Courting Buggy: Nurse Hal Among The Amish Read online

  “Well, doesn't matter what he wants this time. I'm buying that buggy,” Jim vowed.

  Soon the auctioneer was to the courting buggy. Jim went on the alert. The auctioneer called the starting price. Jim shook his finger in the air. The auctioneer said he had a bid and looked around the crowd. Laverne Beiler held up his hand. The auctioneer looked at Jim. He shook his finger again. The auctioneer looked at the others in the crowd as he waited for Laverne Beiler to bid. Beiler bid, glaring at Jim to scare him off. When the auctioneer had that bid, he looked at Jim. Jim upped his bid. The auctioneer tried to get a higher bid from the crowd, but the buyers avoided his eyes. They weren't interested if Laverne Beiler wanted the buggy. Beiler bid. Jim bid. The bidding war went on for several more bids.

  John whispered out of the side of his mouth, “You should stop. You are paying too much.”

  “I'm buying that courting buggy. No matter how much it costs me I'm not letting that guy have it,” Jim said through clenched jaws and upped the bid.

  “What are you going to tell Nora when she asks what you paid?”

  “Maybe she won't ask,” Jim said as he watched Beiler struggled to make a decision.

  “Good luck with that idea. She will ask,” John hissed to deaf ears.

  The auctioneer waited on Beiler. Finally, he shook his head no. The auctioneer said, “Sold to the guy in the straw hat next to John Lapp.”

  Excited as a kid with his first jalopy, Jim held up his number card for the auctioneer. When the crowd moved out of the way, he grabbed the lead rope and led his horse and buggy over to the hitch rack.

  John tied the horse. “Almost time to watch the livestock sale.” They went into the salebarn through the small auction so John could check on his boys.

  Geese honked, ducks quacked, lambs and baby goats cried for their mothers. The babies didn't like to be contained in small pens. In front of them were cages filled with rabbits, cackling chickens and small turkeys. A rooster crowed as they passed his cage.

  On a table, cartons of bright red eggs, small boxes of freshly hatched chicks, guineas, ducklings, and goslings shared the area with rhubarb and apple pies, packages of oatmeal cookies and saran wrapped bread loaves.

  Noah and Daniel sat in chairs behind the partition. They were by an English boy holding some sort of flat square box with a screen on it. Noah and Daniel watched him with interest as the boy poked buttons below the screen. The boy gloated to them, “Don't you wish you had one of these games?”

  Noah shook his head. “Nah, we play kick the can. That game is more fun then sitting in one place poking buttons.”

  John smiled, pleased with his son's response.

  Daniel waved when he saw them.

  The boy looked John over. “Do all Amish wear beards?”

  Daniel replied, “Nah, the women do not.”

  Jim cackled as he elbowed John.

  John told the boys they were going to the other arena. The boys should come find them when it was time to eat.

  In the large sale area, tiers of wooden seats built in a half circle around the sale ring were filled with English and Amish men waiting for the sale to start. The Amish voices rose and fell in the heavy accented German dialect which intermingled with English words. All the conversations had the same theme about farming and weather.

  John and Jim watched the sheep and goats sell. In the afternoon, there would be the cattle auction. Jim admired the long, silky brown beard on a young farmer near them. He leaned over to John and nodded toward the man. “I grew a beard like his for the town centennial contest. After the contest, I couldn't stand to look at myself in the mirror. I looked so terrible I shaved it off.”

  John grinned. “I used to have a smooth face. When I saw how terrible I looked I grew a beard to hide my face.”

  Jim laughed.

  When Noah and Daniel sat down by them, John said, “You ready to eat?”

  “I'm starved,” Daniel chirped.

  John snorted. “What else is new?”

  The diner filled up fast as the farmers hurried to eat so they could go back for the cattle auction. Behind the long counter, the young Amish women hustled from one end to the other, racing to keep up with the orders.

  John pointed out to Jim the menu board on the wall. They gave the waitress their orders and sat down in one of the red leather booths to waited for their food and drinks. John nodded at English men and some of the Amish farmers while they ate. When they exited the diner, John bumped into Ben Krayman, an older Amish widower. He introduced Jim to Ben. They shook hands.

