Amish Country Arson (9 page)

Albert Jostle stuck his hands in his pockets
and sauntered toward Noah and Daniel, giving off a take me or leave
me attitude. “Look who showed up will you, boys?”

Following behind Albert, his brothers, Will
and Sam was Mark Bender, Rueban Rogies and Matthew Stoll. They all
greeted the boys.

“
Did you decided to come to the party
Friday night on Bender Creek Road? Anyone is welcome. We could fix
you both up with a girl if you want. You know the kind that don't
mind taking a walk in the underbrush.” Albert gave an exaggerated
wink.

“
We are not sure yet what we will do
Friday night,” Noah said, blushing as he kicked a rock with the toe
of his shoe. “Recht now Daniel and I are going to look in the
concession stands to see what is for sale.”

“
Same old junk,” Matthew Stoll said as
the boys walked along the stands with the Lapp brothers.

One booth counter was piled with stacks of
quilts of various sizes and designs, all in black, blue and purple
colors. Another held bake goods like doughnuts, cookies and bread.
The next one had small jars of jams, jellies, molasses and
honey.

Daniel said, “We can get any of these things
at home for free.”

Noah nodded and stopped at a stand that had
battery operated calculators and radios on the counter beside
different sizes and colors of flashlights. Next was a handy display
of batteries to fit all the sale items.

Rueban Rogies pointed to a small transistor
radio with a little carry strap. “I bought one of these and the
batteries about a month ago. It has AM and FM channels and comes
with an earplug so no one but me can hear the radio play.”

“
Deacon Rogies lets you keep it?”
Daniel asked in surprise.

“
He does not know I have it. The radio
fit in my pocket until I got home. I keep it on a rafter in the hay
loft.”

“
What do you listen to?” Noah
asked.

Rueban said, “Country western music and
baseball games mostly.”

Noah picked the radio up and looked it over.
He was very tempted. He hesitated. His father wouldn't like him to
own the radio. Still if Deacon Rogies hadn't found Rueban's yet,
chances were he might be able to hide a radio on a rafter and get
away with it. Noah reached into his trouser pocket for his
money.

Daniel grabbed his arm. “You should think
about this. Buying that radio will get you in trouble with Daed
sure enough.”

“
Not if we are the only two that know I
have it,” Noah said.

Daniel shrugged. “It is your money and maybe
your hide.”

Back home, Hal climbed out of the buggy. She
reached up to take the rooster cage from Emma and place it on the
ground. While Hal turned to help Aunt Tootie down, the rooster
stretched his neck and crowed a hello greeting to the farm.

Tom Turkey's long neck stretched in the air
to look around. When he heard the crow of a stranger, he scattered
the hens he was with as he raced to the crate. Tom lowered his head
and peered through the square holes as he bristled his feathers.
After he had a good look at the rooster, he straightened and backed
up. He stared at the cage while he stomped a foot in warning. The
turkey fanned his tail and gobbled a complaint as he circled the
cage, causing the rooster to growl and peck the crate.

Aunt Tootie backed up behind the buggy, ready
to run for the house. She shook her finger at the turkey. “Oh dear,
Tom looks mad.”

Emma waved her apron tail at Tom, backing him
up a few feet. “Shoo! That's not a very nice wilcom for the new
rooster!”

Noah frowned. “Mama Hal, Tom is not going to
let you turn the rooster loose. He is asking for a fight already.
The way the rooster is bristling up, I think he is willing to
oblige.”

“
I do not think the rooster can win in
a fight with Tom,” Daniel surmised.

“
Fudge! What are we going to do?” Hal
asked.

“
Put Tom in the barn for a few days
until the rooster gets used to the farm. That way he will have time
to find places to get out of Tom's reach,” Daniel
suggested.

“
Just make sure that turkey stays in
the pen room. I do not want him pestering the milk cows when we
milk,” John warned.

“
Sure enough,” Noah said. “Help me get
Tom in the barn, Daniel.”

Noah and Daniel herded the turkey to the
barn. Daniel opened the door. Curious now, Tom forgot about the
rooster as he craned his neck to look inside. This was a new place
for him to check out. He hopped in and wandered around.

