Dan’s dreaded meeting with his uncle came with the sunrise.  Regan, looking grim as usual, showed up while Dan was eating his pancakes.  Mr. Maypenny issued his standard invitation, “Pull up a chair, Regan, there’s plenty.”

        “No, thank you.”  Regan’s response was terse. “I need to speak to Dan.”

        Dan stopped, a forkful of pancakes half way to his lips.  “Yeah?”

        Regan’s face became even more grim.  “You have no business on the Wheeler horses when you don’t even know how to ride.”

        “I do know how to ride,”  Dan blurted.

        “Obviously not.” Regan looked pointedly at the scrape on Dan’s forehead. “Look at you, and poor Susie is even more scraped up than you are.”

        “I should’ve known you’d care more about the horse than me,”  Dan muttered under his breath.

        “What?”

        “I need to get to school.”  Dan said sullenly. “So if you’re finished with the lecture...”

        “As a matter of fact, I’m not finished!”  Regan was beginning to lose his temper.  “So just sit down and lose the attitude!” Regan was pacing now.  Dan sprawled back in his chair, his eyes warily following his uncle’s movements.  “You’ve got a chance here, Daniel.  I don’t want you blowing it with your temper and your bad attitude.  You stay off the horses until I get a chance to teach you how to ride.”

        “I do know how to ride!  I told you that!  It was the saddle that...”  Dan caught himself up on his feet, mid yell.  Regan turned on him and Dan’s whole body tensed.  Suddenly Maypenny was between them, his voice calm.

        “Sit down.  Both of you.  This isn’t going to get you anywhere.”

        Reluctantly, they sat, glaring at each other.  “Now Daniel, what were you saying about the saddle?” Mr. Maypenny asked.

        For a moment, Dan considered not answering.  Then he looked at his new backpack sitting on the hearth.  Taking a deep breath, he leaned forward to explain. “I learned to ride when we lived in Texas.  I know how.  But the saddle was weird.  It didn’t have a horn, and it was way small.  I knew I should have adjusted the stirrups, but I didn’t have a chance because I spooked the horse.”  Finished, he sat back and waited.

        “You learned to ride Western.”  Regan stated.

        “I guess.”  Dan shrugged. “I learned in the West.”

        “Western is a type of saddle,” Regan explained. “English is the type of saddle we mainly use around here.  I suppose it would be a bit difficult if you hadn’t ridden English before.”  He chewed on his lip.  “I spoke with Miss Trask.  I thought you might like to have a horse to ride out on patrol.”

        “A horse?”  Dan was incredulous.  “Really?”

        “Yes really.”  Regan hesitantly smiled at his nephew’s barely concealed excitement.  “Spartan is a bit on the older side, but he’s still very active.  I haven’t had time to work much with him lately, so if you’re willing to take a few lessons from me on an English saddle, Spartan can live here for you to use.”

        Dan looked at Maypenny.  “Is that okay?”

        The older man nodded.  “Brownie will like the company.  But you’re going to have to build a new stall for your horse, young one.”

        “I can do that.”  Dan said, looking at the clock, “But I do need to go.  I’m going to miss the bus.”

        “Tom’s waiting outside.”  Regan told him, “He said he’d take you to school, if you’d like.”

        “Okay.”  Dan grabbed his things.  “I’ll see you tonight, Mr. M.”  In a flash he was out the door.  He climbed into the front seat of the station wagon.  Tom’s cheerful greeting made him smile, and they drove off discussing engines and cars.

        The rest of the week passed quickly for Dan.  He caught the earlier bus and he stayed away from the boss’ kids.  Jim Frayne had returned from his trip and had introduced himself to Dan.  Dan had shaken his hand soberly, then proceeded to ignore the whole group as much as possible.  Each afternoon, he had had a brief English style riding lesson on Spartan.  Regan was quickly convinced that Dan could, indeed ride.

