Green Fever Read online

  “Where was it?” she asked, looking up at him.

  “In your garden. I heard the frosch but didn’t see it at first—not till it leaped onto my fuuss.” Mark snickered. “Think I’m gonna call him Hoppy Herman.”

  “See, I told you he was there,” Mattie said, bobbing her head. “Now don’t you wish you’d believed me?”

  “I thought you were just pullin’ my leg,” Mark said.

  Mattie’s eyebrows furrowed. “I would never do that. If I pulled your leg, you might lose your balance and fall over.”

  Mark leaned his head back and laughed. “When someone says somebody’s pullin’ their leg, it means they’re teasing them.”

  Mattie gave Mark’s arm a little poke. “Why didn’t you just say that?”

  Mark opened his mouth to reply, but before he could say a word, Mattie’s dog caught sight of the frog. Yip! Yip! Yip! Twinkles leaped into the air and touched the frog’s nose with the tip of her long, pink tongue.

  Ribet! Ribet! The frog jumped out of Mark’s hands, landed on the grass, and hopped away.

  Mark groaned. “Oh great! Now I’ll have to search for that sneaky little frosch all over again!”

  CHAPTER 2

  Disappointing Day

  “Hurry and finish your breakfast so we can be on our way to Millersburg,” Mom said, handing Mattie a bowl of cereal with sliced bananas on top. She looked over at Mark, who’d already been given his cereal, and smiled. “We’ll be shopping for new shoes, so let me know if your old ones are getting too tight.”

  “Mine sure are,” Mark said, nodding his head. “My old sneakers pinch the ends of my zehe.”

  “If your shoes hurt your toes, then your feet must be growing,” their brother Ike, who was seventeen, said, bumping Mark’s arm. Ike had auburn-colored hair, like Mom’s, and he was nearly as tall as Dad.

  “My feet are about all that’s growin’ on me,” Mark mumbled. “Don’t think I’m ever gonna be as tall as you are, Ike.”

  “Give yourself some time,” Dad said. “Remember, Ike’s eight years older than you, and as I have said before, there’s plenty of time for you to grow tall like your bruder.”

  “That’s right,” blond-haired Calvin, who’d recently turned twelve, agreed. “It took me awhile, but I’m getting taller every year. You will, too, Mark; I’m sure of it.”

  “Maybe Calvin’s right,” thirteen-year-old Russell said, reaching for his glass of milk. Russell also had blond hair, and he looked a lot like Dad, only shorter.

  Mark sighed and leaned his elbows on the table. “I sure hope so ’cause I’m gettin’ tired of bein’ so short.” He appreciated his family trying to be supportive, but it didn’t make it any easier to deal with the fact that everyone in their family, except for Ada and Perry, was taller than him.

  Mom gave Mark’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Don’t worry about it, son. You’ll grow in good time; just wait and see.”

  As they made their trip to Millersburg that morning, Mattie began to feel drowsy. It was a little over ten miles from their house to the Walmart store, and by horse and buggy, it took much longer to get there than it would have if Dad had hired a driver. Perry and their little sister, Ada, who was three, rode up front with Mom and Dad, while Mark, Mattie, Calvin, and Russell sat in the back. Ike had decided not to go since he’d made plans to be with some of his friends today. That was fine with Mattie. There really wasn’t room for one more person in the buggy. They were sitting close together as it was. If Ike had come along, he’d probably have ridden his bike or taken his own horse and buggy. Since Ike was the oldest brother, he often went many places on his own.

  Enjoying the warmth of the spring day, Mattie closed her eyes, almost ready to nod off. The movement of the buggy and the rhythmic clip-clop, clip-clop of the horse’s hooves made it even harder to stay awake. She was nearly lulled to sleep when Mark poked her arm.

  “Wake up, sleepyhead. We’re almost there.” Mattie opened her eyes, stretched, and yawned as she sat up straight. Maybe she wouldn’t feel so tired once she got out of the buggy and started walking around the store.

  “Hey, watch it,” Calvin fussed. “You almost gave me a black eye stretchin’ your arms out like that.”

