Look Out, Lancaster County Read online

  The rain continued all that week, and Rachel complained about it almost every day. “If summer doesn’t get here soon, it’ll be over. Then school will start again, and I won’t have had any fun at all,” she announced during supper one evening.

  “Summer will come. It always does,” Pap said from his place at the head of the table. “The rain’s put us behind in our fieldwork, but we should still be glad for it. It could be the only rain we’ll have all summer.”

  “I hope it is. This awful weather has kept me from playing outdoors.” Rachel pointed to the container sitting near Esther. “Pass the pickles, please.”

  “If you want something fun to do, maybe you should put on your thinking cap and come up with something you will enjoy.” Esther pointed to Rachel’s plate. “And you already have two pickles.”

  Rachel frowned. She didn’t even remember taking the pickles. Maybe that was because she was so upset over the rain.

  “If you’re bored, you can come to the barn and help me brush the horses,” said Henry. “I think that’s fun, and you’re always pestering me to let you help.”

  “Humph! You always tell me that brushing horses is men’s work.” Rachel bit into one of her pickles and puckered her lips. She liked the tangy flavor of garlic and dill, but it made the edges of her mouth pull together.

  “It is men’s work,” Henry answered with a wink. “But just this once, I might let you help.”

  Rachel shrugged her shoulders. “I’ll think about it.”

  “Maybe you’d like to help me do some quilting. I find that to be enjoyable,” Mom said, forking another piece of ham onto her plate.

  Rachel shook her head. “I’d probably end up pricking my finger with the needle, like I usually do whenever I try to sew.”

  “I’ve got an idea,” Esther said. “Why don’t the two of us do some baking? We can make one of your favorites—banana chocolate chip cookies.”

  Rachel pushed her chair away from the table and began to clear her dishes. “I’m not really in the mood for baking, either.”

  “Well, young lady, it seems as if all you want to do is grumble and complain. So after you wash the dishes, I think it might be a good idea if you head on up to bed,” Pap said firmly. “Maybe if you sleep off this bad mood, you’ll wake up happier in the morning.”

  “Jah, you go around looking like you’ve been sucking on a slice of dill pickle,” Jacob put in.

  Rachel thought about the verse of scripture from Proverbs 17:22 that Pap had read to them one evening before bed. It said: “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” She knew the Bible verse didn’t actually mean her bones would dry up if she wasn’t happy, but she got the point just the same.

  “I’ll help Esther make cookies,” she said as she ran water into the kitchen sink.

  “And no more complaining?” Pap asked.

  She shook her head.

  “Der Herr sie gedankt [Thank the Lord],” Mom whispered. “Jah, thank the Lord.”

  When Rachel finished the dishes, she helped her sister set out the items they would need for the cookies.

  “Why don’t you mix the dry ingredients?” Esther suggested. “I’ll beat the eggs and mix all of the wet ingredients.”

  Rachel frowned. “How come you get to do the fun part? Why can’t I beat the eggs?”

  Esther handed Rachel a large bowl and the eggbeater. “You can mix whatever part of the cookie batter you want.”

  Rachel thanked her sister and went to the refrigerator to get out two eggs. When she cracked the first one into the bowl, a piece of eggshell fell in, as well. “Who said making cookies was fun?” she grumbled as she stuck her fingers into the gooey egg whites and pulled out the shell.

  “You said you wanted to beat the eggs,” Esther reminded. “Would you rather I do that part while you mix the dry ingredients?”

  Rachel nodded and slid over to the other side of the counter, where Esther had already placed a sack of flour and a can of shortening.

  “Don’t forget the baking powder and salt,” her sister said. “They’re still in the cupboard.”

  Rachel slid a wooden stool to the cupboard and climbed up. “Whoa!” She almost lost her balance but kept herself from falling by grabbing the handle on the cupboard door.

  “Are you okay?” Esther asked. “Would you like me to do that for you?”

  “I’m fine.” Rachel reached into the cupboard for the box of salt and leaned down to set it on the counter. Let’s see now. Does the recipe call for baking powder or soda? She squinted at the spice containers and boxes of other baking ingredients. I probably should ask Esther, but then she might think I’m dumm [dumb] and don’t know anything.

