Read Online Lizabeth's Story by Thomas Kinkade - Free Book Online Page A

something else. She’d talk her out of it.
    â€œYou’re going to what?” Kat asked.
    â€œNothing,” Lizabeth mumbled.
    Finally the shift was over. Finally they got ready for bed. Kat burrowed into her bedroll. Lizabeth listened to the sound of her cousin’s breathing.
    â€œKat?” Lizabeth whispered.
    No answer. Kat was definitely asleep.
    Lizabeth got out of bed, pulled off her nightgown, and dressed in the dark. She groped for her shoes on the floor and almost bumped into Sunshine! She had forgotten all about the dog lying at Kat’s side. He raised his head. Please, don’t bark! “Good dog,” she whispered.
    She stopped, held her breath, and waited. Kat continued to breathe evenly. Sunshine gazed at her but remained quietly at Kat’s side.
    Lizabeth tiptoed out of the room and into the hall. Todd and Jamie had gone to bed earlier. There was no sound from their room.
    The downstairs of the cottage was dark. Aunt Jean had to be asleep, too. She always went to sleep right after kitchen cleanup because she had to get up for the dawn lighthouse shift. Lizabeth counted on them all being too exhausted to wake up, what with all their endless chores. She slipped out the front door.
    There was enough moonlight to see by. Lizabeth stayed close to the bushes along the front path, hoping to blend into the shadows. If she was lucky, Uncle Tom’s attention would be on the ocean now.
    Lizabeth reached Lighthouse Lane. No commotion from the lighthouse. No one calling out her name.
    She walked fast along Lighthouse Lane. At first, she was exhilarated that she’d made it. But then—it was so dark. Rustling sounds in the underbrush seemed to be following her. It had to be a rabbit. Or a squirrel. But what if there were stray dogs? Mean, hungry ones…She ran. She ran past the docks, past the boatyard, past the tackle-and-bait shed. Not one light was on. Not one person was out on the lane.
    She ran until she was out of breath. She went back to walking fast. The road she’d known all her life was eerie in the moonlight. She tried to focus on the peaceful sound of the ocean lapping against the shore. But anything could be hiding in the shadows.
    Please, God, I just want to go home.
    She was relieved when she reached the paved section of Lighthouse Lane. Here were the nicest houses, houses more like hers.
    Soon she stood on the path to her home. Howbeautiful it looked. How she’d missed it! The gas lamps in front were off. The house was dark.
    Lizabeth hesitated in front of the trellis. Her window looked so high up. She wasn’t used to climbing. That simply wasn’t a skill a lady would ever need! But this was an emergency.
    She put her foot on the first rung and then the next. It was hard. The rose branches were getting in her way. Another rung and another.
    The trellis creaked. Lizabeth stopped short. It might be breaking! And what if Mother and Father heard?
    Shakily she climbed on. Thorns tore at her, her skirt tangled around her feet. She tottered unbalanced. Don’t look down, she told herself.
    Her window was just above. Oh, what if it was locked! She’d never thought of that. If I’ve gone through all of this to get my dress, Lizabeth thought, then I deserve to be Strawberry Queen. I’ve earned it.
    The window slid open easily. That had to be a good sign. She was afraid to let her foot leave the trellis. She didn’t move for a long, uncertain moment before she dared reach for the sill. Then she was up and over. She landed with a bounce on her bed. She had almost forgotten how deliciously soft it was.
    It was easy enough to find the strawberry dress hanging separately from the others in the closet. She put it gently over her arm. She’d never manage to climb down with it! Another thing she hadn’t planned.
    Lizabeth tiptoed to the door of her room and opened it. She could hear Father snoring at the other end of the house. All right.