        Now, Friday  had rolled around.  His first week was nearly done.  He sat at the lunch table with Lloyd and Ted, regaling them once again with his tales of city life.  They asked about his arrest, and he lied through his teeth.  He was weary though, of the constant need to be “on”  He felt pressured to keep entertaining them,  and he wondered how long he could continue making up stuff.  If he told them the truth, they’d walk away.  This group needed the glamour of the bad boy.  Dan knew that the glamour was overrated.  Still, he had his new reputation to maintain.  Sneering, he started a new tale, telling how he mouthed off to the police captain while being fingerprinted.  His mouth kept moving, but his mind was back at the cabin, planning Spartan’s new stall.

        Mangan!”  Lloyd called out as Dan was loading his bag.  “We’re going to go cow tipping tonight.  Want to come?”

        Dan hefted his bag onto his shoulder and shook his head.  “Nope.  I’ve got to work tonight.  Besides, torturing livestock is not cool.”  He started toward the bus, Lloyd hot on his heels.

        “Hey!  Wait up.”  Dan stopped.  Lloyd was lighting a cigarette.  He held one out to Dan.  Dan shook his head, stepping back.

        “I don’t smoke, Lloyd,” he said, “But I do need to get on that bus.  I’ll see you Monday.”  He spun on his heel and got on the bus, leaving Lloyd glaring at him from the sidewalk.

        Mr. Maypenny was out when Dan arrived at the cabin.  A note on the table told Dan he was out checking the feeding stations.  Dan grabbed two apples and headed out to the barn.   Spartan stood in Brownie’s stall.  Dan rubbed his nose and fed him chunks of apple.  He stood there for a few minutes, whispering to his new pet, then he turned to  job ahead of him.  The lumber was neatly stacked against the wall, and detailed instructions were pinned above it.   Dan picked up a rough-hewn board and a paint brush.  In a few minutes he was nailing the finished nameplate over the place where he would build the stall.  “What do you think, Spartan?” he asked.  “Now you belong.”  The horse whinnied softly, and Dan started to whistle as he began to work.

        The stall didn’t go as quickly as Dan would have liked, but Mr. Maypenny had been very happy with what had been completed.  Saturday morning, they took the horses out to clear the closest trails, then Mr. Maypenny sent Dan back to work on the stall while he finished checking the feeding stations.

       

        Dan was about halfway back to the cabin when a small, figure in a blue snowsuit and red knit cap literally tumbled onto the path in front of him.  He reined in Spartan and dismounted.  The figure, a little boy who looked to be about six, looked up at him with tear filled eyes.

        “Are you hurt?” Dan asked, kneeling beside the child.

        The boy thought for a minute, then shook his head.   His cap fell to the ground, exposing his curly blond hair.  “No.  I just thought you were going to run me over with Spartan.”

        “You know Spartan?”

        “ ‘Course I do.  Sometimes Regan lets me ride him, but only when he leads me.”

        “You know Regan too?  Who are you?”  Dan asked.

        “I’m Bobby Belden.   I’m six and I live at Crabapple Farm.  Regan is my bestest friend.  Hey!  Have you seen a kitty cat?”

        “No.  Did you lose one?”

        “I haven’t got it yet to lose it,”  Bobby replied with perfect six year old logic.  “But once I find it, then I’ll have it, and I won’t lose it.  I’ll take real good care of it.  But I have to get it first.”

        Dan shook his head, unsure now what to say.  He settled for, “I’ll let you know if I see a kitty.  Do you need a ride home?”

        Bobby shook his blond head and pulled his red stocking cap back down over his ears.  “It’s just down the hill.  I gotta go before Trixie tries to find me.”  He wrinkled his nose.  “She’ll yell.  Bye!”  With that, he disappeared through the underbrush, leaving Dan still a little perplexed.  The kid was cute, but very confusing.  Dan wondered if that was a side effect of having Trixie Belden as a sister.  Grinning to himself, he remounted Spartan and continued back to the cabin.

