orphan?”
“How did you know?” the little boy asked.
“You’re giving him a bottle.” Jonah cupped the curls at Mark’s neck gently, thinking
of his brother Simon’s shiny hair. It wasn’t so long ago that Simon was toddling around
the barn, learning about all the animals like this. And now Simon was nine, turning
ten soon, and he was their horse expert. “What happened to his mamm?”
“He’s not a true orphan,” Annie explained. “His mamm rejectedhim, probably because she had triplets. Too many to keep track of. So we had to take
him out of the lambing jug. Isn’t that sad?” Her eyes sparkled with rue. That look—it
could tear a man’s heart out.
“It happens,” he said. He’d seen a mother sheep try to hurt her young when she turned
them away. It didn’t happen often, but you needed to take special care when you had
a bummer, a lamb who tried to bum milk from other ewes because it couldn’t get enough
from its mother.
“How come you’ve got some ewes lambing in the fall?” Jonah asked. In Lancaster County,
the usual lambing season was spring. You could plan your schedule around it.
“We had a hole in the fence, and some of the bucks got through.” Annie shook her head.
“By the time anyone noticed, we had a couple of pregnant ewes.”
Jonah nodded. Every farmer understood the importance of keeping fences in good shape.
“I’m going to take good care of him.” Levi turned to Annie. “Do you think he can sleep
in my bed with me?”
Annie grinned. “I don’t think your mamm and dat are going to allow that, but you can
ask.”
Jonah found a shovel and began to clear out the sheep pen. “Have you got a name for
the bummer yet?”
“Do we get to name it?” Levi asked Annie.
“If your doddi says it’s okay.”
“That depends on the name,” Aaron called from around the side of the shed.
“Then I will think of a very good name,” Levi said.
Jonah shoveled manure into the bin. “Why don’t you name it Peanut Butter?” he teased.
“Patty Maker?”
“Nay.” Levi grinned.
“How about Moon Egg?” Jonah prodded. “Or Picky Picky.”
“Those are not names for a lamb!” Levi insisted. He giggled, and Annie joined him.
“I kind of like Moon Egg,” she said. Then she laughed again.
The sound of her joy was music in Jonah’s ears.
That night at the dinner table, the teasing came full circle when Jonah’s sisters
noticed his happy mood.
“You’ve been smiling ever since you got home from helping the Stoltzfuses,” Ruthie
said as she passed the string beans down the table. “Did someone tell you a funny
joke?”
“I … I think I was the one who told the jokes,” Jonah said, thinking of how he had
made Annie and Levi laugh.
“You? The Quiet One?” Susie blinked in disbelief. “What was the joke?”
“Nay.” Jonah tore a biscuit in half. “It’s not so funny if you weren’t there.”
“Well, it’s good to see you smiling.” Mary grabbed Katie’s cup of milk as it wobbled
on the table. “I was beginning to think your face was stuck in a serious frown.”
“I’m not serious. Quiet, ya. But inside I’m very funny.”
The girls giggled.
“If that’s so, you’re keeping the jokes to yourself,” Leah said.
Jonah let his eyes skim over their smiling faces as he cut his chicken. Even Simon
was trying to hide a grin. “Are you ganging up on me? I think you are.”
“I’m on your side, Jonah,” Ruthie insisted.
“We all are,” Mary said, “as long as you keep smiling.”
He stabbed some beets with a fork. “And I finished the roof today. Another reason
to smile.”
“That’s good, because we need you tomorrow,” Adam said. “The hay baler isn’t working
right, and you’re the mechanic around here.”
“I’ll take a look at it in the morning.” Would it take long to fix? Jonah wanted to
get over to the Stoltzfus farm tomorrow. “I saw that you made good progress on
“How did you know?” the little boy asked.
“You’re giving him a bottle.” Jonah cupped the curls at Mark’s neck gently, thinking
of his brother Simon’s shiny hair. It wasn’t so long ago that Simon was toddling around
the barn, learning about all the animals like this. And now Simon was nine, turning
ten soon, and he was their horse expert. “What happened to his mamm?”
“He’s not a true orphan,” Annie explained. “His mamm rejectedhim, probably because she had triplets. Too many to keep track of. So we had to take
him out of the lambing jug. Isn’t that sad?” Her eyes sparkled with rue. That look—it
could tear a man’s heart out.
“It happens,” he said. He’d seen a mother sheep try to hurt her young when she turned
them away. It didn’t happen often, but you needed to take special care when you had
a bummer, a lamb who tried to bum milk from other ewes because it couldn’t get enough
from its mother.
“How come you’ve got some ewes lambing in the fall?” Jonah asked. In Lancaster County,
the usual lambing season was spring. You could plan your schedule around it.
“We had a hole in the fence, and some of the bucks got through.” Annie shook her head.
“By the time anyone noticed, we had a couple of pregnant ewes.”
Jonah nodded. Every farmer understood the importance of keeping fences in good shape.
“I’m going to take good care of him.” Levi turned to Annie. “Do you think he can sleep
in my bed with me?”
Annie grinned. “I don’t think your mamm and dat are going to allow that, but you can
ask.”
Jonah found a shovel and began to clear out the sheep pen. “Have you got a name for
the bummer yet?”
“Do we get to name it?” Levi asked Annie.
“If your doddi says it’s okay.”
“That depends on the name,” Aaron called from around the side of the shed.
“Then I will think of a very good name,” Levi said.
Jonah shoveled manure into the bin. “Why don’t you name it Peanut Butter?” he teased.
“Patty Maker?”
“Nay.” Levi grinned.
“How about Moon Egg?” Jonah prodded. “Or Picky Picky.”
“Those are not names for a lamb!” Levi insisted. He giggled, and Annie joined him.
“I kind of like Moon Egg,” she said. Then she laughed again.
The sound of her joy was music in Jonah’s ears.
That night at the dinner table, the teasing came full circle when Jonah’s sisters
noticed his happy mood.
“You’ve been smiling ever since you got home from helping the Stoltzfuses,” Ruthie
said as she passed the string beans down the table. “Did someone tell you a funny
joke?”
“I … I think I was the one who told the jokes,” Jonah said, thinking of how he had
made Annie and Levi laugh.
“You? The Quiet One?” Susie blinked in disbelief. “What was the joke?”
“Nay.” Jonah tore a biscuit in half. “It’s not so funny if you weren’t there.”
“Well, it’s good to see you smiling.” Mary grabbed Katie’s cup of milk as it wobbled
on the table. “I was beginning to think your face was stuck in a serious frown.”
“I’m not serious. Quiet, ya. But inside I’m very funny.”
The girls giggled.
“If that’s so, you’re keeping the jokes to yourself,” Leah said.
Jonah let his eyes skim over their smiling faces as he cut his chicken. Even Simon
was trying to hide a grin. “Are you ganging up on me? I think you are.”
“I’m on your side, Jonah,” Ruthie insisted.
“We all are,” Mary said, “as long as you keep smiling.”
He stabbed some beets with a fork. “And I finished the roof today. Another reason
to smile.”
“That’s good, because we need you tomorrow,” Adam said. “The hay baler isn’t working
right, and you’re the mechanic around here.”
“I’ll take a look at it in the morning.” Would it take long to fix? Jonah wanted to
get over to the Stoltzfus farm tomorrow. “I saw that you made good progress on
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