Little Amish Matchmaker Read Online Free PDF Page A

Catherine’s mood.
    After that, little first-grader Eli said his poem in a voice only a decibel above a whisper, his voice shaking with nervous tension. Isaac knew the teacher would not be able to correct him, Eli being so close to tears.
    Christmas programs were tough. You had to walk that delicate balance of praise and admonishment, nurturing and controlling.
    Ruthie Allgyer sniffed, ducked her head and searched for the ever-present plastic packet of Kleenexes.
    Isaac looked out the window and observed Elam King hauling manure with his mules, their large heads wagging in unison, their ears flapping back and forth in their ungainly fashion, as if they were much too big for their heads. He shouldn’t be hauling manure. The snow was too deep, adding to the heavy load on the spreader.
    Dat said it was hard for the horses to keep their footing, so instead they’d get ready to butcher the five hogs in the shed next week. Isaac knew he’d be cleaning the kettles, and sharpening knives and saw blades in anticipation of the butchering.
    When he looked back to the front of the classroom, he was shocked to see Ruthie Allgyer standing in complete misery, her face red with exertion, her mouth working, devoid of any sound at all.
    Isaac couldn’t watch.
    He heard a sob, and a wave of heat washed over him. His heart lurched, feeling her embarrassment keenly. His fingers trace a carved R on his desktop, as he heard Teacher Catherine say kindly, “Ruthie, you may go back to your seat.”
    Ruthie bent her head, held the white Kleenex to her face and pushed her feet along the floor in humiliation. She slid wretchedly into her desk, folded her arms on the top and buried her face into them as she cried softly.
    Isaac couldn’t believe it.
    Ruthie Allgyer, of all people!
    She stuttered?
    When had that all started? She hadn’t stuttered last year. He remembered everyone saying their poems, Ruthie among them.
    Hannah Fisher was next, so she started in her singsong roar. She spoke so loudly you couldn’t even hear the words, then plucked the shoulders of her dress in the most self-assured manner it set Isaac’s teeth on edge. Well, that Hannah could be set back a notch, in his opinion. Dat said pride went before a fall, so she better watch it.
    Isaac pitied Ruthie so badly. He would be extra kind to her, maybe even say something encouraging at recess if he got a chance.
    Maybe she dreaded the Christmas program because she had a stuttering problem that was only visible if she had to speak to a crowd. Maybe that was why she looked so anxious and picked her face.
    The students colored bells, candy canes and candles, and hung up letters that said, “Merry Christmas.” They made paper chains with red and green construction paper and hung them from the four corners of the ceiling to the middle.
    There was no Christmas tree and no Santa Claus anywhere. The Amish ordnung did not permit either one. Santa Claus was a myth, and Christmas trees were too fancy or worldly and were frowned upon.
    The Amish believed in gift-giving because the wise men brought gifts to the Baby Jesus, and God gave the greatest gift of all when he gave the world his son. But presenting gifts was to be done in maus und maz-ich-keit (with common sense) and not to follow the ways of the world with very large gifts no one could afford.
    That, too, varied in each household. Isaac’s parents were conservative with their gifts, giving one package to each child, usually something ­useful.
    Calvin got five or six packages, things Dat would deem frivolous. Calvin had a Game Boy with a pile of expensive games, something Isaac could only dream about.
    It wasn’t that he wouldn’t have enjoyed having one, it was just the way of it. When you knew something was truly off limits, there was no getting around it. You just read the Outdoor Life , ate your whoopie pie and drank milk in the evening and didn’t even think about a Game Boy.
    Sometimes he felt left out, just a bit, when