A Surprise for Lily (21 page)

L
ily and Mama were spading the flower bed in front of the house to plant rows of petunias and impatiens. Grandma sat on a chair with trays of flowers on her lap from the local greenhouse. She pulled one flower plant at a time from the container and handed it to Paul. Paul carried it slowly and carefully to Mama.

When the last impatien had been planted, Lily brushed dirt from her hands and stood back to look at the flower bed. It wouldn't be long before the plants filled in and covered the entire area with brightly colored flower petals.

Mama had a satisfied look on her face. “Lily, please water the flowers while I go prepare lunch.” Grandma held Paul's hand to follow Mama into the house. As Lily filled the watering can with water from the hose, she watched Grandma and Paul walk slowly up the porch steps. It must be nice for Paul to have someone who walked at the same speed as he did.

Lily turned off the hose and picked up the watering can. She heard a noise and glanced back to discover Dozer had already dug holes in the flower bed. Mama's little pink impatiens lay on the ground, sad and broken. “Dozer!” Lily dropped the watering can and ran toward him. “Shoo, shoo, get out of here you naughty dog.” She flapped her apron at him, but he darted away. Lily picked up the broken plants and replanted them. The flower bed didn't look nearly as good as it did when Mama had finished it. She hoped they would still grow big.

She glared at Dozer as she went inside the house for lunch. “I wish there was a way to teach Dozer to behave,” she told Mama. “He dug holes in the flower bed.”

Grandma was sitting in her rocking chair with Paul on her
lap, reading him a story. She looked up at Lily with a twinkle in her eye. “You should try flying at him.”

Poor Grandma. She must be a little sun touched. “But Grandma, I can't fly,” Lily said in her gentlest voice.

“Your papa flew at some dogs once,” Grandma said. “Or maybe diving would be a better way to describe it.”

Lily sat right down by Grandma's feet. A story was coming!

“We used to take eggs to sell in town every week when your papa was a boy. It was the boys' job to deliver the eggs. Ira or one of the older boys would drive the horse and your Papa liked to ride along.” Joseph and Dannie appeared out of nowhere and sat by Grandma's rocking chair.

“There was one farm on the way to town that they didn't like to pass. Three big German shepherd dogs would race down the lane and bark at them. They'd even jump at the horse. The horse hated going by that farm, too. It was getting to be a problem.” Grandma leaned forward on the rocking chair.

“So one day, as the boys were taking another load of eggs to town, they decided to teach those dogs a lesson they wouldn't forget. As they neared the farm, your papa stood on the back of the spring wagon with the horse's tie rope. When the dogs got close enough, he would swing it at them and chase them away.

“What happened next?” Joseph said.

“Yeah! What happened next?” Dannie echoed.

“As usual, the dogs came barreling up the lane, barking up a storm. Your papa swung the tie rope and the clip happened to hit the springs on the bottom of the wagon. It sounded like a gun had gone off. That was the last straw for the horse. He jumped and threw your papa off the back of the spring
wagon, head first, right at the dogs. They hadn't expected a boy to come flying through the air toward them. Those dogs turned and ran home as fast as they could go.”

“Was Papa hurt?” Lily asked.

“Your papa picked himself up and brushed himself off. He had quite a few cuts and bruises from his dive off the wagon. Ira stopped the horse and waited for your papa to hobble to the wagon and climb back in before they went on their way.”

“But that,” Grandma said with a smile in her voice, “was the last time those dogs tried to chase anyone.”

E
arly one summer morning, Lily was surprised to find Papa in the kitchen making breakfast and Aunt Susie sitting at the table, inspecting burnt toast and lumpy porridge. Aunt Susie held a piece of toast in the air and frowned. “Daniel,” she said in her slow, thick way, “I don't think this is right. Toast shouldn't be black.”

“It's just a little overdone,” Papa said. “Your stomach won't know the difference.”

“Where's Mama?” Lily asked, rubbing her eyes.

Joseph and Dannie tumbled downstairs and into the kitchen. They stopped abruptly at the sight of Papa in the kitchen.

“She's still upstairs,” Papa said, putting a container of milk on the table.

Aunt Susie took a tiny bite of the blackened toast and spit it out. “I don't think I can eat charcoal toast.”

“Is Mama sick?” Lily asked.

Aunt Susie's eyes went wide. “Daniel, is my sister Rachel sick?” Her eyebrows knit together in a worried look.

“Rachel is fine, Susie,” Papa said. “Just fine. Grandma Lapp and Grandma Miller are with her. They're . . . having a long talk.” He wiped his forehead with his shirtsleeve. “It's already warm. It's going to be a hot day today.” He looked out the window at the rising sun, peeking through the tops of the trees.

Lily took a bite of lumpy porridge. She never liked porridge, but this tasted like glue. She put down her spoon. Her appetite was gone. Everything felt strange. Why was Papa cooking? Why would Lily's grandmothers be upstairs having a long talk with Mama on a warm summer morning? Long talks with her grandmothers weren't unusual—Papa often said both of them were blessed with a gift of gab—but the long talks took place on the porch or in the living room, after the day's work was done.

