[2]

                                    

                                          
Racetrack sighed as he stood outside the Distribution Center the next day, rubbing his eyes. "Man, those sirens kept me awake all night." He groaned, as a fire siren went off near them. With the trolley strikers growing angrier and angrier, more riots were breaking out, and more rioters were starting fires. 
                          
"Sirens is like lullabies to me." A Newsie piped up. "The louder they are, the better the headline." He explained with joy to the Newsies that could've resembled walking corpses. "The better the headline, the better I eat, and the better I eat-"
                          
"The further away from you I sleep." Racetrack wove his cigar at the boy. 
                          
"Morning, everybody, sorry we're late. We had to help our mom with something." Davey, the new boy, and his younger brother Les ran into the Distribution Center. 
                          
"Oh, they got a mother. I was gonna get me one." Racetrack joked, making a few Newsie's chuckle. 
                          
"What'd you do with the one you had?" Romeo asked. 
                          
"He traded her for a box of cigars." A 
                          
"Hey, they was Coronas!" Racetrack defended himself. 
                          
"We have a father, too!" Les piped up, not understanding why Davey was motioning for him to stay quiet.
                          
"A mother and a father." A newsie laughed, and Davey put his hand on Les's shoulder. 
                          
"Hey, ain't we the hoi polloi?" Racetrack smirked, making the little boy nervously smile. 
                          
"So, how's it going today?" Les asked, purposely changing the subject. 
                          
Romeo butted in,"ask me after they put up the headline." 
                          
"Here it comes now!" Les pointed at the large chalk board where a man was writing down the headline.
                          
Everyone turned around, straining their eyes to get a look. Albert scoffed, "New newsie price. 60 cents per 100?" 
                          
"What'd you say?" A Newsie asked, gasping and mumbling once he saw the headline. 
                          
"Is that news?" Another voice popped up from the crowd. 
                          
"It is to me! they jacked up the price of papes. Ten cents more per 100!" Albert said, anger evident in his voice. 
                          
"I could eat two days on a dime!" Elmer shook his head. 
                          
Racetrack pushed through crowd, his mouth hanging open a little when he saw the headline.
                          
"I'll be sleepin' on the street." Crutchie panicked as he stared at the headline. 
                          
"You already sleep on the street." Elmer pointed out. 
                          
"In a worse neighborhood." Crutchie rephrased. 
                          
"You're right." He agreed, walking away. 
                          
"All right, what are you all waiting around here for?" Jack asked, walking into the Distribution Center. 
                          
"Hey, Jack, get a load of this." Crutchie said to his friend as he pointed to the headline.
                          
"Like Pulitzer don't make enough already." Romeo scoffed, coming up to stand beside Jack. 
                          
"Papes for the newsies!" Wiesel yelled out, slamming his tin box full of money onto a table. 
                          
"Hey, relax," Jack said uneasily, "it's gotta be a gag." He strode up to Wiesel, a smirk on his face. "Hey, good joke, Weasel. You really had the fellas going." Jack slammed a few coins onto the box, "i'll take 100. Be on my way."