Little Amish Lizzie

by Linda Byler

  “Girls!” Mam said sternly.

  “I’ll say,” Dat said. “Everybody is not having a good morning.”

  “Well,” Mam said, yawning and blinking her eyes, “Jason sure must be teething. I must have been up with him five or six times. So I’m not too energetic, either.”

  Dat looked at Mam closely. “You do look tired. I know what! I was thinking this morning, since it’s one of the last nice warm days we’ll have for a while, why don’t we drive Red to town for groceries? All of us could go together,” he suggested.

  “Yes, let’s,” Lizzie agreed.

  “Let’s do!” yelled Mandy, and everyone laughed at her. Emma just smiled in her grownup way and asked Mam, “What about the Saturday cleaning?”

  “We don’t have to clean, that’s all,” Lizzie said.

  “Lizzie, we do. You just don’t want to,” Emma sniffed.

  “If we wait to go till I get my cleaning done, I’ll go along, Melvin. But I do have to clean—this house is a mess this morning.”

  “Alright, then,” Dat agreed.

  So they all hurried through breakfast and the girls washed dishes while Mam took the broom, dust mop, and furniture polish with a clean old rag and started cleaning bedrooms.

  Lizzie had her usual mountain of suds. Her stomach was soaked with warm, soapy water, and the soapsuds reached almost to her chin. Emma was carrying the dishes from the table, so she didn’t see how much dish detergent Lizzie had used. Lizzie was washing dishes as fast as she could, and after the table was cleared, Emma got a tea towel to dry them.

  “Lizzie!” Emma spied the amount of suds Lizzie had made.

  “What?” Lizzie asked loudly.

  “You know Mam has told you over and over not to use so much soap. Why don’t you quit it? That’s not even funny.”

  Emma drew out the word “even” until it sounded like “eeeeeven” and it just irked Lizzie so much. Especially since it was Saturday morning and all the cleaning was still to be done. But she didn’t say anything; she just went on washing dishes in her huge pile of soapsuds. She knew that she was not supposed to lose her temper or she would not be allowed to go for groceries. Going to town with Red was so much fun, and she desperately wanted to go. So she just looked at Emma and said she guessed she must have squeezed the detergent bottle too hard.

  Emma didn’t laugh; she just snorted and held her nose higher than usual to dry the dishes. Lizzie felt so much like slapping Emma that it was scary. But she couldn’t today, because they were going to town for groceries.

  Mam came to the sink for some cleaning materials and sighed. “Lizzie,” she said.

  “What?”

  “Why do you always have to use all that soap? You’re just wasting detergent.”

  “I know, Mam. I told her not to, but she won’t listen,” Emma said.

  “Dat says he can taste detergent in his drinking glass, Lizzie. Please don’t use so much, and be sure and rinse them well today, since you already have so much in there.” Mam hurried away, and Lizzie went on washing dishes.

  “See?” Emma said.

  · · · · ·

  The air even felt sunny, Lizzie thought, as they sat in the back seat of the buggy with the flap rolled up and secured with leather straps. They could look out the back window, because it was warm enough to drive with the windows open.

  Sometimes a car would drive up close to the buggy and stay there, driving slowly because it was not safe to pass because of a hill or a turn. Then Lizzie felt embarrassed because she was afraid the driver would get impatient, driving so slowly. Emma smiled and waved, and if the driver returned the wave, Lizzie would, too. If the driver looked grouchy, Lizzie would yell to Dat, “Car!” so Dat would get over off the road so the car could pass better. Lizzie always thought Dat drove too far toward the middle of the road. When they were in Ohio, Doddy Miller drove way over to the side and stayed there. But maybe that was because the roads were wider, too.

  They passed a farm with two Amish women working in the garden, out beside the road. A chain-link fence ran along the top of a concrete wall, making a neat border around the garden. There were rows of pretty flowers, but the cornstalks were turning brown, and some rows of plants looked as if it was time to remove them.

  The two women straightened themselves and waved. Dat and Mam both waved back as they went racing past. Dat had to hold back on the reins with all his strength, because Red wanted to run today. He did not want to be held back to a nice, steady trot. His head was held high, with his ears pitched forward or flicking back, sensitive to Dat’s commands.

  “I bet Red is going to fly past the stink factory today!” Lizzie said, gripping the window ledge with her fingers.

