by Sarah Price
For the Amish and Mennonites that didn’t farm, this was a wonderful way to purchase items for their families while helping those in need. With such large families and with the shrinking amount of farmland, many Amish were turning toward carpentry or shop jobs, jobs that kept them from growing their own food to preserve for winter consumption. Priscilla was touched when she realized that some of those in need were in their own community.
Out of curiosity, Priscilla walked through the tent with the vegetables. She was pleased to see that there were lots of bushels of tomatoes and other vegetables, several that were decorated as prettilyas her basket. She breathed a sigh of relief to know that she was not alone. Hopefully that would calm Susie Byler and her jealous bullying. Certainly she couldn’t be upset now, especially since there were so many donations.
In front of each donation was a sign-up sheet. People would move through the tent and write their donation on the sheet of paper. After the meal was served, the sheets would be pulled up and the winners would be announced. Priscilla was even more pleased to see that all of the sheets had donations written down on them. The Mennonites were raising quite a bit of money to help others, she thought.
“Priscilla!”someone called out.
She turned around and saw Anna hurrying toward her.“Did you see who bid on your tomatoes?”
“Why no, I didn’t,”she said. She hadn’t thought to look at who had bid on her donation. That didn’t seem important. But apparently something had happened that made Anna bring it up.
Anna grabbed her arm and dragged Priscilla back toward the vegetable tent. As they walked, she whispered in her ear,“If Susie Byler was upset before, this should really send her over the edge.”But there was no joy in Anna’s voice.
Inside the tent, Priscilla saw that several people were standing around the table in front of her donation. The women looked up and smiled at Priscilla, backing away so that she could see the donation sheet.
“Seems your tomatoes are quite popular this year,”one of the women said.
“I can’t imagine why,”Priscilla said modestly.“They are no better than anyone else’s.”As she said that, she glanced down at the sheet. There were several names and amounts listed but it was the last name that made her catch her breath: Elias Zook, the bishop. He had bid forty dollars for her basket of tomatoes. Priscilla looked up and stared at Anna.“Forty dollars?”
Anna nodded her head and lowered her voice as they turned to walk back toward the church.“I suppose that’s a clear statement that he knows what has been going on and he’s publically supporting the truth.”
“That’s a mighty expensive statement,”Priscilla responded, shaking her head.
Inside the church, the people were gathering downstairs for the noon meal. Priscilla and Anna stood by each other during the silent prayer before the food was ready to be eaten. Then, while the people formed lines and passed along the buffet table, the Amish women started to sing an old German hymn. The men and children joined in, their voices rising in unison while those in line filled their plates and the rest waited for their turn.
After filling her plate, Priscilla sat down at a table where Polly and Sarah were seated. They were laughing and enjoying themselves as they talked with the other girls. People were complimenting Rachel about the beautiful quilt that she had donated. They also praised Linda for her canned goods and Polly for her delicious whoopie pies. Everyone had donated something for the day and was feeling good about the turn-out of guests that had bid on all the items.
It wasn’t until after the meal that everyone gathered upstairs. Priscilla stood with her friends, ignoring the stares from the Englischers who had joined the festivities for the day. Despite their curiosity, the Englischers had certainly bid on many of the items that were donated that day, especially the quilts.
“Well, one thing is for sure and certain,”Polly said smiling.“We know who bought Priscilla’s tomatoes!”
Linda laughed.“Bishop Zook sure seems to like tomatoes to bid so much on yours. Certainly no one else would go up against him.”
“And not for more money,”Anna nodded.“But that’s money raised for the good of the poor.”
“Ssssh,”Sarah whispered.“They are starting their announcements!”
Everyone quieted down as a man stepped up to a podium. He cleared his throat and spoke in a loud voice so that everyone could hear.“First, I’d like to thank everyone who donated their goods to help us raise money for the Mennonite Central Committee. All of the donations helped raise money so that we can continue helping those in need around the world. Second, I’d like to thank everyone who turned out today to bid on these items. By bidding on these goods, you have helped us in helping others.”
The Mennonite ladies began to carry goods to the podium so that he could read the winners of each item. He started with the pies and breads before moving onto the canned goods and cheese. There were several donations in each category so it took some time to get to the vegetables. Finally, they would end with the highlight of the entire charity dinner: the quilts.
When it was time for the vegetables, Priscilla bit her lip and held Anna’s hand. The announcer went through all of the other baskets of vegetables but seemed to be holding back Priscilla’s entry. She began to feel nervous and her heart beat rapidly. She hadn’t seen Susie Byler at the charity dinner but she wasn’t really surprised. After all of the fuss that she had made, Susie was certain to not be in the mood for celebration, especially since she had not donated anything this year.
“We saved this last entry because it was quite an interesting situation,”the announcer finally said. The Mennonite lady standing next to him held Priscilla’s basket. Several people glanced at Priscilla and she shuffled her bare feet in the grass, embarrassed by the attention. The man continued speaking.“There seems to be a bidding war on this particular donation.”
The crowd laughed.
Priscilla looked at Anna, questioning her with a raised eyebrow.“Bidding war?”
