by Sarah Price
Priscilla frowned.“But I thought you said Susie wanted me thrown out of the charity event. I thought Polly was going to tell me to…”
Holding up a hand, Sarah stopped Priscilla in midstream.“Do you think that Polly Yoder would let Susie Byler bully her? In fact, she gave Susie the what-for, Priscilla. She still wants you to donate your tomatoes and refuses to listen to Susie Byler, even if Susie is now telling the other girls that Polly is taking your side.”
“Oh Sarah,”Priscilla said through her tears.“I’m ever so glad you told me that. It means so much to know that you believe me.”
This time, Sarah leaned forward and hugged Priscilla.“Never you mind,”she said when she pulled back.“I was nice to her even though I could see through her false praise of everyone and everything. But I won’t let her try to make me do something that I don’t want to do and I sure won’t believe that you, Priscilla Smucker, would ever try to sabotage another gardener…or anyone for that matter.”
Later that night, when Jonas knocked at her bedroom door and asked if she was ready to go to the singing, Priscilla opened the door and peeked out. She hadn’t planned to go to the singing, not now that she knew people were talking about her and thinking such horrible things. All of her life, she tried to do the right thing and help others. To know that some of the people she considered friends believed Susie’s outrageous lies upset her. But she didn’t want to tell her brother what was being said.
“I don’t feel so well,”she whispered through the crack in the door. It was the truth. Her stomach was in a knot and she didn’t want to leave the house.
He frowned.“Nonsense.”
“I don’t...”
He wedged his foot in the door so that she couldn’t shut it.“You get yourself ready, Priscilla Smucker. I know darn well what’s going on with that nasty Susie Byler. Your true friends know you didn’t do what she said. You aren’t a copycat or a liar. And, for sure and certain, you didn’t destroy any of her silly tomato plants.”
Priscilla gasped, swinging the door wide open.“You know about that?”She wondered if the word had reached Mamm and Daed yet. If so, they hadn’t spoken to her about the situation. She reckoned they were just going to let her handle it herself.
Jonas rolled his eyes.“I make it my business to look out for you, Sister.”He leaned against the doorframe and smiled at her.“Now, you get ready and let’s go. Don’t give that crazy woman the satisfaction of thinking she won.”
Taking a deep breath, Priscilla knew that he was right. If she were to hide from Susie Byler and any of those false friends who believed Susie instead of asking Priscilla what had really happened, then Susie Byler would have gotten her way. Rewarding her lies and deceitful nature was not something that Priscilla wanted to do. Plus, she thought, I have nothing to hide.
Chapter Seven
The singing was held in a barn that evening. It was cooler as a rainstorm had swept through Ephrata earlier in the day. Priscilla kept to herself at the back of the barn, watching the other girls and wondering whom among them was listening to and, even worse, believing Susie Byler and her horrible lies. She felt so unprotected and vulnerable, but she tried to keep a happy face, knowing that she had done absolutely nothing to provoke Susie’s wrath.
She noticed that a few of the girls glanced at her over their shoulders then looked away when Priscilla noticed them. It hurt Priscilla to know that people she had once thought were her friends were, in reality, not. She wondered what the bishop would say about such behavior. It certainly wasn’t what the Amish people typically practiced. With a sigh, Priscilla straightened her back and dipped her head to look at the hymnal rather than focus on the stares of the girls or the heaviness of her heart.
“She’s really going after Polly now,”Sarah whispered in her ear.“Since you’ve been avoiding her, she’s really creating a stir that Polly is favoring your donation, even though you supposedly crushed her tomatoes.”
Priscilla sighed.“That’s just ridiculous. Why would I do something like that?”
“So she couldn’t enter,”Sarah said.“But I have to tell you that I had been at her farm the day before and she was showing me her garden. That tomato patch was riddled with signs of bugs. I think her tomatoes just weren’t good enough to enter in a charity event and she knew it!”
Priscilla caught her breath.“Are you saying that she might have crushed those plants herself and blamed me for it?”
