Leppard, Lois Gladys - [Mandie 04] (3 page)

Although they quit talking immediately, for a long time there was the sound of restless tossing and turning in the other beds. Finally April dozed off and soon the only sound was the quiet breathing of the sleeping girls.

Mandie was not sleepy, and she hadn’t had a chance to say her prayers, so she slipped out of bed and walked softly
to the window seat at the end of the hall.

As she sat there looking at the moonlight among the trees and the stars twinkling in the sky, she heard a muffled sob. Tiptoeing to the stairway leading to the attic, she stopped and listened. No, it wasn’t coming from the attic. It must be in the small bedroom. She eased up to the door and listened. Someone was definitely crying. She couldn’t decide whether to open the door or not. Then she remembered the new girl, Celia. She was in that room because the other rooms were all full.

Mandie turned the doorknob and pushed the door slightly. In the dim moonlight from the windows she could see a sobbing figure on the bed. She stepped inside and softly shut the door behind her.

“Celia, is that you?” she whispered loudly.

The sobs immediately stopped, and Celia turned to see who was in her room.

“Celia, it’s Mandie. What’s wrong?” she asked, approaching the bed.

The other girl sat up. “Oh, they’ll catch you out of your room!” she cried in a shaky voice.

Mandie sat on the side of the bed. “Everyone else is asleep,” she said. “Now tell me what’s wrong.”

“Oh, Mandie, I’m just lonely and—and—” She began to sob.

“I’m lonely, too,” Mandie replied. “But there’s something else wrong, isn’t there?”

“Y-Yes,” the girl sobbed, pushing the pillows up against the headboard.

“What is it, Celia? Tell me. Maybe I can help.”

“No one can bring my father back,” Celia cried.

“Your father? He’s dead?”

“That’s why I was late coming to school,” Celia explained.

“He died recently?”

“He—he was thrown from a horse last week. He was just—just buried the day before yesterday. Oh, Mandie, I loved him so much!”

Tears came into Mandie’s blue eyes. She put her hand on the other girl’s shoulder. “I know how you feel. My father … died, too. And I loved him very much. I miss him, and I think about him every day, remembering all the wonderful times we had together.”

Celia dried her eyes. “Did he die suddenly?”

“Yes, he wasn’t sick very long,” Mandie told her. “I know how you feel, Celia. I loved my father more than anyone else on this earth. But, you know, he’s up there in heaven now, waiting for me. Someday I’ll be with him again.”

“Do you really believe that, Mandie?”

“Believe it? Of course I believe it. Please don’t tell me you don’t.”

“I know it’s all in the Bible, and I go to church and pray, but it’s so hard to give him up.” She broke into sobs again.

Mandie put her arm around the shaking girl. “Celia, please don’t cry. It won’t help at all. I know because I’ve been through it. You just have to throw your shoulders back, hold your head high, and believe in God,” she said. “Celia, you have a mother, don’t you?”

“Yes, my mother couldn’t bring me to school. She was deep in shock over my father’s death. I didn’t want to leave her like that, but she made me come.”

“She was probably right. I think it would be better to be here with other girls—to keep occupied. When I lost my father I didn’t have anyone to turn to. My stepmother, who I thought was my real mother, got married again right after
my father went to heaven. She sent me away to work for another family. If it hadn’t been for Uncle Ned, I wouldn’t have had anyone to talk to.”

“Who is Uncle Ned? And how did you get here if you were sent away to work?”

“Celia, you wouldn’t believe what happened to me. You see, Uncle Ned promised my father that he would watch over me when he died. Uncle Ned is a very old Indian, and he really keeps his promise to my father. He helped me find my father’s brother.” Mandie took a quick breath. “I didn’t even know my father had a brother. And when I found Uncle John, he got in touch with my real mother and got us together. And then he married my mother.”

“That’s quite a story, Mandie, but I think I get it. Do you really have an Indian friend?”

“Sure, lots of them. In fact, my father’s mother was a full-blooded Cherokee.”

“Oh, Mandie! It doesn’t make any difference to me, but if I were you I wouldn’t tell that to the other girls in this school. They’re all so uppity they would probably give you a rough time about it.”

“I don’t care if they know. I’m proud of my Indian blood. But since they haven’t tried to make friends with me, I won’t volunteer the information. Everyone seems to know everyone else, but I don’t know anyone.” Mandie sighed. “I didn’t want to come to this silly school anyway.”

“But, Mandie, you know me. I’m your friend.”

“Thank you, Celia. I liked you from the minute I saw you. You didn’t put on airs like the other girls.”

Celia smiled. Mandie was glad to be able to take her friend’s mind off her sadness.

Suddenly they heard the noise that Mandie had heard the night before. The sound of metal clanging and boards
squeaking seemed to come from the attic. The two girls froze. The dimness of the room made it all the more eerie.

“Did you hear that?” Celia whispered.

“Yes, and I heard it last night, too. It sounds like something in the attic.”

The noise stopped. The girls remained still, waiting for it to begin again. But it didn’t.

“I don’t like being way down here in this room alone,” Celia told her.

“Maybe I could move in here with you,” Mandie offered. “I sure wouldn’t mind getting away from April.”

“Would you want to, really?”

“I’d love to. Let’s ask Miss Prudence tomorrow.”

“Yes, let’s do.”

“If I move in here, maybe we could investigate the attic together, and find out what’s making that noise.”

“You mean actually go up there?” Celia stared at her with her mouth open.

“Sure. We could sneak out after everyone else is asleep,” Mandie said. “You’re not afraid to go up there, are you?”

“No, no, no. But what if we got caught?”

“Nobody’s going to catch us. This room is far away from the others, and we’ll be real quiet.”

“But there’s no telling what’s up there.”

“If we find anything awful we can scream our heads off. We’d get caught, but at least someone would rescue us.” Mandie got up and started for the door. “Right now, though, I’d better get back to my bed before someone misses me.”

“But I’m afraid to be left alone, especially with those noises up there.”

Mandie reached for the doorknob and her hand touched a key sticking out. “Hey, there’s a key in the door. As soon
as I leave, you lock the door. Then no one can come in and bother you.”

Celia jumped up and hurried over to examine the key.

“Thank goodness!” she exclaimed.

“I’ll catch up with you tomorrow, and we can ask Miss Prudence if I can move in here with you,” Mandie told her. “Now lock the door. Good night.”

Mandie softly opened the door and stepped out into the hall. Hearing the lock click behind her, she hurried down the hallway and slipped back into her own bed. She hoped she could persuade Miss Prudence to let her move in with Celia. Then the two of them could find out what that noise was.

Chapter 3 - Mandie’s Enemy

Mandie and Celia met outside the dining room at breakfast and stopped to talk.

“Did you hear anything else last night?” Mandie whispered.

Celia shook her auburn curls. “Not a sound. I locked my door and went to sleep right away. Are we still going to ask Miss Prudence if you can move in with me?”

“Oh, yes—that is, if you want me to.”

“Please do, Mandie. I’m afraid to be alone in that room. It’s so isolated.”

Miss Prudence came up behind them and Mandie turned around.

“May Celia and I speak to you for a few minutes after we eat?”

The schoolmistress looked from one girl to the other. “Of course, Amanda. I’ll see you in my office.”

Miss Prudence stepped into the dining room and stood at the head of the table. The girls took their places behind their chairs. Mandie and Celia smiled at each other.

The schoolmistress kept glancing at Mandie and Celia during the entire meal, as if wondering what they wanted to talk about. Mandie had not made friends with the other girls,
and Celia seemed to be living in a world all her own. Aware of Celia’s sad circumstances, Miss Prudence had placed the girls together at the table, hoping they would develop a friendship.

After the meal, the two girls hurried out of the dining room, getting to the office ahead of Miss Prudence. They waited in the hallway.

The assistant schoolmistress, Miss Hope, was just leaving the office. She supervised the second sitting in the dining room.

“Did you girls want something?” she asked.

“We’re waiting for Miss Prudence,” Mandie told her.

Miss Prudence hurried toward them down the hallway.

“Well, here she is now,” Miss Hope said. “Oh, dear, I almost forgot to take my announcements with me.” She turned back into the office.

Miss Hope was shifting papers on the nearby desk when her sister, Miss Prudence, invited the girls into the office.

“Now,” Miss Prudence began, “sit down and tell me what you wanted to see me about.” The girls sat down in the armchairs in front of the desk.

Mandie looked at her friend and then at Miss Hope. Celia seemed frightened of the old schoolmistresses. Miss Hope appeared preoccupied with hunting for her papers.

Mandie took a deep breath. “I would like permission to move into Celia’s room with her,” she began. “She’s all alone and so far away from the others.”

Miss Prudence looked from one girl to the other. “It’s not our policy to shift girls around once they are settled in a room,” she began. “It would create quite a commotion if everyone requested to move.”

“But I’m afraid to stay by myself in that room,” Celia ventured. “Last night I just happened to find the key in the
lock and I locked the door.”

“No doors are to be locked. You may bring me the key at supper,” Miss Prudence replied. “This place is new to you. You will get used to it after a while. Now, if that is all you two wanted, I have other things to do.”

Miss Hope stood at the door, listening.

Mandie looked at her friend and began to protest. “But, Miss Prudence, Celia and I have so much in common.”

“What Mandie means,” Celia said, “is that we have both lost our fathers. She came to talk to me last night when she heard me crying.”

The schoolmistress bristled. “She went to your room? What time was this?”

Mandie decided there was no point in lying. Celia had unintentionally given her away. “It was after ten o’clock,” Mandie admitted. “I couldn’t sleep, and I walked down the hallway. I heard Celia crying, so I went into her room to see if I could do anything. As we talked we found out we had both lost our fathers,” Mandie explained.

“Young lady,” Miss Prudence said sternly, “you know that it is against the rules to go outside your room after ten o’clock at night, much less visit in another room. Did you not hear me recite the rules yesterday?”

The two girls trembled at hearing her firm tone.

“Miss Prudence, I’m sorry I—” Mandie apologized.

“Sister,” Miss Hope interrupted, “I see no harm in what Amanda has done. Quite the contrary. One of us should have checked on Celia to see that she was all right. We knew about her father’s tragedy.”

“Sister, I am handling this matter,” Miss Prudence cut her short. “Now you two will obey rules here without any exceptions. Is that understood?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Celia meekly replied.

“Yes, Miss Prudence,” Mandie echoed. “I’m sorry I broke the rules, but Celia was all by herself in that room, and she was terribly sad and lonely. Could I please move in with her? Please?”

Miss Prudence looked at her sharply. Amanda didn’t give up easily.

Neither did Miss Hope. “Sister, I see no harm in allowing Amanda to move into the room with Celia,” she said. “In fact, I think it would be a good idea. That room is too isolated for one girl alone. Of course, I know you are handling the matter, but that is my opinion.”

Miss Prudence was silent for a long moment, looking from her sister to the two girls. Mandie and Celia held their breath, waiting.

Concern clouded Miss Prudence’s eyes. “And suppose some of the other girls hear about this and decide they want to move around also?” she asked her sister.

“Let’s say there has to be a good reason to move. In this case I think we have a very good reason,” Miss Hope replied. “And if there should be a good reason for some other girl to move, then we will allow that, too.”

Miss Prudence cleared her throat before speaking. “All right, Sister, if you want to be held responsible for any other requests to move, then we will get Uncle Cal to move Amanda’s things into the room with Celia,” Miss Prudence agreed. She looked at the girls sternly, “And you two young ladies, just remember this. There will be no more violations of the school rules. Next time, Amanda, it will be much more serious.”

“Yes, ma’am. Thank you, Miss Prudence,” Mandie replied.

Celia added her thanks, and the girls smiled at Miss Hope.

Miss Hope left the office quickly with her papers in her
hand. “I almost forgot it’s time for me to go to the dining room,” she said.

That afternoon, while the other students spent their free period on the veranda, Mandie and Celia helped Uncle Cal move Mandie’s belongings.

The two girls, with their arms full of clothes, followed Uncle Cal out of Mandie’s old room and walked straight into April’s path.

“So, you just can’t take it, huh?” April said, blocking their way. “I know the other girls have told you that my mother is a Yankee and my grandfather was a Union soldier, but I didn’t think you would move out on account of that.”

Mandie frowned. “But I didn’t know that, April,” she protested. “Besides, that doesn’t make any difference to me, none at all.”

“I don’t believe you. Why else would you move out?”

“Really, April, I didn’t know anything at all about you,” Mandie insisted. “And what difference does it make which side your family was on? The War of Northern Aggression has been over for many, many years now.”