The next morning, at breakfast, Charlie found that she didn't have her usual robust appetite. She ate her eggs but only one piece of toast instead of two,

and didn't spar with Johnny over the last pieces of bacon.

When Maria handed Charlie her lunch pail, she said, "Dulces extra. Churros."

Charlie didn't know the word 'dulces', and looked at Johnny for confirmation. Johnny had been pouring himself a cup of coffee from the

pot on the black stove, and he said, "Sweets. Extra sweets," in translation.

"Thank you," Charlie told the older woman, who patted Charlie's cheek and turned back to her task of breakfast dishes. Though it wasn't

unusual for Maria to put treats in Charlie's school lunch pail, it was the extra part of it that had Charlie realizing that Maria was

trying to spoil her, just a bit. Perhaps make up for Charlie being in such trouble.

Charlie gathered her book bag, and her lunch pail, and started out for the barn to saddle Gurth for the ride to school. Johnny walked with her,

and watched while Charlie did the saddling up.

Charlie gave him a furtive look. Johnny was running his hands over Gurth's legs. She wondered if Johnny was going to talk to her

about what he'd said the afternoon before, by the swing. Charlie was still feeling unsettled, and unsure, though, and couldn't get up her

nerve to ask him outright. Besides, why remind him that he was going to be choosing a punishment for her?

No kid in their right mind would do that, Charlie thought to herself. Scott was coming across the yard now, and he said,

"Wait for me, Charlie, I'll ride with you."

Scott had been so very very kind the night before, during the aftermath of her nightmare, and so Charlie didn't mind so much

that he was going to ride along with her to town. When she and Scott set out down the lane together, Charlie wondered if he was

going to talk to her some more now, like he'd said that he would. Was he going to scold her more?

Just the thought of it made Charlie's stomach ache. She kept still, not saying a lot, but dreading when he did bring up the whole

thing.

Only he didn't. Bring up the whole thing. Scott didn't talk about the the afternoon before, or the traps, or the mother fox, or his punishment

of her. He didn't talk about her refusal to talk to him, or about her nightmare.

Instead, Scott talked about the clouds, and some of the various trees and plants alongside the roadway. Charlie found herself, as was usual,

immersed in what he was saying, and asking him questions.

At the livery, Scott waited while she handed Gurth off to Old Hank, talking for a few minutes with the old man.

"Want a ride the rest of the way?" he offered, remounting Barney and looking down at her.

Charlie nodded in silent acceptance, and Scott took her lunch pail and bag, and then held out an arm to her.

She'd mounted behind Scott so many times this way, that it was nearly effortless the way he pulled her up. He handed the

pail and bag back to her, and Charlie held them with one hand, and kept the other hand around his waist as he rode towards the

school building.

There were kids running towards the school, and those that were there already, in the school yard, were playing tag or talking in

small groups together.

When Scott stopped, Charlie slid down, and then looked up at him. She paused, and said, quietly, "Are you going now to talk to

Monte's father?"

"Yes. I am."

Charlie sighed a little. She looked at Scott, wanting to plead with him, but knew there was no help for it. His mind was made up.

"Come home right after school," he said. His voice wasn't rough, just quiet and calm, but Charlie still heard the warning underneath.

She bobbed her head in answer. "I will."

"Alright. Try to have a good day."

Charlie nodded again. She was certain that she wouldn't, but there was no use saying that to Scott.

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When the first recess time came about, Charlie put off going outside as long as she could. She straightened her desk, and fiddled with

her boots, while Rebecca waited for her. Finally, the teacher send the girls on their way.

"You won't have any time left to play if you don't get outside," she said, with a smile.

At the top step of the school building, Rebecca said, "What's wrong? Why don't you want to come outside?"

"I don't want to talk to Monte," Charlie said.

"Why? Did he do something mean to you?" Rebecca asked. "Tell Jason-"

"No, it's nothing like that. Monte's not mean to me anymore at all. He's-pretty nice," Charlie said.

"What is it, then?"

Charlie was just beginning to tell Rebecca what had happened, when she stopped talking abruptly, as Monte's grinning face appeared

just to the side of the girls, next to the handrail.

"Boo!" he said, and both girls jumped, startled.

"Monte!" Rebecca scolded.

"Got you both!" Monte said, with a chortle.

They walked across the school yard to the swings, where Rebecca and Charlie both sat down on a swing seat.

"The baby foxes are eatin' okay," Monte shared. "I got 'em a couple frogs, and they went to town eatin' those."

When Charlie didn't say anything, Monte jumped in front of her teasingly.

"Did ya hear me?" he demanded.

"I heard you."

"You don't seem very glad," Monte said, looking puzzled.

"I'm glad," Charlie said.

"I'm gonna trap some mice tonight, and that's what they can have to eat tomorrow."

When Charlie was silent, Monte wrinkled his forehead. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Rebecca stood up suddenly. "I'll wait for you over by the steps, Charlie," she said, and walked away.

"What's up with her?" Monte asked.

"I guess she wants to give us privacy," Charlie said.

"What for?"

Charlie looked at his freckled face, and felt as though she could cry. "I gotta tell you something."

"Okay. What?"

"I got caught out yesterday. Scott was riding into town or something, and he met up with me on the road," Charlie said.

"Oh." He wrinkled his forehead even more. "You get in bad trouble?"

Charlie nodded. "Real bad. The worst-" she caught her words at the remembrance. "The worst I've ever been in."

"Awe, I'm sorry 'bout that, Charlie," Monte said, looking truly regretful. "You had to tell him, huh?"

"I had to, Monte! He saw the blood on my clothes, and he thought it was because I was hurt, and then when he knew it wasn't from

me-he got real angry. "

"Well-that's alright. I told ya if you had to tell, then you had to tell."

Charlie shook her head. "It's not alright. He's going to talk to your father!"

"Oh," Monte said, and Charlie saw his freckled face pale.

For a long few moments neither one of the children said a word.

"Well," Monte said, finally. "It can't be helped, I guess." He spoke with bravado, but Charlie figured he was rightly frightened.

"What will he do?" Charlie asked, though she was fairly certain that she knew.

"He'll whale on me," Monte said.

"What about John?"

"Did ya tell your family about John bein' there?"

Even at that moment, Charlie caught the way that Monte uttered 'your family' easy.

"No. I didn't say anything about John," Charlie said.

"Well, then I won't tell on him."

"You won't?" Charlie asked, surprised.

"Naw. He's a knot head, but he's the only brother I've got."

Charlie was quiet at such loyalty between brothers.

"I've sorry," she said.

"It's not really your fault."

"You might not wanna be friends anymore, huh?" Charlie asked. "Because I told, now you're gonna get a spanking."

"Course I still wanna be your friend, don't talk loco," Monte said.

When the teacher came out to ring the bell to gather all the students back into the building, Charlie stood up from the swing, and said,

"Scott says he doesn't want you to end up getting hurt by one of the traps. That he wouldn't feel right about you getting an injury,

if he didn't tell your father."

"Yeah."

Charlie found that she didn't want Monte to hate Scott. She wasn't sure just why, but she didn't.

"Scott's a good person. He cares about doing what he thinks is right. You won't hate him now, will you?"

"I won't hate him. He's grown. That's what grown folks do. They do what they think they should," Monte said.

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