Thomas Maypenny groaned and shivered slightly.  Instantly, there was a hand on his shoulder, and he heard Daniel Mangan’s voice asking him, “Are you hurting, Mr. M?  Can I get you anything?”

        Opening his eyes, Maypenny saw Daniel standing over him, concern in his eyes.  He smiled weakly.  “I’ll be fine, lad.  I could use an aspirin for my headache, and maybe another blanket.  I got chilled to the bone out there in the snow.  Stupid branch, I should have been more careful.”

        Immediately, Dan left the room.  When he returned, he carried a wool blanket, a hot water bottle, a mug and some pills.  “Here, sir.” Dan said gently, spreading the blanket over him and tucking the hot water bottle against his feet.  “Let me help you sit up a little.”  The boy’s arms were gentle, and he was stronger than Maypenny would have thought, as he eased the man into a half sitting position, and held out the mug.

        Maypenny downed the aspirin.  The mug held tea; sweet and hot.  He felt the warmth penetrate his body, chasing the cold away from the inside, even as the hot water bottle chased it from the outside.  “You’re a good nurse, lad.” he said.  “Thank you.”

        “My mum was a nurse,” Dan replied.  “I guess I learned more from her than I thought.  Maybe you should get some sleep.”

        “I think I will at that, laddie.”  As Dan helped him back down, he said, “I knew I could count on you, Daniel.” 

        Dan watched until he had drifted off to sleep.  Then he unbolted the attic door and signaled Luke to come back down, but quietly.  For once, Luke followed directions, creeping past the sleeping man and into the kitchen.  Dan silently made a couple of sandwiches and some milk for himself and his unwanted guest.  He set the food in front of Luke and said angrily, “You hit him with something, didn’t you?”

        Luke looked away, then said, “You heard the geezer.  He got hit by a branch.”  Luke grinned.  “Of course, the branch might not have been from the tree he was standing under.”

        “Luke, you need to go back to the city.”  Dan said the words flatly.  “There isn’t anything for you out here.”

        “Oh, I don’t know about that,”  Luke said casually.  “I’ve been scoping things out.  I already made near twenty bucks, just being here; that ain’t bad for a couple of days slummin’ in the woods.  Besides,” his eyes narrowed,  “You’re here, Mangan, and I need you  back with the gang.  We’re your family, boyo.  You haven’t forgotten that, have you?”

        “No.”  Dan spoke tonelessly. 

        “Good.  Because family takes care of family.  Brother to brother.”  Luke pressed his right fist to his left shoulder.  Dan hesitated, but under Luke’s stare, reluctantly repeated the gesture.  Luke half sneered, half smiled.  “All right, bro.  Here’s the plan.  We stay here tonight.  I didn’t see much worth anything around here, but I figure the old man has a gun or two somewhere.  We’ll take what we can and leave tomorrow.  Tomorrow night, we hit the Wheeler house.  We take everything we can get, and head on down the road to that big house by the river.  I spotted a hot Jag down there.  We’ll take that back to the city and be sittin’ pretty for quite a while.”

        Dan shook his head.  “No, Luke.  I don’t want to.”

        Luke’s eyes narrowed, and his face darkened.  “You don’t get to tell me no, remember?  It’s not about what you want, Danny-Manny.  I make the rules, and if you don’t like them, that’s too bad.”  He laughed nastily. “You scared, choir boy?  You turnin’ yeller?  Afraid you might get caught, and all your new wittle fwiends won’t pway wif you?” 

        Luke’s mocking lisp made Dan’s blood boil.  His eyes narrowed as he looked at the gang leader.   “I won’t do it, Luke.” He said the words with more force than he intended.  “You can’t make me.”

        Without raising his voice, Luke reached over and grabbed Dan by the shirt collar.  Shaking Dan a little, he gave him a sharp, open handed slap on his face. “Yes.” slap  “I.” slap “Can.” He said the words with complete confidence.   “Because if you don’t work with me, I’ll go finish the geezer.”  Dan’s eyes grew wide, and Luke laughed.  “That was always your problem, Manny.  You get attached to people, and people are just too fragile.  The old guy out there is fast asleep.  If someone was to hold a pillow over his face, it might be an act of mercy--especially if the cabin should catch fire while the geezer is... incapacitated.”

        “You wouldn’t.”  Dan’s mouth was dry, his face burning.

        “You know better than that.”  Luke grinned again.  “Now who do you think will take the blame?  Not me.  I’ll be long gone.”

        “I won’t let you,”  Dan told him. “I’ll stop you.”

        “The only way you can stop me is to come with me.” Luke answered.  He slapped Dan across the face again.  “Otherwise, I’ll have to leave you in the barn while the house burns.” He let go of Dan and sat back with an evil grin on his face.

