Courting Buggy: Nurse Hal Among The Amish

by Risner, Fay

  The way Tootie stuffed herself with popcorn made Hal wondered if the elderly woman really had stomach and bowel problems. If Tootie could eat that much popcorn her ailments might be selective. Maybe she wouldn't have to give her aunt an enema after all.

  “I am going to have a quilting frolic soon. I hope you ladies will be able to join me. Several of the neighbor women will be there,” Jane Bontrager invited.

  “We'd like that,” Hal said. “It will be something different for my mother and Aunt Tootie to do while they're on vacation. Sound gute to you, Mom?”

  “Yes, it does. We'd love to come. Don't know how good we will be at quilting, but it will be fun to watch experts at work,” Nora said.

  Jane replied modestly, “I would not call any of us experts. We just get by is all.”

  After the company left, everyone took turns yawning as they wound down.

  Finally, Tootie said, “I'm sleepy. Where's my room?”

  Emma pointed at the stairs. “You are going to sleep in my bed upstairs.”

  “That won't do,” Tootie said matter of factly.

  “Why not?” Hal asked.

  “I really need a place downstairs,” Tootie said quietly behind her hand so only the women could hear.

  “Oh, so you're closer to the outhouse?” Whispered Hal. “We put a commode by your bed so you won't have to go outside.”

  “That too.” Tootie put her hand up by her mouth again and whispered, “But I have nightmares sometimes. Your Uncle Edwin used to tell me I make the most unnatural sounds in my sleep.” She gave a forlorn sigh. “The poor man didn't get a wink of sleep some nights. So the farther away I am from all of you the better so I don't disturb you. Most of the time, I'm not too bad, but I'm really tired tonight after traveling.”

  “That's too bad,” Hal said. Nothing like getting to know all about my relatives. How many more revelations is Aunt Tootie going to confide while she's here?

  Thinking it might be better not to mention what the clinic bed was used for, Emma suggested, “Would you like to sleep in the room off the living room? That is where I was going to sleep.”

  Tootie looked that direction. “That will be perfect.”

  Nora spoke up. “Tootie, you forgot to tell them you sleepwalk.”

  “You do?” Hal regarded her aunt, alarmed.

  “Not real often, Dear,” Tootie assured her. “If I do, the best thing you can do is bring me a glass of water. If I drink it that wakes me up.”

  “All right, I'll remember that” Hal said.

  John over heard. “You are in different country here from what you are used to. Best stay in bed where you are safe.”

  “I'll try my best,” Tootie said seriously.

  The next morning, Nora and Tootie got out of bed when they heard Emma and Hal come downstairs just before daylight. They dressed and were in the kitchen before Emma built the fire in the wood cookstove. Tootie yawned as she rubbed her eyes and watched Emma tear an old Budget newspaper into pieces. She dropped the strips in, put on top the split kindling and lit the paper. Quickly, Emma clunked the lid into place to keep smoke from escaping.

  Nora praised, “You certainly have this cookstove shiny clean, Emma.”

  “Denki, Mammi Nora,” Emma said proudly. “It is a job that needs to be done after every meal.”

  “Emma rubs a greasy rag over the stove to clean it,” Hal added

  Emma carried an arm load of wood from behind the stove and covered the crackling kindling. She said, “A rusted stove top can not be changed back to look like a new one.”

  “My goodness, I haven't seen a wood cookstove in use since we were small children, Nora,” Tootie declared then she covered a yawn. “You people get up awful early around here.”

  When everyone was assembled, the family bowed their heads for a silent prayer. When John took a deep breath that was the sign that prayer time was over. He slid eggs and sausage onto his plate and passed the platters so he could take the biscuit plate from Hal.

  After kitchen clean up was done, they all met in the living room. After John read two chapters from his German bible, he said to Jim and the boys, “Best get at the chores if we are going to the salebarn this morning.”

  Chapter 3

  That Wednesday morning, chores were done a little quicker with Jim's help. John stuck his head in the mudroom door. “Hal, we are leaving for the salebarn. We will eat dinner there. Be gone most of the day.”

