Amish Country Arson

by Risner, Fay

  “You will always have a lamb or two to feed. It might be the left out one of a set of triplets, or a confused ewe that refuses to claim her lambs. If you want to get out of bottle feeding, I have the perfect answer. Buy a milk goat,” Rudy advised.

  “How does buying a milk goat help me? I'd have to milk her all the time, fill the bottles and feed the lambs.” Hal wondered what the catch was. John warned her with Rudy there was always a catch.

  “Milk goats often will adopt bottle lambs along with their kids. Just keep the lambs in the goat's pen. Wean the lambs along with the kids and dry the goat up. Simple as that,” Rudy stated.

  “I see. That sounds easy. I'll discuss this with John. If he wants a goat, he can get me one at the salebarn,” Hal said as she turned to go back to the kitchen.

  “Wait!” Rudy exclaimed.

  Hal turned around slowly.

  “No need to bother with the salebarn. I own a dozen milk goats. I would gladly sell you one to help you out. Jah, I would,” Rudy said smoothly.

  Hal imagined Rudy would have made a good used car salesman in another life. “I have to think about this.” Hal backed up to go get more pie.

  Emma was talking to Mary Mast, Eli's wife and didn't see her step mother coming until Hal bumped into her. “Oh, Emma, I'm sorry. I should watch where I'm walking.” She nodded slightly toward Rudy Briskey.

  Rudy waved his fork at her. “I will gladly deliver.”

  Emma grabbed Hal by the arm and headed for the kitchen. She whispered in Hal's ear. “What is Rudy Briskey up to now?”

  “He wants to sell me a milk goat.”

  “Really? What did you tell him?” Emma asked, trying not to smile.

  “I'd have to talk to your father,” Hal said.

  “Gute answer,” Emma agreed. “We do need to go to the salebarn soon though. I have to help you pick out a rooster. Maybe Daed will see a gute milk goat there if you really want one.”

  Hal put pie filled saucers on her tray. “Jah, the sooner the better we should go to get the rooster. Tom Turkey has designated himself as ruler over the flock. I'm afraid a strange rooster will have trouble living with Tom.”

  “Give them plenty of room to run so the rooster can get out of Tom's way. Hopefully, they will get used to each other soon. No matter how Tom Turkey feels about it, you must have a rooster to hatch chicks,” Emma declared.

  “How about we go to next Wednesday's sale while you're not teaching school,” Hal suggested.

  “Sounds gute to me,” Emma agreed. “It will be fun.”

  When it was the women's turn to eat, Jane Bontrager brought a woman to Hal's table. Hal saw them coming and didn't recognize the woman. She must be one of the newcomers, a dark haired, thin, stern faced woman, in her mid forties, dressed in black. The idea passed through Hal's mind that this woman should get along well with Stella Strutt for a neighbor.

  “This is Wanda Bruner, Nurse Hal,” Jane introduced. “Wanda lives with her husband and her sister on the Boxholder farm. They have just arrived from Kansas.”

  Hal shook hands with Wanda. “Wilcom to our community. Won't you join me for lunch while we have a few seats left? Jane, you too.”

  “I have to finish dessert serving. Save a place for me. I will be back,” Jane said over her shoulder.

  “Where in Kansas did you live?” Hal asked.

  Wanda placed her plate on the table and sit down. “Hutchinson, Kansas.”

  “I've never been to Kansas,” Hal replied. “Is it much different from here?”

  “Jah, much. Kansas is flat, hot and dry land. I know I will like the pretty green rolling hills around here. Iowa already feels cooler to me than Kansas,” Wanda said, smiling.

  Wanda's smile was sweet, and she had a soft, pleasing voice. So much for first impressions. To her surprise, Hal liked the woman. That made her sorry she'd lumped Wanda into Stella Strutt's company just because of her black clothes and the fact they were neighbors. “Sure enough. That's because it's fall. Winter will be freezing cold and seem way too long. Next summer you will appreciate the new paper fans the feed and grocery stores hand out. By then you will wonder what the difference was between Iowa and Kansas,” Hal advised, returning her smile.

