Green Fever Read online

  © 2013 by Wanda E. Brunstetter

  ISBN 978-1-62416-286-2

  eBook Editions:

  Adobe Digital Edition (.epub) 978-1-62836-269-5

  Kindle and MobiPocket Edition (.prc) 978-1-62836-270-1

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without written permission of the publisher.

  Churches and other noncommercial interests may reproduce portions of this book without the express written permission of Barbour Publishing, provided that the text does not exceed 500 words or 5 percent of the entire book, whichever is less, and that the text is not material quoted from another publisher. When reproducing text from this book, include the following credit line: “From Green Fever: Mattie & Mark Miller—Double Trouble, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission.”

  All German Dutch words are from the Revised Pennsylvania Dutch Dictionary found in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

  Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the HOLY BIBLE NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, and/or events is purely coincidental.

  Cover illustration by Colleen Madden/MB Artists

  Published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 719, Uhrichsville, OH 44683, www.barbourbooks.com

  Our mission is to publish and distribute inspirational products offering exceptional value and biblical encouragement to the masses.

  Printed in the United States of America.

  Dickinson Press, Inc., Grand Rapids, MI 49512; October 2013; D10004153

  DEDICATION

  To my friend Diane Allen, who created a special spot for the frogs that visit her garden.

  GLOSSARY

  ach–oh

  blumme–flowers

  boppli–baby

  bruder–brother

  bu–boy

  daed–dad

  danki–thanks

  dumm–dumb

  dunner–thunder

  felse–rocks

  fleissich–busy

  frosch–frog

  fuuss–foot

  gfarlich–dangerous

  gnechel–ankle

  Gut nacht.–Good night.

  hungerich–hungry

  hund–dog

  jah–yes

  katz–cat

  kichlin–cookie

  kinner–children

  kumme–come

  mamm–mom

  melke–milk

  naerfich–nervous

  nixnutzich–naughty

  oi–egg

  rutschich–squirming

  schee–pretty

  schtinke–stink

  schmaert–smart

  schpass–fun

  schtock–bush

  verhuddelt–confused

  warem–worm

  wasser–water

  wedderleech–lightning

  Wie geht’s?–How are you?

  wunderbaar–wonderful

  zaeh–teeth

  zehe–toes

  CONTENTS

  1. Sneaky Frog

  2. Disappointing Day

  3. Stinky Shoes

  4. Mattie’s Discovery

  5. More Jealous Thoughts

  6. A Pair of Bookends

  7. Mark’s Discovery

  8. Fun at the Farm

  9. A Green Lesson

  10. Best Friends

  11. Good News

  12. A Fair Trade

  13. Mark’s Ankle

  14. John’s Visit

  15. Lessons

  CHAPTER 1

  Sneaky Frog

  A-choo! A-choo! Mattie Miller sneezed as the wind lifted a cloud of green clippings and spread it across the yard. Her nine-year-old twin brother, Mark, was busy mowing the lawn and didn’t seem to notice the trail of grass he’d kicked up with the push mower as it swirled through the air. Mattie was glad mowing the grass wasn’t one of her after-school chores. She’d be sneezing even worse if she had to push the old mower. Mark had said earlier that he enjoyed doing it, though—especially since it was the first mowing of the season. Once the grass had been cut, it made the whole yard look nice and tidy. The lawn even looked healthier and thicker after a good mowing.

  Watching her brother, Mattie thought about how earlier this morning during breakfast, he had pulled a fast one on her. She’d eaten half of her dippy egg and was reaching for the toast to finish dabbing up the yoke when she discovered the toast that had been there a few seconds ago was gone. Since Mattie had been daydreaming during breakfast, she wondered if she’d eaten the other half of her toast without realizing it. She had been about to ask Mom if she could have another piece when she glanced over at Mark and saw a sly look on his face. That prankster had taken her toast! Mark liked to play tricks and make people laugh, but Mattie didn’t think the joke he’d played on her this morning was funny.

