The Lopsided Christmas Cake by Wanda E. Brunstetter Read Free Book Online Page A

responded—unless he was trapped.
    “Here, kitty. Where are you, kitty?” Thelma stood still and listened, but except for her sister humming upstairs and the sound of water flowing through the pipes, she still heard nothing. Her nose twitched.
This place smells like a combination of dust and mildew. It really needs a thorough cleaning.
    “Thelma, are you coming?” Elma shouted from above. “If we don’t leave now, we are definitely going to be late!”
    “Okay, I’m on my way.” Thelma headed up the stairs, wondering if she had imagined the noise.
    Back in the kitchen, she’d put the flashlight away and had turned to head out of the room, when Elma pointed at her. “You must have brushed against something downstairs. There’s a smudge on your dress.”
    Thelma brushed it away. “Looks like dust. There are plenty of cobwebs in the basement. Someday we’ll need to go down there and clean.”
    “We’ll add that to our ever-growing list of to-dos.” Elma sighed. “Before we go, did you remember to turn off the gas lamp in the basement?”
    Thelma bobbed her head. “At least, I think I did.” She tapped her chin. “You know, I can’t remember doing that. I’d better run back down and make sure it’s off.”
    Elma sighed. “Really, Sister, I wish you would try to stay a little more focused.”
    “Sorry about that. I was listening for the noise I heard. Plus trying not to eat any spiders,” she added under her breath.
    “Did you find out what it was?”
    “No, I didn’t hear it again, and when I looked around with the flashlight I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, either.” Before Elma could comment, Thelma grabbed the flashlight and headed back downstairs.
    As soon as Thelma reached the bottom, she saw that she had left the gas lamp on. She reached up to turn it off, when she heard that same catlike screech. The sound came from way back in one corner of the basement. Shining her flashlight, she discovered one of the cats in a small wooden box full of rags. Beside it was a tiny kitten, and it appeared as if the little one had recently been born. No doubt, the mama cat would deliver more babies soon.
    Thelma clasped her hand over her mouth.
Oh, my! If Elma finds out about this, she’ll want to move the cats out to the barn. Well, she can’t know. I’ll have to keep it a secret and find a way to keep Elma from coming down here until the cats are old enough to go outside. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything about cleaning the basement.

    As the twins headed for church with their unpredictable horse, Elma tried to relax. Rusty was doing much better for Thelma than he had done for her the other day.
He must have sensed my fear,
Elma thought.
I’m glad my sister isn’t afraid and was willing to drive.
The thought of sitting in the driver’s seat, trying to keep control of the horse they’d inherited sent shivers up the back of Elma’s neck. She knew she had to get past her fear or she’d never be able to drive their buggy, but right now she couldn’t deal with that. Maybe once Thelma got Rusty tamed a bit, Elma would try taking him out again. Of course, she’d make sure her sister was along, in case there was a problem.
    As they approached the Millers’ home, Rusty picked up speed. He’d apparently gone there before with Grandpa in the driver’s seat and was anxious to get there again. It made Elma wonder if Rusty was anxious to see some special horse at the Millers’.
    Even with her nervousness over the horse, she noticed how pretty the Millers’ farm was, nestled back in, off the road.
    “Can’t you make him go any slower?” Elma asked as Thelma directed the horse up the driveway. “Look at the dust he’s kicking up behind us. People will think we’re crazy, approaching like this.”
    “I’m trying to, but Rusty seems quite excited.”
    Elma noticed that her sister was holding the reins pretty tight, and it looked like she was gritting her teeth. Maybe she wasn’t as