All is fair in Love and Strikes (Sprace)

Chapter 16 | Race

See ol' man Pulitzer snug in his bed
He don't care if we's dead or alive

I ran to the distribution center with the other newsies. 

Three satin pillows are under his head
While we's begging for bread to survive

Apparently Les was partially correct when saying that Jack wasn't actually a scabber and was just putting up an act. He, David, Jack, and Sarah had gone to Denton last night and got him to help them print our own newsies paper to get all the working kids of New York on our side.

Joe, if you'se still counting sheep
Wake up and read 'em and weep
You'se got your thugs
With dere sticks and dere slugs
Yeah, but we's got a promise to keep

And I mean all of 'em.

Once and for all
Something tells me the tide will be turning

We all gathered outside a small window in the basement of the distribution building.

Once and for all
There's a fire inside me that wont stop burning

One by one, Jack handed us newly printed copies of the 'Newsies Banner' through the window.

Now that the choices are clear
Now that tomorrow is here

Jack handed me my bundle of papes and I joined the others on a cart we'd ride on to spread out across the city.

Watch how the mighty will fall
For once and for all!

Denton, Jack, Sarah, and Davey climbed out the window with more stacks of papes and joined us on the cart. Denton took his place in the front and grabbed the reins. "Ready kids?" He asked? "Yeah!" 

This is for kids shining shoes on the streets
With no shoes on their feet everyday

I jumped off the cart and walked up to a kid shoeing a horse. 

This is for guys sweating blood in the shops
While their bosses and cops look away

I lightly punched his shoulder. "Hey kid?" He looked up. "Can ya read?" I asked. He nodded. "Read dat." I handed him a copy of the 'Newsie Banner' and headed off, determined to cover as much ground as possible. 

This is to even the score
This ain't just newsies no more

"Ya know how ta read?"  the kid nodded. "Read dat," I handed yet another kid a pape.  

This ain't just kids with some pie in the sky
This is do it or die
This is war!
Once and for all
We'll be there to defend one another

I continued handing out papers to anyone who knew how to read until my hand were empty. I set out to locate the others.

Once and for all
Every kid is a friend
Every friend a brother
Five thousand fists in the sky
Five thousand reasons to try
We're going over the wall
Better to die than to crawl

I found them, and sung myself into the cart.

Either we stand or we fall
For once
Once and for all!

Denton drove us back to newsies square where he dropped us off at the statue. "Well boys... and girl," he said, referring to Sarah. "I have somewhere to be! I'll meet you all later." He flicked the reins in a quick, sharp motion and rode off. We sat there as ever now and again, more of the Manhattan newsies returned from distributing their papers. 

An hour went by. Then another and another. T

here was still no sign of anyone but the Manhattan newsies and random passerbys. "So, when's the others coming, kid?" Mush asked. "They ain't coming. Ain't gonna be nobody but us," Jack replied, sighing. "Come on, Jack," Snitch said. "Have hope, Jack," Specs tried being optimistic. It didn't work. Les separated himself from the group. "When the circulation bell starts ringing, will we hear it?"