Bubble Troubles
Authors: Colleen Madden
© 2013 by Wanda E. Brunstetter
Print ISBN 978-1-62029-148-1
eBook Editions:
Adobe Digital Edition (.epub) 978-1-62416-052-3
Kindle and MobiPocket Edition (.prc) 978-1-62416-051-6
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Double Trouble: Bubble Troubles
, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission.”
All German Dutch words are from the Revised Pennsylvania Dutch Dictionary found in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
Scripture taken from the H
OLY
B
IBLE
, N
EW
I
NTERNATIONAL
V
ERSION
®.
NIV
®.
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, and/or events is purely coincidental.
Cover illustration: Colleen Madden/MB Artists
Published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 719, Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683,
www.barbourbooks.com
Our mission is to publish and distribute inspirational products offering exceptional value and biblical encouragement to the masses
.
Printed in the United States of America.
Dickinson Press Inc. Grand Rapids, MI; April 2013; D10003846
EDICATION
To Sara Beth,
a very special Amish schoolteacher.
LOSSARY
absatz
—stop
ach
—oh
amberell
—umbrella
appeditlich
—delicious
baremlich
—terrible
bauchweh
—stomachache
bruder
—brother
bu
—boy
daed
—dad
danki
—thanks
deich
—pond
dumm
—dumb
frosch
—frog
gfarlich
—dangerous
grummbier
—potatoes
Guder mariye
. —Good morning.
gut
—good
gwilde
—quilt
hund
—dog
hungerich
—hungry
jah
—yes
katze
—cats
kichlin
—cookies
kinner
—children
kumme
—come
lecherich
—ridiculous
maedel
—girl
mamm
—mom
melke
—milk
Mir hen bang gat
. —We were afraid.
naerfich
—nervous
rege
—rain
schmaert
—smart
schnee
—snow
schtiffel
—boots
umgerennt
—upset
vergeksagdert
—terrified
Zaahweh is schlechdi kumpani
. —A toothache is a bad companion.
ONTENTS
C
HAPTER
1
Worrywart
“What are you doin’ with that?” nine-year-old Mark Miller asked when his twin sister, Mattie, came out of the house with her umbrella.
“I’m taking my
amberell
to school in case we get
rege
,” Mattie replied. “Come to think of it, maybe I should go back in the house and get my rubber
schtiffel
, too.”
“Just hold on a minute, Mattie!” Mark pointed to the blue sky above. “There’s not a single cloud this morning, so I don’t think it’s gonna rain … which means you don’t need an umbrella or rubber boots. Besides that, I can always smell rain when it’s comin’, and I sure don’t smell it right now.” He motioned to the porch. “You oughta just leave the amberell on the porch so we can get moving. We don’t wanna be late for school, ya know.”
Mattie frowned. “Oh Mark, quit your fussing. We’re not gonna be late. We still have plenty of time to get there.”
“But don’t forget—we’re walkin’ to school today, Mattie, so it’ll take us longer to get there.” Their bicycle built for two had a flat tire, and Dad hadn’t found the time to fix it yet, so the twins had no choice but to walk. “We won’t get to school before the bell rings if you keep foolin’ around,” Mark said.
“I’m not fooling around.” Mattie slipped the umbrella into her backpack. “And I’m takin’ this to school just in case it does rain.”
“Whatever.” Mark didn’t know where his sister had gotten the silly notion that it was going to rain today. Anyone could look at the sky and see there wasn’t even a hint of rain. It was clear and blue and one of those mornings you could see for miles. “You worry too much, Mattie,” Mark said as they hurried out of their yard. There were times, like now, when he didn’t think he’d ever understand his sister, even though she was his twin.
There were many things Mark and Mattie didn’t agree on or see the same way. Mark liked to tease and fool around, and Mattie was more serious about things. But then their differences made them special, and as Grandpa Miller often said, “The twins are unique.”
“I do
not
worry too much,” Mattie insisted. As she started walking faster, a wisp of red hair came loose from the stiff black cap she wore on her head. Sometimes Mattie wore a dark head scarf, but not on the days she went to school. She mostly wore it around the house or when she had chores to do.
“You’ve been worrying a lot lately,” he insisted. “Last week you were worried about the fog. Said you didn’t think we could find our way to school ’cause the mist was so thick. But we made it just fine and got there on time. Remember, Mattie?”
“
Jah
, of course I do.” She slowed some and turned to look at him. “Why do you always have to remind me whenever I’m wrong about something?”
“I’m not tryin’ to rub it in or anything,” he said. “I was just tryin’ to make a point.”
“What kind of point?” she asked.
“The point that you sometimes make an issue of things when you oughta just learn to relax.”
Mattie didn’t say anything. Just blinked her blue eyes a couple of times and started walking again, even faster this time.
“So what’s making ya so jumpy today?”
“Nothing. I just remember the last time it rained on the way home from school, we got soaking wet,” she said. “I won’t let that happen again.”
“It’s a nice fall day, with no clouds in the sky, and you’re worried about rain?” Mark asked, walking real fast to try and keep up with her. “You know what you are, Mattie?”
“What?”
“You’re a worrywart!” He chuckled. “Jah, you’re nothin’ but a silly little worrywart!”
“No I’m not.”
“Jah you are.”
“I like to be prepared,” she said with a huff.
“So do I, and I’m prepared for sunshine today.” Mark lifted one hand toward the sky while he held on to his lunch pail with the other.
Mattie didn’t say a word.
As Mattie sat at her school desk that morning, she kept glancing out the window, watching the sky. There were a few white, puffy clouds, but not a hint of rain, just like her brother had said.
Maybe Mark was right
, she decided.
Maybe it won’t rain today after all. But I’m glad I brought my amberell, just in case
. Mattie wanted to be prepared. It was better than ending up soaking wet. Like Grandma Miller often said,
“The weather can be quite changeable at times.”
“Mattie, did you hear what I said?” Their teacher, Anna Ruth Stutzman, touched Mattie’s shoulder.
Mattie jerked her head. “Uh, no. Guess I didn’t.”
“I asked if you did your homework over the weekend.”
Mattie gave a quick nod, thankful she’d gotten her assignment done.
Anna Ruth smiled and said, “That’s good. Now, would you please hand it to me, like the other scholars have done?”
Mattie’s cheeks warmed. She’d been so busy staring out the window watching the clouds that she hadn’t even heard the teacher ask the class to turn in their homework. She opened her backpack, pulled out the folder with her math assignment inside, and handed it to her teacher.
“Thank you, Mattie.” Anna Ruth gave Mattie’s arm a gentle pat, and then she returned to her teacher’s desk at the front of the room.
Mattie liked her teacher. Anna Ruth had light brown hair, hazel-colored eyes, and a pretty face with a pleasant smile. Although she didn’t tolerate any fooling around in class, Anna Ruth was always kind and patient.
Mattie’s friend Stella Schrock, who sat in the seat behind her, tapped Mattie on the shoulder. Stella had dark brown hair, matching eyes, and a creamy complexion, with not even one freckle on her face. Not like Mattie, who had several freckles.
Mattie turned her head toward Stella. “What do ya want?”
“Did you bring your jump rope with you today?” Stella whispered.
Mattie shook her head. “The last time I brought the jump rope, it got caught in my bicycle chain, remember?”
“No talking, girls.” Anna Ruth put one finger to her lips. “You’re supposed to be copying your spelling words.” She pointed to the blackboard, where she’d written all the words. “You’ll need to learn these for the upcoming test.”