Authors: Mary Christner Borntrager

Tags: #Fiction, #Action & Adventure, #test

Ellie (12 page)

Page 100

your head so full of school and that . . . that . . . crippled little English sinner."

"But it was an accident, Mattie," said Lizzie, coming to her daughter's defense.

"Accident!" snapped Mattie. "It's about time you take that young miss in hand and teach her other things besides what she learned at that English school. I'd say it's high time you move back to our Amish community."

"I'm sorry," Ellie apologized.

"Humph," snorted Mattie. If Ellie had not been so frightened, she would have burst out laughing at the sight before her. Susie Glick would have laughed if she had collided with Ellie.
Mattie is no Susie,
Ellie thought. But Papa liked Mattie for a hired girl because she obeyed the rules of the church and wasn't fancy. Even though she was not as good a workeryes, even though she charged more for her serviceshe still preferred Mattie as their
Maut.

Ellie would find out the following week just how difficult and unreasonable Mattie could be. She almost wished she was back in the English school, even if her life there had often been unpleasant because of the fun poked at her for being Amish. But that was all in the past, and she would just make the best of whatever lay ahead.

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15
Ellie's Own Room

It was a busy week, to be sure, just as Mrs. Maust had predicted. There were hundreds of trips to the basement and just as many to the attic. By evening, Ellie was so tired, she didn't even mind Mattie's snoring.

Ellie had just come up from the basement, where her mother had sent her, when she heard Mattie say, "Well, I'll make it for her if she will listen to me."

"Oh, I'm sure you won't have any trouble. She is really a good girl. And I do think she should start wearing a cape and apron to church now. She will be thirteen next March." Ellie wondered if they were talking about her. She listened intently.

Then she heard Mattie say, "Well, if Ellie thinks I'm going to make her apron with a wide belt like some are starting to wear, she can just forget it. I'm making her the same kind of white organdy cape and apron I wear."

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"Oh, that's how I want it to be. I wouldn't ask you to make it for her at all. But since you can only help until after we have moved, I figured we'd better do it now. Once I'm alone again, without a
Maut,
I likely won't get it done." Sure enough, it was Ellie they were discussing. She would feel very grown up next church Sunday.

Moving day came at last. Five of Papa's former neighbors came to help, and all five brought their wives along. Mrs. Maust was glad, for she surely needed help. The men had brought their wagons and teams of horses, while the women came together in a double buggy, or surrey, as some called them.

"I hope the men take your cookstove, table, and dishes first," said Amos's Sarah. "We need to start cooking the noon meal at your new house as soon as we can."

"Oh, I think Jake will see to that," answered Lizzie. "He likes his meals ready on time."

"So does my husband," remarked Edna Boley.

"Mine, too," Mrs. Hostetler chimed in.

"Well, then, with so many particular
Mannsleit
(menfolk), we had better make sure that goes with the first wagon load." And Mrs. Maust went to remind her husband what should be placed on the first wagon to leave.

As usual there was a lot of clean bantering and good-natured humor among the Amish all during the day. It made the workload seem lighter.

"Say, Cristy," said Yost Hostetler, "are you sure you can lift your end of those boxes, or should I get the men to help?" This he said in fun, because some

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of the women had sent him to the buggy with several boxes of food that they didn't want to send with the wagons.

"Oh, no," Cristy answered, "if I can't make it, I'll rest several times and eat a couple pieces of this good pie to get my strength back, while you poor fellows sweat it out loading the heavy stuff."

Ellie liked to hear their jolly laughter. It made her happy to see everyone work so well together.

"Stop standing there staring, and start carrying some of the things down from upstairs," snapped Mattie.

Ellie jumped. She hadn't even been aware that the
Maut
was nearby. But she should have known. It seemed Mattie was everywhere, always keeping an eagle eye on Ellie. Was it wrong to be glad that moving was almost over with, and Mattie would leave the Maust household? Why did Mattie think she could tell Ellie what to do, when Ellie's mother was right there? Nevertheless, she turned and, like an obedient girl, began to bring boxes and clothing and other things from the upstairs.

The twins were a big help, too, and the boys worked almost like grown menall except the youngest one, of course. With so many willing hands, everything was soon ready to go. If this had been in the days of the Old West, you would have heard, "Wagons, ho!" Instead Mr. Maust said, "That's it, men; let's get going," and they were on their way.

Ellie turned for one last look. She remembered some good times here and some not so pleasant. But

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most of all she remembered Missy, her dear friend.

Now it was time to move on.
What will our new house look like?
she wondered. Not even Mama had seen it, so she couldn't ask her. Papa was more interested in the land and barn than the house, so he hadn't paid much attention, either. Mama knew only that it was a big house.

