What a Pair! Read online

  Gritting his teeth, Mark clambered to his feet, and more determined than ever, he gripped the bat once again. As he waited for the next pitch, he whispered a little prayer. Help me to hit this ball, Lord.

  Whack! This time he hit the ball with such force that it sailed through the air, just missing the pitcher’s head.

  Mark felt pretty good about that, but he only made it halfway to first base when he got tagged out. That was the trouble when you couldn’t run fast.

  “Hey, brainiac with the carrot top hair,” Aaron Stutzman jeered, “looks like you can’t run any better than you can hit! Maybe you should let your twin sister fill in for you the next time you’re up to bat.”

  Mattie planted both hands on her hips and glared at Aaron. “You shouldn’t make fun of my bruder or call him names.”

  “She’s right,” Russell called from the sidelines where he’d been watching. “Mark just needs more time to practice.”

  Mark’s face heated, and he knew it had turned red. It was bad enough that he couldn’t play well, did his sister and brother have to embarrass him in front of the others by sticking up for him like that? This was not a good way to begin the new school year, and as he walked off the ball field he decided that from now on he’d find something else to do during recess.

  CHAPTER 8

  Poor Twinkles

  “Sure wish I hadn’t played ball during lunch recess today,” Mark told Mattie on the way home from school. “I don’t like playing ball, and I don’t like people laughing at me or sticking up for me when I mess up. If the teacher doesn’t mind, I’m not gonna play that game anymore.”

  “What Russell said was right, you know. You just need to practice more,” Mattie said. “Mom always says that practice makes perfect.”

  “I might practice if I liked playing ball, but I don’t, so what’s the point in practicing?” He nudged Mattie’s arm. “What about you? If you practiced spelling more you might be good at that, too.”

  Mattie’s cheeks turned pink. “You know I don’t like spelling, and I don’t want to talk about this anymore!” She ran quickly ahead of him.

  That was fine with Mark. With the way he felt about the baseball game, he’d rather walk by himself anyway.

  Trudging along with his head down and shoulders slumped, he stopped to dig the toe of his boot into the dirt. When he spotted a ground beetle moving slowly through the dirt, he squatted down and studied it for a few seconds. Ground beetles were often found under rocks, twigs, or tree stumps, and they were big and black. Burying beetles were another type of interesting bug, but they had spots on their backs, kind of like ladybugs. Beetles, spiders, grasshoppers, and other insects didn’t bother Mark at all, but he sure didn’t like snakes. In fact, he disliked snakes even more than he disliked Mattie’s yappy little dog.

  “Hey Mark, what are ya lookin’ at?” Aaron Stutzman called as he walked up behind Mark and tapped his shoulder.

  “Nothin’ much,” Mark mumbled. “Just watchin’ a big fat beetle.”

  “Well, if ya watched the ball as hard as you’re starin’ at that bug, ya might be able to hit better.” Aaron snickered. “Maybe you should get your twin sister to teach you how to run faster, too.”

  Mark clenched his fingers so tightly that his nails dug into the palms of his hands. He didn’t need the reminder that Mattie could play ball better and run faster than he could, and he was relieved when Aaron went on his way.

  Farther down the road, Mark found a flat rock with red stripes running through it, so he stuck it in his pocket. It would look good with some of the other unusual rocks he’d collected and put in a glass jar in his room. Then he rose to his feet and continued his walk toward home. He was almost there when he spotted a teenage boy riding up the road on his fancy black-and-silver bicycle. Oh, how he wished he had a bike like that. If he’d been riding a bike instead of walking he could have pedaled right on past Aaron when he’d started making fun of him. And if he had a bike, that would get him home really quickly like his brothers Russell and Calvin.

  When Mark entered his yard a short time later, he saw Mattie on the grass playing with Twinkles.

  “Sit, Twinkles! Sit!” Mattie snapped her fingers and pointed to the mutt.

  Woof! Woof! Instead of sitting, Twinkles darted across the lawn and nipped at Mark’s pant leg.

  “Get away from me, you annoying hund!” Mark shouted. He was in no mood for this today. “Go find someone else to pester.”

