Amish Country Arson (10 page)

That afternoon while the women finished
washing the walls, Martha said to Hal, “You plan on cooking
molasses this fall?”

“
Jah, the boys mowed the grass at Sugar
Camp this morning. This afternoon they're cutting a stack of wood
to burn under the vat. After that, we will be ready to start,” Hal
said.

“
You let me know when you are ready. I
will help cook the molasses for your help here,” Martha told
her.

“
That is nice of you to offer, but
stirring over the vat is such a hot job. If you help, you can share
the molasses,” Hal told her.

The afternoon flew by. By the time, the Lapp
family was ready to go home Martha's house was smelling much
better.

Rudy and Martha walked to the buggy with
them. Rudy cleared his throat to get their attention. “Nurse Hal,
have you decided about getting a milk goat yet. I have one penned
up in the barn for you to look at.”

Hal glanced at John. “I left it up to John to
decide.”

“
So you really want to get a goat,
Hal?” John just remembered the sleepy conversation he'd had with
Hal.

“
Only if you think she will be useful
in the spring when I need milk for the lambs,” Hal said not wanting
to seem pushy.

“
I penned one up in the barn. You are
wilcom to look at her. I will give you a gute deal on her for
helping Martha,” Rudy said.

“
Sure enough, we can look at this
goat,” John agreed. He started off after Rudy then stopped. “Is the
goat bred already?”

“
Jah, she is bred. Do you have a buck
in with the ewes now?” Rudy asked.

“
Jah, and we expect lambs in early
March,” John said.

“
That will be perfect. This nanny goat
will kid in March,” Rudy exclaimed.

Hal followed behind the men. She felt John
would take buying the goat better if he dealt with Rudy. If the
goat had any problems Rudy didn't mention, John might not tease her
so much if he made the choice to buy the goat.

When they entered the barn, the door banged
shut, causing sharp bleats to come from a horse stall. Rudy said,
“She hears our voices. Goats do not like being alone, but she would
be happy with your flock. She is used to running with my
sheep.”

Hal noted the brown goat had a trim of white
running around her face and four white stockings on her frail legs.
“What breed is she?”

“
Toggenburg. Her name is Gano,” Rudy
said.

Hal stared at the goat. “That is an odd
name.”

“
Jah, that it is, but if you dislike it
you can change the name,” Rudy stated, not willing to elaborate on
the origin.

“
Can I go in the stall with her?” Hal
asked as she watched the goat pace along the back wall.

Rudy opened the door. “Go recht in. I milked
her this year, so she is already trained to stand still. She is
calmer than she looks.”

Hal held her hand out to pat the goat.
“Hello, Gano. I'm Hal.”

Gano ran to the far corner and watched her
through wide, dark brown eyes. With no where else to run, she let
Hal walk up to her. When Hal put her hand on the goat's head, Gano
ducked her head as if Hal hit her.

“
She does not act very friendly,” John
stated bluntly.

“
She just does not know what to make of
all the strangers. After she gets used to you, she will be a pest,”
Rudy assured him.

“
All recht, I will buy her. Jim, you
want to hold on to the goat while I drive home?” John
asked.

“
I think I can handle that,” Jim said,
grinning.

Rudy led the goat to the buggy with a rope
around her neck. Jim climbed in and sat at the back of the buggy.
Rudy and John lifted the squalling and kicking goat. Jim grabbed
the rope around the goat's neck and pulled her to him. She eyed
Nora and Hal when they sat down. Her nose wrinkled up as she
sniffed their direction.

When they arrived home, John drove over by
his barn and stopped. Aunt Tootie had Redbird and Beth by the
hands, coming to see the latest animal. Hal picked up Redbird and
Nora picked up Beth.

Once Gano's hooves hit the ground, she only
had Jim holding onto her rope. She bucked and strained, trying to
get away. Jim held on tight and settled her down. Both girls held
out a hand, wanting to pet the nanny.

Aunt Tootie gasped and sidestepped close to
Nora.

“
For Heaven's sake, Tootie, don't crowd
me so,” Nora complained.

Aunt Tootie huffed, “Sorry, but I was afraid
that goat would butt me.”

