When Mark arrived at the Schrocks’ house a short time later, he found John playing on his rope swing in the barn.
“Would ya like to go sledding with me?” Mark asked. “I’m goin’ over to that big hill behind our neighbor’s house.”
“Sorry, but I can’t go with ya today,” John said, hopping off the swing with a grunt.
“How come?”
“Allen Hostetler’s comin’ over. I’ll be visiting with him while our mothers do some sewing.” John grinned. “When he gets here, I’m gonna ask if he wants to take turns swinging on the rope.”
Mark frowned. “I was hoping you could go sledding. It would be a lot of fun.”
“Maybe some other time,” John said.
“Okay. See ya later then.” With a feeling of disappointment weighing him down, Mark left the barn and headed out the driveway, wondering if John liked Allen better than him.
Holding tightly to the rope on his sled, Mark tromped all the way back home through the snow. When he got there, he found Mattie on the front porch brushing her dog.
“Wanna go sledding with me?” Mark asked as he approached the house.
Mattie looked at him strangely. “I thought you were going with John.”
“I was hoping for that, but he’ll be visiting with Allen Hostetler today.” Mark stepped onto the porch. “I need someone to go with me, because it wouldn’t be any fun to sled alone.”
Mattie motioned to her dog. “I’m busy with Twinkles right now.”
“Can’t ya do that some other time? Come on, Mattie, please go with me. The schnee is just right, and I wanna do some sleddin’ before the weather turns warm and all the snow melts away. Go get your sled and come on. Time’s a-wasting.”
“Oh, all right,” she finally agreed. “But only for a little while. I want to spend some more time with Twinkles today.”
“You need to walk faster or your feet will get cold!” Mark hollered to Mattie as they trudged along the snowy path leading to their neighbor’s hill.
“It’s hard to walk in these rubber schtiffel I’m wearing when the snow’s so deep,” Mattie panted. “Sure wish I had a pair of snowshoes like Ike owns.”
“Well, just keep walking, ’cause we’re almost there.” Mark pointed to the hill up ahead. Mattie huffed and puffed until they were finally at the top, and then she stopped walking and took a deep breath. “Can I ask you a question, Mark?”
“Sure. What do you want to know?”
“Do you think Mom loves Ada and Perry more than she loves me?”
Mark scrunched up his nose and looked at Mattie like she’d said something really strange. “Now why would ya ask me somethin’ like that?”
“Mom spends a lot of time with Ada and Perry, just like she’s doing today,” Mattie said.
“They’re little. They need more attention, and Mom needs to be around ’em more.”
“I know, but I think Mom would rather be with them more than me.”
Mark gave his stocking cap a tug. “I doubt that’s the case, but I do believe that John Schrock would rather be with Allen instead of me.”
“How do you know?” Mattie asked.
“If he liked me better, he’d be here sledding right now. I’m worried that I might have lost my best friend.”
“You still have me,” Mattie said. “I’ll always be your twin sister and also your friend.”
“I appreciate that, and you’re my friend, too.” Mark seated himself on his sled. “Now I think the two of us should start havin’ some fun!”
Mattie jumped on her sled and raced Mark down the hill.
“I won!” he hollered when they reached the bottom.
“I don’t care. It was fun just the same,” Mattie said as she began pulling her sled back up the hill.
The twins continued to sled for a while, until Mattie’s sled veered off course and jammed into a snowbank. She ended up with a face full of snow! “That’s it for me,” she said, spitting snow out of her mouth while shaking her head. “I’m cold and wet, and now all my teeth hurt from that icy schnee. I want to go home!”
“You’re not hurt, are ya, Mattie?”
“No, but I have schnee in my schtiffel. When my feet are cold, the rest of me is chilled to the bone.” She jumped up and down a few times. “Think my toes will be numb till I get home.”
“Don’t go yet, Mattie,” Mark pleaded. “We haven’t been here that long, and I want to sled some more. If you have snow in your boots, take ’em off and dump it out.”