  “Why do you say that?” Emma asked.

  “Well, Dat has to hold on with all his power, I can tell,” Lizzie said. “Didn’t you see how fast we went past those ladies in the garden? It was almost as if we would have been in a car.”

  The “stink factory,” as Lizzie and Emma called it, was a hide and leather company, or tannery, that was located on the outskirts of town. Red despised the smell of the rotting hides and would always pull on the bit and run as fast as Dat allowed, down the long, sloping hill, and through the underpass.

  It was always exciting to Lizzie, because the closer they came to the factory, the faster Red would run. Today Mam said, “Now, Melvin, you’d better be careful. We have all the little ones along, you know.”

  Lizzie knew that Dat loved to go past the “stink factory” as much as she did. He always grinned a big grin, tightened his hold on the reins, and said, “Here we go!” just before he let them loose a tiny bit so Red would surge forward.

  But today Mam and the little ones were along, so he kept a tight hold on Red. In spite of that, they sped down the hill and through the underpass, where Red’s back seemed to flatten—he ran so fast. As soon as they drove out of it, the horrible smell came to their nostrils.

  “Peww-wee!” Lizzie held her nose.

  “Close the window, Melvin! Oh my, that smell is just horrible!” Mam complained.

  “I can’t now, Annie,” Dat said, because he was too busy holding tightly to the reins. So Mam sat in silence so Dat could handle Red, and Emma and Lizzie held their noses and yelled because the smell was so bad.

  After they were past the factory, Red slowed a bit, and Lizzie took a deep, clean breath.

  Emma giggled, “Lizzie your nose is all red from pinching it so tight.”

  Lizzie looked over at Emma. “Yours is too, Emma.”

  “Are we there yet?” Lizzie swung around and stuck her head between Dat and Mam’s shoulders.

  “Almost,” Mam said.

  “What are we going to buy?” Lizzie asked.

  “Groceries,” Mam said.

  “Just groceries?” Lizzie wanted to know.

  “Yes, just groceries today.”

  “Doesn’t Dat need anything at the hardware or the feed store or any other place?” she asked.

  “No, Lizzie. Now go back. You’re really bothering us,” Mam said.

  Lizzie flounced back beside Emma. “Boy, she’s grouchy,” she muttered quietly.

  “She’s not.”

  “She is.”

  “Well, you didn’t have to stick your head way up there just to ask if we’re getting groceries.”

  Lizzie guessed that was true. She knew Mam didn’t like it if Red ran so fast past the stink factory, but she still hoped Mam was happy enough that she would buy them at least a Popsicle. Lizzie’s favorite kind was a Creamsicle. It had creamy orange-flavored ice cream on the outside, and pure vanilla around the stick. Lizzie just loved them.

  They turned down a side street, and stopped in front of a hitching rack that was located at the side of a huge brick building. There was one other horse and buggy tied there, and a row of cars were parked at the back of the graveled area.

  “Alright-y, here we are!” Dat sang out. He jumped out of the buggy, reaching under the seat for the
neck rope. He loosened the rein that held Red’s head, and Red lowered it gratefully. He put the rope around the horse’s neck and tied him securely.

  Mam put on Jason’s little cap, in case he got an earache. Lizzie secretly pitied Jason with his curly hair, and she wondered if Mam put his cap on because she was ashamed of it. She really hoped her own children would have straight hair.

  Mandy hopped down into Dat’s arms, and they all walked into the grocery store together. They got a cart and Mam put Jason in the little seat. Mandy sat in the bottom of the cart, and Mam pushed it down the first aisle. Dat followed with Emma and Lizzie, watching Mam put things into the cart. First, she stopped at the meat counter and bought a pound of lunch meat. She also bought some cheese and a package of hot dogs. Dat asked the lady for three huge dill pickles out of a glass jar. She smiled at all of them and asked if there was anything else today.

  Mam said, “No, thank you.”

  “Have a good afternoon,” the lady said.

  “You, too,” Mam said.

  Lizzie told Emma the lady should actually have said, “Have a nice evening,” because the afternoon was almost over. Emma said afternoons lasted till supper, and it wasn’t nearly supper yet.

  “Oh,” said Lizzie.

  Someone Amish came down the aisle. It was Dat’s brother, Alvin.

