Read Little Lion for Free Online Page B

people passing by.
    â€œConch fritters here,” she called to them.
    Maisie and Felix lingered, the smell of her fritters mixing with that of ripe pineapple.
    â€œWait a minute,” Felix said. “We do have money.”
    Maisie looked at him, confused. Then she broke into a grin.
    â€œMa’am,” she said to the woman. “Here.” She held out the heavy silver coin.
    The woman took it and brought it close to her eyes. Then anger flashed across her face.
    â€œWhat kind of fool you think I am?” she said. “This is a counterfeit dollar.” She tapped the coin with her finger. “1794?”
    Maisie and Felix looked at each other.
    The woman plopped the coin back in Maisie’s hand. “Off with you,” she said, shaking her head. “1794. How am I going to use money from a year that hasn’t even happened yet?”
    â€œIt’s
earlier
than 1794?” Felix whispered to his sister.
    â€œAnd she’s not who we’re looking for,” Maisie whispered back.
    The woman, realizing they hadn’t gone, studied their faces openly.
    â€œYou hungry children, yes?” she said gently.
    They nodded.
    The woman studied them. “All dressed in funny-looking clothes. And those funny-looking clothes all wet.”
    Maisie returned the woman’s gaze.
    â€œSo many hungry children since the hurricane,” she said, shaking her head sadly.
    A hurricane! That explained why so many trees had been knocked down. Felix sighed, relieved they hadn’t turned up a week earlier.
    â€œTake my conch fritters, hungry children,” the woman said.
    Maisie and Felix each took a warm fritter.
    â€œThank you,” Felix said.
    The woman nodded, satisfied.
    Maisie waited. Would something else happen?
    But the woman seemed to have already forgotten them. She turned to three men who counted money and placed it in her hand, taking several fritters from her basket.
    Disappointed, Maisie walked away.
    The fritters tasted salty and delicious. It took three bites to finish them off. Felix licked his fingers while they continued on their way. People of all sizes and shapes and colors pressed together. Now the smell of sweat and animals mixed with all the other terrible smells. Felix covered his nose and mouth with his hand, breathing in the ocean smell on it. The fritter, which had tasted so good, turned sour in his stomach. Finally, they broke through the crowd and stood at the edge of the road, the harbor behind them and the row of buildings across the street.
    â€œI thought someone would come up to us back there,” Maisie admitted. “When we landed in that barn, Clara showed up right away. But it seems like we’re really on our own this time.”
    Felix didn’t want to believe that. “Someone will show up. You’ll see,” he said, trying to convince himself as well as his sister.
    â€œLet’s just go into one of these stores and see if we can figure out where we are,” Maisie said.
    â€œGood idea.”
    He let her lead the way because he knew that would make her feel better. As they crossed the street, Felix noted that instead of cars, carriages lined one side of the dirt street, and here and there sat piles of horse poop, which added to the smell. There didn’t seem to be any people, either, unlike the harbor that had been so crowded.
    Maisie paused, trying to figure out which building to go into. They all looked pretty much the same, so she finally chose the one closest to them, which was also the largest. The numbers on it were 56-57, and the sign outside said B EEKMAN AND C RUGER . She pushed open the wooden door and stepped inside, Felix close behind her. It was dark and cool, and it took a minute for her eyes to adjust.
    Bolts of fabric filled shelves on one wall; heavy brown jugs stood in front of them; boxes held tools, rope, yarn, and pieces of wood.
    â€œA general store,” Felix said, running his hands along