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with a deep frown, he said, “I’m going to put the frosch outside. You’d better finish your supper quick, because when I get back, we’re going to settle this matter.”

    C HAPTER 3    
Spilled Milk and Sour Juice
    “Dad was pretty upset with you last night, wasn’t he?” Mattie asked when she met Mark in the hallway outside their bedrooms the following morning.
    Mark nodded. “Jah, and because of the umbrella stunt and me putting the frosch in the sugar bowl, I’ve gotta clean out the chicken coop every day for a week and do some other extra chores, too.”
    “I hope you learned a good lesson,” she said, squinting at him, the way Mom did when she was scolding someone.
    Mark frowned. “I don’t need a lecture from you, Mattie. I know puttin’ that frosch in the sugar bowl was wrong, and thinkin’ I could fly was really dumm. I sure won’t do either of those things again. Just wanted to have a little fun, that’s all.”
    “Your idea of fun is sure strange, but it’s good you’re not going to do anything like that again, ‘cause I think it really scared Mom.”
    “Didn’t mean to scare her. It was meant for you.” Mark snickered. “Just thought it’d be funny to see your expression when you opened the lid and saw that little amphibian.”
    “Oh, so that ‘amphibian,’ which I guess means ‘frog,’ was meant for me, huh?”
    Mark gave a nod.
    She poked his arm. “You tease too much, Mark. And for your information,
Ich verschreck net graad
.“
    Mark scrunched up his nose. “Well, you may not frighten easily, but I’m sure you would have been startled if that little ol’ frog had jumped in your plate.”
    Mattie nodded. “I wouldn’t have liked that at all.”
    “I’m sorry,” Mark said as he hurried out the door to do his chores.
    When Mattie entered the kitchen, she found Mom in front of their propane-operated stove, frying hickory-smoked bacon.
    “Umm … that sure smells good,” Mattie said, smacking her lips. “Are we having fried
oier
to go with it?”
    Mom shook her head. “I’m low on eggs this morning, so I’ve decided to make
pannekuche
to go with the bacon.”
    “Pancakes are my favorite thing to have for breakfast.” Mattie’s mouth watered just thinking about all that melted butter and warm maple syrup drizzled over a stack of big fluffy pancakes. “How come we’re low on eggs? Are the chickens sick?”
    “It could be they sense the cooler weather coming, or it could be because our chickens are getting older,” Mom explained. “As chickens age, they lay fewer eggs.”
    “Maybe we can get some little peeps to raise so we can have more egg-layers,” Mattie suggested. She thought it would be fun to have some baby chicks.
    “Well, we probably won’t think about that until springtime. Winter will be coming sooner than we think, and the cold weather can be too harsh on baby animals,” Mom said. “Now, why don’t you get started setting the table while I mix the pancake batter? We’ll eat as soon as your daed and the boys come in from doing their chores.”
    Mattie knew that Dad and her brother Ike would head for the woodshop as soon as they’d eaten. Now that the hay was all cut, they wouldn’t be spreading manure in the fields until autumn, which was still a few weeks away. So until then, most of their time would be spent in the shop.
    Mattie wasn’t sure what Mark, Russell, and Calvin had planned for the day. She’d made her own plans, however. Right after breakfast, once the dishes were done, she planned to pick some daisies and decorate the porch railing, as well as the fence that separated their driveway from the alfalfa pasture.
    “Where’s Ada and Perry?” Mattie asked as she began setting the table. “I figured they’d be in here waiting to eat. Seems like those two are always
hungerich
.“
    “You’re right about them always being hungry.” Mom chuckled. “Perry went out to the barn to see if Lucky’s had her
busslin
yet,