  “Sorry,” Mattie apologized. “If we weren’t squeezed in so tight in the backseat, we’d all have more room.” She noticed, as they turned into the parking lot, that the store looked really busy today with all the vehicles in the parking spaces and many still rolling in from the main road.

  “Can we go to the bicycle department first?” Mark asked as Dad secured their horse to the hitching rail on the far end of the parking lot.

  “I don’t know; we’ll see,” Dad replied. “Your mamm has a list of things she needs to buy, so where we start in the store will be up to her.”

  Mark looked at Mattie, and Mattie looked at Mom, who was busy helping Ada and Perry out of the buggy. “Can we go to the bicycle department first?” Mattie asked, tugging on the sleeve of Mom’s dress.

  “We’ll see,” Mom said. She took Ada and Perry’s hands and started walking across the parking lot toward the store. Mark, Mattie, and the rest of the family followed.

  Mattie couldn’t help noticing all the colorful hyacinths and tulips on the stands outside the store’s entrance. The fragrance from the flowers smelled so wonderful, and their sweet scent even followed them inside the store. She hoped once more that the bulbs she had planted in her little garden would come up soon so she’d have some flowers of her own.

  Dad tapped Mom’s shoulder and said, “See over there? It looks like the store is giving away free ice cream cones in celebration of spring.” He pointed to a sign at the end of one aisle.

  “Ice cream! Ice cream!” Perry shouted.

  “Ice cream! Ice cream!” Ada repeated, clapping her hands and wiggling around. Ada often did that when she got excited.

  Mom put her finger to her lips. “Shh… Calm down, you two. We’ll have some ice cream first, and then we’ll get our shopping done.” She looked over at Dad. “Is that all right with you, Willard?”

  Dad gave a nod. “An ice cream cone—even a small one—sounds good to me. You know how I am,” he said, chuckling as he patted his stomach. “I like ice cream as much as our kinner do.”

  “I’d rather go to the bicycle department first,” Mark said. “Mattie and I have been saving up our money to buy something for our bike. We can get our free cones after we’re done.”

  “That’s right; I want a new bell,” Mattie said excitedly. Even though getting ice cream sounded really good, she knew she could wait awhile.

  “I want a new light for our bike,” Mark announced.

  “If you have enough money, maybe you can buy both,” Dad told the twins.

  “Let’s go there and look right now.” Mark grabbed Mattie’s hand and gave it a tug.

  “All right,” Mom agreed. “But come right back here when you’re done because we don’t want to hunt for you all over the store when we finish eating our ice cream.”

  “We’ll meet you right here,” Mark said before he and Mattie skipped off down the aisle.

  When they reached the bicycle department, Mattie, feeling even more excited, grabbed a bell off the shelf. “This is exactly what we need!” she proclaimed. “And look, it’s only ten dollars.”

  Mark wrinkled his nose. “But we just have twelve dollars between us, Mattie. If we buy the bell, we won’t have enough left to buy a light for our bike, and that’s more important than a bell.”

  Mattie shook her head determinedly. “No it’s not. We need a bell so people will know we’re coming.”

  “We need a light so we can see where we’re goin’ when it’s dark,” Mark insisted.

  “But we hardly ever ride our bike at night,” Mattie reminded her brother. “Mom and Dad don’t like us riding when it’s dark because it could be gfarlich.”

  “But it wouldn’t be so dangerous if we had a light on our bike,” Mark argued.

  M
attie groaned. She didn’t think their folks would let them ride at night, even if they did have a light. At this rate, they’d never get anything bought for their bike. And if they didn’t hurry, they might miss getting some ice cream because she didn’t know how long the store would be giving away free cones today.

  Mark nudged Mattie’s arm. “Come on, Mattie. Please say we can buy the light for our bike. We can get the bell when we save up more money.”

  “Oh, all right,” Mattie said with a sigh. “But we’d better figure out a way to make some money because I don’t want to wait very long to buy a bell.”

  “We’ll work somethin’ out.” Mark grinned and plucked the light off the shelf; then he headed to the cashier to pay for it.

  A short time later, the twins returned to the front of the store, where they were supposed to meet their family.

  “What took you so long?” Dad asked, looking at Mark.

  “We had a little trouble deciding what to get,” Mark replied.

