Squire's Quest Read Free Page A

an eyeshade, but he was losing ground with every step. The kid could
move.
    The kid dove between the livery stable and a shed. His pursuer followed, but almost lost
his footing as he stepped in something that looked suspiciously like a cowpie. Merlin heard him
curse. There was a crash from somewhere beyond the shed, and then another shriek.
    Curious now, Merlin sauntered across the narrow, rutted street and into the gap,
avoiding the cowpie with the ease of long practice. It was dark, but not so much he couldn't see
the kid dangling from the heavyset fellow's hand by the scruff of his neck and doing his best to
avoid the man's fist.
    Having been raised right, Merlin just naturally didn't like seeing anybody pick on
someone smaller than him. "Hey, there, Billy! What the dickens have you been up to?" He
stepped right up to the heavyset fellow and caught his wrist. "He's a scamp, mister, but I can't
believe my little brother did enough damage to warrant more than a few swats."
    "He robbed me!" The fellow relaxed his arm, even though he still held the boy high
enough his toes didn't quite touch the ground. "Took a box of crackers and an apple."
    It was all Merlin could do not to chuckle. The boy had gone limp as soon as he'd spoken,
and was now hanging limply with a pathetically innocent expression on his dirty face. "I'll be
happy to pay for what he took, sir. He knows better, but sometimes temptation gets the best of
him." He smiled his widest. "He does like his apples."
    The fellow let the boy down. Before he could take a step, Merlin caught him by the
collar and pulled him close. "Hold on there, Billy. I've been looking for you this past while and
you're not getting away again. Now, then sir, how much did you say I owed you?"
    "Oh, fifty cents ought to do it. I sure hope you'll lambast him good. He needs to be
taught a lesson."
    Merlin dug out change. He deliberately miscounted, and gave the fellow sixty cents.
"Oh, you can be sure of that. Here you go. Now, then, Billy, you apologize to this gentleman."
He gave the boy a good shake when he didn't speak.
    "Sorry," came a grudging near-whisper.
    "That's fine. Let's get on back to the room. We'll be making an early start in the
morning." He touched his hat in farewell, and pushed the boy ahead of him toward the
street.
    Before they entered the hotel, he said, "You got a place to sleep?"
    The boy's shoulders lifted in a shrug.
    "Well, I reckon you'll have to sleep with me. Walk like you've got someplace to go." He
released the collar but got a good hold on the boy's threadbare jacket. With an occasional nudge,
he guided him across the small lobby and up the narrow stairs. The desk clerk looked at them
curiously but said nothing.
    Once in the room, Merlin locked the door and went to the window to make sure it
couldn't be easily opened. That done, he picked up his saddlebags and tossed them on the bed.
"Hungry?"
    Another shrug.
    "I don't want to take you down to the restaurant tonight, but I think I've got something in
here that'll tide you over 'til morning. There's water in the pitcher. I reckon it'll do more good
inside of you than outside of me." He unearthed a strip of dried elk meat and tossed it to the boy.
"Take little bites and chew slow. You're apt to choke if you try to gorge on it."
    The boy reached into his pocket and pulled out an apple, shriveled but not rotten. "I
dropped the crackers."
    "Yeah, I figured so. He'll pick 'em up and pat himself on the back for gettin' the best of
us. What's your name?"
    Having torn off a big chunk of meat, the boy was working to chew it. After a minute he
said, "Calli--uh, Cal. Cal Smith." He went back to gnawing on the meat.
    "A-huh. You live around here?" He didn't entirely believe the Smith part, but Cal was as
good a name as any.
    A shake of the head was the only answer.
    "You're travelin' then?"
    A nod this time.
    "North or south."
    "My pa's in Virginia City. Leastwise that's where his last letter come from."
    "Well, you are in