Little Amish Lizzie

by Linda Byler

  Lizzie was not really surprised one morning when Mam said she wanted to talk to them in the kitchen. She was baking chocolate chip cookies, and chopping walnuts into tiny pieces as she talked.

  “Girls, you know that Dat is not very happy with the amount of customers he has in the harness shop, don’t you?” she asked.

  “Ye-e-s, I guess,” Emma said slowly.

  “Well, that English man that was here talking to us?”

  “Ye-e-s.”

  “He is a real estate agent, which means he tries to sell your house for you.” Mam watched Lizzie carefully as she talked, because she knew how sensitive she was.

  “Why?” Lizzie bit nervously on her lower lip. “Why would he want to sell our house?”

  Mam sighed. “It’s kind of a long story, but Dat and Grandpa Glick found another house in a little town beside a road that is better traveled and closer to town for our shop. Besides, it will soon be time to think of sending you to school, and they said school is only a mile down the road.”

  Lizzie’s heart felt like it sank way down to her stomach. She felt the tears prick her eyelashes. “I don’t want to go to school,” she breathed quietly.

  “Not a whole mile away,” moaned Emma.

  Mam gave the cookie dough a good stir with her long wooden spoon. She bit her lower lip hard and looked as if she could cry, but she only took a deep breath.

  Lizzie thought it was the saddest moment of her life. The morning sun caught the gleam of the stainless steel teakettle on the gas stove. The white kitchen curtains hung clean and crisp above the sink, where a small vase of flowers stood on the windowsill. She loved the blue and white squares in the linoleum, and Mam’s colorful braided rugs placed neatly by the doors and in front of the counter.

  How could they just sell this? The little picket fence and the trees in the yard, with the creek rippling and tumbling below the house was just, well, it was home. Lizzie could not imagine living anywhere else.

  Mam was plopping spoonfuls of dough on her cookie sheets. She always scraped the dough off with her finger, and patted it into shape, but today her movements were fast and nervous.

  “Oh, you will love to go to school, I’m sure. We will live close to other little Amish children your age, and you’ll have lots of friends. Our house will seem strange for a while, because the harness shop is on the first floor and we will live on the second floor. That will be exciting—you wait and see.”

  · · · · ·

  So one morning when Lizzie was five years old, a big moving truck pulled up to the little shingled house. Grandpa and Grandma Glick and all the aunts and uncles were there to help load everything onto the truck.

  Emma and Lizzie had left early that morning with a driver. Drivers are English people who make a living driving Amish people where they need to go. If the destination is too far away to be traveled by a horse and buggy, or if the town is unsuitable to drive there with a buggy, a van driver is hired.

  Lizzie was excited about seeing the new house. She hadn’t thought much about it as they helped Mam pack their things carefully in cardboard boxes. But now that they were actually going there, she could hardly wait to see it.

  Their hair was freshly combed, with a tight little bob tucked securely with hairpins. Lizzie wore a bright blue dress, and Emma wore her green one. They both had new shoes, because their old ones just weren’t suitable to wear anymore—especially if they moved to a new house and all the aunts and uncles came to help.

  Lizzie took turns admiring the tops of her new shoes and watching the cornfields and pastures with cows as they zipped along the road. They passed a big farm wagon with two huge workhorses pulling it. She thought those workhorses were really going at a pretty good clip, for as big as they were. Suppose, just suppose, one of them fell? She couldn’t imagine how terrible that would be. If the one horse fell down, it would probably pull the other horse down, too. That meant they would stop suddenly and probably the driver would go flying off the wagon. Surely he would die, or at least go to the hospital with all his arms and legs broken. It was too awful to think about.

  The driver slowed down, turning into a short driveway, and there was the house. Lizzie looked up and up. It was so huge and so white, she could not imagine living up so far. She bit her lower lip and stared at that huge white house.

  “Come, Lizzie! Come on!” Emma was already jumping out of the van. Mam and Mandy were standing in the yard, and Mam was paying the driver, and smiling and talking to the aunts. So there was nothing for Lizzie to do but jump down after Emma and see what it looked like inside.

  First Aunt Bertha caught them both by the hand. “Hey, how are my girls? All ready to explore this big new house?”

  Emma giggled. “Hi, Aunt Bertha!”

