Jack, Sarah, David, and Les stood at Bryan Denton's office door. They could hear someone inside, presumably Denton, bustling around. After a moment Jack knocked on the door.
"Did you mean what you wrote here, 'bout all these sweatshop kids listenin' to me?" Jack said as soon as the door opened.
"I don't write anything I don't mean," said Denton. "Come on in, I'm just packing a few things."
The group entered Denton's office and David closed the door. "So yes, I mean it," Denton continued. "The city thrives on child labor. A lot of people make money that way. They're terrified that the newsies strike will spread."
"Well, there's really not much chance of that as long as they got the power." said Jack. Pulitzer and Hearst practically owned the city. As the owners of the two most popular newspapers, they controlled the news. They told the public what they "needed" to know and they left out the parts that they didn't. With "The Sun" printing strike news, people could finally see the tragedy that had befallen these poor newsboys. Once Pulitzer demanded a ban on strike news, the newsies' chance in the spotlight was over.
Denton looked Jack in the eye. "Sometimes, all it takes is a voice, one voice. Then a thousand. Unless it's silenced."
"Why can't we spread the strike? Have another big rally and get the word out to all the sweat shop kids? Why not?" Even though he had let them down, Jack was ready to face the newsies as their leader once more.
David already thought of a hundred reasons why Jack's ambitious plan wouldn't work. "What are we going to do? Print an ad in the newspaper?"
Jack turned to his friend. "No! We'll do better than that. We'll make our own paper. We tell 'em they gotta join us. Isn't that a good idea?"
David raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, it is. But what do we know about printing a newspaper?"
Jack countered. "Nothing, but our man Denton…"
"Yeah, but our man Denton has something more important to do." David smirked. "He's going to be an ace war correspondent, right Denton?"
Denton looked from David to Jack and smiled. "Alright. Where do we start?"
After David, Jack, and Denton edited Denton's article, Jack led the group to the basement of the circulation building.
"You've been living here?" Asked Sarah.
"Shh." said Jack. "They're right above us. Weasel catches us here we're all in the slammer."
Jack dragged a dusty old sheet off of some sort of contraption that took up half of the room, revealing it to be an old printing press.
"Alright! A Platen press." Said Denton. "Looks like old man Pulitzer never threw anything away."
"Is it going to work?" said David, staring at the old-fashioned machine.
"It better. We have a deadline."
It took the group a few hours to typeset Denton's short article. The boys couldn't imagine how long it had taken people to print whole newspapers back in the old days. By the time they finished, the articles would probably be old news! Thankfully they had come a lot farther along with their modern technology, with steam or electricity powering the press. Although that would hardly help Jack and David now. The platen was easy enough to use, and even though it had been sitting down in that basement for a long time it didn't make a lot of noise once it got going.
Jack, Sarah, David, and Denton all took turns working the press as Les slept in the corner. Before they knew it, the first light of day was beginning to show in the sky. They had to get out of there before Weasel and the boys woke up to start printing today's edition of "The World".
"I'll go get the guys," said David. Jack and Sarah had just begun bundling the papers with twine.
"Good luck, Davey." said Jack. With the way Jack had betrayed his friends, Dave would need it.
Mush, Race, Blink, and a lot of the older newsies had fallen asleep downstairs on the steps over a poker game. They were just waiting to see what David was going to do next.
Kloppman had just come out of his room to go over his files before waking up the boys.
The door crashed open and someone came in.
"Ahhhhhh!" Mush and several of the boys jolted awake, screaming.
"Oh, hey, sorry guys." It was David.
"Was that really necessary, Dave?" Racetrack said, trying to calm his shallow, frightened breaths. "You
gave us a heart attack."
"Sorry, again."
"What's goin' on, Davey?" Mush was ready for anything.
David glanced outside before slowly and silently closing the lodging house door. He turned back and motioned for the boys to gather on the steps.
"We're going to circulate Denton's article to all the sweatshop kids." He started. "Denton was right, New York thrives on child labor. If all the kids stopped working, imagine what that would do to this city."
"Everything would be brought to a halt." Mush's eyed widened with realization.
"And it would be all Pulitzer's fault." In the dim light if the morning, the boys could see a strangely devilish smile on David's face.
They woke up the younger newsies as quietly as possible (although none of them seemed ready to strike again. Skittery had to carry Tumbler and Boots out of the lodging house). They followed David to the back of the circulation building, knowing full well that they could blow everything with one sound. Dutchy, Specs, Racetrack, and Blink helped Denton push the borrowed newspaper cart to the basement window where Jack, Sarah, and Les smiled up at their friends.
Jack put a finger to his lips at the excited boys to remind them to be quiet. They were just happy to have him back.