        Dan was speechless.  He knew, from experience, that Luke wasn’t bluffing.  Luke would do whatever he had to in order to get his own way.  Dan thought of Maypenny, sleeping in the living room, his head split open by Luke’s hand.  He chewed on his lip, remembering the beatings, muggings and molotov cocktails thrown through windows in the city.  Trapped.  Worse than the rabbit in the snare. Reluctantly, Dan nodded his head.  “Fine,” he said. “I’ll go with you tomorrow.  But tonight I’m going to stay here and make sure he’s okay.”

        Luke smirked.  “Yeah, whatever.  Go on and be a do-gooder tonight, as long as you’re back to gang-banger tomorrow.  He thumped Dan hard on the shoulder.  “Welcome back, Manny.”

        Luke slept in Dan’s room.  Dan tried to get him to sleep in the barn, but Luke refused, claiming he didn’t trust Dan.  Finally, Dan gave in and let him have the bed.  Dan bedded down in the big chair in the living room, so he could hear Mr. Maypenny if he needed anything.  He didn’t sleep.  The knot in his stomach got bigger and bigger, and he felt himself sinking into the depths of hopelessness.  Mr. Maypenny was sleeping peacefully as the sun began to rise.  Dan looked at him, lying there on the bunk, then slipped out to the barn.

        Spartan and Brownie both greeted him with soft nickering.  Dan measured out feed for both, smiling sadly as Spartan gently head-butted him.  “I’m going to miss you, boy.”  His voice choked, and he wiped his eyes quickly, patting his horse.  “It was fun while it lasted, wasn’t it?” he asked.  Spartan snorted at him, rubbing Dan’s shoulder with his head.  Dan fished a sugar lump out of his pocket.  “I can’t fool you, can I?”  As Spartan ate his treat, Dan whispered, “I hope you find someone else who has the time to ride you.  I’d take you with me, but you’d stick out too much, and Luke would probably want to sell you for parts.” Dan moved to the feed bin and removed a black spiral notebook.  Ripping out a piece of paper, he quickly scribbled a note with a pencil stub and stuck the note in a crack in the stall boards.  He hugged his horse one last time, and left the barn.

        Thomas Maypenny woke to an empty house for the first time in over a week.  His head ached, and his body was stiff.  It was later than usual for him, and he lay on his bunk instead of his bed.  He stared at the ceiling, trying to figure out what was real and what was not.  Pulling himself up, he fought a wave of dizziness, and raised a hand to his head.  He remembered Brian Belden stitching up the gash in his head the night before, and he recalled a lot of yelling between the kids.  Then it had been quiet for a while, and young Daniel had brought him medicine, tea and blankets.  There had been another period of activity, voices raised, then hushed, and footsteps that hadn’t belonged.  Had it been real?  Was it a dream?  Maypenny wasn’t sure.  He recalled waking briefly at some point, and seeing Daniel curled up in the big chair, staring into space.  That had been real.

        The telephone rang, forcing him up onto his feet.  “Hello,” he said.

        “Mr. Maypenny,” the bird-like voice said, “This is Mrs. Wilcox from Sleepyside High School.  Daniel Mangan is marked absent.  Is he ill today?”

        Maypenny looked around the cabin.  “Err, no,” he said. “But I had a little accident last night.  I reckon the boy is out doing my job for me, since I am still recovering.”

        “Well, I suppose that qualifies as an excused absence.”  Mrs. Wilcox said in her chirpy voice.  “Thank you, and I hope you recover quickly.”

        Mr. Maypenny hung up the telephone and  walked to Dan’s room.  It was empty; there were school books on the desk and the bed was neatly made.  Opening the closet was a waste of time; he had no idea what clothes the boy had, so he couldn’t tell if any were missing.  All he knew was that he had an uneasy feeling.

        The feeling became stronger as he moved slowly through the kitchen and into the mud room.  Dan’s work boots were neatly stowed under the bench.  Maypenny knew the boy wouldn’t be out working the preserve in his city boots. 

        Out the door he went, toward the barn.  If Dan was out working, he would have taken Spartan; the bond between boy and horse was very strong.  Inside, the barn was as neat as a pin.  Maypenny’s heart sank a little when both horses whinnied a greeting.  By the looks of things, they’d been fed and watered this morning.  He patted Brownie, and went to give Spartan a rub.  There, tucked into the stall boards, was a piece of notebook paper.  Maypenny unfolded it, and read:

1. I won’t be back.
   

2. Don’t look for me.
   

3. 
   

4. Dan
   

5. 
   

6. Thanks
   

        Sighing, Maypenny folded the note and tucked it in his pants pocket.  As he did, he noticed that his wallet was missing.  A faint memory tickled his brain, but eluded his grasp.  Suddenly, he felt his age.  His head was pounding and his heart was worried about Dan.  He’d go looking for both his wallet, and his helper, later.  Right now he needed some food and some rest in order to regain his strength.