  “That's gute. Have fun,” Hal called after him.

  Around the house to the front came the two men and two boys. They climbed into the enclosed buggy and drove away.

  “What are we going to do this morning now that the dishes are washed?” Tootie asked.

  “What do you want to do?” Nora countered, expecting her sister had something in mind not to do.

  “Not the cooking that's for sure,” Tootie said. “I'm not very good at cooking.”

  “Aendi Tootie, I am going to work in the garden this morning. Come with me, and I will show you our garden,” Emma said.

  Tootie gave a half shrug of indifference. “I never had a garden so don't know anything about one.”

  “I started my own tomato and pepper plants from seed in February in the house,” Emma continued to explain. “Want to see how big they are now since I set them out?”

  “Ah, I suppose if you've seen one tomato or pepper plant, you've seen them all,” Tootie said lamely.

  “Oh, pittle, Tootie. Just go look at Emma's garden. You might learn something,” Nora ordered. “Emma, if you have an extra hoe, give it to Tootie. Let her help you.”

  “Nora, you know I don't know a weed from a vegetable,” Tootie barked.

  “That's what Emma's going to show you,” Nora replied.

  “My back is bad. Doubt I'd last but a few minutes trying to hold onto a heavy hoe,” Tootie whined, rubbing the small of her back.

  Emma said, “It does me gute to hoe in the garden when I am thinking about things that are a worry. Weeding helps settle the soul, Aendi Tootie. I'll show you how it feels to work in my garden.”

  “I didn't know anything was really worrying me,” grumbled Tootie.

  “See you after while, Aunt Tootie,” Hal said, trying hard not to smile as the elderly woman reluctantly followed behind Emma. She worried to Nora, “It really won't be too much for Aunt Tootie if she hoes will it?”

  Nora smiled. “No! About time she did a little something, but knowing my sister, she'll figure out a way to get rid of the hoe and be back in the house shortly.”

  Meanwhile, Jim anticipated this trip to the salebarn with John and the boys. “Listen, what's that I hear?” He leaned forward to look out the windshield at the sky. A wild geese flock, on their return trip north in a gigantic V, honked with a clatter. The geese flew over the road in front of the buggy. Jim and John watched until the honks grew distant.

  Other scenes came along to catch Jim's attention. A child worked in a garden with his mother, ankle deep in soft, moist topsoil. He hoed long trenches under tautly stretched string. His mother followed, dropping her spring seed crop; radishes, lettuce and spinach. Already in the garden were rows of milk jugs with the bottoms cut out to cover tender plants.

  Jim pointed to the boy. “You boys help Emma and Hallie in the garden like that?”

  “Jah,” Noah and Daniel said in unison, peering out the back window.

  “That's good. Nothing better than fresh food from the garden,” Jim said over his shoulder.

  “As soon as Emma gets around to cutting the potato eyes, we will help her plant them,” Noah said.

  “It will be time to plant the pumpkin, squash and sweet corn soon,” Daniel added.

  By the time they reached the salebarn, buggies, semi trucks and pickups were lined up to unload stock and find a parking place for the sale. John stopped at the end of the line. “Looks like a crowd today.”

  “Probably not much else to do until the farmers get into the field full time,” Jim surmised. He chuc
kled as he pointed out the buggy in front of them with a hand painted sign on the back. It read Energy efficient vehicle: Runs on oats and grass. Caution: Do not step in exhaust. “Pretty cute.”

  John parked in the row of buggies at the back of the parking lot. They wove their way through the trucks and stock trailers to cross the street.

  John had been right about the equipment sale. Jim glanced around in awe. “Where do they find all the different carriages? Look over there at that red stagecoach. It looks like it's right out of a western movie. Now who would want to buy that?”

  “Can not say, but if no one bids, the buyer takes it home and brings it back to another sale,” John explained.

  They started between the two first rows. The boys quickly grew impatient. They had seen equipment like this many times before. Noah asked, “Daed, can Daniel and me go check out the small animal sale room to see who all is there?”

  “Jah. See you later,” John said.