        Spartan had been curried, fed and stabled in Brownie’s stall.  Dan hung his jacket and hat on the wall hook and got back to work on the new stall.  He was whistling happily as he hammered, when he spotted Honey Wheeler and Trixie Belden watching him from the doorway.  He cut off his whistle midstream and turned to them, frowning slightly.  “Maypenny ain’t here.  He’s out checking the feeding stations.”

        “Oh.”  Trixie Belden plastered a big, fake smile on her face and said, “We thought that was you we saw out there a few minutes ago in the oak grove.”

        Dan shook his head.  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.  I’ve been right around here ever since I got home from school last night.”

        Trixie frowned. “It didn’t look like Mr. Maypenny.”

        Dan felt his temper flare.  “Meaning you think I’m lying?” he asked.

        “Trixie didn’t mean any such thing,”  Honey said in a calm voice.  “She meant that whoever it was that we saw was wearing a black jacket and cap.  We know that Mr. Maypenny always wears a turtleneck sweater and funny-looking wool knickers and a red cap and looks quaint.”

        Dan felt a cold lump of fear slide into his stomach.  “You saw somebody wearing a black jacket and a cap?” he asked, his voice deadly serious.

        “Of course we did,” Trixie said, “And you saw us too.  You were looking right at us when we waved.  And I don’t know why you’re trying to say it wasn’t you.”

        “Because it wasn’t!”  Dan snapped.  “Either it was old Maypenny you saw or some tramp.” He bit down on his lip, trying to organize his thoughts. 

        His attention snapped back when he heard Honey say, “unless Mr. Maypenny has borrowed your jacket and cap.”

        “Nope,” Dan said flatly, pointing to the other wall.  “There’s my stuff.”  He laughed nervously. “You two better get yourselves some eyeglasses.  You’ve been seeing things.”  He turned away, and started hammering.  He heard Trixie start to talk, and Honey soothing her.  When he turned around, they were gone.  Under the guise of patting Spartan, he peeked out the door.  The girls were well and truly gone. 

        Dan sat down next to Spartan and chewed on his knuckle.  Another person in a black jacket and cap.  It could be anyone, right?  “Right, Danny,” he muttered to himself, “Who else did you send a letter too?  It’s Luke.  It’s got to be.”  He suddenly felt sick to his stomach.  When he had written the letter he had still been angry with his uncle and with the whole situation.  He wasn’t sure when his opinions had started to change, but he realized right now that Luke Clevik was the very last person he wanted roaming around his new home.  Home.  He realized, with a startled smile,  that he had begun to think of the cabin as his home.  He wasn’t sure when that had happened either.

        Spartan whinnied softly, and Dan stood up to pet him, burying his face in the horse’s mane.  There was nothing he could do tonight;  it was already getting dark.  Tomorrow morning he would get up early and start looking for Luke.  He didn’t know what he was going to say to Luke, but he knew he wasn’t going to let him ruin things again.  Grimly, Dan turned away from his horse and went back to work.  No matter what happened tomorrow, Spartan would have his new stall finished tonight.

        Dan was up and out before the sun rose.  He crept through the cabin, his boots in hand, so as not to wake Mr. Maypenny.  The snores coming from behind the master bedroom door let him know that his extra caution was not necessary. 

        He considered saddling Spartan, knowing that he could cover more ground on horseback.  In the end he decided to hoof it, realizing that Luke would probably be holed up somewhere off the beaten path.  Dan wasn’t sure what he was going to do once he found Luke, but he knew he had to try to get the gang leader out of Sleepyside, no matter what it cost him.

        Three hours later, Dan was hungry, half frozen and completely out of sorts.  He had searched close to half of the preserve without finding even a hint of Luke’s presence.  Now as he headed back to the cabin he didn’t know whether to be relieved or worried.  The fact that he couldn’t decide made him very worried, indeed.

        He could smell doughnuts frying as he entered the kitchen door.  As he came in, he tossed his cap toward the peg on the wall, watching as it landed perfectly.  That was when he noticed the two girls sitting at the table eating cinnamon doughnuts.

