"Oh…my…goodness…" Pie trailed off, totally in shock. Denton held a corner-tattered photograph of Joe has a boy that Joe keep in a frame in his office. Snoddy was too stunned to say anything. Seitz stood there, wondering what exactly did this reaction mean.
"I'm guessing this is what Joe looks like?" Denton asked.
Snoddy finally regained his bearings, and nodded. "Yeah, that's him. For sure."
Denton turned to Seitz. "Then Mr. Seitz, Joseph Pulitzer isn't in a coma. He has somehow been turned into a boy."
"What? I saw him with my own eyes! His body lying on his bed, unconscious and breathing. How is this possible?"
"I don't know, sir. But, I do know Joe is Pulitzer and this pic'tah proves it" Snoddy replied.
"I'd like to see this kid myself before I rule my decision."
Just then, the office door flew open to reveal a very out of breath Joe. Seitz's mouth fell open at the sight in front of him. He glanced at Joe then back at the picture over and over.
"It can't be…"
Joe found his eyes on his second in command. "Seitz."
"Joe, how'd you get up heah?" Pie asked, advancing toward the boy.
He looked up at Pie. "I slipped in after Shoe got Frederick away from the lobby. I knew this was the only way I could come prove myself. What are you two doing here?"
"We came to prove you were the real thing too" Snoddy replied, taking the picture from Denton and putting it up to Joe. It was unmistakable.
"This can't be! It's totally impossible!" The ever-so-calm Seitz finally found his tongue, lashing out. "Is this some kind of joke? Who are you and why are you impersonating Joseph Pulitzer?!"
"Shut your mouth, SEITZ! I am Joseph Pulitzer! And if you want proof, here it is. Go to my bookshelf in the wall over there." He pointed to the other side of the office. Seitz sported a dazed expression, but headed over to the bookshelf anyway. "Now remove the middle four books on the fourth level. There will be a safe that holds my paperwork." The second in command did as he was told. Sure enough, there was a safe located right in that spot.
Seitz turned back in total shock. Joe grinned, smugly. "The combination is my birth date: 4-10-47. Open it." The safe opened, and Seitz turned with eyes widened almost as big as the moon.
"Chief?"
Joe sighed. "You doubted me?"
"I didn't!" Snoddy came out of no where.
He turned to the only one who actually believed him through out anything, even when he was being a real piss ant. "And I thank you for that Snoddy. Now I have to get back into my body, so, I can stop this strike."
Pie Eater and Snoddy exchanged worried glance. What if Joe would go back to being the mean, old man he always was and rip off the newsies? Joe noticed this, and told them differently.
"You don't have to worry, boys. I'm stopping this strike in your advantage. I could never be that cruel again. I may be a hot head, but I can't be cruel." Joe threw them a warm smile.
Seitz was even more surprise ((and overjoyed)) to hear this. He was fixing to say something when Joe interrupted.
"Now I need to figure out how to get back to my old self!"
*****************
Joe, Seitz, Snoddy, Pie Eater, and Denton stepped in the room of the Pulitzer residence. Pultizer's wife had fainted from the impact of the news. His daughters were visiting the stables at the moment. Joe nearly gasped at the sight of his body lying there and him out of it. Snoddy and Pie gagged.
"Eww…that's just disturbing" Pie remarked.
Joe sucked in a sob, and fell to his knees at the side of the bed. "Now what do I do?"
Snoddy put a consoling hand on his new friend's shoulder. "We'll figure out a way. It'll be okay, Joe."
"Thanks. Can I be alone for a while?"
Everyone present in the room - left. Joe stared at his body with glassed eyes. It was too much to bear. He swirled around to have his back to the bed, continuing to sob. He turned his attention to the ceiling, but was staring at something much……higher.
"You know I have learned my lesson. I don't ever want to be the man I was. I want to be new, never being a tyrant again."
He fell back into sobs then glanced behind him at the bed to see his body gone! Joe jumped to his feet in panic, but realized he felt taller.
Something was definitely different. He ran to the mirror across the room to find he was back in his old body. He touched his face, feeling the course hair of his beard then his glasses.
Joe couldn't help, but smile. "It's me…I'm back…I'm back!" He ran out the room to find his accompanies waiting for him.
"Chief!" Seitz yelled, astonished.
"Seitz!" Joe ran over to shake his second in command's hand. "It's good to be back!" Then he turned to the other three in the area. Snoddy was the first he approached.
"You, my boy, I will never forget. Even when I was being my selfish self, you didn't faultier."
Then he switched to Pie Eater. Pie hung his head, almost in shame. "As for you……I like your spirit, but you really need to watch your mouth before you speak."
That made Pie blush in embarrassment. "Yeah, I get that a lot."
"And I really need to thank…" Joe paused. He had just remember Shoe was probably still being a distraction for him. "Oh no, I think we should go find Shoe. She might be in the House of Refuge by now."
"What?!" Snoddy and Pie exclaimed together.
Denton stepped in. "I'll go ahead to the Refuge to see if she was caught while you boys go look at her usual places."
"All right, Denton." Snoddy nodded.
