Bailee Potter was walking down 5th Avenue on a glorious fall day, her dress billowing in the breeze. She was on some errands for her mother. Usually the maid servants would do what she was doing now, but since the designated one for today’s errand was sick, her mother asked her to fill in. She was a bit nervous since that errand was in the poorer part of the city, but she was confident that she could do it. She found the shop she was looking for, bought all she needed, and stepped out of the shop. She began walking home, the sounds of the city all around her. She kept moving, not noticing the big gap in the sidewalk.  BANG! Down went Bailee and all her groceries. She was completely flustered, and then looked up to see someone staring right down back at her. 

“Need some help, miss?” 

Bailee looked up straight into the eyes of a young adolescent boy. He looked about her age.  She let him help her up, thanked him, and then continued on her way. She stopped a minute later and noticed her cheeks were a flaming crimson. She decided to look back just once and then noticed him watch her go. Boldly, she walked back toward the boy. 

“Excuse me, what is your name?” Bailee asked quite confidently.

“Oh me? Joey Edwards” he responded, staring at the ground. “And what is your name miss?” 

“Bailee Potter and if you would excuse me, my mother is expecting me at home. Good day to you sir.” Bailee said quite maturely and started home. 

“Oh. Good day.” Joey said and then his buddies surrounded him.

“What was she like?”

“Was she rich?” 

“Proper?” 

“Do you like her?” 

“Guys, guys, guys, listen. It was just some nice girl who fell and I was trying to be a gentleman. Guess you guys are exactly the opposite as you noisily ask me my doings. NOW GET BACK TO WORK!” 

Joey was a newsie selling papers on the streets of the city. He worked for the New York World, for Pulitzer and Hearst. He had a family, but they lived in the Lower East Side and they had not enough money to feed him. Once he was 15 they sent him away to make him go sell papers. It would give them more room in their tiny apartment. So for almost 13 months now he had slept in the newsie lodging house, eaten a stale piece of bread and coffee for breakfast every day, and had to cash in his 50 cents every day for 100 papers. Sell 100 papers in one day for 2 cents a paper and once he was through, go back and sleep again. Sometimes it was hard, but he enjoyed hanging out with his newsie buddies every day. But today, he added a new first to his job. Encountering a girl. 

By the time Bailee had gotten home her cheeks had stopped blushing. She handed off the groceries to the maid, and went to the parlor. She picked up her sewing circular and began sewing. Her mother came in a few minutes later and told the maid to bring some tea in. Bailee sipped her tea daintily and ate a butter cookie. She dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. 

“Bailee Beatrice Anne Potter, why is your dress dirty?” Her mother asked. 

“Oh, I fell.” 

“You fell? Where did your dress get dirty?”

“ On the Lower East Side sidewalk there was a drop off and I didn’t see it. “ responded Bailee nervously. 

“Well now, please go change Bailee.” her mother said.  

Flustered, she went upstairs, changed into a fresh day dress and thought-will I ever see him again? 

Two Weeks Later…

Joey could not focus. Ever since he met that girl, he just felt different  in most circumstances. One night it came to him how he could see her again. It was a scary thing, a poor kid selling papers on the richest street in the city, but if he saw her beautiful face again, it was definitely worth the shot. The next day as soon as he got the papers he rushed to 5th Avenue. Perfect. He would just need her to come out of one of the mansions. And then, just like clockwork, she appeared. Bailee had a yellow dress on, and a pretty bun in her hair. She was even carrying a lacey parasol. She looked radiant. Joey started to walk towards her shouting “2 cents a paper!! Come get ‘um!” To his surprise, there was no  response from Bailee. She continued walking and then was joined by a younger man. Too young to be her father, he looked almost the same age as her. Looked rich too. Joey made a clean break for it and ran back to the lodging house.