Mattie frowned and shook her head. “If I take my schtiffel off, then my stocking feet will get wet while I’m standing there trying to dump out the snow.”
“You can sit on your sled to take off your boots. Besides, if you’ve got snow in the boots, then your feet are already wet.”
“That’s right,” she said with a nod. “And that’s exactly why I don’t want to sled anymore. I wanna go home where it’s nice and warm.”
“Go right ahead then,” Mark mumbled. “I’ll just stay here and sled by myself.”
Mattie hesitated a moment, and then she bent down and brushed the snow off her sled. “I’ll see you at home, Mark.” She grabbed the sled’s rope and started pulling it down the hill toward home.
Mark groaned as he took a handful of snow and tasted it. He was disappointed that Mattie didn’t want to be with him. She was still his twin sister, but maybe she wasn’t his friend. He thought a true friend would have stayed and done more sledding with him.
He watched as Mattie departed and then frowned when she looked back at him and yelled, “You’d better not eat any more of that snow. It could be dirty, and it might make ya sick!”
“You should have ridden your sled back down the hill,” Mark hollered, ignoring her comment. “It’d be a lot faster than walkin’.”
Maybe I should head for home, too, Mark thought, shaking his head. It won’t be any fun staying here by myself.
He was about to make one last trip down the hill on his sled when he spotted John and Allen coming toward him, each pulling a sled. From where Mark stood, watching as they approached, he could see their breath as they huffed and puffed. He also noticed that their cheeks were rosy as they made their way up the hill. Mark figured by now, from the snow’s chilling cold, that his cheeks were probably as red as theirs.
“We decided to join you,” John called as they got closer to Mark. “Is that all right?”
Mark was tempted to say no at first but changed his mind. He decided that the three of them could maybe have a good time. He might have been worried for nothing. John was still Mark’s friend, and Mark could be friends with Allen now, too.
When Mattie got home, she went straight to her room and changed into a clean, dry dress. Then she curled up on her bed, pulled a quilt up to her chin, and closed her eyes. Oh, how she wished she and Mom could have done some baking today. It would have been more fun than going sledding with Mark and getting cold and wet. She was also hungry for some pumpkin cookies. Just thinking about the delicious aroma of them baking made her mouth water.
Mattie was about to doze off when Mom entered her room. “Have you been in here all morning?” she asked.
Mattie shook her head. “I went sledding with Mark for a while, but it was too cold, so I came home, changed clothes, and crawled under my quilt to get warm.”
“You look umgerennt,” Mom said. “Is it because you had to quit sledding?”
Mattie shook her head. “That’s not why I’m upset.”
“What’s the problem then?”
“I’m worried that you like Ada and Perry more than me.”
Mom took a seat on the bed and held Mattie’s hand. “What makes you think that?”
“You took Ada and Perry shopping today and didn’t invite me to go along.”
“That’s because I didn’t think you’d want to go. I figured it wouldn’t be any fun for you to watch your little sister and brother try on new boots.”
Mattie folded her arms
. “It would have been better than staying here alone or falling off the sled into the cold snow and ending up all wet.”
Mom gave Mattie a hug. “I can assure you that I love all my kinner the same.”
Mattie smiled. “That’s sure good to hear.”
“Would you like to go with us this afternoon to Grandma Miller’s house?” Mom asked.
“Jah, I would,” Mattie replied. “I could keep Ada and Perry entertained while you and Grandma clean house.”
“We’d appreciate that.” Mom patted Mattie’s arm. “Maybe next Saturday you and I can bake those pumpkin cookies. Would you like that?”
Mattie nodded eagerly.
“Come on then. Let’s make some hot chocolate to warm you up. After that, if you like, you can help me clean Ada’s room,” Mom suggested. “That way we can leave sooner for your grandma and grandpa’s house.”
Mattie was all for that. She was glad to know Mom loved her as much as Ada and Perry. She could hardly wait until next Saturday to make pumpkin cookies!
CHAPTER 11
Rotten Bananas
The following Saturday morning, Mattie and Mom got ready to bake pumpkin cookies.