  “What did you get?” Russell wanted to know. “A light or a bell?”

  “We got this!” Mark opened the package and held up the light. “It’s a nice one, too, don’t ya think?”

  Russell nodded. “You’re right about that. I believe it’s as nice as the one I have on my bike.”

  “We didn’t have enough money to get the light and a bell,” Mattie said, “so we’ll have to wait on a bell till we earn more money.”

  “I’m sure Grandma and Grandpa Miller will have some chores you can do, especially now that spring is here,” Mom said. “But right now we need to get our shopping done.”

  “What about our ice cream cones?” Mark asked. “Mattie and I are anxious for that.”

  “That’s right,” Mattie eagerly agreed. “I’m hoping for a vanilla cone.”

  “Sorry, but they stopped giving out free ice cream right after Ada and Perry got their cones,” Dad said.

  “Oh no!” Mattie moaned. She couldn’t have been more disappointed. No bell for the bike, and no free ice cream.

  “Guess maybe we should have waited to look in the bicycle department till we got our free cones,” Mark said with a frown. “I really wanted some chocolate ice cream.”

  “Sorry about that.” Mom patted the twins’ shoulders. “When we get home, you can have a few of those chocolate-chip kichlin I made yesterday morning. Right now, though, we need to head to the shoe department so that everyone can try on new shoes.”

  Mark wasn’t happy about not getting any ice cream. In fact, he was jealous of his brothers and little sister because they’d gotten a cone and he and Mattie hadn’t. He figured Mattie was probably upset about it, too, because she walked through the store behind Mom with her head down and shoulders slumped. Some things weren’t fair! The only thing that made Mark feel a little better was knowing that he’d be going home with a new pair of sneakers.He had told Mom that his old shoes were getting too tight, and even the little bit of walking they’d done so far today had made his feet hurt. Some new shoes that fit well should solve that problem, though.

  When they reached the shoe department, Mom helped Mattie and Ada find new shoes while Dad helped Mark, Calvin, Russell, and Perry choose. It didn’t take long for everyone to find a pair of shoes they liked—everyone but Mark, that is. All of the shoes he’d tried on had either been too big or too small. There wasn’t a single pair in his size!

  “It’s not fair,” Mark complained as Dad paid for their purchases. “I’m the one who needed new shoes the most, and I’m the only one in our family who didn’t get any shoes today.” He felt more envious now than ever. No ice cream and no shoes. What a big disappointment!

  “It’s all right,” Mom said. “We’ll look at the Shoe and Boot Store in Charm after you get home from school on Monday. Hopefully, they’ll have a pair of shoes there that will fit you.”

  “But I need them now,” Mark complained, tears welling in his eyes. It was hard to keep from blubbering like a baby. “My zehe hurt somethin’ awful.”

  “I have a temporary solution for your hurting toes,” Mom said. “You can wear Calvin’s old shoes until you get some new ones.”

  “I don’t wanna wear Calvin’s hand-me-down shoes.” Mark wrinkled his nose and made a face. “Calvin’s feet schtinke.”

  “I’ll wash the shoes so they won’t smell bad,” Mom said, giving Mark a quick pat on the back.

  A lump formed in Mark’s throat. He wanted his own brand-new shoes, and he didn’t want to wait for them, either. Well, Mark thought, at least this morning something went right. Mattie and I got a new light for our bike. If I would have agreed to buy a bell, I’d have nothin’ at all to show for coming here today.

  On the way home, Mark had a hard time watching Russell, Calvin, and Mattie hold tightly to the box of new shoes on their laps. Mark knew that even Perry and Ada were happy as they sat beside Mom in the front of the buggy, chattering and giggling while they pointed to their new shoes.

  “Hey, would you look at that!” Dad exclaimed, pulling the horse and buggy onto the shoulder of the road. There in the field, not far from the Millers’ home, were a cow and a calf. “Looks like that cow may have just given birth,” Dad said, pointing to the wobbly little calf standing near its mother.

  Normally, seeing something like this would have excited Mark. While everyone commented about the little calf, Mark looked away.

  “Isn’t it cute?” Mattie asked, nudging Mark’s arm with her elbow.

