The Trading Game

By Fran Shaff

1898 New York and Wisconsin. Meet Lacey and Salina, young lady look-alikes, one orphaned and homeless, one wealthy and bored, who switch identities and have amazing adventures.

Deception, street fights, bank robbers, stowaways...these little ladies aren't afraid of anything.

Coffee Time Reviews calls The Trading Game, "Extraordinary!"

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fran Shaff
• Release date: Jan 17, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458164056

Fran Shaff

Just about all of us want to get away from the demands of everyday life from time to time. Unfortunately, most of us don’t have the luxury of being able to take off to some new, exciting place whenever we feel the urge--unless we like to read.A book can take us anywhere we’d like to go. For readers who enjoy living vicariously in pastimes or in modern times Fran Shaff provides a great escape in the more than twenty novels she’s published over the years. Fran’s fictional books have won awards from readers, reviewers and fellow authors, and her non-fiction has been acknowledged in this way too.Love is the main focus of all of Fran’s books, whether they’re contemporary or historical, serious or humorous, written for adults or teens. Love between men and women and among friends and families is featured in her books because there is nothing most of us want more than to love and be loved. Happy endings abound, but the journey to reaching that joyful final moment is always a rocky struggle, just the way we want our fiction (even though we could do without the drama in our real lives).Look for new, full-length historical romance novels from Fran Shaff in the ten-book “Tender Mysteries Series,” available now and debuting throughout 2013 and 2014. The first novel in the series “Resurrected” is available as a free download at most Internet bookstores. The series is available in single e-book and two-pack paperback formats.Reviewers say:“Ms. Shaff is a gifted writer that always delivers in her stories.” (The Romance Studio)“I have discovered a great new author in Fran Shaff. She writes with depth and understanding and digs deep into the emotional lives of her characters bringing the reader with her all the way.” (A Romance Review)“Fran Shaff is a wonderful writer whose prose speak with passion from her heart.” (Fallen Angel Reviews)“Ms. Shaff writes about characters that warm your heart and give you a good chuckle as well.” (Coffee Time Romance)

Book preview

THE TRADING GAME

By Fran Shaff

A Fran Shaff Family Novel

Engaging Historical Fiction for the Whole Family

The Trading Game by Fran Shaff

All Rights Reserved

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2011 by Fran Shaff

Characters, names and incidents used in this book are products of the imagination of the author and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the author.

Discover Fran Shaff Books and short stories available in e-format, paperback and hardcover by visiting her website at: http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff

E-mail Fran Shaff at: [e-mail]

Smashwords Edition, License Notes: This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

DEDICATION

For Middle School and High School students all across the USA

CHAPTER ONE

Stop hitting those girls! Salina Fulbright shouted. Stop it right now!

The bully belting two girls moved away from his victims and toward her. Well, what do we haves here? the smelly boy said, looking up at Salina.

She looked down her nose at him and lifted her chin. I would say we have one very poorly behaved, very foul smelling street urchin who takes great pleasure in hitting girls.

And I thinks I see one uppity girl, a street urchin herself, pretendin’ to be better than the rest of us. He shoved her shoulders, causing her to take a step back.

While she was pleased her disguise had convinced him she was a street child like he was, she couldn’t let him see satisfaction in her eyes. He needed to see her for the threat she was. If you mean I am different from you because I do not choose to pick on helpless victims as you were doing when I came upon you, then you are right. In that way, I am better.

The grimy boy laughed at her. You’re better than no one, and I’ll takes a bit of time out to prove it to you, Miss High and Mighty. He took a step closer to her and looked up into her eyes.

Salina estimated the boy’s age to be the same as her own eleven years, but he was a bit shorter. And just how do you intend to prove anything to me.

I’m going to fight ya. You knows I’m going to fight ya. You knows that is the way it is with us who live on the street.

Salina swallowed hard. She’d been looking for adventure when she came down to this part of New York City. It seemed she found it.

The boy grinned at her. You are as yellow as the sun, and you’ve no intention of fightin’, do ya? He shoved her shoulder hard.

Salina tumbled onto the boardwalk right there next to the busy city street. She gritted her teeth, got up and stood firm. Inwardly, she scolded herself for getting into this situation. She just had to play the heroine to two girls she didn’t even know! Now she had to fight a filthy boy she’d only just met. There should be better ways for a bored girl to amuse herself in the modern age of 1898, she thought.