“I’ll probably do some other baking today, too, but we’ll do the cookies first,” Mom said.
Mattie smiled. It was nice to spend time with Mom in the kitchen. She could almost taste the cookies that would soon be baking in their oven, not to mention the wonderful aroma that would linger long after they were baked. It would almost be like smelling those delicious pumpkin pies Mom had made for Thanksgiving.
“Would you please get out the ingredients we’ll need for the kichlin?” Mom asked, handing Mattie a recipe card. “I’m going to the living room to see what Ada and Perry are up to, but I’ll be back soon.”
After Mom left the kitchen, Mattie began to set out the things they would need to make the cookies: flour, brown sugar, spices, raisins, nuts, vanilla, and cooking oil.
When Mattie went to the cupboard to get the flour, she spotted a bunch of bananas sitting on the counter. They were ugly and black and felt soft and squishy.
“Eww …” Mattie wrinkled her nose. “These bananas are rotten.” She scooped them up, marched across the room, and dropped them into the garbage can. “Good-bye, disgusting bananas!”
When Mom returned, she smiled at Mattie and said, “Did you get everything ready to start mixing the cookies?”
Mattie nodded and motioned to the kitchen table, where she’d placed all the ingredients.
“That’s great,” Mom said. “While you mix the batter, I’ll get out the cookie sheets, and then I’m going to start mixing the ingredients for banana bread.” Mom turned, and when she came to the place where the rotten bananas had been, she frowned. “What happened to the bananas? I know they were here a few minutes ago.”
“I threw them out,” Mattie said.
“Why did you do that?” Mom asked with a frown.
“They were rotten.”
“They were just right for making banana bread. The inside of them was actually okay; just the outside peel looked bad,” Mom explained. “You should have asked before you threw the bananas away.”
“I’m sorry, Mom.” Mattie swallowed hard. “I—I didn’t know the bananas were still good.”
“It’s okay.” Mom gave Mattie a hug. “Those banana peels did look pretty bad, and you had no way of knowing the bananas inside were just right for baking. We can still make pumpkin cookies, and I’ll make banana bread some other time.”
“Okay.” Mattie felt a little better while she measured out the flour. “At least I learned something new about making banana bread.”
“You’re right, and that’s a good way of looking at it,” Mom agreed, stopping to glance out the window.
“I’ll be glad when spring comes,” Mattie said, following Mom’s gaze at the falling snow as it built up on the outside windowsill. “Winter’s cold, and the roads are gfarlich.”
“Sometimes they can be dangerous,” Mom agreed as she took the measuring spoons from the drawer. “However, it does no good to worry about it.”
“Those were sure good pumpkin kichlin you and Mom baked on Saturday,” Mark said as he and Mattie tromped through the snow on their way to school Monday morning. There was so much snow on the ground that the twins had decided to walk instead of ride their bike, as it would be hard to pedal in the deepening snow.
Mattie smiled. “I’m glad you liked ’em. Pumpkin’s my favorite kind of kichlin. They smell so good when they’re baking, too.”
“I really like ’em, but my favorite kind of cookie is chocolate chip.” Mark smacked his lips.
“Brr … It sure is cold out this morning,” Mattie said, talking through the scarf she’d wrapped around her nose and mouth, while pulling the collar of her jacket tightly around her neck.
“I know, and it’s hard to walk in this schnee,” Mark said, out of breath as he lifted each foot higher to take the next step. “We can’t even shuffle through the snow because it’s so deep. I’ll be glad when it melts and we can ride our bike again.”
Mattie nodded. “Same here, but at least it’s not a blizzard. Not yet, anyway.”
As they walked past the Bontragers’ house, Mark noticed the pond on the right side of their place. “Did ya hear about Harley Bontrager?” he asked as they trudged through the deeper snow drifts that had piled up on this part of the road.
“No, I didn’t. What about Harley?”
“When he was skating on his cousin’s pond up in Wayne County, he fell through the ice.”
Mattie gasped. “That’s baremlich! Did he drown in that cold water?”