        Bill Regan sat on the train, lost in thought.  His trip to the city had not gone well.  The judge had been less than happy with Regan’s efforts with Dan.  In the end he had agreed to end Regan’s custodial rights and turn Dan over to the state juvenile system, but not before he had made a few pointed remarks about Regan’s attitude and effort.  The remarks still stung some two hours later--largely because Regan knew the judge was right.  As the train pulled into the station, Regan sighed, and gathered his coat and hat.

        Tom was waiting with the car, a worried expression on his face.  “What’s wrong?”  Regan asked.

        “First, Maypenny got a whack on the head and was robbed last night.  This morning, Dan went missing and now I just heard that Trixie and Bobby Belden are missing, too.  We need to get home quickly.”

        Regan got in the car.  He didn’t know what to think, what to feel.  He just hoped his experiment wasn’t leading to complete disaster.

        The search party met up at Maypenny’s.  It was decided that Mr. Maypenny would man the cabin, since he was still recovering from his mugging.  The rest of the group would divide up and search the preserve.  Regan and Mr. Belden carried  rifles, for the catamount was still on the loose.

        “I saw Trixie about two hours ago, out that way.”  Maypenny pointed.  “She was on horseback, but the boys tell me that Susie came home without Trixie.  It’s possible she got thrown.  She could be hurt.”  He turned to Peter Belden.

        “Bobby came home from school.  He was playing outside, but when Helen went to call him in, he was nowhere to be found.”  Peter gave a weak and worried grin.  “I’m sure you all know, none of my kids miss a meal of their own free will.  Something is very wrong, and with that cat out there...” his voice trailed off.

        “We’ll find them, Mr. Belden.”  Regan said the words grimly. Maypenny touched his arm and gestured to the house.  The two men walked to the step.  “What?” Regan asked impatiently.

        “Are you looking for Daniel, too?” Maypenny asked.  “Or just for Trixie and Bobby?”

        “Oh, I have no doubt I’ll find Dan.”  Regan said angrily.  “Just look what he’s already done.”  He pointed to Maypenny’s head.

    “He isn’t responsible for this,”  Maypenny told him, “Daniel didn’t hurt me, but he did take darn good care of me all last night.”  He hesitated, then spoke bluntly.  “Don’t go out there thinking Daniel's the villain.  Truth be told, I don’t think he left all on his own accord.  There’s another one out there Regan, and I think he’s calling the shots.”

        “Let’s get going!”  Peter Belden’s voice rang out.  Regan tore his eyes off of Maypenny, and shouldered his rifle.  If the old man was right, the danger might be greater than they had thought.

        Dan shivered slightly as he pulled the jack rabbit from the snare.  He hadn’t slept the night before, and he and Luke had set off early in the morning.  He was tired, cold and heartsick.  He and Luke had spent most of the day wandering aimlessly around the preserve.  Now it was getting dark, and they had set up a makeshift camp.  After ordering Dan to start a fire and find some food, Luke had disappeared.  Fortunately, one of Maypenny’s jack rabbit snares had yielded one big dead varmint.  Dan almost smiled, as he heard the old man’s voice in his head.  He’d nearly been sick the first time Maypenny had shown him how to clean a rabbit.  Now he was glad for the experience.  Some roasted rabbit would taste pretty good after a day of Pop Tarts and Mountain Dew.  Luke’s idea of food left a lot to be desired.

        Actually, if Dan were honest, all of Luke’s ideas left a lot to be desired.  This whole “rob the Manor House” was absurd, and way too risky.   He had to find a way to talk Luke out of the plan.  But how?  Dan knew that trying to take Luke down would be hard, if not impossible.  Luke was taller, heavier, and wouldn’t fight fair--he never had fought fair.  Even without the support of Luke’s gang minions, Dan figured he’d be the one to lose.  No, there had to be another way out of this mess.

        Luke was back at camp when Dan returned.  “Whatcha got, Manny?”

        “Jack rabbit.”  Dan replied.  “Do you have a knife?”

        “Among other things,” came the reply, as Luke tossed something at Dan.  Dan caught it and identified it as a switchblade.  “Keep that.”  Luke continued, “I got more, and I’ve got a feelin’ you might need it.”

        Dan looked at the knife with barely concealed disgust.  Turning away from Luke, he got to work on the rabbit.  He thought about using the knife on Luke, but he knew he didn’t have it in him to attack a person.  Memories surged up, and he quickly pushed them down.  There had to be another way.  He stuck the rabbit on a spit and set it over the fire.

        “Hey!  I saw that loud blonde gal of yours,”  Luke said snidely, “She was a whirling and twirling out on the ice, like she was Queen of the World.  Think she’d like to party?”

        “Trixie?” Dan gulped.  “She’s just a nasty little snoop She ain’t worth my time, or yours.” 

        “I like this bag of yours,”  Luke said, picking up Dan’s backpack, “So I traded out our stuff.”  He narrowed his eyes.  “That’s not a problem, is it?”

        “No.”  Dan shook his head and spoke with no inflection.  Luke was taunting him, trying to provoke a fight.  Dan wasn’t sure why, but he knew better than to play along.  “Rabbit is ready.”