“Mom, I KNOW I am 16, but I will not marry Peter now!” Bailee said. Her mom and her were talking about her arranged marriage with Peter Rose. The Potter family and Rose family had set this up early. Peter would become the next in line to own his family’s law firm and they would marry next year. Her mother was starting to think about the wedding, who they would invite, what the menu would be, and Bailee wasn’t into it. 

“Mom-he hasn’t asked for my hand in marriage yet!” Bailee responded. 

“Well, he will soon enough. Besides, we want you to be happy. You need financial stability and Peter will provide that-”
“MOM I DON’T CARE ABOUT FINANCES!”

“You will soon enough. You debuted last month-the time is now for you to find a suitor. And don’t think this conversation will be over Bailee.” 

Bailee ran out of the room, fled her house and made a clean break from the hardships of her life. She tore down 5th Avenue, not caring how dirty her gown got, and then bumped into someone. 

“Oh-hello.” Bailee said-quite surprised. 

“Hello.” said Joey “Going somewhere?”
“Yes.” 

“Where to?”
“Could I help you sell papers?” she blurted out, not realizing what she said.

“Ummm… sure!”

“LETS GO!” Bailee yelled, not realizing how improper it was. Joey stared at her for a second and then grabbed his knapsack and started walking.

“HEY COME GET YA PAPES!!! 2 CENTS! ONLY 2 CENTS!!! COME AND GET UM!  GET YOUR COPY OF TODAY'S NEW YORK WORLD RIGHT HERE!!!”

“Do you want the latest news? Come and get papers with Joey Edwards!” Bailee said and did a little jump. People actually noticed her standing next to Joey and soon a little crowd formed around them. Joey made 20 cents. 

“Hey Bailee, thanks for helping me. I’ve never made that much money in such a short time. I should have you help me more often.”

“I would like that Joey. I would like that a lot.” said Bailee sincerely.

“Since we made all that and I have now made $1.20 do you want to go get something to eat with me?”

“Really? I’d love to-”
“BAILEE POTTER!!!!!THANK GOODNESS I FOUND YOU!!! Your mother was worried sick. Who’s this newsboy with you? Mrs. Potter told me to find you and bring you back.”

It was Peter. He had found her. Bailee gave Joey an apologetic look and then was whisked away by Peter. 
“You shouldn’t have run off Bailee. Something could have happened to you. Those newsies aren't trustworthy. I AM TRUSTWORTHY. Just think. We’ll be married in a year. I am so excited to become your husband.”

“PETER DON’T CALL MY FRIEND UNTRUSTWORTHY. I like Joey a lot, and I think we are a great pair.” They continued down the street, finally reaching the Potter’s home.
“Oh Peter, thank you kindly for taking Bailee home. We greatly appreciate it.” said Bailee’s mom. “Now Bailee, get yourself ready for bed.”

“Yes mother,” said Bailee. She was happy she didn’t get yelled at for running away with Joey. 

That night, Bailee couldn’t sleep. She was thinking about boys. Peter was nice enough, but what was that gnawing inside of her telling her not to marry him? Joey on the other hand, she liked a lot. He was less proper, and more into fun than anything. And boy was he nice! But HOW would her strict Victorian era parents accept him? Then-boom-she got the idea. 

The next day, Bailee pulled on her favorite pink day dress, pinned her hair in a sleek wraparound braid, and grabbed her parasol. She grabbed a quick breakfast, and then marched straight toward the door.  

“Young lady, where do you think you are going???” her mother asked.

Bailee turned around, askew.

“I was going to call on my friend Caroline.”

“How nice; go right ahead.”
Bailee burst out of the house. She didn’t realize how easy it could be for a lie to slip from her lips. But today was her future hanging in the balance. She had to do something to make the arranged marriage disappear. She sprinted to the Newsies Lodging House 

“JOEY!!!!!” she called

“Hey!!” he said, coming out of the building, with his big bundle of 100 newspapers “What’s up?”

“So you know the guy who interrupted our whole plan yesterday?”
“Yes.” Joey remembered.

