At five thirty the first buggies already lined the road. By six — forty. By six thirty Josiah lost count. He stood on the porch watching men unload tools, greet each other, roll up sleeves. No one asked what to do. Everyone knew.
The Frame
Aaron Yoder stood on a stone. Didn't shout — spoke. 'Four crews. North wall — Samuel. South — David. East — Jacob. West — me. We raise at ten.' Men dispersed.
Walls were assembled lying on the ground. Oak posts, cross-beams, braces. Tenons into mortises, pegs into holes. Hammers struck rhythmically — two hundred hammers, two hundred people, one rhythm. Little Anna Troyer stood at the fence with wide eyes.
At ten Aaron whistled. Forty men lined up at the north wall. 'Eins, zwei, drei — hoch!' The wall rose. Slowly, heavily, creaking. Twenty men held, twenty pushed. The wall stood vertical. Braces. Next one. By eleven — all four walls stood.
The Women
Rachel coordinated the kitchen. Twenty-five women. Five cooking. Five baking. Five cutting. Five serving. Five washing. Fifty fried chickens. Two hundred pounds of mashed potatoes. A hundred twenty pies. Three barrels of lemonade. Coffee — endless.
At noon men sat at tables (boards on sawhorses, under a canopy). Ate silently, quickly, heavily. Twenty minutes. Stood. Went to work.
The Roof
After lunch — rafters. The most dangerous part. Young men up top, with feline agility. Aaron below, head tilted back. 'More left! Peg! Good!' Each rafter in place, hammer, peg. By three — roof skeleton done. Sheathing. By five — roof boards.
At seven PM Aaron approached Josiah. Both stood and looked. The barn stood. Thirty by sixty feet. Gable roof. Gates on new hinges (smith Moses made them yesterday). Stalls inside. Hayloft above. Thirteen hours. Two hundred people.
Josiah wanted to say something. Couldn't. Rachel stood beside him, crying. Anna tugged her mother's skirt: 'Mama, is it ours?'
'Ours,' said Josiah.
After
They left as quietly as they came. Buggies in a row, down the gravel road, into the sunset. No one asked for money. No one asked for gratitude. No one took photos. Josiah stood watching the last buggy disappear behind the hill.
A week later he led the horses into the new barn. Ruth the Belgian walked in first, sniffed the stall, snorted. Then lowered her head to the manger. Home.
Josiah bought a new cow — a young Jersey. He named her Nelly.