        Luke moved to the fire and tore off a piece of meat.  “Not bad,” he said.  “Maybe you should stay here after all, learn to cook more.”

        “Maybe I should.” Dan muttered.  Luke moved so fast, Dan didn’t have time to react.  Suddenly the older boy was standing over the top of him, knife in hand, fist clenched, threatening him.

        “Or maybe you should do what you said you’d do at the start.”  Luke’s eyes blazed.  Dan shook his head, his eyes on the knife.  “I swear, Mangan.  You are the biggest lily-livered piece of cat shit I’ve ever met!” He flicked the knife closed and picked up the canvas bag.

        “A guy can change his mind about things, can’t he?”  Dan protested defiantly.

        “Yeah, if he’s too yeller to take a chance!”  Luke sneered.  “Your letter said there’d be good pickin’s at the Wheeler joint and you’d show me the ropes so we could get in an’ out again without any trouble.  Now you’re backin’ down!”

        Dan gained his feet.  If Luke came at him again, he wanted to be able to move.  “But, Luke!  They’re not like I thought they were.  They’re real regular, and so’s old man Maypenny.”

        “You’re just yeller,”  Luke sneered.  “You’ve got it soft here and your real friends don’t mean a thing to you any more.  I oughta give you a beatin’!”  Dan took a step back, watching warily for an opening.  Luke continued.  “You know how you got jumped in?”  Dan nodded.  “Well, I might just have to jump you out--and believe me, I’ll enjoy it.”  Dan braced himself, and stared at Luke.  Luke stared back.  Finally, Luke broke the silence.  “Come on! I oughta leave you here, but I’ll give you one last chance.  Are you comin’ with me or are you hangin’ around the backwoods some more?”

        “Aw, don’t rush me.  I’m thinkin’ it over,”  Dan spoke uneasily, never taking his eyes off of Luke.  “Anyhow, why can’t we just get out of here and head back to the city?  We can figure out plenty of ways to get more money than you can get breakin’ into Wheelers’.  How about it, Luke?  Let’s call off the action and pull out!”

        “Go ahead and welsh out, choir boy,” Luke said  with a nasty laugh.  “But I’ll still go ahead the way we talked it over when your uncle was coming to get you from the court.”

        Dan hesitated, caught between relief and mistrust.  “No hard feelings, Luke?”

        “Nah, kid!”  Luke laughed again.  “Only, if I get nabbed by the cops, I’ll tell ‘em you’re in on it too.” He sneered.  “And, I’ll tell them you clobbered old Maypenny and swiped his wallet.”

        “They won’t believe you!  I wasn’t near the place!  I didn’t even know you were going to do it!”  Dan narrowed his eyes, and glared at Luke.

        “Who’s goin’ to believe you, kid?  Not the cops, not your Uncle Regan!  Better change your mind and come along!  Here!”  Luke laughed and tossed his small suitcase at Dan.  Reflexively, Dan caught the bag and stood there holding it.  He was frustrated and scared... and trapped.  Luke was never going to let him go.

        Dan moved to the fire and kicked snow on the flames. “What are you, a Boy Scout?”  Luke’s voice was mocking.  “Just leave it and let’s get goin’” Somewhere in the distance, an eerie howl rose on the wind.  Luke ignored the sound, but Dan tried to place it.  Mr. Maypenny had spent days trailing the catamount.  The old man claimed it was a large specimen, and Dan was pretty sure he didn’t want to wander across its path.

        Suddenly, Trixie Belden burst into the clearing shouting, “Dan!  You’ve got to help me!  Bobby’s caught in a hole and I can’t pull him out!”  She stumbled, fell to her knees and burst into tears. 

        Dan stood and stared for half a second, before dropping the bag and running to the girl.  “Trixie!” Gently helping her to her feet, he asked, “What’s the idea of being way out here after dark?  Don’t you have any brains?”

        “Trixie, hey?”  Luke’s nasty sneer cut in.  “So that’s the little snooper!  Come on, leave her there.  She’s cooked up a story again, like you said she was always doin’.  She don’t need any help.  She’s probably tryin’ to stall us here so her snooty friends can catch you for Regan!”

        Dan turned confused eyes back to the girl.  She glared at Luke through teary eyes.  “I’m not!” Trixie turned to Dan, clutching his arm.  “Dan, you’ve got to believe me!  Bobby’s stuck in a cave, and--” In the distance the catamount howled again.  A shiver ran down Dan’s spine and Trixie gave a little cry of despair.  “If you don’t come and help him, that awful thing may get him!”

        “The poor little guy!”  Dan said.  “Where is he?  How far is it?”

        “I’ll show you, but hurry!”  Trixie’s eyes pleaded with his.  “Please!”

        Dan nodded to her, and turned to Luke.  “Won’t take long.  I’ll be right back.  He’s only a six year old kid!”