Jack handed Mush the first bundle of papers which he passed down the line to the cart. This plan would work, Mush was sure of it.
They finished loading the cart in 15 minutes. Jack and David helped Sarah and the younger newsies into the now heavier cart and they pushed it down the street to be hooked up to Denton's horse. The group of newsboys followed the moving cart to the square as Jack gave the boys circulation assignments.
"You fellas ready?" He asked.
"Wait, Jack." David said.
"What now, Dave?"
"We have to go to Medda's first. I promised the girls I would tell them what was happening."
Jack nodded, "I think we can spare a few minutes for you and your girl." Jack punched him in the arm.
Mush spoke up, "I was kinds hoping the girls wouldn't get involved." There was no need for them to get hurt again.
"Get over it, Mush." Said Jack, "I know for a fact your sister's gonna make herself a part of this whether we like it or not."
Mush sighed. "Probably right."
"It's alright," David said, determined. At the moment the only one on his mind was Story. "We won't let them get hurt this time."
Story woke when she heard voices downstairs. There wasn't any light shining through the curtain. Who would be visiting at this hour? David.
She pulled on a robe over her nightgown and slid out the door, hoping Chase would stay asleep.
Downstairs, Medda was just letting the boys in.
"Story, " David said, pushing his way to the front. He took her hands. "Are-are you feeling any better?" He
could hear the newsies behind him whispering about the romance in the room.
"Yeah," she smiled. "What's going on?"
"We're spreading the strike to the sweatshops-"
Story gasped. "If we did that, that could-"
"And then Pulitzer would have to listen."
"Whoa!" Said Blink
"What are yous, mind readers?" Racetrack laughed.
Story and David blushed.
"Hey, Dave we better get goin'." Jack said.
"Oh, well I'm gonna get dressed. Be right back." She turned to go up the stairs.
"Don't take too long primping. We got a deadline here." Racetrack's comment was met with a smack on the back of the head from Jack.
Story tiptoed up the steps. From the looks Mush was giving her over David's shoulder, he really didn't want Chase to come.
Medda must have had someone buy her and Chase clothes because there were two full outfits: blouses, skirts, and stockings laid out on a chair with their shoes.
Story carefully slid out of her nightgown, slipping the blouse over her head.
"What are you doing?"
"Ah!" Story screamed.
"Oops, sorry." Chase sat up. "What's going on, something about the strike?"
Story sighed, there would be no convincing her to stay. "Yeah, the boys came up with a plan. I think it's gonna work."
Chase stood up, leaning on her crutch. "Is Spot with them?" She almost didn't want to know.
"No." Story whispered. She wished there was something she could do. "He'll come around, Chase. He said himself, he loves you."
Chase smiled a little but Story could see tears sparkling in her eyes.
"He doesn't matter right now." Said Chase. "Could you help me get dressed?"
About ten minutes later, the girls emerged from the guest room. After using the crutch for a few days, Chase had gotten the hang of walking. Story still had to help her down the steps.
Chase smiled at what she saw at the bottom: thirty newsboys taking off their hats for her and Story. That would never get old. She saw a few surprised reactions at the sight of her leg brace.
Mush rushed to her other side. "How is this gonna work?"
"I can walk fine, Nicholas." Mush could sense ice in her tone. Chase did not want to be treated this way, especially by her brother.
"But-"
"She can ride in the carriage with Sarah." Jack said.
"And I'll keep an eye on her for ya, Mush." Les jumped in front of Jack.
"Great idea, Les. You can be my escort for the day." She crossed the room and linked arms with the younger boy who blushed.
"Think these papes are going to be enough?" Story asked no one in particular when she saw the newspaper cart.
"They're gonna have to be," Jack said as he jumped in the cart. "We were printin' all night." Dark circles under his eyes were evidence of that.
Mush lifted Roselia into the cart, Jack grabbed her arm so she wouldn't fall.
"Are we goin' to circulate in Brooklyn?" Mush asked.
"I don't know if that's such a good idea." Said Story.
"Yeah, you know how angry Spot was when he found out Jack was a scab." David added, looking nervous as ever.
"But you said yourself, Davey, if Brooklyn's with you guys, we'll be unstoppable. And the boys already listen to me with or without Spot." Chase smirked, she didn't need Spot's approval, especially after what he did to her.
"But you can't make that trip." Mush said. "And it's not like one of us could carry you across the bridge."
"Like I'd want you to-"
"And plus, the traffic on the Brooklyn bridge is crazy in the morning!"
Chase gasped.
"What is it?" Mush jumped.
"The traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge!"
"What about it?"
"What would happen if half the city couldn't get to work?"