Read In Grandma's Attic for Free Online

her.”
    But Ma was sympathetic. “Now don’t tease your sister,” she said. “She didn’t do it on purpose. We were just all too busy to help her, that’s all. It’s too bad I didn’t notice before we left.”
    Pa chuckled. “But she did look like she had her head screwed on backwards when she walked up there,” he said.
    “Now, Pa, you’re as bad as the boys,” Ma scolded. “Mabel feels bad enough already. Don’t make her feel worse!”
    Of course I got over it all right. But that dress was never quite the same again. Though no one mentioned it, whenever I wore the dress to church, I was sure they all remembered how funny I had looked. Ma didn’t make a dress with so many buttons on the back again. And she was careful to check on me before we left the house to go anywhere.

    Grandma laughed at the memory.
    “It seems funny now,” she said, “but it was far from funny then. I guess it was just what I needed to take me down a peg.”

10
    Nellie’s Trips to Town
    The rain was splashing down, and I was bored.
    “Grandma,” I said, “what did you do to have fun when you were a little girl?”
    “Oh my,” said Grandma. “There was a lot to do on the farm. We had a swing in the big tree. We played in the barn loft when it rained. We waded in the brook and picked berries and nuts. There was always something to keep us busy.”
    “Didn’t you ever go away on any trips?” I asked. “Did you have to stay on the farm all the time?”
    “We went to church on Sunday,” said Grandma. “And sometimes we went to town with Ma and Pa for the day. That was a big treat.”
    Grandma worked on her crocheting a few moments. Then she chuckled and said, “I remember one trip to town that had a funny ending. Run and get me another ball of thread, and I’ll tell you about it.”
    I hurried back with the thread, and Grandma began the story.

    It was a Friday, as I remember. Pa had several errands in town, and Ma wanted to do some shopping. So it was decided that the whole family would go and make a day of it. The boys hurried through their chores while Ma and I packed a lunch to take along. We were soon ready and on our way.
    I went with Ma to pick out dress goods and other things she needed, and the boys went with Pa. We were to meet at the buggy later in the afternoon to get our lunch. We were going to picnic in the little grove at the edge of town. Pa tied Nellie to a hitching post near the blacksmith’s shop, and we all went our separate ways.
    Ma and I took a long time picking out material and buttons and thread. Of course there were other things to look at too. By the time we got back to the blacksmith’s shop, Pa and the boys were already there.
    Pa was looking up the road with a puzzled expression, and the boys were running around the back of the shop. Nellie and the buggy were nowhere to be seen.
    Ma wasted no time in getting to the point.
    “Pa,” she said, “where is Nellie?”
    “I don’t know,” Pa replied. “But she doesn’t appear to be here.”
    “Did you tie her tight?” Ma asked. “Could she have slipped the reins off the post and gone on home?”
    “That’s not likely,” said Pa. “I’m sure I tied her as tight as usual. There must be some explanation for this.”
    “Well,” said Ma. “I wish you’d find her in a hurry. Our lunch is in the buggy, and it’s getting late.”
    “Yes, Pa,” I said. “I’m hungry.”
    “We’ll find Nellie,” said Pa. “Don’t worry. I’ll ask around and see if anyone saw her start away.”
    No one had. The blacksmith had noticed several buggies come and go, but he couldn’t say who was in them. There were still several horses tied there, but none of them was Nellie. Anyone who had noticed a horse pulling an empty buggy would surely have stopped it.

    Evening was coming on, and we children were getting hungrier. Ma was getting more worried, and Pa had exhausted all the possibilities he could think of. At last he suggested that we go to