  Rachel grabbed the box of baking soda and placed it beside the salt. Then she reached for a package of white sugar and climbed down.

  When the ingredients were all mixed and the cookies were put in the oven, Rachel could hardly wait to get a bite. They smelled so good! Finally it was time to grab a pot holder and take the first batch of cookies out of the oven. Rachel waited until they had cooled before she ate one. “Something is wrong with these cookies,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “Maybe the banana you put in wasn’t ripe enough, Esther.”

  “I’m sure it was.” Esther lifted a cookie from the cooling rack and took a bite. “Eww… these do taste funny. How much sugar did you put in, Rachel?”

  “Half a cup, I think.”

  Esther shook her head. “You were supposed to use one full cup, so that’s why the cookies aren’t sweet enough.”

  “Oh. Guess I got verhuddelt [confused]. It seems I get confused a lot lately.”

  “The cookies aren’t puffed up the way they should be, either. How much baking powder did you use?” her sister asked.

  “I … uh … thought I was supposed to use baking soda.”

  “The ingredients for the cookies are right there on top of Mom’s recipe file,” Esther said, pointing to the small metal box on the cupboard. “It seems that you didn’t follow the directions for the dry ingredients.”

  “Trouble again,” Rachel mumbled. “Maybe I should have helped Henry with the horses instead of trying to make cookies.” She hung her head. “I guess I’m nothing but trouble. I can’t seem to do anything right these days.”

  “You just need to pay more attention to what you’re doing,” Esther said, giving Rachel a hug. “We can add more sugar and some baking powder to the rest of the cookie dough. Would you like to mix them in?”

  Rachel shook her head. “No, thanks. I think I’ll go to my room and get ready for bed.” Rachel ran out of the kitchen and dashed up the stairs.

  When Rachel entered her room, she flopped onto the bed. As she lay there feeling sorry for herself, she studied the cracks in the ceiling. They reminded her of a jigsaw puzzle. She hoped Mom wouldn’t find out about the cookies. She didn’t want to get into trouble for wasting food.

  Boom! A crash of thunder reminded her of the whole reason she’d been inside messing up cookies anyway.

  “I hope summer will hurry up and get here,” she muttered. “It will be my birthday soon, and it won’t be any fun if we have to eat supper in the house that night.” Mom had told Rachel that they might have a picnic in the backyard for her birthday.

  Rachel licked her lips as she thought about juicy, plump hot dogs roasting over the coals of Pap’s barbecue pit. She could almost taste Mom’s tangy potato salad and smell the spicy pickled beets.

  “Sure hope I get some fun gifts this year,” she murmured. She hoped for a skateboard and had even dropped a few hints to her family.

  Suddenly, an idea popped into Rachel’s mind, and she sprang to her feet. “If I had enough money, I could buy my own skateboard. I probably won’t get one for my birthday anyway. It seems like I always get gifts that are practical instead of fun.”

  Rachel rushed to her dresser and jerked open the top drawer. She pulled out a small, blue bank shaped like a pig and held it over her
bed, shaking the contents until all the money fell onto her patchwork quilt. She counted out six dollars and fifty cents. The skateboard she had seen at Kauffman’s Store cost fifteen dollars, so she would need another eight and a half dollars to buy it.

  Rachel tapped her finger against her chin. “I wonder how I can earn the rest of the money before my birthday gets here. Maybe I could sell something to Noah Kauffman. Lots of tourists look in his store for Amish-made items, so I might be able to make something they would like.”

  Rachel dropped the coins back into the bank. “I’m sure I can come up with a few things to sell before our next trip to town.” She flopped onto the bed and stroked Cuddles, who had found her way into Rachel’s room once again. “With a skateboard, I could sail up and down the sidewalks in town, the way I’ve seen so many other kinner do. Maybe I could even ride it to and from school every day. Then I would get there quicker, and I’d be home earlier, too.” She patted the top of her kitten’s silky head. “And it would give me more time to spend with you, my furry little friend.”

  Cuddles licked the end of Rachel’s finger with her small, pink tongue.

