Amish Country Arson (8 page)

I will sprinkle kerosene on the shock. It
will not take much to ignite. The corn leaves are dry. I have to be
careful how much kerosene I use. I do not want to run out before I
finish what I started.

At arm's length the kerosene drizzled down
the dry stalks, filling the air with the scent of the fuel.

I need to move the horse ahead before I throw
the match in the fire so Jack will not get scared and run off.

Scratching a match on the side the box made a
raspy noise that seemed loud in the silence. A quick toss, and the
flaming match lit in the shock. As the flame took hold and grew
taller, the fire became brighter. The rider felt the heat and was
satisfied the deed worked out well.

Now to do the same to the next shock and the
next.

Soon a dozen shocks lit up with shooting
flames against the dark sky, and dense gray smoke crept like fog
across the field. The smoky surroundings with flaring flames
turning the smoke red reminded the rider of the sun trying to burn
off a thick ground fog.

The fires make it too easy to be seen. Got to
get out of here and go home by way of Bender Creek Timber. My leg
hurts too much to stay on this horse much longer. Got to get home.
Got to get in bed.

The dark silhouette of the small wooden
building known as the phone shed came into view at the
intersection. The rider slowed the horse, debating whether to set
the shed on fire.

Nah, this time it will not matter. The field
is burning so fast the damage will be done before the firetrucks
can get here. I must not waste my time. I need to get home.

When the sheep, goats, horses and cattle
complained loud enough in unison, Rudy woke up, wondering what was
wrong. His sheep and goats gave terrified bleats that mingled with
the horses terrified screams and the cattle bellows.

The dogs ran back and forth in the yard,
barking ferociously. His first thought was coyotes or wild dogs
were in his flock. He scrambled from the bed. As he picked up his
rifle, Martha, asked, “What is going on out there?”

From the doorway, Rudy said, “I do not know,
but I am about to find out.”

When he stepped out into the cool darkness,
Rudy smelled smoke. That's when he saw the bottom half of the
cornfield a blaze. The fire spread fast across the field eating up
the dry grassy rows full of corn stubbles. While Rudy watched
another row of shocks went up in a blaze. A brisk south breeze
fanned the flames driving the fire closer to his house.

Rudy hurried inside to put on his trousers
and shoes so he could run to the phone shed down the road to call
the fire department. “Martha, get dressed and keep an eye on the
corn field. It is on fire.”

“Ach, nah,” Martha cried as she hurriedly
dressed.

“I'm going to the phone shed to call the fire
department. Our house and barn are in the path of the fire. Hitch
up the buggy and be prepared to leave fast.”

As Rudy ran to the phone shed, Martha ran to
the barn. She bridled a horse and backed him up to the buggy. Once
she had the harness in place, she drove away from the house. She
stopped in the road to watch. She prayed for the fire to be put out
before it reached her home.

In a few minutes, Rudy emerged out of the
smoke that surrounded the buggy, panting from his run to the phone
and back. He climbed in beside Martha, squeezed her trembling hand
and leaned back against the seat to wait.

Soon the fire trucks raced to Amish country
for the second time in a few days. Sirens blared and strobe lights
whirled as they came to the aid of Rudy Briskey.

Wednesday morning, Emma drove to the Lapp
farm. When she turned into the driveway, Emma was glad to see Noah
and Daniel had taken the time to put up their farmer's market
stand. They already had some of the early items laid out. The
gourds for bird houses and acorn squash along with the last of the
summer squash. It wouldn't be long before the pumpkins would be
orange enough to pick. A quart canning jar was on the counter to
put money in, on the honor system, when they weren't home.

As soon as Emma arrived, John said it was
time to go. Once everyone was in the enclosed buggy, he set off at
a brisk pace to the salebarn for the day.

The buggy was almost to the black top
intersection when they heard a loud thud under the buggy.

“
What was that I wonder?” John
asked.

Hal stuck her head out the open side window.
“I don't see anything.”

Daniel called from the back, “I do. We ran
over a black cat. He's smashed in the road behind us.”

