Free Isabelle the Itch: The Isabelle Series, Book One by Constance C. Greene Page B

the back steps heavily, like a fat woman.
    â€œThat was Billy on the phone,” she said. “Stella fell and broke her hip. The doctor says he doesn’t know if she’ll ever walk again.”
    â€œI guess she can’t tell you what good shape she’s in anymore,” Isabelle said.
    Mrs. Stern’s face crumpled up like an old rag. Isabelle was afraid she might cry. “Poor Stella. She’ll go all to pieces if she’s an invalid. She’ll just fall apart. Don’t you see?” she asked. “Don’t you see that without Stella around to keep me on my toes, I’ll wind up being just another old lady creaking around my house waiting to die? It was Stella that kept me going. Mean as she was, she was good for me. She kept me going.” Mrs. Stern stared at nothing. “I don’t know what I’ll do without her.”
    Isabelle thought about that. She could see Mrs. Stern’s point. Sometimes people pushed other people into doing things they might not have done otherwise.
    â€œMary Eliza Shook keeps me on my toes,” Isabelle said. “She’s plenty mean too. But maybe Stella will get better. Maybe the doctor’s wrong,” Isabelle tried to cheer Mrs. Stern up. “Doctors are wrong sometimes, you know.”
    â€œMaybe.” Mrs. Stern didn’t sound very hopeful. “You better be on your way now, child. I think I might just have a little rest.”
    â€œIn the middle of the day?” Isabelle asked, shocked. “You never take a rest in the middle of the day.”
    â€œI know,” Mrs. Stern said. “But I might today.”
    That wasn’t a good sign, Isabelle thought, as she retied her shoelaces. Mrs. Stern taking a rest. I better go check on her every day and see that she doesn’t feel too bad. Then she raced off to the school field to do a couple of laps.
    I promise I’ll go to see her every day, without fail, Isabelle told herself.

19
    But the days sped by. Isabelle got so involved in preparing for field day that she forgot Mrs. Stern. Her mother called Jane’s mother and they made plans for hot dogs and soda. Mrs. Esposito announced that a photographer from the paper would be there to take pictures of the winners. Mary Eliza said she’d probably have her picture in the paper when she got the lead in The Nutcracker Suite , so it didn’t matter if she won a race or not.
    The day of the track meet dawned sunny and warm. Isabelle was up before anyone else in the family. She wanted to have plenty of time to digest her breakfast before the big race.
    â€œIs Jane Malone going to be in the meet?” her mother asked.
    Isabelle looked surprised. “Anybody who wants can be in one,” she said. “I don’t know. I never asked her.”
    â€œIt might be a nice idea if you did. There’s a good chance they didn’t have a field day at the school she went to in Utah. It’s probably new and strange to her. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. But then if her mother’s going to be involved, she will be too.”
    â€œI’m going to stop at Mrs. Stern’s on the way to school and ask her if she wants to come watch me race,” Isabelle said.
    â€œOh, Mrs. Stern, the painter. Don’t you think that’s sort of early to go calling? Especially on an old lady? She probably likes to sleep late,” Isabelle’s mother said.
    â€œNot Mrs. Stern. She’s up with the birds.”
    Isabelle had forgotten about Stella. She knocked on Mrs. Stern’s door but there was no answer. The shades in Mrs. Stern’s bedroom were drawn, so she took a sheet of paper from her notebook and wrote in big letters:
    COME TO FIELD DAY TODAY AT SCHOOL.
    WATCH ISABELLE THE GREAT
    WIN THE FIFTY-YARD DASH.
    She slipped the note under Mrs. Stern’s door and ran off to meet Herbie.
    â€œYou’re late,” Herbie said sourly. “I almost went without