  “A skateboard wouldn’t be nearly as exciting as riding in a car, but it would be faster than walking.” Rachel pressed her face close to the kitten’s nose. “I still want to go for a ride in a fancy, fast car someday, but until then, a skateboard will have to do.”

  Cuddles gave Rachel another sandpapery kiss, this time on her nose.

  “Maybe you’d like to go for a ride on my new skateboard. Would you like that, Cuddles? Would you, girl?”

  The kitten was falling asleep, for her eyes had closed, and her only response now was a soft, gentle purr. Rachel felt sleepy, too. She nestled against her pillow, dreaming about soaring with Cuddles on a shiny new skateboard.

  Chapter 6

  Fireflies and Secrets

  By the end of June, the rain finally stopped. Sunshine and warmer weather took over, so Rachel could spend more time outdoors. She played with Cuddles, climbed her favorite tree, and waded in the creek. She plodded back and forth in the cool water now, trying not to get the edge of her long, blue dress wet.

  As Rachel stepped carefully across some slippery rocks, she thought about her kitten and how much she loved her. She thought about the tasty apple pie she’d had for breakfast that morning. And she thought about her birthday and wondered what gifts she might get.

  Two weeks earlier, she and Esther had gone to town to buy groceries. She had taken some of the pet rocks she’d painted to Kauffman’s Store. Noah Kauffman had said they were nice. He especially liked the ones she had made to look like ladybugs. He’d taken the rocks on consignment, which meant if he sold any, Rachel would get half of the money and he would get the other half. She hoped that by the time they went to town again all the rocks would have been sold. Then she could buy the green and silver skateboard she had put on layaway with her piggy bank money.

  “Rachel! Come up to the house, schnell [quickly],” Mom called.

  Rachel shielded her eyes from the glare of the sun and squinted. She saw Mom standing on the back porch, with her hands cupped around her mouth, and wondered why she wanted her to come quickly.

  “Rachel! Schnell!”

  “I’m coming, Mom.” Rachel plodded out of the creek, remembering the last time she hadn’t come when Mom had called. No way was she doing laundry again!

  Up in the yard, Rachel found Pap lighting the barbecue, while Henry and Jacob moved the picnic table under the shade of a maple tree. “Are we having a picnic?” she asked her oldest brother.

  Henry nodded. “Mom and Esther are in the kitchen getting everything ready, so you’d better hurry inside to help.”

  Rachel bounded up the stairs. She loved picnics!

  A short time later, the Yoders gathered around the picnic table. After their silent prayer, Mom passed the food. They had grilled hot dogs, tangy potato salad, spicy pickled beets, maple-flavored baked beans, and plenty of Pap’s icy-cold, homemade root beer.

  Rachel had second helpings of everything. By the time she’d finished eating, she could hardly breathe. “Yum. Everything tasted wunderbaar,” she said, licking her fingers.

  “You do have a napkin,” Mom said, shaking her head.

  Rachel glanced at the wadded napkin in her lap. It was a lot more fun to lick your fingers than to wipe them on a plain old napkin. Still, she didn’t want to risk getting in trouble with Mom, so she blotted her lips on one corner of the napkin and said, “May I please have the empty beet jar?”

  Mom gave Rachel a curious look over the top of her glasses. “Whatever for?”

  “I want to catch fireflies.”

  Her mother shrugged and handed Rachel the jar. “You’d better rinse it out well, or those poor little bugs might turn purple.”

  “I will, Mom.” Rachel ran into the house to rinse the jar in the sink. A short time later, she returned with the clean jar in one hand and her kitten tucked under her arm. “Cuddles and I are going to take a nap,” she said as she passed Esther, who sat on the porch swing, reading a book. “We got up extra early this morning. Could you wake me when the fireflies start to shine?”

  “I would, but Rudy’s coming to take me for a drive. He wants to see how well his new horse pulls the buggy.”

  “I’ll ask someone else then.” Rachel had only taken a few steps when Esther called out to her.

  “You’re not going to kill those poor fireflies, are you?”

  Rachel shook her head. “‘Course not. I just want to give myself some light when I go to bed tonight.”

  “Ah, I see.” Esther left the swing and joined Rachel on the step. “Are you afraid of the dark?”

  “Maybe …” Rachel really didn’t want to answer Esther’s question.

