Catching Rabbits and Upsetting Father

David (my grandfather) tells the story about making a friend shortly after moving to Colorado:


Soon after we moved there I heard that there was a boy about my age who was sick. I rode over to their house on our black horse to see him. He must have had typhoid fever, because he wasn't supposed to have anything to drink.

That was the first time I met Eli Hostetler and his family. They lived about two miles from where we lived. From that first visit on we were good friends until his death.

Christmas day when I was 16 I decided to get my hair cut and didn't want my father to cut it straight across the back. The style among some of the Amish boys at that time was to have it cut more tapered in the back. I wanted to have it like the other Amish boys had their hair cut, so I thought "I'll go over to Eli's house and have him cut it."

When I got about halfway there, where a man by the name of Dave Cuff lived, I saw Eli. He had come over to Dave's place for Christmas day and had brought his shotgun with him. Dave and Eli were in the field shooting rabbits.

The snow was deep, but it was a nice day. I had my dog with me. This dog was a long-legged black dog with a natural bobbed tail. He was a good rabbit dog. WIth the black dog and black horse I stood out against the snow.

I saw Eli and Dave in the field, not too far from the farm buildings, so I went over to where they were and told them that I was on my way over to have Eli cut my hair. They wanted to continue to shoot rabbits so I joined them.

I noticed a jack-rabbit sitting there in the snow. I got off Old Prince, my horse (he would stay wherever I'd leave him) and I easied over there where the rabbit was sitting in the snow almost all covered to where I could see only his head.

I stayed back where he couldn't see me till I got right close to him and I grabbed for him through the snow and got him. That's one rabbit I caught by hand.

The dog was busy catching rabbits, too. He would catch them and wait for me to come over and pick them up. Between the dog and me we'd caubght five Jack-rabbits and one cottontail. And we didn't use a gun to catch them.


After Eli and Dave had gotten all the rabbits they wanted and were ready to go to the house they told me to go with them. I said I wanted to go to Eli's house and get my hair cut. Mr. Cuff said "You can get it done at my house. We can take care of that." I figured we'd probably have some dinner, too, and wasn't sure, but his insisted so I went in.

After dinner he went and got the scissors. He said "Let me cut your hair."

"No, I want Eli to cut it."

No, let him cut it," Eli insisted.

Finally I just gave in and he started cutting. I could tell he wasn't cutting like Eli would have cut it. After he'd cut quite a while I reached up there to feel and Boy! That was short hair. Boy-Oh-Boy!

"What'll I do now?" I thought. I couldn't let my father see my hair cut like that or I'd really be in trouble. It was much too short.

I tried to keep my father from finding out by not letting him get in a position to see the back of my head. I'd leave the cap on as much as possible. Before meals he'd make me wash my hands and face and I'd still have my cap on. I'd wait until Father was already at the table before I'd come to sit down to eat.

It worked for one or two days. Finally, at one meal he wanted me to sit down first and I didn't want to sit down, but I didn't say anything. He finally said it strong enough that I figured I'd better go sit down.

"Who cut your hair?"

"Dave Cuff."

"It's the first time.... Why, you look like a babboon! It's the first time it's ever been cut like that and it better be the last time. You can't even get ahold of it!" he said as he ran his hand through it.