What a Pair! (2 page)

The Amish are a group of people who, due to their religious beliefs, live a plain life without the use of many modern things. Early Amish people lived in Europe, but many came to America in the 1700s so they could worship freely. More than 250,000 Amish now live in the United States and Canada.

The Old Order Amish wear plain clothes, much like the American pioneers used to wear. For everyday, the women and girls wear plain, solid-colored dresses and small head coverings, or
kapps
, on their heads. Some may wear dark head scarves when they are working around their homes and yards. For church, funerals, weddings, and other special occasions, Amish women and girls wear white aprons over their dresses. Amish men and boys wear plain cotton shirts, trousers with suspenders, and straw hats. For church and other special occasions they wear dark pants with matching jackets and black felt hats.

Because they believe electricity is too modern to have in their homes, Amish people use kerosene, propane gas, coal, diesel fuel, and wood for heating, cooking, and running their machinery and appliances. Telephones are not allowed inside an Old Order Amish home, but some Amish have phones in their shops, barns, or sheds outside the home. Amish people use a horse and buggy when they travel within ten to fifteen miles from their homes, but ride in cars with hired drivers to take them on longer trips where it’s too far to drive with their buggies.

At one time, most Amish men farmed for a living, but now many work in various jobs. Some are blacksmiths, harness makers, carpenters, painters, storekeepers, or might work in several other trades. Some Amish women who need to work outside their home earn money by selling eggs, fruits and vegetables, or handmade items such as dolls, quilts, and craft items. Others work in gift shops, bakeries, or restaurants, and some have other occupations as well.

Amish children, called “scholars,” usually attend one-room schoolhouses from grades one to eight. Once they finish the eighth grade and leave school, they spend time learning a trade so they can get a job and earn money to support themselves and their families. The children learn three languages: English, German, and Pennsylvania-Dutch, which is the language they usually speak when they are with family and friends. German is spoken when the ministers read the Bible and preach during church services. English is learned when a child attends school in the first grade, and it’s spoken when the Amish are with other people who aren’t Amish.

The Amish hold their church services every other week, in the home, shop, or barn of different church members. The largest Amish community in the United States is in Holmes County, Ohio, where my story about Amish children, Mark and Mattie Miller, is set.

    C
HAPTER
1    

“
Kumme
, Mattie!
Let’s play a game!” Mattie Miller’s eight-year-old twin brother called to her from across the yard.

Looking toward Mark, Mattie shook her head. “I don’t want to play a game right now.” She’d been lying on a blanket in the grass, looking at the puffy white clouds above, and didn’t want to be disturbed.

“Aw, come on, Mattie. It’ll be
schpass
!” Mark ran through the grass in his bare feet, kicking up several grasshoppers, and then he plopped down beside her.

“If you think it’ll be fun, it probably won’t be for me,” Mattie mumbled. “Besides, I’m busy right now.”

“Busy doing what? You don’t look busy to me,” he said, removing his straw hat and tossing it on the ground.

Mattie held back a chuckle. When Mark took off his hat his thick red hair stuck straight up. She was glad her hair never did that. Of course, Mattie usually wore her long red hair pulled up in a bun, with a small black cap on top of her head. Sometimes, for playing or doing chores, she would wear a dark-colored scarf, like she had on today.

“Can’t you see that I’m watching the clouds?” she asked, once the urge to laugh at Mark’s hair had passed.

Mark leaned back on his elbows and looked up at the summer sky. “Know what a cloud’s made of?”

“Cotton?”

“No way! Clouds are droplets of water or ice crystals that float high above the earth.”

“Is that so?”

“
Jah
.” Mark looked kind of smug as he nodded and said, “Did you know that clouds come in all different sizes and shapes?” He knew a lot about many things, but Mattie knew a few things he didn’t know—about flowers, dogs, and the best way to hit a baseball when it was coming toward you really fast.

“There are several types of clouds,” Mark went on to say. “There are cirrus, cirrostratus, cirrocumulus, altocumulus, and cumulus clouds.”

“Those are all such big words.” Mattie frowned. “Can’t we just call them clouds?”

“We could, but I thought you’d like to know the names of each type of cloud. Now, cumulus clouds are the most common kind. They’re usually fair weather clouds.”

“Like we’re having today?”

“That’s right,” Mark said with a nod.

The twins stayed on the grass for a while, watching the clouds drift lazily across the sky.

“Look over there, Mark!” Mattie pointed to a particularly unusual-looking cloud. “That one’s shaped like a swan. Isn’t it pretty?”

“Uh-huh.” Mark didn’t look all that impressed, but then what did a boy know about things being pretty?

“Look there.” Mattie pointed up and to the right. “That one looks like a big fish.”

“I see them both, but they’re quickly changing. Now they don’t look like a swan or a fish anymore. It must be because of the different air currents movin’ them around.” Mark nudged Mattie’s arm. “Are ya ready to play a game with me now?”

“Oh, all right.” Mattie knew if she didn’t do what Mark wanted, he’d just keep pestering her until she finally gave in. As much as she loved her twin brother, sometimes—like now—he was so full of energy she couldn’t keep up with him.

Mark helped Mattie to her feet, and then he led her into the center of the yard. When he pulled a strip of dark blue material from his pants pocket, Mattie became a bit concerned.

“What’s that for?” she asked.

