Leppard, Lois Gladys - [Mandie 04] (4 page)

“Mandie is moving into my room because I was afraid to stay there by myself,” Celia told her.

“Afraid, huh?” April scoffed. “What’re you afraid of?”

Mandie pushed past April. “Oh, come on, Celia. We don’t have time to waste.”

“You’ll be sorry,” April called as the two hurried down the hallway.

“I see now why you wanted to get away from that girl,” Celia whispered.

Mandie soon realized another advantage of staying in the isolated room. The time would soon arrive for Uncle Ned to visit her, and it would be much easier to slip out of this room to meet him.

On the night of the full moon, the two girls sat talking in the dark, waiting for everyone else to go to sleep. Mandie couldn’t wait to meet Uncle Ned in the yard. The ten o’clock bell had already rung and all the lamps were out.

Mandie told Celia her plan. “As soon as I get down the steps and into the yard, I’ll come around to where I can watch this window. If you hear anyone coming, just close the window. I’ll hurry back in,” she said.

“I’ll keep watch, Mandie, but I want to meet Uncle Ned.”

“If he sees anyone besides me, he’ll leave. Maybe the next time he comes you can meet him.”

“Please ask him. Don’t forget,” Celia begged.

Mandie, still dressed, picked up a dark shawl to put over her head so that her blonde hair wouldn’t shine in the moonlight.

“I won’t forget.” She crept out into the hallway. She had already planned her way out of the house in preparation for Uncle Ned’s visit.

Hurrying down the servants’ stairway in the dark, she ended up in the kitchen. The moon shone through the windows, so she could see the bolt on the outside door. Sliding the bolt over, she opened the door. Outside, she kept close to the shrubbery around the house and made her way to the side yard. She glanced up at the open window. Everything was all right so far.

Mandie didn’t know where Uncle Ned would wait for her. Cautiously, she stepped out into the open, hoping he would see her and come on out. Her heart beat wildly, and she kept turning to watch for him. As she waited, her hopes began to fade. She was afraid he would forget to come or that circumstances beyond his control might prevent his visit.

Then she heard his familiar bird whistle nearby. She
turned to see him standing in the shadows of a huge magnolia tree. She ran and threw her arms around him. Tears of joy streamed down her cheeks.

“Uncle Ned! Uncle Ned! I knew you would come!” she cried as he embraced her.

“Sit, Papoose,” he said, pointing to a white bench by the walkway. “Must hurry. Not want someone see Papoose. Make trouble.”

They sat down and Mandie held his old, wrinkled hand.

“Oh, I’m so glad to see you,” she said. “This is a miserable place, Uncle Ned, and they expect you to learn such silly things!”

“But Papoose must get book learning. I promise Jim Shaw,” the old man replied. “Everything in this earth life not happy. Must do unhappy things, too.”

“I know. I’ll have to stay here and learn all these silly things. But how I wish I were home and could see all my friends. How is everybody?” she asked.

“All friends fine,” he said with a smile. “Send much love.” Uncle Ned looked at her closely. “Papoose make friends here?”

“I have one good friend. Celia Hamilton. She’s my roommate. The other girls are too snobbish,” Mandie told him. “Celia is keeping watch for me in that window right up there.” She pointed. “She will let me know if anyone comes. Uncle Ned, she wants to meet you.”

“Next time, Papoose.” The old man stood up, pulled an envelope out of his belt, and handed it to Mandie. “Friends write Papoose letters.”

Mandie gave a muffled squeal. “Oh, thank you!” She felt the envelope.
It must have quite a few letters in it
, she thought.

The old man looked toward the sky. “Must go now,” he
said. “I ask Big God watch over Papoose.” He squeezed her small hand, then leaned over to embrace her.

“Thank you, Uncle Ned. And I’ll ask God to watch over you and all my friends until I can return. Please come back as soon as you can. Please!”

“Next time moon changes I come,” he told her. “Go back in house now. I watch.”

Mandie kissed his wrinkled cheek and ran for the back door. At the doorway she stopped and waved good-bye. Even though she couldn’t see him in the darkness, she knew he was watching.

Inside the kitchen she carefully wrapped the shawl around the envelope. Then she went to the sink and got a drink of water.

The narrow servants’ stairs were so dark Mandie couldn’t see April blocking the way. Caught up in her thoughts, Mandie almost ran into her.

