Finders Keepers Read Online Free PDF

hours on the phone) it was afternoon before they left the house.
    â€œBe back at the store at 5:30 pm,” warned Danny’s mother as she competently angle-parked in a small space in theSaturday row of farm trucks on Fort Macleod’s main street. “Your Dad and I want to leave right at closing time.”
    Danny nodded, unlocked his door and slid out of the car.
    â€œThought you might turn up if I hung around long enough,” said a satisfied voice.
    Danny looked around.
    Joshua was standing in the back of a half-ton, two spaces down. He swung his legs over the tailgate and dropped lightly into the street. “So,” he said, “Did you get a licking last night?”
    Danny shook his head. “No-oo, but I guess I’ll be in trouble on Monday… at school.”
    Joshua considered. “Naw, you’re too quiet. It’s the mouthy kids that really get it. You’ll just get yelled at.”
    â€œSometimes that’s worse than a lickin’.” Danny moodily kicked a loose rock chip as visions of Mr. Berg’s face, distorted with anger, flashed through his head. “Anyway, I don’t want to think about Monday yet. Come on, race you to the museum.”
    Danny turned and ran up the road, then stopped when he realized Joshua wasn’t following. “What’s up Joshua? Don’t you want to come?” He walked back to where Joshua was standing.
    Joshua looked uncomfortable. “This museum. Do you have to pay to get in?”
    Danny grinned. “Sure, but it’s only a quarter for kids. Do you have any money?” Joshua shook his head.
    Danny tipped out his pocket but only found one quarter and two pieces of gum. He passed one of the pieces of gum over. “Here, have this and we’ll go find some bottles to take back.”
    Chewing companionably, Danny and Joshua headed over to the highway and started searching the soggy, matted grass along the ditch.
    â€œGot one.” Joshua pounced where the sunlight glinted and triumphantly unearthed a large coke bottle.
    â€œMe too.” Danny found two beer bottles in close proximity.A further search uncovered four small pop bottles, three beer cans and a whisky bottle. They sat in the ditch and surveyed their spoils.
    â€œWow, We’re rich!” Joshua took off his jean jacket and wrapped it around the bottles and cans. “That’s nearly a dollar’s worth. If we can find a few more on the way to the bottle depot we’ll have enough for some candies or a slurpee.”
    He glanced happily at Danny, who was looking at his fingers and counting to himself, a look of intense concentration on his face. When he saw Joshua watching, he stopped and blushed beet red.
    â€œGo on, laugh,” said Danny fiercely.
    Joshua spread his hands in a gesture of peace. “Hey, man. I’m not laughing. I don’t even know what you’re doing.”
    â€œFiguring.”
    â€œFiguring?” repeated Joshua blankly. “Oh, you mean the bottles. That’s easy. There’s three beer bottles at three cents a bottle, that’s nine cents; there’s two litre bottles at 20 cents each, that’s 49 cents altogether; then there’s four pop bottles and two cans at five cents each, that’s another 30 cents; that makes 79 cents so far, and if we find…” Joshua trailed off as the flush of embarrassment on Danny’s face deepened. “What’s up?”
    â€œThat!” said Danny sadly. “The figuring out. I can only do it on my fingers.”
    â€œOK, so I’ll do it. No big deal.” Joshua knotted his jacket sleeves together and hoisted the resulting parcel over one shoulder. “My grandfather, he’s not too hot at math, and my great grandfather, he couldn’t read. It never stopped him being chief though. Come on, let’s see if there’s more bottles in the back alleys.”
    Danny scrambled to his feet and they walked