by Linda Byler
“But you’re our uncle!” Lizzie wailed. She couldn’t bear the thought of being too old to play with Marvin. He was the best, most interesting uncle anyone could ever have. If you had to give up your uncle just because you were getting older, then Lizzie never wanted to grow up.
Marvin knew lots of things. He told Lizzie if you ate a puffball mushroom you could die from the poison. That was a big help to her, because they looked delicious. Lots of other things, like salty pretzels and ice water, were interesting bits of knowlege that fascinated Lizzie. If you ate a salty pretzel, chewed a while, then took a cold drink of ice water, it tasted so good you could hardly believe it. He also taught the girls to pull a wide, flat blade of grass, grasp it between the fleshy part of your thumb and forefinger, put your mouth against it, and blow as hard as you could. If you did it exactly right, it made a shrill, whistling sound. No one could do it as well as Marvin, but he taught them how to try, which Lizzie did for hours before she tired of it.
“Well,” Elsie said, “what spites me the most is that you can’t come to our Easter program in the spring. We’re going to have the best program in the whole county. Did you know that the Mennonite teacher we have has such good Christmas programs, that some years the people don’t all fit in the schoolhouse?”
“Really?” Lizzie breathed.
“Yes, and this year instead of a Christmas one, we’re having an Easter program. And you’ll live far away in Jefferson County,” Elsie said.
Lizzie and Emma tried hard all evening to be their usual happy selves, but they were actually glad when it was time to go. Grandpa Glicks sincerely wished them the best, moving to Jefferson County, and promised to come help them load their belongings when the time came.
They were quiet on the way home, wrapped in their woolen buggy blanket, rocking together companionably as Red pulled the buggy over the bumps. There was not much to say, and besides, it only made the lump in Lizzie’s throat bigger when she tried to say something to Emma.
· · · · ·
Mam was busy packing their belongings in boxes, singing as she worked. Dat was sorting things in the harness shop, preparing everything for his sale. The girls went to school every day, until the day of Atlee Yoders’ sale in Jefferson County. Dat told them to go along, so they could see where they were moving to because they were big girls now.
The mountains never ceased to amaze Lizzie. The mountain closest to their Uncle Elis was the biggest one of all. It loomed over the countryside, large and deep blue or black. When the sun shone on the face of it, the ridges and hollows were easily visible. Lizzie was awed by this huge mountain, and yet, it thrilled her to live so close to it—almost like Heidi and the Alm Uncle.
When they arrived at Atlee Yoders’ place, there were cars parked along the road, and a crowd of people were milling around in the yard. The driver couldn’t find a parking space, so they had to drive past the house, walking back a short distance. Lizzie felt a bit shy, because of all the Amish people she did not know, but Emma reassured her, telling her everyone was very friendly in Jefferson County. They stood with Mam, quietly watching the crowd. There were lots of men, because this was a public sale, and Mam said they all wanted to see what the home sold for.
When Uncle Eli saw them, a broad grin spread across his face, accompanied by his unreserved laugh. Dat talked with him for a while, but Lizzie could tell that he was nervous, because his face was so pale.
Other men came to talk to Dat whom Lizzie didn’t recognize, except for one small, thin man who had twinkling brown eyes. She supposed he was the father of all the red-haired children, and she was right, because two of the boys walked over and started pulling on his sleeve.
Lizzie and Emma decided to explore, because they were curious what this home was like. They asked Mam’s permission, and walked slowly around to the back of the house. There was a garden in the back yard, but it had numerous round stones and big pieces of rock in it. Lizzie told Emma she couldn’t imagine growing anything in those stones.
There was a row of trees in the side yard that went all the way along the back of the garden. There were some blackberry bushes and weeds, along with a field lane, as if a neighboring farmer used that lane with his tractor. A white fence enclosed a small pasture behind the barn. The barn was almost new, with a rounded roof and white siding. It was much nicer than their old barn at home. There was even a stairway that went up under this rounded roof, and Lizzie became very excited, telling Emma to imagine how much fun they could have, playing in that hay with their dolls.