        “And you’re a fool, Dan Mangan, if you think I’m hangin’ around any longer.  Stay with your wittle wich frwiends, but don’t forget, if anything happens where I’m going, you’re in it deep!”  Luke’s voice was both mocking and threatening, as he turned and stomp off into the woods.

        Dan watched him go, not sure whether to be sad or relieved.  Trixie tugged on his sleeve, and he turned back to her pleading eyes.  “Please, Dan!  We are your friends, really.  Don’t mind him!  Come and help Bobby, please!”

        “Okay, okay!”  Dan said.  “Which way?  And we better hurry.  That cat sounded nearer this time!”

        He watched as Trixie scanned the ground, then picked up a wad of white yarn from in front of the bushes.  “There!  That’s the way!”

        “Wait a minute!”  Dan called to her, taking off his jacket.  “Here, get into this!  I won’t need it!”

        “But you’ll be cold!”  She protested, but let him help her into the jacket.

        “Not if we move fast,” Dan assured her.  She looked at him with admiration, and he quickly added, “Besides, I can take it better than a girl.”  Her eyes darkened, and he felt like grinning.  This girl, he decided, was best kept off balance.

 

        Dan picked up the ball of yarn and started following it.  He was filled with respect for Trixie’s ingenuity; without the string, it would have been all too easy to get lost in the dark.  For a hot tempered snoop, she was pretty sharp.  Soon they were at the mouth of the cave.  Trixie called softly, “Bobby, honey, are you awake?”Dan waved the light around slowly, centering it on a gaping hole in the floor.

        Trixie ran forward and knelt at the edge.  “Bobby, are you asleep?”  There was a note of hysteria rising in her voice.

        “Better let me go down,”  Dan suggested.  “He’s probably fast asleep, so don’t try to wake him up ‘til I get a chance to see the lay of the land and find out what’s holding him.”

        “A rock, he said,”  Trixie answered.  Dan heard the hysteria in her voice, and knew he needed to quash it.

        “Might be just some earth,” Dan spoke quickly. “Quit getting hysterical!  Girls make me sick!”  He dropped down into the hole, hiding a grin at the flash of annoyance on Trixie’s face.

        From above, her heard her voice, small but firm.  “I’m sorry.  Tell me what to do to help and I’ll do it.”

        That was more like it.  Dan moved his flashlight over the ground.  Small animal bones littered the corners.  Smack in the middle was a small figure, asleep on his stomach, his legs pinned by a fair sized rock.  The light played across the boy’s face, and Bobby Belden opened his big blue eyes and said sleepily, “Hello, mister.  Did you falled down the hole, too?”

        Dan grinned, “Sure did, boy!  But we’re going to climb out real quick, aren’t we?”

        “Uh-huh,”  Bobby agreed.  “Where’s Trixie?  She runned away.”

        Before Dan could answer, Trixie’s voice sounded from above.  Dan could hear her strain to make her voice cheerful.  “I’m right here, Bobby!  And this is Danny Mangan, honey, who’s come to get you out of that mean old hole!”

        “Tha’s good!”  Dan noticed that Bobby’s voice was weakening.  “But hurry.  I’m hungry.”

        “Be right back, Bobby, “ Dan told him.  “I’ve got to get something.”

        “Awright,”  Bobby answered, then fell silent.

        Dan stood on his tiptoes, his head poking out of the hole, and beckoned to Trixie.  She leaned down, and he whispered, “Here, take these matches and get a fire started.  As big a one as you can, so somebody’ll be sure to see it!  The air down there is getting bad, and I don’t know how long it’s going to take to chip away the rock that’s holding Bobby’s legs.”

        “But you don’t have anything to chip it with!”  Trixie moaned.  “What are you going to do?”

        “Use this.”  Dan held up the knife Luke had given him, and flicked open the blade.  “Luke just gave it to me.  He brought it for me to use when we held up the Wheelers.”

        “Oh!”  Trixie stared, fascinated.  “What a horrible-looking thing!  Is that what you call a switch blade?”

        “Yeah!  And I darn near wouldn’t take it!  Boy, am I glad now I did!”  Dan ducked down into the hole again, saying a quick prayer before using the knife to chip away at the rock.  Bobby Belden looked at him with tear-filled blue eyes.

        “Say, this isn’t as hard as it looked,”  Dan said, trying to distract the boy.  “Got another big hunk loose.  You just stay flat there, sonny, and we’ll have you out before you can say:

1. 
   

2. ‘Tip-tap, rip-rap,
   

3. Ticka tack too!
   

4. This way, that way,
   

5. So we make a shoe!’
   

        “That’s what the fairy shoemaker sings, my mother told me!”  Dan kept chipping away at the rock.

        Tip-tap, rip rap,”  Bobby repeated sleepily.  “Say it again!  I love rhymes.”

        Dan obliged, grateful to his mother for all of her little Irish songs and rhymes sung to him at bedtime.  He kept on banging the knife blade against the rock.  The air was very stale, and he was beginning to feel a little dizzy.  He hoped Trixie had been able to get a fire started.