“Well, well, well! Where have you been?” April asked.

Mandie jumped. “I got a drink of water in the kitchen,” she said quickly. She hoped April wouldn’t see the shawl she held behind her.

“And what’s wrong with the water in our bathroom upstairs?”

“I don’t drink water out of bathrooms,” Mandie said, imitating the snobbish tone of some of the other girls. “Now move out of my way, or I’ll scream and the whole school will come running.”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

“Just stand there and see.” Mandie tried to nudge her aside.

April stared at her a moment and then moved slightly.

“All right, you get through this time, but just remember, I know you were out of your room well after ten o’clock.”

“And so were you,” Mandie taunted, running up the stairs.

Celia was waiting at the door. “Is everything all right?”

“Fine, except I met April Snow as I was coming up the stairs. I have an idea she’ll try to cause trouble,” Mandie said. “But look!” She held up the envelope in the dim light. “Uncle Ned brought me letters from everybody.”

Mandie draped her shawl over the back of a chair and sat down in the moonlight by the window. She tore open the envelope and excitedly shared her letters with her friend. Everyone was well, and everyone hoped Mandie was enjoying the school. They all said they missed her and hoped she’d soon come home, at least for a visit.

But April wasn’t through with Mandie.

The next morning, Mandie’s shawl was missing. She had hung it across the back of a chair while she read her letters, but now it wasn’t there! Both girls looked all around the room, but they couldn’t find it anywhere.

“Thank goodness I put my letters under my pillow!” Mandie exclaimed. “Otherwise they might have disappeared, too.”

“Do you think April took your shawl?” Celia asked.

“I don’t know. I can’t imagine why she would do a thing like that. I sure wish Miss Prudence hadn’t made us give her our key.”

“Are you going to tell Miss Prudence about the shawl?”

“Not yet. Maybe whoever took it will bring it back,” Mandie replied.

After making their bed, the girls laid their nightgowns across the foot of the bed, according to the school rule, and went downstairs.

Later, the girls didn’t have time to think about the shawl. The students from Mr. Chadwick’s School for Boys came across town to call on all the new girls for afternoon tea.

Miss Prudence told them it would be an opportunity for them to practice their social graces. “You will be graded on how you conduct yourselves,” she reminded them.

Mandie wore her pale blue voile dress with white sprigs
of baby’s breath scattered among its folds. Around her neck, she clasped the strand of tiny pearls Uncle John had given her as a going away present. She let her blonde curls hang free around her shoulders.

Celia sat beside her friend in the parlor, dressed in a bright green muslin dress with a matching hair ribbon. She twisted her handkerchief and blushed at even the thought of a boy speaking to her. She wanted to hide in a corner by herself.

“You stay right here with me, Celia,” Mandie told her. “We need each other’s support. This is just something we have to do.”

“But Miss Prudence said each boy had drawn one of our names. There’s no telling what kind of boys we’ll end up with,” Celia protested.

“If we don’t like them, we just won’t talk,” Mandie said.

The girls heard the sound of horses outside, and in a few minutes Miss Prudence entered the parlor with a tall, thin man wearing spectacles.

“Young ladies, this is Mr. Chadwick,” she told the girls. “His young men have arrived. Now, when they appear at the doorway and call your name, please rise and go outside. We will serve tea on the veranda as soon as all names have been called. Now, Mr. Chadwick, I believe we’re ready.”

“Thank you, Miss Heathwood,” the man answered. “Excuse me, ladies.” Stepping back to the doorway, he beckoned to the first boy in line in the hall.

The boy stood in the doorway, introduced himself as William Massey, and called, “Miss Etrulia Batson.”

Etrulia, shy and quiet, stood up shakily. “I’m Etrulia Batson,” she said.

William stepped forward, offered her his arm, and escorted her out of the parlor.

The line continued. Mandie and Celia clutched each other’s hands as the tension mounted.

A boy of medium height, with a shy smile and unruly brown curls, stepped to the doorway. “I’m Robert Rogers, and I’m looking for Miss Celia Hamilton,” he announced.

Mandie nudged her friend, but Celia froze. “Get up,” Mandie whispered. “He called your name. Isn’t he cute?”

Celia managed to get to her feet. She nervously smoothed the folds of her long skirt and took a deep breath. In a soft voice she replied, “I’m Celia Hamilton.”

