𝚁𝚄𝙽𝙰𝚆𝙰𝚈 ° racetrack higgins

The World Will Know

Jack and I turned towards Davey. He hasn't led us astray so far. Besides, he knew a lot more about all of this than all of us combined.

"Well." Davey sighed. "The newspaper owners need to respect our rights as employees."

Jack turned and faced the crowd of boys around us. "Pulitzer and Hearst gotta respect the rights of the kids in this city."

"Yeah!" The newsies cheered.

"They can't just change to rules whenever they feel like it." Davey said, seeming to start getting excited about the strike.

"That's right." I hollered. "Wes do the work, so wes get a say!"

"Yeah!" The boy's cheered again.

We all turned to Davey, waiting. "We got a union!" He said excitedly.

The newsies cheered before Jack quieted then down. "Pulitzer and Hearst, they think we're nothin. Are we nothin?"

"No!" The newsies shouted.

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

"Pulitzer and Hearst, they think they got us." My brother sang. "Do they got us?"

The boys shook their heads. "No!"

"We're a union now. The newsboy union, and we mean business!" The newer newsies said.

"Even though we ain't got hats or badges, we're a union just by sayin so." Jack sang again, a look of determination on his face. "And the World will know!"

"Hey." Finch spoke up, causing most heads to turn towards him. "What's there stopin' some other kids comin' along to sell our papes?"

Albert waved him off. "Ah, just let em' try."

A lot of the newsies cheered but Davey pushed his way through. "No, no, no! We can not beat up on kids. We're all in this together."

The boys mumbled their agreements softly before the attention turned back to Jack and I. My brother started before I could. "What's it gonna take to stop the wagons? Are we ready?"

"Yeah!" The newsies shouted.

"What's it gonna take to stop the scanners?" I sang. "Can we do it?"

"Yeah!"

Jack started singing again. "We'll do do what we gotta do until we break the will of mighty Bill and Joe."

"And the World will know!" Everyone sang together, pointing up to the World building. "And the Journal, too!"

"Mr. Hearst and Pulitzer, have we got news for you." Jack, Davey, and myself sang.

"See, the world don't know, but they're gonna pay!"

"'Stead of hawin headlines, we'll be makin em today."

"And our ranks will grow!"

"And we'll kick their rears!" Crutchie sang with a huge smile on his face.

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

"When the circulation bell starts ringin, will we hear it?" Jack asked the boys.

"No!"

I stepped forwards. "What is the Delanceys come out swingin, will we hear it?!" I asked, swinging my bag at a few boys in front for effect, causing them to back into others to avoid getting hit.

"No! When you got a hundred voices singin, who can hear a lousy whistle blow? And the World will know! That this ain't no game! That we got a ton of rotten fruit and perfect aim. So, they gave their word. Well it ain't worth beans. Now, they gonna see what stop the presses really means." All of us sang, rushing up to the gates that lead to the back of the distribution center. We grabbed onto the bars while Jack and Davey went up the ladder. I could hear them arguing with the man sitting up there; the one that writes the headlines. I rushed up behind him in time to see him shove the guy to the ground. "And the old will weep, and go back to sleep. And we've got no choice but to see it through."

"And we found our voice!" Race said.

"And I lost my shoe!" Sang Specs.

"And the World will..." We all looked up to the chalkboard, where Jack was currently writing a new headline right on top of the old ones. Strike!

The newsies cheered as Jack spun around. "Pulitzer may own the World, but he don't own us!" My brother sang, chucking the chalk to the ground.

"Pulitzer may own the World, but he don't own us." The newsies below echoed.

"Pulitzer may crack the whip," I sang. "But he wont whip us!"

"Pulitzer may crack the whip, but he won't whip us! And the World will know. We've been keepin score. Either they gives us our rights or we gives them a war. We've been down too long, and we paid our dues."

"And the things we do today will be tomorrow's news." Crutchie sang with a large smile.

"And the die is cast, and the torch is passed. And the road will rise, from the streets below. And our ranks will grow and grow and grow and so the World will feel the fire and finally know!"

I looked up and saw us standing right outside of the World building. Looking next to me, I saw my brother and the Jacobs'. Taking a deep breath, the other newsies opened the door and the four of us walked inside, the door closing behind us.

We barely made it to the front desk before I was lifted by the collar of my shirt. As the doors opened again, I saw the boys scatter to avoid being hit as Jack and Davey were shoved, while the guard threw me and Les away. "And stay out!" He shouted after us before starting to close the door again.

Les stood up angrily, marching up to the doors. "You can tell Pulitzer that a few days into the strike, he's gonna be beggin' for an appointment to me see! You got that?!" The doors closed and he spun around the face us again. "He got it."

A few of the newsies patted him on the back before they started up again. "Pulitzer may own the World, but he don't own us."

"Pulitzer may own the World, but he don't own us!" Jack echoed, the anger clear in his voice.

"Pulitzer may crack the whip, but he won't whip us."

"Pulitzer may crack the whip, but he WON'T WHIP US!" I sang next, slightly yelling the last part.

This seemed to fire up the newsies, and soon we were all almost shouting. "SO THE WORLD SAYS NO?! WELL THE KIDS DO TOO! Try to walk all over us, we'll stomp all over you!"

"Can they kick us out?" Crutchie said worriedly, looking over at me and Jack. "Take away our vote?!"

"Will we let 'em stuff this crock of garbage down our throats? NO! Every day we wait, is a day we lose. And this ain't for fun, and it ain't for show. And we'll fight 'em toe to toe to toe and so the World will feel the fire and finally, finally know!"

Word Count: 1145