        Finally, the last chunk gave way, and Dan was able to see both of the boy’s legs.  Hopefully, nothing was damaged.  “There!  Looks like we’ve got it, bud.  Let’s see you make believe you’re a little frog.  Wiggle your legs and scrunch along on your tummy.” 

        He watched anxiously as the little boy screwed up his face in concentration, and scooted forward.  Bobby giggled and said, “Gunk! Gunk!”  Dan laughed at the boy’s frog impression, and said, “Hi, froggy!  Come on out!”

        Bobby wiggled his way to the opening, and Dan picked him up.  The little boy threw his arms around Dan’s neck and hugged him.  Dan hugged him back, and then lifted him towards Trixie.  “When are we going home?” Bobby demanded.  “I’m hungry!”

        Trixie pulled him from Dan’s arms, hugging her brother tightly.  Dan  climbed out of the hole and faced off against his former nemesis.  “Thanks, so much!”  Trixie smiled at him and held out her hand.  “Friend?” she asked.

        Dan hesitated, then took her hand.  “Okay, friend.”  Then he dropped her hand and stepped back with a frown.  “You’d better keep that fire going outside, so your friends can find you.  I think I’ll get going.”

        She looked at him sadly.  “I wish you could stick around.  Dad will want to say thanks, and so will Moms and the boys.”

        Dan was tempted; sorely tempted.  But then he remembered Luke’s threats and Regan’s rage.  He shook his head.  “I don’t belong around here.  My uncle’s taking me back to the city at the end of the week.  I guess that’s the right place for me.”  He bit his lip, trying to push away his unhappiness.

        Trixie looked at him with regret, as the reached the mouth of the cave.  “I suppose you know what’s best, but we’d all like you to stay in Sleepyside.  We have lots of fun, and I know you would, too.”  The pleading look was back in her eyes.

        Again, Dan was tempted.  The cozy cabin, Spartan, Maypenny, friends who might accept him as he was.  It was all very tempting. Dan nodded.  “Yeah, I guess I might.  But I don’t think some people would want me around when it gets out about Luke and all.”  He thought again of his uncle.

        “Nonsense!”  The old, spunky Trixie was back.  “If they don’t--”

        She was stopped by Bobby, grabbing her arm.  “My shoe!  My shoe’s down there!  Get it for me!  I losted my shoe an’ my foot’s c-c-cold!  Please, Trixie, get it for me.  It’s down in the hole.”

        “But, Bobby--”  Trixie started.

        “I want my shoe!”  Bobby wailed, suddenly bursting into tears.

        “Oh, all right!”   Trixie shrugged out of Dan’s jacket and held it out to him.  “You’d better wear this yourself now.”

        Dan took the jacket reluctantly.  “Thanks, guess I’ll be on my way.  Maybe I can catch up with Luke and talk him out of going to the Wheelers’.  Be seeing you sometime.”  The words sounded hollow to his own ears, but he slipped on his jacket and started to go.  Just then the catamount howled again, an eerie screech that sounded uncomfortably close.

        “Please don’t go!  I’m scared!”  These words from Trixie stopped Dan in his tracks.  He turned to see her, arms around her little brother, that pleading look back in her eyes. 

        Dan hesitated.  Getting out of Sleepyside before he got sent back to juvie had seemed very important just a few hours earlier.  Now he and the fire were all that stood between Trixie, Bobby and the catamount.  Dan walked back to them.  “Okay, I’ll stay till we’re sure your search party’s close.”  He pulled out the knife and snapped it open.

        The wildcat yowled again, closer this time, and Bobby buried his face against Trixie.  “Let’s go home!” he demanded tearfully.  “I don’ like it here!”

        Dan turned toward the direction of the yowl.  In the distance he could hear voices calling for Trixie and Bobby.  From the fire, he heard Trixie ask fearfully, “C-Can you see any yellow eyes?”

        Dan tried to keep his voice from shaking as he answered.  “Nah, it won’t come here as long as you keep the fire going.”  As he finished speaking, the cat screeched again, and there was no doubt that it was close.  A shot rang out, cutting of the yowl.  A sudden crashing in the underbrush drove Dan to place himself between the noise and Bobby and Trixie.  His hand tightened on the knife as he prepared for attack.

        It wasn’t a mountain lion that came crashing into the clearing:  It was a rifle-bearing Regan.  “Trixie!” he was shouting.  “Bobby!”  He stopped when he saw a knife wielding Dan, standing between him and the Beldens.  “Drop it Dan!” the big man called out harshly.  “Don’t try to use it!”

        Dan didn’t have time to react.  He was stunned to see his uncle come out of the brush, and bewildered by his belligerence.  Regan stomped over to Dan and wrenched the knife from his hand.  His own large hand clamped down hard on his nephew’s arm as he called back to the others, “They’re okay Mr. Belden!”