  “How you and Susie getting along these days?” John asked.

  “Since my wife passed away, she has been the next best thing to keep me gute company,” Ben said with sparkling eyes.

  As Jim noted the sparkle, Ben continued, “Susie lives with me but in another part of the house. She does not come over to my side when company comes to visit. Kind of shy that way.”

  John added, “She's much younger than Ben.”

  “Jah, and real gute looking,” Ben boasted.

  Jim couldn't fathom how an Amish widower got away with talking blatantly about living with a single woman. He couldn't imagine anything like that being stood for in the Amish community.

  John said, “It is my understanding if a person really wanted to meet Susie you would be glad to oblige, Ben.”

  “Jah, I would introduce her to anyone that wants to get to know her. She has never minded that. Jim, you want to meet my Susie?” Ben asked.

  “Guess that would be all right if we was to drop in on you sometime.”

  “She is with my buggy in the parking lot recht now if you want to meet her. She does not let me come to town without her. Goes everywhere I do,” Ben said. “Follow me.”

  Jim looked at John.

  John nodded. “Sure, we might as well go with Ben so he can introduce you to Susie before she decides to head home and hide out again.”

  John, Jim and the boys walked along with the elderly man. Ben stopped near the front of his buggy and patted his red horse on the rump. Jim eyed the enclosed buggy, trying to see movement inside. He didn't. His thought was, Susie must be taking a nap in the back.

  Ben cleared his throat. “Jim, meet my girl, Susie.” He walked along the horse, extended his hand toward the mare and rubbed her face.

  Jim did a double take at John, the horse and Ben. “All that time, you were talking about a horse?”

  The men broke out laughing and Jim right along with them. He had fell for that joke hook, line and sinker.

  Later that afternoon when the sale ended, they made their way through the traffic to the line of parked buggies. John and the boys stopped at their buggy. Jim marched on.

  “Where is Dawdi Jim going?” Daniel asked.

  “Oh, I forgot to tell you. He bought his own buggy,” John said.

  “Why?” Noah asked.

  John parroted Jim's reasoning. “He wants to drive around in it while he is here, and after he goes home just like we do.”

  Daniel was confused.“But he has a car.”

  “I pointed that out to him, but I could not talk him out of it,” John said.

  Jim untied the horse, backed the courting buggy up and walked the horse toward them.

  Noah blew out a breath. “That is what he bought?”

  “Afraid so,” John said.

  “That is a courting buggy!” Daniel voice filled with wonder.

  “Eli Yutzy's courting buggy to be exact,” John informed them.

  “That ain't Eli's horse,” Noah remarked.

  “Nah, Enos sold the black horse already so he hooked this one to the buggy,” John explained.

  Daniel said softly, “Mammi Nora is going to have a cow.”

  Noah nodded solemnly.

  John looked at his son. “What did you say, Daniel?”

  “Mammi is going to have a cow.”

  Noah explained, “That wondered us, too, at first when Dawdi Jim said it. That is how he says she is goi
ng to be mad at him.”

  John chuckled. “Jah, I am afraid it might be more like two cows this time. What worries me is your Mama Hal is probably going to have a cow, too, because I didn't stop your dawdi from buying that buggy. One of you want to offer to ride with him just in case he gets into trouble. Buggy driving is new to him.”

  “I can do that,” Noah offered.

  Jim stopped the horse beside them.

  John said, “Looks like you have everything under control.”

  “I think so. You lead the way so I don't get lost,” Jim suggested, grinning at John.

  “Jah, I will do that.”

  Noah stepped forward. “Dawdi, this is a really nice buggy. Can I ride with you and try it out once?”

  “Sure can. Meet my horse, Mike,” Jim said with pride and climbed up to perch in the flashy red seat.

  Chapter 4

  John looked behind him in the rearview mirror often to see if Jim was keeping up. As they made their way to the edge of town, the pace was slow in the traffic. Jim's horse stopped several times when he didn't need to. Maybe Jim was pulling the lines too tight, sending mixed signals to his horse.