        “Oh, here you are!”  Mr. Maypenny dumped another batch of hot doughnuts onto the plate. “The girls have come for Honey’s watch.”

        “For what?” Dan stiffened and turned his angry eyes on Honey.

        She flushed and looked uncomfortable.  “Why, my watch.  The one you picked up this morning at the trail crossing.”

        “I haven’t seen your watch.  And I haven’t been anywhere near the trail crossing.”  Dan let his frustration and anger boil up as he stared at both Trixie and Honey.

        “But we saw your boot tracks all around.   “Trixie flung the accusation at him. “You must have been there.”

        Dan’s eyes blazed as he faced yet another false accusation.  He turned the full force of his anger on the two girls, yelling, “First I’m a liar because you saw me someplace yesterday where I wasn’t.  Now you’re calling me a thief!  You two are just looking for trouble, and if you keep on, you’re going to get it!”

        Suddenly, Maypenny was in his face, shouting, “Daniel! That’s enough of that kind of talk.  Are you forgetting--?”  Dan’s whole body stiffened, preparing for an expected blow.  Maypenny suddenly broke off, moving behind him and gently squeezing Dan’s shoulder and continuing in a milder tone, “Calm down, boy.  It’s a misunderstanding.  Honey and Trixie, tell Dan about the watch.”

        Dan snarled.  “I don’t know as I want to hear.  It’s nothing to me.”  He was shaking with anger and trying to hide it.

        “I’m sorry, Dan.  Nobody meant to accuse you of stealing a thing.”  Honey said gently.  “It’s just that when we got back to the trail crossing, and we saw where my watch had been, and then we saw the boot prints--well, you’re the only one we know who has boots like that.  So we were hoping madly that you’d found it!”

        “Well, I didn’t,” Dan muttered.  He looked at Honey, who looked sad, and then at Trixie, who looked as if she didn’t believe him.  Glaring at Trixie, he said, “Even though certain parties would like to say so!”  He shrugged off Maypenny’s hand and grabbed his cap before stomping outside and slamming the door behind him.

        Dan ran through the packed snow, thankful for the work boots Maypenny had given him.  He was still angry, but at least he now had a direction.  There was no doubt in his mind:  Luke had found Honey’s watch.  He headed toward the trail crossing, hoping for a clue to where Luke was hiding.

        Dan found himself wishing he’d taken some of Maypenny’s doughnuts with him when he’d run from the cabin.  His stomach felt like it was trying to eat itself.  He smirked at the thought, realizing how easy it was to get used to eating three meals every day.  He hadn’t had much luck in his search for Luke.  He’d found boot prints and the remnants of a small campfire, but no Luke.  Sighing, he headed home.  Luke would show himself when he chose to.  That was the way he worked, and Dan knew it would probably be when he least expected it.

        It was beginning to get dark when Dan nervously opened the cabin door.  Maypenny was sitting in his big chair, in front of the fire.  Dan moved in front of him and sat down on the hearth.  Taking a deep breath, he said, “I’m sorry I lost my temper.  I shouldn’t have yelled, I just don’t like being accused of stuff I didn’t do.”

        “It’s happened a lot to you, hasn’t it boy?”

        “Yes, sir.  But I still should have kept my temper.  I am sorry.”

        “Did you think I would hit you?”  Maypenny’s voice was calm, but his words were oddly tense.

        Dan didn’t answer.  He had thought that the old man was going to hit him, but he was afraid to admit it.  He stayed silent.

        “Because I won’t,”  Mr. Maypenny continued. “I would defend myself, if I needed to, but I would never strike you because I was angry.” He paused for a moment.  “Others have though, haven’t they?”

        “Yeah.  A few.” Dan shrugged.  “No big deal.  I survived.”

        “Yes you have.”  The older man looked at him kindly.  “But you shouldn’t have had to survive like that.  For what it is worth lad...” His words were interrupted by a loud knock on the front door.  Maypenny rose from his chair to answer the door.  As he opened the door an incensed Regan stormed into the cabin.