“
What are you going to name your
rooster, Hallie?” Emma asked.

Hal paused to think. “I hadn't thought about
a name. How about Joseph?”

“
Why Joseph?”

“
Because the rooster has a coat of many
colors,” Hal replied.

“
Sure enough,” Emma agreed.

Noah hitched up Emma's buggy for her, and she
left for home. The women went to the house to fix supper. While
John and Jim was busy in the milk room, Noah climbed to the loft
and stood on a stack of bales to reach the top side of a rafter. He
fished the radio out of his trouser pocket and placed it next to a
beam so he could easily find it. When he came back to the milk room
to help, Daniel raised an eyebrow at him. Noah winked.

In the kitchen, Aunt Tootie said, “While you
ladies get prepared for supper, I'd be glad to go gather the
eggs.”

“
That is great,” Hal said. “Thank you,
Aunt Tootie.”

After the mudroom door closed, Hal gave her
mother a wide eyed expression. “Aunt Tootie has never offered to
gather eggs. Why now?”

Nora giggled. “You should be wise to your
aunt by now. My dear sister likes to pick and choose the tasks she
volunteers to do. At this moment, she thinks gathering eggs is the
easier one.”

Aunt Tootie swung the egg bucket back and
forth to scare the chickens out of her way. The hens cackled and
scurried to keep from getting hit. Tootie narrowed her eyes to see
into the dark hen house. Just two hens on the nests which beat half
a dozen or better. She should scare the hens off the nest, but she
wasn't going to bother two. She excused they might still be trying
to lay. If they had an egg under them, Hal would never miss one or
two eggs from this gathering. Tomorrow Hal could bring the extra
eggs. The hens would peck if Aunt Tootie stuck her hand under them,
and she didn't like to get peck.

She walked along the three tiers of empty
nesting boxes and gently put the eggs into the bucket. That job
didn't take long. She could walk slowly on the way back to the
house to kill a little more time while Hallie and Nora cooked. She
was wore out from the day's outing to town.

The strong sun beamed in the west, making it
hard to see. Aunt Tootie squinted, trying to be careful where she
put her feet. She didn't want to trip over a stick or lose her
balance on unleveled ground. Plus, she'd sure hate to step in
something nasty smelling that she'd have to wash off her shoe
soles.

Somewhere close behind her came an awful
growling noise. Aunt Tootie turned around. The new rooster, with
his head stretched out, was racing at her. Joesph meant business.
Tom wasn't the only one he didn't want around.

Aunt Tootie trotted toward the house, making
little eeking noises. She had to stop to open the screen door. When
she did, the rooster caught up to her. He flogged the calf of her
legs with his spurs and pecked her. Aunt Tootie let out a scream as
she squeezed through the open door.

Hal and Nora were to the mud room in a
second.

“
What's wrong, Aunt Tootie?” Hal
asked.

Aunt Tootie leaned against the screen door,
panting and waving her hand in front of her flushed face. The
rooster struck the back side of the screen, flogging the door. Aunt
Tootie jumped away and placed the egg bucket on the floor. She
glared at Hal. “Your old rooster chased me and pecked my legs.”

“
Surely not,” Nora said. “He must have
thought you had some corn in the bucket to feed him.”

“
I tell you that mean thing wasn't
interested in what was in the bucket.” Aunt Tootie twisted at the
waist, hiked up her skirt and looked at her legs. “See, I'm
bleeding. Last time I gather the old eggs at this
place.”

“
I am so sorry,” Hal took Aunt Tootie
by the arm when the elderly woman stuck out her lower lip in a
pout. “Come sit in the kitchen and rest. I'll wash your legs and
put bandages on the wounds.”

That evening after everyone called it a
night, Hal said softly to her husband's back, “John, are you asleep
yet?”

He grumbled, “Almost. Was ist letz?”

“
John, I need to buy a milk goat,” Hal
responded fast.

John whipped over on his side. “What did you
just say?”

“
I need to buy a milk goat,” Hal
repeated slower this time.

