The World Will Know (Newsies)

17: Front Page Story

When the twins came home, they almost caused their mother to faint on sight. Had she messed up raising her seventeen-year-old daughters? One of the girls was standing in her doorway wearing pants, and she looked as if she hadn't had a bath or washed her clothing in three days. It was horrendous. And the other was bruised everywhere imaginable, her arm was broken, and her dress was showing her knees. She looked between the girls, and hurried into the parlor so she could recline on the couch and recover from the pounding headache her daughters had just gifted to her.

"Well, that went well," Rebecca commented, and Elizabeth just nodded in agreement. After stopping in the kitchen to pick up some ice for Elizabeth's multitude of bruises, they ascended the stairs together and finally had a moment to relax. While Rebecca drew a bath and grabbed some new clothing for the two of them to wear, sadly picking out dresses, Elizabeth sat on her bed and pressed ice to some of the bigger marks. The injured twin swapped out wraps for when she was in the bath, not wanting to get Crutchie's banner wet. Even though the strike was over, she wanted to preserve the little piece of fabric as a memento of both the strike and her newfound friend's kindness.

Throughout the hour they spent there, taking baths and putting on "appropriate" attire, neither of them really spoke. They didn't feel that they needed to, really. They were near each other again, and that was all the comfort they really needed. But, when they went downstairs, planning to head to The Journal to visit their father and convince him to give some money, the sound of their parents' voices filled their ears from behind the closed parlor doors. Apparently, their father had come home for a while to relax, something he thought was well-deserved after the stress of the past few days.

They could hear their mother making a comment. "William," she started, "what are we to do with these girls? They're coming home from wherever they are dirty and indecent. This is not how we raised our daughters."

Mr. Hearst let out a deep sigh. "I don't know, Millie. But, Rebecca's always been a little bit of a rebel, and she's been influencing Elizabeth. We've known about that."

"So it needs to stop," Millie declared. "Burn the trousers like you did the last time. Let them know that this isn't what we're going to allow them to do. If they're going to live under our roof, they will live by our rules."

"But don't you think that might make things worse? They already went out of their way to participate in a fight that wasn't even theirs. Who knows what they'll do if we push against them further?"

"Then we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, dear. I have an idea that will help them learn, if they don't listen now. They'll learn, eventually."

The girls froze. What did their mother mean by that? Did their mother have a plan to keep them in line? If so, why hadn't she used it sooner? The two girls locked eyes, and silently asked each other if they should leave or stay. Then, they remembered that they needed the money for the party that night, and Elizabeth mustered up the courage to knock on the parlor door.

There was some hesitation, but soon after, the two girls heard their father say, "Come in."

The two girls entered the parlor with matching false smiles pasted on their faces. "Mother, Father," Elizabeth started, "We had an idea earlier today that the newsies deserved some time to relax and celebrate their victory. So, we told our friends that we'd be throwing a victory party at Jacobi's Deli tonight at dinnertime."

"And just where are you getting the money for that?" Mrs. Hearst inquired of the twins, sitting up from her place on the couch. The color had returned to her face after an hour of rest, which made her expression look a little less severe.

"Well, we were hoping from you, and from Mr. Pulitzer. After all, it was the actions of the two of you that caused the strike to even be necessary. So it's only right that you offer something to be kind in return, say that all is forgiven and such." Elizabeth shrugged as she finished speaking, trying to seem a little more sure of herself as she made this claim.