With a casual lifting of her eyebrow, Sarah shrugged.“Who knows? The way that she is behaving is strange enough, don’t you think?”
“I just don’t believe it,”Priscilla mumbled to herself. Was it possible that Susie would destroy her own property to blame Priscilla for it? And why was Susie so determined to ruin Priscilla’s reputation? They had never had any exchanges before the other week. In fact, she lived on the furthest side of the district from the Smucker farm. They practically had no interactions whatsoever. So Susie’s determination to make people think poorly of her was even more concerning. Priscilla had never experienced such a situation. It was upsetting to her, for sure and certain.
During the first break, she was about to slip out the door and walk home by herself. She had enough of feeling uncomfortable. Between the pit in her stomach and the worry over who was talking about her, she wanted nothing more than to leave. It had been a mistake to let Jonas talk her into attending the singing. She should have stayed home and let this entire situation fade away.
The gentle tug on her arm surprised her and she turned around, finding herself staring up at Stephen Esh. His eyes twinkled at her.“You ran out so fast after the church service,”he said, leaning over so that his voice was a soft breath against her ear.“I was afraid you were feeling poorly and wouldn’t come tonight.”
“Oh no,”she said.“I…”She wasn’t certain how to explain it. Could the horrible stories that Susie Byler was spreading have escaped his ears? Or did he know and simply did not believe Susie? The conflicting thoughts worried her and she wasn’t certain of what to say. “I needed some time to think. I have a little thorn in my side and I wanted to sort some things through.”
Stephen laughed softly.“Oh don’t you worry about that thorn, Priscilla. People who know you,”he said.“Well, they know the difference between truth and jealousy.”He smiled at her and his eyes seemed to soften when he did so.
She felt a wave of relief wash over her. So he knew and didn’t believe? For a moment, she didn’t care about Susie Byler anymore. Stephen Esh had enough faith in her to believe Susie’s lies.
He reached out and touched her arm.“Is that why you were so unhappy the other week on the buggy ride home?”
She jumped at his touch. It was so soft and gentle, a gesture of intimacy that surprised her. But she didn’t say anything as she hesitated and nodded her head.
Now it was his turn to look relieved.“Then it wasn’t something I said!”
That surprised her. How could Stephen think that she had been so quiet and reserved because of something that he had said or done? He had been nothing short of the perfect escort, kind and attentive during the buggy rides home.“Oh no!”she gushed but quickly stopped herself from saying anything else, lest he’d think she was too forward.
“Gut!”he said back cheerfully.“Then I may take you home tonight, ja?”
She felt as if the weight of the world was lifted from her shoulders. Perhaps things would work out all right, she thought. After all, Susie hadn’t ruined his interest in her.“Oh ja!”she replied. There was nothing more that she would like than to ride home with Stephen Esh.“That would be right nice,”she added softly.
Once again, he brushed his hand against her arm.“Remember something, Priscilla Smucker.”
“What’s that?”she asked, lifting her eyes to stare up at him.
“When someone makes accusations, it is often a mirror into their own soul,”he said.“And just as often, that they are speaking of their own sins.”With that, he winked at her.“I’ll s
ee you after the singing.”
Elated, Priscilla watched as he rejoined his friends, pausing just once to look back at her over his shoulder. His smile gave her strength and she lifted her chin to join the group of girls that were standing nearby. She ignored those that chose to walk away, making their support of Susie Byler far too apparent. Priscilla knew that the community was well aware of the false bravado behind Susie’s accusations and she felt better at once.
It warmed her heart to know that there were so many good practicing Christians in their community, despite the sad feeling that tried to fight its way into her heart. She felt sorry for the handful of people that fell by the wayside, choosing to believe the false accusations from Susie Byler who was clearly driven by envy at the attention that was given to Priscilla, Anna, and anyone else who would dare to enter their own goods into the charity dinner. Would they ever know the truth?
