I've been at Bud Brown's show and auction for the last two days, as I 
posted earlier.I needed time to consider what I wanted to post about my 
near find at the Amish farm.Anyway, here goes.

I got a call from Eric Mac-somebody Thursday evening.He said Mrs. Zook 
said I should come and look at the toolbox.I suggested it was a little 
late, around 7:30, and maybe I could go the next day.Eric said Mrs. Zook 
said come now and then he politely hung up!

I don't like driving after dark anymore; cataracts are bothersome.But I 
got in the car and drove over to the farm.Along the way I realized Eric 
had said tool box, not workbench.Oh well.

When I pulled into the drive Mrs. Zook met me at the door with a 
lantern.No, not a traditional kerosene lantern but one of those 
Ronco-as-seen-on-tv lanterns.I wasn't too surprised by the lantern.The 
Amish are not tied to the electric grid but they use plenty of gas and 
battery powered stuff from their buggy lights, to weed whackers, 
carpentry and farming tools.

Mrs Zook led me to the barn, up the earthen ramp and to a locked room 
just inside the big doors.She opened the padlock and directed me 
inside.I could see a work bench of sorts below the darkened windows, a 
rough looking wooden tool box, saws and other stuff hanging on the wall 
to the right, a pile of lumber to the left.I'm feeling a little let down 
when Mrs. Zook directs me to a box behind me, on the inside wall.It is a 
fancy cabinet, maybe veneered, about 3 - 4 feet wide, 3 feet high and 
maybe something less than 2 feet deep.It has drawers in the middle and 
narrow doors on the sides.Looks to be nicely made with a two toned wood 
of some kind.I can't see too well with just the Ronco lantern.I pulled 
the knobs and opened the two narrow doors.I can see tools inside, some 
saws, chisels, but the narrow compartments look awkward if not 
impossible to get into.Mrs. Zook handed me the lantern and then pushed 
the doors, one to the right and one to the left, and both sides of the 
cabinet swung out from the back of the cabinet.Then she lifted the top 
of the cabinet.This thing opens like a freaking transformer toy! There 
are tools in holders on the sides and the top.There's a drop down panel 
above the drawers, there's shiny tools in there, too.Under the lift-up 
top is a work bench with dog holes and a vise on the right end.

Mrs. Zook looks sad, unhappy, then she starts to tell me about her 
husband, Joshua.She tells me about the freak farm accident that took his 
life.She went on to laud his skills as a farmer and woodworker.She spoke 
of how hard he worked, what a good husband and father he was.Then she 
told me how he had built this workbench/tool box and filled it with all 
the fancy tools.And therein was the problem.These were tools Joshua 
admired but never used.These kinds of fancy tools would certainly be 
frowned on by the bishop and the rest of her Amish community.She 
explained she needed to dispose of it without arousing the interest of 
the community.And then she asked if I would give a hundred dollars for 
it!I didn't say anything right away, yeah, like what would Todd Hughes do?

I told her I didn't know what it was worth but I was certain it was 
worth more than $100.She agreed but said she was more interested in 
getting it out of the barn without her community learning about her 
husband's weakness than she was in getting a lot of money for it.She 
went on to say any of her /english/ friends would buy it but they would 
sell it and the whole neighborhood would know about it.She said she was 
offering it to me because I had showed interest and admiration for her 
husband's work and she wanted it to go to someone who would appreciate 
it; and I wasn't known in her community. She asked again if I would like 
to have it, keep it secret and not turn around and sell it.I agreed to that.

While we continued talking, there was a commotion and some yelling from 
the house.She stuck her head out the door and then turned, pulled my 
sleeve, and told me I had to leave.She told me her /english/ friend 
would call me and she nudged me out the door. She put the padlock on the 
door and took off towards the house, yelling who knows what.As I drove 
home I realized I didn't get the pictures I had hoped to get.I had hoped 
to sneak in a picture or two with my phone.But knowing the Amish 
aversion to picture taking I didn't want to screw the deal by possibly 
insulting Mrs. Zook.Oh well!I sure hope I get that call and she doesn't 
change her mind, or get a better offer!


-- 
Bill W.
In Beautiful downtown Nottingham, PA