The Rose Of New York *Jack Kelly Love Story*

Chapter Seven; The World Will Know!

"Mornin Mushy. How'd ya sleep?" I asked sauntering over to the boys.
"Them Fire Sirens kept me awake all night," Race complained.
"Sirens is like lullabies to me. The louder they wail, the better the headline. And the better the headline, the better I eat. And the better I eat-" Mush got cut off by Race
"The further away from you I sleep!" Race cackled.
"Mornin Davey!" I called happily
"Mornin' everybody, sorry we're late, we had to help our mom with somethin'." David said making a face.
"Oh, they got a mother! I was gonna get me one." Race joked.
"What didja do wit da one you had?" I asked.
"He traded her for a box of Coronas." Romeo laughed.
"We got a father, too." Les piped up.
"Oh, a mother and a father." Romeo said, snickering
"Well, ain't we the hoi polloi." Race mocked.
"So, how's it goin' today?" Les asked, ignoring Race
"Ask me after the put up the headline," Romeo snorted
"Here it comes now." Les said excitedly.
"New newsie price: 60 cents per hundred." Romeo exclaimed.
"Is that news?" David asked
"It is to me! They jacked up the price of papes, ten cents more a' hundred!" I screamed
"I could eat two days on a dime!" Blink complained.
"I'll be sleepin on the street," Mush groaned.
"You already sleep on the street," Elmer snapped sarcastically.
"In a worse neighborhood!" Mush defended.
Jack swaggered over to us and hopped up on a pile of boxes next to me,
"Hey, whatcha all standin around for?" He asked.
"Hey Jack, get a load of this!" Crutchie started.
"Like pulitzer don't make enough already!" Blink snarled.
"Papes! Papes for the Newsies!" Weasel shouted cheerfully
"Gunner what's going on," Jack asked.
I swallowed a the lump in my throat.
"They raised the price." I whispered.
I really hope this is some kinda joke. I can't afford to pay that much! I'm a damn good seller and could pay my way, but how could I help me boys.
"Relax! Its gotta be a gag," Jack said marching up to the distribution desk.
"Good joke Weasel, you got these fellas goin'. I'll take a hundred and be on my way," Jack said.
"A hundred will cost ya sixty." Weasel said with a sadistic grin.
"I ain't payin' no sixty." Jack snorted.
"Then make way for someone who will," Weasel snapped.
"Well you bet me and the fellas will hike over to The Journal." Jack snapped back
"Yeah!" The boys and I hollered marching away.
"Ain't worth the walk, they hiked up their price, too." Weasel called.
"Well then we'll take our business to The Sun!" I sassed.
"All around town. New day, new price." Weasel laughed.
"Well, why the jack up?" I asked
"For those kind of answers, you gotta ask the runner of the food chain. So ya buyin', or movin' along." Weasel snarled
"Come here, fellas, come here." Jack said, making us huddle around him, away from Weasel.
"They can't just do that, can they?" Mush asked.
"Why not? It's their paper." Race snapped, his italian temper flaring.
"It's their world." I said, glumly.
"We ain't got no rights" Romeo said, hugging me.
"We got the right to starve! Let's just get our papes and hit the street while we still can." Crutchie said, trying to make his way to the distribution desk.
I Blocked his esy
"At them prices?" I demanded.
"We got no choice Gunner," Crutchie reasoned.
"Hold on! No one is payin' no new nothin!" Jack shouted
"You got an idea?" Blink asked.
"Just keep your shirt on, we can think this through," Jack said, sitting on the boxes.
The boys got impatient and started bickering.
"Hey! Stop crowding him! Let him work!" I snarled.
The boys took a few steps back, but were still crowding
"She said let the man work!" Les shouted pushing the guys away before coming to stand dutifully by my side.
"My little pitbull," I teased, musing his hair.
He beamed brilliantly at me.
"Hey Jack, ya still thinkin?" He asked, after a quick moment of silence
"Sure he is! Can't ya smell the smoke!" Race cackled, fanning away the smell.
"Smell? I can see it!" I teased, leaning my head on his shoulder.