Chapter Eight
By the day of the charity dinner, Priscilla felt anxious. She had spent the last week caring for her garden, finding solace in the soil while she prayed that nothing more would happen with Susie Byler. During the week, news found its way to Priscilla that Susie Byler was still hopping mad, demanding that Polly not accept Priscilla’s entry into the charity event, even going to far as to threaten starting her own charity event if Polly would not listen to her.
Earlier in the week, when Anna and Sarah came by the Smucker farm and told her about what was happening, Priscilla merely shook her head.“I don’t think I want to hear anymore,”Priscilla said quietly. Her heart broke for Susie Byler, knowing that the woman suffered and needed the hand of God to help her through whatever was the root of her problem.“I feel much better now that I am avoiding her.”
Sarah frowned in response.“I wish Polly could avoid her. That Susie is constantly at her daed’sfarm and making such silly demands.”
“She does realize that this is for a good cause, ja?”Anna asked.“Or has she forgotten that?”
Sarah rolled her eyes.“She’s claiming that Polly is persecuting her.”
Even Priscilla caught her breath when she heard that.“Is she comparing herself to…?”She couldn’t even finish the sentence.
To claim to be persecuted was a mighty large statement. After all, the Amish were of the Anabaptist movement that had been persecuted for hundreds of years before they moved to America in the 1700s. Priscilla often read from the worn and tattered book, The Martyr’s Mirror, a book that every Amish household kept on their bookshelf. She had always been fascinated with the strength of the few who were tortured, beaten, and burned for their beliefs in the Anabaptist movement. But to think that Susie Byler compared herself to those martyrs? Over tomatoes?
Unthinkable.
Now, as Priscilla stood at the edge of the tomato patch, looking at her creations, she bowed her head in prayer to thank God for all that He had done and to also ask that He help Susie Byler work her way through her own ordeal. She knew that Susie needed their prayers, not their scorn. Perhaps God would show some extra mercy on Susie to help her through whatever was really bothering her.
“Everything looks amazing, Priscilla,”Mamm said as she walked around the barn toward the garden. In the early morning sun, her mammlooked lovely. Her green dress and black apron contrasted with Priscilla’s, which was burgundy today. Her mammstood at the edge of the tomato patch and surveyed it, a smile on her face.“You sure have worked hard on this.”
“No harder than others, I suppose,”Priscilla said modestly.“And it’s for such a good cause.”
Her mammtook a deep breath.“Well, I sure do know that it can be hard to stick to your morals when you are being unfairly attacked.”
Priscilla gasped.“You knew?”
With a smile, her mammglanced up at the rising sun.“You know how that Amish grapevine works, Priscilla. I figured you’d talk to me if you needed advice.”She glanced back at Priscilla.“But I see that you already knew how to handle it without my guidance.”
Priscilla blushed. Knowing that her mamm believed in her and approved of how she dealt with the situation meant a lot to Priscilla. She never once considered that her handling of the situation reflected on her family and her faith. Now she understood the magnitude of the test that God placed before her.
“Oh Mamm,”Priscilla said, trying to hide the overwhelming emotion that crept into her chest.“I’ve had sixteen years of love and guidance from you. It made it so much easier to know how to handle the situation, I reckon.”
It was Mamm’s turn to flush.
Leaning against the hoe, Priscilla turned her attention back to the garden.“All that work and it comes down to today,”she said. She felt butterflies in her stomach, wondering if anyone would even buy her tomatoes. The nightmare of her basket of tomatoes attracting no bidders created a new level of anxiety. That would certainly satisfy Susie Byler.“If even one person is helped just a little from this charity event, it will all have been worth it.”
“Your reasons behind doing this are pure, Priscilla,”her mammsaid.“Somewhere in the world there is a person who will be a little more fortunate today than yesterday because of your heart.”
Her mamm’swords struck a chord. Priscilla had never thought about it that way. Suddenly, she realized that all of the emotional turmoil that she had been feeling for the past few weeks was worth it. Originally, she hadn’t started her garden for any other reason than her own love of gardening and growing food that her family would enjoy. But, now that she was able to use that passion to touch others, she wanted to do just that.
