe he was the Joseph Pulitzer!
"We need to do this now. There's no time to go get any of the other newsies."
She peered through his seedy eyes that looked almost pleading by now. He couldn't be resisted. "All right, I'll do it. But, if I get sent to the Refuge and you don't come to get me out, I'll have every newsie from heah to Joisey City to soak you!" Shoe had slightly forgotten that he wasn't really a boy and blushed at the threat she just gave.
"Thanks." Joe smiled, and for once, he seemed happy.
The two planned out just how they'd work out this plan. After a few minutes, they were ready. Both of them walked causally up to the front doors. Shoe took a deep breathe.
"Are you ready?" Joe asked.
She nodded, and slipped into the building. Frederick, the secretary guy, spotted her right away.
"Hey, what are you doing in here?!"
Shoe managed to crack a grin then ran into an unknown room to her. Frederick took off in pursuit of her. Joe peeked in the door. No one was there in the lobby. It was now or never, he ran in and started up the long way to his office.