  “Hey!” Alvin said.

  “What are you doing here?” Dat grinned at Alvin.

  “Same thing you are. Getting groceries,” Alvin said.

  “Why don’t you come visit us again?” Mam asked.

  “Oh, I’ve been pretty busy at the silo factory,” Alvin answered. “And,” he whispered something to Dat.

  “Mm-hmm. Yes, well, there are little ears around,” Dat said, motioning with his hand toward Emma and Lizzie.

  Alvin nodded his head and said something soft and low to Dat.

  Lizzie became very angry all of a sudden. She did not like it when grownups did that. Little ears? Really. If they said things like that it always reminded Lizzie of little ears of corn. Which, actually, made her feel like a cornstalk with a little ear of corn on it. Dat shouldn’t say such things, she decided firmly. She was going to have to tell him if they wanted to say things she was not allowed to hear, they should go away so she couldn’t see them, not say, “There are little ears around.” It just wasn’t nice.

  After Uncle Alvin promised Mam they’d come visit soon, they all moved on. Mam bought soap powder, dish detergent, cereal, and lots of other items, until Mandy was almost buried. She giggled every time Mam added another item.

  Lizzie loved going to the grocery store. She loved to look at all the good food, wondering what some of the snacks would taste like. She was sure if Dat had piles of money, Mam would buy a lot more cheese curls and packages of chocolate cupcakes with chocolate icing on the top. They had white filling in the middle, Lizzie knew, because Dat had bought her one, a long time ago. Usually though, Mam made her own chocolate cupcakes, because it was cheaper. Lizzie supposed only fancy English ladies with high heels bought those packages of cupcakes.

  “Excuse me!”

  Lizzie turned quickly and hurried out of the way, pulling Emma back with her.

  “Thank you!” An English lady hurried past, and Lizzie could smell the perfume she was wearing. It smelled so fancy. She wondered if Amish girls were allowed to wear perfume when they went to the singing. She certainly hoped so. This lady was not wearing high heels. Her shoes were white, and quite flat, so Lizzie guessed she probably had her high heels at home in her closet.

  Jason started crying. Mam quickly gave him his pacifier, but he spit it out and cried louder. Emma picked up the pacifier and tried to give it back to him, but he only cried louder.

  “Shhh!” Mam picked him up, bouncing him a bit, but he went on crying. “Oh dear,” Mam said. Lizzie could tell Mam was becoming frustrated, because she told Dat to go ahead and push the cart, so she could take care of Jason. But Jason would not quiet down, so she took him out to the buggy and Dat paid for the groceries.

  “Dat.” Lizzie touched his arm.

  “What?” he asked, putting a box of cereal on the moving belt.

  “Can I have a Popsicle?” she asked.

  “Not now, Lizzie. We already passed the ice cream section and I’m already paying,” he answered.

  “Oh,” was all Lizzie could say. She was so deeply disappointed she could hardly stand it. She blinked and felt a lump rise up in her throat. Emma was watching her, and Lizzie knew Emma wanted a Popsicle as much as she did. But there was nothing to do about it, because Jason was crying, so they skipped the ice cream section. That Jason, Lizzie decided right then and there, was a lot more bother than he was worth.

  After Dat had loaded the groceries under the back seat of the buggy, they all piled in again. Lizzie and Emma were a bit quiet and subdued, because they had no Popsicles, but Mandy was chattering away to Mam, so nobody noticed. Or so they thought.

  Dat untied Red and hopped into the buggy, and they were off. When he turned in at a gas station, pulling up along the side of the parking lot, Mam asked what he was doing.

  “You’ll see.” He winked at Mam and asked her to watch the horse until he came back.

  Lizzie and Emma hung their arms over the back of the buggy and stared gloomily at the macadam drive. They didn’t even have a piece of chewing gum.

  “Why didn’t you say something before?” Emma asked. “You could have.”

  “Oh, be quiet.” Lizzie felt like pinching Emma. It wasn’t her fault—it was Jason’s.

  Suddenly Dat’s face appeared in front of them. He handed them each a Popsicle, and gave them a little pack of chewing gum to share.

  Lizzie was so happy. They unwrapped the Popsicles carefully and each took one tiny bite. The Popsicles were their favorite kind, exactly what Lizzie had hoped for.

