Newsies: The Movie

Chapter 4

"The name of da game is volume, Dave." Jack said as the group walked out of the distribution center. "Ya only took twenty papes. Why?"

"Bad headline."

"'At's da first ting ya gotta learn. Headlines don't sell papes. Newsies sell papes."

"Newsies!" the kids cheered.

"We're wha' holds this town togetha. Without Newsies, nobody knows nothin'."

"That's right." Blink said.

Some of the boys and girls took off their caps as a girl with a red skirt and vest and a boy with glasses and brown clothing walked by.

Romeo siddled up to the two and said to them, "Hey, beautiful." (though I's isn't sure which he said it ta).

Specs pulled him back, swatting him on the head as the two looked at each other and started on their way again.

"Baby born wit' three heads!" Specs called out, holding up a pape.

"Get ya papes here!" the other Newsies called out, starting to disperse, clamoring.

"'Trolley Strike Drags on for Third Week.'" Joseph Pulitzer read from one of The World's papers, a lit cigar in between two of his fingers. He turned his chair to face three people; a woman with a notepad, by the name of Hannah, a man with a balding head and matching white sideburns, and a man with a black over coat, holding what looked to be a menu. "And this so-called headline drags for infinity." he threw the paper down on his desk.

"The news is slow, Mr Pulitzer." Bunsen, the man with the sideburns, said. "The-the trolley strike's all we got."

Pulitzer turned another paper towards the trio. "Well, that's all William Randolph Hearst has too, but look how he covers the strike. Look, look, look!"

"'Nude Corpse On Rails Not Connected To Trolley Strike.'"

"We'll get a new headline writer, sir."

"We'll steal Hearsts' man, offer him double."

"That's how he stole him from us." Seitz, the man in the black coat, said.

"It's not the headlines, chief." Hannah said. "These circulation wars are cutting into our profits because you spend as much as you make trying to beat Hearst."

"Then we need to make more profits. You do not penny-pinch when you're in a war, Seitz. Victory means everything. Now, when I created The World..."

He paused when he heard the boys clamoring.

"What is that deafening noise?"

Seitz listened.

"It's dah Newsies." Hannah said.

Seitz nodded. "I'll go have them quieted, sir."

Seitz hurried to the door, but paused when Pulitzer called.

"Never mind the Newsies." the man chuckled. "Where was I?"

"Creating The World, chief." Bunsen said, and Specs voice was distant behind the closed glass, Pulitzer's shoes clicking on the floor as he stood and walked to the window, Hannah's brow going up.

"There's lots of money down there in those streets, lady and gentlemen. I wanna know how I can get more of it." he turned back to face them. "By tonight."