Amanda: A Daughter of the Mennonites

itzing

es lay scattered about the ground, and these were salvaged for the fragrant and luscious apple butter. To Phil and Amanda fell the task of gathering the fruit from the grass, washing them

-butter boiling. These were pared--the Pennsylvania D

re to be pared for the next day's use, "Lyman Mertzheimer seen us pick apples

et him

in' beaus. This Lyman Mertzheimer, now,--his pop's the richest farme

ime braggin' about his pop's money and how much his mom pays for things, and at school he don't play fair at recess. Some

his head. "Chip

ashamed, Amos, to put such notions in a litt

at's born in heads do

he meant, but her mot

that's all! Millie, when you goin' to get you a man? You're gettin' al

or a man. I got a home, and if I want somethi

with a paring knife and a tin pie-plate for parings every member of the household drew near the table and began snitzing. There was much merry conversation, some in quaint Penn

r him," cried Amanda as a boy of

re unless you work,"

he seemed none too eager to take the k

beside me,"

but the girl's eyes twinkled as she added, "

isten! Mostly always when a woman's ki

ou're soured,

world. Ach, yea," he sighed deeply and looked the incarnation of misery

anny used to say that one good boss is better than

in surrender. "I give up. When women st

out Lyman. "A man ought to h

ow women," said Un

h went on, evidently quoting some recen

break one," came Unc

et, I dare to bet my pop's farm, that any girl I set out to get I can get

brave to talk like you were a giant or king, or something, and I only hope I'm livin' and here in Crow Hill so I

id you ever go to see the g

e slept on a bed in the garret. She got awake at night and found the covers off the bed. She pulled 'em up and something pulled them off. Then she lighted a candle, but there wasn't a thing there. So she went back to bed and the same thing happened again; down went the covers. She got frightened and ran down the stairs and slept on the floor. But that spook was always a mystery. I used to have shivers chasin' each other up and down my back so fast I didn't know how to sit up hardly when she was tellin' them spook stories. But she had one champion one about a man she knew who was walkin' along the country road at night and something black shot up in front of him, and when he tried to catch it and ran after it, he rolled into a fence, and when he sat up, the spook was gone, but there was a great big hole by the fence-post near him, and in the hole was a box of money. She could explain that ghost; it was the spirit of the person who had buried the money, and he had to help some person find it so that he could have peace in the other world. Well, as I said, I was goin' along the road on the way to see that girl, and it was about dark when I got to the lane of her house. I was a little excited, for it was my first trial at the courtin' business. Aunty

y had interfered

itz apples when you make 'em laugh ti

ybody peel an apple with the peelin' all in one piece and then throw it over the right shoulder

Don't you go peel yours so it'll fall into a Z, for I know

ugly as seven day

r his shoulder; "mine always come out an S. Guess that's the only letter you can

ried Amanda as she flung her lon

rtin Landis. Jiminy Christmas, he's a pr

s me, Amanda, so you better begin to mind me now when we play at

, "Lyman Mertzheimer, you ain't

e's always tending one of his mom's babies--some nice beau he'd make! If he ev

s just grand of Martin to help his mom like that," she de

ast week with an apron on," sa

he was poor and had a lot of children a

h dishes for no one! Me

man Mertzheimer!" declared Amanda w

you mustn't quarrel. Of course Lyman wo

friendliness was

cider from the spring-house, Millie fetched a dish of cooki

ant castles in Spain which were a part of her legitimate heritage of childhood. The room was like a Nutting picture, with its rag carpet, old-fashioned, low cherry bed, covered with a pink and white calico patchwork quilt, its low cherry bureau, its rush-bottom chairs, its big walnut chest covered with a hand-wo

er unbraided the red hair and brushed

-" Mrs. Rei

al, like him so you want to be near him. He's good lookin'. At school he's about the best lookin' boy there. The big girls say

ples, some can fool you good. Remember some we peeled to-night were specked and s

ull of worms

ts of people that m

ngs my pop said. I'm glad I was big enough to remember him. I know yet what nice eyes he had, like they was always smilin' at

low, but a divine trust shone in her eyes. "Life would be

er they look dead and like all they're good for was to chop down and burn, then in spring they get green and t

ager little face. Neither Mrs. Reist nor Amanda, as yet, had read Loc

r? no--for since o

orever was the le

of ampler hunting gr

lian dying hopes he s

od for good! The good,

st

er' from them, and th

the big doll?" An eager light dwelt in the little girl's eyes as she thought back

ed a bit sadly. But Am

Then one day Pop went to Lancaster alone and when he came home I asked if the doll was still there, and he said she wasn't in the window. I cried, and was so disappointed and you said to Pop, 'That's a shame, Philip.' And I thought, too, it was a shame he let somebody else buy that doll when I wanted it so. Then on Christmas morning--what do you think--I came down-stairs and ran for

, six years

rful fine. Once Katie Hiestand came here with her mom, and we were playin' with our dolls and not thinkin' of the chair, and then Katie saw it and sat in it. And right aways I

r such things, for I want you to

utch word for calendar and gettin' all her English mixed with Dutch, you told me it's not nice to laugh at people. But

w on your dresses,

y to say abody should be kind and yet sometimes it's so hard to do it. When Aun

tter. But now you must go to sleep or you can't get up early to see

o the mother, who stood in the hall, a little lighted lamp in her hand.

"just stand that way a l

hy

re I saw once, in that gray dress and

other gently, "you go to

da called after th