John sat up in bed with his eyes opened wide.
“Where did that idea come from?”

“
Rudy Briskey mentioned it to me at the
fellowship lunch,” Hal said quietly.

John rubbed his forehead like he felt a
headache coming on. “I might have known. Why does Rudy think you
need a milk goat?”

“
Rudy said I wouldn't have to bottle
feed lambs in the spring if I had a goat. If I penned her up with
her babies in the barn, she'd claim orphan lambs,” Hal explained,
looking hopeful.

“
Let me guess. Rudy has the perfect
milk goat. He is willing to sell it to you to help you out,” John
said wearily.

“
Jah, that's what he said,” Hal
agreed.

John eyed her in the dark. “What did you tell
him?”

“
That I'd have to ask you about it. If
it helps any, he says he will deliver,” Hal added as an incentive
to help John decide in her favor.

“
You have your sheep bred already. The
milk goat will not do you any good if it is not bred yet. She has
to kid when the lambs are due,” John explained.

“
Rudy said the goat is bred already,”
Hal assured him.

“
I never know about Rudy and his deals.
It seems there is always a catch, but if you want to try a milk
goat who am I to say nah,” John said.

Hal said excitedly, “Oh, denki, John.”

“
Just one goat. No more even if Rudy
thinks you need a herd,” John ordered.

“
Recht, I understand,” Hal
agreed.

“
The goat has to have a sound milk bag,
or you will be feeding her kids on the bottle next spring along
with lambs. If you go through with this, I want to go with you to
inspect the goat, before you buy it. No sight unseen deals.
Especially with Rudy Briskey,” John instructed. He yawned as he
flopped back down. Groggily, he said, “Could the rest of this talk
wait until morning?”

Hal smiled and kissed John's cheek. “Jah, we
can talk more about goats tomorrow. Go to sleep.”

The following day at breakfast, John and Jim
talked about the fire that wiped out most of Rudy Briskey's corn
shocks. John said Jim and he should drive over and check out the
damage. He'd like to hear from Rudy if the sheriff investigated yet
and had an idea how the fire started.

Hal laid her fork on her plate as she added,
“I really should go along to help Martha with the house
cleaning.”

“
Gute idea. Amos said it will be a
chore for her to get rid of the smoke smell in the whole house,”
John said.

“
I can go along and help if that's all
right. Three of us will get done faster than two,” Nora said. “How
about you, Tootie? Want to go with us to clean the
house.”

“
I don't do well in smoky places with
my bad breathing.” Aunt Tootie put her hand over her mouth to cover
a weak cough. “Besides, my legs are sore from the rooster bites.
How about I stay here with the girls?”

“
Sounds gute to me,” Hal agreed. “They
don't need to be in that smoke, either.”

Later when John drove by Rudy Briskey's burnt
cornfield, he shook his head. “What a waste is that.”

“
It is,” Jim agreed.

“
How could anyone think it was a fun
game to start fires like this,” Hal declared.

“
Someone who is sick,” Jim said simply
as John parked by the house.

Rudy came out of the barn to greet them.
“Wilcom. Get down. It is nice to see you. What brings you here this
fine day?”

Hal climbed down and picked up her cleaning
basket from the back. “Gute Morgen, Rudy. Mom and I are going to
help Martha. Come on, Mom. Let's get Martha's house back in order.”
She rushed her mother away from the men, knowing that Rudy would
delay them if he thought about selling her that goat.

Martha came out on the porch with a broom in
her hand. “Wilcom, but you might not want to come into my smoky
house.”

“
That's exactly where we're headed,”
Hal said, smiling. “Mom and I want to help you clean.”

Martha held the door for them. “That is very
kind of you. I would appreciate the help.”

The ladies divided up the cleaning detail.
Hal washed the windows on the outside while Nora washed the inside
glasses. Martha had scrubbed the floors before they got there, and
now she started washing the gray smudge off the walls.

While Hal and Nora washed all the pots, pans
and dishes, Martha cooked their lunch. By the time John, Jim and
Rudy came in, the women were ready to sit down and almost too tired
to eat.