"Alright! Here's the deal." Jack said, standing up, pulling me with him. "If we don't sell papes, no one sells papes. No one gets them out there until they put the price back where it belongs!" He said firmly.
"Y-you mean like a strike?" David stuttered nervously.
The others started clamoring angrily.
"HEY! You heard Davey, we're on strike!" I snapped, dictating my authority.
"Wait! Gunner I didn't say-"
I cut him off
"Shut down this place, just like the trolleys were shut down because of the workers." I said, riling my boys up.
"Yeah, then the cops'll bust out heads. Half a' them strikers is laid up with broken bones." Specs said, trying to be logical.
"The cops ain't gonna care about a bunch of kids! Right, Davey?" Jack asked slinging an arm around his shoulder.
David shrugged Jack's arm off and backed a few steps away.
"Leave me out of this. I'm just here trying to feed my family." He said turning to walk away, pulling Les with him.
"What, is the rest of us is on playtime? Just because we only make pennies doesn't give them the right to up and rub our noses in it." Jack defended, chasing after him.
"I know, but it doesn't matter. You can't strike, you're not a union," David said
"What if I says we is?" I challenged, jutting my chin out.
"There's a lot of stuff you gotta have in order to be a union, Gunner Rose. Like membership." David tried to reason.
Jack flung his arms out and motioned to the boys gathered around us.
"What do you call these guys?" He questioned
"Hello!" The boys chorused waving cheekily.
"And... and officers." David continued.
"I nominate Jack president! Gunners already queen!" Les exclaimed.
The boys clapped, hollering agreements.
"Oh! Fellas, im touched," Jack gloated feigning humility.
"What about a statement of purpose?" David said, thinking he stumped us.
""I must'a left that in my other pants." Jack said with an eye roll.
"What's a statement of purpose?" Romeo asked, curiously.
"A reason for forming the union." I explained.
David looked a little shocked that I knew the answer to that.
"What. Im educated a bit," I shrugged.
"What reason did the Trolley Workers have?" Jack asked
"I dunno. Wages, Work Hours, Safety on the job?" David guessed.
"Who don't need that!" Jack argued.
David ran a hand over his face frustratedly.
"I bet if ya old man had a union you wouldn't need to be out here sellin papes right now." Jack said, the idea dawning on him.
"Ye-" I cut him off, knowing We had won him over.
"So our union is hereby formed to watch each othas backs. Union, we stand!" I exclaimed.
"Hey, that's not bad...Someone write that down." Jack ordered.
"Hey! Im Queen, don't I give the orders?" I complained.
"Equal power Gunny, I'm president." Jack smirked.
"I got a pencil!"
I watched as Les searched his bag producing a pencil.
"Well, looks like we got our very own secretary of state," I teased handing him a strip of paper.
"I-if You want to strike, the membership's gotta vote!" David said still trying to convince us not to.
Did the boy not realise he was trying to convince the two most stubborn kids in new york Besides Spot Conlon.
"What do you say me boys, the choice is yours. Do we roll over and let Pulitzer pick our pockets, or do we strike?"
"Strike!" They Hollered throwing their fists in the air.
"You heard My boys! The Newsies of Manhattan are officially on strike!" I called leaping up on top of a pile of boxes and papers.
"If we's strikin, doesnt someone in charge gotta know about it?" Crutchie asked timidly.
I hopped down and shoved him playfully.
"Ya sure got a good thought Crutchie baby," I said, grinning.
He grinned at me excitedly.
"Oh it'd be a pleasure to tell Weasel meself!" Romeo laughed rushing off.
"Alright, Who tell Old man Pulitzer, huh? Davey?" Jack asked.
"I don't know..." Davey trailed off. "I guess you do, Mr. President," David replied with a smirk.
"Yeah, thats right, we do.....But... What do we tell him?" Jack asked.
"That the owners of the papes need to respect our rights!" I said firmly.
Jack looked at David for reassurance, he nodded sending me a bright smile.
"Pulitzer and Hearst need to respect the rights of the working boys-"
I cleared my throat loudly, making Jack look down at me.