The two newsies and Denton hurried out of the house 'er uh…more like mansion leaving Joe and Seitz by themselves.
"Come on, Seitz, we have business to take care of."
"I'm guessing this is what Joe looks like?" Denton asked.
Snoddy finally regained his bearings, and nodded. "Yeah, that's him. For sure."
Denton turned to Seitz. "Then Mr. Seitz, Joseph Pulitzer isn't in a coma. He has somehow been turned into a boy."
"What? I saw him with my own eyes! His body lying on his bed, unconscious and breathing. How is this possible?"
"I don't know, sir. But, I do know Joe is Pulitzer and this pic'tah proves it" Snoddy replied.
"I'd like to see this kid myself before I rule my decision."
Just then, the office door flew open to reveal a very out of breath Joe. Seitz's mouth fell open at the sight in front of him. He glanced at Joe then back at the picture over and over.
"It can't be…"
Joe found his eyes on his second in command. "Seitz."
"Joe, how'd you get up heah?" Pie asked, advancing toward the boy.
He looked up at Pie. "I slipped in after Shoe got Frederick away from the lobby. I knew this was the only way I could come prove myself. What are you two doing here?"
"We came to prove you were the real thing too" Snoddy replied, taking the picture from Denton and putting it up to Joe. It was unmistakable.
"This can't be! It's totally impossible!" The ever-so-calm Seitz finally found his tongue, lashing out. "Is this some kind of joke? Who are you and why are you impersonating Joseph Pulitzer?!"
"Shut your mouth, SEITZ! I am Joseph Pulitzer! And if you want proof, here it is. Go to my bookshelf in the wall over there." He pointed to the other side of the office. Seitz sported a dazed expression, but headed over to the bookshelf anyway. "Now remove the middle four books on the fourth level. There will be a safe that holds my paperwork." The second in command did as he was told. Sure enough, there was a safe located right in that spot.
Seitz turned back in total shock. Joe grinned, smugly. "The combination is my birth date: 4-10-47. Open it." The safe opened, and Seitz turned with eyes widened almost as big as the moon.
"Chief?"
Joe sighed. "You doubted me?"
"I didn't!" Snoddy came out of no where.
He turned to the only one who actually believed him through out anything, even when he was being a real piss ant. "And I thank you for that Snoddy. Now I have to get back into my body, so, I can stop this strike."
Pie Eater and Snoddy exchanged worried glance. What if Joe would go back to being the mean, old man he always was and rip off the newsies? Joe noticed this, and told them differently.
"You don't have to worry, boys. I'm stopping this strike in your advantage. I could never be that cruel again. I may be a hot head, but I can't be cruel." Joe threw them a warm smile.
Seitz was even more surprise ((and overjoyed)) to hear this. He was fixing to say something when Joe interrupted.
"Now I need to figure out how to get back to my old self!"
*****************
Joe, Seitz, Snoddy, Pie Eater, and Denton stepped in the room of the Pulitzer residence. Pultizer's wife had fainted from the impact of the news. His daughters were visiting the stables at the moment. Joe nearly gasped at the sight of his body lying there and him out of it. Snoddy and Pie gagged.
"Eww…that's just disturbing" Pie remarked.
Joe sucked in a sob, and fell to his knees at the side of the bed. "Now what do I do?"
Snoddy put a consoling hand on his new friend's shoulder. "We'll figure out a way. It'll be okay, Joe."
"Thanks. Can I be alone for a while?"
Everyone present in the room - left. Joe stared at his body with glassed eyes. It was too much to bear. He swirled around to have his back to the bed, continuing to sob. He turned his attention to the ceiling, but was staring at something much……higher.
"You know I have learned my lesson. I don't ever want to be the man I was. I want to be new, never being a tyrant again."
He fell back into sobs then glanced behind him at the bed to see his body gone! Joe jumped to his feet in panic, but realized he felt taller.
Something was definitely different. He ran to the mirror across the room to find he was back in his old body. He touched his face, feeling the course hair of his beard then his glasses.
Joe couldn't help, but smile. "It's me…I'm back…I'm back!" He ran out the room to find his accompanies waiting for him.
"Chief!" Seitz yelled, astonished.
"Seitz!" Joe ran over to shake his second in command's hand. "It's good to be back!" Then he turned to the other three in the area. Snoddy was the first he approached.
"You, my boy, I will never forget. Even when I was being my selfish self, you didn't faultier."
Then he switched to Pie Eater. Pie hung his head, almost in shame. "As for you……I like your spirit, but you really need to watch your mouth before you speak."
That made Pie blush in embarrassment. "Yeah, I get that a lot."
"And I really need to thank…" Joe paused. He had just remember Shoe was probably still being a distraction for him. "Oh no, I think we should go find Shoe. She might be in the House of Refuge by now."
"What?!" Snoddy and Pie exclaimed together.
Denton stepped in. "I'll go ahead to the Refuge to see if she was caught while you boys go look at her usual places."
"All right, Denton." Snoddy nodded.
The two newsies and Denton hurried out of the house 'er uh…more like mansion leaving Joe and Seitz by themselves.
"Come on, Seitz, we have business to take care of."