Louise M. Coffman
In a fast moving page-turner, Louise Coffman takes the reader
back to eighteenth century Germany, to Abner as he turns ten on
the first day of being a refugee. Led by his grandpa, the members
of his illegal religious group walk most of the time for nearly a
thousand miles toward safety, never knowing who is their friend,
who is their enemy, or where danger might originate. They have
exciting adventures and encounter unusual characters, some of
whom join them in their flight to freedom, while others threaten
their lives. There are moments of joy, sorrow, hunger, fatigue,
humor, anger, revenge- the range of human emotions, as Abner
learns life's lessons.
Most Americans know about the Pilgrims and how they left
England to worship as their consciences dictated. However, few
Americans of German descent seem to be aware of their
ancestors' Pre-American history, and the reasons they left the old
country in the 1700s. Historically accurate, Abner's Escape
explores those reasons, as well as delving into the rapidly
disappearing Pennsylvania Dutch language and culture in a most
charming way.
Suitable for the family, Abner's Escape is a sequel to Abner's
Story. It can stand alone and be thoroughly enjoyed.
In 1945, Louise Mann, a teacher from California, married Dean
Coffman, a sailor from Pennsylvania. They moved to a
Pennsylvania Dutch area of his state where she absorbed the
language and culture that surrounded her. Fifty years later, at
seventy-four, she put it into a novel, Abner's Story. Since its
publication she has been marketing it with Dean's help, and
researching and writing Abner's Escape.
Coffmans raised three children, and built their own house.
Louise was a Brownie Leader and Den Mother. Then Dean
joined the Navy Reserve, and she taught elementary school,
finished college, earned a Masters' Degree and wrote a
newspaper column. She is active in church, reads, travels, and is
a great cook. Coffmans have six grandchildren and three great
granddaughters.
Grandpa stood quietly for a few seconds and then spoke to
Minnie in a calm, kind voice, "You've joined us but you don't
know our customs. In this group we don't start fights, and we
don't fight back. We live by biblical principles as taught by
Jesus, and with His help, we learn self-control. If you are to be
associated with us, we expect you to control yourself, too."
To Herr Markle he said sternly, "Sir, we appreciate your coming
to help rescue us, but we most assuredly don't appreciate your
*stirring up a child. Whatever we need to know about her, we'll
find out soon enough, and whatever we don't need to know
about her, we'll thank you to keep to yourself."
While wiping his face to see if it was bleeding, Simon replied
angrily, "You can talk that *big feeling talk if you want to, but
she's not riding on my wagon."
"I wouldn't ride on your wagon! Not if you paid me," retorted
Minnie. Then squinting her eyes and pursing her mouth she
added, "You just watch yourself, Uncle Simon."
Everyone got on the wagons, and they proceeded down the road
with Simon Markle in the lead. They had gone for about an hour
when he stopped his wagon and ran for some bushes along the
road. He came back shortly, and they continued, only to stop
again in about half an hour, and then again soon after. As soon
as they stopped the third time, Abner stood up and saw that
Grandpa was asleep in the wagon ahead. Trudy and some of the
others were asleep on Simon Markle's lead wagon.
"I believe so half he's got the *skitters," Abner said to Schotzy
as he and Reuben stood to see what was going on.
"Ya, he's got the skitters, all right," laughed Minnie. "My mom
used to call them the hurry-go-quicks. He's got to hurry because
he's got to go quick! That's what he gets for messing with me."
She stood up too, then leaned over and picked up the cat.
Abner stared at Minnie a full minute before he asked, "You
didn't *behex him, did you?"
"No," Minnie answered, laughing all the harder, "but he thinks I
did."
"I don't think that's funny," answered Abner. "You never know
what might happen if someone thinks you're a witch. People
used to kill anybody they even thought was a witch. I believe so
half that in some places they do still."
Minnie shrugged her shoulder and said, "That don't bother me
none."
"Well, it should bother you," persisted Abner. "It's trouble
you're asking for. That's for sure,"
"Let it go, Abner," said Schotzy, closing his mouth tightly,
putting his fingers to his lips, and placing his other hand on his
hip. "Let it go."
Reuben nodded his head, put his fingers to his lips, his other
hand on his hip, and imitating Schotzy added seriously, "Leg a
go." It was so unexpected that the older children burst out
laughing just as Simon Markle came out from behind the bushes.
Seeing that they were laughing, he flew into a temper.
"You better wouldn't laugh at me, you smart brats." he shouted,
shaking his fist at them. This struck them funny, too, and they
laughed all the more. With that, he became angrier. "I'll fix the
lot of you. I'm not about to carry anyone who is in with that
witch. Look at her! She's even got a cat! You saw how she tried
to pull my *hairs! I know she's behexed me." He ran to his
wagon and shouted even louder, "You're all sinners and
troublemakers, and I'll have nothing to do with the lot of you.
Get off my wagon. Get off my wagon wunst! Alls I want is
youse off my wagon and me out of here fast."
With a speed strengthened by fury, Simon Markle started
shoving, shaking, and pulling everyone, their chests, bedrolls,
and other belongings, off his wagon and onto the ground. The
wagon was empty in no time. He jumped up onto the driver's
seat and shouted, "I'll *cook your goose!" With that, he
whipped his horses viciously, and was gone before anyone
actually took it all in. Grandpa, who had scarcely slept since he
left home, slept through it all.
* stirring up: agitating
* big feeling: pompous, arrogant, acting as if one is more
important than he is
* skitters: diarrhea
* behex: put a curse or a hex on someone
* hair: The superstition is that if a witch has a lock of a person's
hair, the witch has power over that person and can put a hex or
curse on him.
* Cook your goose: The term came into being just before John
Hus, an early reformer, was burned at the stake in 1415 for
emphasizing the role of the Bible in the church's authority and
lifting biblical preaching to an important place within the church
service. Wycliffe's writings had become well known in Bohemia
after the English king, Richard II, married Anne, the sister of the
Bohemian king. The archbishop of Prague objected to Hus's
teaching Wycliffes's reform-minded writings and threatened him
with excommunication if he didn't burn the books and refrain
from the teaching them. Hus refused and was burned at the stake.
The word hus means goose in Czech.