Emma didn’t say much, because she never played with dolls anymore. She was too old, Lizzie thought sadly.
The white board fence went the whole way around the barn and down the gravel driveway. The pasture on that side of the drive was big—much bigger than Red and Dolly’s pasture at home.
The lawn in front of the house was flat, with an embankment at the end beside the road. The porch went out flat, same as the lawn, and it all seemed so low and even, because they were accustomed to stairs and steps going every which way where they lived now.
Inside the low, flat basement house was a nice kitchen that opened into a large living room with shiny hardwood floors. The kitchen cupboards were much nicer than theirs, being varnished to a glossy sheen on a light-colored wood. There were plenty of windows along the front, so it really didn’t seem like a basement at all.
Emma pushed open a swinging door along the back wall of the kitchen and found a kettle house. Mrs. Yoder did her laundry in this room, with the washer and rinse tubs along one wall and shelves along another where hats and boots were kept. It was painted in a nice cheery yellow color, with a bright rug spread in front of the door that opened to the side of the basement house.
There were three bedrooms, but Lizzie didn’t like them very much when she looked in, because they had only one window up high. Emma said that was because the ground floor was right outside, so they had to put the windows up that high. Lizzie shivered, because the bedrooms were dark and a bit damp. The bathroom was the same way. It had only a small window up high, but that room was pink, with pink rugs and a nice bathtub, and cupboard space for lots of things like towels and washcloths. Emma loved that pink bathroom.
Lizzie loved the whole place. She desperately hoped Dat would be able to buy it, because it really was a lot nicer than where they lived now. For some reason, it almost felt like home. The houses across the road were very nice, new homes with their lawns well kept, and Uncle Elis lived just a hop and a skip away.
“Listen!” Emma said.
The bidding had started. Lizzie’s heart leaped to her throat, and without thinking, she clutched it with both hands. Her eyes grew as big as saucers as she opened her mouth to say something to Emma, but only a hoarse squeak came out.
“Let’s go listen to him!” Emma said.
“N … No! No!”
“Lizzie, come on. We don’t know if Dat’s going to buy it. Come on!”
“No. I … I’ll just stay here. You go.” Lizzie sat down weakly, slumping down on a lawn chair on the front porch. Emma left and Lizzie stayed there, trying to calm herself, thinking about her friends at school and Marvin and Elsie, so she wouldn’t mind so much if Dat would not be able to buy this home. It made her feel a bit confused, because at first she really hadn’t wanted to move to Jefferson County, but now things were different, because she dearly loved this funny house, the mountain beside it, and the neat homes across the road. Everyone was so friendly, even if their clothes looked a bit different. She didn’t care much about things like that—she wanted to live here so badly.
She sat for a very long time, or so it seemed, before she heard a breathless, “Oh, my!”
It was Mam, with Atlee Yoder’s wife, and Mam had her hands crossed over her chest, just saying, “Oh, my! Oh, my!” over and over. Mrs. Yoder was half laughing and half crying, patting Mam’s shoulder as they walked. They spied Lizzie, and Mam cried out, “It’s ours, Lizzie—Dat bought this home!�
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Lizzie flew out of her chair and ran over to Mam, who promptly hugged her shoulders with one arm, holding Jason with the other. Lizzie absolutely could not hold still, so she hopped up and down, squealing and putting her hands over her mouth. Emma came dashing across the lawn, caught Lizzie’s hands, and twirled her around the porch.
“Goody! Oh, GOODY!” was all they could say.
Mrs. Yoder and Mam laughed to see the girls become so excited, then Mam’s face became serious.
“Where’s Mandy?”
“Mandy?” Lizzie looked up. “I don’t know, Mam. Emma and I were walking around looking at everything. I thought she was with you or Dat.”
Mam told them to go look for her, as she sat weakly on a porch chair, still holding Jason. She looked drained and tired after all the excitement. Emma and Lizzie pushed through the crowd of men, looking into the big open doorway of the barn. They ran back to the house, looking in every room, calling her name, becoming more frantic by the minute.
“Mand-dee! Mand-dee!”
