STRIKE! ; davey jacobs

THREE

iii. STRIKES ALL AROUND

JOSEPHINE WAS SURPRISED WHEN HER FATHER
turned out to be okay with her having been out so late. last night she told him what happened and he had told her he was glad she decided the safer option of going home with her friends and having one of them walk her home instead of her coming home by herself after the trolley strike outbreak.

now it was morning and she was getting dressed to meet jack and his selling partners. she still made breakfast for her father. "father, do you think that instead of being wed... i can take it slow and... meet someone?" josephine sounded hopefully, so hopefully she was afraid he'd say no. "is there someone you met?"

josephine thought for a moment, "i'm not sure, but i'm just wondering. i'm only seventeen. i'd like to be my own at eighteen too. maybe even at twenty." josephine stood with her back to her father and her fingers crossed, held near her chest. "i'll talk it over with oscar delancey's father. i'll let you know."

it wasn't a yes, but it also wasn't a no.

~~*~~

by the time josephine reached newsies square, but instead of the newsies being inside the distribution center, all the newsies stood outside in the square. josephine didn't know why the newsies weren't inside getting their papers. she saw her friends, she smiled instantly. she knew a bunch of the newsies, curtesy of jack kelly.

"josephine coburn!" mush exclaimed, giving the young girl a smile and a wink as he ripped his hat off his head. this led to multiple boys doing the same. "jo!" les had shouted, rushing to the girl. his wooden sword from yesterday was still tightly in his hand as he hugged the older girl. "well look at my little knight in shining armor! hi, les! where's your brother and jack?" les pointed as he took her hand, "over here, thinking." "jo! good you're here. we're going to need your help too." jack took her hand from les, having her stand between him and david. "we're going on strike." david grumbled. he didn't like the idea of a strike.

"strike? why?" josephine asked, turning to face jack. her worried and confused look told jack everything he needed to know; he could trust her 100%. "they raised the price, ten cents more per hundred." jack spat, glaring up at the headline board. josephine scoffed, "they can't do that! like you boys can afford ten cents more a hundred! what's the plan?" jack smiled, "so you're in?" "they're not raising the price of my boys papes without a fair fight! now tell me what i need to do." josephine would go to war for these boys. she loved and cared about them all so much. jack looked to david, "come on david. we need you too." josephine turned to face him, a look on her face. she couldn't believe david, the david she was starting to like wouldn't be for a strike. david stared back at josephine, seeing her give him a strange look. "pulitzer and hearst have to respect our rights." "respect your rights and hear you all loud and clear." josephine added, looking at jack.

"hey listen! pulitzer and hearst have to respect the rights of the working boys of new york!" he shouted to the newsies. "well, that worked pretty good, so what else?" jack asked, looking back to josephine and david. "tell them that they can't treat you boys like you don't exist." josephine said, nodding her head with a fire behind her eyes as she stared ahead at the circulation gates.

jack continued on, yelling things out to the newsies. they moved to stand in front of the world doors. josephine was glancing up at the big doors with her palms sweaty. was she glad she didn't have to go up there to deliver the message of the strike. it wasn't until david had placed a hand on her shoulder that she noticed half of the newsies were gone. "you okay?" "oh, yeah. just... i hope this works." an older gentleman approached the two. "hey, what is this strike? what's going on?" "we're bringing our demands to pulitzer." david answered, stepping closer to josephine. "what demands?" the man asked. josephine linked her arm with david's, "the newsies demands. they're going on strike." "i'm with the new york sun. bryan denton. you seem like the kid in charge. what's your name?" the man asked, shaking david's unoccupied hand.

"david." denton smiled, "david. david as in david and goliath? you really think old man pulitzer's going to listen to your demands?" denton was only asking a simple question. josephine nodded, "he has to. he won't have no workers if he don't." just then the doors to the world opened up, a guy was throwing out jack and les. "and so your old lady! you tell pulitzer he needs an appointment with me!" jack shouted, furious. les shouted after jack getting just as riled up, "yeah!"

now the small group sat in a booth at tibby's. jack across from josephine, les next to jack and across from david. denton sat in a chair at the head of the table. "so this snooty mug says to me, 'you can't see mr. pulitzer. no one see mr. pulitzer.' real hoity-toity, you know the type?" jack asked, explaining to denton what happened. les nodded as he looked at denton, "real hoity-toity." josephine had laid her head onto davey's shoulder, listening intently to what jack had to say. "so that's when i says to him, 'listen, i ain't in the habit of transacting no business with office boys. just tell him jack kelly's here to see him now!'" jack slammed his hand on the table. les looked back at denton, "that's when he threw us out." jack gave the little boy a slight push as david and josephine laughed. jack gave both teens a glare.

josephine leaned forward, "told you, ya big mouth would get you thrown outta somewhere someday." jack gave her a look. "does he scare you? you're going up against the most powerful man in new york city." denton commented, looking at the young boy. jack pointed at himself as he smiled, "oh yeah, look at me. i'm trembling." he said it in a joking manner, but josephine knew it was a cover. "alright, keep me informed  i want to know everything that's going on." denton handed david a card. david stared it, "are we really an important story?" he asked. "well, whats important? last year i covered the way in cuba. charged up san juan hill with teddy roosevelt. that was an important story. so, is the newsies strike important? that all depends on you." denton said, looking at david and jack. he was putting on his coat and hat so he could leave. jack leaned forward, "so my name's really gonna be in the papers?" he asked. josephine knew it was because of his real name that he didn't want people knowing about. "any objections?" denton asked.

"not as long as you get it right. it's kelly, jack kelly. oh, and denton? no pictures." jack stated, leaning back in his seat. again josephine knew it was because he didn't need synder seeing it and trying to haul his ass back to the refuge. "sure, jack." denton assures, grabbing the rest of his stuff before leaving. josephine sighed, "that guy is real nice, ya know. paying for our lunch and helping with the strike." "ya know, my big mouth ain't getting me thrown outta nowhere, jo." "i watched it happen, kelly. so did david and you got my poor little knight thrown out too, you fool."

"so are you coming to brooklyn with us or no?" jack asked, instantly changing the subject. les frowned, "but i wanna go too!" "you can't. you're too little. don't worry, les. i'll take you to brooklyn one day." josephine smiled at the little boy, assuring him that he'd get his chance. she added, "sure, it's not like medda needs me at work. everyone loves her more anyway."