The Lesser Kelly

Chapter Ten: Brooklyn! Its been a day and there still short!

"Brooklyns here! Loud and Clear we is here!" Spot and his boys finished up their dramatic song and entrance.

"Bout damn time!" I yelled.

Spot for once looked happy.

"Well we had to be sure." We spit and shook and then he ran off to Race and Albert.

Medda stepped into the center of the stage "Welcome Newsies of New York City! Welcome to my theater and your revolution!"
Everyone began to cheer again.

"Lets hear it For Spot Collon and Brooklyn!" I yelled as Spot ran into the middle of the group.
The boys went insane.

Albert and Race were legitimately screaming.
Spot raised his arms and everyone went dead silent.

"Lets see what Pulitzer has to say to ya now!"

"Emerson where's Jack?" Finch yelled.

Whispers began to weave through the crowd.
"No sign of him honey." Medda said.

He had not come back from Pulitzers.
As they began to chat Jacks name I panicked.
Luckily Davie was there to actually think of something.

"Newsies of New York! Look at what we've done! We've got kids from every pape and every neighborhood in the city! Tonight you're making history! Alright? Tonight we prove we are worth as much to the papes as any reporter or editor! We're done being treated like Kids! From now on the treat us like equals!"

Everyone began to cheer.

Suddenly Jack came in from a side door.
"If you wanna be treated like an adult start actin like one. Dont just run ya mouth, talk some sense."

"And here's Jack!" I yelled.

Davies hand found mine and I could tell he was nervous.

Everyone began to cheer but he shut them up.
"Alright! Alright! Pulitzer raised the price a papes without so much as a word to us and yeah thats a lousy thing to do. So we go on strike cause wes mad And then what happens? Pulitzer lowers the price of papes so's we'll go back to work. And then a few weeks later he raises the price again and then again a few weeks later what do we do if he decides to raise it again after that? Fellas we gotta be realistic here!"

Everyone started yelling.

Jack just kept talking over them "If we work we dont get paid. How long can you go without money? However long, Pulitzer can go longer. But I have spoken to Mr. Pulitzer, and he says if we disband the union he will not raise the price for two years! I say we take the deal!"

Everyone was screaming at this point.

I let go of Davies hand and shoved my way across the room of angry boys to my brother.

"Your trying to get ya self killed aint ya?"

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" He yelled.
A man in a waist coat handed him a stack of money.

"You cant say ya dont deserve this!" I yelled as I shoved him out the door.

Jack turned around fast.

I wasn't prepared for the sting of the slap, or the force of it that would send me to the ground.

Apparently that was all it took.
I sat there on the ground watching helpless as Spot, Davie, and just about all the Hatten boys took off after him.

Soon the theater emptied and I was left sitting alone.

I could feel the tears run down my cheeks.

A sellout.
My brother was a sellout.

I curled against the wall burying my head in my hands.

After finding a bathroom I quickly washed away all evidence that I had been crying.
When I opened the door I was met with Davie and Spot.

"Didja soak 'im good for me?" 

Spot crossed his arms "We woulda but 'e disappeared."

Davie nodded "When He comes back I call first swing."

I moved passed them into the hall. "So what are we gonna do? The strike just lost its leader."

"I say we keep striking. With or without Jack, we have to win this." Davie said.

Spot half nodded "We can do it without Jack. We still have youse Emerson."

"Okay, so wes keep striking. Other dan dat any new ideas?"
Neither of them had any so we all headed out of the theater.