“
Oh dear, that is unlucky,” Aunt Tootie
declared, holding her hands to her cheeks.

“
Why is that, Aendi?” Noah
asked.

“
It is always unlucky to have a black
cat cross your path,” Aunt Tootie told him.

Nora shook her head disapprovingly. “Tootie,
you shouldn't tell the children old superstitions.”

“
That is all recht, Nora. I believe
Aendi Tootie is recht. It is unlucky,” John said, grinning over his
shoulder at her.

“
You do, John?” It surprised Hal that
he would say such a thing.

“
It sure is unlucky,” John agreed. “For
the cat.”

Jim slapped his leg and laughed. “You got
that right.”

Everyone but Aunt Tootie laughed.

“
That's not how the superstition is
supposed to work,” Aunt Tootie said, pouting.

“
How does it work?” Noah
asked.

Tootie opened her mouth to respond.

Nora grabbed her sister's arm and
interrupted. “Never mind, Tootie. The children don't need to learn
your old wives tales.”

John drove the buggy across
the salebarn parking lot to the far edge and parked next to
the
last buggy in line at the hitching posts. Sale day
was one of those special days when the work at home was left
behind. The whole family enjoyed some aspect of the sale. Maybe it
was visiting with friends or checking out the current prices of
livestock. The salebarn was a good place to buy replacement
animals. For the women and children, the small livestock sale was a
must. Hal heard the sale referred to by one English woman as Old
McDonald's farm sale.

The Lapp family's interest was certainly
varied that day. John and Jim wanted to watch the sheep and goat
sale and the cattle sale. The boys left to hang out with their
friends. The women wanted to go with Hal to look for a rooster.

Before everyone scattered, Hal suggested the
family meet at the Amish diner behind the ring at noon for lunch.
John and Jim sit next to Amos Coblentz near the top of the wooden
seats built to the bottom around the ring. The blue eyed widower
was still on the school board with John. He nodded a greeting at
John and Jim.

John nodded back. “Nice day for a sale, ain't
so?”

“
Jah,” Amos said.

“
What do you know?” John
asked.

Amos's face turned solemn. “Did you hear Rudy
Briskey's cornfield caught on fire last night?”

“
Nah, I hate to hear that,” John
replied.

“
That's kind of strange,” Jim said. “We
didn't have any lightning last night.”

John agreed. “You are recht, Jim. Makes me
wonder how such a fire happened.”

“
Jah, me, too. I saw the field as I
drove by to come here so I got curious and stopped in to ask about
the fire,” Amos said. “Rudy lost most of his winter feed, before
the fire trucks arrived. Gute thing he has a gute supply of hay in
the barn.

Rudy told me the firemen were sure the fire
was deliberately set. With the wind from the south last night, the
fire burned close to the house before the firemen put it out.”

“
Good thing the firemen got there as
quick as they did,” Jim said.

“
Jah, gute that the animals made so
much noise they woke Rudy Briskey up. His house could have burnt
with him and Martha in it if he had slept too long,” Amos
related.

“
Praise the Lord for Rudy and Martha's
safety,” John said.

Jim and Amos agreed at the same time.
“Amen.”

“
As it was, smoke damage was bad inside
the house,” Amos told them. “It will make work for his wife airing
out everything and washing curtains and clothes.”

Conversations ended as the auctioneer tested
his microphone so the sheep and goat sale could begin.

The small animal sale room was behind a door
back of the main sale room. The room was bustling with as many
people as the other room, but not farmers interested in livestock
replacement or selling stock. Amish and English people crowded the
room, looking for a bargain. Mostly women and children with more
elderly men.

Prospective buyers walked around the two
lines of tables, checking out what was for sale. On one table were
stacks of egg cartons full of red eggs. Next baked goods such as
loaves of bread, dinner rolls, bumble berry pies, angel food cakes
and oatmeal applesauce cookies. Right next to the bake goods were
small boxes of late hatched chickens and ducks.

The other table held starter plants and
flower bulbs plus odd and ends usually found at yard sales.

