And Along Came Jake Read Online Free PDF

to make some money, so he made his way to the backside of the vacant shop at the end of the strip, pulled out his dice, and started rolling them against the building.
    It wasn't long until other boy's his age gathered round for a few games of 'back alley dice'. Jake looked at each of the four boys who came to play, then placed ten cents on the ground.
    "Okay boys" Jake said, "Who's gonna be the first to lose?"
    A tall lanky boy walked towards Jake and placed ten cents on the ground as well. "I'll play ya Jake!" He nodded.
    "Okay Phil, let's see who rolls first." Jake said, giving him a crooked smile handing him a die.
    Phil put the die in his hand, blew on it for good luck, then rolled it against the wall, landing a five.
    The other boys chanted, oohed and ahhed, knowing Jake now had to beat a five if he was gonna win first roll. Jake gave Phil a wink, rolled his die and landed a deuce.
    "Okay Jake!" Phil chuckled, "I get to go first! Give me the dice and get ready to see a seven or an eleven."
    The other boys chuckled, and focused on Phil as he rolled the dice against the building.
    "Darn it!" Phil looked down and saw the dice which displayed double sixes.
    "That's right, come to papa!" Jake smiled, and picked up his twenty cents.
    "Wanna play again Phil?" Jake asked placing the change back down on the ground.
    Phil smirked. He dug around in his pockets, pulled out his last twenty cents and put it all on the ground.
    "I can't believe I'm doing this!" Phil said. "If I lose, Ma's gonna kill me. This money's supposed to buy us some groceries."
    This time, Jake rolled the higher die, winning the first toss. "Come on lucky seven!" he said, as he shook the dice in his hand, quickly releasing them and watched as they bounced off the wall displaying a four.
    "That's what I'm talking about!" said Phil "You gotta roll another four, or else I get my thirty cents back, plus ten of yours!"
    "Well Phil" Jake smiled "here's your four!" With that, Jake rolled the dice which surprisingly displayed another four.
    "Oh no!" exclaimed Phil "My Ma's gonna kill me!—I know, I'll tell her some older kids ruffed me up and took all my money."
    Phil threw himself on the ground, and began to roll in the dirt, while purposefully ripping and tarring his shirt at the bottom. "So guys—do I look ruffed up?" He asked the other boys as he smiled, displayed his new look.
    All the boys laughed together, then patted Phil on the back to wish him luck. As Phil walked away, Jake picked up the coins from the ground and began to play with them, moving it from one hand to the other.
    "Who's next?" He asked, placing the money back on the ground.
    Game after game, Jake continued to win; all the boys went away one by one, no money left in their pockets. As the last boy walked from the back side of the vacant shop, Jake began to count his winnings. He made one dollar and twenty cents.
    "Wow, I did good today!" He said out loud, putting the money in his pocket, whistling all the way to Smitty's store. As Jake walked through the store, Smitty gave him an evil look, and held up a thick stick about two feet long.
    "Go ahead Jake!" Smitty said. "I dare you to steal something today. I brought this stick just for you!"
    "I got money Smitty" Jake responded with a smile. "One whole dollar and twenty cents!"
    "I got my eye on you kid!" said Smitty as he pointed the stick at him.
    Jake chuckled and grabbed a small wicker hand-basket to shop. He remembered Madison and her love for chocolate, so he grabbed a couple chocolate bars, some canned goods, a few bottled sodas and some other small items, hoping it would last a few days.
    Jake confidently walked up to the register, placed his basket on the counter, and gave Smitty a wink. Smitty glared back as he began ringing the items.
    "That will be one dollar and thirty cents." Smitty said.
    "But I only got a dollar twenty!" he said, displaying his money on the counter.
    "Tough kid. Looks like you need to put something back then, maybe