Anna laughed and shook her head.“I never heard of such a thing!”
The announcer seemed to delight in the soft murmuring among the crowd and let it continue, building the suspense.“After going back and forth several times with Bishop Zook, I’m pleased to announce that the winner of this basket of tomatoes is Stephen Esh for fifty-two dollars!”
There was a collective gasp among the group. Never in the history of the charity dinner had a basket of tomatoes or any vegetable raised so much money. The big money donations were usually saved for the quilts which would bring in anywhere from two to five hundred dollars. Fifty-two dollars for a basket of tomatoes was unheard of. The crowd applauded and parted as Stephen Esh, a broad grin on his face, walked to the front of the gathering and collected his basket.
“Oh Priscilla!”Anna gasped, clutching her friend’s hands.“Can you believe this?”
Speechless, Priscilla felt the color flood to her cheeks. Stephen Esh had bid against the bishop? And so much money? For her tomatoes?“I don’t believe it,”she murmured, lowering her eyes so that no one would think that she was prideful.
Polly leaned forward.“I’d say that this was the best charity dinner ever, Priscilla. You should feel good about your donation.”
But she didn’t.
She waited through the announcement of the quilt winners, applauding along with the rest of the crowd. The quilts were always the highlight of any charity event. Yet, she couldn’t wait until it was over. She wanted to leave, to think about what had just happened, and to spend a little time by herself in order to collect herself.
Even though there was more fellowship after the reading of the winners, Priscilla snuck away, walking down the lane toward her daed’sfarm. It was a good three miles away but she didn’t mind. She was looking forward to the cool summer breeze on her face and quiet music of nature that surrounded her as she walked.
So much had happened and much of it seemed like a dream. She couldn’t believe how poorly Susi
e Byler had behaved. Enough people in the community knew about it and that was certain to raise eyebrows. Even though Susie deserved whatever discussion was certain to follow from the bishop, Priscilla couldn’t bring herself to feel anything less than sorry for the troubled young woman. She just hoped that the rest of the community was as forgiving as she was feeling.
A buggy pulled alongside her and she stepped to the side of the road, allowing it to pass. But it didn’t.
“Priscilla Smucker!”
She looked up, surprised that someone was calling her name. It was Stephen Esh, riding in an open top buggy, her basket of tomatoes on the seat beside him. She blushed and looked down at the road.
“I’ve been looking for you,”he said, his eyes twinkling and a broad smile on his face.“Your daedsaid you had left after the quilt announcements. I just had to come after you.”
“Why?”she asked.
“Well,”he said, gesturing to the basket of tomatoes.“I wanted to see if you might have some ideas of what to do with all of these lovely red tomatoes that I bought!”
She smiled at his joke, the color flooding to her cheeks, once again. He seemed to have that habit of making her blush. And it sure looked like he enjoyed it.
He stopped the buggy and, after pulling in the brake, moved the basket to the floor of the buggy. He patted the seat next to him.“Hop in and I’ll give you a ride home.”
Once she was settled in the buggy beside him, she lifted her eyes and met his gaze.“You spent an awful lot of money on that basket,”she said.“Why would you do that?”
Stephen made a face at her, pretending to frown but his lips were smiling.“Why wouldn’t I? I couldn’t have the bishop enjoying my girl’s tomatoes!”
She caught her breath. My girl? Had he really said that? She felt her heart flutter and her blood raced. Was she truly going to be Stephen’s Priscilla? By calling her that, she knew what he was thinking.“I…I see,”she said softly.
When he didn’t respond, she looked up and saw that he was watching her, gauging her reaction. It must have taken quite a bit of courage for him to say that to her, especially since they only rode together a few times. Now, he was waiting. Recognizing his anticipation, she took a deep breath and, with a smile on her face, she nodded and said,“I suppose that wouldn’t be proper after all, now would it?”
Stephen laughed, a look of relief washing over his face. He unlocked the brake so that the horse could move forward.“No it wouldn’t,”he said and smiled to himself as the buggy moved down the road toward the Smuckers’ farm.
Chapter Ten
The following week, Priscilla could hardly wait until Sunday. During the week, she helped her daed and brothers with cutting and baling hay. It was an exhausting few days, but she loved every minute of it. Being near her family, enjoying the meals that her mammmade, and helping work the fields that God blessed them with…it all made everything right. Plus, the words“my girl”kept ringing in her ears. When she was tired and sore, she thought of those words and felt inspired to keep working.
When Sunday finally arrived, she made certain to get up extra early to help her daed with the morning chores. Then, after working with her mamm in the kitchen to prepare breakfast, she hurried upstairs to get ready for church. It was a hot day and the second floor of the house was especially hot. She knew that it would be a long, hot morning at the service. When she walked back downstairs, she was glad that it was cooler there.
“Going to be a hot one, ja?”Daed said, splashing water on his face at the kitchen sink.
“I sure hope they have the service in the barn,”Mamm said.“Cooler when the doors are open, no doubt.” She looked up as Priscilla walked into the kitchen.“Mayhaps after service you might take Elsie’s kinnerto the pond for a dip to cool off.”