  Lizzie smiled up at her. “Yes, we can hardly wait!”

  “You just be careful you don’t fall down those stairs! Do you know you have to go up and down every time you want to go somewhere?” she asked.

  Emma shrugged her shoulders. “Oh, well.”

  But Lizzie looked long and hard at those stairs and sincerely hoped she wouldn’t fall. She’d be very careful.

  Upstairs, the house was a bit old. Lizzie didn’t think it was as pretty as their little shingled house, but it was alright. Everywhere she looked, someone was carrying something or unpacking a box, or cleaning windows. It was all so confusing. Lizzie couldn’t make any sense of it. So she stood against the wall and watched, wishing everyone would finish up and leave.

  The kitchen had wooden cupboards that were brown and not as bright-looking as the white ones Lizzie was used to. The linoleum was reddish-brown and cracked in some places. But when the men brought Mam’s china cupboard, it seemed a little bit like home.

  Emma opened a door off to the left and found the bathroom. Lizzie tried the water faucet, and—sure enough—the water gushed out and down the drain. They found a strange-looking little cupboard hanging above the sink, which was actually a mirror on the outside.

  The bathtub was so huge, they both had a case of the giggles. Emma said it was almost like a swimming pool, and Lizzie told her they were going to fill it almost to the top to see if they could really swim in it.

  Aunt Bertha came through the doorway with a huge box marked “Bathroom.” She shooed them out, saying there was no room in that small bathroom for that big box, herself, and both of them. Lizzie turned around outside the bathroom door and made a face, saying quietly to Emma, “Bossy old thing.”

  From there they made their way between boxes, crumpled newspapers, things strewn all over the floor, and fussy aunts in every corner doing something, until they found Mam. She was stirring a big stainless steel kettle of soup that smelled so good it made Lizzie’s stomach growl.

  “Mam, I’m really hungry.” Lizzie laid her head against Mam’s stomach, and Mam reached down to touch Lizzie’s cheek. The touch was reassuring—so much that she thought wherever Mam was cooking good food, that was home to her.

  “Dinner’s almost ready. Lizzie, why don’t you go find Dat and tell him to bring the men for dinner?”

  So Emma and Lizzie found the stairs, and went across a long narrow porch until they heard men’s voices in the back yard. There were apples lying in the grass, so they supposed those trees must be apple trees. The grass needed mowing badly, and Lizzie wondered how Dat was ever going to push the mower through that tall, thick grass.

  Dat was unloading hay in the barn across the driveway. Uncle James was helping and they were talking and laughing. Dat looked as if he thought this was exciting, so Lizzie thought he must enjoy moving into a new home.

  “Dat!” Emma called.

  He spied the girls and a big smile crossed his face. His gray eyes shone at them and he said, “There are my girls! Did you move along with us to our new house? I thought we left you back at the other place!”

  Lizzie ran over to him and slipped her hand into his. “Dat, you know me and Emma came with the driver. Mam and Mandy did, too.”
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  Dat squeezed her hand, smiling down at her and said, “Of course you did. If you were still back at the other house, I would go get you right now with a driver.”

  Emma took his other hand and said, “Dat, Mam said dinner is ready now.”

  Uncle James said, “Hello, Emma and Lizzie!”

  “Hello,” they echoed shyly. They knew Uncle James, but they didn’t see him very often, so they were shy. He was tall and dark-haired, with black eyes that smiled and twinkled easily.

  “Did you say dinner is ready?” he asked.

  “Yes,” Emma answered. “Mam said to come now.”

  “Alright-y, here we go,” Dat sang out. He told the other men to go along, and they all trooped up the stairs to the kitchen where Mam was setting the soup and beef barbeque on the table.

  After they had bowed their heads in silent prayer, they ate wherever they could find room to sit.

  Grandma Glick fixed Emma’s plate, while Aunt Sarah helped Lizzie. They set their bowls of steaming hot chicken-corn-noodle soup on an upside-down cardboard box, and brought a drink for them.

  Lizzie crumbled saltine crackers into her soup, stirred it, and took a big bite. Pain exploded on her tongue and she leaned forward, letting the whole mouthful fall back into her bowl.