        Dan stood helpless in his uncle’s grip as Peter, Brian and Mart Belden crashed into the clearing.  Suddenly Trixie was in front of them, shouting at Regan.  “He wasn’t trying to do anything wrong!  He was only trying to protect us from that horrible wildcat!”

        Dan felt the grip on his arm loosen slightly as Regan turned to him in disbelief and demanded, “Is that the truth, Dan?  Out with it!”

        Dan shrugged his shoulders, bitterness welling up again.  “What did you think I was doing?  Holding them for a kidnap payoff or something?”  The faces that looked at him were skeptical, but what else was new?  He suddenly felt very tired as he tried not to shiver in his uncle’s grasp.

        Trixie waved away her brother, Brian, when he tried to give her a cup of hot broth from his Thermos.  “Dan needs that more than I do,” she said.  “He came right away when I asked him to help us, and he made me wear his jacket so I wouldn’t get cold while he was crawling into that horrible hole to save Bobby from freezing to death with his legs caught under a rock!”  Dan was staring at Trixie.  He couldn’t believe she had spit out the entire story without taking a breath.  Evidently the others did, because Regan let him go and they were all now looking at him with admiration instead of distrust.  Brian handed him the cup of broth.

        “Thank you, Dan,” Mr. Belden said softly.  “We won’t forget it!”  Dan took a sip of the broth, embarrassed by the sudden turn of events.  He sipped again, as Bobby added his two cents.

        Snuggling close to his father, as Mart draped a blanket over him,  Bobby said, “I falled in a hole but the kitty wasn’t there.  An’ Dan digged me out, an’ there was a fairy shoemaker an’ he said--”  Bobby’s big yawn interrupted his story, and he ended sleepily, “Tip-tap, rip-rap--”  He was fast asleep before he finished.

        “It was just a little rhyme,”  Dan explained apologetically, “about a leprechaun.  My mum used to sing it to me.”

        “A leprechaun!”  Trixie started off on an idea, but Bill Regan tuned her out, his attention was focused on his nephew.  Regan remembered the rhyme about the leprechaun.  Sarah, no, Saraid, he corrected himself.  Saraid had sung it to him when he had been a boy.  That was something he had in common with Dan.  Maybe there would be more, if he took the time to ask.  He snapped back to the conversation, in time to realize they were talking about Dan participating in the skating show.

        “Danny’s a good skater, aren’t you boy?”  Regan looked at his nephew as he asked.  “Didn’t I hear you won a medal in the Police Athletic League games a couple of years ago?”

        Dan looked embarrassed.  “Yeah.  But I haven’t skated for a long time.”

        “That’s easy to take care of,”  Trixie said eagerly.  “We still have a few days before Saturday and the carnival, and you can practice like mad.  We’re all going to, and if you don’t have your skates with you, you can use Mart’s or Brian’s old ones.  We can sharpen them up for you!”  Trixie’s excitement made Dan want to grin.  It was a welcome change to be on her good side.

        “Needn’t bother, Trixie,”  Regan said, putting his arm across Dan’s shoulders, and trying not to notice how the boy flinched and stiffened.  “I’ll pick up a pair for my nephew in town tomorrow morning, brand-new, and he can start practicing tomorrow afternoon.”  Regan looked down at Dan, and Dan glanced cautiously up at him, his body relaxing slightly.  Regan smiled, hoping that his smile was reassuring.  Dan smiled shyly back, and looked away.

        Trixie had finished her broth and was saying, “I feel great now.  Let’s start home.  Moms must be simply frantic with worry about Bobby.”

        “She was frantic about both of you!”  Brian said very soberly.  “She was sure you had both been kidnapped by that tramp that robbed our clubhouse.”

        “The tramp!”  Trixie exclaimed.  “Dan!”

        Dan looked at her in confusion, setting down his cup.  “Dan!” she said again.  “Tell them what that awful Luke is planning to do!  Maybe Regan can get there and stop him before he does it!”

        “What’s all this?”  Regan demanded sharply, looking from Trixie to Dan.

        Dan scowled, hesitating.  Trixie snapped, “Go on!  Don’t forget what he promised to do to you because you wouldn’t help him!  It’s not snitching to protect your own self from a person like him!”

        Dan took a deep breath, and in as few words as possible, filled everyone in on Luke’s plans to rob the Wheelers.  He was surprised to see his uncle grinning at the end of his story.  Mr.  Belden smiled, and told him, “This Luke will run into big trouble if he tries it.  Mr. Wheeler hired extra guards to patrol the Manor House grounds when he came home and found out the clubhouse had been burglarized.  Luke will run head-on into them if he steps on the Wheeler estate.”

        Dan closed his eyes and said a quick prayer of thanks.  If he had gone with Luke, he’d be headed to jail for sure.  Armed robbery.  He shuddered, and said nothing.

        “Shall we get started for home?”  Brian asked, breaking the silence.  “We left the horses at Mr. Maypenny’s.”  They all bustled around, gathering things and making sure the fire was well and truly out.  Dan trudged along beside his uncle, and Regan broached the subject of returning to New York City, and seeing the judge.  The thought was frightening, but Dan took a small measure of comfort in his uncle’s assurance that they could work it all out.

