When Amelia Bedelia told Mr. Jack, the Oak Tree Elementary custodian, that she had to go inside for an emergency, he nodded and let her in.

“Be quick about it,” he said. “Recess is almost over.”

He did not ask her what the emergency was. That was good because Amelia Bedelia didn’t have time to explain.

She raced to her locker, pulled her lunch box out of her backpack, then ran back outside.

“Thanks, Mr. Jack!” she yelled as she sprinted across the playground. She skidded to a stop under the tree.

“Lunch?” asked Joy. “Amelia Bedelia, it isn’t lunchtime.”

“I know that,” panted Amelia Bedelia. “But maybe the cat doesn’t.”

She opened up her lunch box and unwrapped her sandwich. She peeled off the top piece of bread. A certain smell drifted into the air. It was a smell that everybody recognized.

“Tuna fish!” exclaimed Joy. “Amelia Bedelia, what a great idea!”

“Definitely thinking outside the box,” agreed Skip.” The lunch box, that is.”

“And outside the tuna fish can,” said Amelia Bedelia. She waved the open face of her sandwich in the air, then put it down next to the pile of sweatshirts and jackets. Everybody backed away, watching quietly.

“Cross your fingers,” whispered Penny.

The cat turned her head. Her nose and whiskers twitched. She seemed very interested in the aroma of tuna fish floating through the air.

S-L-O-W-L-Y, almost in slow motion, the cat lifted one paw and put it down a little lower on the trunk. Bit by bit, she began to ease her way back down the tree.

“Amelia Bedelia, you’re a genius!” whispered Penny.

“She’s an inventor!” whispered Joy.

Just then, the cat suddenly slipped, slithering several inches down the trunk with a tiny, frightened mew. Amelia Bedelia and her friends gasped. They all held their breath. If she fell, would she land on the soft jackets and sweatshirts? Would she survive such a drop?

The cat didn’t land on the pile of clothing. She landed on a lower branch and crouched there. “Meee-ooow!” She put her nose in the air to smell the tuna fish again, but she didn’t move.

And didn’t move.

And didn’t move.

“I think she’s more scared than ever,” Penny said. “It was a really good idea, Amelia Bedelia, but I don’t think it’s going to work. Maybe we—”

“What is going on here? The bell rang three minutes ago!”

Everybody jumped and turned to see Mr. Jack frowning at them.

“What’s the matter—cat got your tongues?” he asked.

Amelia Bedelia looked around at her friends. “Our cat doesn’t have anybody’s tongue,” she said. “Except her own, I guess.”

“Cat? What cat?” asked Mr. Jack.

“That cat,” said Amelia Bedelia, pointing up at the kitten.

Mr. Jack looked up. “Well, would you look at that!” he said. He smiled. “Poor kitty.”

“We’ve been trying to get her out of the tree,” said Amelia Bedelia.

“But we can’t find a stick long enough and we don’t have a hammer or nails or a trampoline and she won’t even come down for tuna fish!” said Penny.

Mr. Jack laughed. “Well, I don’t have a trampoline, either. I do have a hammer and nails, but I think there’s a simpler solution to this problem. I’ll be right back.”