        “What do you think you are doing, stealing Honey’s watch and pawning it?” he shouted.

        “I didn’t...” Dan started to defend himself, but Regan was having none of it.

        “I saw your footprints all around the place where the watch was lost, so don’t bother lying to me.  I also talked to Lytell, and he gave me a pretty good description of you.”

        “It wasn’t me!  I...”

        “Just shut up and listen to me!  Dark-faced, skinny boy in a black leather jacket.  That’s how Lytell described the lying little con who pawned a solid silver watch for ten bucks.  What do you have to say for yourself?”  Regan reached out and grabbed Dan by the front of his shirt and shook him until his teeth rattled.  “Do you have any idea how much I put on the line to bring you here?  You ungrateful little punk!  I’m calling the judge tonight!  You can rot in jail for all I care!”

        “Let him be, Regan.”  Maypenny’s voice was stern as he grasped the big man’s wrist.  “Let him go and calm yourself.  This won’t get you anywhere.”

        Regan dropped Dan like he was a hot potato.  Dan stumbled as his feet hit the ground again, and Maypenny caught him before he fell.  Steadying himself, Dan glared at his uncle with fiery eyes.  “I didn’t steal anything!”he exclaimed, “And I’ve never even been in that store, nor met anybody named Lytell.”  He pulled his lip back and sneered, “Not that I expect you to believe me anyway.  Go ahead and send me away.  It’s what you’ve wanted since the beginning, ain’t it?” Dan spun on his heel and ran out the kitchen door.

        “I believe him.”  Maypenny spoke quietly.

        “I don’t.”

        “That doesn’t surprise me.  Tell me, son, were you raised by wolves?”

        “What?”  Regan turned on the older man, obviously confused by the question.

        “I told you once before that the boy has a lot of fear in him.  I don’t know why you can’t see that.  Did you look at him while you were manhandling him?  Did you actually expect him to admit something while you were shaking his brain?”  Maypenny shook his head, “You are always on the attack, Regan.  I hate to see the boy go, but it isn’t ever going to work this way.  You go talk to the judge, but you be sure to tell him that I’m willing to keep Daniel here, whether you are or not.  Now go home and do some thinking.  I’m going to try and find the boy and see if I can repair some of the damage you just did.”  Maypenny nearly shoved Regan back out into the snow, shutting the door firmly behind him.  Then he went for his coat.  He was pretty sure where he would find Daniel.

        Dan left the cabin at a full run.  By the time he reached the barn, his eyes were burning with unshed tears.  Opening the  doors, he made his way to Spartan’s stall.  The old horse was lying down.  Dan sat next to him, stroking his neck.  Spartan blew air through his nose, and Dan choked out a half laugh-half sob.  Burying his face in Spartan’s mane, he let his tears flow.  Dan had always known in the back of his mind, that his uncle’s “experiment” was doomed to failure, yet he had started to let himself hope that maybe it would work out.  Now he knew that it wouldn’t.  His uncle was sending him away.  Dan knew that he didn’t want to go to reform school; his only chance was to run away before they came for him.  Maybe his future did lie with Luke.  He just didn’t know.

        “Daniel?”  Maypenny’s voice called from the door.

        Dan wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and answered, “Over here.”

        “I thought as much.”  Maypenny crossed to the stall carrying a lantern.  “I wanted to tell you, lad, that I believe you.  Now come on in and have some supper.  We can talk about it if you want.”

        Dan rose.  “I don’t think I have anything left to say.”  He hated the way his voice sounded, all weak and forlorn.

        “Then we won’t talk.”  Maypenny patted Dan’s back.  “Now come home.”

        “Did my uncle leave?” Dan asked.

        “I showed him the door and gave him a piece of my mind to chew on,”  Maypenny replied.  “Now, are you coming?”

        “Yes, sir.”  Dan followed the old man out of the barn. “I am a little hungry.”

Inside the Jacket 3

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Inside the Jacket 5

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