  “Don’t be nasty to my dog. Twinkles only wants you to pet her,” Mattie said.

  “Well, she has a funny way of showing it,” Mark grumbled.

  “You know something?”

  “What’s that?”

  “Twinkles is a good dog, and she doesn’t nip at anyone but you.” Mattie frowned. “I think it’s because she knows you don’t like her.”

  Mark bobbed his head. “She’s right about that, and I don’t feel like petting her right now.”

  “I’m going inside to see if Mom will fix me a snack.” Mattie turned and hurried into the house.

  Woof! Woof! Twinkles nipped at Mark’s pant leg again, this time tearing a small hole in it.

  “That’s it! You’re going in your dog pen!” Mark bent down, scooped Twinkles into his arms, and marched over to the dog pen. After he’d put Twinkles inside, he slammed the gate shut with a bang. “There, that oughta teach you for ripping my pants!”

  When Mark entered the house, he found Mattie and Mom sitting at the kitchen table eating cheese and apple slices, and they each had a glass of milk.

  “Wash your hands, and have a seat at the table,” Mom said, motioning to an empty chair. “Mattie’s been telling me about her first day back at school, and I’d like to hear how your day went, too.”

  Mark grunted. “It was baremlich.”

  “Why was it terrible?” Mom asked, raising her eyebrows.

  Mark washed his hands and took a seat at the table; then he told Mom all about his day.

  “I’m sorry.” Mom ruffled Mark’s hair. “I’m sure tomorrow will go better, and don’t worry about your pants. I’ll see that the tear’s mended.”

  “Sure wish we didn’t have to play ball at school. Wish we could just stay inside and learn new words,” Mark said, reaching for an apple slice and a piece of cheese.

  “Learning is good for your mind,” Mom said, “but your body needs exercise, too.”

  “That’s right,” Mattie agreed. “And playing ball is good exercise.”

  “So’s riding a bike.” Mark looked at Mom and smiled. “If I had a bike I could get places quicker, and it would be good exercise to help strengthen my legs. If I had a bike I could run some errands for you, too.”

  Mom said nothing, just gave a little nod. Did that mean she was thinking about it? Was it possible that he’d get a new bike for his birthday? He sure hoped so, because besides how wonderful it would be if Grandpa and Grandma Troyer could come to his and Mattie’s party, a new bike was the only gift he really wanted this year.

  “I’m done with my snack now,” Mattie said, setting her empty glass on the table. “Is it okay if I go outside and play?”

  Mom nodded. “Just be sure to change out of your school dress first.”

  Mattie took her dishes to the sink and hurried from the room.

  “I’m going to get Ada and Perry up from their afternoon nap,” Mom said to Mark. “After you’re done with your snack, be sure to clear away your dishes.”

  “Okay.”

  While Mark enjoyed his snack, he began to feel a bit better. Maybe Mom was right. Tomorrow might go better at school. Maybe he could talk the teacher into letting him do something else while the others played ball during recess.

  Mark heard the back door open and close, and figured Mattie must have gone outside. A few minutes later the door opened and closed again. Then Mattie stomped into the kitchen, and with her hands on her hips, she frowned at Mark. “Did you put Twinkles in her pen?”

  “Jah.” />
  “How come?”

  “’Cause I was tired of her nipping at my pant leg.”

  “But you came inside for a snack, so how could she have bothered you then?”

  “She would have bothered me when I went back outside.”

  “Well, Twinkles is my dog, and I’d appreciate it if you’d let me put her in the pen.” Mattie left the kitchen and went out the back door.

  Mark took his time eating his snack. When he was done, he put his dishes in the sink and went to his room to change his clothes. Maybe he’d lie on his bed awhile and study his spelling words for tomorrow. Better yet, he could take the words out to the barn, and after he’d studied he would play with Lucky and her new kittens.

  Mattie spent the next half hour playing with Twinkles and trying to teach her to jump through a hoop. Today for some reason Twinkles was being a stubborn dog and didn’t want to learn anything new, so Mattie finally gave up and went back to the house. She figured she might as well study her spelling words for a bit.