You should have stayed down on the walkway, Miss High and Mighty, he said when she got up. Now I will just have to knock you down again. He lunged at her.

Salina stepped aside.

The boy fell onto the boardwalk, righted himself and stood.

Salina watched his eyes as he came at her again. He was raving angry, and he meant to do her harm.

A second later, he had his hands around her throat.

She pulled at his wrists, but she couldn’t release his firm grip. She dropped her hands and fisted them before she slammed his midsection with several blows.

The pounding she gave him didn’t affect him as she’d expected it to. When she’d hit her annoying big brother in the midsection, he’d always doubled over. This boy was barely bothered by her blows.

His grip on her neck tightened.

She struggled to breathe. No air was reaching her lungs.

You’re not so high and mighty now, are ya? the boy taunted.

Darkness began to settle into her brain as Salina made one last attempt to force her attacker’s hands from her throat.

Stop it! a girl’s voice screeched.

The choking hands left Salina’s throat. She gasped for air and drew it deep into her lungs. The darkness began to lift.

When her eyes came into focus, Salina saw the urchin pummeling the bigger of the two girls he’d been taunting when she’d come upon them. She charged toward the struggling duo and grabbed the boy’s shoulders. She pulled him off of the girl with the matted, long blonde hair.

You are finished here! Salina screamed. You won’t do anymore damage to us today. She shoved him to the ground.

The street girl jumped on the boy at the same time Salina did. Their fists pounded him until the boy begged them to stop.

Salina’s partner twisted the urchin’s arm. If we let you up, will you go back where you belong?

Masterson, you know I belong wherever I want to be. And today I want to be here!

The girl twisted his arm harder. You’ll not bother my little sister ever again, she ordered, or you’ll get far worse than this!

Salina admired the girl’s courage and wished she could handle her bothersome big brother as soundly as this dirty street girl was handling the nasty boy.

I won’t promise you anything!

Let him up, Salina said. If he doesn’t leave, we’ll throttle him again. He knows now that we have bested him. Didn’t he cry out like a baby a moment ago so we would stop hitting him?

The girl looked at Salina and smiled. He certainly did. She got off the boy and stood back.

Salina sat on the boardwalk and watched the urchin rise.

I won’t forget you or your new friend, Masterson, the boy said to Salina’s helper. And, most of all, I won’t forget your little sister. You’d better keep a close eye on her, Lacey, and you’d better remember what is mine is mine, or next time I’ll hurt the little one bad. You got that?

Salina suddenly realized the tiny red-headed child was nowhere in sight. Where had the little sister gone off to?

Leave, Billy Quick, or I’ll blacken your other eye! Lacey drew back her fist, and the boy ran away.

When he was out of sight, the girl came to Salina and extended a helping hand.

Salina reached for her hand and used the girl’s strength to help herself to her feet. Thank you.

Lacey shrugged and pushed a lock of dirty blonde hair off her shoulder. No need to thank me. I’m glad you came along when you did to help Gina and me. You could sure see that no one else on the street was going to stop and help us out. She shrugged again. Folks don’t bother with us street kids. They feel we’re lower than dog droppings, I guess.

I don’t think you really needed my help, Salina said, trying to ignore the sad comment Lacey had made. You handled that boy quite well. You’re a very good fighter. She hoped Lacey noticed the admiration in her voice. She wanted Lacey to befriend her. Having a friend like Lacey could greatly help her in reaching her goal.

I do all right when I’m alone, but when Gina’s with me, I have to be careful. She always tries to help me, and since she’s as weak as a kitten she gets hurt. I can’t fight powerfully when I am with her like I can when she’s not around. In fact, when Gina’s with me, I don’t like to fight at all. She might get drawn into the skirmish and get hurt.

Salina glanced up and down the boardwalk, looking into the doorways of the businesses nearby. Where is Gina?

Lacey pushed more strands of grimy hair away from her filthy face. I’d better get her. I put her in the alley where we live and told her to stay there until I came to get her. I’m sorry it took me so long to come back to help you. I sure never intended for you to get choked the way you were when I got back from taking Gina to safety.

Salina rubbed her neck. You got to me before any real harm was done, and I am grateful to you. She took a step closer to Lacey. Why don’t you get your sister? We can talk some more, if you’d like. I’ll wait right here.