  Once they were on the highway, the traffic was light that time of afternoon. Jim flicked the lines so his horse would trot. A car whizzed by, and Jim's horse stopped. John was a quarter of a mile down the highway when he looked back and saw Jim flicking the lines over the halted horse. Another car went by. The horse didn't budge.

  “Look, Daed, Noah had to get out and tug on the horse to get him started.” Daniel watched in his rearview mirror and continued the play by play, “The horse started again. Dawdi is going slow so Noah can grab hold and hop in. Noah is in the buggy now.”

  John was forced to slow down to keep an eye out behind him. “I do not like seeing Noah run along side the buggy and jump in. That is not safe.”

  A pickup came by them. When the pickup passed the courting buggy, Jim's horse stopped. John pulled over and turned his buggy around. “We better see what is wrong with that horse.”

  Noah was out of the buggy, talking to the horse. John drove across the highway, parked and walked to the front of the buggy. He looked from the horse to Jim. “You seem to be having trouble.”

  “I can't figure out why this horse stops and starts on his own so much. We'll never get home by chore time at this rate,” complained Jim.

  Noah observed, “The horse stops when a car or truck goes passed us. Suppose he is afraid of traffic?”

  “Might be that is it,” John said.

  “What can we do about getting him to change?” Jim asked.

  John thought a minute. “Usually tying a horse to a fence next to the road helps. Gets them familiar with traffic by doing that.”

  “Blinders might help. He does not have any on,” Noah added.

  “I'll buy some first chance I get,” Jim said.

  “No need. We have blinders in the tack room. You can use a set to see if that works once,” John offered as he looked at the sun sliding down the western sky.

  Jim read his mind. “You go on. Noah and I will be all right.”

  “Daniel and me should get home and start milking.”

  Jim said. “I know. Sorry about this. I didn't know I'd be holding you up.”

  John said, “Can not be helped. We did not know how the horse would be in traffic until we tried him once.”

  John stopped the buggy by the barn. “Daniel, you put the buggy and horse away. As bad as I hate to have to do this, before I milk, I should smooth the way for Dawdi so it is not such a shock to the women when he drives in.”

  In the living room, Tootie watched Emma sew a dress for Beth on the treadle sewing machine. Hal and Nora played with Redbird and Beth. When the girls saw their father, they squirmed to be placed on the floor and crawled to him. John picked them up and kissed their cheeks as they gave him a welcome hug.

  “Where's Jim?” Nora asked.

  “He is down the road a piece. He will be here soon.”

  Hal looked at John sideways. “He didn't ride home in the buggy with you and the boys?”

  “Oh, my goodness! What did that man do to make you kick him out of the buggy?” Nora cried, bolting to her feet with Hal beside her as they confronted John.

  Tootie and Emma joined them. Tootie grabbed Nora's arm. “Holy Buckets! I told you I should have brought my book with us on All You Need To Know About Amish Customs.”

  Nora flushed as she glanced at John's surprised face. “Tootie, watch your mouth.”

  Tootie eyed them all in a wide sweep. “I'm sorry, but Jim could have avoided the walk home if he'd read the book when I told him to.”

  “Why did you not bring it along?” Emma said with her mouth twitching at the corners.

  Tootie nodded sideways at Nora. “My sister wouldn't let me. She thinks she knows all there is to know about the Amish I guess.”

  John shook his head. “Now hold on, all of you, I did not make Jim walk home.” He had trouble pulling the words out of his mouth as he said slowly, “He and Noah are coming in his own buggy.”

  “Whose buggy?” Nora asked.

  “Isn't that nice. Noah bought himself a buggy,” Tootie prattled to Emma.

  Hal was surprised. “John, you let Noah buy a buggy?”

  “Nah. It was Jim that bought the buggy,” John blurted out.

  Nora patted her chest as she slumped back on the couch and went on a tangent. “Be still my heart. What has that man gone and done now? I can't let him out of my sight for a moment. Bought a buggy for goodness sakes.”

  “If Dawdi Jim started for home when you did he should have arrived when you did, ain't so?” Emma asked, worried.

  John nodded his head. “Maybe we better go into that later.”

  Emma clammed up and busied herself smoothing the wrinkles out of her apron.