  Jim watched the boys run to search for some of their friends. He shook his head. “Them two boys sure have an abundance of energy. Look at them scatter like quail.”

  “They do indeed. Them days are long gone for me,” John declared, grinning.

  “Me, too,” Jim agreed.

  John pointed as they approached the end of the first rows. “See that glass coach. Ain't that a sight?”

  “Why, it reminds me of the one in the Cinderella story Hal used to read as a kid,” Jim exclaimed. “I can't imagine who would want to spend money for that.”

  A man opened up the right side door to look in. John said from behind him. “Figure on buying this fancy coach, Bud?”

  The blond haired man, in his thirties, turned around. “By golly, how are you, John Lapp?”

  “Been a while since we met up,” John said, shaking hands with the farmer. “Bud Carter, meet my father-in-law, Jim Lindstrom. He is visiting us.”

  “Nice to meet you, Mr. Lindstrom,” Bud said politely as they shook hands.

  “Call me Jim.”

  “Where you from?” Bud asked.

  “Titonka, a small town in northern Iowa,” Jim explained.

  “Well, I hope you enjoy your visit,” Bud said.

  John's curiosity made him repeat, “Are you figuring on buying this glass coach?”

  “Yeah, I am,” Bud said, with a foolish grin.

  “What use can you have for this?” Jim asked, amazed.

  Bud gave them a sheepish grin. “The legion hall's having a Memorial Day dance. I figure on asking a woman to go with me. I'm going to show up at her place in this coach to impress her.”

  “That ought to do the trick,” Jim said. “Women go for stuff like that.”

  “Anyone I know?” John asked.

  “She's a newcomer in town. She's living in my old home place,” Bud explained.

  “That right. I thought the city man who owns the place only comes in the summer.”

  “He does, but Elizabeth Morris has lived there for a few months. As much as I hate to hear it, she claims she's leaving at the end of the month,” Bud supplied.

  “Looks like you've figured out a way to make her change her mind. Good luck,” Jim told him.

  John reminded Jim, “We better keep moving, or we will not be done looking at the equipment before the livestock sale starts.”

  They strolled between small and large enclosed buggies that had seen plenty of wear. A surrey, with four seats, looked like the ones used to give English people tours of Amish country. From the worn look of the surrey, it was time to sell it and buy a new one since tourist trade brought in money to the area.

  In the next line were the open buggies. Jim halted fast in front of one. “Will you look at that beauty?”

  “It is called a courting buggy,” John said.

  “That bright red seat sure sticks out like a sore thumb,” Jim exclaimed.

  “It does at that.” John studied the buggy. “Seems to me I have seen this buggy somewhere before. I can not think where.”

  “Suppose the horse hooked to it goes with the buggy?” Jim wondered as he studied the dozing sorrel horse, standing with one back leg cocked up.

  “It does,” came a voice behind them.

  John turned. “Enos Yutzy, is this your rig?”

  Enos looked rather sheepish as he admitted, “Jah.”

  That's when it came to John where he'd seen the buggy. “This was Eli's buggy, ain't so?”

  “Jah, he will not ever be back to use it so I might as well get rid of it and the horse,” Enos said sadly.

  “That is not the horse that Eli always used if I remember recht,” John said.

  “Nah, I sold his black horse at the last horse sale before I decided to get rid of the buggy,” Enos replied.

  Jim's eyes sparkled as he circled the buggy. “Sure is a nice looking outfit.”

  “We better keep moving if we are going to finish looking before the livestock sale begins.” John waved at Enos. “See you at the next Sunday meeting.”

  When they were out of earshot from Enos, Jim stopped short. “I want to buy that courting buggy.”

  John's mouth flew open. Finally, he got one word out. “Why?”

  “I can use it to get around in here. With the high price gas is these days, it will save me money. Can't you see my neighbors eyeballs pop out when I drive by at home.” Jim laughed as he pictured it.”

  “You have a car,” John said bluntly.

  “Sure I do. If we want to go any distance from home, I'll be glad to drive us, but that buggy looks like fun to ride to the Sunday meetings in. Nora and I could take it. That way your buggy wouldn't be so crowded.”