  “Ouch! Watch it, Emma! That soup is too hot.” Lizzie took a long drink of cold water, letting her tongue stay in the cool water after she was finished. Emma was shaking her head, trying to cool her mouthful of soup. They took big bites of their beef barbeque sandwiches, and ate cold, crisp little sweet pickles and slices of white cheese.

  For dessert, Grandma Glick had made a chocolate cake, covered with thick, creamy caramel frosting. Aunt Sally brought golden yellow vanilla cornstarch pudding, and Lizzie piled great spoonfuls of it on top of her chocolate cake. It squished into her cheeks as she chewed, and the sugary frosting stuck to her teeth. It was so delicious, Emma amd Lizzie agreed it was the best thing they had ever tasted.

  After dinner, Aunt Sally told the girls she was getting their room ready. If they wanted to, they could come help her and arrange their own things on their dresser.

  Lizzie thought she wanted to be exactly like Aunt Sally when she grew older. She was thin, but not too thin, and her hair had little waves in it. If she didn’t wet it before making her bob, she wouldn’t look much like an Amish girl. And she had a real boyfriend. Lizzie had seen him once, driving past their house in his open buggy. Young boys had buggies with no roof or windows, and they were actually only for the young people.

  Lizzie wished she was Aunt Sally, having ripply hair, a boyfriend, and going away in a buggy without a roof.

  Aunt Sally put the little dresser scarf on the dresser, and Emma arranged their things. Lizzie just let her do it, because Aunt Sally was there. But that was the thing about Emma. She was so bossy. Just because she was the oldest, didn’t mean she could always tell Lizzie what to do.

  After they were finished and Aunt Sally had carefully scrubbed the wooden floor with a clean-smelling bucket of soapy water, Lizzie lay down on her bed. The pink chenille bedspread felt soft to her cheek, and her favorite teddy bear smiled at her from her dresser. The pink curtains at the window shone in the afternoon sun, and Emma’s green dress made everything look brighter. She was on her knees, arranging everything in perfect order in her drawers.

  That was another thing about Emma. She was so particular, so fussy about everything. She always hung up her dress on the little rack, put her bedroom slippers side by side under the bed, and brushed her teeth for a very long time in the evening.

  Lizzie almost never hung up her clothes and tried hard to get away without brushing her teeth. Emma always yelled for Mam, so Lizzie usually brushed her teeth rebelliously.

  Then, Emma always knelt beside her bed and said her prayers with bowed head and clasped hands, her dark head bowed in sincere devotion. Lizzie said her prayers, too, but just because Emma did, and Mam taught them to do it. She always wondered if there was any use.

  Her eyes got heavier and heavier, and amid the hustle and bustle of moving day, she fell sound asleep. She didn’t know Emma covered her carefully with a blanket and tiptoed out, closing the door behind her.

  chapter 8

  The New Pony

  Today Emma and Lizzie were going with Dat. He was going to a horse auction in a faraway town, with a driver. Uncle James and a friend who lived close to the Glicks were also going.

  Lizzie had never been to a horse auction. Emma said there were a hundred horses there, but Lizzie guessed there were more than that. They asked Dat and he said there were not a thousand, but maybe more than a hundred.

  Mam combed their hair, and they brushed their teeth till they shone. They decided to both wear blue dresses, and after they had on their new shoes, Lizzie felt pretty. She didn’t really know if she was. She just loved to watch the toes of her new shoes, because they made her feel nice. She wondered if she would ever get to wear high heels.

  Mam was getting Mandy ready, too. Mam was happy this morning, because she had made a new friend who lived just across the street. She was thin and had the prettiest red hair Lizzie had ever seen. Her name was Evelyn and she was a Mennonite. She wore a small covering, drove a black car, and they had electricity in their house. Mom and Evelyn soon became good friends, and this morning they were going to buy groceries and do some other shopping.

  Lizzie sometimes felt sad when Mam wasn’t happy, so she was glad to see Mam go shopping with Evelyn.

  Dat was closing up the shop downstairs. The harness shop was all set up now, and Dat worked long hours because of more orders. The saddle tree was filled with shiny black and brown saddles. The Coca-Cola cooler stood in the corner, and the walls were lined with wooden shelves. All kinds of shoes and boots were stocked on these shelves. Lizzie waited impatiently till Dat came up the stairs and into the kitchen.

