The Newsboy Strike of 1899

The World Will Know

Your world will feel the fire and finally, finally know!

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"She was a real beaut, shame I let her go." Albert shrugged, a solemn look on his face.

"Oh yeah, those three seconds where she bought a pape was true love." Finch joked, laughing as Albert went to punch him.

"Hey, be nice! Our Albert is finally growin' up." Crutchie chimed in, taunting Albert.

Albert turned red, coverng his eyes with his hat."Y'all are mean."

"Y'all? Since when are we in the south?" Specs announced.

"Shut up!"

"Okay, feller."

Crutchie watched as Specs and Albert took off, Finch following. Race sauntered up next to Crutchie, grinning as he twirled his cigar in his hands."So, you think that trolley strike is finally over?"

Crutchie contorted his face in thought."Maybe, maybe not."

Race scuffed his shoes as he walked."Hopefully, m'runnin' out of fake headline titles."

"Just start sayin' bad thing are happenin' in some foreign country. Folks eat that right up." Crutchie noted as the two walked up to the headline.

Crutchie looked up, reading the headline. He felt his eyebrows connect, his mouth clench, and his eyes tighten.

"Sixty cents per hundred?" He whispered.

"We'll go broke!"

"Im'a starve."

"This is stupid!"

"What's goin' on?"

Crutchie tilted his head, eyes catching Jack's brown hair."Jack! Come check this out!"

Jack clapped a hand to Crutchie's shoulder, squinting to read the headline in the blinding sun. He suddenly smiled and let out a laugh.

"This ain't funny, Jack!" Mush exclaimed, pushing Jack.

"Relax, shortstack, it's just a joke. Here, i'll show you." Jack sauntered up to Weisel, slapping fifty cents onto his moneybox."One hundred papes."

Weisel pointed up to the headline."Sixty for one hundred."

Jack laughed, but it quickly died down when Jack caught Weisel's look."You serious?"

Weisel glared."Yes!"

Jack gave Weisel a look of pure disgust as he took his money back."Fine. We's all gonna go to The Journal."

Weisel waved him off."Their prices are up, too. Every price in Manhattan and in Brooklyn is up. Thanks to Pulitzer and Hearst."

Jack turned to Weisel."What?"

"Pulitzer and Heart hiked up the prices, now pay up."

Jack gave Weisel one final look before walking back to the ring of boys, sitting down on the wagon. It was surprisingly silent, for a bunch of teenage newsboys who had just been given upsetting news.

Finally, Crutchie spoke up."Jack, what are we gonna do?"

"Give me a moment." Jack replied, staring off into nothing while nursing his chin in his hands.

A minute of silence went by until Finch spoke up.

"This is hopeless."

"Finch is right." Race agreed.

"Let's just go and buy our papes."Specs stood up, turning.

"Aren't we gonna starve though?" Albert questioned hesitantly.