“This is a blindfold, and I’m gonna put it over your eyes. Then I’ll tie it around the back of your head.”

Mattie shook her head vigorously. “I don’t want to be blindfolded! I won’t be able to see where I’m going, and I might trip and fall on something.”

“There’s no need to worry,” Mark said with a grin. “I’ll look after you, and I’ll even hang on to your arm.”

Mattie was suspicious about playing this game with Mark. Besides being smart, he was also a big tease and liked to play tricks on her whenever he could. For now, though, she decided to play along with her brother and let him have his fun.

“I don’t know about this,” Mattie said.

Mark gave her arm a little squeeze. “It’ll be okay, I promise.”

“Well, okay.” Mattie stood patiently as Mark started to put the piece of cloth over her eyes.

“Oops, wait a minute,” he said. “You have some grass in your hair. Let me get it off before I put the blindfold on.”

Mattie watched as he concentrated on getting all the loose grass out of her hair. In many ways they were alike. When they stood side by side you could see right away that their hair was the exact same color of red, and their blue eyes matched, too. But in many ways they were as different as night and day.

I’m glad I was the one who ended up with a few freckles on my nose, and not ears that stick out a bit the way Mark’s do
, Mattie thought. She would never tease her twin brother about it, though. It was bad enough that some of the boys they knew sometimes teased him about his ears, as well as being so smart. A few of them made fun of his red hair, too.

“Okay, I’ve got all the grass out of your hair now,” Mark said, as he tied the blindfold behind Mattie’s head. “I’m gonna spin you around, and then I’ll walk you all around the yard. When we stop, you’ll have to speculate where you are.”

Mattie tipped her head. “Speculate? What’s that?”

“It means ‘guess.’ ”

Mattie was confused. Mark was always using words she didn’t understand. Sometimes, when he wouldn’t tell her what those big words meant, she had to get a dictionary and look them up so she’d know what he was talking about. “What happens if I guess where I am?” Mattie asked.

“You win the game, plus you get a prize.” Mark snickered. “But if you don’t know where you are, then I win the game and I get a prize.”

“What’s the prize?”

“If you win, I’ll do one of your chores tonight; and if I win, you’ll have to do one of mine.”

Mattie wasn’t sure she liked this game, but she knew their yard quite well and thought she’d be able to guess where she was with no trouble at all. If she won, it would be nice to have Mark do one of her chores. Maybe she would ask him to wash the dishes. While he was stuck in the kitchen with his hands in soapy water, she’d be in her room playing with her dolls or reading the book about flowers she’d been given for Christmas last year.

“Okay, little
bruder
; spin me around,” she finally agreed.

“I am not your little brother, because we were both born at the same time.”

“But Mom said I was born ten minutes before you, so that means I’m older and you’re my little bruder.”

“Whatever!” Mark put his hands on Mattie’s shoulders and spun her around several times.

“
Absatz!
Stop! You’re making me
daremlich
!”

“You won’t be dizzy once we start walking.” Mark took hold of Mattie’s arm and led her across the lawn. She knew they were still in the yard because she could feel the cold grass tickling her bare toes.

“Is it time for me to guess where I am?” she asked.

“Not yet.”

Mark gave Mattie a couple more spins, and then led her off in another direction. She wouldn’t admit it to Mark, but she felt mixed up. Mattie hoped he didn’t ask her to guess where she was now, because she really wasn’t sure.

Suddenly, Mark let go of Mattie’s arm. She teetered back and forth, feeling even dizzier than before, and struggling to keep her balance. When the spinning sensation finally stopped, she took a step forward and reached out her hand. “Mark?”

No reply.

“Are you there, Mark? You said you would hold on to my arm, but you’re not holding it now. Mark, where are you?”

Still no response.

“Mark, you’d better answer me right now.”

Nothing. Not even a peep.

Mattie turned, and with her hands outstretched, she took a few steps in the other direction. “Mark Miller, you’d better not leave me out here like this!”

Tee-hee
. She heard Mark snicker from somewhere nearby.

“What’s so funny? Where am I, Mark? And where are you?”

“It’s okay. You’re just a little discombobulated right now.”

“Dis-com-what?”

“Discombobulated. It means mixed up, or confused. Now, take three steps forward,” Mark said.

Holding her arms straight out, Mattie counted out loud as she began to walk. “One … two … three …”

“That’s good. Now turn to the right—no, I mean left. Then take two more steps.”

Mattie turned and—
smack
!—bumped into something.

“Ouch! Did I just smack into the barn?”

“Sorry about that,” Mark said. “Just take a step back and turn to the right.”

Gritting her teeth, Mattie turned in the direction Mark told her to, knowing she definitely did not like this game! She’d only taken a few steps, when something prickly stabbed her knees. “Yeow! What was that?”

Mattie jumped backward and something went—
crunch!
She knew she wasn’t on the grass. “Am I in Mom’s flower bed?”

Mattie pulled the blindfold off her head and realized that she was in one of Mom’s flower beds and had broken off a piece of the rosebush. She saw Mark several feet away, laughing and clutching his stomach.

“It’s not funny! I’m done with this silly game!” She started to walk away, but turned back around. “Oh, and I guessed where I was, so you’ll have to do the dishes for me tonight.”

Mark opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but just then Mom shouted from the porch, “Mattie Miller, what were you doing in my flower bed? You’ve ruined some of my beautiful roses!”