  Shrugging her thoughts aside, Mattie hurried across the yard to her little garden plot, anxious to see if any flowers had come up. It was springtime now—Mattie’s favorite season of the year—especially after a long, cold winter. Today in Walnut Creek, the air felt warmer than it had yesterday. Even with the little bit of wind, it was nice enough not to be wearing a coat. Mattie was in good spirits, and even Mark’s little joke at breakfast hadn’t ruined her mood.

  Signs of spring were everywhere, and winter’s harshness was finally behind them. Local markets were already selling different types of flowers. They were bursting with color and their lingering scent, and Mattie couldn’t help but feel happy just being around all the colorful blossoms.

  Even though the pollen from trees could be a nuisance, it was heavy in the air as the leaves started sprouting, leaving layers of green dust on everything it clung to. On a breezy day like this, Mattie could see a haze of green swirling off the pine branches where it had also settled.

  Pollen and grass made Mattie sneeze, but flowers gave her a wonderful feeling. She’d planted some tulip, crocus, and daffodil bulbs last fall and figured they should break through the ground most any day. She couldn’t wait to see them, and when they bloomed, she planned to pick a bouquet for Mom, or maybe she would decorate the fence, like she’d done last summer.

  Kneeling on the grass, Mattie peered at the soil near the wooden sign Dad had made for her garden. It said: MATTIE’S CORNER.

  Using her hands, Mattie removed a clump of wet leaves that had blanketed the garden during the winter, but so far, there was no sign of the flowers. To Mattie’s surprise, a small green frog hopped out of the upside down clay pot Grandpa Troyer had given Mark to use as a frog house. With a noisy Ribet! Ribet!—it jumped and landed in the ceramic dish filled with water that Mark had gotten for Christmas and used as a frog pool.

  “Mark, kumme—come quick!” Mattie shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth. “Your frosch just came out of hibernation!”

  Mark apparently didn’t hear Mattie shouting at him, for he kept mowing with a big grin on his face. He sure seemed to be enjoying himself as he pushed that old lawn mower back and forth across the lawn.

  Mattie knew her brother would be even more excited than she was to see the frog, so she jumped up, raced across the yard, and tapped Mark’s shoulder.

  “What do ya want?” Mark asked, stopping what he was doing and turning to face Mattie. His cheeks were flushed, almost matching his thick, red hair. “Can’t you see that I’m fleissich?”

  “I realize that you’re busy, but I want
ed you to know that a frosch came out of the frog house, and he’s in the little frog pond you made for him.”

  Mark let go of the mower and raced across the yard. Mattie followed right on his heels. When they reached her little garden plot, Mark dropped to his knees and peered at the ceramic dish. “There’s nothin’ in here but water,” he mumbled. “No sign of a frosch at all.”

  Mattie stared at the dish, unbelieving. “But—but he was here a few minutes ago.”

  Mark squinted his blue eyes while frowning at Mattie. “Are you tryin’ to get even with me ’cause I teased you at breakfast this morning?”

  She shook her head so hard that the ties on her black head covering swished around her face. “I am not trying to get even. There really was a frosch, and it must be around here someplace.”

  Mark grunted. “Well there’s not one here now, and I need to get back to mowin’ the lawn. I wanna get it done so I have time to play.” He hurried off before Mattie could say anything more.

  “Mark doesn’t believe me. He thinks I made it all up,” Mattie muttered, going down on her knees. Still no sign of that disappearing frog. If she had made up the story about seeing the frog, it would have been a good way to get back at Mark for taking her piece of toast this morning. But Mattie knew it wouldn’t be right to get even.

  “Whatcha lookin’ at?” Mattie’s six-year-old brother, Perry, asked when he joined her beside the garden.

  “I was looking for Mark’s frosch,” Mattie replied. “It was here before, but now it’s gone.”

  Perry, who had blond hair like Dad’s, pointed to the small green bush behind the garden plaque Mattie had made Mark for Christmas. “Is that a frosch, sittin’ under the schtock?”

