"And there I was, standing face to face with the meanest lookin' guy in that buildin', but I stood there unscared then I kicked his rear all the way to Joisey" Shoe told the pile of newsies at Tibby's. They were hanging on her ever word even though they knew it probably wasn't true.
"Whoa, Shoe, you musta been very brave" Mush commented, totally believing her story as a child would.
Shoe smiled, coolly. "Ya dang right! I was not scared a bit."
Just then, the bell on the door rang and there stood Pie and Snoddy. They caught sight of Shoe.
"So, there you are!" Snoddy said.
"She looks like she's been spoutin' her mouth off 'bout something pretend in her make-believe world" Pie stated.
"Shut up, Pie" Shoe yelled, hurling a roll at him.
Snoddy made his way to the center of the newsies pile which was thinning out. "I guess Denton is finding out right now that you're not in the Refuge."
"Where's Joe? What's been goin' on behind me back?" Jack came out of no where.
"He's in his old body again" Pie replied, sitting down and grabbing the first piece of food he saw on a plate.
Jack scratched his head. "Huh?"
"Turns out Joe really was Pulitzer" Snoddy told him.
Shoe's mouth fell open. "He was?!"
Snoddy nodded. "Yep."
"I really don't know wha's goin' on heah, but wha's goin' on?!" Mush asked, puzzled on what this all meant.
Shoe placed an arm around his shoulder. "I'll explain later, baby." Mush frowned, so, Shoe gave him a kiss on the cheek and that made everything better.
Before anyone else could say anything, the door bell rang again. The newsies found a tall, balding man walking in. He peered around somewhat timidly.
"Is this where the newsies of Manhattan reside?" he asked, to anyone who would listen. He was barely heard, because his voice was so soft.
Jack stood up. "Yeah, that's us."
"My name is Jonathan. I work for Mr. Pulitzer. He told me to report to you children that he wants ever newsboy and newsgirl in the limits of his distribution center to meet at the World Building."
Shoe smiled, jumping up. "I bet he's gonna call off the strike! I need to go get the goils! C'mon, Mush!" She yanked Mush from the table and flew out the door.
"I guess we should be gettin' everyone else there too" Jack said, taking charge.
***************
All the newsies who sold The World newspapers were waiting in front of the World Building to find out what was going on. Even newsies from different boroughs that were involved in the strike had heard the news and came to join in. The Manhattan newsies were at the top of the crowd though. Pulitzer appeared from behind the wooden doors, and a loud gasp came over the crowd. Snoddy, Pie, and Shoe were the only ones with a knowing smile on their faces. The crowd grew silent.
"Newsies……my name is Joseph Pulitzer, owner of The World. You may have heard that I had fallen into a coma a few days prior, but I am all right now. In those few days, I was not in my own body, but in the body of a boy's. This may sound unheard of to you all, but it is true. Believe me or not, I learned a hard lesson about you children. Now I know what you go through, and I would like to say I'm sorry for the pain I have caused you. I have decided to call off the rise of my newspapers. Instead, I will use my money to build more lodging houses and improve the remaining ones for all the homeless children in New York City. I will also build an education center for whoever would like an education. This is all I want to say for now. Thank you for everything, you know who you are."
Before Pulitzer turned to walk back into his building, he gave Shoe a quick 'thank you' thumbs up. The crowd started to murmur. Was this the same Pulitzer? Apparently not!
Spot Conlon made his way to Jack. "Wha' was that about?! And wha' did he mean by bein' in a boy's body?! Is he mad in the head?"
Jack cracked a smile at his friend then burst into laughter. "You remember that new newsie a mine that insulted you
then you kicked his butt?"
Spot nodded. Jack pointed to where Pulitzer had been standing. "That was him."
"Where?" Spot asked, frazzled.
Jack was trying to keep in his snickers. "The fearless Spot Conlon kicked the mighty Joseph Pulitzer's butt."
Spot snapped his head to look Jack in the eye. "Naw. You can't be serious?!"
Shoe came up behind him, placing her hands sharply on Spot's shoulders - making him jump. "Believe it! You're never gonna live this down, Spottie boy!" She let out a cackle then took off running with Spot hot on her heals.
"Don't evaer call me that, Shoegoil!" Spot screamed. Jack peered around the crowd that had started to walk off to begin their lives once again.
Snoddy and Pie Eater came up to join him on the walk back to the lodging house.
***********
Joe stared down from his office high in the sky. He could barely make out his newsie friends heading off in different directions, going back to their regular lives. He'd miss them, but would never forget the hardest lesson of his life. He turned to his office, and gazed at his framed photograph of his family. It really was going to be okay.
