Those certain newsboys

chapter five

"Why the sudden Jack up, Weasel?!?" Jack asked. "For those kinda answer, you need to ask higher up the food chain." Wiesel asked "So you payin' or movin' along?" Hobble growled. "Your goin' to regret this one day, Weasel!" She snarled. The boys looked at her shocked as did Wiesel. She turned walking away. She waved the boys over. "Come here, fellas, come here." Jack said, moving over to a stack of newspapers. He sat down. "They can't just do that can they?" A Newsie asked. "Why not. It's their paper." Another one said. "It's their world." Albert looked over. "We ain't got no rights." He said. "We got the right to starve. Let's just get our papes and git the streets, while we still can!" Crutchie said. The Newsies started to agree. "At them prices?" Hobble asked. "We got no choice." Crutchie replied. "Hold up! No one's payin' no new price!" Jack said, quieting everyone down.  "Either of you got a idea?" Finch asked looking between Jack and Hobble. "Keep your shirt on." Jack told him. "Maybe we don't sell papes." Hobble suggested. "But I got no choice." JoJo said. Jack looked at her. "We need to think this through." He said. "So what's your angle?" Someone asked. Les looked at them. "Stop crowding him! Let Jack think!" He said pushing everyone away. "Hey, hey, hey, stop touchin' me!" Race told the younger kid.

"Hey Jack, you still thinkin'?" Les asked him. "Sure he is. Can't ya smell the smoke?" Race said, fanning in front of his nose. Hobble swatted at him.  "Alright, here's the deal, everyone." Jack said, gesturing for everyone to come closer. "If we don't sell papes no one sells papes." He said. "No one gets them until they put the price back were it belongs." Jack told the boys. "Like a strike?" Davey said, looking at him. "You heard Davey. We're on strike!" Jack exclaimed. "No, no that's not what he said!" JoJo said. Hobble looked at him. "I agree with JoJo." She said, nervously. 

"Hold up. I don't think-" Davey started but Jack ignored him and kept talking. "We shut this place down, just like the trolley shut down cause of them workers!" Jack yelled out to the boys. "Yeah, we'll be on strike." Hobble said. Her and Albert shared a look thinking the same thing. "And the cops will bust our heads in." The two said together. "Half the trolley workers a laid up with broken bones, Jack." Albert said. "Do you really want to risk it?" Hobble added. Albert flashed the girl a soft smile. "The cops wouldn't care about a bunch of kids, right Davey?" Jack said. "Leave me out of this. I'm just tryin' to feed my family." Davey said, pulling Les away. Jack jumped down walking up to him. "And the rest if us is here on play time?" He asked. "Just because we only make pennies doesn't mean they can run our noses in it." Jack said angrily. Davey looked at him. "I know, but it doesn't matter. You can't strike, your not a union." He said. "What if ies say we are?" Jack asked. "You need a lot more to be a union. Like membership." Davery said

Hobble looked at all the boys. "Then what do you call this?" She held her arms out to the boys. "Hello." Some said while others just waved. "And.....and officers." Davey said, his plan not working so far. "I nominate Jack as president!" Crutchie exclaimed. "Gee I'm touched." Jack said. "What about a statement of purpose?" Davey asked. "Must'ta left them in my other pants." Jack sassed. "Uh what's a statement of purpose?" Race asked. Hobble looked up at the boy. "Yeah." She said, turning back to Davey and Jack. "A reason for formin' the union." Davey replied. "Well what reasons did the trolley workers have?" Jack asked him. "I don't know. Wages, work hours, safety on the job?" Davey said shrugging. "We'll we don't need that!" Jack said, walking back to the Newsies. "I bet if your father had a union, you wouldn't need to be here, sellin' papes." Jack said. Davey looked down at his feet. Hobble frowned slightly before she felt a arm around her shoulder. She looked up to see Albert. "So we are a union is here by formed to look out for each other's backs. Unioned, we stand." Jack said. "Nice." Mumbled Buttons. "That's good someone write that down." Jack, pointer to the crowd. "I got a pencil!" Les shouted. "Well, meet our secretary of state." Jack said. "Does anyone knows what's happenin'?" Elmer asked like the confused child he is. Hobble laughed, leaning into Albert's side.