''Turn around and sit still," ordered Mattie. This time she was addressing the twins, who were riding with Ellie and the
Maut
in the buggy. Mama, the baby, and two of the other women were taking the other rig. Ellie felt sorry for her sisters. They were simply curious, as young girls naturally are. And they were also very excited. They had never known any home other than the one they were leaving. Mattie mumbled something to herself, but Ellie heard the expression, "Some people's children!" She said this in German, but Ellie understood.

Mile after mile they rode along the country roads, until finally they came to their new home. The big white house stood back from the road a way. Stately pines lined either side of the winding lane, like so many sentinels standing guard. A porch went all the way around the front of the house and part of one side, past the kitchen door. Maple trees shaded the well-kept lawn, which was hemmed in by a white picket fence.

While the girls were admiring the house, their brothers' interest was held by the large red barn and other outbuildings. They noticed a big loafing shed for cattle and the windmill that would supply water for the stock. A buggy shed that would easily house

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four buggies caught their eyes. Then there was the tool shop, the granary, the corncribs, and two big silos. They knew this would mean a lot of work. But for such young robust fellows, it was a challenge.

When the buggy stopped, Ellie and her sisters jumped to the ground and ran for the house.

"Here! Come back right now," they heard Mattie say. But they were so excited that all three kept goinginto the kitchen, then into another large room, and on into another even larger room. One of the twins spied the door leading upstairs. Each one made a dash for the stairway, anxious to explore every inch of the new house.

"Oh, so many rooms!" exclaimed Annie.

"Yes," answered Ellie, "and I know which one I want already."

"Every room has a closet in it, too," remarked Fannie. They all agreed it was nicer than they had ever imagined.

"We had better go back downstairs and help carry things in," said Ellie.

"Mama, I want the room above the living room. Can I have it?" asked Ellie expectantly.

"Well, you might want it, but I know what you'd get if I had it to say," Mattie broke in. Ellie hadn't seen her coming in when she had made her request.

"We will see," was all Mrs. Maust said. Right now she had more pressing decisions to make.

First of all, the stove was brought in and set in place. A fire was started right away. Next the table, dry sink, and cupboard arrived. With so many good workers, all Lizzie seemed to hear was, "Where do

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you want this?" or "Where does this go?" Her head seemed to be spinning, and to make matters worse, little Andy clung to her and refused to let anyone else take care of him. He couldn't understand what was going on and wanted to go home. It would be an adjustment for all of the family, but especially for young Andy.

The downstairs furniture was soon set in place. When the noon meal was over, Lizzie told the twins to wash the dishes while the hired girl and Ellie took the clothes and bedding upstairs.

"The men will set up the beds and carry up the dressers and trunks and whatever else is too heavy for the women."

The hired girl made sure she was the first one upstairs and directed the men where to put each item. Ellie's heart sank when she saw them carry her bed to the northwest room. She had so wanted the southeast one, facing the pond and the huge willow tree.

"Wait a minute," she said. "I think you have it wrong. My room is over here."

"Did anyone tell you so?" asked Mattie.

"Well, no, not exactly."

"Then we will leave it," ordered the
Maut.
Ellie could have cried.

Why, oh why, didn't Mattie like her? Had Ellie known then what was to happen later that day, she wouldn't have cared that all her things were moved into the north room. Swallowing hard to keep her emotions under control, she kept on working.

Before the girls had finished upstairs, little Andy

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fell asleep. While he was napping, Mrs. Maust decided she needed to check on how everything was going, and she joined the girls.

"Oh," she exclaimed, "I thought you wanted the southeast room, Ellie!"

"I did," answered her daughter, "but Mattie said I should take this one."

"We will just have to change it, then," said Mrs. Maust. "Ellie will need more privacy now that she's older. Besides, this room is better for the twins. It has a double closet. And Roy and Sam should take the room above the kitchen. It's not as warm in the winter, I suppose, and they can stand it better than the girls. So we will just have to start switching furniture and clothes around."

Mattie's face looked red, and she mumbled to herself again, but Ellie did not even care. If she had ever appreciated her mother, she certainly did now. By evening, everything was in place, and the family settled into their new home.

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16
Susie Glick Stops In

It was sure nice for the family to be alone again once the hired girl left. Ellie had found a small framed mirror in the corner of her closet, and had carefully brought it out and set it on her dresser. She was very grateful for such a find because she was now old enough to put up her own hair, and it was hard to do it neatly without a looking glass.

Yes, she was now considered a young lady. Wearing a cape and apron and putting your hair up in a bun instead of braids were marks of growing up. Ellie was one of those fortunate girls with wavy brown hair, but sometimes it was hard to manage. No matter how she tried, there were always a few stray tresses that escaped from beneath her cap, to the annoyance of her father.

The first Sunday Ellie appeared in church wearing her new cape and apron and sat with the young girls instead of on the same bench with her mother,

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