was.
Standing next to a hay baler, he and Chicken Joe talked up a storm for the time being. They'd worn their "for good" clothes, all spiffed up with tan suspenders, white shirts, and black trousers. Only one reason for it--two, really. First off, 'twas their Old Order custom. That, and dressing nice made the girls look twice.
A group of boys scuffled around in the haymow overhead, stirring up dust. Dan figured they'd had a drink or two before coming. Bishop John would flown mighty hard if he got wind of it, because Hickory Hollow's bishop was stricter
107
than most, no getting around it.
When Katie did finally arrive, he stood back, waiting a bit impatiently for the Singing to get underway. Then, sitting on a hay bale in the farthest corner of the barn, he watched Benjamin's sister without ever being noticed. Watched her good, as discreetly as possible, of course.
A group of young married couples sat in one section of the barn. They got the songs going, starting out with one of Dan's least favorite, a slow hymn from the Lieder SammIun- gen, a small songbook for such an occasion. Thing was, the hymn lasted a good eleven minutes, and he hoped it would be the only one like that. Jah, he liked attending Singings, and not just to see all the pretty girls in his church district and SummerHill's; he enjoyed the music. More than most. Raising his voice in unison with a hundred other Amish young people was good enough reason to come any day, to his way of thinking.
Still, Katie was the main reason tonight. Sitting over there under the hayloft with the other unmarried girls, smack-dab next to one of her cousins, why, Katie looked almost angel-like. 'Course, he'd never so much as laid eyes on a heavenly creature, but that didn't mean she didn't look like one all the same, wearing her good purple dress, same color as the whole row of girls with her.
On second thought, maybe it was the color of her hair that made Katie special. He hadn't quite figured out just exactly what attracted him to her, really. It was simple to see that her hair was as close to the rust red of a robin's breast as hair could be, even though he'd overheard her telling Elam, her oldest brother, that it was not red, it was auburn. And she'd been mighty firm about it, too. The girl had a powerful-strong personality, he'd noticed. But that didn't stop him from liking her. Maybe even made him fancy her more.
Daniel chewed on his straw and grinned to himself. Any
108
girl spunky enough to voice an opinion about her own hair color, now, that was the type of girl he'd want to invite for a ride in his new rig. Reason being, there'd be plenty to talk about with a young woman like Katie Lapp.
And talk they did. That warm summer night, with honeysuckle wafting through the air, that night of Katie's first Singing, he took her home. Many more buggy rides were to follow. Occasionally, another boy might beat him to it, talking to Katie first, asking her to ride home. But it didn't take long, maybe two months or so, for him to latch on to her. 'Cause once he took notice of her head bobbing to the rhythm of the songs, her brown eyes bright with the melodies, from then on, he knew she was the one he wanted for his girl. And someday, his wife.
Music made her smile, same as him. Which was saying a lot, 'cause when Katie smiled, the whole world lit right up. Like a hundred and one fireflies. And oh, so much more.
Feeling right at home in the kitchen, Katherine accomplished a great deal while the butler and his sidekick were absent. The trappings of a place like this spurred her creative abilities and, with no coaxing from anyone, her hands had found plenty to do. She'd put together several pies--a coconut custard pie, for one--and had them tucked away in
the oven when Fulton Taylor reappeared.
"Goodness me, are you still here?"
She hoped he wouldn't force her out; she'd been right good help, if she did say so herself--especially with whatever strange things were going on
Standing next to a hay baler, he and Chicken Joe talked up a storm for the time being. They'd worn their "for good" clothes, all spiffed up with tan suspenders, white shirts, and black trousers. Only one reason for it--two, really. First off, 'twas their Old Order custom. That, and dressing nice made the girls look twice.
A group of boys scuffled around in the haymow overhead, stirring up dust. Dan figured they'd had a drink or two before coming. Bishop John would flown mighty hard if he got wind of it, because Hickory Hollow's bishop was stricter
107
than most, no getting around it.
When Katie did finally arrive, he stood back, waiting a bit impatiently for the Singing to get underway. Then, sitting on a hay bale in the farthest corner of the barn, he watched Benjamin's sister without ever being noticed. Watched her good, as discreetly as possible, of course.
A group of young married couples sat in one section of the barn. They got the songs going, starting out with one of Dan's least favorite, a slow hymn from the Lieder SammIun- gen, a small songbook for such an occasion. Thing was, the hymn lasted a good eleven minutes, and he hoped it would be the only one like that. Jah, he liked attending Singings, and not just to see all the pretty girls in his church district and SummerHill's; he enjoyed the music. More than most. Raising his voice in unison with a hundred other Amish young people was good enough reason to come any day, to his way of thinking.
Still, Katie was the main reason tonight. Sitting over there under the hayloft with the other unmarried girls, smack-dab next to one of her cousins, why, Katie looked almost angel-like. 'Course, he'd never so much as laid eyes on a heavenly creature, but that didn't mean she didn't look like one all the same, wearing her good purple dress, same color as the whole row of girls with her.
On second thought, maybe it was the color of her hair that made Katie special. He hadn't quite figured out just exactly what attracted him to her, really. It was simple to see that her hair was as close to the rust red of a robin's breast as hair could be, even though he'd overheard her telling Elam, her oldest brother, that it was not red, it was auburn. And she'd been mighty firm about it, too. The girl had a powerful-strong personality, he'd noticed. But that didn't stop him from liking her. Maybe even made him fancy her more.
Daniel chewed on his straw and grinned to himself. Any
108
girl spunky enough to voice an opinion about her own hair color, now, that was the type of girl he'd want to invite for a ride in his new rig. Reason being, there'd be plenty to talk about with a young woman like Katie Lapp.
And talk they did. That warm summer night, with honeysuckle wafting through the air, that night of Katie's first Singing, he took her home. Many more buggy rides were to follow. Occasionally, another boy might beat him to it, talking to Katie first, asking her to ride home. But it didn't take long, maybe two months or so, for him to latch on to her. 'Cause once he took notice of her head bobbing to the rhythm of the songs, her brown eyes bright with the melodies, from then on, he knew she was the one he wanted for his girl. And someday, his wife.
Music made her smile, same as him. Which was saying a lot, 'cause when Katie smiled, the whole world lit right up. Like a hundred and one fireflies. And oh, so much more.
Feeling right at home in the kitchen, Katherine accomplished a great deal while the butler and his sidekick were absent. The trappings of a place like this spurred her creative abilities and, with no coaxing from anyone, her hands had found plenty to do. She'd put together several pies--a coconut custard pie, for one--and had them tucked away in
the oven when Fulton Taylor reappeared.
"Goodness me, are you still here?"
She hoped he wouldn't force her out; she'd been right good help, if she did say so herself--especially with whatever strange things were going on
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