Unlike Susie Byler who was focused on raising the most money, Priscilla only cared about how she could help others. Stephen Esh’s words about accusations mirroring the soul of the accuser returned to her and she realized how very powerful that statement had been.
“I suppose it’s time to pull the tomatoes from the vines and pack them in the basket. Would you like to help me?”she asked.
“Ja,”her mammresponded.“I’d like nothing more than to help you, Dochder.”
For the next hours, they worked silently, side-by-side in the garden. The juicy, red tomatoes plucked from the vine were gently placed into a box. Priscilla also pulled some beets and carrots, deciding to include those in the donation as well. She loved the way that the dirt clung to the vegetables when she pulled them from the ground. Brushing the dirt off, she admired the beauty of the long orange carrots and dusty red beets. She hoped that they tasted as good as they looked for whoever would bid on her donation today.
After washing and drying each of the tomatoes, carrots, and beets, Priscilla set them carefully on the table while she prepared the bushel basket. The week before, she had an idea to decorate the basket and spent a few evenings knitting a small red, white, and pink square. Now, she placed the square inside the bushel basket, letting the corners drop over the sides. Then, she laid the tomatoes inside, one on top of another, ever so gently so that they wouldn’t bruise.
She affixed the bunch of carrots to the side of the basket so that the tomatoes that were filled at the top looked as though they were resting on them. The green carrot tops were gently woven around the rim of the basket, the perfect contrast to the red tomatoes and brown basket. The beets were placed at the back of the basket in a similar fashion. She took a step back and frowned, surveying her creation. Pretty is as pretty does, she reminded herself with a sigh. It would just have to do.
“Looks just right.”
Priscilla turned around and smiled at her brother.“It’ll have to do, ja?”
Jonas nodded his head.“Your hard work and true nature shows through, Priscilla. That’s all that matters, not?”He didn’t wait for her to respond.“Now, I do believe I’d like the honor of taking you and your donation from the tomato patch over to the church so that they have it ready for the dinner. Would you allow me that privilege?”
She laughed at his theatrics. He was such a good brother and would make a wonderful husband to some lucky Amish woman one day.“I
would be happy to ride along with you,”she said.
“That’s gut,”he said, reaching for his hat as he walked toward the door.“Especially since I’m sure it will be Stephen Esh who brings you home!”
Priscilla’s mouth fell open and she was about to say something in reply, but, laughing at her reaction, Jonas escaped with a wink as he dashed out the door.
Chapter Nine
The church was filled with people whomPriscilla had never seen before. It was a small brick church with four steps that led to the front door. Outside, there were ten tents that were raised in the parking lot and onto the grounds behind the church. Under each tent were rows of tables. Priscilla knew that her bushel of tomatoes was inside and waiting for bidding. It made her nervous to know that so many people were watching the bidding tonight, mostly because of Susie Byler. But she was also very proud that Polly Yoder had stood her ground and been so diplomatic, focusing on the end goal…helping others…rather than catering to the whims of one person.
She stood on the side of the church grounds, amazed at the number of people who had showed up for the charity event. Tickets for the noon-day meal were being sold by the dozens and families were perusing the aisles of donated food to bid on the items. Priscilla couldn’t believe how much had been donated. But she was pleased to know that all of the money would go toward helping others. The Mennonites were so good about reaching beyond their community to help those in need. She knew that the Amish helped people, too, but it was mostly the local people. If someone’s barn burned down, the Amish were right there to help rebuild the building. If a father died, the people in the church district were the first to stand in line to help with chores and finances, should the need call for such extreme measures.
The tents that had the charity items were filled with people. There were Amish women in different color dresses and bare feet walking along the tables, looking at the items on display. There were canned goods, homemade cheese, baskets full of fruits and vegetables. In another tent, there were breads, pastries and whoopie pies. In yet one more tent, there were quilts, afghans and potholders, all created and donated by the people in the local community.