Caught in the Act by Joan Lowery Nixon

Author:Joan Lowery Nixon [Nixon, Joan Lowery]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-82756-2
Publisher: Laurel-Leaf Books
Published: 2013-11-27T05:00:00+00:00

When morning came, Mike woke with a start. “Hurry!” Mr. Friedrich shouted as he hammered on the door to Mike’s room. Although this early morning commotion took place every day, Mike still found it hard to get used to.

As he dressed he glanced out his window. Lantern light gleamed through the open doors; Reuben had already begun the milking. Mike wondered what time Reuben woke up every morning and how he managed it without Mr. Friedrich to shout at him.

When Mike went down to breakfast, he took his stack of letters with him and laid them next to Mr. Friedrich’s plate.

Mr. Friedrich looked at the letters suspiciously, then picked up the one on the top, opened it, and read it. Mike held his breath, but Mr. Friedrich only nodded, tossed the paper down again, and said, “There’s no hurry for me to read these. They can’t be mailed until we go to town next week.”

“I wrote their addresses on the back,” Mike said.

“I’ll give you envelopes for the letters—if they pass my inspection,” Mr. Friedrich said. He paused. “And you can give me your coins. Since the postage for all these letters will cost more than you have, I will pay it and expect you to perform extra chores to reimburse me.”

Mike nodded reluctantly. He’d be getting more pennies from Corey, but there’d be no way he could let Mr. Friedrich know about them.

The morning blessing was always a short one, and the meal was eaten in haste, since the cows needed to be milked and all the animals fed.

Mike pulled on his coat and hurried outside. It was Saturday, and there was no school, so Gunter would be home all day. Even though Gunter had his own chores to do, Mike was sure that he would find enough time to think up something to get Mike into trouble. He’d have to keep his eyes open and his wits about him.

“I see you’re feeling better now,” Reuben said, as Mike entered the barn.

He smiled, and Mike was immediately cheered. He had worried that Reuben would be angry with him for missing Friday afternoon’s work.

Mike glanced around to make sure that Gunter was not nearby and lowered his voice. “I don’t understand the things that Mr. Friedrich said to you.”

“Nor do I,” Reuben answered.

“Did you ask him what he meant when he said you were pretending to be his hired hand?”

“I asked for no explanations,” Reuben said. “The man was so angry, he wasn’t rational.”

“Mrs. Friedrich is afraid of something—something besides her husband,” Mike said. “Last night she said she didn’t want to run away again.”

“Mike,” Reuben said, “the Friedrichs’ problems are their own business and not our concern.”

“But maybe they do concern you. I’ve heard them whispering about you.”

For a moment Reuben frowned. Then he released the nearest cow from her stall and said, “I learned long ago to avoid others’ petty quarrels and angers. Let’s get these ladies out to pasture. Where are the dogs?”

Mike ran ahead, whistling for Bruna and Wulf, who were already running toward the barn.

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