Around the sides of the sale arena, a row of
collapsible wire pens held puppies, kittens, fresh born calves from
dairy farms and fall born lambs and kid goats.

At the end of the pens, plastic milk crates
with wire covers and dog carriers contained rabbits, chickens,
ducks, geese and turkeys.

The calliope of noises filled the room from
all the unhappy, imprisoned animals and fowl which mixed with human
chatter and laughter. Emma heard roosters crow and directed Hal to
the chicken cages first thing. Four roosters, each in a plastic
milk crate, were at the end of the line.

Hal put her hands to her cheeks. “Oh my, so
many choices. I don't know which rooster to bid on.”

Emma leaned down to inspect each one. “We
know the rooster should be young to have gute hatches. He should be
fairly large. You will have nice sized fryers that way.”

“
The bigger the better size wise for
the rooster that has to bluff out Tom Turkey I'm thinking,” Hal
suggested.

“
That too,” Emma agreed.

“
I don't want a mean one that will
attack me. I've seen the way Margaret Yoder's rooster comes at her
when she gathers eggs. It's not funny,” Hal declared.

“
Agreed, but that is a hard trait to
find out about when the roosters are penned in a small cage,” Emma
told her. “Do you see one you like?”

Hal looked at each of the roosters. She
pointed to the one on the end. The black and red feathers on that
rooster shimmered as he stood as tall as he could in cramped
quarters. His long, flourishing tail swiped the crate side.
“Him.”

“
Why?” Emma asked.

“
He is the prettiest,” Hal
said.

“
After all I said, you are looking for
the prettiest rooster?” Emma asked in disdain.

Hal folded her arms over her chest. “Fine, I
told you I'm not much good at this. You're the chicken expert in
this family so you pick one for me. I'll be happy with which ever
rooster you think is suitable.”

Emma broke into a smile. “Actually, he is the
one I like, too. My reasons were just a bit more practical than
yours is all. Now we get a seat and wait. It is up to you to bid on
him.”

Hal looked flustered. “You bid for me
please.”

“
Ach, nah, this is your rooster. About
time you get used to bidding at an auction. Is Daed going to buy
you that milk goat today?”

Hal shook her head. “Nah, I haven't gotten up
the nerve to talk to him about it yet. I wasn't sure what he'd
think of the idea. It took your father some getting used to when I
brought home the sheep.”

Emma giggled. “I remember.”

Hal's patience wore thin as she watched the
sale drag on. It took forever for the auctioneer to get through the
items on the table and start along the row of cages. Of course, he
started on the opposite end from the poultry with the small animals
and worked toward the chickens.

When the auctioneer's helper held up the
rooster Hal liked, she bid and rebid every time the auctioneer
looked her way. Finally, he looked at her for one last time. “Sold
to the woman in the third row. What is your number?”

Hal held up the card she got from the office
with the number fifty six on it.

When the auctioneer moved on, Emma said,
“Gute job, Hallie. You now have a new rooster.”

“
And a nice looking one at that,” Nora
said, readjusting wiggling Redbird on her lap.

“
I think he's very pretty, dear,” Aunt
Tootie agreed.

“
What a relief to get that over with. I
didn't understand a word that auctioneer said. He talked too fast,”
Hal declared, struggling to get Beth to sit still.

The others laughed at her.

“
John's sure to ask me what the rooster
cost. Did I bid too much?” Hal worried.

“
Not if you really want that rooster,
dear,” Aunt Tootie said diplomatically.

Hal frowned at her aunt and looked
questioningly at her mother.

Nora said innocently, “Don't ask me, Hallie.
I don't know what's too much to give for a chicken.”

Hal turned to Emma for her response.

Emma answered honestly, “To be on the safe
side, pray that Daed does not ask.”

Hal didn't like the sound of that answer. She
groaned.

Noah and Daniel didn't have any trouble
finding boys their age hanging around outside. The rumspringa crowd
lingered near the lean-to sales booths along the outside the
salebarn.