Robert strode forward, smiling. “I was afraid of what I’d get, and here I got the prettiest girl in the school,” he told her.

Celia blushed. As they left the room, she saw Mandie smile at her.

With the line dwindling, Mandie began to think that maybe they would run out of boys, and she wouldn’t have to bother being nice to someone. But the very last boy in line was hers.

A tall, handsome young lad with brown hair and dark brown eyes stepped to the doorway. Seeing Mandie was the only girl left in the room, he laughed.

“My name is Thomas Patton and I’m looking for Miss Amanda Shaw,” he said, bowing slightly. “This was worth waiting for.”

Mandie rose, straightened her skirts, and lifted her chin. “I’m Amanda Shaw,” she replied. Then with a nervous giggle she added, “My friends call me Mandie, but they don’t like nicknames at this school.”

“My friends call me Tommy,” the boy whispered loudly, “but nicknames aren’t permitted at our school either. They want us to learn how to be real gentlemen, and they say real gentlemen don’t go by nicknames.” He offered his arm and Mandie tucked her hand in the crook of his elbow. “Just
between you and me, I don’t think they’ll ever make a real gentleman out of me.”

Mandie laughed as they went out onto the veranda. “And I know they won’t ever make a real lady out of me. It’s impossible.”

The other girls turned to look as Mandie and Tommy sat down near April and her escort. Mandie looked around for Celia, and saw her at the other end of the porch. She was listening attentively to her new friend.

“Where are you from, Mandie?” Tommy asked.

“Franklin, North Carolina,” she replied. “And you?”

“I’m from Charleston, South Carolina,” he said.

Mandie’s eyes widened. “Charleston? Where the beaches are? I’ve never seen the ocean. Tell me about it, please. What is it like?”

“It’s the biggest body of water I have ever seen,” he teased. Then more seriously he added, “You know that already, of course. But when the tide comes in, it brings huge waves that splash water way up onto the beach. And then when the tide goes back out, and takes all the extra water with it, it leaves all kinds of shells and tiny ocean creatures that have washed up from the sea. I have a collection of shells and sand dollars.”

“Sand dollars?” she asked.

“Sand dollars are little flat circular urchins with a star pattern in the middle. They live on the bottom of the sea and the tide washes them ashore. Of course they’re dead then, and can’t bite,” he teased. “Seriously, they look like they’re made out of the same thing shells are. They don’t look like they were ever alive.”

“And you collect these things and put them in your house?”

“Sure. Next time I go home I’ll get you one.”

“Oh, thanks, I’d love that. I want to see the ocean someday.” Mandie’s blue eyes twinkled.

“You and your parents will have to come to visit us. I’ll show you the beaches and the whole town. Charleston has lots of historical places to see, you know.”

“Yes, I’ve read about it. I’d love to visit sometime.”

Mandie became aware that April continually stared at Tommy and paid little attention to her escort. April leaned toward them to hear their conversation.

Seeing some seats vacated near Celia, Mandie stood up quickly. “My friend is at the other end of the porch, and I see two empty seats,” she said.

As they walked away, April kept her eyes on Tommy. Even after they had sat down, she was still staring at them.

The maids came out and served tea while Miss Prudence and Miss Hope watched the girls.

Mandie was so nervous she was afraid she would drop something. She looked around to see what the others were doing. Most of them seemed to know exactly how to behave at afternoon tea.

Celia’s hand shook so much that she didn’t dare lift the cup to her lips for fear of spilling the tea.

Robert noticed that she was not drinking it. “Is something wrong with your tea?” he asked.

Celia blushed and said the first thing she could think of. “Oh, no, I—uh—just don’t like tea.”

“Well, don’t drink it then,” Robert said.

“Celia, you should try,” Mandie urged. “Miss Prudence might notice that you didn’t drink it.”

Robert reached over and quickly exchanged cups with Celia. He had already finished his tea. “Here, I’ll drink it for you. Then you’ll have an empty cup,” Robert said with a laugh.

“Thanks,” Celia said. “Here comes Miss Prudence now. I hope she didn’t see what we just did.”

“She didn’t,” Mandie assured her. “I was watching. She was walking the other way when you swapped cups.”

“What if she did see us,” said Tommy. “Not everyone likes tea. People shouldn’t be forced to drink it just to learn the social graces, as these teachers call it.”