AN: Race is actually very intelligent and a smart logical thinker, pass it on.

"We need to see my father."

Hannah looked up to see Katherine standing in front of her with a determined look on her face, and Race, who was staring at the floor and nervously fiddling with the edge of his vest. Hannah sighed.

"You know I can't - "

"Hannah, you know very well that we're going to go in whether or not we have your permission."

The woman hesitated, but ultimately decided to let them go in - after all, Katherine would get in one way or another. "Go ahead."

Katherine smiled at her. "Thank you."

Race took a deep breath and followed Katherine into the office, and Pulitzer immediately looked up from his work, glaring at them once he saw who it was.

"Why do I even bother trying to make appointments anymore, when anyone who'd like to can just walk up and have a chat with me?"

Katherine ignored her father and started talking. "This is Racetrack Higgins, one of your newsboys."

Pulitzer glanced between his daughter and the blonde boy before raising his eyebrows. "And?"

Race was more nervous than he would like to be (and certainly more nervous than he would admit to anyone), but he knew that this was where he was supposed to take over to conversation. So, he took one more deep breath, and reminded himself to try to think like Jack.

"I need to talk to you."

"I presumed as much."

"About the strike. We can't hold out much longer."

"I've never stopped any of you from selling papers, have I? You boys are perfectly capable of ending this strike yourselves."

Race frowned. He hadn't thought he'd like Pulitzer, and that suspicion was being confirmed. "It ain't gonna do us any good if we can't afford to eat either way."

"To put it kindly, Mr. Higgins, that is not my problem."

Katherine interjected. "Father - "

"No, Katherine, I'm just stating the truth. If they aren't making enough money to take care of themselves, that is not my problem."

"Isn't it, though?"

Pulitzer stared at Race. "I beg your pardon?"

"We ain't making enough money one way or another, whether we's striking or paying your extra ten cents. That means we won't have the money to buy as many papes, which means you ain't selling as much. So you's losing money too." Race was just saying whatever came into his head, but the more he talked the more it seemed to make sense.

Katherine grinned as she watched her father contemplate that. Race was smarter than any of them gave him credit for, that was certain.

"I do see your point."

Race tried not to show his surprise as he heard those words come out of the man's mouth. "If you just lower the price, we'll both be making money again."

"I'm afraid that can't happen."

The boy stared at him. "You just said - "

"My reputation is on the line here. Not just mine. My family's reputation, Katherine's reputation."

"Don't you bring me into this." Katherine fixed him with a cold glare.

Pulitzer gave his daughter a stern look before turning back to Race. "You boys will just have to figure out a way to sell more papers. Longer hours, perhaps?"

Race scoffed. "Longer hours? What do you think, that folks are walking around looking to by papes at one in the morning?"

"As I said before, that is not my problem - "

"Yeah but it's ours! You got enough money as it is, it ever cross your mind that you could use some of that to help us? You can end this."

The man fell silent, thinking about all of his options. "I can reduce the cost by half."

Race nodded. "Yeah. But that ain't enough."

"I cannot re-instate the original price."

"No... we waste money anytime we buy more papes than we can sell."

"What are you talking about?"

"Say I buy fifty papes, but only manage to sell fourty of 'em by the end of the day, then I'm out a couple of cents I could've used on food. You cut the price in half, and you buy back anything we don't sell."

"Why on earth would I do that?"

Race laughed. "'Cause it's a nice thing to do!" Knowing that reason alone wouldn't be good enough for Pulitzer, he continued. "And I know that if I had that comfort of knowing I wouldn't have to eat the papes I didn't sell, I might buy sixty instead of fifty, and maybe I'd sell that sixty, which'd get you more money."

Pulitzer paused. "And if I agree to both buy back your unsold papers and cut the price in half, you'll agree to end your strike."

"And if you get Crutchie and the others out of the Refuge."

"Ah, yes. Nearly forgotten about them." Neither Katherine nor Race understood how you could forget about the Refuge. "Very well. I'll order Mr. Snyder to have them released."

Race nodded. "That's a deal I'll make." He spat in his hand and held it out to the man, who stared at it.

"That's disgusting."

The boy rolled his eyes. "You taking the deal or not?"

He didn't look happy about it, but after thinking it through for a moment. Pulitzer reluctantly spat in his own hand and shook Race's.

And with that, the strike was officially over.