  When Mattie entered the house she took a peek in the kitchen to see if Mark was still there, but the room was empty so she figured he must be upstairs in his bedroom.

  Mattie went up the steps and into her own room. Then, with a big yawn, she curled up on her bed with the list of spelling words their teacher had given them today. “Camping … fishing … fuzzy …” Mattie’s voice trailed off as her eyes became heavy, and soon she drifted off to sleep.

  Woof! Woof! Woof!

  Mattie’s eyes popped open, and she jumped off the bed. Hurrying over to the window, she pulled the curtains aside and looked out. She saw Mark in the yard, doing something with Twinkles.

  Woof! Woof! Twinkles raced back and forth, barking and leaping into the air.

  Mattie rushed out of the room, raced down the stairs, and out the back door.

  When she stepped into the yard, she halted. Mark had an old rag in his hand, and he was pulling on it as Twinkles tugged on the other end.

  “Absatz!” Mattie hollered. “You’re gonna make my dog tired, doin’ that!”

  “I’m not hurtin’ her,” Mark said. “I’m tryin’ to pay Twinkles some attention like you asked me to do before, and she seems to like my teasing.”

  Mattie wasn’t sure what to do or say about that. Twinkles did seem to be having a good time. “Would you like to help me teach Twinkles a new trick?”

  Mark shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

  CHAPTER 9

  Creepy Things

  For the rest of the afternoon, and even as they sat at the table eating supper that evening, Mattie thought about her plan to show Mark that she could tease, too. Remembering that Mark didn’t like snakes, Mattie had borrowed a rubber snake from Calvin, who liked to collect creepy things. Then when Mark was outside feeding his cat, she’d snuck into his room and put the snake under the top sheet in his bed. She stifled a snicker, imagining the look of shock on Mark’s face when he pulled the covers back and got ready to crawl into bed tonight. Since Mark was afraid of snakes of all kinds, he’d probably think it was a real snake and be scared silly.

  “That was a very good meal,” Dad said, patting his stomach before pushing his chair away from the table. He grinned over at Mom. “Fried chicken has always been my favorite meal, Alice.”

  She smiled in return. “I’m glad you enjoyed it, Willard.”

  “So now everyone needs to get their evening chores done,” Dad said as he moved toward the door. “Then we’ll all gather in the living room to read from the Bible before we go to bed.”

  “Mattie and Mark, I’d like you both to do the dishes.” Mom motioned to the sink. “After that, you’ll need to take out the garbage.”

  “I don’t mind taking out the garbage”—Mark frowned—“but do I have to do the dishes?”

  “Jah, you do,” Mom said. “I’m going to give the little ones their baths, and the older boys have some chores to help your daed with in the barn, so I need both of you to help in the kitchen.”

  Mark groaned. Mattie sighed. She didn’t want to do anything with Mark this evening. In fact, she thought it would be better if she could do the dishes alone.

  “Can’t Mark take out the garbage while I do the dishes?” she asked.

  Mom shook her head. “The dishes need to be washed and dried, and I think it’s good if you and Mark learn how to work together. Besides, you’ll get the job done much quicker if one of you washes and the other one dries.”

  “Well, let’s get this over with then,” Mark said, sliding his chair away from the table.

  Mattie helped Mom clear the dishes while Mark filled the sink with soap and water. Then Mom sent Perry to his room to get his pajamas while she gave Ada a bath.

  “Do you want to wash or dry?” Mattie asked Mark.

  He shrugged. “Makes no difference to me, ‘cause either one is just as bad.”

  “Fine then. I’ll wash and you can dry.”

  “I’ve changed my mind,” Mark said. “It does make a difference, and I’d rather wash and you can dry.”

  Mattie shook her head determinedly. “It’s already been decided. I’m gonna wash and you’re gonna dry.”

  “Who made you the boss?” He squinted his eyes into tiny slits.

  “Didn’t say I was the boss, but you already said it makes no difference, and I want to wash the dishes, so you’ll have to dry.”

  Mark turned his hands palms-up. “Oh, all right.”