~*~
*claps* Yay! I don't know why I like this fic so much. I sort of wrote it because I'm ((probably)) the only Newsies fanatic who likes Pulitzer. He's too cool! Anyways, thank you everyone who read this :)
"Whoa, Shoe, you musta been very brave" Mush commented, totally believing her story as a child would.
Shoe smiled, coolly. "Ya dang right! I was not scared a bit."
Just then, the bell on the door rang and there stood Pie and Snoddy. They caught sight of Shoe.
"So, there you are!" Snoddy said.
"She looks like she's been spoutin' her mouth off 'bout something pretend in her make-believe world" Pie stated.
"Shut up, Pie" Shoe yelled, hurling a roll at him.
Snoddy made his way to the center of the newsies pile which was thinning out. "I guess Denton is finding out right now that you're not in the Refuge."
"Where's Joe? What's been goin' on behind me back?" Jack came out of no where.
"He's in his old body again" Pie replied, sitting down and grabbing the first piece of food he saw on a plate.
Jack scratched his head. "Huh?"
"Turns out Joe really was Pulitzer" Snoddy told him.
Shoe's mouth fell open. "He was?!"
Snoddy nodded. "Yep."
"I really don't know wha's goin' on heah, but wha's goin' on?!" Mush asked, puzzled on what this all meant.
Shoe placed an arm around his shoulder. "I'll explain later, baby." Mush frowned, so, Shoe gave him a kiss on the cheek and that made everything better.
Before anyone else could say anything, the door bell rang again. The newsies found a tall, balding man walking in. He peered around somewhat timidly.
"Is this where the newsies of Manhattan reside?" he asked, to anyone who would listen. He was barely heard, because his voice was so soft.
Jack stood up. "Yeah, that's us."
"My name is Jonathan. I work for Mr. Pulitzer. He told me to report to you children that he wants ever newsboy and newsgirl in the limits of his distribution center to meet at the World Building."
Shoe smiled, jumping up. "I bet he's gonna call off the strike! I need to go get the goils! C'mon, Mush!" She yanked Mush from the table and flew out the door.
"I guess we should be gettin' everyone else there too" Jack said, taking charge.
***************
All the newsies who sold The World newspapers were waiting in front of the World Building to find out what was going on. Even newsies from different boroughs that were involved in the strike had heard the news and came to join in. The Manhattan newsies were at the top of the crowd though. Pulitzer appeared from behind the wooden doors, and a loud gasp came over the crowd. Snoddy, Pie, and Shoe were the only ones with a knowing smile on their faces. The crowd grew silent.
"Newsies……my name is Joseph Pulitzer, owner of The World. You may have heard that I had fallen into a coma a few days prior, but I am all right now. In those few days, I was not in my own body, but in the body of a boy's. This may sound unheard of to you all, but it is true. Believe me or not, I learned a hard lesson about you children. Now I know what you go through, and I would like to say I'm sorry for the pain I have caused you. I have decided to call off the rise of my newspapers. Instead, I will use my money to build more lodging houses and improve the remaining ones for all the homeless children in New York City. I will also build an education center for whoever would like an education. This is all I want to say for now. Thank you for everything, you know who you are."
Before Pulitzer turned to walk back into his building, he gave Shoe a quick 'thank you' thumbs up. The crowd started to murmur. Was this the same Pulitzer? Apparently not!
Spot Conlon made his way to Jack. "Wha' was that about?! And wha' did he mean by bein' in a boy's body?! Is he mad in the head?"
Jack cracked a smile at his friend then burst into laughter. "You remember that new newsie a mine that insulted you
then you kicked his butt?"
Spot nodded. Jack pointed to where Pulitzer had been standing. "That was him."
"Where?" Spot asked, frazzled.
Jack was trying to keep in his snickers. "The fearless Spot Conlon kicked the mighty Joseph Pulitzer's butt."
Spot snapped his head to look Jack in the eye. "Naw. You can't be serious?!"
Shoe came up behind him, placing her hands sharply on Spot's shoulders - making him jump. "Believe it! You're never gonna live this down, Spottie boy!" She let out a cackle then took off running with Spot hot on her heals.
"Don't evaer call me that, Shoegoil!" Spot screamed. Jack peered around the crowd that had started to walk off to begin their lives once again.
Snoddy and Pie Eater came up to join him on the walk back to the lodging house.
***********
Joe stared down from his office high in the sky. He could barely make out his newsie friends heading off in different directions, going back to their regular lives. He'd miss them, but would never forget the hardest lesson of his life. He turned to his office, and gazed at his framed photograph of his family. It really was going to be okay.
~*~
*claps* Yay! I don't know why I like this fic so much. I sort of wrote it because I'm ((probably)) the only Newsies fanatic who likes Pulitzer. He's too cool! Anyways, thank you everyone who read this :)