Jim relaxed his hold on the rope while he
picked at the girls. Gano quickly stretched her neck and got a
mouth full of Aunt Tootie's skirt. The goat tugged to bring it
closer to her. Aunt Tootie's face blanched as she jerked the skirt
out of the goat's mouth. “Shoo, goat! Jim, hang onto her
better.”

“
I'm sorry about that, Tootie. She just
wants to say hello. She won't hurt you,” Jim defended.

John decided, “Jim, let's put the goat in a
pen for the night. It will easier to watch her in the day light to
see how she gets along with the sheep.”

“
John,” Aunt Tootie said. “The
veterinarian stopped by this morning and said the test on the skunk
came back all right. The dog can be turned loose now.”

“
That is voonderball gute news,” Noah
cried. “We can take Biscuit coon hunting now.”

“
I will turn him out of the shed,”
Daniel said as he ran that direction.

After milking, the barn went silent. Gano
cried from the minute the men left the barn and continued to
protest all evening.

Finally, Noah offered to go see about her. He
came back to the house and related he thought she was just
lonesome. Half an hour later, the goat's crying started again. This
time she sounded stressed. Daniel offered to take a turn to see
about the goat. After Daniel left, the goat became quiet.

When Daniel returned, Hal asked, “What did
you do to make her shut up?”

“
The goat tried to jump over the pen.
She caught one of her back legs between the top two boards. I got
her loose and gave her more hay.”

Hal looked worried. “Is she all recht?”

“
She's limping a little. The hair is
off just above the hoof, but she will be all recht,” Daniel
reported.

“
If only she'd settle down. The
constant crying is getting on all our nerves,” Hal said.

Jim patted Hal's arm. “It's like Rudy Briskey
said. When she has the ewes for company, she'll be content
then.”

“
If I recall recht, what Rudy said was
once the goat gets used to us she will be a pest. She is that
already,” John said dryly.

“
Sure enough, but she was eating hay
when I left. Maybe she will bed down for the night now that it is
dark,” Daniel said hopefully.

“
Speaking of settling down, how long
are we leaving Tom in the barn. He is getting restless and mad at
us. The goat's bawling is bothering him, too. He just chased me out
of the barn,” Daniel said.

“
Really?” Hal asked. “Maybe tomorrow
let's turn Tom out. We'll see how he gets along with the rooster.
If Tom is still mean, we'll just have to pen him up
again.”

Tootie's lower lip pushed out in a pout. “As
mean as that rooster is, if I were you boys I'd worry about Tom's
welfare if they get in a fight.”

At bedtime, Hal threw her nightgown on the
bed and paused to listen. “It seems peaceful in the barn yet.
Daniel was recht about the goat settling down after dark.”

John untied his farmer shoes and toed the
heel of one. It plunked to the floor. He reached down and slid the
other off. “I am glad for the peace.”

A series of frantic baas broke the silence.
Tom joined in, gobbling loud and hostile.

“
Fudge! I spoke too soon,” groaned Hal,
throwing her gown back on the bed.

“
So much for peace and quiet. Tom is
giving the goat a hard time now that he thinks he owns the barn,”
John said, reaching for one of his shoes.

“
Nah, John, you go on to bed. She's my
goat. I'll go rescue her from Tom,” Hal said.

“
It might be more than you can handle.
Tom is a real fighter when he is mad,” John reminded
her.

“
Nonsense, he'll mind me,” Hal said,
starting for the door.

“
Wait, Hal! I do not know if you should
be out alone after dark,” John worried.

“
Don't be silly. What can happen to me
between the house and the barn.”

“
That may be something Chicken Plucker
might have said until recently,” John declared.

“
Oh, I see, but I wanted the goat so I
should tend to her. You have to get up early. Now it's your turn to
stop worrying and go to bed,” Hal declared. “I'll be recht
back.”

She took a lantern off a nail in the mud room
and got a match from the box behind the cookstove. She stepped out
on the front porch before she lit the lantern.