  “That is not a problem. We have the open carriage. The older children use it,” John insisted.

  Jim frowned. “Are you trying to talk me out of buying that buggy?”

  John worried, “It just seems like something that could get both of us in trouble when you come home with that buggy. What is Nora going to say?”

  “Don't know and don't care.” John raised an eyebrow. “All right, I do care. Once I have the buggy bought and back to your place, I'll worry about getting Nora talked into liking it,” Jim insisted.

  “All recht. It is your money. We better go back and take another look at that horse. I know the buggy is practically new. The boy who owned it used to date Emma,” John informed him.

  “I noticed that man seemed upset at the mention of his son's name. Did the boy die?”

  “Might as well have as far as the Yutzy family and the Plain community is concerned. Eli Yutzy left the Plain faith and is shunned by all of us. He will never be coming back,” John shared.

  “That's too bad. Well, I don't know much about carriage horses so you might be able to help me out,” Jim agreed.

  Enos Yutzy was talking to a very tall, thin man. When John and Jim approached, the man looked down his nose at Jim disdainfully and walked away

  John said, “Enos, we want to know more about the courting buggy and horse.”

  Enos nodded at the tall man that stopped a few yards away. He had his back to them, but he was close enough to hear the conversation. “You should know, Laverne Rapp, is going to bid on the buggy for his boy, Jake.”

  “Denki for telling us,” John said.

  Jim eyed the man that was now watching them. “That man sure is tree tall.”

  “You will find that his bark is as rough as hickory. The man can be a bear if he does not get what he wants,” John replied softly as he ran his hand along the spine to the back end of the horse. He moved his hand from the rump down the back leg and picked up the horse's hoof. After he felt of the hock, he placed the hoof gently on the ground and moved to the front leg and hoof. He opened the horse's mouth and checked the teeth. “How old is the horse?” He asked Enos.

  “He is a strong five years old gelding.”

  John checked the other two legs and tapped the horse's rib cage, listening to the sound of the thumps. He turned to Enos again. “ Is this horse a pac
er or a trotter?”

  “This one is a trotter.”

  “What's his name?” Jim asked, knowing that wasn't a very important question, but he wanted to ask something.

  “Mike,” Enos said.

  “Jim, me and you should talk about this some more.” John took him by the arm.

  “The sale has started,” Jim said anxiously. “See the auctioneer on the other end of the row coming this way.”

  John pulled Jim along until they were out of Enos's hearing. “We need to discuss this.”

  “What did you think of the horse?” Jim asked anxiously.

  “He seemed sound enough, and he is young. Would last a gute long while,” John surmised.

  “What's the difference between a trotter and a pacer?” Jim quizzed.

  “The gait. Pacers sway from side to side as they go down the road. Trotters hold their heads up high and put one foot in front of the other in a prance. If you ever noticed, my horses are trotters,” John explained. “Are you really serious about bidding on that buggy?”

  “I am,” declared Jim.

  “You have to get a number from the office. We better hurry inside so we can get back here in time to bid.”

  When John and Jim returned, they had a few minutes to wait for the auctioneer to get to the courting buggy. Laverne Beiler stopped other farmers to talk to them as they followed behind the auctioneer. Laverne's gray whiskered austere face looked stern as he spoke to the farmers. From the grave looks on their faces, Jim figured they didn't think much of the pushy man. He nodded toward the auctioneer, and they edged closer. Laverne Beiler continue to talk in Pennsylvania Dutch to the Amish men as he waved his hand toward the courting buggy. Jim asked John what the man was saying.

  John listened. “He is telling other prospective buyers not to bid on the buggy. He says he will run the bid up on them if they do so they might as well not bid.”

  Jim said crossly, “He has his nerve doing that.”

  “The man has been that way his whole life when he wants something at one of these sales. He can afford to be.”

  “He hasn't said anything to me about not buying the buggy. Wonder why not?” Jim asked.

  John hesitated before he said, “Laverne would not imagine you buying an Amish buggy. Probably he has not spoken to you because you are English. Laverne Beiler does not speak to English people if he can help it.”