Merle Good - Reuben and the Quilt

One day, long before the quilt was ever stolen, Reuben was sweating in the strawberry patch, trying to fill his box with those yummy red things without eating them all.

To tell the truth, he was thinking about Splotch and Blotch, Sam and Bens new puppies. Sam and Ben lived on the next farm. The twins were his best friends.

How to pronounce

(Pennsylvania Dutch words which appear in this story)

Datt (Rhymes with hat) means Dad.

Mamm (Rhymes with Sam ) means Mom.

Dawdi (Rhymes with gaudy) means Grandpa.

Note

There are approximately 150.000 Old Order Amish persons, including children, living in 22 states and one province in North America. Reubens family in this story is typical of the Amish in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

The religious beliefs of the Amish teach them to be cautious about many modern innovations, such as automobiles, electricity, telephones, television, and higher education. They observe that these modern things often fragment peoples lives and relationships more than they fulfill them. For 300 years, Amish communities have sought a separate way. emphasizing family, honesty, basic values, and faith.

About the Artist

P. Buckley Moss (Pat) first met the Amish in 1965 when she and her family moved to Waynesboro in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Admiring the family values and work ethic of her new neighbors, Pat began to include the Amish in her paintings.

Many of her paintings and etchings of both the Amish and the Old Order Mennonites are displayed at the P. Buckley Moss Museum in Waynesboro, which is open to the public throughout the year. For more information, write to: The Director, P. Buckley Moss Museum, 2150 Rosser Avenue, Waynesboro. VA 22980.

Moss and Good collaborated on the earlier classic childrens books. Reuben and the Fire and Reuben and the Blizzard.

About the Author

Merle Good has written numerous books and articles about the Amish, including Op-Ed essays for the New York Times and the beautiful book Who Are the Amish? In addition to The Peoples Place, he and his wife Phyllis oversee a series of projects in publishing and the arts. Merle and Phyllis Good have also co-authored several books, including 20 Most Asked Questions About the Amish and Mennonites and Christmas Ideas for Families . They live in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and are the parents of two daughters.

Text copyright 1999, 2002, 2016 by Good Books, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.

Art copyright 1999, 2002, 2016 by P. Buckley Moss

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Good Books, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

Good Books books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Good Books, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or .

Good Books is an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

Visit our website at www.goodbooks.com.

1098765432 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Dawn J. Ranck

Cover illustration and illustrations throughout the book by P. Buckley Moss.

ISBN:978-1-68099-151-2

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-68099-148-2

Printed in China

Suddenly a wet strawberry hit Reuben on the forehead.

He stood up fast and saw his sister Sadie trying to act normal, like she hadnt done anything. She was younger than Reuben, and could be quite a handful.

He couldnt decide whether to yell at her or to pitch a strawberry fastball at her when Datt* stood up straight, right there in the middle of his row, and said, A Log Cabin, maybe.

Reuben couldnt figure out what his father meant, but like usual, his mother seemed to.

I know just the colors, Mamm* said.

*See final page for pronunciation.

Later that night, over at the twins hideaway behind the corn shed near the orchard, Reuben and Sam and Ben played with Splotch and Blotch.

Sam didnt seem very happy. Our grandfather has to go back to the hospital again, he said to Reuben, rubbing the puppies ears with the tall grass. But we dont have the money. Im worried.

A quilt is like an ice cream sandwich, Reubens oldest sister Annie said. The puffy batting in the middle is the ice cream, and the fabric is the top and bottom. The stitches hold it together.

Wheres the ice cream? Reuben asked. Im hungry.

Oh, go find something to do, Annie said. Boys dont know anything about quilts and beauty. She was bossy that way.

But Mamm grabbed Reubens arm as he went by. Sit down here and put in a few stitches, she coaxed. We are giving the quilt to your friends grandfather. You should help a little.

Annie frowned, but Reuben sat.

It was all quilt talk, of course. So Reuben didnt pay any attention. He missed Sadie twice with a strawberry without his parents noticing, but then he landed a big, mushy one smack on her cheek.

Quit it, Reuben! she shouted.

But of course he had his face buried in the green leafy plants, looking for those ripe berries as though he had no idea what was happening around him. He knew Datt was watching him, so Reuben picked those strawberries as though it would break his heart to do anything else!

Mamm came home from the store, delighted about the lively new quilt fabrics she had discovered. She pulled out her scrap bag and added some patches which looked like deep watercolors. Then she and Reubens sisters, Annie, Mary, Barbie, Nancy, and Sadie, unwrapped the Log Cabin quilt pattern. They started cutting out pieces which looked like logs. Logs of many colors.

They marked the pattern on the fabric, log after log, cutting and sewing, log upon log, creating one beautiful quilt top. It seemed like so many log cabins when Reuben looked at the whole thing, each with a cozy fireplace in the center.

The whole things boring, he said, even though he sort of liked to watch the pieces come together.

Reuben figured out thats what gave Datt his idea about the Log Cabin quilt.

The twins grandfather had been in a serious accident, when a car came around a corner, much too fast, and slammed into the back of his buggy.

Datt and some of the neighbors decided to have an auction to help pay for the expensive operation. And Datt was suggesting that he and Mamm and Reubens five sistersand maybe even Reuben himselfshould make a quilt to sell at the auction. A Log Cabin quilt.