Lacey nodded. Yes, I’d like that. I won’t be gone long.

Salina watched the filthy friend she’d made lumber along the boardwalk until she turned a corner round the end of the walkway. She waited several minutes for Lacey’s return.

When the girl didn’t come back, she began to wonder if this, their first meeting, would be their only meeting.

Lacey was one of the thousands of homeless children who infested the streets of their lovely city. Salina had often heard adults refer to these children as urchins, and she surmised that Lacey was correct in her assessment. Many people did indeed think of the homeless children as lower than dog droppings.

She herself had thought them beneath her, yet she couldn’t help but envy them their freedom and their adventurous way of life.

Salina sighed and looked around again. Was Lacey coming back?

She waited another two minutes and decided perhaps she should just go home and be content with the adventure she’d already had.

As she turned to leave, the sisters returned.

Lacey, who was the exact same height as Salina, looked her straight in the eyes. We were going to go off and leave you, she said, biting her lip, but I can’t up and forget someone who helped me with my sister. If you hadn’t come along when you did, Billy Quick would have hurt Gina. He sometimes threatens her because he knows I will do anything I can to protect her. He takes advantage of us because of Gina. We try to steer clear of him, but he often finds us.

Bullies! I can’t abide them. I wish we’d have given Billy worse than he got! Salina’s stomach churned at the thought of the nasty boy harming little Gina. She was so small. She couldn’t possibly be more than five or six years old.

Sometimes I bribe Billy to leave Gina alone by giving him a piece of bread. But today I wasn’t able to get any work, so I had no bread for us or for Billy. When you came along, I was trying to shield Gina from his blows. As I said, I can’t fight the way I want when Gina is with me. She gets in the way and gets hurt trying to help me.

I’m glad I came upon you when I did. She bent toward Gina. Are you all right, little one?

Gina hid behind her big sister’s tattered skirt and nodded. Her large blue eyes seemed to be filled with so much pain and sorrow it hurt Salina to look into them.

Salina stood up straight. Lacey, I am Salina Fulbright.

Lacey dipped her head and smiled just a little. Salina is a lovely name.

So is Lacey. She lowered her gaze to the little red head. And Gina is the most beautiful name of all.

The little girl gave her a half smile.

A brilliant idea struck Salina when she looked at Lacey again. I know you probably have plans for the evening, but I hope you can change them. I would dearly love to have you and Gina come with me. I want to play a joke on someone, and I think you could help me.

The corner of Lacey’s mouth turned up. A joke? Her eyebrows lifted in apparent amusement. I like jokes. What are we going to do?

You’ll help me then? Salina asked enthusiastically.

It’s the least we can do for someone who has helped us, right, Gina?

Gina nodded slowly, as though she wasn’t sure.

Salina smiled victoriously. She loved it when she convinced people to do exactly what she wanted. Lacey didn’t know it yet, but she was going to help Salina get what she wanted more than anything else in the world.

Adventure!

We’ll have fun, my friends. Just you wait and see!

CHAPTER TWO

Lacey held Gina’s hand as they followed Salina through the streets of New York City. She watched her new friend’s lovely pink skirt swish around her legs as she walked. While Salina’s dress was torn in a place or two, and it was a little dirty, Lacey could tell it wasn’t a rag-bag dress like the ones she and Gina were able to get from a second-hand store.

Salina’s dress was silk and lace. It wasn’t badly worn, and it looked like it was purposefully torn. Her dress was dirty, but Salina didn’t smell like she was dirty, even though her hair and face were soiled. Her new friend didn’t seem one bit like the other children Lacey had known on the streets.

Perhaps, Lacey mused, Salina was a wealthy girl who just happened to find herself in trouble today. Dirty and torn or not, her dress was that of a wealthy person. If Salina was a wealthy girl, maybe she could help Lacey and Gina find work. The well-to-do people of the city often had many servants. Maybe they could work for Salina.

She understood her musings about Salina were likely thoughts wasted on empty hopes. But that didn’t stop her from closing her eyes and praying that perhaps Salina might be able to lead her to steady work sweeping floors, weeding gardens, or even cleaning privies.

Oh, how heavenly it would be to have steady work and food to eat every day!

Food to eat every day. What a wonder that