Courting Buggy: Nurse Hal Among The Amish Read Online Free PDF Page A

want to do?” Nora
countered, expecting her sister had something in mind not to
do.
    “ Not the cooking that's for sure,”
Tootie said. “I'm not very good at cooking.”
    “ Aendi Tootie, I am going to work in
the garden this morning. Come with me, and I will show you our
garden,” Emma said.
    Tootie gave a half shrug of indifference. “I
never had a garden so don't know anything about one.”
    “ I started my own tomato and pepper
plants from seed in February in the house,” Emma continued to
explain. “Want to see how big they are now since I set them
out?”
    “ Ah, I suppose if you've seen one
tomato or pepper plant, you've seen them all,” Tootie said
lamely.
    “ Oh, pittle, Tootie. Just go look at
Emma's garden. You might learn something,” Nora ordered. “Emma, if
you have an extra hoe, give it to Tootie. Let her help
you.”
    “ Nora, you know I don't know a weed
from a vegetable,” Tootie barked.
    “ That's what Emma's going to show you,”
Nora replied.
    “ My back is bad. Doubt I'd last but a
few minutes trying to hold onto a heavy hoe,” Tootie whined,
rubbing the small of her back.
    Emma said, “It does me gute to hoe in the
garden when I am thinking about things that are a worry. Weeding
helps settle the soul, Aendi Tootie. I'll show you how it feels to
work in my garden.”
    “ I didn't know anything was really
worrying me,” grumbled Tootie.
    “ See you after while, Aunt Tootie,” Hal
said, trying hard not to smile as the elderly woman reluctantly
followed behind Emma. She worried to Nora, “It really won't be too
much for Aunt Tootie if she hoes will it?”
    Nora smiled. “No! About time she did a little
something, but knowing my sister, she'll figure out a way to get
rid of the hoe and be back in the house shortly.”
    Meanwhile, Jim anticipated this trip to the
salebarn with John and the boys. “Listen, what's that I hear?” He
leaned forward to look out the windshield at the sky. A wild geese
flock, on their return trip north in a gigantic V, honked with a
clatter. The geese flew over the road in front of the buggy. Jim
and John watched until the honks grew distant.
    Other scenes came along to catch Jim's
attention. A child worked in a garden with his mother, ankle deep
in soft, moist topsoil. He hoed long trenches under tautly
stretched string. His mother followed, dropping her spring seed
crop; radishes, lettuce and spinach. Already in the garden were
rows of milk jugs with the bottoms cut out to cover tender
plants.
    Jim pointed to the boy. “You boys help Emma
and Hallie in the garden like that?”
    “Jah,” Noah and Daniel said in unison,
peering out the back window.
    “That's good. Nothing better than fresh food
from the garden,” Jim said over his shoulder.
    “As soon as Emma gets around to cutting the
potato eyes, we will help her plant them,” Noah said.
    “It will be time to plant the pumpkin, squash
and sweet corn soon,” Daniel added.
    By the time they reached the salebarn,
buggies, semi trucks and pickups were lined up to unload stock and
find a parking place for the sale. John stopped at the end of the
line. “Looks like a crowd today.”
    “Probably not much else to do until the
farmers get into the field full time,” Jim surmised. He chuckled as
he pointed out the buggy in front of them with a hand painted sign
on the back. It read Energy efficient vehicle: Runs on oats and
grass. Caution: Do not step in exhaust. “Pretty cute.”
    John parked in the row of buggies at the back
of the parking lot. They wove their way through the trucks and
stock trailers to cross the street.
    John had been right about the equipment sale.
Jim glanced around in awe. “Where do they find all the different
carriages? Look over there at that red stagecoach. It looks like
it's right out of a western movie. Now who would want to buy
that?”
    “Can not say, but if no one bids, the buyer
takes it home and brings it back to another sale,” John
explained.
    They started