young man I’ve heard of. But all Amish girls marry young,” Melinda explained.
Melinda was glad that Manda’s father had decided to forgive her and take her back. She hoped that Nancy and her friends would soon find her cousin.
“Can you give us any hint as to where she may be?” the young detective asked. “We heard she was working for an Amish couple who have recently moved into this area.”
Melinda studied the sidewalk for several moments. Then she looked up and said, “This may help you. Two days ago a man hurried up to me on the street and began to talk. I guess he thought I was Manda.”
Nancy asked what he looked like. The girl’s description fitted Roger Hoelt in Amish disguise.
“Did he say anything to give you an idea of where Manda might be?” George prodded.
Melinda said that the man had rushed up to her and cried out in Pennsylvania Dutch, “You’ve got to get out of here quick and go back to the schnitz! That witch girl is coming!”
Nancy was furious. Roger Hoelt had convinced Manda that Nancy was a witch!
“Please go on, Melinda,” she requested as calmly as she could.
Melinda said she had told the man that she did not know what he was talking about. He had tried to argue with her and had said, “You can’t run out on my wife and me like that!”
But when Melinda had insisted that she did not know him, a frightened look suddenly came over his face. He had mumbled something about thinking she was someone else and had gone off.
“What do you think the man meant by his strange words?” Melinda asked Nancy.
The detective smiled. “I don’t know, Melinda. You should know better than I. What is a schnitz?”
Melinda said it was a word with variations of meaning, but that it had to do with apples. In recipes such as schnitz un gnepp, it meant dried apples and dumplings. A schnitzing was an apple paring and drying party.
“Well, how would you interpret what the man said to you about going back to the schnitz ?” George asked Melinda.
The Amish girl thought it might mean a schnitzing. “I would like to know who the witch girl is.”
“I can’t tell you,” Nancy replied quickly. Then the three girls said good-by and hurried off.
“Well, we picked up a good clue, even though we didn’t find Manda,” Bess remarked.
“A very good clue,” Nancy agreed. “Now we must locate someone who knows where the schnitz is.” She asked a policeman, but he could not help her.
The visitors returned to the market and walked among the stalls until they came to Mrs. Glick’s stand. To their amazement, she had sold nearly everything she had brought from the farm.
“A couple more pie sales and I shall be able to return home,” she said, smiling.
“That’s fine,” Nancy said. Then she told Mrs. Glick how they had mistaken Melinda Kreutz for Manda. “Do you know where the schnitz is?” she asked.
Mrs. Glick had never heard of it. “We ask Papa when we get home,” she said. “I’ll be ready to leave in about half an hour.”
Nancy turned to her friends and suggested they walk around town again and keep an eye open for Roger Hoelt. “Evidently he does come into town. I presume he relies on his disguise to avoid being identified.”
The girls were about ready to rejoin Mrs. Click when Bess suddenly spied a black horse and carriage in front of a bakery.
“Look!” she cried. At the same moment a slender middle-aged Amish woman came from the shop and got into the carriage.
“Do you suppose that could be Mrs. Hoelt?” Bess asked eagerly.
“There’s one way to find out,” Nancy replied, and she dashed into the bakery to ask the woman’s identity.
“That was Mrs. Esch,” the girl behind the counter told Nancy.
“Has she lived here a long time?” Nancy inquired.
“Oh, yes,” the clerk said.
Returning to her friends, Nancy sighed and said, “Another false lead.”
As the three girls walked back to the market, Bess again cried out, “Look down the road! There’s
Melinda was glad that Manda’s father had decided to forgive her and take her back. She hoped that Nancy and her friends would soon find her cousin.
“Can you give us any hint as to where she may be?” the young detective asked. “We heard she was working for an Amish couple who have recently moved into this area.”
Melinda studied the sidewalk for several moments. Then she looked up and said, “This may help you. Two days ago a man hurried up to me on the street and began to talk. I guess he thought I was Manda.”
Nancy asked what he looked like. The girl’s description fitted Roger Hoelt in Amish disguise.
“Did he say anything to give you an idea of where Manda might be?” George prodded.
Melinda said that the man had rushed up to her and cried out in Pennsylvania Dutch, “You’ve got to get out of here quick and go back to the schnitz! That witch girl is coming!”
Nancy was furious. Roger Hoelt had convinced Manda that Nancy was a witch!
“Please go on, Melinda,” she requested as calmly as she could.
Melinda said she had told the man that she did not know what he was talking about. He had tried to argue with her and had said, “You can’t run out on my wife and me like that!”
But when Melinda had insisted that she did not know him, a frightened look suddenly came over his face. He had mumbled something about thinking she was someone else and had gone off.
“What do you think the man meant by his strange words?” Melinda asked Nancy.
The detective smiled. “I don’t know, Melinda. You should know better than I. What is a schnitz?”
Melinda said it was a word with variations of meaning, but that it had to do with apples. In recipes such as schnitz un gnepp, it meant dried apples and dumplings. A schnitzing was an apple paring and drying party.
“Well, how would you interpret what the man said to you about going back to the schnitz ?” George asked Melinda.
The Amish girl thought it might mean a schnitzing. “I would like to know who the witch girl is.”
“I can’t tell you,” Nancy replied quickly. Then the three girls said good-by and hurried off.
“Well, we picked up a good clue, even though we didn’t find Manda,” Bess remarked.
“A very good clue,” Nancy agreed. “Now we must locate someone who knows where the schnitz is.” She asked a policeman, but he could not help her.
The visitors returned to the market and walked among the stalls until they came to Mrs. Glick’s stand. To their amazement, she had sold nearly everything she had brought from the farm.
“A couple more pie sales and I shall be able to return home,” she said, smiling.
“That’s fine,” Nancy said. Then she told Mrs. Glick how they had mistaken Melinda Kreutz for Manda. “Do you know where the schnitz is?” she asked.
Mrs. Glick had never heard of it. “We ask Papa when we get home,” she said. “I’ll be ready to leave in about half an hour.”
Nancy turned to her friends and suggested they walk around town again and keep an eye open for Roger Hoelt. “Evidently he does come into town. I presume he relies on his disguise to avoid being identified.”
The girls were about ready to rejoin Mrs. Click when Bess suddenly spied a black horse and carriage in front of a bakery.
“Look!” she cried. At the same moment a slender middle-aged Amish woman came from the shop and got into the carriage.
“Do you suppose that could be Mrs. Hoelt?” Bess asked eagerly.
“There’s one way to find out,” Nancy replied, and she dashed into the bakery to ask the woman’s identity.
“That was Mrs. Esch,” the girl behind the counter told Nancy.
“Has she lived here a long time?” Nancy inquired.
“Oh, yes,” the clerk said.
Returning to her friends, Nancy sighed and said, “Another false lead.”
As the three girls walked back to the market, Bess again cried out, “Look down the road! There’s
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