Dancing Cats of Applesap by Janet Taylor Lisle

Author:Janet Taylor Lisle
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781453271797
Publisher: Open Road Media
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

BACK AT JIGGS’ DRUG Store, Butch curled his tail more tightly around his body. Otherwise, he remained motionless at the foot of the chair. Ten minutes passed. Then, about the time the grand cat march was passing through Applesap Center, causing the first townsfolk to blink their eyes, there came the sound of a key in the front lock. Mr. Jiggs, finding the door open, shuffled in and gazed dejectedly at the empty store.

“Cats?” said Mr. Jiggs in a low voice. There was no answer. He shuffled over to the soda fountain counter and peered behind it. Then he wiped his hand over the top of his bald head and went to the back room. As soon as he appeared, Butch got up and ran to rub himself fondly against the old man’s worn trousers.

“Where is everyone?” asked Mr. Jiggs. He bent over to pick up Butch, who was showing no sign of the shyness Melba knew so well. Mr. Jiggs retrieved his guitar from the chair, and sat down heavily. He pulled a guitar string from his pocket and set to work replacing the broken string. Butch, perched on his lap, watched every movement with keen interest.

After a while, Mr. Jiggs spoke to Butch in the tones of someone long used to confiding in cats.

“They’re up to something, aren’t they, Miss Toonie and the others? And you don’t like the looks of it. Well? Am I right? I appreciate your looking after my instrument all night. Do the same for you sometime.”

The cat watched Mr. Jiggs closely.

“All that whispering by the soda fountain last night. There’s a plan afoot, I don’t doubt. Don’t worry,” added Mr. Jiggs dismally. “It won’t come to anything. Nothing ever comes to anything these days.”

He drew his thumb across the strings to test the new one for sound. It was flat. Slowly, patiently, he tuned the guitar until its old mournful chords rang harmoniously again. Butch’s ears perked up. He leapt to the floor and stood eagerly looking up at the old man.

“Ah, old friend,” sighed Mr. Jiggs. “What a time we had last night, eh? Never have I seen you cats perform so well. We’ve had some good parties in our day, yes we have.” He strummed softly, and sadly.

“Having you cats about, well, it’s been a pleasure, if I may say so. Never would have thought it. Never did like cats particularly. But then,” he looked sympathetically at Butch, “I don’t suppose you cats had much interest in music before we got together. We’ve made a strange mixture between us. Crazy, some would say.” Mr. Jiggs stifled a giddy laugh. Then, as another thought struck him, he sat up and narrowed his eyes at Butch.

“Don’t you ever,” he began fiercely, “don’t you ever dare tell Miss Toonie what’s been going on these last few years. She doesn’t like me. Never has. I couldn’t stand the way she’d laugh and spread the news all over town: Jiggs has really lost his mind now, she’d say, playing orchestra to a bunch of loonie cats.

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