I don't own it.
The say of the strike started out much like any other. Crutchie woke up in the newsie lodging house, fought with Mush and Kid Blink for the sink, tripped over Skittery's big feet and fell down the stairs, and had to run to be at the World headquarters before the bell rang.
Yeah, your typical day.
Except it wasn't. Crutchie showed up a little behind the rest of the boys. There was a blockade in just inside the gate. "What happened?" Crutchie muttered to Racetrack. He shrugged, looking concerned.
"What's going on here?" Crutchie turned around to see Jack standing just behind him and Racetrack. He jumped slightly at the surprise.
"They jacked up the price! You hear that Jack? Ten cents a hundred!" Blink raged from on top of a little platform. He didn't see one of the Delancey brothers behind him, mimicking his words. "You know, it's bad enough we have to eat what we don't sell…"
Crutchie didn't hear the rest of his words. God, this was going to rob them all blind. He heard murmurings around him from the other newsies.
"I'll be back sleeping on the streets…"
"I don't get it, with all the money Pulitzer's making, why would he gouge us?"
Next to him, Racetrack answered, his face contorted with rage, "Because he's a tight wad, that's why."
Jack pushed past Crutchie and Racetrack and went up to Weasel. Crutchie couldn't hear exactly what he said but it didn't look like it was going very well. Crutchie sighed and looked down.
Small groups were organized as conversations formed. Blink was next to Jack. "They can't do this to me, Jack."
Racetrack, once again with an expression that Crutchie had almost never seen, replied, "They can do whatever they want, it's their stinkin' paper."
Boots looked between all the boys, his neck craned to stare them in the eye. "It ain't fair! We got no rights at all!"
Jack nodded, though Crutchie didn't think he'd heard a word of what was said. Crutchie followed him as he went to go sit down. "Listen," Jack said, "Nobody buys any papes, you hear?"
"What?" Crutchie said, wondering what Jack was thinking.
"Well, if we don't sell papes, no one sells papes," Jack looked at the boys defiantly, as if daring them to disagree. One boy, David, who had just started the day before and seemed to hit it off with Jack, clarified, "You mean like a strike?"
"Yeah, a strike." Jack said. Roars came from all the other boys. Racetrack's mouth went slack. Crutchie had to work to keep from laughing at his expression, "What? Jack, are you out of your mind?"
"It's a good idea!" Jack argued. He turned to Cutchie, who smiled, "Crutchie, take up a collection."
He smiled, "Will do, Jack!" he held out his hat to the boys, who put their two bits they were expecting to spend on papes in it. The crowd started moving towards the gate. From up ahead, Crutchie could hear Jack and David arguing.
"What you think about this?" Racetrack asked Crutchie. Crutchie looked at him sideways. "I don't know yet."
Racetrack looked troubled. "I just hope no one gets hurt."
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