The Only Girl Newsie

Chapter 22: Once and For All

We descend the staircases one at a time silently. The only noise is the sounds of our shoes hitting the floor along with my crutch. We make it to the bottom and spread out.

"Now, what is our plan?" Jack asks me.

"Pulitzer has an old printing press down here. We're going to use it to spread the news of our strike." I tell him matter of factly, pulling a blanket off the old printing press, revealing to everyone.

"Wow," Jack says, stunned, looking at the old press.

I turn to my companions, Ed and Don. "Can you do it?" I ask them.

"We can," Ed says. "Let's start." He takes the paper from our newspaper friend, and the three get to work.

Jack comes over to me and holds me in his arms in a hug. He starts talking. "There's change coming once and for all. You makes the front page, and man you is major news."

Davey comes over as Jack lets go of me. "Tomorrow, they'll see what we are."

I look at the two boys. "And sure as a star. We ain't come this far to lose."

Race yells, "here they come!" 

Slowly but surely, the papers are printed and handed out. Jack, Davey, and I help as best we can, but the boys seem to have everything under control.

"This is the story we needed to write as we kept outta sight but no more." Jack passes out papers to the others.

"In a few hours, by dawn's early light, we'll be ready to fight us a war." Davey joins Jack.

Our group starts to make our way back upstairs and out onto the streets, where we gather all our papers in a pile.

"This time, we're in it to stay," I say, looking at all the boys working together.

Spot comes over to where I am. "Talk about seizing the day," he tells me.

Jack starts getting louder, knowing we're safe from being heard because of where we are. "Once and for all, if they don't mind their manners, we'll bleed 'em!"

Race joins in. "Once In for all, we won't carry no banners that don't spell freedom!"

We spread out all the papers to all the boys as I yell, "take 'em to every worker you can find! This is for kids shining shoes in the streets with no shoes on their feet every day! This is for guys sweatin blood in the shops while their bosses and cops look away! I'm seeing kids standing tall! Glaring and braving the brawl!"

"All of the guys who are sick of the lies getting ready to rise for the fall!" Jack yells.

"Go!" I yell.

All the Newsies scatter to the ends of the town, papers in hand, ready to spread the word.

Hopeful for anyone to listen.