Ellie (8 page)

Authors: Mary Christner Borntrager

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

BOOK: Ellie

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Page 64

ready to go home. That was one wish granted because, as she came into the house, her mother asked, ''Where were you? We are ready to go home, and I've been looking all over. Hurry, now, and get the
Satchely
and your wraps. You know your father doesn't like to be kept waiting."

Ellie didn't answer, but did as she was told. When she went to the porch to get her wraps, she saw Rachel and Alta looking around the corner from the kitchen door and laughing and whispering. They looked directly at her.

Then Alta said, loud enough for others to hear, "Ellie's going high." She knew Alta meant she was becoming worldly like the English people.

Ellie turned and, yielding to temptation, stuck out her tongue. And it felt good. She fled to the waiting buggy and soon was on her way home. Tomorrow would be another day, and surely it must be better than today. Wait until she saw Missy. Everything would be alright.

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9
Face Cream, Perfume, and Body Powder

The strawberries were ripening and the peas needed picking. Mrs. Maust had a large garden, and canning time meant extra work. The twins were crankier than usual. They were cutting new teeth. Mounds of diapers and other clothes needed washing. How would Ellie's mother ever get everything done? She must speak to Papa again about getting an older girl to help during the summer.

After church that Sunday evening, the whole family went outdoors. While the children looked for different stones in the grass, their parents relaxed on the porch swing.

The swing was only for Sunday afternoon or evening use, since during the week work lasted from before sunup until after dark.

"Jake," Mrs. Maust began rather timidly, "do you suppose I could have some help for the summer?" She waited for his answer.

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Jake cleared his throat. "You have Ellie," he remarked.

"But Ellie can't do yet what a grown girl could. She is a big help, but what with canning and the summer sewing . . . well, I just don't see how we can do it all."

Papa didn't answer for a while. Finally he said, "If you really feel you need a
Maut,
I guess we will get one."

Mrs. Maust smiled. She knew just who she would ask. Cristy Glick had a girl, Susie, who she had heard was a very good worker. She was only eighteen, so she wasn't liable to be getting married right away. Then, too, coming this far from the main Amish settlement, she wouldn't do as much
Rumschpringe
(running around) so much in the evenings. That way, she would be just as spry and ready to work on Monday, as any other day.

But Mrs. Maust didn't really know Susie Glick very well. She put a letter in the mail first thing Monday morning and eagerly waited all week for an answer. It came in the mail on Saturday. If Lizzie Maust could make-do for two weeks yet, Susie wrote, she could work for her all summer. No one else had asked for her until two days after she got Mrs. Maust's letter.

How glad Lizzie was she had written right away on Monday. Susie had some sewing to do for herself yet before she was ready, but Lizzie would manage somehow until then. The next two weeks were two of the most hectic she had ever spent in her life. Early garden things were ready. The twins came down

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with old-fashioned measles. Ellie caught her arm in the washing machine wringer. The boys helped around the house as best they could, but Jake needed them in the hayfields, too.

No one knew yet except Lizzie, but by fall there would be an addition to the family. So, many days, Mother didn't feel at her best.

Finally, the two weeks had passed, and early one morning Susie arrived at the Maust home ready for work.

"Ellie, show Susie where she can put her things," Mom said. "I hope you don't mind sharing a room with Ellie."

"Yeah, what else is new?" answered Susie.

"What?" asked Lizzie. But Susie didn't say anything elsejust picked up her suitcases and walked toward the stairway. She really meant that it was nothing new for her to share a room with little girls whenever she worked "out," as she called it. However, Ellie thought she had a strange way of answering her mother.

Without saying a word, Ellie led the way up to her room and opened the door. This was one of the plainest rooms Susie had ever seen. There was a closet where she could hang her good dresses at one end, a small chest of drawers, of which she could have two, and a bed.

"Not even a mirror!" exclaimed Susie. "And where is the nightstand for the lamp? I need a place to put my cream and perfume and other personal things. Don't you even have a mirror in here?" she asked in exasperation, turning to Ellie.

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The shy little girl was overcome by such an unexpected outburst. She just shook her head. And why did this girl want to keep cream upstairs? Mama kept that in a crock in the basement. Ellie thought Susie was beautiful, with her dark wavy hair and rosy cheeks. She dressed pretty, toonot so drab as her own clothes were. Today she was wearing a light tan dress with sleeves that were slightly puffy and elastic around the waistband.
She looks pretty,
thought Ellie,
but she sure talks funny.

"Well," said Susie, "I'll fix things this evening. Guess I'd better go down and get started." With that, she hung her Sunday dresses in the closet and put her suitcases down beside the chest of drawers, heading downstairs with Ellie in tow. She had a lot to learn about where everything was kept and how Mrs. Maust wanted things done, but she was a quick and willing learner and not afraid of hard work.

