We watch Jack, waiting for him to make a decision. He hits the money box in anger and walks away. "C'mere fellas." We all gather around him as he sits down on a stack of papes. "Get over here. Come on."

"They can't just do that, can they?" Finch questions.

"Why not?" Race replies. "It's their paper."

"It's their world," Crutchie adds.

I speak up, "Ain't we got no rights?"

"We got the right to starve," Crutchie says hurriedly. "Let's just get our papes and hit the streets while we still can."

"At them prices?" Henry asks, but he's drowned out by everyone else arguing.

Cruchie answers him, "Do we have a choice?"

"Hey, hey," Jack calls, quieting everyone down. "Nobody's payin' no new nothin'."

"You got an idea?" I hear Tommy Boy ask.

"Would ya keep ya shirt on? Let me think this through," Jack tells him. Everyone begins to talk on top of each other again.

We're broken up by Les pushing us all away from Jack. "Stop crowding him! Let the man work it out!" Jack sits there for a few seconds. "Hey, Jack," Les says after less than fifteen seconds. "You still thinkin'?"

"Sure he is," Race says with a grin. "Can't ya smell smoke?" He waves his hand, still holding his cigar, in front of his face to illustrate his point. Some of the boys groan.

"Hey, hey, hey. Come here," Jack tells us. We fill back in around our leader, waiting to hear his genius plan. "All right, here's the deal. If we don't sell papes, nobody sells papes. Nobody gets to that window til they put the price back where it belongs."

"What?" Davey asks, speaking for the first time in a while. "You mean like a strike?"

Jack stands on top of the pape stack. "Well you heard Davey. We're on strike!" Once again, we all clamor to be heard above the others.

"Hold on! I didn't say-" Davey begins.

"We shut down this place just like them workers shut down the trolleys," Jack declares.

"The cops will bust our heads! Half of them strikers is laid up with broken bones," Finch argues.

"Cops ain't gonna care about a bunch of kids. Right, Davey?" Somehow, Jack can be heard over all the voices.

"Leave me outta' this," Davey says, almost angrily. "I'm just here trying to feed my family." He grabs Les's hand and quickly begins to walk away.

"Oh, what?" Jack pursues the two boys. "And the rest of us is here on playtime? Just 'cause we only make pennies don't give them the right to rub our noses in it!"

"It doesn't matter," Davey argues. "You can't strike. You're not a union."

"What if I says we is?"

"There's a lotta stuff you gotta have in order to be a union," Davey explains. "Like membership."

"What do ya call these guys?" Jack asks slowly, turning to the rest of us. I smile and give Davey a wave.

"And officers," he continues.

Crutchie grins. "I nominate Jack president!" He exclaims quickly. Our group gives a cheer, approving the nomination.

"Oh, gee, I'm touched," Jack replies, watching Davey.

Despite our enthusiasm, Davey presses on. "What about a state of purpose?"

"Yeah, I must've left that in my other pants," Jack retorts.

Race jumps up on the papes, his hand raised so he can speak. "Um, what's a statement of purpose?"

Davey turns his attention to Race. "A reason for forming the union."

Jack shrugs. "Well, what reason do the trolley workers have?"

"I don't know," Davey admits. "Wages, work hours, safety on the job."

"Who don't need that?" Jack turns to us, then back to Davey. "I bet if your fodda' had a union, you wouldn't need to be out here sellin' papes right now, yeah?"

Davey hesitates. "Yeah."

"So!" Jack finally walks back over to where the rest of us are standing. "Our union is hereby formed to watch each odda's backs. Union'd we stand. Hey, that's not bad. Somebody write that down," he instructs the group.

Les steps up. "I got a pencil!" He says.

"Well, meet our Secretary of State!" Everyone cheers at Jack's appointment. "Now what?" He looks over at Davey.

"If you want a strike, the membership's gotta vote."

Jack shrugs. "Okay, so we'll vote. What do ya say, fellas? The choice is yours. Do we roll over and let Pulitzer pick our pockets or do we strike?" He shouts.

"Strike!" We all cheer.

Jack stands up tall. "You heard the voice of the membership. The newsies of Lower Manhattan are officially on strike." I grin and shout with my friends. Nothing this exciting had ever happened in Brooklyn. "What next?"

"Uh," Crutchie says, "wouldn't our strike be more effective if someone in charge knew about it?"

Race stands. "Aye, well, it would be a pleasure to tell Weasel myself!" He turns and shouts at Wiesel standing with the Delancey brothers.

"And who tells Pulitzer?" I ask, looking up at Jack.

"Davey?" Jack calls.

Davey is still standing off to the side. "I don't know." He's quiet for a second, turning to see us watching him with anticipation. "I guess you do, Mr. President."

Jack nods. "We do. What do we tell 'im?"

"The newspaper owners need to respect your rights as employees," Davey starts.

"Yeah, yeah," Jack agrees. "Pulitzer and Hearst gotta respect the rights of the workin' kids of this city!"

"They can't just change the rules when they feel like it!" Davey exclaims, getting more passionate.

Jack agrees. "We do the work so we get a say!"

"Yeah!" Everyone agrees, looking back at Davey for more instruction.

A smile breaks out across his face. "We got a union!"

"Pulitzer and Hearst, they think we're nothin'. Are we nothin'?" Jack demands.

"No!" Our group shouts back.

"They need to understand that we're not enslaved to them. We're free agents!" Davey shouts.

"Pulizter and Hearst," Jack continues, "they think they got us. Do they got us?"

"No!"

"We're a union now. The Newsboy Union, and we mean business!" Davey hits his fist against his hand.

"Even though we ain't got hats or badges, we're a union just by sayin' so! And The World will know!" Jack proclaims.

"What's to stop other kids comin' along to sell our papes?" I ask.

"Ah, just let 'em try!" Albert grins.

"No!" Davey intervenes. "We cannot beat up on other kids! We're all in this together."

"The World don't know, but they're gonna pay! 'Stead'a hawkin' headlines, we'll be makin' 'em today!"

"And our ranks will grow!"

"And we'll kick their rear!"

   
"And The World will know that we've been here!"

~~~~~

I love writing the songs so much.
What do you guys think of the story so far?
Stay safe and stay healthy!