  “Dat, when is our driver coming? I was ready for a long, long time. Soon my dress is going to be all wrinkled if we don’t soon leave,” Lizzie complained.

  Mam said, “You’ll be going soon, Lizzie.” She was watching across the street and told them all to have a nice time. It was time for her to go shopping with Evelyn.

  Lizzie sighed. She watched out the window and wished the driver would come. Emma told her to settle down and stop being so fidgety because it made her nervous.

  Just when Lizzie thought she couldn’t wait one second longer, a noisy honk made her eyes fly open and she jumped straight off the couch.

  “He’s here! Emma, come on, the driver’s here!”

  Emma jumped up, and they ran to the door. “Dat, are you ready?” Emma yelled.

  “Let’s go!” Lizzie hopped up and down.

  Dat laughed at them and together they hurried out the door to the waiting vehicle.

  As they wound their way along the country roads, Lizzie just knew this was going to be a special day. For one thing, she had never seen a horse auction, and she loved horses. And she was almost sure Dat was going to buy their lunch at a restaurant, or maybe just at a food stand. She hoped so much Dat would buy french fries. That was the best food in the world besides chocolate cake and vanilla pudding.

  “Lizzie! Oh, I mean it—look!” Emma was peering out the window on her side.

  Lizzie scooted over and stared. There were lots of cars, trucks, horses, ponies, and people, all milling around beside a huge yellow and white tent. There were men wearing white cowboy hats, and even women wearing them.

  The driver found a parking space and Dat hopped out, telling the girls to stay with him, because they were going to look at the ponies first.

  Lizzie just looked and looked. She had to blink her eyes in the bright sunlight, but she squinted them and kept on looking. The ponies were tied away from the big horses. There were big black ponies, little woolly brown ones, white skinny ones, and little fat ponies. Lizzie wanted every one. She tried to stay with Dat, but she had to stay and stroke the satiny ears of the little brown one.
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  “Dat, are you going to buy us one?” Lizzie looked imploringly at Dat. “Is that why we came here?”

  Dat smiled down at the girls and his eyes twinkled. “Oh, I thought maybe I would ask two little girls if they really wanted a pony, but then I thought, what would they want with a pony if we don’t have a cart? And what about a harness?”

  Emma slapped his pant leg, and Lizzie just hopped up and down till she thought she would burst with excitement.

  “Dat! Why would you worry about a harness? You know you can make a good pony harness for us!” Emma emphatically nodded her head up and down.

  So they walked among the ponies and Dat looked at them all. His eyes were still twinkling, but he didn’t say much.

  Lizzie was walking along the rows of ponies when a warm little nose touched her arm. She jumped and turned, coming face to face with the softest dark gray eyes. The pony’s head was gray and white, and his forelocks hung down over his soft gray eyes. Lizzie was so amazed, she just stood and gazed at this pretty pony, and the pony gazed back at Lizzie. The pony reached out and nibbled softly on her little black apron.

  Softly, almost as if in a dream, Lizzie reached out one hand and touched the coarse hair of the pony’s forelocks. The pony gently put his head down against Lizzie’s soft stomach, while she slowly stroked his head.

  Lizzie didn’t know a pony’s hair could be so soft. She loved that pony so much, she thought she couldn’t stand it if Dat couldn’t buy him. “Hello, little horse. My little horse,” she whispered in awe. “How are you doing?”

  The little gray pony stood by Lizzie, and laid his head against her. Lizzie reached back farther and stroked his neck, and looked at the color of the pony. He was so pretty, all different colors in little circles, white, gray, and darker gray. His tail hung on the ground, it was so long. Lizzie stayed there with the gray pony, forgetting all about Dat and Emma.

  Suddenly a man’s voice boomed across the loudspeaker and the crowd moved slowly toward it. The auction was starting! Lizzie gave the pony a final pat and turned to talk to Dat and Emma. They were not there. Actually, Lizzie couldn’t see them anywhere. She looked left, then right, but could only see English people she didn’t know. Her heart beat faster. She started walking swiftly and she called in a very small voice, “Dat!” She just couldn’t see anyone she knew, and fear gripped her heart as she started to run. Tears pricked at her eyelashes and her voice shook as she called louder, “Dat! Emma!”