They burst through the screen door, telling Mam they had looked everywhere. Lizzie was trying hard not to panic, because kidnappers were one of her worst fears. And in a crowd this size, and with Mandy being so little and skinny, Lizzie could not bear to think about it.
Emma was standing against a porch post, looking out across the lawn. Mam got up from her chair, her voice sounding hysterical, saying, “Lizzie, we have to find her! Please go get Dat!”
Mrs. Yoder looked very alarmed, wringing her hands and turning to go back into the house to be certain Mandy was nowhere around.
“I think I see her,” Emma said, still looking across the lawn. Lizzie looked, and, sure enough, a small brown head was barely visible out at the end of the lawn. It might be Mandy! They both hurried out across the flat yard, and there she was, her thin little arms wrapped around her knees. Her rounded shoulders were sloped downward, the buttons pulled tight across her back. She was sitting perfectly still, as far to the end of the yard as she could go without touching the road.
“Mandy!” Lizzie said breathlessly.
“She’s here!” Emma called to Mam.
“What?” Mandy turned her big green eyes in their direction, quite unaware of all the distress she had caused.
“Where were you, Mandy? We couldn’t find you,” Lizzie scolded.
“Lizzie, look!” she said, pointing to the yard across the road. Two pure white cats emerged from beneath a flowering bush. They were long-haired, with their thick coats floating around them, seemingly unreal. Even their tails were long, thick, and glossy, every strand combed and flowing with the delicate movement of the cats’ dainty feet. Emma and Lizzie had never seen anything like it in all of their lives. They stood in awed silence, watching the cats glide across the green lawn.
A man opened the door beside the garage and called to the cats. They ran slowly and gracefully when he called, then he closed the door behind them, going inside.
“Do you think they’re real?” Mandy breathed.
“Of course!” said Emma.
“What kind of cat are they?” asked Mandy.
“I don’t know. All I ever saw were ordinary barn cats and Snowball. But Snowball looks common compared to those cats,” Lizzie said.
On the way home, Mandy would talk of nothing else. Mrs. Yoder had told them they were Persian cats, and the man’s name was Jim Zeigler, and his wife was named Janet. They had six of those cats, and no children, so they loved those cats dearly. They were very nice neighbors, but you had to like their cats, mind you.
Everyone was a bit quiet, because the day had been hard on their nerves, Mam said. But Dat was smiling and Mam was beaming with genuine happiness, so Lizzie was content to sit back and watch the mountains slip away as they sped toward home.
chapter 23
Settling In
The following weeks seemed like one big blur, almost like Doddy Glick’s windmill on a windy day. It just kept going and going, sometimes faster than other times, but constantly going around and around. There was no rest for anyone; even Emma and Lizzie got along amazingly well, because they had no time to push duties on each other. Lizzie even discovered that if you washed dishes as fast as you could, then wiped the counter clean, moving things and cleaning under them, it was not even half as depressing as sitting at the table thinking about washing them.
Emma told her very seriously that she was growing up. She could work as hard—if not harder—than any ten-year-old girl she knew. That’s all it took. Lizzie pitched in and helped with the packing, cleaning, and running errands for Mam without complaining. Not quite always, but there was a decided change in Lizzie, Mam and Dat both agreed.
Emma was always the dependable one—in fact, she had been for years, at a very young age, but now it seemed as if Lizzie could work alongside Emma. Dat was pleased, Lizzie could tell, so she worked harder than ever.
The day dawned bright and clear when the moving truck rolled into the gravel drive. Grandpa Glicks came without Marvin and Elsie, because they were not allowed to come help move. They had to go to school. Lizzie thought it was just as well, because they would be too sad, leaving them behind when they pulled out of the drive to their new life in Jefferson County.
Uncle James and Aunt Becca were there bright and early, because they were always finished with their morning chores in good time. Dat always said Uncle James had good management, and Lizzie wondered if that meant he managed to finish his chores long before lazy farmers.
All the rest of the aunts and uncles were there to help load boxes, furniture, and even their buggy and pony cart. Harnesses, halters, brushes, and combs were packed in huge saddle boxes and carried on the truck by strong men.