  “Jah, that is what the real estate agent told us when we called to see if there was any farms for sale in the area,” Wanda agreed. “My husband, Enoch, told the man still and all compared to Kansas, Iowa sounded much better for gute farm land and weather wise. We were told there are not as many dry spells here as in Kansas. The land is more fertile which makes for better crops.”

  Hal took a bite of her ham sandwich, chewed and swallowed while she thought about the Bruner family coming to live among strangers. She knew how she felt when she moved from Titonka to Wickenburg so far away from her relatives. When her parents and Aunt Tootie left for home, she'd miss them. “So that's how you decided to move here? A farm was for sale in this area.”

  “Sure enough, that was the final reason. Another reason is we knew the Old Order Amish in this community had a strong Ordnung. That is what we want. Too many people in our community around Hutchinson have become Beachy Amish. They bought cars and phones. They made their homes modern and live more like the English around us. With so few left in Old Order at the worship services, we felt the need to move where a larger settlement believed as we do,” Wanda explained.

  Hal hunched down in her seat and ate. How would this quiet, devoutly faithful woman feel when she finds out I own a car and cell phone. That I am only allowed to use them for emergencies might not make a difference to Wanda. “I see. You must have left many relatives behind which was hard.”

  Wanda's face was sad as she ran the potato salad around her plate with her fork. “Jah and friends. We were born and raised near Hutchinson. It had always been home, but we will make this our new home now.”

  “Gute, we will be glad to have you.” Hal said.

  From behind her came Bishop Bontrager's voice. “How are you ladies this fine day?”

  “I'm gute, Bishop,” Hal replied, twisting to look at Elton.

  “I'm fine, Bishop,” Wanda said.

  Bishop Bontrager looked around the room. “I would like to meet your sister. Do you know where she is at recht now?”

  “Gladys stayed home today. She hasn't been feeling well. I think the move was hard on her,” Wanda answered.

  “That is too bad. I hope she is feeling better soon. We do not want her missing too many worship services if she can help it. Do tell her I will be around to introduce myself one day this week, and see how her heath is then,” the bishop said.

  Wanda nodded. “Jah, Bishop. I will tell her.”

  “If you hadn't heard, I'm the nurse for the community. John built a medical clinic on our home, but I do make house calls. We use the clinic for birthing as well as treating patients if you or someone in your family needs help,” Hal said.

  Wanda said quietly, “That is gute to know.”

  “Would you like me to come visit your sister? Maybe I can help her feel better,” Hal said.

  “Nah!” Wanda said much too quickly. When Hal gave her a searching look, Wanda added calmly, “Nah, no need to bother. I think Gladys just needs to rest up.”

  Later that afternoon when Enoch and Wanda Bruner arrived home, Wanda said, “I should check on Gladys before I gather eggs.”

  She walked over to the grossdawdi house and opened the door. “Gladys?”

  A tall thin woman came to meet her. “I heard you were back from church. How did it go with all those strangers?”

  Wanda walked across the large room and sat in one of two rockers. She smiled cheerfully. “It went well. Enoch and I met so many nice people that I will have trouble remembering their names until I get to know them. How are you feeling now? I told everyone you were not well, but when you were better you would come to church with us.”

  “I feel tired all the time, but I pray I will be better soon,” Gladys said, easing slowly down in the other rocker. />
  “Bishop Bontrager asked about you. I told him you did not feel well enough to attend the worship service, but he insisted he would be by one day this week to meet you. He wants to see for himself that you were not able to go to the service with us. I hope that your health will improve in two weeks if for no other reason than to please the bishop.”

  “I do not know if I will feel better by then,” Gladys said.

  “I met the Plain people's nurse who has a clinic in her home. Nurse Hal she is called. She offered to pay you a visit to tell you what ails you. I said I would check with you to see that would be all recht.”

  “William Boxholder told me about that one and her clinic when we were buying this farm. He said she was English married to a Plain man.” Gladys's voice was icy.

  “I wondered about that. Her speech does sounds English. Her red hair makes her stand out some, but everyone seems to like her. She has done gute work in the community so I hear from the bishop's wife,” Wanda defended.