Papa turned to Lily. “After Paul wakes up, I want you to take Aunt Susie and your brothers out for a few hours. Maybe a picnic. Anyplace you'd like.”

Lily and Aunt Susie exchanged a happy look. “Can we make the picnic?” Lily said.

The pot with the awful porridge started to bubble over on the stovetop so Papa hurried over to turn off the burner. “Yes. As soon as breakfast is over, you can prepare a picnic.”

At the exact same time, Lily and Aunt Susie said, “Breakfast is done!” The boys looked up in surprise. They didn't mind eating lumpy porridge and burnt toast. Sometimes, Lily thought they didn't have any taste buds at all. They ate anything that was in front of them.

A mournful moo floated in from the barn. Papa wiped his hands on a rag. “Pansy needs milking. Lily, I'm counting on
you to handle everything in the kitchen.” He stopped at the door. “Everyone stay downstairs. Give Mama some privacy.”

As soon as the door closed behind Papa, Lily turned to Joseph. “Where should we go?”

“I want to go out to Teaskoota's. I promised him I'd show him my rock collection.”

Lily rolled her eyes. Joseph and his rocks. Who'd want to look at rocks, anyway? But she liked the idea of visiting their kind old friend. It would be cooler in the mountains and they could share their picnic with him. “Aunt Susie, let's get the picnic ready before Paul wakes up.”

Lily and Aunt Susie packed Mama's chocolate chip cookies, shoo-fly tarts, half of a blueberry pie—and then remembered sandwiches. They slapped slices of bread with peanut butter and strawberry jam. Just as Lily put it all in a basket, she heard Paul calling from his crib. She hurried to get him and change his clothes. On the way back down the stairs, she stopped to listen beside Mama's door. All she could hear were the sweet low voices of her grandmothers, chatting away. She didn't hear Mama's voice at all, but the grandmothers sounded cheerful. She heard the squeak of a rocking chair as someone rose to her feet, so Lily hurried down the stairs with Paul. She didn't want to be caught eavesdropping. She did eavesdrop—often—but she certainly didn't want to be caught. She still thought it was odd that Mama and the grandmothers chose early morning for a visit, but she was too excited for the day's adventure to think any more about it.

Joseph and Dannie ran up the trail while Aunt Susie and Lily took turns carrying Paul and the picnic basket. Joseph had
insisted on bringing Dozer despite Lily's objections. Dozer was nothing but a nuisance. He never obeyed anybody except Papa.

Lily worried it might be too far to hike all the way to Teaskoota's log cabin on such a hot day. On the other hand, the cool, dark air of the tunnel would feel good. It took even longer because Paul kept wanting to get down and walk. Finally, they reached the tunnel and Dozer disappeared inside. At first, Aunt Susie didn't want to go in. “It's too dark,” she said.

“Give your eyes a moment or two to adjust,” Lily told her. “Just stay on the tracks and we'll be out the other end in no time. You'll like how cool the air feels.”

Aunt Susie followed Lily in, tentatively, until a sweet cool breeze floated around her. She smiled and picked Paul up. “Hold on tight to me, Paul.” Her confidence grew as they ventured farther into the tunnel. “I wish we could have our picnic in here.”

“It'll be cooler at Teaskoota's log cabin,” Joseph said. “At least cooler than back at the house.”

Water dripped down the sides of the tunnel as they trudged along. Then they heard a funny sound up ahead and Dozer started to bark furiously. The hair on Lily's neck stood up. Something seemed strange. Eerie.

Lily reached out to stop Joseph from going any farther, but when she stepped out, she slipped in a puddle of wet gravel and her ankle twisted, jamming under the metal railing. She felt a shooting pain. Joseph tried to help her up, but her foot was tightly pinned. Dozer was up ahead, barking like a crazy dog, and then Paul started to wail. Aunt Susie contributed a scream. Lily had to think fast. She was frantic, but sometimes her best ideas came when she was in such a state.

“Joseph, take Aunt Susie and the boys and go get Papa to come help.”

“It might be faster if I run up the tunnel to Teaskoota's,” Joseph said.

Whatever Dozer was barking at was a worry to Lily. If it happened to be a snake, Aunt Susie would scream. “I think you need to go back to the house—”

“But—”

“Go, Joseph!” Lily's foot hurt badly. She tried not to cry. If she cried, Aunt Susie would start to howl.

“Do you want Dannie to stay here with you?”

Lily looked at Dannie, who was starting to wander up toward Dozer. He didn't mind Lily at all, and he was still weak from the appendix surgery. “No. He can help Aunt Susie with Paul.”

Joseph looked all around. “Where's the picnic basket?”

Lily's ankle was throbbing. Who cared about lunch at a time like this? “Joseph, GO!”