"And goils, of this city." He clarified.
The Newsies started murmuring agreements among themselves.
"We've got a union!" David said excitedly, disbelief still in his voice.
JACK: Pulitzer and Hearst, they think we're nothin'. Are we nothin'?
NEWSIES: No!
"They need to understand that we're not enslaved to them-- we are free agents." David stressed
JACK: Pulitzer and Hearst they think they got us, do they got us?
NEWSIES: No!
"We're a union now! The newsboy union, and we mean business!" David Stressed
JACK: Even if we ain't got hats or badges were a union just by sayin so! And the world will know! What's it gonna take to stop the wagons? Are we ready?
"Hey, what's there stopin' some other kids from comin' along to sell our papes?" Mush asked.
"Just let 'em try!" Blink shouted shoving him, making the boys fight amongst themselves
"No no no! We can't beat up on other kids. We're all in this together." I shouted pulling them apart
GUNNER: What's it gonna take to stop the wagons? Are we ready?
NEWSIES: YEAH!
JACK: What's it gonna take to stop the scabbers? Can we do it?
NEWSIES: YEAH!
JACK: We'll do what we gotta do until we break the will of mighty Bill and Joe...
NEWSIES: And the world will know! And the Journal, too!
JACK & DAVEY: Mr. Hearst and Pulitzer, have we got news for you!
NEWSIES: See, the world don't know! But they gonna pay!.
JACK & DAVEY: 'Stead of hawkin' headlines we'll be makin em today
NEWSIES: And our ranks will grow
CRUTCHIE: And we'll kick their rear!
NEWSIES: And the world will know that we've been here!
Jack pulled me up to stand on the paper cart with him and held me tight to his side, a matching triumphant grin on our lips.
Gunner: When the circulation bell starts ringing will we hear it!
NEWSIES: NO!
JACK: What if the Delanceys come out swingin! Will we hear it!
NEWSIES: No! When ya got a hundred voices singing who can hear a lousy whistle blow and the world will know! That this ain't no game! That we got a ton of rotten fruit and perfect name! SO they gave their word? Well it ain't worth beans! Now they gonna see what "Stop the Presses" really means! And the old will weep, and go back to sleep!Now we got no choice to see it through!
RACE: And we found our voice.
BOOTS: And I lost my shoe!
NEWSIES: And the world will....Yeah!
JACK: Pulitzer may own the world, but he don't own us.
NEWSIES: Pulitzer may own the world, but he don't own us!
GUNNER: Pulitizer may crack the whip, but he won't whip us.
NEWSIES: Pulitizer may crack the whip, but he won't whip us! And the world will know We been keepin' score. Either they gives us our rights or we gives them a war. We've been down too long, and we paid our dues.
CRUTCHIE: And the things we do today will be tomorrow's news.
NEWSIES: And the die is cast, and the torch is passed, and the roar will rise, from the streets below, and our ranks will grow and grow and grow and so the world will feel the fire and finally know!

I waited outside Pulitzer's office with the boys, breath bated. Waiting for Jack, david and Les to come back. It wasnt too long until the doors were flung open and all three boys were flung out the doors.
"And stay out!" An officer shouted.
Les was quick on his feet and charged the now closing door yelling.
"You can tell Pulitzer that a few days into the strike, he's gonna be beggin' for an appointment to see me! You got that! ... ... He got it." Les said proudly.
I could see the fire blazing in Jacks eyes as he stood, helping davey to his feet and walking back over to us.
JACK: Pulitzer may own the world, but he don't own us!
NEWSIES: Pulitzer may crack the whip, but he won't whip us!
GUNNER & JACK: Pulitzer may crack the whip, but he won't whip us!
NEWSIES: So the world says no? Well the kids do too. Try to walk all over us, we'll stomp all over you.
CRUTCHIE: Can they kick us out? Take away our vote?
NEWSIES: Will we let them stuff this crock o' garbage down our throat? No! Everyday we wait, is a day we lose, and this ain't for fun, and it ain't for show, and we'll fight 'em toe to toe to toe and Joe your world will feel the fire and finally, finally know!