From the very first day, Susie could tell that Mr. Maust did not approve of her dress or the way she wore her hair. Susie didn't care. She seemed to enjoy antagonizing him further. She did little things like pushing her covering back to show more of her wavy black hair, leaving her covering strings untied, and rolling her dress sleeves above her elbows. Papa grumbled under his breath about these things and the fact that he had to pay her more than she was worth, but he couldn't honestly deny she sure was a hard worker.

Ellie soon discovered the cream Susie talked about when she first came was a face cream, which the young
Maut
used every night before retiring. It was

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meant to keep her skin soft and beautiful. It stood with her bottles of perfume and body powder on top of the chest of drawers. Susie always looked so pretty and smelled so good. Ellie thought about how she would like to wear perfume and use those other wonderful things.

There were only two days of school left, and Ellie hurried with the dishes. She was careless, or
doppich,
and spilled some grease drippings on the front of her apron.

"Ach, Ellie, look now, once, how you
schussel
(hurry) so. Run upstairs
schnell
(quickly) and change your apron," ordered her mother. Ellie did as she was told, but as she entered the room, her attention was drawn to the array of bottles and jars on the chest. She changed her apron, and then, though she didn't really mean to, she found herself opening a pretty bottle of perfume. It smelled so good. She put some on her dress and then, opening the jar of face cream, she quickly daubed some on her face. But she didn't have time to rub it into her skin as she had seen Susie do.

Next, she took some body powder and gave her neck a coating of that. Now she heard her mother call, so, feet flying, she ran downstairs.
Wait till my friend Missy sees me,
she thought.

Mr. Maust walked into the kitchen just as his daughter came from upstairs. He was going into Hatfield for some parts for one of his farm implements and came in for the list of things his wife said she needed him to get.

"Ellie Maust," Jake boomed, "what is that stuff on

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your face? Why do you smell like that? What have you done?"

Ellie just stood there, her face a white, pasty mess. In spite of the fact that the child had been into her personal belongings, Susie had to laugh at the sight before her.

"I don't think it's anything to laugh about," Jake said curtly. "Ellie, you go and clean that stuff off and come out to the woodshed, and I mean it."

Ellie began to cry.

Mrs. Maust waved the waiting schoolbus on its way. After a hard spanking, Ellie rode to school with her father. He talked to her all the way about the sin of pride, and how God made us all and called it good, and how do we think we can improve on God's own work. A meek and tear-stained little girl entered the schoolyard and sought out her special friend for comfort. What would Ellie do after school was over? It would be a long summer without Missy.

Ellie dreaded going home that evening and facing Susie. But she need not have worried. Susie was extra nice to her, even giving her a piece of gumon the sly, of course.

"All Susie said to her was,
"Bussli
(little kitten)"that was her pet name for Elli
e"Bussli,
you had better wait until you are old enough for
Rumschpringe
before you use such things." Ellie liked her real well from then on.

Mr. Maust complained to his wife that evening, "You watch that Ellie better. I wonder if we should have taken Cristy Glick's Susie to work for us. Seems they don't make her mind. She's some fancy."

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10
Fancy Buggies and Beaus

School had been over with for some time, and summer was quickly passing. Countless jars of fruit, vegetables, and preserves had been put up for the winter days ahead. Now it was time to do the sewing for next school term. Mama said Ellie was growing right out of her clothes.

When Mr. Borsky, the cloth peddler, came to their house with his van loaded with various materials, Ellie wished the choice was hers to make. Oh, what pretty pinks, yellows, and reds he had! But she was almost certain that her mother would purchase the same dull browns, dark blues, and greens she always wore.

The hired girl came out to inspect his wares and decided on a pretty rose-colored material. Noticing Ellie's wistful gaze, Susie ordered a yard and a half more than she had first asked for. She also selected a bright yellow in the same amount of yardage. Pay-

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ing for her purchases, Susie took her colorful pieces of goods and made her way to the house as Ellie watched, almost too awed to move.

"Now then, Mrs. Maust, what can I get for you?" asked Mr. Borsky.

"Well, first I need some good denim for the men-folk of the family. And some dark blue chambray. That's good for shirts. Something that wears well and doesn't show the dirt."

"I know," said the peddler, "you Amish people are very practical and know a good buy when you see one." Thereupon he began to show his best weaves of the materials she had mentioned.

Once those were bought, she said, "Now I will have to pick out some cloth for school dresses for this girl." Lizzie pointed toward Ellie as she spoke. "If she didn't grow so fast, she could take her Sunday dresses for school, and I'd just make her two new ones for Sunday wear. But she gets so tall already."

"Yes, they grow fast," replied the peddler. "Here are some very nice pieces," he said as he took some lovely blue, pink, and lavender cloth down from a shelf.

"Oh, no," said Mama, "I want something in a darker shade." Ellie was disappointed when she saw him replace the pieces and bring out the same old dark shades.

"Mama," ventured the young girl, "couldn't I have the light blue one? I'd take real good care of it. Please?" she looked longingly at her mother.

"It's a dollar a yard less than those are," Mr.

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