Joseph grabbed Dannie's hand and helped Aunt Susie pick up Paul to walk back out of the tunnel. Lily watched until they had disappeared. She tried to gently pull her foot out from under the railing, but each time she pulled, splinters from the rotten railroad ties pricked her foot. Tears started rolling down her face. She didn't want to be left alone in a dark tunnel with only crazy Dozer for company. She called to him and he ran back to her, then licked her face. He stiffened and she figured he was going to leave her to run after Joseph. Suddenly, Dozer flew down the tunnel again, barking and growling. Lily saw a big shadow move, way down in the dark. Then an ear-piercing growl, so loud it could have raised the hair on the dead, filled the tunnel.

A bear!

Lily heard Dozer's awful snarls and the bear's ferocious growls, and she thought she was surely going to die. She tried to dig the gravel under the metal railing that pinned her foot. Suddenly, someone came up behind her and started to scoop gravel away with his hands. She looked up, confused. She was sure Papa had come, but it was Aaron Yoder.

Carefully, Aaron eased her foot out from under the railing. Her foot was free! “Can you walk on it, Lily?”

“I'll try. There's a bear down there. He's fighting Dozer.”

“I warned you not to go in this tunnel. I told you about the bear and her cubs.”

And wasn't that just like Aaron? He thought
now
was the time to give her a lecture? She tried to stand up but couldn't put weight on her sore ankle. Terrible sounds came from down the tunnel, where the bear and Dozer were fighting.

Aaron looked down the tunnel. “We need to get out of here. Lily, put your arms around my neck.”

“Never.”

“Now!” He swept her up in his arms and ran down the tunnel. As soon as they were out in the daylight, Aaron set Lily down on a tree stump. Out of nowhere, Harvey Hershberger ran over to them.

Harvey peered at Lily's swollen ankle. “Oh, that's broke, for sure.”

It was twice the size of her other foot, bleeding and scraped up. “Where did the two of you come from?” she asked.

“We were heading out to the fishing hole when we bumped into Joseph,” Harvey said. “He told us you needed help, so we came straight away.”

Aaron gave Harvey a sharp look.

“I acted as lookout,” Harvey said.

Aaron rolled his eyes.

A sharp bark from the tunnel drew their attention. “Dozer!” Lily tried to climb off the tree stump. “I've got to call him out.”

Aaron had his hands on his hips, staring at the tunnel. “Harvey, you go get him.”

Harvey's eyes went wide as half dollars. “Oh no. Not me. I don't like tunnels so much. Or bears. I'll get Lily home while you fetch the dog.”

Aaron threw Harvey a disgusted look and started toward the tunnel.

“Aaron!” Lily said. “Don't go back in. Just call to Dozer. Whistle for him. But don't go back in.”

Naturally, Aaron paid her no mind. He picked up a big stick and walked tentatively into the tunnel, calling and whistling for Dozer.

“Aaron'll be fine,” Harvey said, waving off any worries. “He's a bright boy. But I'd better get you home so your mother can see to your ankle.” He scooped her up in his arms.

Once again, Lily found herself picked up and carried off by another boy. Twice in one day.
Humiliating!
If her ankle weren't throbbing like it was, she would be furious. Those boys acted like she was a bag of flour.

Just as they reached the road, they saw Papa running toward them. “Lily, what happened to you?” He examined her swollen ankle and took her from Harvey. “Thank you, Harvey. Thank you for your help.”

“No problem at all,” Harvey said, quite pleased with himself. “I was in the right place at the right time. That's just the kind of fellow I am.”

Aaron Yoder came jogging down the trail, a bothered look on his face.

“Did you get Dozer?” Lily said.

Aaron shook his head and looked away. “No.”

Papa thanked both boys and started for home. On the way, Lily told him about the bear and about Dozer. New concern flooded Papa's face.

“If only Dozer would have learned to listen!” she said. She dreaded telling Joseph that Dozer was gone. From the serious look on Aaron's face, she thought Dozer might have been killed by the bear.

“Lily,” Papa said gently, “don't you realize that Dozer was protecting you from the bear? He was trying to keep the bear from getting close to you. Just the way a mother bird tries to coax a threat away from the nest.”

What?
She had assumed Dozer had tangled with the bear because he was just being dumb Dozer. She had never liked Dozer, had never wanted to play with him, had never forgiven him for chewing up Sally . . . but here he had saved her life. One tear started, then another.

“Don't cry, Lily. Your ankle doesn't look broken, just a bad sprain. It will mend quickly and we still have Joseph's crutches from last summer. Don't cry.”

But that was the problem with crying. Once she started, she couldn't stop. Her ankle hurt, her sadness over Dozer hurt, and so did her pride. To have to be rescued by Aaron Yoder and Harvey Hershberger was just about the worst thing that could have happened to her. She should be grateful—who knew what might have happened before Papa arrived? But those boys would brag about the rescue all summer long. She would never live it down.