Amish Country Arson (6 page)

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.”

“You think?” Hal teased. She sniffed him.
“Actually, you didn't do such a bad job of getting rid of the
stink.”

“I still think I smell like skunk,” Noah
said.

“You might, but it is not noticeable enough
to miss the singing,” John said.

After milking, Noah and Daniel hitched Ben to
the courting buggy. He stuck his head in the screen door. “We are
leaving for the singing.”

Daniel was behind him. “I am riding Molly
tonight.”

John stopped rocking and smiled at him. “The
courting buggy getting crowded.”

Daniel blushed. “Jah, Noah is taking Jenny
Yoder with him tonight. Mark Yoder and I will ride our horses.”

Noah blushed as he quickly shut the screen
door and tromped down the porch steps with Daniel hurrying to keep
up.

“Your boys are growing up, John,” Jim said.
“Noah dating now and soon Daniel will be.”

“Jah,” John agreed.

Aunt Tootie came out of her bedroom with a
handkerchief over her nose. “The wind is from the east. I don't
know which is worse. The skunk smell on the dog, or the moth ball
smell under the porch working its way into my bedroom.”

Nora laughed. “Hal was desperate, but just
remember the moth balls were your idea.”

“Pooh,” grumped Aunt Tootie as she
disappeared into the clinic.

That night after they went to bed, Hal turned
on her side and rested her head on her hand. “John, did you meet
the new member, Enoch Bruner, at worship service?”

“Jah, I did,” John uttered sleepily.

“Well, what did you think of him?” Hal
insisted.

“That he was a hard working man who will make
a gute living on his farm.”

“I met his wife, Wanda. Her sister, Gladys
Kraybill, stayed home. Not feeling well her sister said,” Hal
mused.

John opened his eyes and looked at her. “You
do not sound as if you believe her?”

“Wanda seemed really edgy when she talked
about her sister. I got the feeling there might be something else
wrong. I offered to pay Gladys a visit, but Wanda shot that down
quick enough,” Hal said.

John muttered, “You suppose it might be
because the woman is not ailing enough to need a nurse or
doctor?”

“That's true, but she better not be faking.
Bishop Bontrager told Wanda he was stopping by one day this week to
meet Gladys. He wants her to the next worship service. Did Enoch
tell you why they moved here after they lived in Kansas their whole
life?” Hal persisted.

“Jah, the Old Order Amish was phasing out to
Beachy Amish, and he wanted to go where other Old Order Amish
live,” John reported drowsily.

“Jah, Wanda told me that, too. I think I will
have a problem with them before they have a chance to settle in.”
Hal let out a long sigh.

John's eyes flew open again. “Now why would
you think that? You just met Wanda Bruner, ain't so?”

“Wanda said they were against owning cars and
cell phones,” Hal replied.

“Sure enough. That is just like our Ordnung
rules,” John said.

“Except I own a car and a cell phone. How is
Wanda and her husband going to feel toward me when they find
out?”

“If the time comes we need to, we will
explain how you use the car and phone for emergencies and hope they
understand. Stop worrying and go to sleep now,” John grumped,
throwing his arm over his eyes.

“Ach, you sound just like Jane,” Hal
complained.

“Sure enough, I expect I do. Jane is a smart
woman,” John said with a sparkle in his dark brown eyes.

“Fine, but I can't help worrying. I like
Wanda. If the Bruners find out about my modern conveniences from
Stella Strutt, you know how she can spin the story. It won't be in
my favor.”

“Nothing we can do about it this late at
night. Go to sleep, Hal,” came John's muffled slur as he drifted
off.

Monday started off routine. Everyone woke up
early. The men went to the barn, and the women headed for the
kitchen. Above the usual farm sounds came Biscuit's long mournful
howls of protest about being locked up.

As soon as Hal dressed Redbird and Beth, she
put the girls in their high chairs. “I'm going to check the live
trap before I get busy and forget to do it,” Hal told her mother
and aunt.

She walked to the end of the porch. She could
see through the trap. The broken eggs had been sucked dry, but the
trap door wasn't shut. The plywood covered the flower bed. At the
end of the plywood was a gaping hole. Hal groaned.

At breakfast, she gave the boys an update. “I
will give the animal credit for being industrious. It tunneled
under the plywood to get out. Now what do we do? There has to be a
way to outsmart the critter.”

Noah stopped eating to think. “We have a rock
pile in the gully where we picked up rocks out of the fields.
Suppose we lined the rocks along the plywood. The animal would find
those too heavy to move, and the rocks should sink on top of him if
he digs under them.”

“If that's what it's going to take, I'll
gladly help you carry the rocks,” Hal said. “That animal has to
find a new home before winter. I don't want it to hibernate under
the porch.”

“Not that I will be here this winter, but I
agree with Hallie,” Aunt Tootie said. “I am uncomfortable with the
notion that an animal is living that close to me. Especially a
skunk.”

Tuesday before daylight, Hal woke to the most
unpleasant odor. She got out of bed and went to investigate. John
followed her. The others were in the hall, holding their noses.

When everyone came downstairs, Aunt Tootie
was upright in bed with a hanky over her nose. She hacked and
swallowed hard which choked her.

Hal asked, “Are you all right?”

“I can't take much more of this. It smells
like skunk,” Aunt Tootie gasped.

“I know it does. Now which do you think
smells worse, skunk stink or moth balls?” Nora teased.

Aunt Tootie's alarm clock went off. Perturbed
at Nora, she slapped at the clock. Her finger slipped off the alarm
clock button and bumped her cell phone. It clattered to the
floor.

“Do something someone?” Aunt Tootie demanded,
holding her stomach and gagging.

Nora grabbed her under the arm. “Calm down,
Tootie. Next, you'll throw up. Get up and come out to the living
room with me before that happens.”

“I will go check the trap,” Daniel said. He
turned on a flashlight and eased out the clinic door. Instantly, he
rushed back inside. “We caught the skunk. What do we do, Noah?”

“We did not catch the skunk. Mama Hal did,”
Noah said with a wink.