  Gladys glared down her long nose at her sister. “I am not sick enough or desperate enough to use an English woman as a nurse when she pretends to be Plain.”

  “All recht, but she is not pretending. Nurse Hal is living a very gute life as a Plain person and raising her husband's children,” Wanda said meekly.

  Gladys folded her arms over her chest. “I will hear no more of her.”

  At her sister's tone of voice, Wanda shrank back in the rocker. “Sure enough.”

  Gladys patted her sister on the knee to change the mood. “Now tell me of the people at the worship service today.”

  Wanda straightened up and leaned forward. “They were talking about someone's burning a barn. Denki to God, no one was hurt.”

  “Do they know how the fire happened?” Gladys asked.

  “Nah, but they know someone started it. Jonah Stolfus saw a rider on horseback leaving his farm. Bishop Bontrager asked the congregation to be watchful for such a person,” Wanda said. “At the member meeting, plans were made to help build Jonah Stolfus a new barn. He will be able to milk his cows at home soon. He lost all his hay so the bishop asked for offerings to replace his loss. Rudy Briskey generously offered a whole wagon load of bales. That brought other farmers forward to offer their hay to help Jonah Briskey.

  I think we made the right decision to come here, Sister. Everyone is so friendly and helpful. They all pitch together when another family needs help.”

  “Sounds like it. That is gute,” Gladys agreed, looking at her hands in her lap.

  The Lapp family arrived home from the worship service after an afternoon of visiting. Hal remembered she hadn't taken the time to check the live trap before they left for the Yoder farm. While the rest of the family went inside, she walked to the end of the porch and looked down. The trap hadn't thrown, but the two eggs had round holes broken in them and sucked dry. Beside the trap was another freshly dug hole.

  Hal called, “Noah, Daniel, come out here.”

  The boys came out the screen door, stuffed their hands in their trouser pockets and waited.

  Hal pointed toward her flower bed. “The monster under the porch has eaten two of my gute eggs and didn't throw the trap. Now it has dug another hole to by pass the trap. Do something, please!”

  The boys walked to the edge of the porch and jumped off. They squatted to inspect the digging.

  Noah pointed at the hole. “The animal dug that hole to get out from under the porch. I know because the dirt is on the back side the hole.”

  “Will the skunk come back now that he has gotten away?” Hal asked.

  “Probably. The skunk seems to like his new home. Give us two more eggs, Mama Hal,” Daniel said.

  Noah suggested, “We could get a couple scraps of plywood and lay along this side of the porch so the animal cannot dig.”

  “Whatever it takes, I'm all for it,” Hal said.

  “We will have to lay the boards on your flowers,” Noah warned.

  “Do it. As you can see the flowers are ruined. It hurts me to look at them so they need to be pulled anyway,” Hal said.

  “We can do that for you before we lay the boards down. The plywood will lay more level,” Daniel offered.

  Hal stopped with her hand on the screen door handle. “While you do pull and carry the flowers off, I'll hunt up a box of mothballs to throw under the porch. We'll find out if Aunt Tootie is recht about skunks not liking the scent.”

  It didn't take the boys long to pull the flowers and leave with their arms full of marigold plants. Hal sat in the porch swing listening to a red hen caw happily, scratching for bugs by the barn.

  Biscuit lay by her feet, waiting for the boys to come back. He shot up and sniffed the air. His body tensed as he stared toward the barn.

  “What do you see?” Hal looked across the driveway. “Quiet down! Nothing over there but a hen scratching in the dirt.”

  A growl rumbled deep in Biscuit's throat. The hair stood up on the back of his neck as he edged stiffed legged down the porch steps. Suddenly, he raced toward the hen.

  Hal called, “Come back here. Don't chase my … .” She stopped when she saw the black animal with a white stripe, sneaking up on the hen. Hal looked around frantically. “Help!”

  Both boys carried a scrap piece of plywood. Hal waved. “Noah and Daniel, come quick. Hurry! Biscuit is after the skunk.”

  Footsteps thudded on the floor inside the house. Jim looked over John's shoulder at the door. “What did you just say?”