  “I know why, Emma,” Tootie said knowingly. “Jim gets lost easy. Aways has. Doesn't matter if he's driving a car or buggy, I'll bet he took a wrong turn somewhere.”

  “Nah, Noah is with him. Noah knows the way home,” John assured her, putting his weight from one foot to the other. He didn't like being the center of attention with all the female eyes staring at him, some puzzled, some wondering and some suspicious.

  The clip clop of hooves alerted the women Jim had arrived. They rushed out the door, letting it bang behind them as they lined up on the porch. Nora put a hand over her puckered mouth when she saw the buggy.

  Tootie clapped in glee. “That sure is a fancy buggy.”

  “Just what I was thinking. What could that man have paid for such a contraption?” Nora grumbled.

  John backed up to lean against the porch wall out of the way. Jim and Noah climbed down and came cautiously toward the women. Noah said excitedly, “Dawdi Jim bought a courting buggy. It is a looker, ain't so?”

  “It is that, Dear,” Tootie agreed gleefully.

  “Is that what it's called? A courting buggy?” Nora asked no one in particular as she stared irritably at Jim's contraption.

  Emma said softly to John, “It looks just like the one Eli Yutzy had.”

  “It was his buggy,” John said as he shifted the wiggling girls to get a better hold on them. They wanted down to explore. He said louder, “Go see the buggy up close all of you. Jim is sure proud of it.”

  Nora, with the other women a safe distance behind her, marched past Jim. He turned around and followed his wife. When Nora was as close as she wanted to be, she stared at the buggy a long moment and wheeled around. “What have you done, Jim Lindstrom?”

  “What's it look like? I want to drive the same kind of conveyance everyone else around here does so I bought me a buggy,” Jim excused, sticking his hands in his jeans pockets.

  “That doesn't look like the average Amish buggy to me. It doesn't look practical at all,” Nora stormed.

  Jim asked, “How about getting in and going for a ride with me? At least try it out before you make up your mind one way or the other.”
/>   “What! Ride in that thing?” Nora gasped.

  “Sure, Mom. It will be fun,” Hal said, trying not to smile. “I do it all the time.”

  “Mammi Nora, I rode home from Wickenburg with Dawdi, and it was fun,” Noah encouraged with two of his fingers crossed behind his back.

  Nora put her hands on her hips. “What I want to know is how much did that thing cost you?”

  “About the going price a buggy and horse goes for I guess,” Jim hedged, glancing at John.

  John studied the sky above the barn roof. He didn't want involved in his in-laws argument.

  “What do you plan on doing with that buggy when we go home?” Nora interrogated.

  “I'm driving it home,” Jim said, gleefully. “I'll sure get a lot of looks by the neighbors when they see this gem. They will be wanting a buggy just like mine.”

  “If you think I'm going to follow you with the car six hundred miles home behind a buggy and horse you're crazy. You can't drive that buggy home,” Nora declared.

  “We aren't ready to leave yet. For right now, we can drive it around here until we get used to it,” Jim reasoned.

  “Oh no.” Nora wagged a finger at him. “There is no we to it.”

  “Ah, Nora. Come on. The buggy is already bought and paid for. Go for a ride with me to give it a try,” Jim wheedled.

  “Jim, why not let Noah hook up our horse, Molly, to the buggy for right now?” John suggested.

  “Why?” Nora focused sharply on her son-in-law.

  “Well,” John paused. His eyes darted back and forth as he licked his lips.

  Noah supplied, “This horse is tired, Mammi Nora.”

  “That's right. We need to give poor Mike time to rest up and get something to eat after he came out here all the way from town. He's been hitched to that buggy all day,” Jim excused. “I'll pull over by the barn. Noah can help me change horses. I'll be right back.”

  As he led the horse and buggy away, Nora patted her chest. “Jim has done some crazy things, but this tops the cake.”

  Jim and Noah hooked up Molly, and Jim led the horse back to where his wife stood with the other women. For a few minutes, she stared at the red buggy seat with her hands on her hips. Finally, she admitted, “I can't get in this contraption. I don't know how Amish women are able to do it.”