  He shrugged his shoulders but gave no reply. Didn’t anyone care how badly he felt about not getting new shoes today?

  “Look how the other cows are standing around.” Mom pointed at some of the cows that were mooing at the calf. “It’s as if they are welcoming the baby cow into their herd.”

  What’s the matter with me anyway? Mark thought. It’s not every day I get to see a brand-new calf right after it’s born. He knew it was wrong to feel so jealous, even to the point where he couldn’t enjoy this amazing scene. It should have been exciting to see this mama cow and her baby, but he couldn’t seem to stop his negative thoughts. Mom did say we would go shopping for a new pair of shoes after school on Monday, he reminded himself. Even so, that didn’t make up for not getting any ice cream like the rest of the family had, not to mention that Mark was still wearing his old, too-tight shoes. Today was definitely a disappointing day!

  CHAPTER 3

  Stinky Shoes

  “I can’t believe I have to wear Calvin’s old sneakers,” Mark complained as he and Mattie pedaled their bike to school Monday morning. “They’re too big, and they look dumm. It’s hard to pedal with these shoes on.”

  “They’re not that much bigger than your feet, and they don’t look dumb,” Mattie said, letting go of the handlebar with one hand and tapping Mark on the shoulder. “Just keep pedaling; you’re doing fine.”

  “It’s not fair that everyone else got new shoes on Saturday but me.” Mark started pedaling faster. “I just wanna get this day over with so I can go home.”

  “Don’t forget, Mom said she’d take you to the Shoe and Boot Store after school,” Mattie reminded. “Hopefully you’ll find something that fits you there.”

  “I hope so, too, ’cause I sure wouldn’t want to wear Calvin’s schtinke shoes all the time.”

  “I’m sure they’re not stinky anymore. Mom washed them, and they look fine to me.”

  Mark wrinkled his nose. “Well, they’re not my shoes, and they’re too big, besides.”

  “Maybe you should have stuffed some tissues inside the shoes to take up the extra space,” Mattie suggested. “Anyways, you only have to wear them for a few more hours today, and then you can stop complaining when you get your new ones. Besides, the ones you’re wearing are better than your old shoes. Remember how tight they got and were making your feet hurt?”

  “What? I can barely hear you,” Mark shouted when a noisy truck passed them by on the road, kicking up a bit of dust that blew in his face.

  “Oh,
never mind.” Mattie coughed. “Just keep pedaling.”

  When the twins arrived at the schoolhouse, they parked their bike and hurried across the yard to join their friends. Mark kept up with his sister the best he could, but he felt like a clown wearing oversized shoes.

  “How come you’re walkin’ so funny?” Mark’s friend John Schrock asked as Mark approached.

  “It’s these dumm shoes I have to wear.” Mark paused to wipe his runny nose with a hanky he’d pulled from his pocket; then he pointed to his sneakers and frowned. “They belong to my bruder Calvin, and they’re too big for my feet. Besides, Calvin’s feet schtinke. Even though Mom washed the shoes, I’m afraid the smell’s still there and that it’ll make my feet stink, too.”

  John snickered and poked Mark’s arm. “I heard once that if your nose runs and your feet smell, it means you were built upside down.”

  “Very funny,” Mark mumbled.

  “Aw, don’t look so serious,” John said. “I was only tryin’ to make you laugh.”

  “I’m not in the mood to laugh about these shoes,” Mark said. Usually he was eager to tell or even listen to a joke, but not right now. He felt downright cranky today.

  “If you don’t like your bruder’s shoes, then how come you’re wearin’ them today?” John questioned.

  Mark explained about his old shoes being too tight and said he had to wear Calvin’s hand-me-down shoes until he could get a new pair. “And I hope that’ll be today when I go shopping with my mamm after school,” he quickly added.

  “What store are you goin’ to?” John asked.

  “The Shoe and Boot Store in Charm.”

  “I got my last pair there,” John said, motioning to his black shoes. “There were several other people lookin’ for shoes that day, too, so I was lucky to find a pair in my size.”

  Mark frowned. “I hope that doesn’t happen to me. Mom said she thought the store in Charm would have shoes for me, and I’m wishin’ for that, too.”