Usually, the sky held a moon and a jillion
stars. Just her luck, she had to be out in the dark alone with a
dense fog setting in. It was cool and drizzly damp, but she didn't
see the need to go back for a jacket. She wouldn't be gone that
long. She'd shut Tom in the feed room for the night to keep him
away from the goat and be back to the house in a few minutes.

Biscuit came from under the porch swing and
nudged her bare leg with his cold nose. Hal flinched before she
realized what was going on. She leaned over to rub the dog's head.
“You can't sleep, either? Sorry Gano and Tom have to make such a
racket.”

Nothing had changed yet. The goat still
sounded stressed, and Tom still gobbled angrily. That turkey was
one stubborn bird. The argument wasn't going to stop any time soon
without some intervention.

With Biscuit behind her, Hal hustled to the
barn, holding the lantern high so she could see her surroundings.
She wouldn't have thought about being fearful before John reminded
her about the fires. She wouldn't admit it to him, but now that he
put the idea in her head, she was nervous about being outside alone
with an arsonist prowling around the country side.

A horse nickered behind the barn, and another
one answered back. Hal wondered what had the horses attention. She
stopped to listen. Might have been Buttercat out mousing, or a wild
animal looking for a stray chicken that roosted out.

The familiar scents of hay, cows and
horseflesh filled Hal's nose when she opened the barn door and
stepped in. Biscuit whined. “You stay put. This is no place for
you. Tom won't like you any better than he does the goat.”

Biscuit dropped and put his head on his front
legs to wait.

Hal held the lantern high. Tom had the goat
cornered at the end of the pens. She had to raise her voice to be
heard as she hung the lantern on a nail. “Stop that right now,
Tom!”

Tom turned to look her direction. Gano
slipped past him and ran to meet her. Tom fanned his feathers out
and made hissing sounds as he stomped his feet.

“
Calm down, Tom. You behave yourself,
and I'll let you out of here tomorrow. Stop being mean to the
newcomer. You're scaring her,” Hal scolded, but she stayed on the
far side the goat to lead her to the pen. “Gano, you stay put.
You're already limping. Don't jump over the pen and get hurt
again.”

Hal picked up an arm load of what had been a
bale of hay. The goat must have been out for some time to fluff up
the bale that much. No wonder she'd been quiet until Tom found her
out of the pen.

Gano couldn't be very hungry after tearing up
the bale to munch on it. Hopefully, a pile of fresh hay would keep
her occupied in her pen for a few minutes. Maybe long enough for
Tom to forget about the goat, and her to get to sleep.

Hal looked for Tom, wanting to make sure he
wasn't going to come at her as she crossed to room to get the
lantern. Her thought about trying to convince him to go in the feed
room had changed. That turkey wasn't in sight. Hal mumbled, “Fine,
he's gone off to sulk now that I've spoiled his fun. I can get out
of here.”

The back barn door to the milk room swung
open slowly so the hinges wouldn't squeak. A dark form, biding time
in the barn yard, stepped into the milk room. Standing very still,
the person listened to Hal's scolding voice in the other room.

How lucky can I get? A foggy night that will
conceal me while I burn the Lapp barn. Now I find the English
redhead is in the barn recht now. That is perfect.

Edging along the wall, the dark form stopped
by the milk room door to the pens. The arsonist curled fingers
around the handle of a scoop shovel, leaning against the wall and
peeked around the door frame.

Hal took for the lantern off the nail and
started to leave. From behind, she felt something hard slammed
against her head. Violent pain seared through her skull. The room
went swimmingly black as she lost the grip on the lantern. Hal felt
herself sinking to the hard cold floor before she lost
consciousness.

The intruder picked up the lantern, took the
cap off the tank and tossed the lantern into the messed up hay
bale. A match, swiped across a nail head in the beam behind the
hay, burst into flames. The arsonist dropped the match in the fuel
soaked hay. Flames licked high immediately and spread through the
fluffy, dry hay.

The arsonist limped back through the milk
room, moving slower than in days gone by. Dragging the wounded leg
made scratchy, shuffling noises on the concrete floor. The pain
grew more intense with each movement of the sore leg. Leaning on
the scoop shovel that had flattened Nurse Hal was a necessity.