  “Why don’t you use a flashlight?”

  “The batteries went dead the last time I tried that.”

  Esther shrugged. “I hope the fireflies work out for you then.”

  Cuddles meowed as Rachel headed across the yard. She leaned down and kissed the kitten on the nose. She noticed Mom and Pap walking by the garden, and decided it would be best not to bother them. Then she passed by the picnic table and spotted Jacob and Henry playing a game of checkers. She stopped and tapped Jacob on the shoulder.

  “What do you want, Rachel?” he asked, as he took two of Henry’s checkers.

  “Cuddles and I are gonna rest awhile. Will you wake me when the fireflies start to rise and shine?”

  “Jah, sure,” Jacob mumbled.

  “Danki.” Rachel wandered to the tallest maple tree in their yard and sat on the grass. She set the empty jar down, placed Cuddles across her chest, and leaned against the tree trunk. She felt so tired, and Cuddles’s gentle purring soon put her to sleep.

  Whoo-hoo! Whoo-hoo! Whoo-hoo! Rachel’s eyes popped open. She could barely see the great horned owl that looked down at her from a branch in the tree. She sat up quickly and glanced around the yard, wondering how long she had been asleep. It was almost dark, and Rachel could see the fireflies as they fluttered up from the grass.

  “Why didn’t somebody wake me?” She set Cuddles on the ground, reached for the glass jar, and scrambled to her feet.

  Rachel was about to chase the fireflies when she heard voices. She noticed that Henry and Jacob were still at the picnic table. They weren’t playing checkers, but their heads were close together.

  “This needs to be kept secret,” Henry said quietly. Rachel stopped and listened closely, but she could barely hear him. “We can’t tell anyone, okay?”

  Jacob nodded. “I won’t say a word. I promise.”

  Secrets? Promises? What was going on? Rachel hurried to the picnic table and nudged Jacob’s arm. “What were you and Henry talking about?”

  Jacob looked at his older brother, and Henry shook his head. Then Jacob looked back at Rachel and said, “We weren’t talkin’ about much at all.”

  “But you said something about a secret,” she persisted.
“What kind of secret are you keeping?”

  Henry tweaked the end of Rachel’s nose. “You’ll find out soon enough, snoopy sister.”

  “I’m not snoopy. I just—”

  “Say, why aren’t you out there catching lightning bugs?” Jacob asked, changing the subject. “I thought that’s why you wanted the empty jar.”

  Rachel pointed to her brother and frowned. “Because someone forgot to wake me, and they’re fireflies not lightning bugs.”

  “Jah, well, I’ve heard ‘em called lightning bugs,” Jacob said. “Only a bensel would call them fireflies.”

  Henry snickered. “I guess they get the name lightning bug because the light on their stomach flashes off and on.”

  “That’s right. Put several of those critters inside a jar, and you’ll have enough light to read by.” Jacob poked Rachel’s arm. “Since you’re awake now, don’t you think you’d better get busy and capture those lightning bugs before it’s time to go to bed?”

  “Well, if you won’t tell me your secret, I guess I will try to see how many fireflies I can catch.” No way would Rachel call them lightning bugs just because Jacob said that’s what they were. She hurried away, and when she came to a spot in the grass where several fireflies had risen, she dropped to her knees. A few minutes later, Rachel had the jar filled with dancing, glowing bugs.

  Lights on. Lights off. Lights on. The insects’ shimmering stomachs twinkled and lit up the whole jar.

  “This is perfect. Now when Mom tells me to put out the oil lamp by my bed, I can still read.” Rachel smiled.

  Inside the house, Rachel found Mom and Pap playing Scrabble. “I was about to call you,” Mom said, nodding at Rachel. “It’s time for you to get ready for bed.”

  Rachel didn’t argue. Since she had her jar of lights, this was one time she didn’t mind going to bed. She hugged Mom and Pap and gave each a kiss on the cheek. Then she said good night and scampered up the stairs.

  Rachel set the jar of fireflies on the small table by her bed and opened the window. She was glad there was a tall maple tree growing outside her window. That gave Cuddles a way to get inside. Then she undressed and slipped into her long, cotton nightgown. Next she headed for the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth.