Leppard, Lois Gladys - [Mandie 03] (10 page)

“Lawsy, Missy, if Aunt Lou knowed whut I be doin’, sittin’ at other people’s tables and eatin’ and then not even cleanin’ up the dishes, she’d wring my neck. I could’ve at least put the vittles up instead of lollygaggin’ around here doin’ nothin’,” Liza told her.

Sallie and Dimar came out and sat in the porch swing while Tsa’ni walked into the yard to play with the dogs.

“You see, Liza, I told you everybody sits at the same table to eat where I come from,” Mandie said happily.

“Well, that ain’t my style, I guess,” Liza replied. “I think dat woman oughta let me do sumpin’.”

Just then, Joe came out the door, overhearing what Liza said. “Liza,” he said, “my mother considers you a guest in our house same as all these other people, and you sure don’t go letting guests wash dishes.”

Polly stood at the doorway. “Hey, Joe, how about showing me your horse that you told me about?”

“All right,” he said. “Mandie? Liza? Y’all want to go, too?”

Before Mandie could answer, Uncle John called to her from inside. “Mandie, will you come inside for a minute?”

“Of course, Uncle John,” Mandie answered. “I’ll catch up with you later, Joe.”

Mandie glanced at Liza, who made a face. Mandie sighed and then went inside. Joe and Polly were off to the barn. She felt that pang of jealousy again, and wished Liza would go with them.

Inside, Mandie looked around the finely-furnished living room.

Mrs. Woodard motioned toward the settee between her and Uncle John. “Sit down, dear. I won’t keep you but a minute,” she said. “I just wanted to give you some information for your mother.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Mandie replied as she sat down by the gentle, attractive woman who looked just a little older than her mother.

Mrs. Woodard handed her some papers. “This is information about the school your mother asked me to look into when I went to Nashville last week.”

Mandie took the papers, noting the bold letters across the top. “Miss Tatum’s Finishing School for Young Ladies,” she read aloud. “Why, what is this for?” Her heart fluttered in fear of what it might mean.

“The school, dear, that your mother is thinking about sending you to,” Mrs. Woodard replied.

Mandie sat there in shock.

Mrs. Woodard looked embarrassed. “Did you not know?” she asked.

Mandie shook her head, fighting the tears in her eyes that threatened to spill down her cheeks. “Leave home and all my friends, and go away to a strange school?” she whispered.

Uncle John walked over to Mandie and knelt beside her. “I’m sorry, Mandie. I thought your mother had discussed it with you,” he said. “We’ve been trying to decide what’s the best way for you to get your education since you live with us now.”

Mandie’s voice trembled. “Please, Uncle John, don’t send me away,” she begged. “I can go to school in Franklin.”

“We talked about that, but they don’t seem to teach everything your mother thinks you ought to learn,” he replied.

Mrs. Woodard put her hand on Mandie’s shoulder. “This school—Miss Tatum’s—is one of the best schools in the southeast,” she said. “Several of my friends have
sent their daughters there. They all liked it, and they seemed to learn all the necessaries.”

Mandie squeezed her eyes shut and swallowed hard to keep from crying.

“Put the papers with your things, Mandie, and go on back to your friends,” said Uncle John, giving her a little hug. “We’ll discuss this with your mother when we get back home.”

“Yes, sir,” was all Mandie could manage to say. She took the papers upstairs and put them in her bag, then rushed back downstairs and out onto the porch.

Liza sat alone on the steps, while Sallie and Dimar talked together on the swing and Tsa’ni played with the dogs. That meant Polly was still with Joe in the barn. But now, the sinking feeling in her stomach made her lose all interest in joining them. She flopped down on the steps beside Liza.

“Better ya git down to dat barn and see whut’s goin’ on,” the black girl warned her.

Mandie didn’t answer. She was fighting tears.

Liza frowned. “Missy, what de matter?” she asked. “You done give up on dat Mister Joe? Dat Miss Sweet Thing might jest be spreadin’ some of that syrup on him.”

Mandie tried to smile and took a deep breath.

“I guess they’ll be back soon,” Mandie replied.

“Sound like you done wore plumb out,” Liza said. “Ain’t got enough fight left in you to do battle.”

“Liza, why did I have to ask Polly to come along anyway?” Mandie fussed.

“Yeh, I’d like to know that m’self,” Liza said.

“She is my friend, but I don’t like everything she does,” Mandie complained. “She’s such a pest. I wish I hadn’t asked her to come.”

But Mandie would soon regret her unkind words.

Chapter 11 - Poor Polly!

At daybreak the next morning, Joe was in the kitchen starting a fire in the big iron cookstove when he was startled by heavy pounding at the back door. Rushing to answer it, he found Morning Star and two braves standing there.

“Ned send message for John Shaw,” one of the men announced.

Joe opened the door wide and asked them to come in. “Sit down. I’ll get Mr. Shaw,” Joe told them. He pointed to the chairs by the cookstove.

The heat felt good to the Indians. Even in the summertime the mornings were chilly.

Joe darted upstairs, but met John Shaw coming down. Uncle John had heard the pounding and came to see what was happening. Uncle Wirt and Dr. Woodard were right behind him.

“Morning Star is here with two of Uncle Ned’s Indian friends. They have a message for you,” Joe explained.

As John came into the kitchen, one of the Indians rose, pulled an envelope from his belt and handed it to him.

Opening it, John recognized Elizabeth’s handwriting. Silently, he read:

I am writing this for Uncle Ned. Uncle Wirt’s son, Jessan, has brought him word that the bandits were seen in the woods near Asheville. There are several abandoned huts near Mr. Vanderbilt’s property, and they are believed to be hiding out in one of these. Jessan said that someone found one of the long cloaks the bandits were wearing hidden in a woodpile near there. The braves and Morning Star will give you the exact directions.

Uncle Ned is much better and insists on going out. Please take care of yourself, and Amanda and the others, of course.

I love you. God keep you for me.

Your wife,

Elizabeth

“Look at this,” John said, handing the note to Dr. Woodard. Realizing Uncle Wirt could not read English, he gave him the details.

“Must go at once,” Uncle Wirt said.

Joe sprang into action. “I’ll wake the girls and Dimar and Tsa’ni.”

Racing up the stairs, he pounded on the door where the four girls were sleeping. Then he burst into the room where the other boys were.

“Hey, everybody, get up! We gotta go! Uncle Ned knows where the bandits are!” Joe yelled.

Dimar and Tsa’ni, already dressed, rushed downstairs.

Mandie stuck her head out of the room. “We’ll be right down!” she called.

Hearing the noise, Joe’s mother came out of her room and hurried to investigate. Joe followed her down the steps.

Mandie pulled her dress over her head. “Just think, we’ve almost caught up with them. It won’t be long now,” she said.

“I wonder how my grandfather knew where they are,” Sallie said.

“Yo’ grandfather know everything, Miss Sallie,” Liza told her. “He got eyes in de back of his haid.”

The four girls laughed, and hurriedly finished dressing.

“This is getting exciting,” Polly squealed. She turned her back for Liza to button her dress. “Let’s hurry.”

“Bring your bags,” Mandie told them. “Joe said we had to go.” She snatched Snowball from the bed, grabbed her bag and rushed out of the room. The others followed.

Mandie led the way as the girls raced down the stairs. Then suddenly there was a scream and Polly tumbled down on top of the others. Mandie, Sallie, and Liza managed to catch themselves, but Polly fell several steps before she could stop.

The pain showed on her face. “Oh, I must’ve broken something!” she wailed, rubbing her ankle.

Dr. Woodard rushed to the stairway and examined the girl’s foot.

He shook his head. “It looks like you’ve got a nasty sprain in that ankle,” he said.

“Oh, no!” Polly moaned.

The doctor picked her up, carried her down the steps, past the anxious faces below, and set her on a chair by Morning Star.

“Sprained ankle,” he said to John. “Let me get my bag.”

The doctor quickly bathed Polly’s foot in a strong-smelling
liniment. As he began to bandage her ankle, the girl winced with pain.

“You won’t be able to walk on that for a few days,” he told her.

“Of all the luck! What will I do?” Polly asked.

Morning Star patted her hand and said, “I take home.”

“Home? But I don’t want to go home. I want to see those bandits when we catch them!” Polly protested.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to go home, or else stay here a few days ’till it heals,” the doctor told her. “It will be a miserable trip back over the mountain.”

“I am sorry, Polly,” Sallie told her. “My grandmother will help you to get home.”

“But I don’t want to go home,” Polly argued. She turned to Uncle John and asked, “Can’t I go on with y’all?”

“Polly, I’m sorry but I don’t think that would be a good idea. Your ankle will be painful for a few days, and we may be going into a rough part of the woods,” he answered. “Morning Star will be going back to my house and you can go with her. I’ll send Liza back with you, if you like.”

When Liza heard this, her mouth dropped open. Here they were, getting near the bandits, and now she would have to give up the excitement to go home with Miss Sweet Thing. Like Miss Amanda said, why did they ever bring her in the first place?

After a quick breakfast, Mandie and Liza talked out in the yard.

“I jest don’t like dat girl,” Liza grumbled, throwing her blanket over the pony. “And now here she breaks up my tea party.”

Mandie grinned at her friend. “I’m glad she has to go home. You’ll be doing me a favor, getting her out of my way,” she said.

Liza tossed her head and laughed. “Yeh, I guess you be right, Missy. I’ll take dat Miss Sweet Thing right back home so she can’t chase yo’ Mister Joe no mo’. But she oughta not acome in the first place. She ain’t nothin’ but trouble.”

Mandie avoided Polly until the Indians were ready to leave. Then she waved good-bye as Polly rode off with Morning Star, Liza, and the two braves. She stared after them for a long time, relieved to see Polly go. She knew she was jealous and shouldn’t be happy over her friend’s misfortune, but she kept telling herself it was better this way. After all, Polly had her own accident. Mandie had nothing to do with it.

Some time later, loaded with food and good wishes from the Woodards, the group, led by Uncle Wirt and Uncle John, once again continued their journey. Joe stayed close to Mandie, with Snowball on her shoulder, and Sallie and Dimar rode right behind them. Tsa’ni brought up the rear as usual.
There is something wrong with that boy
, Mandie thought.
He always stays far behind the rest of us. He doesn’t talk much and what he does say is argumentative. Why did he even come along?

Uncle Wirt took a shortcut he knew—up mountainsides, down inclines, across rivers, and through thick underbrush. Mandie began to wonder if they’d ever get there. Suddenly an Indian on horseback appeared out of nowhere and waited on the trail ahead of them.

Mandie squinted in the bright sunshine. Instantly, a big smile spread across her face. Digging her heels into the sides of her pony, she raced around the men ahead of her. She ignored their yells to slow down. Nothing could stop her. Catching up with the Indian rider, she got
close enough to grab one of his wrinkled old hands.

“Uncle Ned! Uncle Ned!” she cried. “What are you doing out here? We left you in bed.”

The old man smiled at her and said, “Gold bad luck. Come see gold not make bad luck for Jim Shaw’s Papoose. I promise him.”

Just then Sallie rode up, looking very concerned. The other men and boys gathered around too, demanding to know why the old Indian had left his sickbed and come riding through the mountains like this.

“No more sick,” Uncle Ned insisted. “Go find bad men.” He patted his bow and arrows slung over his shoulder, and slipped down from his horse. “But now, time to eat,” he said, finding a place to sit by the cool, tinkling stream.

Mandie sat down by him with her food, while Snowball curled up in the grass at her feet. “I’ve been thinking about what you told me, Uncle Ned—about tithing,” Mandie told him. “God must be giving us blessings in advance. So much has happened. Tsa’ni was not killed when he fell off the railroad tracks. And you didn’t die when the baggage car crashed. We have a lot to be thankful for already. Can there possibly be more?”

“Big God love Papoose,” the old man said. “She ask. He answer.”

“Yes, I’m thankful for all the prayers He has answered,” Mandie said. “And I pray that this chase will soon be over. We have to get the gold back so we can make our tithe.”

Mandie sat staring at the clear, sparkling stream as Joe came up to join them. “Did Polly get home all right, Uncle Ned?” he asked.

“Yes, foot big,” the old Indian answered, holding up
his hands to illustrate. “Sore.”

“I imagine it had swelled pretty badly by the time she got home,” said Joe. “Too bad she got hurt and couldn’t go the rest of the way with us.”

Mandie fought the jealousy that rose inside of her. “I don’t think Polly should have come in the first place,” she said. “She’s not used to this kind of life. She has been brought up in town as a lady. She can’t take the rough ordeals we get into sometimes.”

“Oh, give her a chance,” Joe argued. “She has to learn.”

“Well, this was too long a trip for her to learn on. Let her learn something somewhere else,” Mandie retorted.

“Mandie!” Joe exclaimed. “You ought to be ashamed of yourself talking about your friend like that.”

“She’s no friend of mine!” Mandie shot back.