It was a windy day, so the men had to smash their straw hats down hard on their heads, because the wind just picked them off and flung them away. The women’s skirts flapped in the stiff breeze, and they clutched their sweaters around their shoulders if they had to carry something down the steps.
When they took a break for coffee and cookies, the men’s hair was in complete disarray, and they laughed and teased each other about it. Uncle Alvin looked the worst. He had lots of curly hair, and they stuck straight up and out the sides, as if someone had blown them up from beneath. Dat told him he never was very good-looking, and now he just looked worse. Alvin punched Dat in his upper arm with his fist, telling him if he was no taller than that, he wouldn’t say too much.
Grandpa Glick sat on a crate, dipping a huge oatmeal cookie into his coffee. He was smiling, his eyes crinkled along the sides and his hair disheveled wildly. He started chuckling after he had finished his cookie, and said, “Alvin, maybe it’s a good thing Melvin was short and thin when he tried to fly!”
Alvin was taking a sip of coffee. His eyes flew open, and he choked and sputtered, spewing coffee over his shirt. He coughed and coughed, clutching his throat, while Dat threw back his head and whooped. Uncle James laughed and slapped his knee with his work-worn hands, until Alvin quit coughing.
Lizzie and Emma looked at each other and smiled. They knew exactly what the men were talking about. When Dat and Alvin were younger, at home on the farm, they designed huge wings made of cardboard, wire, and other materials. Alvin persuaded Dat to climb up on the shed roof and jump off the roof to try out his wings. He told Dat he was positively sure it would work, but of course, it didn’t.
As soon as Dat jumped, his arms were pulled straight up by the huge wings. That is how the wings stayed, as Dat plunged to the ground below. Alvin laughed and laughed after he knew Dat was unhurt, and they often told this story to appreciative audiences. Dat must have been very afraid, but he would do anything to impress Alvin, Grandpa Glick always added. That was because Alvin was bigger—actually, a lot bigger—than Dat.
Grandma Glick was already washing cups and sorting cookies, but she stopped to listen, shaking her head and chuckling to herself. That was Mommy’s way, Lizzie thought, because she never made much of a fu
ss. She must not have been able to watch everyone all the time if she had fourteen children. That was a lot of children.
After the truck was completely packed, everything loaded and tied down, and old blankets carefully folded between the furniture, Mam, Emma, Lizzie, Jason, and Mandy got into a car with a driver. Grandma Glick and all the aunts told them good-bye, shaking their hands, while Mam thanked them for helping. She asked them to come visit as often as they could, because it wasn’t that far way, and they all promised they would.
Lizzie solemnly shook Doddy Glick’s hand, then Uncle James’s, Alvin’s, and all the rest. She felt a bit sad, but it was mixed with excitement, because she was so eager to live in the funny basement house.
When they passed the schoolhouse, Lizzie felt strange. It seemed as if a part of her was sitting in her wooden desk, doing her arithmetic with Betty, Susie, Rachel, and all the rest of her good friends. She would miss them terribly, but the lump in her throat did not stay there very long. She supposed it was because she actually wanted to live in Jefferson County now, since that is where her thoughts were since they bought the home there.
The car was too warm. Lizzie just hated to ride in a vehicle if the driver turned the heater on full blast, then sat there talking and waving his one hand, his face bright red from the heat, quite unaware of how stifling the air was becoming. That was the thing about being Amish, Lizzie thought. They hired a driver, because they weren’t allowed to have their own car. But when it got too warm in the car, no one had enough nerve to ask the driver to turn down the heat, because it seemed as if they were complaining.
So Lizzie and Emma became steadily more uncomfortable. The driver kept up a lively conversation and Mam talked and smiled politely, but her face was so red, Lizzie had never seen anything like it. Even Mam’s ears were red.
“Emma,” Lizzie said, sticking her elbow in Emma’s side.
“What?” Emma jumped, looking irritated. After a careful look at Emma’s face, Lizzie decided Emma was almost as red as Mam. She put up her hands, touching her own cheeks which felt warm to the touch.