  Mattie bent down for a closer look. Sure enough, the frog sat under a bush, all puffed out, as big as you please. Ribet! Ribet! Ribet!

  Mattie jumped up, raced across the lawn, and stopped behind Mark. Perry followed her there. “That frosch is back,” she said, tapping Mark’s shoulder.

  Mark quit mowing, and his eyes widened. “Are you sure about that?”

  She gave a quick nod. “Jah. Perry spotted the frosch under a schtock.”

  Perry bobbed his head in agreement, looking quite pleased with himself.

  Mark wiped his sweaty forehead with the back of his hand, leaving a streak of green above his eyebrows. “You’d better not be teasin’ about this, Mattie. I don’t have time for silly games.”

  “I’m not teasing.” Mattie grabbed her brother’s hand and led him over to the bush. Perry came, too. “Your frosch is right there,” she said, pointing to the spot where she and Perry had seen the frog.

  Mark got down on his knees and peered under all sides of the bush. “There’s no frosch here.” He clambered to his feet and shook his finger at Mattie, the way Mom sometimes did when she was scolding one of her children or trying to make a point. “Now, enough with your silly games! I have work to do.” With that, he dashed across the yard and started mowing the lawn again. This time Perry went with Mark and helped push the mower. Mattie thought their little brother would just get in the way, but Mark didn’t seem to mind, for he began to whistle as he and Perry moved the mower around the yard.

  Mattie went back to her garden. Leaning down to peek inside the frog house, she slowly tipped it back. The only thing she saw inside was a squiggly earthworm, tunneling its way into the damp dirt.

  “Ewww…” Mattie quickly lowered the frog house. Then she noticed a few weeds wrapped around the wooden sign Dad had made for her birthday last summer. She grabbed one of the weeds and gave it a tug. Suddenly, the frog leaped out from behind the miniature rosebush Mom had helped her plant. Ribet! Ribet! He landed on top of the frog house. Mattie snickered. That cute little frog looked like an ornament, sitting there like that.

  She jumped up, eager to tell Mark that the frog was back. He just had to believe her this time!

  As Mattie dashed across the yard, Mark’s cat, Lucky, streaked in front of her in pursuit of a mouse. Mattie, trying to get out of Lucky’s way, stumbled and fell flat on her back. Oomph!

  Mark stopped mowing and raced over to Mattie while she struggled to get up. “What happened, Mattie? Are you okay?” he asked, reaching his hand out to her.

  “Thanks to your katz, I tripped, but I’m fine.” Once Mattie was on her feet, she brushed the grass clippings from her plain green dress, then she pointed to her garden plot. “The frosch is back. He’s sitting on top of your frog house as though he belongs there.”

  Mark folded his arms. “I hope you’re telling the truth, Mattie. That frosch had better be there this time.”

  She bobbed her head. “It is. Kumme, Mark. Come quickly!”

  Mark followed Mattie across the yard, and Perry came, too. When they got to her garden, they dropped to their knees. Mattie couldn’t believe it, but the frog was gone again!

  “Where’s the frosch?” Mark questioned. “He’s sure not sittin’ on top of the frog house like you said.”

  “No frosch,” Perry said, shaking his head.

  “I—I can’t figure it out,” Mattie stammered. “He was here a few minutes ago, honest.”

  Wrinkles formed across Mark’s forehead. “If he was here, then where is he now?”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “I—I don’t know. That sneaky little frosch keeps disappearing. He’s as bad as you—always playing jokes on me.”

  Mark tapped his foot and frowned at Mattie. “I’m tired of this silly game. You’re the one playin’ jokes, Mattie, and I need to finish mowing the lawn. So please don’t bother me again!” Mark took Perry’s hand and tromped off toward the mower.