Priscilla nodded. She was glad that her mamm had suggested that. She would love to cool off in the pond down the road and the kinnerwould enjoy it, too. Plus she knew that it would give the adults a time to relax a while.“That might be the perfect thing to do on a day like today.”
“Bet you won’t be alone at that pond,”Daed quipped, his eyes bright and twinkling.“Probably have to battle to find a free spot to dip your big toe!”
As luck would have it, the service was, indeed, being held in the barn. The doors were open and there was a nice cross breeze that helped to keep it cool. Priscilla sat next to Anna and Sarah, singing the first hymn from the Ausbund as the ministers left the barn to privately discuss who would give that day’s sermons. She was always amazed that the decision for the sermon was done right then and there, as the congregation sang the opening hymn. Yet, without doubt, whoever was selected always had a relevant topic and lively sermon, complete with quotations from the scripture. Being chosen to lead the church must be a heavy burden as well as a blessing, she often thought.
She felt someone staring at her and, when she looked up, she noticed that Stephen Esh, who was sitting along the back wall, had his eyes upon her. When he noticed that she was returning his gaze, he smiled softly and gave a single nod in recognition. My girl, she thought and the color rose to her cheeks as she quickly looked away.
When the ministers returned to the gathering, Priscilla wondered who had been chosen to present the sermon. She liked to watch their faces, to see if she could determine whom it was. Most of the time, she was incorrect. But it was a fun game that she liked to play, hoping to one day fine-tune her skills at reading their expressions.
She was surprised when Bishop Zook stood up. He cleared his throat and seemed to be deep in thought as he paced the floor and stared among the congregation. Priscilla wondered what he was thinking. Even Anna seemed nervous as she watched her uncle. He was silent longer than usual and the congregation began to sit up straighter, watching him and waiting.
“Competition!”
Everyone stood up straight and stared at him, surprised at the word that he shouted. His eyes were blazing and his expression was stern. Priscilla felt her heart drop. She suspected she knew where this sermon was headed and she lowered her eyes. Could he truly be so upset over losing the basket of tomatoes to Stephen Esh that he’d give an entire sermon about it?
“Competition is good for the world,”he said, his voice still stern.“It helps them progress with their worldly lives. Competition has helped the Englischer create new inventions…cars, televisions, telephones, computers. Competition has helped their businesses grow and their families acquire a comfortable lifestyle.” He paused, his eyes rolling across the eyes that were staring at him.“But competition is not good for our community!”
There was a soft murmuring among the people and Priscilla noticed that several were squirming on the hard, wooden benches. She wanted to look over at Stephen but was too afraid to do so.
“Competition is prideful,”the bishop continued.“I have personally witnessed this pride. I am here to stand before you to make it stop. We will not tolerate pride among our members. Pride sets one member above another. Pride tears down others in our community. Pride is the one thing that destroys our chosen way of life!”
He reached for a glass of water that someone had placed on a hay bale near where he was standing. He took his time drinking from it, his eyes still fierce and animated. No one moved. They watched him, waiting for his next remarks. Priscilla glanced over at Stephen Esh and was surprised to see that there was a hint of a smile on his face. She wondered if he was daydreaming for he certainly couldn’t be hearing what the bishop was saying.
“We work together as a people. We help others, not turn our backs. We support each other, not tear each other down,”he said. Priscilla frowned. Was he still talking about Stephen? The bishop took a deep breath before he continued.
They also boast themselves as Christians,
And yet do not speak truthfully,
One recognizes it by their craftiness,
Which revels where they are.
The tree is known by the fruits,
The wicked will be ro
oted out
And burned with eternal fire.
Therefore, King Solomon says,
A beautiful woman without discretion
Is like a swine adorned with gold!
Truly it brings her no benefit,
Even though she carries it upon her nose.
She fouls it constantly with dung,
Therewith she makes mischief.[2]
Everyone stared at the bishop, their eyes wide and faces pale. Even Priscilla was stunned. Clearly he was no longer talking about Stephen Esh, if he had been at all. Suddenly, she had a feeling that this sermon was going in a completely different direction.
“There will be no more competition,”he said strongly.“We work together to help each other. If pride gets in the way, it is our responsibility to help that person see the errors of his or her ways. To not do so is to be just as guilty of pride.”
Again, he cleared his throat and reached for the water. No one moved as they waited.
“Charity begins at home,”he said.“With ourselves. There is no room for accusations, lies, and bullying among our church members.”He narrowed his eyes.“That’s right. Bullying. This sin of pride led to bullying among some of our youths. I will hear of this no more! In all my years, I have never heard of bullying among our members. That was strictly something that happened in the world of the Englische. But these past few weeks, our youth have been bullied because of a charity drive at the Mennonite church! The root of the bullying was jealousy over competition!”He raised his hand and lifted his eyes.“Where was the love of the Lord during this time?”
Priscilla paled. She wished that she could turn around to look at Susie Byler. But she knew better than to do that.
Suddenly, the bishop softened his tone.“But we forgive. That is what we do. We forgive.”The words hung in the air and he let them linger there before he began to quote from the Ausbund once more.