        Mr. Maypenny rushed to greet them as they approached the cabin.  He stopped short when he saw Dan.  “Where’s the other?” he demanded suspiciously.  “Where’s the one that took you away?”

        “He’s in the hands of the law by now, Mr. Maypenny,”  Peter Belden said.

“Good thing too.  And you’re okay, Daniel?  I was afraid for you, after what he did to me!”  Mr. Maypenny touched the sore spot on his head.  “It still hurts.”

        “Everything’s all right now, Mr. Maypenny.”  Trixie said.  “And Dan’s going to help us with the carnival, if you can spare him.”

        “Guess I can,” he said drily.  “Ain’t seen much of him the last couple of days, and managed to get along somehow, just the same!”

        “I’d be glad to stay and help all I can here,” Dan told Mr. Maypenny, “but Uncle Bill wants me to go back to the city with him for a day or so and sort of straighten things out with a man there.”

        “Humph!  That judge, I suppose.”  He peered at Dan over his spectacles.  “Well, I’ll give him a letter to show the judge how much we’d like you to stay on here, and I figure it won’t take you too long to get your business finished with him.”

        “Thanks Mr. Maypenny,”  Dan said with a grin.  “I sure hope I can be back by Saturday.”

        “We’re counting on it.”  Brian said, pulling Dan away towards the horses.

        Mart joined them, and the three boys fed apple slices to the horses, and talked about nothing in particular.  Dan appreciated that neither Brian nor Mart asked about Luke, or about Dan’s past.  Instead they asked his and shared their feelings about school, the preserve, horses and Mr. Maypenny’s cooking. 

        As the Beldens prepared to leave, Brian clapped Dan on the shoulder and said, “You did a good job of taking care of Mr. Maypenny, Dan.  And I appreciate you helping and protecting my brother and sister.  I’m sorry I doubted you.  I misjudged you, and I apologize.”  He held out his hand.  “Friends?” he asked.

        Dan shook Brian’s hand with a genuine smile.  “Friends.  I didn’t try too hard to change your opinion.  I’ll accept your apology, if you’ll accept mine.”

        “That’s a deal!”  Brian smiled and joined his family and Regan.  As they headed off, Dan stood on the step and waved.  When they were out of sight, he followed Mr. Maypenny back into the cabin.

        Neither said much as they sat down to stew and biscuits.  Dan hadn’t eaten any of the rabbit, and he was starving.  At the close of the meal, he cleared the table and cleaned  up the kitchen, while Mr. Maypenny retired to his rocker near the fire.

        Dan came out of the kitchen and sat down on the hearth.  He grinned ruefully at Maypenny, and said, “This seems to be the place where I end up apologizing to you.”

        “And what is it you’re apologizing for, lad?”

        “If it hadn’t been for me, Luke never would have mugged you,”  Dan said quietly.  “And I shouldn’t have gone running off with Luke, but I really thought I didn’t have a choice.”  Dan’s started talking faster.  “He threatened to burn down the cabin, with you in it, and blame me.  I figured my uncle would believe that I’d do something like that, so I went.  I should have trusted you with the truth, and I didn’t.  I shouldn’t have been so afraid of Luke, but I was.  I am, still.  He’s not right in the head, and if he comes back...”  Dan shook his head, and continued at a normal pace.  “Anyway, I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for all the bad things that happened, and I’ll understand if you’d rather I didn’t stay here with you--I mean if the judge doesn’t...you know.”  Dan swallowed the last words, unable to say them.

        “Daniel, look at me.”  Dan raised his eyes to Mr.  Maypenny’s.  The man  was looking at him kindly.  “I wish you had trusted me, but you still don’t know me all that well, so I can understand it.  I do want you to stay, if that’s what you want.  You have been a big help, even if you are a babe in the woods--and I mean that literally.”  Dan laughed, and Maypenny grinned.  “When it came down to the crunch, you showed your true self.  I told you before that you can control  your future through the choices you make.  You did that tonight.  You should be proud of that, and you should let that part of you guide the rest of your decisions.  I’m still not sure that you need to apologize to me, but I accept.  The past is past.  Let us concentrate on the future.  How does that sound?”

        Dan nodded.  “Thank you,” he said softly, looking at the floor.  “When I was out there, with Luke, I kept thinking about how much I just wanted to go home.  Then I realized that I was thinking of here.  For the first time in a long time, I feel like I have a home.  Thank you.”

        Maypenny blinked back tears, and nodded.  “You’re welcome, lad.  Now go on to bed.  Morning comes early around here.”

        Dan smiled, and said, “Goodnight.”

        “Goodnight, lad.  Sleep well.”  Maypenny sat rocking by the fire until well after the boy was asleep.

Inside the Jacket 5

Index

Inside the Jacket 7

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