  “You spoil them, Melvin,” Mam said with a smile. But Lizzie knew Mam was happy that Dat stopped for Popsicles, because she would have let them have a treat in the grocery store.

  As Red trotted home, Emma and Lizzie ate every bite of their delicious Popsicles. Lizzie threw her paper out the window to the side of the road, and Emma scolded her terribly. She said you were never allowed to do that, ever; a policeman could get you for that.

  After that, they divided the chewing gum, two pieces for Lizzie and two for Emma, breaking the last piece in half so it was perfectly fair.

  “You should give me three,” Lizzie said.

  “Why?” asked Emma.

  “Just because you scolded me,” Lizzie said.

  Emma said she just scolded her to teach her a lesson never to throw paper out of a buggy window.

  Lizzie decided that was a good reason, and they chewed their gum peacefully the whole way home.

  chapter 24

  Teeny and Tiny

  The weather turned colder, with a blustery wind ripping at the brightly colored leaves on the trees in the yard.

  Lizzie thought that was the saddest thing she ever saw. All the golden leaves had to give up looking so pretty and tumbled to the ground, only to become all brown and ugly. After about half of the leaves were on the ground, Mam asked Lizzie and Emma to help her one evening after school.

  She was putting on her sweater and scarf, putting her covering on the countertop. “The yard just looks a fright, girls,” she said, shaking her head. “Would one of you help me rake leaves, while the other one watches Jason for me? It’s just too cold to take him out.”

  “Watch Jason!” yelled Emma, as loudly as she could.

  Lizzie looked up from her dish of chocolate cake and milk.

  “Emma, I want to watch Jason. You can help Mam rake leaves. I’m too little,” she scowled.

  Emma blinked her eyes, lifting her nose just a bit. “I said first.”

  “Mam, right, I’m too little?” Lizzie asked hopefully.

  “Well, I’m afraid not, Lizzie. You and Emma are very close to being the same size,” she said. Then her eyes twink
led at Lizzie. “And, if you eat any more of that chocolate cake, you will be bigger.”

  Lizzie looked down at her bowl of cake and milk. The cake had fluffy chocolate icing on it and was swimming in cold, creamy milk. If you put just the right amount of cake and icing together with the cold milk, it was the best thing in the world. Especially when you came home from school and your lunch hadn’t been very good.

  Lizzie carefully cut off a piece of cake and soaked it in milk. She opened her mouth wide to fit it all in.

  “Do I have to, Mam?” she asked, with her mouth full.

  “Lizzie, don’t talk with your mouth full. Yes, you can help me. Hurry up and finish your cake; I’m going out a while,” Mam said, going out the front door.

  Emma carried Jason into the living room to get his toys. Lizzie watched her go and wondered why she was allowed to be so bossy. She sighed, and ate another big bite of cake and milk. She supposed being a year older made a big difference, and besides, she didn’t like to watch Jason that much anyway. All he did was cry or get into things he wasn’t supposed to. If Lizzie put him in his playpen to keep him out of trouble, he really screamed. One time Lizzie pinched Jason when Mam wasn’t looking, then ran into the bathroom when he screamed louder.

  She tilted the bowl and slurped up her milk with cake crumbs in it. That wasn’t quite as good, because there was no more icing to go with it. But she knew Emma would tell Mam if she didn’t drink her milk. She found an old sweater and tied a green scarf around her head.

  “Emma!” Lizzie said.

  “What?”

  “I hope Jason cries for you, if I have to rake leaves,” she said, picking a white fuzzy off her black sweater.

  “Lizzie, I mean it,” was all Emma said.

  But Lizzie felt better as she made her way down the stairs. If she had to give up, she could at least let Emma know how she felt.

  Mam was raking long swaths of leaves, tumbling them all together in bright piles of yellow and orange. Her cheeks were flushed pink and her blue eyes were sparkling. With her dark hair and blue scarf, she made a pretty picture in the center of all the bright-colored leaves.

  Lizzie found a smaller rake in the toolshed and halfheartedly swiped at a few leaves. They all stuck to the rake. She tried again, and a few leaves went where they were supposed to, but a lot more stuck onto the rake. She picked them off with her fingers, trying to throw them on the pile with the rest of the leaves. They blew back to where they had been in the first place.