  Mattie couldn’t help but notice that her twin brother’s smile was no longer there. I can’t believe that crazy frosch, she thought. He keeps hiding, and it’s making me look foolish. Mattie wondered if the frog might be afraid of people. Maybe she could add a few ferns to her flower bed, especially around the frog house and its little swimming area. That way, once the ferns grew thicker, it would give the frog more cover as well as some shade from the hot sun. Maybe then he wouldn’t be so scared and wouldn’t hop away.

  Mattie knew exactly where to get some ferns, too. Recently, she’d seen some fiddlehead ferns beginning to curl up out of the ground. They grew near the creek across the road from where she often picked wildflowers. One day soon, on the way home from school, she and Mark could stop and dig up a few of those ferns to bring home and plant in her garden.

  For now, though, Mattie figured she’d better give up on the frog. When she heard Twinkles, her brown-and-white terrier, barking, she hurried over to the kennel to let the dog out. Since none of Mattie’s flowers were coming up yet and the frog kept disappearing, it might be more fun to play fetch with Twinkles than to sit and look at her garden. She could have the dog do some of the tricks she’d taught her, like rolling over, sitting up, and walking on her hind feet.

  Mark couldn’t believe Mattie would tease him like that. He figured it had to be because of the toast incident earlier that morning. If she really had seen the frog in her garden, then it would still be there. He pushed the mower as fast as he could, anxious to get done so he could do something else. Perry had gotten bored with helping Mark push the mower, so he’d gone back into the house. That was fine with Mark. Perry’s legs were short and he couldn’t walk very fast, so it was easier and quicker for Mark to do the mowing himself.

  When I’m finished with the lawn, maybe I’ll go to the barn and see if my cats are there, Mark thought. It was always fun to let Lucky and Boots play with a ball of string or even just sit with them on a bale of straw and scratch behind their ears.

  By the time Mark finished with the lawn and had put the mower away in the shed, his forehead was damp and a layer of green pollen covered his straw hat. Even though it wasn’t real warm out today, he’d worked up a pretty good sweat.

  Mark took off his hat and watched the green dust fly as he hit it across his legs. Then he reached for the roll of
paper towels Dad kept on a shelf near the door of the shed. Even on his tiptoes, he couldn’t quite reach it. Sure wish I was as tall as Mattie, Mark thought. We’re twins, and it’s not fair that she’s taller than me. I’m a boy, and I oughta be taller than my twin sister.

  Mark usually wasn’t jealous of Mattie, but ever since his sister’s growth spurt, he’d been envious of her height. Mattie’s long legs made it easier for her to run, which might be why she could sprint so much faster than Mark.

  Mark looked around the shed, searching for something to climb on so he could reach the shelf where the paper towels were kept. He spotted a step stool at the other end of the building and went to get it. Placing the stool in front of the shelf, Mark was about to climb up when Mattie came in.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “I’m gonna use this wooden stool to get the roll of paper towels,” he answered.

  “Want me to get it for you?” she asked.

  He shook his head determinedly.

  “I just wanna help.”

  “I don’t need any help. I can do it myself.” Mark climbed onto the stool, grabbed the roll of paper towels, and stepped down. After he’d wiped his sweaty forehead and thrown the paper towel away, he climbed onto the stool and set the roll back on the shelf.

  Mattie stood there a minute, staring at him; then she turned and went out the door.

  Mark returned the stool to the place he’d found it. I wonder if I’ll ever be tall like my brother Ike. I’m sure he wouldn’t have had any trouble reaching those paper towels, Mark thought as he stepped outside and closed the shed door.

  As he headed for the barn, Mark heard a Ribet! Ribet! Ribet! He tipped his head and listened. There it was again. Ribet! Ribet! “That sounds like it’s comin’ from Mattie’s little garden,” he said.

  Mark quickened his steps. When he came to the garden, he stopped and listened. Ribet! Ribet! Whoosh! Plop! A little green frog landed right on Mark’s foot! He chuckled and bent down, scooping the frog into his hands. Then Mark hurried across the yard to the porch where Mattie sat holding her dog.

  “Look what I found,” Mark said, holding the frog out for Mattie to see.