  Hal pointed a trembling finger toward the barn. “The skunk is trying to catch a hen. Biscuit is going to fight him.”

  “I will get the rifle,” he said.

  Everything after that happened so quickly. The dog ran at the skunk with a vicious snarl. The hen flew out of the way, squawking an alarm to the other chickens. The skunk jumped sideways to avoid Biscuit and scrambled toward the porch.

  Biscuit was in hot pursuit. Noah and Daniel dropped their plywood and pelted the skunk with rocks which didn't help change the animal's direction.

  Nora raised the living room window. “Can I help?”

  “Are you crazy? Don't go out there with that skunk,” Aunt Tootie ordered.

  “For once, Aunt Tootie is recht. Stay in the house where you're out of that skunk's line of fire,” Hal said.

  “How do you like that? My niece just said I was only right once,” huffed Aunt Tootie to her sister.

  “That's what she said all right,” Nora agreed distractedly as she watched the skunk coming closer.

  Hal clapped her hands and shouted. That didn't help so she begged, “Please, skunk, don't go under the porch!” The skunk was too busy ducking rocks and out running the dog to pay attention to her. Hal resorted to prayer. “Please God don't let him go under the porch.”

  The cat size black blur kept coming with Biscuit right behind him. Hal feared the dog would chase the skunk up the porch steps. She climbed in the porch swing and grabbed hold of the chain to steady herself when the swing swayed.

  The skunk sensed the dog right behind him. He stopped, brace his feet and lifted his tail. Biscuit skidded to a stop and took the close range spray in the face. Angry, Biscuit bit the skunk's tail, before the effects of the pew caused the dog to flatten on the ground. He whined as he rubbed his smarting eyes with his paws.

  The skunk whipped around and lunged at Biscuit. He dug his claws into the dog's face and bit him. Biscuit gave a deep throated growl as he wrestled to get loose. The skunk gave up his hold.

  The dog decided he was more interested in his discomfort than he was the skunk. He rubbed his face and nose with a paw where the skunk bit him. That didn't help so Biscuit tumbled across the yard, thinking he'd rub the stink off his coat.

  To Hal's relief, the skunk change directions. Instead of coming up the porch steps, he ran along side the porch and came around the end. Too late, Hal screamed at him to go away, but the skunk paid her no mind as he dived down the hole.

  The boys raced around the end of
the porch and looked across the yard. “Where did the skunk go?” Noah asked.

  “Under the porch,” Hal said nasally, holding her nose.

  The screen door slam behind John. He was armed with a rifle.

  Hal snapped, “You're too late!”

  Jim peered out the screen door. “Where's the skunk now?”

  “Where else? Under the porch,” Hal said tersely. Biscuit started up the steps. Hal yelled, “Stop that dog. Don't let him on the porch. He needs a gute bath before he comes up here. Check to see how bad his face wounds are. The skunk bit him.”

  Daniel scrunched up his face and tried not to breath deep as he grabbed the dog around the neck. “There is an open area on Biscuit's cheek where the skin is laid back, and a little blood beside his nose.”

  John grimaced. “That is not gute. Daniel you give the dog a bath. Noah you run to the phone shed and call the vet. Tell him what has happened and ask him what we should do.”

  Daniel guided the dog around the house then yelled from out back. “Noah, bring water and tomato juice.”

  “I'll get the water and juice for Daniel. Also, some peroxide for the wounds,” Hal said. “Why does Noah need to call a vet?”

  “The skunk could have rabies. It is not natural for one to come out in the day time,” said John.

  Hal put her hands to her face. “Ach, nah!”

  When Noah came back, he panted between words as he flopped onto the couch. “The vet says if we catch the skunk he will send in his brain to be tested. It may take two weeks to get the results. We are to keep Biscuit penned up and be very careful around him until the vet gets back to us.”

  “I figured that. I already put Biscuit in the tool shed for recht now,” John said.

  Daniel stood in the kitchen door with his hands in his pockets. “I got the bath tub down from the nail in the mud room. I have already taken a bath so now you take yours before we leave for the singing. The tea kettle is hot again.”

  Later, Noah came back to the living room, sniffing himself. “We maybe should stay home tonight.”