“You’re right, it is terrible, but he’s okay,” Mark said. “His uncle was there when it happened, and he pulled Harley out of the water right away.”
Mattie didn’t say anything, but Mark could hear her breathing heavy as they plodded along. When they arrived at the schoolyard, Mattie turned to Mark and said, “I’m never goin’ ice-skating again.”
“How come?”
“ ’Cause I’d be worried that I might fall through the ice.” She shivered. “If nobody was there to rescue me, I’d probably drown. I can only imagine how cold that water must have been when Harley went through the ice. Makes me numb just thinkin’ about it.”
“You worry too much, Mattie. If you’re careful about where you’re skating and make sure the ice is good and thick, you’ll be fine.”
“Maybe so, but I’m never going ice-skating, so I don’t have to worry about thin ice.”
“Suit yourself,” Mark said. “But if you never take a few chances in life, you’ll miss out on a whole lot of fun.”
“I don’t care,” Mattie responded. “All it takes is one mishap, and it can change everything.”
“Well, I’m goin’ ice-skating next Saturday evening with Ike. He’s meetin’ some of his friends and said he’d take me along. From what Ike told me, the pond we’re goin’ to is a really big one.”
Mattie grasped the sleeve of Mark’s jacket. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Don’t go, Mark. Please don’t.”
“Ike’s our big brother, and I’m sure he wouldn’t take me if it wasn’t safe,” Mark said. My twin sister is nothing but a worrywart, he thought. But I wonder how bad it must have been when Harley fell through the ice. Mark had once heard that it felt like a million needles when your skin came in contact with freezing water. He wasn’t worried, however. Ike said he had been at this bigger pond before. It was located somewhere in the next county, and Ike’s friend had told him that the skating was great there. Surely this pond would be monitored by whoever owned it. They would put up a sign if it wasn’t safe for skating.
Mark kicked at the snow in front of him as they hurried to get inside the schoolhouse where it would be nice and warm. It’d be fun to go ice-skating, and Ike had mentioned that there would be a bonfire with hot dogs and marshmallows to roast. Mark was sure they would have a great time.
CHAPT
ER 12
A Terrible Storm
“It’s snowing really hard,” Mattie said as she and Mark left the schoolhouse that afternoon. “I wish Calvin and Russell hadn’t hurried ahead of us.”
“Even if they’d walked with us, it wouldn’t have changed the weather any,” Mark said. “It would still be snowing as hard as it is now. Maybe if we hurry, we can walk in the path they made, and it’ll be easier for us.”
Mattie looked up at the giant snowflakes falling quickly from the sky and blinked as they stuck to her eyelashes. It was getting worse by the minute, and in no time, the wind had picked up speed. “I don’t know, Mark. Our brothers’ tracks are getting covered up really quick. I’m worried we might not make it home. Not only that, but my feet are so cold I can hardly walk.” Mattie pulled her outer garment tightly around her, lowered her head, and leaned into the wind. The frigid air, which seemed to be trying its best to seep inside the warmth of her coat, was getting harder to ward off. The snow was no longer coming down in soft, wispy flakes like it had been earlier today. It was forced sideways by the wind and stung her cheeks and nose.
“We’ll be okay. Just keep movin’,” Mark said. “It will keep the blood circulating in our feet and help to keep ’em warm.”
“You mean the blood is going around in circles inside our feet?” Mattie yelled above the howling wind.
“No, silly, it means the blood is flowing through the veins in our feet, and the circulation will help our feet not to freeze,” Mark explained.
Just then, the old barn they went past every day came into view. It had been sitting empty for a long time, and no one used it anymore. The Smiths, who weren’t Amish, had built a new barn several years ago, closer to their house, which sat way back from the road.
“Maybe we should go in there and wait till the weather gets better,” Mattie said, pointing to the barn as she nearly stumbled. “It’s getting hard to see where we’re going, and I’ll bet it’s a lot warmer inside the barn than it is out here in this cold blizzard.” Even though there were a few loose boards on the back side of the structure, the barn roof was still intact. A little protection would be better than none at all.
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