  Mattie stepped up to the sink and plunged her hands into the soapy water. Then she sloshed the sponge over the plates, making sure they were clean. Finally, she rinsed them well before putting them in the dish drainer for Mark to dry.

  “You’ll have to do this one over again.” Mark plunked one of the plates back into the soapy water. “It’s despicable.”

  “Despica-what?” Mattie asked.

  “Despicable.”

  “What’s that mean?”

  “It means the dish is terrible, because it’s dirty.”

  Mattie flicked some soapy water at her brother. She was getting tired of him using big words.

  By the time Mattie and Mark finished the dishes, she was frustrated with him. It seemed like every other dish she washed he said was despicable and asked her to wash it again. The next time they did the dishes together he could wash and she would dry!

  “Guess we’d better take out the garbage now,” Mark said after he’d hung up the dish towel. “I’ll take this one and you can take the other.” He pointed to the two bags of garbage sitting near the back door.

  Mattie was tempted to argue about which bag she would take, but decided that it didn’t really matter. She just wanted to get the job done so she could do something fun before going to bed.

  When they stepped outside and headed for the garbage cans behind the barn, Mattie’s nose twitched. “There’s a skunk somewhere nearby, and it really stinks.”

  “Aw, you’re probably just smelling the garbage,” Mark said.

  “No, it’s not that. I know the difference between garbage smell and skunk smell.”

  As they drew closer to the garbage cans, the smell became stronger. “Hurry up, Mark. Get your bag of garbage put in the can, and let’s get back to the house before we get sprayed by that stinky skunk.”

  Mark tossed his bag of garbage into the can and took off for the house. Mattie was right behind him. As they stepped onto the porch, Mattie turned and saw a skunk with its tail in the air parade right through their yard. She dashed into the house behind Mark and quickly shut the door.

  “Whew, that was close!”

  Mark gave a nod. “I’m sure glad we didn’t get sprayed.”

  Just then Dad called from the living room, “Mattie … Mark … It’s time to read the Bible now.”

  “As soon as we wash our hands we’ll be right there,” Mattie said. She’d almost forgotten about the Bible reading time.

  When Mattie and Mark entered the living room, Mom and Dad were seated on the sofa with Perry and Ad
a between them. Calvin, Russell, and Ike had taken seats in the overstuffed chairs, so Mark and Mattie had to sit on the floor.

  Dad was just getting ready to read from the Bible, when Calvin pointed to the window. “What’s that on the curtain? Looks like something dark.”

  Everyone’s attention went to the window. With only the light from the two gas lanterns in the room, it was kind of hard to see.

  “That looks like a bat!” Mom shrieked. “Someone, quick, get a bucket or a box. We need something to catch that critter in!”

  “I’ll go out to the porch to get the bucket I’ve used to put fish in,” Russell said.

  Dad gave a nod. “That’s a good idea. Now, everyone else, stay put. We don’t want anyone getting bit by the flying rodent because it could carry rabies.”

  Russell raced out of the room, and Dad walked over to the other side of the room where the windows were located, then he slowly approached the curtain from the side. So far, the bat didn’t seem to know he was there.

  “Be careful, Willard,” Mom warned, while keeping her arms around Ada and Perry.

  Mattie held her breath as Dad took the curtain and quickly, but gently, folded it over the bat to hold it in place. When Russell came running back in, Dad shook the bat into the bucket; then hurriedly placed a magazine over the opening so the bat couldn’t fly out.

  “Whew, that was too close!” Mattie sighed, expelling air.

  “That little brown genus myotis was kinda cute,” Mark said as they all watched Russell take the bat out the front door. “He must have flown in the back door when Mattie and I took the garbage out, ‘cause I think we left it open.”

  “Genus myotis? Does that mean bat?” Calvin asked.

  Mark bobbed his head. “Jah. It means ‘mouse-eared bat,’ which is one of the most common bats around. They like to eat moths, wasps, beetles, and mosquitoes, among other things. Oh, and I read once that most bats don’t even have rabies, so we probably could have looked at it closer before Russell took the critter outside.”