“My parents set up an arranged marriage with him, and I don’t want any of it. I need help convincing them that Peter is not whom I shall marry.”

“Oh.”

“So you want ME to help you????” 

“Yes!!!”
Joey reached into his newsie bag. He pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil stub.

“What's your plan of attack?”

“Are you available on Saturday?”
“Why is that part of your plan?”
“Yes.”

“I want to have a dinner party. Invite my family, and -ugh-Peters family, and you, of course. If you weren't there, my plan wouldn’t work.”
“Sounds great.”

Saturday rolled around. The menu was planned. The guest list decided. As Bailee dressed, she was nervous. What if her parents hated her for declining her marriage to Peter?

Guests began to arrive. She greeted them, then she reluctantly had Peter escort her. As they sat down at the table she looked around. WHERE WAS JOEY??? He wasn’t anywhere. Then as she started the charcuterie course, she saw Joey slip into the room. He surprisingly wasn’t dressed in his newsie clothes, he had a suit on. That would make him look not like what he actually was. He slid in 2 chairs from Bailee-then she stood up and spoke.

“Mom, Dad, I wanted you to meet somebody I met a few weeks back. This is Joey Edwards.”

“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Potter, pleased to make your acquaintance. I thank you for letting me join you in this fine meal and your fine home.”

“Why thank you, Joey, we are so happy to have you.” Mrs. Potter said “But who invited you???” 

“Bailee did.”
“How wonderful, where did the two of you meet?”

“I was running an errand and fell and he helped me up.”

“Oh.”
“So Joey,” said Mr. Potter, “what do you do for a profession?”
Joey turned red. He wanted to tell Mr. Potter the truth, but he really wanted them to accept him and Bailee’s plan to work.

“I uh I am a newsie.”
“Oh, a newsboy?”
“Yes sir.”
“Nice! What paper do you work for?”
“The New York World, sir.”
“How nice. Do you enjoy your job?”

“Yes I do, sir, quite a bit.”

“Bailee, dear, may you please come into the other room with me for a minute?”
“Yes mother.”
This was it. It was her time. She left the room, glancing at Joey. He looked nervous. She was too. Her mother took her into the parlor and shut the door behind her. 

“Bailee Beatrice Anne Potter, why didn’t you tell me about Joey?”
“Uhh… I was so worried you wouldn’t like him.”
“Like him? Oh Bailee, I like him for his character. Peter just is so much more stern and proper. Your father most likely likes him too, and so…”

“So… what?”
“We will call off the arranged marriage! It wasn’t official anyway, just an idea between friends.”|
“OH THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!” Bailee said, relieved, hugging her mom and running back into the dinner room. She flashed a smile to Joey and he was relieved. But the next thing was to talk to Peter about it. After dinner, she went into the parlor with her parents,  and Peter and his parents. Joey sat outside, and talked with his newsie buddies and then decided to run home to change back into his normal clothes. Suits were not that comfortable-how did Pulitzer and Hearst do it all day? 

“So Roses,” Bailee’s father said “We have decided to call off our arrangements between Bailee and Peter. Are you okay with this?”

“We are,” said Mr. Rose. “What about you Peter?”

Peter glanced at Bailee and then responded. “That’s fine, I wanted to continue my degree before marrying anyone anyway.” 

“So it’s settled then?” asked Mr. Potter.

“Yes.”
Bailee said farewell to the Roses, and then ran outside.
“JOEY!!! I’ve got news!”

“What?”
“The arranged marriage is off.”
“Wait what?”
“Yes!” 

“How?”
“After meeting you, my parents thought that you were better than Peter, not because of your salary, but because of your character.” 

“Nice! And, who will you marry instead?” 

“Ummm…I do like you.”
Joey’s face lit up and he turned bright red.

“Oh great-but can we stay friends-like uh for now?”
“Of course.”
Joey and Bailee smiled the biggest they had in weeks. Then hand in hand, they walked off into the sunset. 

THE END.